Strategy on EA

C.Uaua

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Hey guys, maybe many other players already asked this question, but what about sending your opinions on strategy to be used in EA?
For example, which is the winning strategy for Axis? All out assault on east front? Mediterranean option? Invade England?
And for the other side, what is the best containement allied option? Early invasion? Anaconda plan? Or better put out of order Axis minor powers first?

Ciao

C.Uaua
 

Mark Stevens

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Another 'How long is a piece of string?' thread - hahaha!...string...thread - oh, please yourselves - because you'll be reacting to your opponent's moves. A general rule is that you can expect to be on the defensive as the Allies during the first few years of the scenario, because the Germans and their satellites start off with more powerful land forces and a variety of Theatre Options and offensive bonuses, which gives them the initiative. Don't be too ambitious, make the Axis pay for their inevitable victories, try to conserve the core nations of the UK and the USSR at all costs, even if you lose the rest of Europe and Scandivnavia. There really isn't much that you can do to save Poland, France, Yugoslavia, the Low Countries, Greece and Norway if the Axis player simply applies massive pressure: but can you cause enough casualties and slow him sufficiently to weaken the eventual attack on the USSR? The Mediterranean is usually an interesting theatre, because of the difficulty of attacking Gibraltar and Malta, and the relatively narrow front in the Middle East. Some Axis players feel that conquering the region is unrealistically easy because there are no supply restrictions of the sort that hampered Rommel (although supply must be traced from Benghazi or via Rhodes), and that a victory in the Desert is guaranteed by simply shipping in an endless number of German corps which can then turn north and invade the USSR via the Caucasus. It's worth strongly defending the region as the Allies, if this can be done without leaving the UK open to a sudden 'Sealion' (e.g. don't lose all of the early British motorised corps in a hopeless defense of France).

Eventually you'll have to defend the Soviet Union. Don't exhaust the Red Army in the Finnish woods and swamps, don't sit along the western borders waiting for the invasion, keep the air force at maximum range or out of it altogether, have a solid line of infantry corps behind a river with the mechanised and armour in reserve, leave small units of NKVD to blow the bridges and blunt the initial Axis advance, watch out for the German 'Barbarossa' bonus, don't lose Leningrad, Moscow and Stalingrad, mud and winter are your friends.

The tide will turn with the arrival of hordes of Soviet reinforcements and the entry of the USA, which will provide a - by then much needed - steadily increasing supply boost. At which point, regrettably, your opponent will probably concede. If not, think about attacking Germany's weaker allies such as Vichy France and Italy rather then a premature invasion of the Continent. You can still lose - I've done it - by trying 'D-Day' too early and suffering an Anglo-American disaster in Northern Europe. You only get one 'Overlord' bonus - use it well.

Reverse the above strategy for the Axis: you've got the units and the bonuses, use them to bring the Continent under your control as quickly as possible, perhaps try for Malta, Gibraltar, the Middle East or even the UK itself if they seem weakly held, generally avoid big surface battles with the Allied fleets unless they come into range of the Luftwaffe. Sooner or later, if you're going for a real win, you'll have to attack the USSR. Perhaps you can pressure the minor fronts like Finland and the Caucasus, but to win outright you need to take both Moscow and Stalingrad which means advancing into the Russian heartland. Try to read the Briefing: don't be surprised when winter arrives and you suffer a shock penalty; partisans will pop up behind your front in the USSR and Yugoslavia. Think carefully if you're tempted to activate Spain: is it worth it? If it becomes apparent that you can't knock out the Soviet Union you're still not obliged to stand still and be ground to pieces. Will a flexible defense keep the Red Army back for years longer than historically? Can you throw an 'Overlord' back into the Channel or prevent Italy surrendering? I find the Axis on the defensive an interesting challenge, although I know that a lot of games end when players realise that the panzer corps are going backwards rather than forwards.

I could ramble on in this vein for several more pages, but you get the point. I won't insult you by suggesting that you use concentrated armour and paratroops backed by the bombers to punch holes in enemy lines and put them out of supply for the infantry to grind down, drive for their capitals to force early surrenders, stop it Mark.
 

flyfishtasmania

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gibraltar

While mark's summary is correct. You must remember this is a game of key hexes. Dont leave capitals, supply points, and event hexes weakly held.

Based on my current game, I am about to win (taken moscow, next to Stalingrad) because I managed to get Gibraltar. Of all the points in the game, I think it is the most critical to get for the Axis early. (If you cant get it early, you probably wont get it later!) Taking Gibraltar seals off the mediterranean, letting you have a free hand to take malta, and drive the allies in North Africa into the sea / desert, then letting you attack Russia from the south, getting the oil hexes bonus. Of course, a cunning allied player may ship lots of stuff to Gibraltar and north africa.

I find as the allies it is a desperate defense in the east. in the west, prepare raiding forces. A quick invasion (supported by fleets) to take out a port or two will force the Axis to keep lots of desperatly needed units in the west. And, if you plan your attacks well, you can attack, and then retreat, with little losses. Occasionally you can even stay and cause real havoc -- sacrificing a unit in a desperate run accross france to cut rail lines, etc. And the unexpected invasion to threaten the capital of one of the balkan allies is always a favorite -- I have taken out an Axis poland, Bulgaria, and almost Rumania on some of these unexpected invasions. Remember -- the Axis will steamroll you if you just sit back. Keep them distracted, and you may hold off long enough ...
 

Bdr.Mallette

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Steamroll yes, but only for so long.
My Opp. has just made it to the winter of '41 (Dec.'41) without me acquiring either Stalingrad or Moscow (on the door steps, sort of). I fear he may have staved me off long enough.
But....I agree with Gibraltar wholeheartedly.

Bdr.
 

C.Uaua

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Isn't a little bit gamey to move a whole division all around europe trying to conquer capitals and destroy bridges?
Maybe a battalion of special forces...
 

Bdr.Mallette

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Hey,
may as well keep this thread going.

January, 1942:

Allied forces have landed in Basra and have taken Baku back, pressing on all fronts. No threat to Leningrad and Moscow seems really far (10 or so hexes), Stalingrad is the same (4 hexes) but with winter shock and such, am surprised at my stupidity.
I had thought about supply but didn't even think of shock values...duh. Should have read briefing(once again).
Are there any suggestions for a winter shock effect defense?

Ride it out and punish him in the spring for such audacity of attacking me? or... counter somewhere's?

Any previous experience would be cool. thx.


:D
 

Mantis

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No serious counterattacks, no, unless you see something too good to pass up. My advice would be to keep an elastic defence strategy going as best you can, and to make local counterattacks wherever you can, so long as it doens't put you at risk of losing your units, failing to re-establish the line, etc. If you can manage this, you'll get his units glowing cherry red as well, and that will take the edge off his offensive somewhat.

Keep in mind the value of your HQ units, and recon units split in three for taking the position in the front line, and allowing your regular units to withdraw without facing the disengagement penalty. You should manage to avoid a full breakthrough any any areas. Try to channel his attacks in directions you want them to go in - away from your objectives, away frm the centre, etc. Path of least resistance, remember...

Good luck!
 

Bdr.Mallette

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Hello,

cool.
Thats what I have been doing.
I've been secretly(up till now) building a strong counter-force when Spring comes. This should piss him off for awhile!!! lol.

Killorbekilled, don't read!!! lol

:D
 

Mark Stevens

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Or do a Hitlerian 'stand fast' by setting every infantry unit to Ignore Losses and dig them in, with the armour sealing any gaps. High risk strategy, but just about worked in 1941-2 against a Red Army blundering straight forward, although your opponent may not be so obliging.

Once the winter penalty is lifted, you'll be pleasantly surprised at how quickly your units recover, and the further to the east that you've managed to cling on, the more chance of giving the Soviets a really good kicking in Spring 42. Probably be your last chance for a knock out blow if that's what you're aiming for, otherwise you may find yourself conducting an elastic defense back to Berlin.

Shane's suggestion is by far the most sensible, but how much ground do you have to give up?
 

Mantis

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Mark Stevens said:
Or do a Hitlerian 'stand fast' by setting every infantry unit to Ignore Losses and dig them in, with the armour sealing any gaps. High risk strategy, but just about worked in 1941-2 against a Red Army blundering straight forward, although your opponent may not be so obliging.

Once the winter penalty is lifted, you'll be pleasantly surprised at how quickly your units recover, and the further to the east that you've managed to cling on, the more chance of giving the Soviets a really good kicking in Spring 42. Probably be your last chance for a knock out blow if that's what you're aiming for, otherwise you may find yourself conducting an elastic defense back to Berlin.

Shane's suggestion is by far the most sensible, but how much ground do you have to give up?
???

Ignore losses/dug in is how my troops always are, regardless of who I am. That's part and parcel of what I was talking about.

Hmmm, good topic for discussion. How many of you don't have your troops on ignore losses all the time? I'm assuming you don't, Mark?
 

Mantis

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And what is your reasoning? (For both actions - if you do, and if you don't). I'll explain my reasoning after hearing a few replies.
 

Siberian HEAT

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Every unit of every game I play is ALWAYS set to ignore losses. Of course, there are SOME instances where I change this to minimize losses when I want my enemy to fall into certain traps. :D
 

Menschenfresser

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Stuff that's trapped in the front lines that shouldn't be there: artillery, HQ, etc. Set to minimize losses and hope it will get bumped back immediately. This is usually for stuff that reorging or routed and I want it to get outta the way as soon as possible. And it is in a hex with another front line unit that's dug in and will take the brunt of the attack.
 

viridomaros

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i always use ignore losses on the defence simply because it seems troops fight better this way, with minimize losses or such just open kharkov 1942 run a turn with the soviets then watch the disaster most axis units are routed, one should experiment changing the settings to ignore losses to see if the axis resist better.
to me minimize/limit losses on defence make routed and retreated statu more likely and they don't seem to take fewer losses most of the time.
well sometimes it's true you have your unit fighting until it evaporates on ignore losses which doesn't seem to happen that often when using limit and minimize losses.

unless you want your opponent to make fast advance in a part of the map to trap his unit in an encirclement i don't see any reasons to do this
 

Bdr.Mallette

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Ignore losses, dug in.

If I want to lure some unsuspecting unit into a trap, then Dug in, minimize losses. With support units all ready for action next turn.

Smaller scale maps, good for luring into Artillery bombardments or Kill zones....heheh.


Bdr.
 

Mark Stevens

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Scenario's been running for five years now: perhaps we've all said everything that there is to say!

I hope to get a chance to develop the game further using Lou's idea of a loop for weather effects to free up more Events, but that won't be until I get my next decent holiday break later in the year.
 

Menschenfresser

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I have a question about the Barbarossa event. Didn't the Germans used to get a shock bonus? Now it seems only the Soviets suffer from an 80% shock deficit...

Oh, and there is the big supply boost. That's nice.
 
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