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Observation about Soviet side of play

 
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Observation about Soviet side of play - 11/30/2015 12:00:23 AM   
gunnergoz


Posts: 447
Joined: 5/21/2002
From: San Diego CA
Status: offline 		Admittedly I'm still learning this game and have so far only gotten into August playing as Soviet. I did read the manual carefully (I'm one of those guys who relish a well-written and detailed game manual and this is one of the best ever.) It did not take me long to notice that by design choice, the Soviet forces never receive replacements and instead new armies take their place.

I've read enough of the history of the Eastern front to know this is by and large true for the time frame involved. In game play terms and as a design choice, it works.

As a player, however, it frustrates me no end to see army commanding generals becoming more and more competent, only to have their armies shot to pieces and the HQ vanish once the divisions are all destroyed.

I suppose my gripe is really that the game is too short to allow me to see those army commanders come back in charge of newly raised armies as happened later in '42-45. (Am I really complaining that a game is too historical? Not really. This is a gameplay point, not a historical one.)

IMO It would have been nice for this game if a limited number of those HQ's would be allowed to be rebuilt as reserve armies, led by those same experienced, more competent commanders. It could be limited to one for Stavka and one each of the three Fronts, or just a flat number at Stavka. I suspect some thought was given to this and the idea rejected. But if it had made it into the game, it would have been something I'd like to have seen.

_____________________________

"Things are getting better!
...Well, maybe not as good as they were yesterday, but much better than they will be tomorrow!"
-Old Russian saying
Post #: 1
RE: Observation about Soviet side of play - 11/30/2015 1:53:50 AM   
lancer

 

Posts: 2963
Joined: 10/18/2005
Status: offline 		Hi gunnergoz,

The reasons for this are pretty much as you've surmised.

The Regular Red Army formations that the Soviets start the game with become increasingly valuable as time goes on. They are way better troops than the conscripts and their commanders have gained experience.

One of our Beta testers had a strategy of immediately pulling back as many of these as he could (it's doable on a front with Zhukov and rapid reorganisation) in order to keep them relatively intact. He kept retreating them as fast as he could until the initial penalties (Blitzkrieg shock and entrenchment) dissipated.

Cheers,
Cameron

< Message edited by lancer -- 11/30/2015 2:54:05 AM >

(in reply to gunnergoz)
Post #: 2
RE: Observation about Soviet side of play - 11/30/2015 2:09:40 AM   
gunnergoz


Posts: 447
Joined: 5/21/2002
From: San Diego CA
Status: offline 		Thanks for the idea Cameron, I'll have to try it out as it makes sense. In my current campaign my regulars are half chewed up in the first 3 months but I have kept the Germans well back from their historical advance lines. Don't have much hope for a winter counter-offensive at this point, though.

One funny side note: By end of July I had one Army General who had advanced himself to some 42 initiative points but had a threat rating of 6, which was half of my total army commander threat ratings overall. So I sent Kruschev down, hit him with an investigation then when he was zeroed out, I gave him the old confidant routine to save him for later. Next turn Stalin had a paranoid episode and executed him anyway! Oh well...

Very cool game, like no other wargame I've played as yet. Makes me look forward to seeing Monty, Ike, Patton, Bradley, and J.C.H. Lee interacting in a West front equivalent game.

_____________________________

"Things are getting better!
...Well, maybe not as good as they were yesterday, but much better than they will be tomorrow!"
-Old Russian saying

(in reply to lancer)
Post #: 3
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