|
Jimmer -> Prussia tips (3/7/2008 10:40:44 PM)
|
Greetings. This is the first in a series of "tips" notes I intend to write. I plan on writing them for each major power,
using knowledge I gained from playing the boardgame, but applied to the computer version. I hope to create a separate thread for each nation. If I get ambitious, I'll create a thread for general game tips as well (tips that apply to all powers).
I would ask that only tips be placed here, not debates or thanks or whatever. If you have a problem with or like a tip, write the author a PM and convince them, and they can edit their entry. That should keep the length of these to a minimum.
Tips that don't agree with other tips, however, are perfectly fine. Everyone is free to post their tips here.
Prussia? What can I say about Prussia. In 1805, led by Frederick "the Not-So-Great".
Prussia has four things going for it:
1) A low VP total needed to win, and
2) A large army at the beginning of the game, and
3) A high starting position on the political status display
4) von Blucher (after Feb, 1806)
Only #1 is lasting, however. #4 doesn't even exist at the beginning of the game.
The loss of the other two can happen extremely rapidly. I've seen the Prussian starting army reduced to 1/4 of its former strength in two moves. Two land moves. By France. In other words, Prussia did not even move between having a 100-factor army and having one in the high 20s. Prussia should think of herself as one bad chit-pull away from extinction.
Prussia's only real hopes rest in having a rock-solid alliance with either Russia or Austria (or, preferably, both). Having Great Britian as a strong friend is also highly recommended.
If no alliance can be gained with the central powers, there's only one chance left: Ally with France. However, this will almost certainly lose the game, by having France be so powerful and so high on the VP chart that even only needed the miniscule number of VP that Prussia needs, you won't make it. So, use the threat of allying with France as a way to get Austria and/or Russia on board.
How do you use these alliances, if they materialize? Stack with them. The only hope of defeating France is if you get a huge pile of guys all in one or two places, so you have more local troop strength than the French can overcome. Unfortunately for this plan, that's a tall order. It was a little easier in the board game, where true combined movement existed. In this game, you are probably going to have to loan most of your army to Austria, or have Russia loan you a pile. But, Russia's loan must come with one of the two decent leaders she has.
There's one tiny little advantage that Prussia might be able to pull off, provided she is not fighting France alone: Cavalry superiority. This can cancel the -1 your leaders offer you at the beginning of the game, or, if moving with Austria or Russia, can make the +0 into a +1 (or, alternately, allow more corps to be piled up). This is one reason Prussia should be very friendly with the British: Britain can sort of "force" France to keep a reasonable pile of troops back in France, because GB could land on her fleets at any time. You want to encourage this kind of activity. (However, in an ideal world, you should be rooting for France to win the land battles, so GB has to keep trying.)
If possible, stay out of war with majors completely until Blucher shows up. He's one of the top leaders in the game. BEFORE he shows up, Prussia has absolutely the worst crop of "leaders" in the game. Unless you have cav superiority, you are always facing +1/-1, and that's a killer. Literally. Even good chit pulls can turn into bad battles, and bad chit pulls can be disasters. In the early game, losing 50 factors in the first battle is common enough to be scary.
Even if you don't ally with the French, consider asking them which minors you can grab without incurring their wrath. It could keep you alive long enough for Blucher to show up. It's a pretty brazen diplomatic tactic, but remember that France also prefers to wait a few months for war; France has a LOT more minors to grab.
|
|
|
|
