|
Keunert -> RE: Case Blue: Keunert(Soviets) vs Olivier(Axis), no Olivier (8/9/2012 12:10:30 AM)
|
Final Critic
1. Keunert
2. Sator
3. rosseau
4. Treale
5. James Ward
6. canuck64
7. The Red Baron
8. rominet
9. Templer
10. alex0809
...
27. olivier34
When looking at the top ten of DC:CB players, one wonders how the Roger Federer of operational games could have lost so bad against the french Kournikova of operational hick-hack? how is it possible that someone like me, the one that told Bülow to leave his Schnitzel alone and better get going, the unsung hero of Waterloo will perform so poorly?
there are simple reasons:
1. the beta manual was even more cryptic than the finished one.
i really did believe that changing a commander is paid in prestige.
2. bad luck weather wise and opponent wise: when i play an additional tank card i get like 30, olivier got 65!
I played DC Warsaw to Paris a lot. I was able to fend off the Germans in the Polish campaign more than once (see aar), i defeated the Germans in France and i steam rolled Olivier (see aar) and 'Barthheart the Menace' leading the Huns to Paris. all those marvelous deeds by a single man. and not once my wife applauded and not once my kids were proud.. i did this because it had to be done.
i will challenge Olivier for a rerun and i promise to do better this time. most importantly this has to be changed:
Organization:
Some leader have to be changed immediatly, most important the Briansk Front commander. he was the one that reduced the combat value of my tanks turn after turn. Other leaders will be changed later, as there are not enough PP to sack all incapable leaders at once. the next thing is to create additional army HQ. too many soviet troops are under high HQ command. but this is a little tricky with the readiness penalties that occur and the high pp costs (promoting, sackin, reassigning)
creating additional HQ's will lead to more cards available and having more troops under command of HQ that actually add combat and morale modifiers.
Another organizational problem is caused by the constant breakthrough of the german Panzers: quite often you will end up with the HQ on one side and several divisions on the other side of the invaders from Brenzlau. With the HQ bonus it is really important to keep the troops together. i failed here too. after five turns i realized what a mess i created.
Airwar:
Read the airreport carefully. you cannot afford to let fighter units fly interception that suffered AP/Readiness penalties. adjust the settings after each turn.
Retreat
Know when it is time to move back. With the organizational corrections the Soviets are a lot better at counterattacks. but this will still be one of the most important decisions: finding the right time to fall back, so that the Panzers attack into the empty. The soviet army is in no condition to stand and fight. you are outnumbered and compared to the axis you lack in every department. but you will get lot's of reinforcements, you have to keep your front units alive and bolster them with the reinforcments that are coming in. the rate got a lot higher at the end of july.
Important Cards:
I overlooked the fortification card. there is one available for pp and there is also such a card available by some commanders. in my second pbem it looks like i was able to neglect the huge center pocket by blocking the panzers with such a fortification.
the rest are smaller issues. but to answer some of the critics and questions: i really could have done better in different aspects, with troops reaching cities earlier to dig in better... encircle with less troops at the dangerous side of the circle and other stuff.
but all the talk about a second line further back? how shall this be done if the axis is played that well? i needed all the units to keep a continous front. if i had sent like a fourth of my units way back to build a Don line early, this would have resulted in more pockets. even with all the units at the front it is trouble to prevent dramatic breakthroughs. only during the last four turns i sometimes felt like i could spare some reinforcements and sent them to prepare positions.
The soviet player has commanders that mostly gain one command point per round or maybe two. he has less HQ's and a lot of the HQ's start with low command points. whenever i got enough points i tried to improve exp of staff or i tried to help with entrenchment.
in this regard i achieved a small success: i was able to prevent another huge pincer movement.
i like to thank olivier for putting up a good performance within his means and want to congratulate him for a technical k.o. I was still standing when the bullet penetrated my zygomatic bone and then crushed my telemcephalon, causing an intracranial hemorrhage that made me first wet my pants, then lose consciousness and then everything else.
[image]local://upfiles/36103/A89A0A1070CA438D8E69426C7430B941.jpg[/image]
|
|
|
|
