Catch21
Posts: 511
Joined: 4/13/2006 From: Dublin Status: offline
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Putting units in RR cars and keeping them in is going to reduce your total supply. I'm not sure of the cost-benefit, but I'd suggest if you're going to do this just keep them on rail lines until you need them, then load them and move. There's also a reinforcement schedule (T6 & T8) plus some units won't activate until T3. It's always well worth checking these hotseat for both sides. Attacking, hit a unit and it will activate immediately when you could have had 10 more turns to run around it. Defending you need to know what you're going to get, when and where. That also goes for formations that show in reserve. Check when they come on line. A few other pointers if you're playing Germans, though I'm sort of shooting myself in the foot here, but that's happened a few times TOAW-wise before. As Germans you start a couple of points shy of a significant victory, so it's more a Q of losing than winning. There's a Victory Point Calculator out there somewhere that helps you know what the levels of victory or defeat are. The first thing I always do in any scenario is strip all units away from a map and get objectives to the top. I usually print out this map so I can see objectives with supply trace on and understand who is going to get what when and if they get there. This way you're forced to look at geography and supply as a priority- rail lines, roads, mountains, rivers. I think it's crucial no matter whether you're attacking or defending. I've mentioned avoid Warsaw though I'd suggest you always try for the bridge at 10,33. Seeing an enemy column (and he doesn't know composition assuming you're using Fog of War- recommended) will force the Russians to put something sizeable and maybe and hopefully disproportionate there given their desperate proficiency. Then you just need to hang on to what you have at start or retake it. That means a line from Thorn-Lautenburg-Willenburg-Lyck-Stalluponen. Get those units that can move out and about T1 as far forward as possible. They're expendable if they come up against an aggressive Russian player or Elmer and IMO a company digging a trench in WWI and defending it is worth a division trying to attack it later. Then I'd suggest go for Suvalki and this will get you a Significant Victory. Then if you've done all this, look around and see what's happening- believe me your first casualty is almost always going to be your plan. If you're still in fair shape and the Russians aren't I'd probably- given the rail line for supply- go for Kovno. Or make him think that and divert resource there, then maybe try for Grodno, which would cripple his already terrible supply to Warsaw. Or vice versa. Always keep the initiative by keeping them guessing. Edit: Apologies- Warsaw is a supply source so that's not a rationale. But Grodno is still a reasonable target if you've a choice. Or Olita.
< Message edited by General Staff -- 7/3/2006 5:07:57 PM >
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Tactics are based on Weapons... Strategy on Movement... and Movement on Supply. (J. F. C. Fuller 1878-1966)
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