Messages

16

After Action Reports / Playtesting / Re: Johncon 2010

« on: June 23, 2010, 07:21:47 AM »

Even if I did want to do that ... which I DON'T - I'm afraid I know too much. There's no flipping sides in this one. Too many highly classified branch and sequel operations that would be compromised.

We set up the board last night. It looks mighty fine, especially with John's new factory pieces!!

Cheers

Mike

17

After Action Reports / Playtesting / Re: Johncon 2010

« on: June 21, 2010, 02:41:59 PM »

I can't believe that with my head on Churchill's body, I look like i have LOST weight!

Arghghgh.

18

After Action Reports / Playtesting / Re: Johncon 2010

« on: June 20, 2010, 02:15:16 PM »

I really hate to have to do this, but I gotta say that the combo of John, Brian and myself is unbeatable. In fact, if we do NOT win this game, then it is proof-positive that the game is impossible to win as the Allies.

I obviously can't go into details due to the requirements of operational security, but I will say that the strategic formulation, the campaign planning, and the the operational research that the Allied team have undertaken would truly terrify the Axis if they had been present to witness any of it. It is almost a mercy that such a shroud of secrecy has surrounded the details of this effort.

Helmuth von Moltke once said that "no plan survives contact with the enemy," and this saying has come to be accepted as one of the most widely-respected maxims of strategic thought.

Well, he wouldn't have said that if he could see OUR plan!!!

Bring it on, Axis!!

Cheers

British Mike

19

After Action Reports / Playtesting / Re: 2010 Advanced Game Playtest

« on: May 27, 2010, 07:38:45 AM »

"there will be tears for all concerned."

Tears of joy for us, naturally.

I even welcome increased production of Allied heavy bombers. The German-speaking peoples must be tested by fire and steel. We will emerge stronger.

Cheers

Mike

20

After Action Reports / Playtesting / Re: 2010 Advanced Game Playtest

« on: May 26, 2010, 08:02:03 AM »

Brian,

I am thrilled to hear that the Western Allies are hopelessly speared on the sharp edges of Italy's mountains. Your panzer divisions sound like they are manned by true National Socialists. That can be the only explanation for their success in wearing down the enemy.

Seems that the Soviets are likewise quaking in their boots (those that have boots). The year 1944 will be a year of sorrow for our Eastern foe. I hope they like eating lichen, because that is all they will have to sustain themselves when we drive them underground in the Urals.

Time to make France and other soft spots even harder to penetrate before Spring 44. Then the Western Allies will be coming in great force and there will be tears for all concerned.

Look forward to seeing the pics. I am on holiday (i.e., vacation) from 29 May to 12 June, but will stay in email contact.

Cheers

Mike
C-of-S, OKW

21

After Action Reports / Playtesting / Re: 2010 Advanced Game Playtest

« on: May 25, 2010, 09:25:28 AM »

Brian,

I'm impressed, mate. Your strength in France forced the Allies to pursue a peripheral strategy (Italy and Norway, aka the sideshows) in 1943 and fended off the much-feared main offensive into the Franco-German heartland. That is a strategic coup.

And playing conservatively in Russia looks to be paying dividends. Many short-range "smashing" battles on favourable terms. That's the trick.

Tough times ahead, but the war goes relatively well. Build table looks spot-on. Fighters, fighters, fighters.

We'll correspond more fully by email, when I send the next OKW appreciation.

Cheers

Mike

PS. In addition to photos, were there any highlights of the sessions? Any dramatic wins or losses?

22

After Action Reports / Playtesting / Re: 2010 Advanced Game Playtest

« on: May 14, 2010, 10:58:54 AM »

Wow. Lots going on in those turns.

 - Great to see the U-Boat pens set up before Spring 43. That worked well.
 - Northern France looks decent - we just need some artillery over there. Southern France looks more open, with risk to Italy too. What did Napoleon say about Italy? 
 - Glad to see the shape of northern Russia; the Mannerheim situation can be ironed out with a contraction of our frontline there.

Lots of planning for the critical Spring turn, which sets the scene for the double mech to follow.

 - Can we deter or defeat a Spring 43 invasion, thus preventing that double mech through France?
 - Can we control the initiative and shape of operations in Russia in Spring-Summer 1943?

Cheers

Mike

23

After Action Reports / Playtesting / Re: 2010 Advanced Game Playtest

« on: May 11, 2010, 07:30:33 AM »

John is indeed the best player (trying to jinx him here), hence it was extra sweet repulsing his first Operation Torch attempt!! (I have to cling to these small crumbs of comfort).

On transports, I think it is definitely worth using U-Boats in an anti-invasion role.  On other occasions, it is probably not worth it. Then again, he has been defending the convoy spaces so heavily that it is not much safer and the payoff is so much lower.

John's also been smartly moving transports on the non-com movement. I am usually so off-balance that I can't afford the delay. As tanks can't mech after being shipped anyway, it is definitely the best way to move them.

Also noteworthy - John has hardly shipped a single fighter. He's basically been fighting in the Med with very limited air. That may change now he can put Spits on carriers and is building an escort carrier.

Cheers

Mike

24

After Action Reports / Playtesting / Re: 2010 Advanced Game Playtest

« on: May 10, 2010, 12:30:03 PM »

Guys,

I've been a bit busy hence no posts, but I have been REALLY enjoying playing as Brian's evil Axis 2ic (basically his Scott Evil). Here are my highlights so far from this very interesting playtest.

Overall

 - the pace has been great - two experienced players on each side makes for quick turns.
 - the teams are well-balanced
 - the game is serving a valuable role as a playtest; some rules (Sov trucks, double mech in non-arid summer) are working really well. Others (my stupid candidate rule limiting rerolls) were canned.

Strategic level

 - the game is a test of the Fortress Italy model, with a twist (an annoying Axis outpost line in French North Africa). I have established the chain of island defences (Sardinia, Malta, Crete) and will be interested to see if it helps. My suspicion is that the Allies will sensibly avoid Italy and go for the main prize - France and Germany.

 - this sets us up for a great test of the Operation Roundup scenario, the 1943 Allied invasion of France.

 - in Russia, the forces are very thin and the double summer mech moves make for interesting effects. In Summer 41, the rules perfectly modeled the chaos of a long-range Blitzkrieg. Summer 42 saw both armies too broken to do much. I think Summer 43 is going to be CRAZY.

 - in economic warfare, the U-Boats have been put in their place by strong ASW. That's realistic.  It wasn't cheap for John to buy all those destroyers, but they are paying for themselves. We've maxed U-Boats since the start of the war, but the split between anti-transport and anti-economic tends to lead to failure in both.

 - John has been a very smart British player - he's tried to help his allies (France, Norway) yet has managed to defeat the U-Boats and close down North Africa with an early show of force. John smartly recognizes that the UK is not really threatened by an amphib landing, and from that flowed many good resource decisions.

Tactical  level

These lessons are classified for the moment.

Cheers

Mike

25

After Action Reports / Playtesting / Re: Spring 2009 game - John (Axis) versus Mike (Allied)

« on: August 27, 2009, 12:05:01 PM »

Dear all,

here's Winter 42/43. Some really nail-biting stuff.

Cheers

Mike

[attachment deleted by admin]

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After Action Reports / Playtesting / Re: Spring 2009 game - John (Axis) versus Mike (Allied)

« on: August 13, 2009, 07:18:42 AM »

"Double blind for this game would be amazing... "

Yeah, amazingly LONG!! :-)

I think the initiative system and the sheer complexity of the game already creates a lot of space for strategic and tactical surprise. Plus I think both sides had fairly good insight into force levels in the historical reality through SIGINT etc, particularly where forces were adjacent.

But here are two simple mechanisms that could be adopted to add uncertainty to the game:

1) Introduce dummy markers. Each side (Western / Sov / Axis) can have 10. They look like the normal Grey and Red markers, but they have an "X" on the underside. This allows one to create Patton's phantom First US Army Group, in theory.

2) Cover the Build tables and the strategic redeployment. Advanced players with time on their hands could allow each other 1-2 specific questions each nation each turn ("how many tanks are in the "1" box of your US build table?")

Cheers

Mike

27

After Action Reports / Playtesting / Re: Spring 2009 game - John (Axis) versus Mike (Allied)

« on: August 01, 2009, 06:35:12 AM »

And the Autumn 42 turn report, John outflanks me in North Africa and bounces off my defences again in Russia,

Cheers

Mike

[attachment deleted by admin]

28

After Action Reports / Playtesting / Re: Spring 2009 game - John (Axis) versus Mike (Allied)

« on: August 01, 2009, 06:33:06 AM »

Here is Summer 42. A turn where both sides took stock in Russia and where the Axis heavily reinforced North Africa.

Cheers

Mike

[attachment deleted by admin]

29

After Action Reports / Playtesting / Re: Spring 2009 game - John (Axis) versus Mike (Allied)

« on: May 28, 2009, 06:50:14 AM »

...and here's part two, Hitler's first winter in Russia!

Cheers

Mike

[attachment deleted by admin]

30

After Action Reports / Playtesting / Re: Spring 2009 game - John (Axis) versus Mike (Allied)

« on: May 28, 2009, 06:48:40 AM »

Here's Winter 41.  Biggest battles since the Fall of France. A very active turn!

Had to split the PDF due to size constraints - here's part one.

Cheers

Mike

[attachment deleted by admin]