[WarInEur] Combat results oddity

Don Lazov dlazov at comcast.net
Thu Aug 28 00:23:14 EDT 2008


Exactly what I have been trying to say for a year!

Thanks Kent.

Kent & Sue Haunschild wrote:
> Well I'm of two minds on the subject myself.  As you have indicated 
> having the minors attack the Germans in an orgy of Suicide attacks 
> seems gamy.  On the other hand, these invasions were not the bloodless 
> victories the Board game or CWIE1 would have us believe.  So attacking 
> the Germans with units that are already lost and inflicting some 
> attrition actually seems more historical.
>  
> For example the "invasion" and conquest of Poland usually takes 2 
> turns, but with attrition it takes 3 or 4 more turns to recover.  This 
> recovery time pretty much eliminates the possibility of a fall 
> campaign into France.  So in this case, it reflects history pretty well.
>  
> Belgium and Holland fall on the first turn without any German 
> casualties.  Here again the attacks to cause attrition give notional 
> casualties to the Germans in the sense that the units will need to 
> pause to recover their full strength.  Again this seems to reflect 
> history pretty well.
>  
> Now in game turns attrition is a two edged sword.  No position is 
> invulnerable, but the mere act of moving to contact is going to cost a 
> one column down shift in the combat odds.  So flips increase 
> exponentially.  Moving to contact and then waiting to recover to full 
> strength wastes a turn and the clock is ticking on the fortification 
> timer.
>
>     ----- Original Message -----
>     *From:* Chuck Sutherland <mailto:csutherland at dpcs.org>
>     *To:* Kent & Sue Haunschild <mailto:kentsue at cox.net> ; Don Lazov
>     <mailto:dlazov at comcast.net> ; Gary Krockover
>     <mailto:cmbb at garykrockover.com>
>     *Cc:* Warineur <mailto:warineur at mailman.halisp.net>
>     *Sent:* Wednesday, August 27, 2008 12:25 PM
>     *Subject:* RE: [WarInEur] Combat results oddity
>
>     I'm sorry but this smells of a improved version of the suicide
>     paras! Has anyone kept the 1-3 and other units to attack by
>     themselves stacks of Germans to attrite them? And in this strategy
>     have you had the Germans para into the Maginot line along with
>     ground forces to open up the front?
>
>      
>
>     //Chuck Sutherland//
>
>     ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>     *From:* warineur-bounces at mailman.halisp.net
>     <mailto:warineur-bounces at mailman.halisp.net>
>     [mailto:warineur-bounces at mailman.halisp.net] *On Behalf Of *Kent &
>     Sue Haunschild
>     *Sent:* Wednesday, August 27, 2008 11:48 AM
>     *To:* Don Lazov; Gary Krockover
>     *Cc:* Warineur
>     *Subject:* Re: [WarInEur] Combat results oddity
>
>      
>
>     I am not finding that France rolls over even with attrition when
>     starting from 1939.  The ability to strip the colonies, use the
>     French 1-3 Cav and 2-4 Mtn to provide ZOC in compliance with the
>     rules but actually under garrisoning the Italian border, and
>     preposition the remainder of the French in a 3 deep four high band
>     across Belgian border insures that the French are ready for the
>     onslaught.  The inability to use rail movement, forcemarch, or the
>     extra movement points for air interdiction are a non-issue since
>     all the French units are propositioned.
>
>      
>
>     Then if the Belgian and Dutch copy the earlier Polish behavior
>     (which was to attack as many units as possible after the Germans
>     have captured the critical hexes (Warsaw, Hague, Brussels, and
>     Amsterdam) but before the units are removed from the board) then
>     they can cause significant attrition to the German units.  True
>     these are suicide attacks and rather pointless in the board game
>     but with attrition it will take the German units out of the fight
>     for 2 to 3 turns.
>
>      
>
>     If the French then rotate attrited units out of the French line
>     and into the Maginot line hexes using rail transport they can
>     insure a supply of unattrited units and can use the attrited units
>     to occupy the Maginot line and recover rapidly since the Allied
>     ZOC extend into the West Wall hexes but not vice versa.
>
>      
>
>     In fact by judicious counter attacks against the panzer units the
>     Allies can insure that the Axis will get nothing but 2 or 3 to 1
>     attacker odds at best and will have to make their own low odds
>     attacks to wear down the French to the point that they can start
>     pushing the line back. 
>
>         ----- Original Message -----
>
>         *From:* Don Lazov <mailto:dlazov at comcast.net>
>
>         *To:* Gary Krockover <mailto:cmbb at garykrockover.com>
>
>         *Cc:* Eric Gerber <mailto:cgerber at socal.rr.com> ; Kent & Sue
>         Haunschild <mailto:kentsue at cox.net> ; Warineur
>         <mailto:warineur at mailman.halisp.net>
>
>         *Sent:* Wednesday, August 27, 2008 7:03 AM
>
>         *Subject:* Re: [WarInEur] Combat results oddity
>
>          
>
>         Attrition adds the ability to get historical results, in
>         France or Russia for the Axis, North Africa for the CW, Italy
>         for the Allies, and Russia in 43-44, and finally back in
>         France in 44.
>
>         Using the attrition option you have to think more
>         operationally then just pushing counters around or following
>         the old recipe check list routine for WIE (i.e., Poland,
>         Denmark, Yugo in 39, Norway and France in 40, with the CW or
>         SU nothing to do). France does not have much to do but to
>         capitulate anyway (historically they never had the stomach nor
>         resources to fight in 40 anyway). However the CW can fight
>         back in NA (with attrition) and cause all hell to break loose.
>         Likewise in 41 the Soviets do have some capabilities near the
>         end of the year to fight back if they husband their forces
>         effectively.
>
>         In fact in a recent play test in 44 after the allies go ashore
>         in the west the Germans were counter attacking and stuffing
>         the Allies in the beach head, but we are just at the point
>         that the Germans will collapse (the attrition levels are
>         getting dangerous 30%-45% in some of the SS units. Meanwhile
>         on the Eastern Front I full scale southern counter attack has
>         crush a lot of Soviet units, but agian the attrition is
>         causing the Germans to stop and expecting a major Soviet
>         counter thrust in that region as well.
>
>         Attrition is the key to both the CW/US, Soviet and Axis,
>         learning to master it is also key.
>
>
>         Gary Krockover wrote:
>
>         Nope.  We thought that we'd play our first game based off of
>         how the board game works and plays.  I think we've learned our
>         lesson now.
>
>         GJK
>
>         At 06:08 PM 8/26/2008, Don Lazov wrote:
>
>         Are you using the new Attrition Option? I hold the record of 4
>         weeks knocking out France. Almost got Russia in 41 but the
>         weather and my units being down to 20%-30% stopped me, then
>         the Soviets counter attacked until they were down to 30-40%
>         and stopped and we froze immobile and limp.
>
>         Hum, where have I read that before?...only with attrition.
>
>         Gary Krockover wrote:
>
>         In my pbem game (me as the Allies), Germany is having a heck
>         of a time defeating France; it's the 3rd week, 8th cycle, of
>         1940 and he's just now barely reaching Paris. We can't imagine
>         that Russia would ever have a chance of falling.
>
>         The sad part of it is, that as the Allies, I've rarely
>         counter-attacked because the best that I can muster is a poor
>         3:1 attack that would more times than not be more detrimental
>         to me, so I just fortify and sit there which takes away from
>         the enjoyment factor a bit.
>
>         Again though, we are both new to the game, so perhaps there's
>         some tactics or approaches that are unique to the game that we
>         need to learn.
>
>         GJK
>
>         At 01:55 AM 8/25/2008, Eric Gerber wrote:
>
>         The original game was about making lots of 3-1 attacks.  This
>         is what allow you to push the line until it broke.
>          
>         Eric
>          
>
>         -----Original Message-----
>
>         From: warineur-bounces at mailman.halisp.net
>         <mailto:warineur-bounces at mailman.halisp.net> [
>         mailto:warineur-bounces at mailman.halisp.net]On
>         <mailto:warineur-bounces at mailman.halisp.net%5DOn> Behalf Of
>         Kent & Sue Haunschild
>
>         Sent: August 24, 2008 10:57 PM
>
>         To: Warineur; Gary Krockover
>
>         Subject: Re: [WarInEur] Combat results oddity
>
>         The the board game CRT has been coded into CWIE2 so they are
>         identical.  Normally, I never make low odds attacks because
>         they are so adverse for the attacker.
>
>         However, the attrition option almost requires the use of low
>         odds attacks to soak off the ememy strength.  It was while
>         playing a hotseat game that it occurred to me that when the
>         defender is flipped he always has the option to retreat but
>         the attacker doesn't.  Which given the rules regarding flips
>         always have the retreat option seemed odd. So I brought it up
>         for comment.
>
>         One of the reasons the Static division were given the attack
>         factor of one was so that it could participate in a low odds
>         attack and hope for a both retreat result and maybe retreat
>         out of a pocket  Otherwise they are just about helpless
>
>         Expanding on this idea and modifying the CRT by adding some Ar
>         results  and allowing the Attacker the retreat option if
>         flipped by a Ae or Aex result "seem" to be an expansion of
>         that idea and should give the Allies and Soviets some more
>         combat options when on CRT4.
>
>         For example-
>
>         Maybe the 1:2 odds which is now all Ae would be changed to Ae,
>         Ae, Aex, Aex, Ar, Ar.  So there would be a 1/3 chance for
>         complete dietruction of the attacker, a 1/3 chance of an
>         exchange result with a flip and attacker retreat option
>         following and a 1/3 the the attacker would be forced to
>         retreat or flip to hold the hex.
>
>          
>
>         Other columns woul be similiarly modified but you get the
>         idea.  Players have complained that the Allies and Soviets
>         have such crappy CRT's that it is impossible to make an
>         attack.  This or a similiar change would rectify that to a
>         certain extent.
>
>         ----- Original Message -----
>
>         From: Gary Krockover <mailto:cmbb at garykrockover.com>
>
>         To: Kent & Sue Haunschild <mailto:kentsue at cox.net> ; Warineur
>         <mailto:warineur at mailman.halisp.net>
>
>         Sent: Sunday, August 24, 2008 11:48 PM
>
>         Subject: Re: [WarInEur] Combat results oddity
>
>         I'm new to the game, but along these lines I've noticed that
>         the CRT's are very defensively balanced (i.e., very
>         non-"bloody").  A 4:1 or 5:1 attack even only does a DR on a 5
>         or a 6 with the rest of the results being adverse to the
>         attacker.  This just means that you really have to plan and
>         coordinate your attacks (using air support and optimal
>         combined arms attacks).  Is this normal in the boardgame
>         version as well (I'm coming from the CWIE2 beta-tester point
>         of view)?
>
>         GJK
>
>         At 11:29 PM 8/24/2008, Kent & Sue Haunschild wrote:
>
>         On combat results of 1/2ex, Ex, or De if either unit is
>         eliminated it can flip and retreat.  If the Result is a Dr or
>         Br the defender can choose to flip and hold the hex and the
>         attacker can choose to flip and advance on a Br. However, if
>         the result is a Ae or Aex the battlegroups cannot retreat. 
>         Seems kind of odd.
>
>          
>
>         [11.32] At the moment that a unit is reduced to its
>         Battlegroup, the Battlegroup has the option to retreat one
>         hex. In some cases, this will save the unit from being Overrun
>         in the Enemy Mechanized Movement Phase.<?xml:namespace prefix
>         = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
>
>
>          
>
>         [12.63] Whenever a Kampfgruppe or a Battlegroup is formed as a
>         result of combat, that unit has the option to retreat one hex.
>         This retreat must be made immediately during the Combat Phase,
>         before any other combat is resolved.
>
>
>
>          
>
>         Here are two rules from the DG living rules.  Why don't they
>         apply to Ae or Aex results.  Also how come there is no Ar.  It
>         seems to me that it is more likely that a attacker will
>         retreat rather than suffer elimination.
>
>          
>
>          
>
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