PBEM Playtest of AWAW v1.2

Hi everyone,
I've been watching the progress of these AWAW pbem games for a long time now and due to BKA's interest in leading the minor axis, I'd like to participate as well with the minor allies.
Although the minor allies are likely to be 'hurt' really bad already in the beginning, I wish to have a more detailed view on the current game. Maybe I'll be able to spice it up a bit. ;)
It's my first pbem game and I know that you guys have already had lots of 'issues' here, but I tried AWAW in solo mode and am willing to follow all instructions needed to participate.
 
I don't know if anyone missed this but Britain has just been utterly devestated.
 
Gary, I would like to know how you managed to get your forces into Britain via Liverpool so quickly?

I mean, this is turn 4, and it strikes me as completely miraculous, that you can get transports unnoticed into the Irish sea - I don't know from where - and sufficient airsupport in order to support the attack. I know UK defences at this point were quite slight. But something like this I don't get.
 
@Gary

On second look, I can only believe that you had your transports protected by your two battleship stacks in the North Sea, protected by aircover.

But I still wonder how you managed to bring in such massive air support, as that was pretty difficult for myself playing the Axis in the other game - did you actually manage to build and bring a carrier with you in those stacks? If you did, I'd like to hear how you built it so fast. But you must have. Otherwise you wouldn't have been able to bring your bombers so far into Britain.

Either way, I did not see this coming. Of course, I no longer have a shot at doing anything in this game - Britain was already hard pressed, and now totally crippled.

Congrats on a well played game ! - this operation is completely devious, and caught me by utter surprise.

Your operation shows that the UK cannot really afford any other disposition than building military hardware, right from the outset. I was building infrastructure and means of production, I wasn't able to build much of military significance at this point. And alas, I wasn't able to do much about your two fighter-protected stacks, after losing two battleships in the battle of the North Sea.

The of course also underlines, as also the other game has shown, how paramount it is for the Russian player to put a strong military pressure on the Axis, if the Allies (especially Britain) should have even a fighting chance.
 
@Gary
I don't believe that you have sufficient lines of transportation to support your invasion. Your initial assault, however, has been so devastating, that I have little chance of taking back UK cities, before you are able to protect them better.

I still have a quite able navy, but no economy, and while it could be interesting to pursue building something resembling a response, the UK has clearly lost this game. Game over for the UK.
 
Yes, very well done Gary. :eek:

Might well have to look at the balance of the game after this strategic jewel.
 
@Morten:

You are a very sharp CIV player. I see above where you figured it out... literally as you typed. You've a 'crisp' mind, totally focusing on getting 'the edge' against all players (as we all try to do).

I used this against you.

Before I get to 'long winded' in answering all of the questions which I know that everyone has regarding operation "Gamble"... and how it was pulled off... especially your questions, which are direct, and to the point... well, actually I need to 'beg off' on answering anything right now.

See, you're a very perspicasious (sp?) individual, and are completely correct: my initial assualt was PLANNED to be totally devestating... assuming it would even succeed (you had options that would have made this bad of destruction actually against Germany, crushing me, limiting me to a smaller role). I planned it to be completely devastating in it's "openning round"... because you're further correct... with regards to my lanes of transportation.

The game is FAR from over, although yes... you might not take back the UK (you always worry me!:) If you can't push me out in the next 10 or 12 turns, yes, you and the other allies will have a long 'SLOG' towards victory.

I started this game with the sole intent of allowing Bo another assessment of this scenario (I love it!). Everything you see in the UK right now, all the air support, all the ships, etc... were because of your decision to pursue the 'Wonder of Einstein'.

That 'Wonder' has been VERY expensive for England, no? I tracked your turn one, realized INSTANTLY that you had actually DELETED a WHOLE LOT OF INFANTRY AND OTHER DIVISIONS: the opening 'kill ratio' was much smaller than your known losses.

As such, it was READILY obvious, that you had deleted an incredible amount of military units. This led to Axis KNOWING (pretty much) that you were chasing a wonder, and seriously wanted to receive it on game turn #2... which we all now know you did. The only debate the Axis players had, was WHICH wonder (I thought 'Marlene' would be more advantageous to you, but decided that you'd chase Einstein for the techs... which are quite worthless and meaningless to the allies at this venture of the game, as you guys cannot build a capable military presence fast enough to benefit from it.

Anyway, it was your chasing the wonder that killed you. At this point, I knew from logical deduction that you were doing it in either Burma, because of all the units present at the start (I quickly ruled this one out, as I thought you wouldn't find it 'secure' enough... because I didn't, and believe we think alike). That left, LOGICALLY... only the UK proper for the Wonder. Which obviously made me realize that you had DELETED all those units in UK itself in order to attain this wonder. When you announced turn #2 that you had Einstein, I just about crapped myself with excitement!

At that time, operation 'Gamble' received all and final 'green lights- go, go, go!' and was set into motion, where it had been 'tentative'.

In real life, Britain was on her frigging KNEES against the aggressive Germans, reeling in pre-death throes... but Germany just could NOT deliver the 'knock-out' blow. Had you remembered this... well, I think going after a 'wonder' is fine, but not at the expense of destroying your defense. Oh, yeah, London was even observed to have NO defensive unit in it at all on turn #2! Man, did you delete some units, or what!?)

Anyway, I don't want you to think any of the above is a lecture (or admonishment). I DO respect and admire you... wouldn't do it for that. Mostly, I'm writing the above for everyone else to understand (especially BO...) that this was (completely) a result of your actions, and my observations of your actions, rather than any 'flaw' in the set up design.

Morten... I don't believe there's any way in hell I could have done this had you not destroyed your own defenses, and instead built/improved your defenses.

All this above is just my own observations. Treat it as such, perhaps its all garbage in everyone's eye... who knows? Sorry if it's a long speculation.

But the game is, as stated, FAR from over. It actually is just the beginning of turn #4, as you noted. There are 150-ish turns left to destroy Germany. It took only 44 turns, I believe, in game #1. So what if it takes the allies a whopping 104 turns in this one??? Besides, Mort, you did say something about wanting to see what I could do playing the Germans. Keep in mind... you still worry me!

@Eivind: I DID "promise you" that if you played this game with me, that we'd have a blast! :)

@Bo: please don't look at the balance of powwer in the game yet, per my above comments about 'why' in actuallity, 'THE GAMBLE' was a success!

Again everyone: I'm at work, and can't focus my entire attention on this write up. Sorry if it comes out as a lecture... I swear that's not my intent.

Game on, Morten!
Where's that famous "I've not YET begun to fight!" spirit!?
(it's not as 'complete' as you may believe...)

With respects,
Gary
 
@Gary,
You're a quick learner :) - and all what you state is true. Apparently the UK pursued the wrong strategy at the wrong time, and at the wrong place... Who would have known that you played such a shrewd game - even I wouldn't have contemplated that you'd strike such a daring dash out on me.

Mind you, the UK still has a quite able navy (while most of it are a long way from Britain), and I am able to bombard you out of UK coastal cities - but I have next to none airpower - and no production capacity - and thus no hope of coming back, as I cannot now protect my navy from your bombers. It is out of the question to begin building an airforce from the ruins of whats left now.

I pursued building up my economy and production quickly, building a lot of offshore platforms to boost UK production (still don't know why Bo called these uboat pens, as they are far more important, especially for an island civ), which are really needed in each and every able coastal city (especially since the UK has cities with zero production due to a much more strict government re unit support the the Axis).

I felt the wonder was urgent, to get the paratroopers and a decent navy up and running quickly (I couldn't build new subs from the outset), that I needed to keep off the Axis navy and clear the seas. Apparently I was dead wrong and should have stuck to a less arrogant strategy ;)

Either way, I don't believe UK defenses depend on their ground forces. It depends on their navy and airforce. And when these are taken out, an attacker has free game. - normally though, as you state, with proper defences, the Axis will need a far more better line of reinforcements than yours at the present time.

This scenario punishes the looser considerably harder than the standard game, in that it is incredibly difficult in building up anything of value and military matter, without factories. I still have the oil, but I can't turn the middle east or Canada into a new London, since it is severely limited in production. Furthermore, the UK is facing doom in Asia as well, without proper support from London.

So the game is over for me. No reason to play on, even though I can see that your invasion is not strongly backed. Your lines of support are quite exposed, and you have a dangerous enemy in your back. But the UK cannot do flip about anything, it won't make much of a difference - or it'll happen in 50 turns from now, which is going to make the game incredibly longwinded for me - too longwinded for my taste.

You simply outsmarted and outplayed me big time in this one :) - nothing gained in drawing out the pain, when my analysis tells me, that there's no fighting chance in hell I can come back.
 
One thing that may change the aspect of the game is for 'Carpet Bombers' to not be allowed on Carriers. That way the only bombers that could normally be used for such city attacks would be those that are affected by Fortifications and their associated defense bonus.

I was also wondering about the distance that the UK island is from the rest of Europe. If is was increased by even just one or two squares it would require more naval action and require more time/planning for any sort of invasion (from either side).
 
@Gary, "You're a quick learner - and all what you state is true."

@Morten: Hey! I had a great teacher! :)

@Gary: "But the UK cannot do flip about anything, it won't make much of a difference - or it'll happen in 50 turns from now, which is going to make the game incredibly longwinded for me - too longwinded for my taste."

@Morten: Surely you aren't stating that, just because it may take you 50 turns (out of a 160 turn game) to strike back at Germany... that you wish to quit!?

(((((I had well over 50% of my entire military might, perhaps 85% economic might... afloat for a few turns... with more than 'just' a possibility of your destroying them, limiting me to just a bunch of infantry in Poland. It also meant I'd have lost 4 turns production, 100% of entire German Luftwaffe, 100% of entire German Navy, etc. There was at least a 50-50 chance I'd have lost every bit as much as you, in effect making me a 'minor' for at least 20? 30? 60? turns until I recovered (If I recovered!). Are you saying that if it had gone the other way (against me) that I should then have quit!? Surely you are not suggesting this?? :(((((((

edit: Oops! I just read the 'edit' that you added to your above post after I sent this one to post. Damn. Sorry to lose you :(
 
Morten Blaabjerg said:
PS. Never in the world would I have thought that you studied the intro screen as a part of your analysis. You wasn't supposed to see my dispositions re troop disbandments etc. But I guess, in a war, all intelligence means (even the ones that borders on the edge of the game) count.

:wavey:

Sorry, it's one of the first things I learned that happens in PBEM games. ;)
 
Everyone that actually plays the game gets to see all of this on everyone else. It shows total units on USSR, Germany, etc. I would be QUITE shocked if people told me they didn't 'glance' at this PUBLIC information... ??

Gary
 
@Gary,
The number of units are not of paramount importance presently, but the positions of the map, and its potential - what I have left you are able to destroy and take out in a few turns. I cannot move in any direction without taking hits, hits that I can't at all afford. It would be precisely the same situation had I conquered Berlin along with the Ruhr district and left you with Copenhagen and a few cities in the Alps. In that case, you wouldn't have much of a chance to come back ;)

Congratulations on a well thought out and carried through strategy :) -I never saw anything quite like it !
 
Gary J. Durham said:
Everyone that actually plays the game gets to see all of this on everyone else. It shows total units on USSR, Germany, etc. I would be QUITE shocked if people told me they didn't 'glance' at this PUBLIC information... ??
Yeah, but somehow it slipped my mind it could be used against me, putting my arrogance on display like that ;)
 
Does the UK turn into an 'AI' in the game, or do we find a replacement player, or what? (I'm to new to PBEM to know what occurs in a situation like this).

Gary
 
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