After finishing GOTM168 in an evening, I’ll try my hand at GOTM167 in the five days that I’ve got left. First custom scenario I have, so dunno how well, or poorly, I’ll fare. Doesn’t seem to be a GOTM167 spoiler thread, so idk if I’m the only one playing. Based from the few screenshots I’ve seen, building Fortresses with Engineers (do we even have them?) will be crucial since there is likely to be many highly defensible positions: Vet Artilleries will be probably needed (I normally never use them: usually it’s howitzers or cavalry) I’m guessing that we don’t have Espionage: that’s gonna suck. Apparently my southern front is supposed to be still going on: we’ll see whether that’s gonna be a priority or not.
ALRIGHT. After spending a few hourse trying to make everything work properly, I’m back. I’ll play a few turns aimlessly to try and take stock of the scenario. Try and get used to it. I probably will play a few turns of everyone. It appears that in this map, the high values make Veteran status especially important, and that a Vet MG nest is near-impossible to take down. Alright, it’s go-time for real.
Oct 1914: Start researching Biplane Design. Repel many Russian attacks in East Germany. Lose a mounted regiment to kill an arty stack north of Konigsberg. Rush Engies, MG Troops and Artilleries. We have Sun Tzu’s: thank god. Lose a Zeppelin attacking Verdun. Verdun seized for 3960 (the entirety of the Entente’s treasury) gold. Kill defenders in neutral Amsterdam with Zeppelin and Ship of the Line. Looking for easy picking to guarantee Vet status. General organizing and moving units around. I don’t want to attack a position until I have plenty of units to actually seize and hold it.It appears Diplomats and Spies are disabled in this scenario…
Interturn: Turks try to attack the Suez canal and fail. French army tries to attack Salzbourg, and the MG nests hold. Same for the soldiers defending Paris. Zero units are lost. Russians attack the east. Naval battle north of Dantzig results in a sunk cruiser for them and a sunk destroyer/cruiser for me. Russians disembark between Konigsberg and Dantzig. Both cities will have MG nests next turn.
Nov 1914: Antwerpen builds Coastal Fortress. More Russian units killed on the eastern front. Zeppelin kills a four-stack and becomes vet. Multiple Russian ships sunk. It’s probably safer to let them suicide than attack ourselves: hopefully they don’t pillage. Copenhagen taken? I guess... only a month after posting this do I notice I forgot some cities. Kill 15cm arty near Nancy: these units can’t be replaced early on. Very valuable but how the hell will they be able to become Vets safely? I’ll let the Entente troops suicide a bit more before making a stab for a fortress. I physically can’t attack some Barb cities with ships for some reason, even though I could with the other one. Huh, it happened again with a destroyer not able to attack an enemy airbase (apparently only bigger ships can do that). Kill Allied warplane in an air base in England w/ship and kill the lone defender of Leicester (harassment) A single soldier lands near Kristiana. Kill a FIFTEEN-STACK of Allied navy ships near London at the cost of one destroyer. The Scapa Flow ships seem to be following the coast of England. But it’s Ships of the Line and Dreadnoughts I have to deal with.
Interturn: Entente develop War Effort. MASSIVE boat stack just near one of mine. I wonder if one of my boats will be able to claim the prize. Offensive units die on the western front, the defensive ones fall back to Paris. Allied city of BEOGRAD seized by the Austrians.
Dec 1914: 37 unit ship stack killed NE of Hamburg. Dreadnought is deservedly vet. Barb city of Amsterdam taken. Kristiana emptied of defenders. Amsterdam has a Naval Compound: that’s convenient. Lose a unit killing a double-stack on the western front. I’ll delay the attack by one turn because I don’t want to take the risk that they survive and become vet. Lose a unit because I didn’t see that the fortress was still occupied. Can’t move to take the now-free fortresses near Paris because ZOC. Seems like Zeppelins can safely take down infantry if no defensive bonuses are had: the trouble is not getting shot down by warplanes. Four-stack killed near Warsaw. Lose a Dreadnought attacking a Russian stack… another unit is lost as well.
Interturn: Heavier attack by the Allies. Lose an MG nest, but they lose more troops and left quite a few artys out in the open. Now it’s the Russians’s turn to suicide. Lots of reinforcements in Warsaw. I’m missing some details as I write this: idk if there’s an arty In Warsaw… Americans tell us they know Biplane Design.
Jan 1915: Seize Barb city of KRISTIANA. Maybe only bigger ships can attack ashore? Kill multiple French arties. Kill unit near city of Nancy, which allows us to move up! … wait nevermind. However, we successfully move up near Paris thanks to the withdrawal of the MG nests. (Maybe it’s more strategic that way?) Warsaw already defended by MG nests. This scenario is gonna be HARD. I’ll have to build multiple Engies to build fortresses as I go: food surpluses will be very temporary. Scapa Flow has a Coastal Fortress. The gods of I’m-not-looking-and-oh-look-i-ran-into-an-unit are rather nice to me this month.
Interturn: Turks take Barb city of Bucharest. Turks take it again from the Russians. Multiple Russian troops near Warsaw.
Feb 1915: Stockholm taken. Now up to 27 objectives, up from 20. More prep on the Western front. Paris will be attacked next turn.
Interturn: Ottomans develop Tactics. Entente Cordiale develop Chemical research. 3 turns a tech… I have seven… Russians mass near Posen.
March 1915: Kill a few Russian units, but most will have to be killed on the defensive. A two-stack of horses on the defensive brings a non-vet Zeppelin to the red… youch. Anyways, we’re gonna try the attack on Paris. Here we go. Lose 1 Artillery, 2 15mm and two regular army units killing two machinegun nests. Paris taken for 24g. No walls available… Not seeing how many MG troops are defending is a big problem. Also, if no walls were defending, then how the heck am I going to take down the other cities who will have walls?? More engis rushed. Kill MG nest blocking the way to Nancy. Kill MG nest in Le Havre with vet Zeppelin: they seem to have much more survivability than the non-vet ones, but I dunno if it was a non-vet MG nest. Now that Paris is taken, it should be a bit easier. When the road to Paris is done, we’ll go for London, build a quick fortress, and open fire. I’m hoping that they won’t have random arty pieces in small cities in Russia because I’ll probably not have the engis to build a fortress every single time, and will have to rely on MG nests and good luck. Holy moly the horse units are weak. Wow, MG units can take out Vet Dreadnoughts without coastal fortresses even. Learned that the hard way.I really need better bombers. Sell some inefficient buildings.
Interturn: French four-stack near Nancy. It’s really hilarious hearing the sound effects for Warriors/Archers/ancient battles when basic riflemen infantry is fighting. MG unit in Posen is almost downed: thank god I have another one ready next turn.
April 1915: 3 cities Engineers. Biplane Design > War Effort. (Aircraft Research 1 doesn’t lead to anything that's useful to me, so I’ll do something generalistic instead. I'm guessing that the Nieuport is an Allied exclusive plane and I don't need Airports that much) Ah dang, forgot about the airbase exploit, the four-stack isn’t actually killed. Cheaty Allies. Kill both defenders in Nancy: Nancy seized for 5g. The trench line is now officially broken. Defenseless Le Havre taken for 4g. That’s weird… it says I’m in Monarchy, my taxes are behaving like in Fundamentalism, yet the unit shield support system behaves just like in Repu/Demo. Zeppelins are so squishy… holy moly. I probably made a mistake going for War Effort instead of Airports. (nope i didn't the bigger mistake comes later) Railway System=Mass Transit? I need to sell them before I forget. Pollution seems to be disabled in this scenario. Is it disabled in every scenario?
Interturn: Entente develop Chemical Warfare. With no dips… I’m kinda scared! Russians develop Chemical Industry.
May 1915: Take out 15cm battery south of Warsaw. Berlin rushes Final engineer, Munich 2 more to go. Holy... the Dreadnoughts cost 400 shields to make… now I feel bad. Sell multiple Railway Systems. Thank god, bomber stacking is allowed per the GOTM rules. This will make things a lot easier. I think I’ll spam MG troops outside the Russian cities to hope and try to control the railroads. Also the House of God (catheral) doesn’t seem to work for tithes.
Interturn: Little action on the Allied front.
June 1915: MG unit and soldier killed in St. Lô at the cost of 2 basic arty units. St. Lô stormed for 5g. The Alllies are receptive… they tell me that hey, they still want war. Okay. French soldier killed west of Nancy. Start prepping troops for the invasion of the Russian city of Riga. Okay, so it’s two Engineers to build a fortress still. Got it. Kill Allied Engineer on the coasts of England w/Dreadnought: that’s an easy target.
Interturn: Allied capital moved to Bordeaux. Well, I know where I’m heading next. Entente develop Battle Gas. And they said that the Germans were war criminals. The Allies aren’t attacking anymore.
Austria-Hungary develop Colonial Troops.
July 1915: Maybe I’m too scared to lose units by attacking too early. It’s probably gonna give them enough time to build arty in London and wipe my whole stack…
Interturn: Ottomans develop Ship Design V. The gas attacks start. Russians develop Arms Research I. They also seem to have developed the “bash your head on a wall” technology, with how many units they’ve been losing.
August 1915: The Riga attack fails: lose 4 artys and a ship. MG’s on rivers are no joke. Lose a T2 arty attacking Orléans: Orléans taken for 9g. Seems like most cities are defended by dual MG’s.
Interturn: Entente develop Biplane Technology.
September 1915: Lyon taken for 19g, no casualties. Fortress built near London: 2 MG nests dropped inside. Final preparations for Warsaw. Hail Italians: Trade Biplane Design for Colonial Troops, Zeppelin Construction for Parliamentary Democracy and Ship Design V for War Effort. There’s an Italian engy on the way to Marseille… Sink Russian transport north of Arkhangelsk. T5L0S5.
Interturn: There’a 15cm arty in London!! One of the MG units die, but many more units suicide. Didin’t see how low the arty went.
October 1915: I didn’t sem to have actually learnt Parliamentary Democracy. Weird. Maybe Germany can't actually physically learn it, what about you guys? Start researching >Arms Research 1. Attack on Warsaw fails… geez. So random, so few hitpoints on my artillery. Field Arties only have 20 hp compared to the 15cm's 40hp, so they can die very quickly despite not having that much more in terms of stats. Things can go south very quickly if you anger the lord of RNG. The city wasn’t even on a river. I lost 5 artys and a horse and only killed one MG nest. Seems like Siege Arty is important, but it’s so freakin’ expensive… 200 shields apiece and lots of research away. Really worried that the "more advanced" option will replace the Field Artillery and that the lesser producing cities will have nothing to build. 100 shields is a lot bigger of a build than 50 shields. Seems like all the London units survived after all. Another big issue is that I have no way to check of enemy cities have Fortifications or not. Other than straight up killing a unit inside and checking if the city's pop dropped or not. Easier said than done.
Interturn: Multiple Russian artys in Vilnius.
(Forgot to make recaps. I had like 30ish cities back then)
I researched Biplanes first because I thought that the scenario would have good earlygame air combat, with bombers and whatnot: we only had monoplanes, whose combat stats are a big joke. (Edit: They can't even attack bombers. LOL.) Turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong: I didn't actually need fighter planes until the US attacked me. I should have prioritized Artillery Design II more heavily, followed by either War Bonds or Siege Artillery depending how easy of a time I had taking heavily defended cities. Especially the ones with the river defensive bonus, like Riga or Rome. I would have been better served making a dash for better guns instead of sidestepping for better planes.
Strangely enough, the machine guns that were defending the trenches in France moved back to Paris, and allowed me to move in. I'm guessing because there were only regular units guarding the place, and that they all suicided at the front so the MG'S had to pull back. Did that happen to anyone else?
(EDIT: I also forgot that Airplane Design 1 giving airports was a lot more important than I thought it would be at the later ends of the game. Apparently airlifting of units is enabled in this scenario, so you can ship heavy artillery to Canada/NA to prepare for a war before it starts. If only I knew that I would have rushed many more airports.)
