God how I love a spot of Modern warfare in this game.
Not much happened until I finsihed playing 52 pick up with the fleet and getting everything pointed at Mongolia. First the island to our north with Tabriz, then the island just east of the Mongol island (Otrar),
and finally another gtoup at Old Sarai on the western tip of Mongolia south of Karakorum.
Tabriz was chosen to deny Khan a bolt hole just off our shores, Otrar as a handy staging post for the invasion in force of Mongolia, and Old Sarai to keep his forces at Karakorum bottled up and preventing them from reinforcing the Mongolian east.
ANd away we go with everybody in place in 1952,
First a naval battle
While attacking on the high seas near Hovd, Old Sarai Group (Destroyer) defeats (30.00/30): Mongolian Transport (Prob Victory: 99.3%)
That transport was probably empty and on a net pillaging mission but he sailed into the gunsights,
Battle for Tabriz
While attacking in Mongolian territory at Tabriz, Tank defeats (2.80/28): Mongolian Infantry (Prob Victory: 72.3%)
While attacking in Mongolian territory at Tabriz, 1st Tank (Tank) loses to: Mongolian Infantry (11.20/20) (Prob Victory: 76.9%)
While attacking in Mongolian territory at Tabriz, Tank defeats (19.04/28): Mongolian Infantry (Prob Victory: 99.1%)
Tabriz captured.
Battle for Ortrar
While attacking in Mongolian territory at Otrar, Trebuchet I of Porkopolis (Artillery) loses to: Mongolian Infantry (20.00/20) (Prob Victory: 14.0%)
While attacking in Mongolian territory at Otrar, Artillery defeats (10.44/18): Mongolian Infantry (Prob Victory: 31.5%)
While attacking in Mongolian territory at Otrar, Tank defeats (4.48/28): Mongolian Machine Gun (Prob Victory: 98.3%)
Captured Otrar
Opening Battle Stats:
Units victorious while attacking : 5
Units victorious while defending : 0
Units defeated while attacking : 2
Units defeated while defending : 0
Battle for Old Sarai
While attacking in Mongolian territory at Old Sarai, Tank loses to: Mongolian Infantry (12.40/20) (Prob Victory: 33.6%). That tank had CR and collateral damage promotions to soften up the garrison for the follow on armor.
While attacking in Mongolian territory at Old Sarai, Tank defeats (23.80/28): Mongolian Infantry (Prob Victory: 96.9%)
While attacking in Mongolian territory at Old Sarai, Tank defeats (2.80/28): Mongolian Infantry (Prob Victory: 90.2%)
While attacking in Mongolian territory at Old Sarai, 2nd Maceman of Porkopolis (Infantry) defeats (4.80/20): Mongolian Infantry (Prob Victory: 88.5%)
Captured Old Sarai (Genghis Khan)
Mongolian Homeland Battle Stats:
Units victorious while attacking : 3
Units victorious while defending : 0
Units defeated while attacking : 1
Units defeated while defending : 0
Finally flight comes in and this is what I have been waiting for. Once Combustion and Industrialization are learned artillery become almost useless, especially on an island map. And once Flight is known the only known use for artillery is homeland defense with collateral damage promotions to deal with landings. As battle supprt they take up space and limit mobility of tanks. Carrier battle groups with destroyers and transports with tanks with CR 1 & 2 and Collateral Damage promotions are the winning combination with maybe some artilery to protect wounded assault groups. I thought I could get to Amphib tanks through Combat 1 & 2 but can't quite get there anymore. I know I used them to great effect in Civ4, maybe they took it out in Warlords.
Madrid begins: Carrier (3 turns)
Havana begins: Fighter (5 turns)
Porkopolis begins: Fighter (2 turns)
Cheju begins: Fighter (3 turns)
Tortola begins: Fighter (4 turns)
Toledo begins: Fighter (4 turns)
Namp'o begins: Fighter (4 turns)
Beijing begins: Fighter (4 turns)
Athens begins: Fighter (4 turns)
I begin training up the first of many aircraft and carriers to get them to the battlefield.
Meanwhile in Mongolia the Battle of Turfan
The salvo destroyers and transports are already on the way to the site of the next battle
While attacking in Mongolian territory at Turfan, Artillery loses to: Mongolian Infantry (17.20/20) (Prob Victory: 0.9%)
While attacking in Mongolian territory at Turfan, 1st Cannon of Seville (Artillery) loses to: Mongolian Infantry (6.00/20) (Prob Victory: 5.5%)
While attacking in Mongolian territory at Turfan, Cannon I of Guangzhou (Artillery) loses to: Mongolian Infantry (0.40/20) (Prob Victory: 20.7%)
While attacking in Mongolian territory at Turfan, 4th Tank (Tank) defeats (20.16/28): Mongolian Machine Gun (Prob Victory: 97.3%)
While attacking in Mongolian territory at Turfan, Tank loses to: Mongolian Infantry (5.80/20) (Prob Victory: 90.7%)
While attacking in Mongolian territory at Turfan, Marine defeats (8.64/24): Mongolian Machine Gun (Prob Victory: 86.6%)
While attacking in Mongolian territory at Turfan, Infantry I of Porkopolis (Infantry) defeats (16.20/20): Mongolian Infantry (Prob Victory: 99.6%)
While attacking in Mongolian territory at Turfan, 5th Tank (Tank) defeats (28.00/28): Mongolian Infantry (Prob Victory: 100.0%)
While attacking in Mongolian territory at Turfan, 5th Tank (Tank) defeats (28.00/28): Mongolian Infantry (Prob Victory: 100.0%)
Captured Turfan (Genghis Khan)
Battle Stats:
Units victorious while attacking : 6
Units victorious while defending : 0
Units defeated while attacking : 4
Units defeated while defending : 0
There was a little sideshow at Tiflis SW of Sparta in 1956, not one of my better choices but again I really didn't want a Mongolian bolt-hole close to our shores.
While attacking in Mongolian territory at Tiflis, Infantry III of Madrid (Infantry) loses to: Mongolian Machine Gun (8.82/18) (Prob Victory: 15.6%)
While attacking in Mongolian territory at Tiflis, Grenadier loses to: Mongolian Machine Gun (8.82/18) (Prob Victory: 34.7%)
While attacking in Mongolian territory at Tiflis, Infantry loses to: Mongolian Machine Gun (1.98/18) (Prob Victory: 83.2%)
While attacking in Mongolian territory at Tiflis, 4th Grenadier of Madrid (Infantry) defeats (16.60/20): Mongolian Machine Gun (Prob Victory: 100.0%)
Captured Tiflis (Genghis Khan)
In 1957 the Mongol finally draws some real blood as he sinks a transport group waiting for escort in the offing at Barcelona
And in 1957 engineer Broadway in Cheju-town to keep circuses on hand for the natives while we dismember Mongolia.
The Spanish respond to Khan's dastardly predations by putting those planes to use in the battle for Ning-Hsia in 1958
The artillery is not needed for this attack as the destroyers can work that out while the ground troops get into postion, culminating in a group barrage that drops the defenses as the closing salvo, after the ground troops land. And if aircraft are in range, as they should be since carriers never travel without destroyer, or even better, battlewagon support, the planes can contribute by striking at the defenders as a softening up measure while the transports position themselves. Fighters make lousy bombers so I never use the "Bomb" command, just send them on Strafing missions.
While attacking in Mongolian territory at Ning-hsia, Tank defeats (23.24/28): Mongolian Infantry (Prob Victory: 88.0%)
While attacking in Mongolian territory at Ning-hsia, 10th Tank (Tank) defeats (28.00/28): Mongolian Infantry (Prob Victory: 99.5%)
While attacking in Mongolian territory at Ning-hsia, 10th Tank (Tank) defeats (28.00/28): Mongolian Machine Gun (Prob Victory: 99.9%)
And the Mongolian destroyers that sank the transports get sunk by the battlewagon escorts just arriving on the scene of the crime.
Ad in 1960
while beginning to move armor and artillery to attack Karakorum
The target was chosen because of the furs that will be on hand just as the Spanish Empire begins to really feel the cold winds of war.
While attacking in Mongolian territory at Beshbalik, Tank defeats (19.60/28): Mongolian Infantry (Prob Victory: 97.7%)
While attacking in Mongolian territory at Beshbalik, 2nd Tank (Tank) defeats (17.92/28): Mongolian Infantry (Prob Victory: 86.6%)
While attacking in Mongolian territory at Beshbalik, 5th Tank (Tank) defeats (7.00/28): Mongolian Infantry (Prob Victory: 95.8%)
While attacking in Mongolian territory at Beshbalik, 4th Tank (Tank) defeats (28.00/28): Mongolian Infantry (Prob Victory: 99.1%)
And here is the Khan's response to all the bloodshed
I have marked up the map again, no circles, just arrows, and little signs by way of explanation, no access to the back.
Domestically there is little to do, keep an eye on island defense but I think I sunk most of Khan's navy when Turfan was captured. He does have a couple of destroyer wolf packs a-prowling but all they can do is tear up fishing nets.
This should end pretty soon, well within the admiral's forty turn challenge.
Nice fun game, you all, let's do it again sometime and start the conquesting a mite earlier. There are some tactical lessons that need reinforcing as well
