New PBEM adaptation of TGW-Div 1.6: Playtesting!

[Tigranes]

Russian Poland in danger! Defensive war can be as much fun as offensive ones, keep a good spirit! It takes a lot skills to hold the front, and we all have high hopes of Russian Stavka. Russia still has 159 R divisions. With 120% bonus that means 15-16 defense against German 11. Dig in, gentelmen! Germany is playing against the time, more and more tiles go orange as I can see! No war materrials reach Second Reich.

 

[Moff Jerjerrod]

Guys I know that it has been debated before that Italy, Russia, and Turkey have next to useless armies but this does indeed reflect the reality of WWI Europe. The reason why this scenario is considered one of the best is because of it's historical accuracy wrt to gameplay. That being said however, this scenario may not be totally user friendly in a multiplayer game.

Let me try to explain. Most people want a multiplayer experience where they log in, do some major Van Dammage then submit their turn. This is not the case with Rocoteh's WWI. He designed this game to replay the utter stagnation and futility of the First World War and it works great in this game. WW2 on the other hand is known for it's blitzkrieg and fast action, thus the huge popularity of those scenarios. One of the reasons why you do not see so many WWI scenarios in C3C or even in the mainstream gaming community is because WWI was not a blitzkrieg. The action was short and furious, followed by months of nothing more than attrition warfare. Boring, maybe to some, but none then less quite accurate. As a history connoseur I appreciate what the designer of this scenario has done. I know what it is like to play both sides of the conflict. I'm pretty much building up my forces as the British, French, and Italians in our other PBEM. I'm not getting much action in but I'm having a blast as I slowly build up my forces for the inevitable counterattack.

Notice in our game the Western front is pretty much a game of attrition. Neither side actually is making much progress there except for inflicting causualties each turn. Eventually however the war will break out there. Meanwhile the Balkans, the Isonzo, Middle East, and the Russian front is about to erupt into a fierce war of manuever. Don't give up hope.

Tigranes is a worthy opponent as well as a motivated ally. I know because I'm playing both against him here and with him in the other PBEM. He can be a tough cookie, Cyc, but hang in there. Do what you can to put the hurt on me. Go into Turkey and kick ass. The Turks are just about as useless as the Russians and Italians. The French on the other hand have potential. They are not as strong as the Germans or the British but they are much more powerful than the other countries. Build them up and get me! Above all don't fall victim to this war of attrition. Enjoy and savor the awesomeness that this scenario truely possesses. I myself and a big WW2 nut case but I've never had so much fun playing a WW1 scenario than I have against you guys and the other PBEM against Lanzelot.

 

[Cyc]

My apologies, gentlemen.

Neutrals offer Peace again, but refuse an ROP.

Neutral, of the Neutrals: "Excuse me while I laugh. You hosed us with an ROP, and now you want us to do it again. I have two words for you: GET STUFFED."

A Russian Sub appears to have done away with another Sub in Constantinople Bay, just before a Pre-Dreadnought due East of it shelled the road in the Hayfields East of that City. The linkage East of Constantinople has been broken.
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Nothing to report.

 

[Tigranes]

Britain

Coastal Battery, the only unit which can detect invisible submarines detected big German submarine close to Scapa Flow. Unfortunately entire fleet is away from the main British Naval base, and there is no available ships around to sink that sub. Looks like it will breal into Atlantic next turn!

2 Old battleships spotted near the coast of Norway. How in a world they slipped undetected so far North without being detected? Grand Fleet needs to review patrol organization in the Northern Sea.

Gaza offensive stumblled upon the crazy artillery consentration in that city. General retreat is ordered, and only fleet caused 3 HP damage to the Turkish MGs.

BEF in Itsly destroyed 2 more 210 mm guns, and 1 Counterbattery was the price for that success. Strange named Army Corp was shelled with minimal effect.

Huge finansial support was sent to the poor heroic Venice!

Italy

The only thing to report is that Army and Fleet bombared Isonzo intruders, yellowlining the above mentioned Corps. Badly needed Observation Balloon tech is being researched with 100% science.

P.S. Problem with Neutrals refusing RoP is fixed until week 31 1915!

 

[Moff Jerjerrod]

gps Cyc.

I will provide an update on my turn later on this evening. I am absolutely swamped right now with work.

 

[Cyc]

I will follow Moff's update with mine. But I will post a pertainent photo from an Obsevation Plane of Scotland's coast.

gps to Tigranes.

 

[Tigranes]

RE: Transport from above.

Guys, we have actually discovered a little known sideeffect of the Princess (Flag unit, War materials) presence in our game. Usually you can only capture defense 0 and attack 0 unit, otherwise you will sink it -- like any transport with non zero attack in this adaptation. However, if transport carries a unit that captured flag, you actually capture that transport together with it's cargo. I didn't know about it up until today, which was really cool thing to observe!

 

[Moff Jerjerrod]

Week 47, 1914

Ottoman Empire:

Artillery stationed in Constantinople sinks a Russian Submarine. It was a coastal gun that actually sank the vessel. Turkish mine sinks French Destroyer Flotilla near Makrit. No survivors.

In the straits of Bosporus another Turkish mine sinks a French Armored Cruiser.


Austria-Hungary:

Austrian DD Flotilla sinks an unknown near Antivari.


Germany:

An unknown is caught outside of Frankfurt and executed. Similarly another unknown is sunk off the North Sea coast of the Netherlands?

A British DD Flotilla is sunk by a German BC after being softened up by German BBs. Finally in the last of the Naval report a British BC is sunk by one of the fleeing German Pre-Dreadnoughts near Bergen.

Battle of Venice: Aritllery performs the usual softening up of the Venetian defenses before Three Armies kill Three Italian Rifle As.

 

[Cyc]

A German Infantry unit is heading South out of Konisberg. We have been monitoring this unit for a while.

Observation Planes drop refugee mail and cigarettes in lots across Lodz.

In the Black Sea, the Pre-Dreadnought craters the tile East of Constantinople.
_________________________________________________________

The French Government knows NOTHING about the unknown caught in Germany. We wouldn't have even known an unknown was caught in Germany, unless you'd have told us. And no. We can't find anyone named unknown on our payrolls. If we can help you further in not knowing anything, please let us know.

The French Resistance is on the move in Luxembourg.

 

[Tigranes]

Britain

7 counterbattery guns vs. 3 German near Isonzo -- the biggest counter artillery effort so far in the War: Brits consistently unlucky, loosing 5 guns, destroying just 2!

2 Old BBs shelled and sunk near central Norway: no Survivors and no promotions...

Transport captured as a prize by German submarine recuptured by a DD from Scapa Flow.

Source of rubber denyed to Turks by British gunners in the southern Iraq.

Citizen of Francfurt observed rows and rows of War Materials eliminating shortages nearby to be set ablaze and burn to ashes for unknown reason! Major blow to the German home front!

Italy

Exactly the same story was told by citizens of Austrian Fiume. What in a world is happening with Precious War Materials? Where is a Fire Marshall?

Shelling Isonzo troops. Germans have all 5 Corps yellow now.

 

[Moff Jerjerrod]

Hey guys I got a chance to play my Ottoman and Austrian turns last night but then it got real late. I couldn't stay up to play the Germans as it would have taken me too long. Below is my report so far.


Week 48, 1914


Ottoman Empire:

Turkey is absolutely crippled now for production with the loss of her rubber supply. She can no longer build troops in some cities and without coal and war minerals she cannot build a navy any longer.

[I think with the location of some of Turkey's resources she is too vulnerable and can be knocked out of the war too early IMO. Her only source of Rubber is on a marsh/swamp and with that terrain type impassable she has no way to reconnect that supply once it is cut. I suggest moving the Rubber somewhere further north. Turkey's only source of iron is located in Lebanon right on the coast. One ship shell and now Turkey cannot build ships anymore. Now if all humans are playing the scenario it's easy to try to link up with Turkey and then trade with her, but in the single player game the Ai would not be able to handle the challenge. Just my thoughts to consider for the next revision of this scenario.]

The stack of Russian Cossacks parked outside of Bucharest was attacked again this week by a Turkish Corps. Two more Cossacks were destroyed.

A French DD Flotilla was destroyed by a marauding Turkish mine. In other naval action a Russian DD Flotilla parked outside of Constantinople was shelled but not sunk by Turkish guns in the city.


Austria-Hungary:

Not much action this week other than the sinking of an unknown near Bari Italy by an Austrian DD Flotilla.


Germany:

Report to follow this evening when I get home to play the turn.

 

[Moff Jerjerrod]

gps Cyc

Week 48, 1914


Germany:

A British Spy was caught and shot at outside of Frankfurt. He managed to escape however another border patrol unit was able to find him and execute him on the spot.

Isonzo

Sector fairly quiet with preliminary artillery fire upon the British stack outside of Venice. One German Counterbattery dies (maybe need to increase the attack from 3 to 4 for next version) but a German army manages to defeat a British HMG.

No other action.

 

[Tigranes]

(maybe need to increase the attack from 3 to 4 for next version)

I spent a lot of time thinking about it. Artillery has defense 1, so at the begining I set Counterbattery to attack 1. In 90% cases it was loosing against a defender on flat terrain, which was kinda strange, one expects 50%. Attack 2 was 70% fail. Finally attack 3 came close to 50%, with attack 4 going to 60-65% wins. All the units in this scenario designed to promote attrition, rather than sure wins. It always should be easier to defend vs to attack.

 

[Moff Jerjerrod]

All the units in this scenario designed to promote attrition, rather than sure wins. It always should be easier to defend vs to attack.

Yes, now that I think about it you are right. In WW1 it was far easier to defend than to attack. Let's leave the attack factor of Counter Battery guns at 3.

 

[Cyc]

Lost 1 R- and 2 A-Inf units on the German from Konigsberg, then brought in Brusilov to finish the yellowed unit off. Th german Inf unit had been promoted for capturing a Worker, which Brusilov re-captured and returned it to Grodno. The fields between Lodz and Posen are busy with numerous German Workers and Combat Engineers. They have worked their way from Berlin, building roads and what-nought. We have been monitoring them for at least 3 weeks now. Looks like a major campaign is headed this way. An Armored Car hides in the shade trees along the new border.

In the South, the Pre-Dreadnought craters the fields ESE of Constantinople.
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The Voltaire red-lines a Coastal Battery across the channel from Gallipoli. The Condorcet takes out the road West of Constantinople. The Turkish Capital should now be isolated by land routes.

Nothing new on the Continent.

 

[Tigranes]

Britain

First shipment of British War Materials has arrived to Murmansk! Man, it will take ages to get to any Russian shortage spot with this dirt road! A fun fact from Wikipedia:

Murmansk Railway (Russian: Мурманская железная дорог&#1072 is a 1,520 mm (4 ft 11+5⁄6 in) broad gauge Russian railway network that links the Murmansk (in the north) and Saint Petersburg (in the south). The line was built in 1915-17 by German war prisoners and has always been of vital military importance because of Murmansk being an ice-free port on the Arctic Sea.

Total distance: 1068 km.

Number of stations: 52

British logistics in Atlantic still has a lot to do in the improvement department. 2 Canadian divisions patiently awaiting available transports to get to the front. All the transports that were built in Ireland heading toward the British Imports, but it takes so long without Room 4o Wonder... Plus, Irish cities revolt every other turn, I am not sure why. Perhaps they want Home Rule ?

War Cabinet issues a posthumous War Medal to the relatives of Agent 001, which managed to leave winery near Frankfurt totally useless, after he burned down War Materials eliminating shortages there. It took 2 German divisions to kill the brave guy!

Invisible Lawrence of Arabia is glad to see some limited Arab activities in Iraq. Looks like Ottomans called Corps to deal with Arab rebels, which is never gets reported in the official Ottoman reports!

Engineering troops arrive to British liberated Arabia to fix the road toward Ottoman controlled Mecca. It was destroyed by Arab rebels many turns ago, when this area was still Turkish.

Isonzo troops get reinforced, 2 freshly built Counterbattery Guns charge precious German 210 mm guns (Germany need War on Land tech to build more of them, so every gun we kill right now is irreplaceable). Bavarian 210 mm is destroyed, for the price of 1 Counterbattery.

British really need some good guns for Isonzo. We had 5 misses during this turn! Shell crisis can be solved only if we research field howitzer tech, but lord Kitchener argues that dominating skies is more important right now. Unfortunately British research is currently stack with all the available money injected in Italian War efforts...

Navy was very passive this turn, monitoring German shipments in Neutral Ports and redeploying. No Elite unit yet, grr, I never thought it's so hard to get that coveted promotion.

Italy

Entire pulse of the country is beating at Isonzo battlefield. Venice was spared the regular bombardment which was absorbed by BEF last turn. It is obvious that without British Italy would be long defeated. Naval and Army guns manage to yellowline Army group Lodz.

Italian colony Libya can finally produce some troops, so Naples rushes a transport for cross Mediterranean ferry.

P.S. I agree about Ottoman rubber and iron. Gallipoli deserves to own Iron, while rubber can be somewhere near Baghdad. But, really, Turkey should get some help from Germany, after you build some roads in Romania...

 

[Moff Jerjerrod]

gps Cyc

Week 49, 1914


Ottoman Empire:

French Semi-Dreadnought sunk near Gallipoli by Turkish BC. Let the hunt begin!! A Russian DD was sunk near Constantinople by Turkish light artillery then coastal guns.

Entire Turkish economy is brought to a stop. The Entente efforts to disrupt our rails and roads is bitterly felt by even ordinary Turkish citizens everywhere. Arab rebels have also been on the rise and destroying our road networks in Mesopotamia. Can Turkey do nothing to stop the damage? The challenge may be too much for the administration in Constantinople to handle. There is just not enough forces available to halt Entente progress and fight the Arab rebels off. Someone must be held responsible for this tragedy.

Therefore a new Turkish cabinet, led by Talat Pasha, takes over government and begins to devise a plan to punish those who have contributed to our economic downfall. All independent political organizations that are located within the Empire that are not of Turkish origin have been closed. Clearly the Entente has influenced them and plans must be made to solve this problem. Talat vows to locate any agents within the Empire and eliminate them.

Some Arab rebels are put down by Kemal as a prelude of things to come.


Austria-Hungary

An Austrian CL runs into an unknown near Bari. There were no survivors so the captain of the Austrian vessel steams home.


Germany:

The Venice offensive continues as the BEF stack is once again shelled by German artillery. Then an army moves in to kill a British Rifle R. The yellow-lined army destroys a British Indian Infantry before retreating.

Elsewhere our forces have located an Italian agent near the Fiume area. Our girl goes home to report and then the Sicherheits Dienst moves in for the kill. German police surround and shoot down the spy.

 

[Tigranes]

Actually, the department responsible for conveying intelligence concerning the enemy was named Section III B, this is 1914 after all SD came into life in 1932. How in a world our Agent was located on the hill with no roads!? Who is the girl? Mata Hari? I thought French killed her at the begining of the war... Guess she has withdrawn...

 

[Moff Jerjerrod]

I thought French killed her at the begining of the war...

Luckily for me at the time she did indeed withdraw and I was able to return her to safety.

 

[Cyc]

Warsaw sends 2 Kossacks across the border to take out the road and rail to Lodz. They will return to a Hero's Feast.

Neutrals are spotted up and down the Western Border. It must be tourist season.

Wounded Cossacks near Bucharest spot Austrian Corp Conrad, accompanied by 6 troops and 10 Arties ready to attack. Farther South, the infamous Pre-Dreadnought craters the tile 2 East of Constantinople.
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To the West of Constantinople, the Condorcet takes out the Railroad NE of Bursa.

More wine-drinking up North.

gps to Tigranes.