OFFICIAL Strategic Cmd ELO Tourney updated June 23, 2020

[Ktonos]

Sure. I can play any side, send me pass and I will join.

[Ktonos]

Game started, IrishGuards(Allies) vs Ktonos (Axis)

Could play one more, as Allies preferably, tourney or exhibition

[Azhraden]

Hello,

Looking for a game as allied.

Azh

[YohanTM2]

Good morning, I concede to BPINisBACK and withdraw from the tournament (and am finished with SC3). There have been many discussions about the flaws in this game (although it has been a fun time waster). The nail in the coffin for me is the ridiculous victory conditions. For the first time I played a game into 1945 (yes, first time in all the years the game has been out). I controlled most of the board including Moscow, most of ME, Spain, still had Paris and Italy and it turns out the victory conditions are so ill thought out that you have to play until 1947 for a stalemate. Wish you more fun with the tournament then the enjoyment I am having...

[BillRunacre]

ORIGINAL: YohanTM2

Good morning, I concede to BPINisBACK and withdraw from the tournament (and am finished with SC3). There have been many discussions about the flaws in this game (although it has been a fun time waster). The nail in the coffin for me is the ridiculous victory conditions. For the first time I played a game into 1945 (yes, first time in all the years the game has been out). I controlled most of the board including Moscow, most of ME, Spain, still had Paris and Italy and it turns out the victory conditions are so ill thought out that you have to play until 1947 for a stalemate. Wish you more fun with the tournament then the enjoyment I am having...

Hi YohanTM2

Sorry to hear this, although glad it was fun too for a while.

The Victory Conditions for this game have been pretty much the same ever since SC1 was released in 2002, so they are probably overdue a fresh look.

With that in mind I am looking at introducing an alternative set of Victory Conditions, but the concept will need to be tested out and that will be part of the testing for the new project currently getting started.

If they work in that then I will do something similar for this game too... so it may be a few months, but watch this space.

That said, there are already in this game three Decision Events where the Allies can offer to surrender if certain conditions have been met, and it would be good to get feedback on them too. Do Axis players use those to drive their strategy in competitive games? If not, is there a reason?

DE 303 - USA: Offer To Surrender?
Event fires: When the USA is Allied but France, the USSR and Egypt have surrendered, and there are no Allied units within 6 hexes of Paris or Nantes.

DE 310 - USA: Offer To Surrender?
Event fires: When the USA is Allied but France and the USSR have surrendered and London is in Axis hands, and there are no Allied units within 6 hexes of Paris or Nantes.

DE 417 - USSR: Offer to Surrender?
Event fires: When the USSR is Allied but Moscow, Stalingrad and Leningrad are in Axis hands, France has surrendered, and there are no Allied units within 6 hexes of Paris or Nantes.

Thanks

Bill

[LLv34Mika]

ORIGINAL: YohanTM2

Good morning, I concede to BPINisBACK and withdraw from the tournament (and am finished with SC3). There have been many discussions about the flaws in this game (although it has been a fun time waster). The nail in the coffin for me is the ridiculous victory conditions. For the first time I played a game into 1945 (yes, first time in all the years the game has been out). I controlled most of the board including Moscow, most of ME, Spain, still had Paris and Italy and it turns out the victory conditions are so ill thought out that you have to play until 1947 for a stalemate. Wish you more fun with the tournament then the enjoyment I am having...

Hi Yohan,

may I ask what else you would expect? I am a bit surprised because actually THAT is the funniest part of the game if you ask me. The Axis control the first half of the game... maybe a bit more. If you can gain enough power, produce units, research and weaken GB and the USSR the Allies won't be able to harm you anymore. I've seen it in many games. But if you fail or face a very strong Player playing the Allies you still have a chance to win. If you own Paris, Warsaw, Berlin, Rome and Moscow it doesn't matter how strong the Allies are or how many troops Ivan could throw at you.

I've seen it in one of my games. I was by far stronger but couldn't get a foot on European soil in the West and in the East I was too far away from Moscow to make it in time. It was sure that I would win the war in the long run... but not until 1947.

Btw, it happened because my opponent could not take London but instead he went for the Russian oil fields, stopped the imports via Murmansk/Archangelsk and via Iran and pushed back the Russians so far that it took ages to rebuild the Red Army. And even tough I was able to push forward slowly my Russians missed the MPPs to rebuild lost units fast enough. And the German Luftwaffe was too strong (and experienced) to make progress fast enough. I lost units, especially air units or HQs all the time. I could still advance but only to the point of the next defensive line where the same happened again. I lost time, more time and even more time until it was too late.

That was the hard lesson... but on the other hand that feels fair to me because the allies do the same in the first years (buying time).

Just my opinion... I only want to offer a different view. As you can see the same happened to me but I would rather call it a feature than a bug. Even tough I would even add Baku to the German deceisive victory conditions.

I hope you stay for a few more games. If not I still wish you all the best in other games and maybe we meet in a few years.

Mika

[BPINisBACK]

Hi people,
Thank you very much to Yohan beacuse this great game.
He was very close to win many times. Stalingrad and Cairo were only three exes from the enemy forces... Even in the latest 43 if you could move all your luftwaffe to France... WA would be off or, at least, they won't be able to launch a strong CA as they did in the beggining of 44.
Anyway. As i said: if we change the game conditions for victory, the people will play differently. After some many years with the Axis heading the game, Allies can't win in one year (Sugar, you are an alien, don't listen this [:D][:D]).
My way of playing with allies (most of the times) is looking for a very late victory. I love try to change the war againts a very strong Axis player. That's because i dig deeply around Stalingrad, i attack Scandinavia or such other long term strategies.
But, thinking about the tournament, i also agree that, like in this case, Yohan must have some points because he delayed his defeat after the historical date. I think you are having this subject into account actually.
--
Moving back to the tournament. I will be able to start a new game from next Sunday. Anyone wants to play me?
Any side, i don't matter.
Thanks!

[Ktonos]

Hey BPIN. Congrats, your victory vs Yohan seems very similar with the one u pulled vs me.

I would be in for a game, as allies preferably - I have 2 tourney games ongoing both as axis

[BPINisBACK]

Hi, Ktonos!
Yes, it's true.
I find easier (talking about the Russian's) to defend in the south-east (From Caucasus to Stalingrad) than in other areas. And, with WA i try to make different things, but in my latest games i am going for Scandinavia.
But... who know in the future.
I will send you the password for our next game. Thank's for the offer.
But take notice that i can't start until next Sunday!

[Markiss]

I am up for a beating if anyone wants to fatten up their score. Full disclosure, I am an SC1 player from the old Battlefront days, and am getting back into the game after a long break. I have spent the last couple months reading the manual, beating up the AI [>:], and catching up on the forums to educate myself on the latest multiplayer strategies.
So, I am not totally ignorant, just mostly so. I'm not ready for Sugar, but hopefully I can give a medium level player a decent game, and learn something in the process.
I am a little unsure about the mechanics of the PBEM system, but I found a good post by Taxman on the subject, and will use it as a guide. If you play me, don't be upset if I PM you a stupid question about PBEM procedure, I don't ask the same stupid question twice.
I will gladly play either side.

[Taxman66]

Take on me, take me on...

I'll take you up. No AAR from me though, I don't have the time for it.

If you want something more competitive, take the Allies since I have yet to play the Axis as PBEM.
If you want more of a learning experience then take the Axis.

[Markiss]

You are on Taxman, although I hesitate to play someone who quotes old A HA songs(lol). I've got a soft spot for old New wave songs myself[:D] But I prefer Rock & Roll.

[Taxman66]

If it helps, I'm more a fan of Siouxsie and the Banshees.

Check your PM.

[Markiss]

I have accepted games from Taxman and Rannug61, that's about all I can handle at the moment. From what I read, I don't expect the Rannug one to be lengthy, so I will let you all know when I am up for more beatings.

[Taxman66]

Taxman (Axis) vs. Markiss (Allied)

[Rannug61]

Rannug(axis) vs. Markiss(allied)

[Bolko]

Hey is it too late to get in on this tourney? Will play either side, prefer axis

[IrishGuards]

Looking 4 a challenger .. !!
IG

[LLv34Mika]

April 1941

To my very big surprise PJL1973 resigned. Ok, I was doing well so far but the war in the East didn't even start and he USA were at mob 54% (I think).

But!

- Franco already joined in late 1940
- 13 British ships (4 Battleships, 2 Carriers) already sunk, no German losses, only 3 Italian losses
- Malta and Gibraltar under German control
- Russia far from entering the war before July
- Graphs show already around 80 German units

But I think what really made him want to throw the towel was the last turn on sea. I placed two subs near the northwestern coast of UK and could surprise two battleships. One of them even took 8 damage (fast cruise mode I guess). He could make it to the port, did some repairs (to 7 I guess) but I was able to use my two subs to sink it in port.

With already 4 destroyers and 2 carriers sunk that was no big danger for my subs at that moment. The ASW research did not start at all or was not finished so my subs took almost no damage at all. So I even moved in my surface ships to set up another trap. I think I could "surprise" 4 or 5 ships that turn. I took almost no damage again and in return I would have been able to sink another big part of his ships. At least two or three more big surface ships (heavy cruiser, battlecruiser or even battleship). The other strategy would have been to sink all destroyers in that area to make sure my subs are safe for a looooong time. So his cruisers and battleships were useless. In ports they would have been sunk by subs and in open sea they were outnumbered what leaves the UK unprotected. Then the subs would have hunted down every single convoy ship heading for a port in UK.

Yes, I think the game was lost for him but I still think it was a bit too early to be sure. Anyway...

game is over, Axis (Mika) won!
That means I'm open for another game again. I don't care about the side I play.

Mika

[PJL1973]

I'm resigning from this tournament. There is nothing I can do as the Allies to stop the Axis, and whatever I do doesn't seem to work. The main reason I stopped so early was because of the naval losses. Mika had already destroyed my entire Med fleet and he would have done the same to the rest of it. And without the navy the Western allies can't fight back. So it was inevitable that I was going to lose this, even before the Russians came in.