I'm going to try to put a musical WW II are AAR in here... This first page is a test, to see if I can make things work right here...
During and before WW II a lot of military music was made. For propaganda reasons or to keep morale for the people at home as high as possible. Some of that music is now forbidden (and I will not put them in here), but others, especially ones from German and Italian origine are slowly disappearing... The victor the spoils of war?
Anyway: let's start with "Erika", composed by Herms Niel, sung by an unknown quartet and the band is the Musikkorps der Luftnachrichtungabteilung des Oberbefehlhabers der Luftwaffe...
Now, some people like to scrap all the "0" cost CVP at start. I don't, because it might be necessary to "build" some during the game to keep gearing limits on aircraft high, so I keep them...
Oh sure, but I've often found myself wanting every last one I can get my hands on; and even the 4 speeders can invade without giving a boost to the notional in good weather. It's not like you'll be hurting for build points, and I find that if I'm putting my marines in the Pacific (usual) I have trouble getting enough mass in an invasion without like 4-5 amphs at least to force a beachhead.
"When beset by danger,
When in deadly doubt,
Run in little circles,
Wave your arms and shout."
You have activated a fond memory of playing WiF among old friends and listening to music as we played. While everyone else liked to play more contemporary music. When it was my turn out popped my blast from the past, songs from WW2. Though i have lost track of that CD over the years, the memory lives on in song.
Looking forward to listening to your musical AAR.
“We never felt like we were losing until we were actually dead.”
Marcus Luttrell
ORIGINAL: Centuur
Now, some people like to scrap all the "0" cost CVP at start. I don't, because it might be necessary to "build" some during the game to keep gearing limits on aircraft high, so I keep them...
I am in your camp.
Using the "zero" cost naval air is a good way to keep gearing limits higher without spending a build point. Its a good idea for Japan and the CW also.
As far as scraping the AMPH. My method is not to scrap but build it for the 1st cycle. But i only build it 2nd cycle if its the only one left in the pool. If it comes to that, i must really need it.
“We never felt like we were losing until we were actually dead.”
Marcus Luttrell
One of the benefits of being a beta tester is that we are now getting fixes before you, the customers get them... Just to make sure everything works. And one of the things which got fixed is the placement of US units outside of the US proper, I can report now.
The set up of the US is as follows (no picture):
Manila: MacArthur
Seattle: 2 CA and 2 CL
Gulf of Alaska: 1 CP
Caribean: 3 CP
San Franciso: 3 SUB
Long Beach: 2 TRS, P-35 and the F2A Buffalo FTR's
San Diego: the rest of the West Coast Fleet (Enterprise loaded with a TBD and a F4F-3 Carrier Plane, Lexington loaded with a SBD-4), 2 TRS, 3 CP, Nimitz and a 2-5 MOT AA gun
Columbus (why not): 3 oil
Washington: 3-4 MOT AT Gun
Norfolk: Bolo (LND), 2-3 INF div, 1-5 MOT ENG, East coast fleet (Ranger also loaded with a SBD-4)
The convoy chain towards Japan is also set up (of course...).
Now, the US entry chits: I've put 2 in the Germany/Italy and 1 in the Japan entry pool. I'm not going to disclose the numbers in this AAR to you. Why? Because I want your imput on how to behave regarding US entry. I will give you the number of chits in the pools and the entry options chosen and that's it. You decide when I have to DoW the US with the Japanese... So, pay attention...
Now, one of the downsides of being a beta tester, is when Steve comes up with a beta testers version, I want to put it through a "stress test" game, playing at least a whole turn in solitaire to see if I can find anything critical in it. That will take some time, so this AAR will proceed in a couple of days, I'm afraid...
I would never scrap a US Transport or AMPH, even the WWI model my friend Bob calls the "Magic Transport". Each one is a re-org point in 1944 & 45, when they aren't delivering new units to the front…
For all other countries I scrap the old ones. Japan in particular … I want all of those long range ones for … adventures.
For the 0 cost cvp, I get rid of as many as I can, so when each CV power goes to war, they have the best possible force pool. This is particularly important for the British, who need all the help they can get in the CV plane department. They also don't want a large pool to rebuild from, as they need to keep it empty to get the good ones back into action as soon as they can when they are inevitably shot down, as their pool fills up planes they can't use for two years out, each Jan/Feb.
The combat results the first few years of the war are more important to me than being able to manipulate aircraft gearing later in the war, which isn't all that hard when you have lots of BPs to spend.
I would also not scrap any of the US INF. With unlimited div breakdown those INF counters represent two divs you can put on SCS and invade with. Which is very powerful in the pacific.
In the game I'm playing I've built every single INF and kept all the bad MOT too. Building them and breaking the down to provide lots and lots of DIVS.
Particularly awesome with the Russians where I have a div in every single hex on the front line.
I think more and more, I will not usually play with unlimited divisions, when I start to play this game. With a division in every hex on the Russian front, or any front, there will never be enough casualties. Playing with divisions and guns is already too high of a counter density once you reach 1943. When you add counters and add counters and add counters to this game … be careful what you wish for.
I would agree though that the Major Powers might want to keep their weakest land units (I also scrap the first US MECH), just to make divisions, particularly the Infantry class corps. I do normally scrap the weakest US land units of all types though, so they can get their 1940 and 1941 class units ready on the map when they do enter the war.
I would never scrap a US Transport or AMPH, even the WWI model my friend Bob calls the "Magic Transport". Each one is a re-org point in 1944 & 45, when they aren't delivering new units to the front…
For all other countries I scrap the old ones. Japan in particular … I want all of those long range ones for … adventures.
For the 0 cost cvp, I get rid of as many as I can, so when each CV power goes to war, they have the best possible force pool. This is particularly important for the British, who need all the help they can get in the CV plane department. They also don't want a large pool to rebuild from, as they need to keep it empty to get the good ones back into action as soon as they can when they are inevitably shot down, as their pool fills up planes they can't use for two years out, each Jan/Feb.
The combat results the first few years of the war are more important to me than being able to manipulate aircraft gearing later in the war, which isn't all that hard when you have lots of BPs to spend.
I agree on scrapping the 0 cost CVP for the CW, since they need the best possible force pool, because of the reason you've stated. When at war, you need the best pool you can. For the Japanese there is time to build CVP's, so they will stay in the pools.
I would also not scrap any of the US INF. With unlimited div breakdown those INF counters represent two divs you can put on SCS and invade with. Which is very powerful in the pacific.
In the game I'm playing I've built every single INF and kept all the bad MOT too. Building them and breaking the down to provide lots and lots of DIVS.
Particularly awesome with the Russians where I have a div in every single hex on the front line.
Unlimited breakdown is off in this game, so I will need to build divisions...
After a hard weeks work and installing a brand new lap top, I'm ready to proceed.
Next is the scrapping of the USSR. Pretty standard, I think. I only scrap one land unit, the 3-5 MOT. Sure, the USSR needs as many soldiers it can get, but paying for that lousy MOT more BP than it has combat factors? No way...
Russian WW II music was off course strictly controlled by the Soviets. It has to be patriotic and Stalin friendly...
Here is the Red Army Choir, with the Guard Song (and English subtitles are included in the movie...).
I've put a 3-1 GAR in Murmansk, a 2-3 AA gun, one Oil, the European SUB's, the TRS and the Baltic fleet into Leningrad.
A 2-3 INF div. is at the three countries hex of Latvia/Poland/USSR and a 3 factor FTR in the woods hex 3 hexes east of Minsk.
An Oil and the Black Sea fleet is in Sevastopol
Another oil is far, far away in Novosibirsk...
Here is the rest of the European army and airforce:
And the last units are set up at the Persian border. Yes, the USSR is advertising it's intents. But it gives the Japanese some thinking to do? Is there going to be an attack on Persia, or is this just a faint? What to do with Yamamoto and the Marines? Wait for an interception in Persia to grab the oil after a USSR DoW on Persia (means war with the USSR), or go into China. And when will the USSR DoW Persia. Not now, since the forces there aren't up to the job, but what if there are reïnforcements coming to the area? Should Japan keep a force in Japan/Canton to be prepared to be shipped into Persia? Or ignore this... We're talking OIL here...
I just forgot... The 3 USSR convoy points have been put into the Kaspian Sea. Of course, STAVKA expects that they aren't needed there, but we have to prepare for the worst, don't we...
Italy... Now that's always a tricky one. When to go to war? How to set up and where? The main Italian problem is that they always have to few units. However: I like to have an aggressive setup.
Music, Italian Music. Unfortunately, I don't speak Italian, so I'm running the risk of putting some political incorrect music in this forum. If that happens: it's bad luck for the listening audience...
With this song, Il Duce is probaly stating his intentions, since it was composed in Italy in 1940... Here's "O Malta", by Daniela Sera...
