A Schlieffen Plan study

[Robotron]

ORIGINAL: Goodenough

I'm new to the game and really enjoying it. I would love to have the guide in pdf form but I can't get the download to work.

Can anybody share the pdf again?

Here you go:
https://easyupload.io/ch6m9m

[Goodenough]

Thanks Robotron for providing the link, much appreciated.

And thanks to Dazo for creating it in the first place.

[Chuske]

Would love to get the pdf but neither Dazo nor Robotrons links are working for me. Anyone able to share please?

[Dazo]

Sorry for the late answer Chuske, wasn't available for a long time, here you go if you still want it:

https://file.io/LTWHjhbsOpTL

[OldCrowBalthazor]

bump..

[edcedc]

PDF download link doesn't work. Could anyone reupload？

[mdsmall]

Here is a small footnote to Dazo's excellent study. In a recent play-test as the Entente responding to a powerful Schlieffen Plan opening by Germany, I tried something tricky that badly backfired.

Knowing that the Belgian Detachment normally mobilizes at the end of the first Entente turn in Ypres, I attempted to maximize my defense by moving the Antwerp detachment that was already on the map to Ypres and entrenching it there. My thinking was that the Belgian Detachment would then mobilize in Antwerp instead (as it is the second location listed for it in the unit script) and it would therefore get at least one level of entrenchment plus the defensive bonus of being in Antwerp. Instead, the Belgian Detachment mobilized on the clear terrain hex between Ypres and Antwerp.

Net result: the next turn the Germans occupied Antwerp, which was empty, and then killed both detachments and took Ypres as well. Belgium surrendered at the end of the second CP turn, on August 15, 1914.

Moral of the story: if the first resource hex listed as a DESTINATION_LOCATION in a unit script is occupied by the enemy, the game engine will deploy the unit on the next resource hex in order, as listed in the script. But if the first hex is occupied by another friendly unit, the game engine will mobilize the unit on an adjacent friendly-controlled hex, which may well offer no defensive benefits. Beware!

[Cfant]

Hi!

I tried a few times, but my two attacks on Bruxelles (with HQ 7 support) only work about 50% of the time. In the other 50% I have to use an elite-cav, messing up the rest of the opening. Anyone better results?

[Purple10tacle]

Hello

PDF download link doesn't work.

Please, could anyone reupload？

THX!!!

[mdsmall]

Hi!

I tried a few times, but my two attacks on Bruxelles (with HQ 7 support) only work about 50% of the time. In the other 50% I have to use an elite-cav, messing up the rest of the opening. Anyone better results?

That has been my experience as well and I have play-tested this opening many times. But if you have to use one your elite German cavalry to also attack the Belgian corps on Brussels to get it below strength 5 (and therefore no ZOC), you can then still use the other elite German cavalry to capture Lille, or another strategic target in northern France. You can't have optimal results every time!

[Cfant]

Ah, thank you. I asked, because the original poster in his study wrote, it worked about 90% for him. So I thought I did something wrong. Thanks for clarification.

[Dazo]

PDF download link doesn't work. Could anyone reupload？

Hello

PDF download link doesn't work.

Please, could anyone reupload？

THX!!!

Sorry for late answer and thanks for your interest after all this time ^^.
PDF link updated in first post (should be good for a year, strategy may not be up to date after so long though) !

[Erecura]

The updated link in the first post doesn't work for me. Any chance you could update it? I'm a new player and I'd like to try out this strategy. I've been unable to conquer Belgium and northern France on my own. Mostly because of a severe lack of competence on my side.

[mdsmall]

Hi - Dazo 's study is the definitive treatment of this offensive. But you can learn a lot by watching how Old Crow executed a Schlieffen Plan opening against me in the following mach on his You Tube channel. Although we were playing the Icarus Mod (version 1), the settings were the same in August 1914 as in the vanilla game.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ql3DtVv ... OHqDrBFC87

The first key is planning the placement of the two cavalry corps in the Deployment Phases and using them to seize as much territory as possible on the opening move. The second key is using your front line German corps to attack Brussels so as to reduce the defending Belgian corps to level 4 strength, so they lose their ZOCs. Instead, use second line German corps to move up and take out the detachment defending Liege. Finally, use force marches to bring up rear area units into Belgian and French hexes that you have passed through with your advancing cavalry.

Good luck!

[Dazo]

The updated link in the first post doesn't work for me. Any chance you could update it? I'm a new player and I'd like to try out this strategy. I've been unable to conquer Belgium and northern France on my own. Mostly because of a severe lack of competence on my side.

Sorry for that, updated again in first post and here : PDF

And I agree with mdsmall (thanks for your video link, I'll add it in the first post with due credit ^^):
looking at others going at it will definitely help !

[Erecura]

Sorry for that, updated again in first post and here : PDF

And I agree with mdsmall (thanks for your video link, I'll add it in the first post withe due credit ^^):
looking at others going at it will definitely help !

Thank you, I appreciate it. Let's see if I am now able to make some moves in Frances. Cheers!

[shri]

What would be a somewhat ideal counter to a good Schlieffen by an above average player?

Does France -
1. Keep counter-attacking if odds are equal/better?
or does it go fully defensive?

2. Does not capturing the Ottoman BB and thus delaying entry by 4-6 months help Russia and Entente? (due to extra 30 MPP per turn) or is it overall a bad deal?

3. If 2 is done, UK can transfer Indian/Anzac and Canadian corps directly to France and plug the line (till French recover, even if Nancy falls).
So, is it beneficial considering this? or is loss of Basra basically neutering one whole front and making Ottomans much stronger and thus overall negating the gains in MPP and the use of corps (albeit temporarily?)

[Dazo]

What would be a somewhat ideal counter to a good Schlieffen by an above average player?

Does France -
1. Keep counter-attacking if odds are equal/better?
or does it go fully defensive?

2. Does not capturing the Ottoman BB and thus delaying entry by 4-6 months help Russia and Entente? (due to extra 30 MPP per turn) or is it overall a bad deal?

3. If 2 is done, UK can transfer Indian/Anzac and Canadian corps directly to France and plug the line (till French recover, even if Nancy falls).
So, is it beneficial considering this? or is loss of Basra basically neutering one whole front and making Ottomans much stronger and thus overall negating the gains in MPP and the use of corps (albeit temporarily?)

Hi Shri,

Sorry for the late answer and my views may be a bit outdated but from my past experience :

1. Short answer : no / yes.

France is bleeding MPPs, NM and units from the start. It can't sustain heavy casualties on both combat phases each turn for more than 1-2 turns without heavy consequences.
Let Schlieffen die by itself while digging everywhere (5-6 turns max before Germans get bogged down). Russia can manage on its own for a while.

Don't attack unless you have good odds (or if you can have several attacks on the same target when the first attack has even odds) / targets (weakened / demoralized / unattached / unentrenched / cavalry / HQ... units). Counterattacks on key hexes to shorten the line can be considered (enemy salients, communication / evacuation lines with UK/Belgium's units...).
Fully destroying a german corps can be very tempting but leaving it crippled in low morale can also be a good outcome, better than leaving one of your units weakened / exposed to counterattacks.

Save your forces / MPPs on your turn so you can buy back cheap / half price units to plug the gaps / create a reserve for later turns. Entrench and try to put some MPPs in trench tech (cheap and fast return).
That reserve will either be available for later offensives or to go make trouble on other fronts for CPs (Italy, Serbia, OE...).
Investing early in artillery tech is pricey but would help put pressure back on Germans earlier, helping Russians.
Upgrading your worst french HQ can also be an option. Upgrading that horrible starting UK one is a must since it will help both the BEF and belgian units.

If you have to attack, try to share the burden of casualties with UK since they can afford it better.
That said, try to avoid overusing the BEF and its two high experience corps as they can come in handy later for critical attacks (with elite steps and a good HQ).

2. It has pros and cons, it's a balanced event but you need to have a clear strategy in mind. It helps at start as Russia needs any and every MPPs it can get its hands on. But it also creates trouble later on as that ship will be a problem in the Black Sea and even in the Med. On the other hand, it can be considered as a big floating NM target that will tank OE morale notably just by itself if sunk.

That option also gives some more turns for OE to prepare for war (buying cheap units to cover key points, move other units and such). However, OE will never really be much stronger just by itself, it's the sick man of Europe after all !
The situation in Serbia has to be considered here as what makes OE dangerous is having that railroad to Berlin opened up.
Let's just say that if CPs are very agressive vs France and Russia, it should be considered to gain some breathing room for Entente.

3. As said above, 2 helps if you are under heavy pressure but you have to consider the cost of moving back units later to start something against OE. Usually, it's better to begin creating trouble for OE as early as possible because of their low max NM compared to other countries. Basra is a good start (and freebie) for that (just Entente cavalry, pretty useless everywhere else, operating from there can become a big headache quite fast).

I probably forgot some things but that should help a bit .