Convoys

[Ostwindflak]

Does anyone have a good guide for optimal convoy placement during game set up? I always feel like I am missing a few resources (or maybe they are just not attainable with a lack of convoy ships at start?)

[Orm]

There are suggested convoy set ups in the major powers AI threads but I am not aware of any guide.

Convoy placement depends somewhat on what optional rules you play with.

CW should be able to transport enough resources to get all the factories working while France needs help to get all their resources to a factory and most will not bother with the New Caledonia resource.

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Post #: 292 to 327 in the AI for CW thread show the convoy setups we made (peskpesk made most of the work) for the CW/French AI thread.
tm.asp?m=978889&mpage=10&key=#

[Ostwindflak]

I play with Oil and the option to save BPs. I do not play with Food in Flames.

Thank you for the link.

[Extraneous]

(under "Info" on the Menu bar)

Production planning Ctrl+P

Shows first all resources then all factories available.

The columns are by:
Type - "Non-oil", "Oil", or "Factory #" (Factory and number in city).
Location - "Country (hex number)" or "City and country (and the hex number)".
Action - "Production", "Idle", and for oil "Save".

Columns only used for resources
Destination - Where the resources are going.
C - The number convoy points used in moving resources.



These are for a selected major power (L-click on the flags to change the major powers).

So we have two things (all available Resources and all available Factories) being shown using one "form" or window.

First: Resources
Type, Location, Action, Destination, and C.

Then: Factories
Type, Location, and Action.


I created and used an excel spreadsheet to plan my convoy lines. But the game seems not to save over rides.
Perhaps one of the beta team members can tell me how to correct this.
Or do I have to reconstruct the convoy lines at each game restore [&:]

[paulderynck]

Overrides (in blue) are a one turn directive. What you likely want are "Defaults" (in green). A default should stay in place although I'm unsure what happens to them if the CP lines are significantly disrupted and a player doesn't attend to the problem that turn by putting in some overrides.

[AlbertN]

The only suggestion I can give is to not deploy all CPs at sea but keep some in the docks - since starting Germany setup can heavily affect convoy for UK (Let us say they get Danish, Dutch and maybe even Belgian CPs in Sept / Oct... that's a lot of extra CPs!)

[brian brian]

Some personal opinions - at set-up, don't worry about the resources in Malaya. Maybe later you can send them to the Chinese for a while, depending on choices by both sides in the US Entry system.

I also prefer to use the CW convoys to maximize French production for a few turns - including delivering the New Caledonia resource to France. This will require using Oil resources in the UK factories instead of saving that Oil, but if the USA plays the entry option Resources to Western Allies ASAP, the CW can soon begin saving a massive oil bank in Canada, starting on the 2nd or 3rd turn.

A basic choice is to use the Mediterranean or not. I would not, though while attempting to keep supply to Malta from both directions (with a single Convoy Point while playing with the Limited Overseas Supply optional, one commonly used) the resource in Cyprus can reach a Home Country economy, some turns. And yes I game that idea by using the French convoys for the high-risk work.

If playing with Oil rules, remember that you don't need to move the Oil you use for units anywhere, you just have to trace a legal supply path to the Oil resource hex from the oil-dependent unit. However you do have to save Oil coming in from another country before your units can use it (though not if used to create Build Points in your factories - confused yet?). So the resource Iraq sends to France can be saved in Syria on Turn 1 and then units can trace to it there starting on Turn 2, including via around Cape Horn. (WiF logistics are kept simple and playable). Alternatively it can be shipped to France and used for production even on the first turn, but France should never run completely out of saved oil. One option is to have the CW or USA send a few to Martinique for use by French oil-dependent units.

Although most people here extoll the virtues of Germany attacking everything in sight on the first turn, you can't count on the Germans doing that. There are ways for Germany to defeat France without ever attacking the Netherlands and thus giving the CW 6-10 free CPs, depending on some overrun die rolls. This puts more pressure on the CW convoy lines....and then maybe eventually on the Murmansk run as well.