Newbie questions/strategies

[le Anders]

Hi,
I'm relatively new to AGEOD games, RUS in particular. I've played RoP a bit, and tried my hand at Napoleon and BoA.
So I just want to ask: What strategies should I focus on as the various factions in the Grand Campaign, and as the Reds in the Finland scenario?

~Anders

[Pat "Stonewall" Cleburne]

The Reds in Finland is very hard. The Finn's have a huge advantage.

Generally, I'd just recommend learning how to organize forces and how to utilize rail and rail control to outmaneuver any opponent.

[le Anders]

After n attempts, I finally seem to be able to conquer the lands east of the Volga as the Siberian Whites in late 1918. Finally figured out how to get enough supply I think... 3-5 provinces between each depot?

What use are the rebels who spawn near Moscow? I've just used them to cut railway lines and occupy undefended towns.

[Flop]

What use are the rebels who spawn near Moscow? I've just used them to cut railway lines and occupy undefended towns.

That's probably the best use you can get from them. The AI just throws them away against Moscow.

I can't really offer much advise for the whites, since I haven't actually played them, but I think you need to be aggressive. Be sure to make the most of your foreign troops (as well as the Czech Legion), while you have them.

[le Anders]

No sooner have I liberated Ural, then a bunch of Green regiments pop up out of nowhere. Guess I should've made some promises of reforms and not squeezed them for manpower and money, eh?
This game's pretty hard, but quite interesting in the contrafactual historical aspect.

[barbu]

Basic things:

1. Do you know how to build new units? (I don't mean replacements). It seems you already do, but it's worth pointing it out. Lotta people played this game for quite a while without having a clue.

2. The key in AGEOD games is (in my humble opinion) national morale. Unfortunately in RUS, Red morale plummets quickly if they're the AI, so you're likely to do well. What is the national morale of you and of the reds in the last page of the ledger (F9, i think) ?

3. Supply-supply-supply. Carry 3 or 4 of those with you. Armies are *a lot bigger* than in any other Ageod game. I had 180,000 (!) soldiers as the Southern Whites and was on my way to Moscow when Stalin (200,000 soldiers) and Trotsky (180,000) (!!!) hit me from the front and back simultaneously. Pretty much game over.

4. Needless to say, don't move in the winter into areas that don't have structures. Better still, find a city for each army corps and stay there. Russia is ... cold. And deadly.

5. Pay attention to regional limitations. There are only a handful of units or so that you can build and that can fight *anywhere* in Russia.

6. The reds have several heavyweights: Voroshilov sticks to my mind, although there are a few others. Pay attention to battle reports, to see if they've died (if they died, there's a cross next to the box which shows how many stars they have... or "had").

I'm not spoiling anything for you, these things are pretty basic, but I hope they'll help.

[le Anders]

Thanks for the advice, barbu.

Getting enough EP to in order to requisition more money was a real bitch, but I managed, about eight turns into the game. Then I spent money on making the population more loyal. I don't want Greens and Anarchists popping up when my main armies are on the other side of the country. (Well, I guess that's what the Don Cossacks are for, with their theatre of operations limitations.)

Playing as the southern Whites, I've managed to take all of the northern Caucasus and pretty much cut the Kuban Reds off- they still hold Yekaterinodar and Novorossiysk, along with surrounding territory. The Siberians stand at the Volga, and even further west up in the north. The Murmansk armies have established depots on the route from Murmansk to Petrozavodsk, and are standing just south east of Petrograd.
Suddenly a new White army appeared in Pskov, but their units are just about half strength, and it's in the dead of winter, so I guess they should just stay put for a few turns.

What date does the eastern Ukraine unlock? January 1918?

[ERISS]

Then I spent money on making the population more loyal.

That's some weird for the Whites, as historically they were trying to SOLD their propaganda!
Spending money for dirty moujiks as you did should be uncommon and cost many EP and VP... (maybe that's like that ingame, I almost don't play the game, and never the Whites).

[le Anders]

That's some weird for the Whites, as historically they were trying to SOLD their propaganda!
Spending money for dirty moujiks as you did should be uncommon and cost many EP and VP... (maybe that's like that ingame, I almost don't play the game, and never the Whites).

As Siberian Whites in a previous attempt at winning, I conscripted troops and extorted money off the peasants instead. That got me a massive Green revolt, happily coinciding with the withdrawal of the Czech Legion...

[barbu]

Not sure about Ukraine. However Machno will prove to be a pain in the , just as historically. Kill/destroy him before setting off to Moscow, or else you'll have MAJOR problems in your rearguard.

Machno:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahno

[Flop]

As Siberian Whites in a previous attempt at winning, I conscripted troops and extorted money off the peasants instead. That got me a massive Green revolt, happily coinciding with the withdrawal of the Czech Legion...

Some (all?) of the green uprisings are scripted. The big one along the Volga, which I think is the one you're referring to, happens in every game. Green uprisings aren't always a bad thing, though, as they'll also target the other side.