I am up to Nov-Dec 1915 in a 2 player grand campaign - farthest I have ever played. Tried two other campaigns using the Schlieffen plan but Paris fell in 1914 and the game ended. So tried the Russia first plan (Moltke?). Starting to understand the mechanics of land warfare. Have to say I am really enjoying it. I have owned this game since 2010 but this time I invested time in it and it is starting to make sense. I have found the army by army mode my style. I have a couple of questions though.
1) I understand there are three warfare doctrines (movement, firepower, combined). I don't understand what the difference is. I got the messages about transitioning to firepower in late 1914 (as expected). But what does this mean? I can still attack. The Russian front is still very fluid. Russia has taken heavy losses and I am pushing deep into Russia. I see the Western front as stagnating with trenches being formed but not Russia. I guess my questions are can I just keep on attacking in Russia and do I need to attack in France? (see question 2)
2) Realted to this (I think) is what is a Grand Offense for? I feel like I should be using them. But how would I use it in a fluid situation like Russia? And the one I tried in France I won a teritory but suffered huge losses. Is there something I am not seeing?
3) Diplomacy - right now the CP consists of Germany, AH, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, and Italy (no Ottomans) - it seems kinda easy to get powers to join using diplomacy - is this normal or a fluke?
4) Naval war - really lost here - high seas fleet has never left port - raided English coast once with the scout fleet - not sure if that did any good but did get 4 ships damaged. Each turn (when I remember) I go and set the cruisers in the other parts of the world to raid status and send them out - not sure if this is doing anything or not - I get messages saying I raided but never states if there was any damage - Half the British fleet is piled up on top of these raiders but I always seem to get away - I am sure there is more to the naval game - any suggestions would help
5) Air war - again not using it at all - couple recon missions when I remember - any suggestions?
I m sure there are other questions but all for now
Thanks
Jack
1 - there are HUGE different, but there are not highlighted.
Basically, more you progress in terms of combat doctrines more your attack will be bloody. As the name of the doctrine says it "transition to trench warfare" says that you are in a middle-ground between movement and trenches. So your front is still fluid but you should take higher losses when you attack (and particularly if you attack in winter : it gives a malus on attack). If russia already takes heavy loss ot's beacause their morale should be very low (after all you send the whole german army against them) and because ..... their army is composed of bad quality moujiks divisions.
On trench warfare, you have huge defense bonus, and you can have even hgher ones by raising your trench level (there are 3 levels, simulating the degree of complexity of your trench network), by reascherching accurate technologies (trench Mortar A, trench mortar B, Land Mines IRRC).
And.....atacking Russia or France? It's your choice and your strategy general, be aware that in trench warfare, evrything you do can cost you national morale or cost it to the enemy (losses in combat, terrotories gains/loss, objectives city, success/failure in a great offensive, ...)
2- grand offensives is a tool to plan offensive like thar happens IRL (CHemin des Dames, Verdun, Gallicia, Gallipoli). You select at the interphase the objective of your offensive, the armies involved in and the combat techniques you will use and test (combat gas, massive bombardement, flash bombardement, infiltration,... and of course, the date of beggining.
At the end of the year, the game will check if you conquered the objective, if yes, the grandt offenisve is a succes, you will earn a MASSIVE boost of NM (+10) and the ennemy's NM will fall, if not the contrary happens.
You must, in trench warfare, perform one grand offensive per front per year, otherwise, NM penalty for your cowardice (your pepole want you to win the war).
Be aware that the success of a great offensive is different between western and eastern front.
Western Front : take only the objective
Eastern Front : take the objective and five more régions (to simulate the less rigid front in russia)
You say that you suffer heavy loss to take a single region in France, it's exactly that Trench Warfare is. Remeber that thousands of men die for some hill or forest : that's WW1 (ans that's why this game is so fun).
3- I think it's because the AI handle its diplomacy very badly. However, remember that better the war goes for you better your diplomacy will be (all minor countries want to be in the winner's side).
4- Kaiser Wilhelm II is very proud of his dreanought fleet, so you have to request his permission to risk it. In game terms, a die roll evry time you order the HSF to go out of Harbour, if it fails your order is not taken in account (The Kaiser says NO). Having a charismatic admiral in command who can convince the Kaiser may help (an admiral with a special trait - can't remeber the exact name) or selecting the warplan option that gave you a special kaiser permission to send the HSF out.
It's a german specific rule
5- Put fighters with HQ to scout mission, in trench warfare with proper doctrines, bombers can help you and reduce ennemy trenches in combat,-strategic bombings can cripple ennemy economy a little (we are not in 1944 anyway) - aces which reveals themselves in dogfights boosts your NM - use technology to improve your aircrafts and transform them from the useless things of 1914 to an master weapon.
Basically, more you progress in terms of combat doctrines more your attack will be bloody. As the name of the doctrine says it "transition to trench warfare" says that you are in a middle-ground between movement and trenches. So your front is still fluid but you should take higher losses when you attack (and particularly if you attack in winter : it gives a malus on attack). If russia already takes heavy loss ot's beacause their morale should be very low (after all you send the whole german army against them) and because ..... their army is composed of bad quality moujiks divisions.
On trench warfare, you have huge defense bonus, and you can have even hgher ones by raising your trench level (there are 3 levels, simulating the degree of complexity of your trench network), by reascherching accurate technologies (trench Mortar A, trench mortar B, Land Mines IRRC).
And.....atacking Russia or France? It's your choice and your strategy general, be aware that in trench warfare, evrything you do can cost you national morale or cost it to the enemy (losses in combat, terrotories gains/loss, objectives city, success/failure in a great offensive, ...)
2- grand offensives is a tool to plan offensive like thar happens IRL (CHemin des Dames, Verdun, Gallicia, Gallipoli). You select at the interphase the objective of your offensive, the armies involved in and the combat techniques you will use and test (combat gas, massive bombardement, flash bombardement, infiltration,... and of course, the date of beggining.
At the end of the year, the game will check if you conquered the objective, if yes, the grandt offenisve is a succes, you will earn a MASSIVE boost of NM (+10) and the ennemy's NM will fall, if not the contrary happens.
You must, in trench warfare, perform one grand offensive per front per year, otherwise, NM penalty for your cowardice (your pepole want you to win the war).
Be aware that the success of a great offensive is different between western and eastern front.
Western Front : take only the objective
Eastern Front : take the objective and five more régions (to simulate the less rigid front in russia)
You say that you suffer heavy loss to take a single region in France, it's exactly that Trench Warfare is. Remeber that thousands of men die for some hill or forest : that's WW1 (ans that's why this game is so fun).
3- I think it's because the AI handle its diplomacy very badly. However, remember that better the war goes for you better your diplomacy will be (all minor countries want to be in the winner's side).
4- Kaiser Wilhelm II is very proud of his dreanought fleet, so you have to request his permission to risk it. In game terms, a die roll evry time you order the HSF to go out of Harbour, if it fails your order is not taken in account (The Kaiser says NO). Having a charismatic admiral in command who can convince the Kaiser may help (an admiral with a special trait - can't remeber the exact name) or selecting the warplan option that gave you a special kaiser permission to send the HSF out.
It's a german specific rule
5- Put fighters with HQ to scout mission, in trench warfare with proper doctrines, bombers can help you and reduce ennemy trenches in combat,-strategic bombings can cripple ennemy economy a little (we are not in 1944 anyway) - aces which reveals themselves in dogfights boosts your NM - use technology to improve your aircrafts and transform them from the useless things of 1914 to an master weapon.
Thanks Revan
-- Concerning question 1--As you progress into the firepower doctrine all advantages go to the defender and his trenches. I feel like the eight tactics are important but I am not sure how you get them or what they do. I think I got "Combined Arms" very quickly in 1915 but am not sure how! So what should change in your thinking as the agressor as you go to firepower doctrine?
--Concerning question 2--Are Grand Offenses necessary and are they the ONLY attacks you should use?
--Concerning question 4--What do YOU do with the German fleet when YOU are playing the CP? Do you make periodic raids on the English coast? Do you ever send out the High Seas Fleet? Do you look for contact with the British flee?
Again Thanks
Jack
-- Concerning question 1--As you progress into the firepower doctrine all advantages go to the defender and his trenches. I feel like the eight tactics are important but I am not sure how you get them or what they do. I think I got "Combined Arms" very quickly in 1915 but am not sure how! So what should change in your thinking as the agressor as you go to firepower doctrine?
--Concerning question 2--Are Grand Offenses necessary and are they the ONLY attacks you should use?
--Concerning question 4--What do YOU do with the German fleet when YOU are playing the CP? Do you make periodic raids on the English coast? Do you ever send out the High Seas Fleet? Do you look for contact with the British flee?
Again Thanks
Jack
The main change is that as agressor i have to pay a heavy price for small gains, so i use redeployment phase to gather a lot of troops and artillery (artillery is very important, you must have several of them to perform the most efficient preliminary bombardement and the Rolling barrage).
The use of combat gases could provide you some momentum, but all gases last three turns at best before being obsoletes (ennemy learn to build accurate protections)
I doubt you have combined arms in 1915 : it is designed to be used in 1917-18.
And infiltration doctrine is the most efficient use of tanks and stosstruppen (2 of them + a flash bombardement coul reduce the trench levels).
Grand offensive are necessary to maintain your NM in safe zone, particularly because you are CP and bockade will starve your people. And lauching a grand offensive could provide you preliminary bombardement, gas, etc
You can lauch others attacks but without all the tools you have to reduces ennemy trenches.
When I'm playing the CP i do evrything i can to maintain great britain out of the war (since i think that bockade is the main defeat cause for Germany, and i don't want to test that in game).
Otherwise, i try to break blockade, my dreanoughts are not very useful by spending 4 years in Harbour, are they?
Play the jutland scenario if you want to improve your naval warfare skills.
The use of combat gases could provide you some momentum, but all gases last three turns at best before being obsoletes (ennemy learn to build accurate protections)
I doubt you have combined arms in 1915 : it is designed to be used in 1917-18.
And infiltration doctrine is the most efficient use of tanks and stosstruppen (2 of them + a flash bombardement coul reduce the trench levels).
Grand offensive are necessary to maintain your NM in safe zone, particularly because you are CP and bockade will starve your people. And lauching a grand offensive could provide you preliminary bombardement, gas, etc
You can lauch others attacks but without all the tools you have to reduces ennemy trenches.
When I'm playing the CP i do evrything i can to maintain great britain out of the war (since i think that bockade is the main defeat cause for Germany, and i don't want to test that in game).
Otherwise, i try to break blockade, my dreanoughts are not very useful by spending 4 years in Harbour, are they?
Play the jutland scenario if you want to improve your naval warfare skills.
jcrohio wrote:--Concerning question 4--What do YOU do with the German fleet when YOU are playing the CP? Do you make periodic raids on the English coast? Do you ever send out the High Seas Fleet? Do you look for contact with the British flee?
Again Thanks
Jack
The Stock game is heavily weighted against the Royal Navy so destroying the British fleet and breaking the blockade is certainly possible and even likely.
I wrote my Naval Mod specifically to redress this imbalance and using it makes it far more difficult if not impossible to gain control of the North Sea for much more than a interphase cycle. Raids can work well chipping away at NW and aggressively mining British waters can bring about some cheap attrition losses. Risking capital ships and the consequent loss of NW should the risk not pay off is one of those decisions that you get the big-bucks for. I'm generally happy raiding and running (Tip and Run in the language of the day).
In one game I triggered a 1917 revolution in Britain with a successful raid the turn after I defeated their Grand Offensive, the additional loss of NW caused a negative total and the government collapsed. Tons of fun.
-C
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