Frontlines - Bulge: John Leery - the cautious hero

[Tassadar]

After finishing AO with all my core forces, it was obvious for me to to start the Allied campaigns as the appear. Since I had some early start to first Frontlines - Bulge with three missions done earlier last month once as a some change of pace to Bertorelli's run, I can now post their results basically immediately, before the dust settles in Washington DC. As a small interesting thing - I will be scaling down unit naming to smaller formations, to try and stay in flavor for the campaign.

Difficulty - Generalissimus

At this point, it is something I'm adding by default, as it spices up the combat greatly. Also, I am experimenting with 20% randomness this time instead of the default 50% I used so far. Finally, while I will not be turning on the Collector mode, I will attempt to not duplicate any unit type and also not use captured German equipment.

Traits - Liberator, Flexible Command, Meticulous Planning, Trench Slog, Fear of the Unknown

I always wanted to experiment with Fear of the Unknown, so that will be the main negative trait for this DLC. Dev Diaries mentioned that there will be a lot of bad weather, so this should feel extra flavorful. However, to not get totally bogged down and unable to advance, I have selected Flexible Command and Meticulous Planning for better movement options within the limited sight range and also to be able to split recon vehicles and see more this way. Liberator was selected as an extra prestige source, since I will be playing the American side and it felt appropriate. I also went with Trench Slog, since American tanks are not that great in the first place and I will likely need to rely on artillery a lot anyway. This extra trait should me the offensive missions more difficult.

Hero:


First hero does not seem like much, but I guess I can assign him to 1st Infantry Battalion Infantry Company A and give basic infantry some better defensive potential.


Second hero is also not that great, but at least it helps seeing how I selected Trench Slog as a trait. Added to 1st Tank Destroyer Battalion Company A, so that the AT unit can contribute even if there are no good hard targets around.


Third hero is apparently a special pre-determined one. I'll assign him to 1st Infantry Battalion Ranger Company A, as infantry will likely suffer some serious damage over the course of the campaign and also could use some units that can clear soft targets easier.

Frontlines: Bulge - Wahlerscheid

Starting Prestige: 2570

New Units Commissioned:

1st Reconnaissance Battalion Company B - M24 Chaffee
1st Field Artillery Battalion Battery C - M7

My first purchases are an extra recon unit and and extra artillery piece, both added because of the traits I selected and needed to not suffer from them as much.

New Equipment Provided:

1st Tank Destroyer Battalion Company A - M18 Hellcat

I also make an upgrade in the AT department. A towed gun will not be helpful with the intended Entrenchment Killer hero, especially since it also had rather poor stats.

Starting Army Composition:

Infantry

1st Infantry Battalion Ranger Company A - Rangers - ** - Cheap Replacements, Rapid Fire 1.5X
1st Infantry Battalion Engineer Company A - US Engineers 43 (Studebaker Truck) - **
1st Infantry Battalion Motorized Company A - US HW Inf 43 (M3 Halftrack) - **
1st Infantry Battalion Infantry Company A - US Infantry (Studebaker Truck) - ** - Ferocious Defense

Tank

1st Tank Battalion Artillery Battery A - M4A3(105) - *

Recon

1st Reconnaissance Battalion Company A - M8 Greyhound - **
1st Reconnaissance Battalion Company B - M24 Chaffee

Anti-Tank

1st Tank Destroyer Battalion Company A - M18 Hellcat - * - Entrenchment Killer 3X

Artillery

1st Field Artillery Battalion Battery A - 105mm M2A1 (Studebaker Truck) - *
1st Field Artillery Battalion Battery B - 155mm Long Tom (Studebaker Truck) - *
1st Field Artillery Battalion Battery C - M7

Highlights


Interesting how the starting units are so far apart from each other. This can be an issue with Fear of the Unknown if this is a pattern in later scenarios also.


So far so good, the main target is already in sight, but it is surprising how heavy hitting enemy infantry is at this stage. I guess this is because my artillery still lacks firepower and experience, so its suppression effect is not that effective yet.


Taking out the first artillery piece. That was not that easy, since Trench Slog meant I had to seriously focus some fire on the unit first.


After taking out the second gun, I get attacked by some hero units, but luckily Hellcat support fire ambushes them in the snowy weather and deals with the problem easily.

Summary

Final Prestige: 2950 (up 380)

Overall

The first scenario was something entirely different to what I expected. My negative traits are a major pain in this weather, so while it causes me some suffering, I can't deny I also enjoy the added challenge they caused. It required adapting the playstyle to counter these issues. Prestige drain was also larger than expected, and Liberator did not help, as there were basically no good targets. Hexes either gave no prestige, or even had negative values, making them not worth going for. It remains to be seen if this will be a trend, but I won't restart and adjust the traits just to counter that, it is a decision I will need to live with.

Frontlines: Bulge - Losheim

Hero:


A very interesting hero that can make my life a lot easier. I assign him to the newly deployed 1st Tank Battalion Company B, which will use Sherman Jumbo tanks. These have excellent defense values and should be a way to seriously reduce loses.


Another custom hero, will combine perfectly with 1st Tank Destroyer Battalion Company A. Not only it gives the option to bring up Hellcat hard attack up to M36 Jackson value, but No Retaliation helps to utilize Entrenchment Killer in niche situations.

Starting Prestige (after purchases and replacements): 1365

New Units Commissioned:

1st Tank Battalion Company A - M4A3(76)W
1st Tank Battalion Company B - M4A3E2
1st Field Artillery Battalion Battery D - 75mm HMC M8

I get two tank units, one focused on defense with Sharman Jumbos and one with more anti-tank functionality. This gives me 2 more core slots, enough for a light artillery unit.

Starting Army Composition:

Infantry

1st Infantry Battalion Ranger Company A - Rangers - ** - Cheap Replacements, Rapid Fire 1.5X
1st Infantry Battalion Engineer Company A - US Engineers 43 (Studebaker Truck) - **
1st Infantry Battalion Motorized Company A - US HW Inf 43 (M3 Halftrack) - **
1st Infantry Battalion Infantry Company A - US Infantry (Studebaker Truck) - ** - Ferocious Defense

Tank

1st Tank Battalion Company A - M4A3(76)W
1st Tank Battalion Company B - M4A3E2 - Provocator
1st Tank Battalion Artillery Battery A - M4A3(105) - **

Recon

1st Reconnaissance Battalion Company A - M8 Greyhound - ***
1st Reconnaissance Battalion Company B - M24 Chaffee - *

Anti-Tank

1st Tank Destroyer Battalion Company A - M18 Hellcat - * - Entrenchment Killer 3X, No Retaliation, Tank Killer

Artillery

1st Field Artillery Battalion Battery A - 105mm M2A1 (Studebaker Truck) - *
1st Field Artillery Battalion Battery B - 155mm Long Tom (Studebaker Truck) - *
1st Field Artillery Battalion Battery C - M7 - *
1st Field Artillery Battalion Battery D - 75mm HMC M8

Highlights


Auxiliary units hold the fort, they only need to buy me some time to set up better defenses.


German infantry is not a major problem despite all the heroes (contrary to the first mission), but the tanks are really dangerous compared to what I have.


Encirclement shines once more in this game, as it not only allows me to replenish my prestige reserves, but also deal with units I could not defeat in a straight up damage exchange. It is just important to put recons on the outer side of the frontline to not get my split units ambushed and overrun.


Another valuable use for auxiliary units is to surround the enemy without caring for potential losses and not even using replacements for the damage. It is brutal, but really efficient.


Defending the additional bonus hexes provides a great hero to boost defensive power of 1st Infantry Battalion Motorized Company A.


As the scenario ends, a few hexes remain in Axis control, but I lack the power to counterattack and reclaim them. Still, it is not the objective of the mission, not even the bonus one. Attempting an attack would be just silly.

Summary

Final Prestige: 4477 (up 3112)

Overall

This was one of the more intense scenarios I have played in Panzer Corps 2, and while the prestige gain is large, it is mostly due to some well placed encirclements. Every move has to be meticulously calculated, as it was easy to loose units. Fortunately, this just happened to auxiliary ones since it was best to split those auxiliary ones and put them in the most dangerous positions. Avoiding open ground to net got overrun by Panthers also helped, the difference in tank vs. tank firepower was not in my favor for sure...

Frontlines: Bulge - St. Vith

Hero:


Good enough hero for 1st Reconnaissance Battalion Company A to prevent it from accidentally getting demolished by the best German units.

Starting Prestige (after purchases and replacements): 3548

New Units Commissioned:

1st Infantry Battalion Engineer Company B - US Bridge Eng (Studebaker Truck)
1st Tank Destroyer Battalion Company B - M36 Jackson

Expecting heavy German armor in this mission, I take the heaviest possible AT vehicle squad with me and also add an extra bridge engineer to just use up an extra slot I have to spare, as this will allow me to secure the main objective hex once these engineers entrench. It's just a precaution to buy me time in case a miss a sneaky recon unit in this horrible weather.

Starting Army Composition:

Infantry

1st Infantry Battalion Ranger Company A - Rangers - ** - Cheap Replacements, Rapid Fire 1.5X
1st Infantry Battalion Engineer Company A - US Engineers 43 (Studebaker Truck) - **
1st Infantry Battalion Engineer Company B - US Bridge Eng (Studebaker Truck)
1st Infantry Battalion Motorized Company A - US HW Inf 43 (M3 Halftrack) - ** - Aggressive Counterattack, Fast Entrenchment, First Aid
1st Infantry Battalion Infantry Company A - US Infantry (Studebaker Truck) - ** - Ferocious Defense

Tank

1st Tank Battalion Company A - M4A3(76)W
1st Tank Battalion Company B - M4A3E2 - * - Provocator
1st Tank Battalion Artillery Battery A - M4A3(105) - **

Recon

1st Reconnaissance Battalion Company A - M8 Greyhound - *** - Resilient
1st Reconnaissance Battalion Company B - M24 Chaffee - **

Anti-Tank

1st Tank Destroyer Battalion Company A - M18 Hellcat - ** - Entrenchment Killer 3X, No Retaliation, Tank Killer
1st Tank Destroyer Battalion Company B - M36 Jackson

Artillery

1st Field Artillery Battalion Battery A - 105mm M2A1 (Studebaker Truck) - **
1st Field Artillery Battalion Battery B - 155mm Long Tom (Studebaker Truck) - **
1st Field Artillery Battalion Battery C - M7 - *

Reserve:

1st Field Artillery Battalion Battery D - 75mm HMC M8

Highlights


Counterattacking in the south, I hope this will catch the enemy unprepared.


In the north, I retreat and set up roadblocks instead. The idea is to just focus my advance in one part of the map and then move around the enemy to set up an encirclement. That is, of course, if there are no infinite reinforcement waves...


My defensive strategy needs some readjusting, as heavy tanks try to bypass Setz entirely.


At least in the south I capture a lot of enemy equipment, which helps my prestige situation.


Once this group is dealt with, I am able to move back toward Setz, to aid the defenses there and capture a few other tanks and anti-tank units.


Getting some of them requires quite a lot of work!


Well then, I probably expected something better as a bonus, but this unit at least has decent experience for an AT-gun that would otherwise be difficult to grind.


First award of the run. I forgot how much easier it can be to get Steamroller if only 10 overruns are required for it instead of 25!

Summary

Final Prestige: 6264 (up 2716)

Overall

That was quite intense and I for sure did not expect such a large group to try and bypass my units entirely, which caused me to quickly have to reorganize and rethink my strategy. Overall, the mission went fine and it showcases what seems to be the trend of Frontlines: Bulge - there's never enough units to cover all parts of the map and it forces the player to operate in smaller groups, also relying on auxiliary forces a lot, especially for the more dangerous tasks. It is clearly different design than the base campaign or AO series, but that's a good thing. Even if not all the new ideas end up being revolutionary, or worth pursuing, I appreciate trying to go for something totally different.

[Tassadar]

Frontlines: Bulge - Stoumont

Hero:


Added to 1st Infantry Battalion Motorized Company A, as I wonder if I can ambush tanks into close combat, especially in combination with Aggressive Counterattack.

Starting Prestige (after purchases and replacements): 5425

New Units Commissioned:

1st Tank Battalion Company C - M4 Crocodile
1st Reconnaissance Battalion Company C - OS11 - M20 LAC
1st AAA Auto-Weapons Battalion Company A - OS11 - M16 MGMC

My purchases for this mission are a flame tank, to help deal with entrenched units, which proved to be an issue with Trench Slog, another recon car to support quicker movement by revealing larger parts of the map and an AA gun. Not that I need the last one, but my remaining prestige slots did not add up for anything else. Also, I added free overstrength to all the units that could use it, as I forgot this before. I technically did not select the No Overstrength trait, but with Fear of the Unknown I think I am benefitting more from large numbers of weaker units than from fewer good ones.

New Equipment Provided:

1st Tank Destroyer Battalion Company C - M10 Wolverine

I add an upgrade to the anti-tank unit gifted in the last scenario, as I cannot really afford to rely on towed AT power.

Starting Army Composition:

Infantry

1st Infantry Battalion Ranger Company A - Rangers - ** - Cheap Replacements, Rapid Fire 1.5X
1st Infantry Battalion Engineer Company A - US Engineers 43 (Studebaker Truck) - **
1st Infantry Battalion Motorized Company A - US HW Inf 43 (M3 Halftrack) - ** - Aggressive Counterattack, Fast Entrenchment, First Aid, Provocator
1st Infantry Battalion Infantry Company A - US Infantry (Studebaker Truck) - ** - Ferocious Defense

Tank

1st Tank Battalion Company A - M4A3(76)W - * - Steamroller
1st Tank Battalion Company B - M4A3E2 - * - Provocator
1st Tank Battalion Company C - M4 Crocodile
1st Tank Battalion Artillery Battery A - M4A3(105) - **

Recon

1st Reconnaissance Battalion Company A - OS11 - M8 Greyhound - **** - Resilient
1st Reconnaissance Battalion Company B - M24 Chaffee - ***
1st Reconnaissance Battalion Company C - M20 LAC

Anti-Tank

1st Tank Destroyer Battalion Company A - M18 Hellcat - ** - Entrenchment Killer 3X, No Retaliation, Tank Killer
1st Tank Destroyer Battalion Company B - M36 Jackson - *
1st Tank Destroyer Battalion Company C - M10 Wolverine - **

Artillery

1st Field Artillery Battalion Battery A - 105mm M2A1 (Studebaker Truck) - **
1st Field Artillery Battalion Battery B - 155mm Long Tom (Studebaker Truck) - **
1st Field Artillery Battalion Battery C - M7 - **
1st Field Artillery Battalion Battery D - OS11 - 75mm HMC M8

Anti-Aircraft

1st AAA Auto-Weapons Battalion Company A - OS11 - M16 MGMC

Reserve:

1st Infantry Battalion Engineer Company B - OS17 - US Bridge Eng (Studebaker Truck)

Highlights


First enemy wave found in the south is not only sneaky, but also proves to be a challenge to deal with as the M10 Wolverine is not really that effective against Panthers.


It is easier near Stoumont, as there I have better units and more favorable terrain to capture things.


As the Germans approach Malmedy, I realize I forgot to move my Provocator infantry to a better position.


Now this is going to be quite a lot of prestige! One disadvantage of this method is that my units are gaining less experience.


Time to get to Stavelot and finish off a few enemies there.


Provocator trap in Malmedy is simply amazing. As long as the enemy does not bring artillery along, it's impossible for them to capture the town.


As the missions is about to end, I get a few more captures to improve my prestige situation, as Liberator trait is not really working for me in this campaign due to how the hexes have usually no prestige awards.

Summary

Final Prestige: 9118 (up 3693)

Overall

Once again the size of the map and limited number of core forces meant that was important to pick the right battles. Trench Slog and Fear of the Unknown were not helping either, but they remained to be quite flavorful in the setting. I continued to rely on auxiliaries as much as possible, since they allowed much more aggressive play in many situations, not having to rely on elite replacements (or even any replacements at all) for them.

[bebro]

Nice report

Some thoughts: There's probably some changes I'd make in hindsight, but overall the idea with prestige is that defensive maps are not meant to reward offensive play.

So players who want/are able to take much/everything back can do that, for example to gain more XP, but as long as the mission is defensive it is not considered your goal.

This is more a general rule of thumb though, in some cases hexes offer turn income, so taking those back where possible can give a minor prestige boost.

The later half of the campaign is offensive, and allows to get extra prestige, tied to objective hexes mostly. There are quite many village hexes on many maps, so there's no reward for each of them.

[Tassadar]

Frontlines: Bulge - Relieving Bastogne

Hero:


Nice support for 1st Reconnaissance Battalion Company B, as its base soft attack is just 8, so this will make it into a more decent vehicle against all the infantry.

Starting Prestige (after purchases and replacements): 7600

New Units Commissioned:

2nd Field Artillery Battalion Battery A - 8 Inch M1 (Studebaker Truck)
1st AAA Auto-Weapons Battalion Company B - OS11 - M15A1 MGMC
1st Reconnaissance Squadron Flight A - OS12 - F4

New purchases are the most powerful artillery possible to help with entrenched targets, but also to weaken tanks from a distance, another AA vehicle as my air force might not be as useful as I would like it to be and a recon plane, since battling Fear of the Unknown remains a constant issue and I really need to reach Bastogne fast, not risking moving at snail's pace due to poor visibility.

New Equipment Provided:

1st Fighter Squadron Flight A - P47D25
1st Bombardment Squadron Flight A - A-26 Invader

I upgrade the planes to the most powerful variants I can think of. With ground units I wanted to rely on more weaker ones, but for my air force I think a concentrated approach might do better. The weather will be an issue to a degree still and also my limited spotting range and the fog of war trait limits the use of planes. It will certainly be an unusual approach to an American campaign, as I remember years back in Allied General essentially bombing any issue I encountered into the ground.

Starting Army Composition:

Infantry

1st Infantry Battalion Ranger Company A - Rangers - ** - Cheap Replacements, Rapid Fire 1.5X
1st Infantry Battalion Engineer Company A - US Engineers 43 (Studebaker Truck) - ***
1st Infantry Battalion Motorized Company A - US HW Inf 43 (M3 Halftrack) - *** - Aggressive Counterattack, Fast Entrenchment, First Aid, Provocator
1st Infantry Battalion Infantry Company A - US Infantry (Studebaker Truck) - ** - Ferocious Defense

Tank

1st Tank Battalion Company A - M4A3(76)W - ** - Steamroller
1st Tank Battalion Company B - M4A3E2 - ** - Provocator
1st Tank Battalion Company C - M4 Crocodile - *
1st Tank Battalion Artillery Battery A - M4A3(105) - **

Recon

1st Reconnaissance Battalion Company A - OS11 - M8 Greyhound - **** - Resilient
1st Reconnaissance Battalion Company B - M24 Chaffee - *** - Butcher
1st Reconnaissance Battalion Company C - M20 LAC - *

Anti-Tank

1st Tank Destroyer Battalion Company A - M18 Hellcat - ** - Entrenchment Killer 3X, No Retaliation, Tank Killer
1st Tank Destroyer Battalion Company B - M36 Jackson - *
1st Tank Destroyer Battalion Company C - M10 Wolverine - **

Artillery

1st Field Artillery Battalion Battery A - 105mm M2A1 (Studebaker Truck) - **
1st Field Artillery Battalion Battery B - 155mm Long Tom (Studebaker Truck) - **
1st Field Artillery Battalion Battery C - M7 - **
1st Field Artillery Battalion Battery D - OS11 - 75mm HMC M8 - *
2nd Field Artillery Battalion Battery A - 8 Inch M1 (Studebaker Truck) - *

Anti-Aircraft

1st AAA Auto-Weapons Battalion Company A - OS11 - M16 MGMC
1st AAA Auto-Weapons Battalion Company B - OS11 - M15A1 MGMC

Fighter

1st Fighter Squadron Flight A - P47D25 - **

Tactical Bomber

1st Reconnaissance Squadron Flight A - OS12 - F4 - *
1st Bombardment Squadron Flight A - A-26 Invader - **

Reserve:

1st Infantry Battalion Engineer Company B - OS17 - US Bridge Eng (Studebaker Truck)

Highlights


I send a small group east to capture secondary objectives.


As I am not sure how difficult holding Bastogne will be, I make sure to clear out any attacking Germans entirely, instead of letting their units get replacements.


Provocator heavy infantry is the unexpected discovery of this run. It really allows for some unusual was for dealing with enemy tanks, but at the same time, it can be a high risk strategy if German infantry approaches instead.


Second Steamroller award. Not as important, as I prefer to capture targets for prestige at all times, but can help.


Some enemies attacking Bastogne do not care for their own safety apparently.


Getting my hands on a Panther tanks will be a nice economic boost.


Even more captures that will help keep my army going. Ironic how minefields make the encirclement easier and safer for me.


Main targets around Bastogne cleared, time to take one and end the mission.

Summary

Final Prestige: 8044 (up 444)

Overall

Slightly grindy scenario, but that was mostly dur to the fact that I initially sacrifice prestige for speed, not knowing how intense the attacks on the city will be. Turns out, they were perfectly manageable even without hurrying, so there was no need to take as many risks. German air presence was minimal and the biggest danger were a few heavy tanks on the way, which can deal nasty damage if left to roam the roads freely. Overall, this is probably a mission that plays best the first time, so once the player knows the trick, then on following runs it's possible to cheese the AI massively. However, it is nice to have missions like this when the uncertainly of playing the the fist time adds to the experience a lot.

This is more a general rule of thumb though, in some cases hexes offer turn income, so taking those back where possible can give a minor prestige boost.

No issue with the idea, I think it is refreshing approach to the usual prestige management. The only gripe I have with it is the way it is introduced as a concept in the first mission, as it takes the player a moment to realize, at which point it might require a restart to adjust traits and other choices. Perhaps adding an extra description/note to the campaign info or the first mission briefing would help highlight this non-standard approach

[Tassadar]

Frontlines: Bulge - Widening the Breach

Hero:


Solid hero option for 1st Tank Battalion Company B, so that I do not have to worry as much about losses due to Provocator.

Starting Prestige (after purchases and replacements): 7831

New Units Commissioned:

1st Fighter Squadron Flight B - P-38G

A strategic bomber could help deal with enemy entrenchment, but all airfields in the area are dirt ones, unsuitable for this unit type. I was thinking about taking anther fighter, or a rocket launcher system, but seeing that I could use some insurance against the Luftwaffe and good stats against ground targets on the P-38, I went for this option due to having just 3 slots to use without putting any of the other units in reserve.

New Equipment Provided:

1st Tank Battalion Company D - M5A1

The Sherman Jumbo that was "First in Bastogne" needs to get upgraded to something else, as I already have such a unit. As such I select the light M5A1.

Starting Army Composition:

Infantry

1st Infantry Battalion Ranger Company A - Rangers - *** - Cheap Replacements, Rapid Fire 1.5X
1st Infantry Battalion Engineer Company A - US Engineers 43 (Studebaker Truck) - ***
1st Infantry Battalion Motorized Company A - US HW Inf 43 (M3 Halftrack) - *** - Aggressive Counterattack, Fast Entrenchment, First Aid, Provocator
1st Infantry Battalion Infantry Company A - US Infantry (Studebaker Truck) - ** - Ferocious Defense

Tank

1st Tank Battalion Company A - M4A3(76)W - ** - Steamroller
1st Tank Battalion Company B - M4A3E2 - ** - Field Repairs, Provocator, Steamroller
1st Tank Battalion Company C - M4 Crocodile - **
1st Tank Battalion Company D - M5A1 - **
1st Tank Battalion Artillery Battery A - M4A3(105) - ***

Recon

1st Reconnaissance Battalion Company A - OS11 - M8 Greyhound - ***** - Resilient
1st Reconnaissance Battalion Company B - M24 Chaffee - **** - Butcher
1st Reconnaissance Battalion Company C - M20 LAC - **

Anti-Tank

1st Tank Destroyer Battalion Company A - M18 Hellcat - *** - Entrenchment Killer 3X, No Retaliation, Tank Killer
1st Tank Destroyer Battalion Company B - M36 Jackson - *
1st Tank Destroyer Battalion Company C - M10 Wolverine - ***

Artillery

1st Field Artillery Battalion Battery A - 105mm M2A1 (Studebaker Truck) - **
1st Field Artillery Battalion Battery B - 155mm Long Tom (Studebaker Truck) - **
1st Field Artillery Battalion Battery C - M7 - **
1st Field Artillery Battalion Battery D - OS11 - 75mm HMC M8 - **
2nd Field Artillery Battalion Battery A - 8 Inch M1 (Studebaker Truck) - *

Anti-Aircraft

1st AAA Auto-Weapons Battalion Company A - OS11 - M16 MGMC
1st AAA Auto-Weapons Battalion Company B - OS11 - M15A1 MGMC - *

Fighter

1st Fighter Squadron Flight A - P-47D25 - **
1st Fighter Squadron Flight B - P-38G - *

Tactical Bomber

1st Reconnaissance Squadron Flight A - OS12 - F4 - **
1st Bombardment Squadron Flight A - A-26 Invader - **

Reserve:

1st Infantry Battalion Engineer Company B - OS17 - US Bridge Eng (Studebaker Truck)

Highlights


While I appreciate the added challenge Vigilant heroes on tanks can add, it seems they are slightly overused in this campaign.


Steamroller on a flame tank is one of the more useful awards. A mechanical observation here. I strongly think that flame tanks should have the same thing as artillery, where they would mostly deal suppression instead of actual full damage, maybe with some extra additional type of benefit. Perhaps an option for a mod one day?


My attack is mostly done from the western side, as I try to defeat Germans in that area, then move north and circle around Bastogne.


Hero for the extra objective received. I am not sure about his assignment yet, but he will probably be added to 1st Tank Destroyer Battalion Company B that uses M36 Jackson vehicles with high initiative.


Provocator Sherman Jumbo unit is the first to get a special award, thanks to all the infantry that keeps stumbling into it.


Getting ready to end the scenario but not before I do some additional final captures.

Summary

Final Prestige: 10513 (up 2682)

Overall

This time I did not rush things taking some lessons from the earlier mission, and as such the result was much better economically. I was able to slowly go through isolated German positions and encircle them one by one, but I must say I was surprised to see infantry occupying secondary hexes eager to leave them and attack if they felt like a more vulnerable target get in their range.

[Tassadar]

Frontlines: Bulge - Bure

Starting Prestige (after purchases and replacements): 10937

Starting Army Composition:

Reserve:

1st Infantry Battalion Ranger Company A - Rangers - *** - Cheap Replacements, Rapid Fire 1.5X
1st Infantry Battalion Engineer Company A - US Engineers 43 (Studebaker Truck) - ***
1st Infantry Battalion Engineer Company B - OS17 - US Bridge Eng (Studebaker Truck)
1st Infantry Battalion Motorized Company A - US HW Inf 43 (M3 Halftrack) - **** - Aggressive Counterattack, Fast Entrenchment, First Aid, Provocator
1st Infantry Battalion Infantry Company A - US Infantry (Studebaker Truck) - *** - Ferocious Defense
1st Tank Battalion Company A - M4A3(76)W - ** - Steamroller
1st Tank Battalion Company B - M4A3E2 - *** - Field Repairs, Provocator, Steamroller
1st Tank Battalion Company C - M4 Crocodile - ***
1st Tank Battalion Company D - M5A1 - **
1st Tank Battalion Artillery Battery A - M4A3(105) - ***
1st Reconnaissance Battalion Company A - OS11 - M8 Greyhound - ***** - Resilient
1st Reconnaissance Battalion Company B - M24 Chaffee - ***** - Butcher
1st Reconnaissance Battalion Company C - M20 LAC - ***
1st Tank Destroyer Battalion Company A - M18 Hellcat - *** - Entrenchment Killer 3X, No Retaliation, Tank Killer
1st Tank Destroyer Battalion Company B - M36 Jackson - **
1st Tank Destroyer Battalion Company C - M10 Wolverine - ***
1st Field Artillery Battalion Battery A - 105mm M2A1 (Studebaker Truck) - ***
1st Field Artillery Battalion Battery B - 155mm Long Tom (Studebaker Truck) - ***
1st Field Artillery Battalion Battery C - M7 - ***
1st Field Artillery Battalion Battery D - OS11 - 75mm HMC M8 - ***
2nd Field Artillery Battalion Battery A - 8 Inch M1 (Studebaker Truck) - **
1st AAA Auto-Weapons Battalion Company A - OS11 - M16 MGMC - *
1st AAA Auto-Weapons Battalion Company B - OS11 - M15A1 MGMC - *
1st Fighter Squadron Flight A - P-47D25 - **
1st Fighter Squadron Flight B - P-38G - *
1st Reconnaissance Squadron Flight A - OS12 - F4 - ***
1st Bombardment Squadron Flight A - A-26 Invader - **

Highlights


I try to keep things simple and send two main British groups directly east along the roads.


Final one moves towards Rochefort, one of the main targets.


Additional air support upon airfield capture? Simple, but interesting script that is criminally underused in campaigns. Too bad the forecast is constant snow...


With auxiliary troops only, I can play much more aggressively and not worry about losses as much.


Nice awards, but I will need to change some of these into other units for the collector approach.

Summary

Final Prestige: 13319 (up 2382)

Overall

I am still not a huge fan of auxiliary only missions as they do not advance the player's core force, but as occasional distractions they can be ok. The issue with the presence of such a scenario in Frontlines - Bulge is that the campaign is short as it is already, so this limits the ability to gain experience on units and otherwise develop them, which is something most players like.

[Tassadar]

Frontlines: Bulge - Laroche

Hero:


For 1st Field Artillery Battalion Battery D, as this unit needs to constantly be in the second row.

Starting Prestige (after purchases and replacements): 13335

New Units Commissioned:

1st Reconnaissance Squadron Flight B - OS12 - L-2 Grasshopper

After moving paratroopers to reserve I just have one spare core slot to use, but an extra recon plane is not a bad idea.

New Equipment Provided:

1st Infantry Battalion Airborne Company A - US Airborne 43
2nd Tank Battalion Company A - Sherman Crab

I spirit of the collector idea, I upgrade the infantry to paratroopers, but move them to reserve as I do not get air transports to use in the mission. I also change the tank to a Sherman Crab. Given the multiple minefields seen in the scenarios so far that does not sound like a bad idea.

Starting Army Composition:

Infantry

1st Infantry Battalion Ranger Company A - Rangers - *** - Cheap Replacements, Rapid Fire 1.5X
1st Infantry Battalion Engineer Company A - US Engineers 43 (Studebaker Truck) - ***
1st Infantry Battalion Motorized Company A - US HW Inf 43 (M3 Halftrack) - **** - Aggressive Counterattack, Fast Entrenchment, First Aid, Provocator
1st Infantry Battalion Infantry Company A - US Infantry (Studebaker Truck) - *** - Ferocious Defense

Tank

1st Tank Battalion Company A - M4A3(76)W - ** - Steamroller
1st Tank Battalion Company B - M4A3E2 - *** - Field Repairs, Provocator, Steamroller
1st Tank Battalion Company C - M4 Crocodile - ***
1st Tank Battalion Company D - M5A1 - **
1st Tank Battalion Artillery Battery A - M4A3(105) - ***
2nd Tank Battalion Company A - Sherman Crab - **

Recon

1st Reconnaissance Battalion Company A - OS11 - M8 Greyhound - ***** - Resilient
1st Reconnaissance Battalion Company B - M24 Chaffee - ***** - Butcher
1st Reconnaissance Battalion Company C - M20 LAC - ***

Anti-Tank

1st Tank Destroyer Battalion Company A - M18 Hellcat - *** - Entrenchment Killer 3X, No Retaliation, Tank Killer
1st Tank Destroyer Battalion Company B - M36 Jackson - ** - Fast Learner, Hit and Run
1st Tank Destroyer Battalion Company C - M10 Wolverine - ***

Artillery

1st Field Artillery Battalion Battery A - 105mm M2A1 (Studebaker Truck) - ***
1st Field Artillery Battalion Battery B - 155mm Long Tom (Studebaker Truck) - ***
1st Field Artillery Battalion Battery C - M7 - ***
1st Field Artillery Battalion Battery D - OS11 - 75mm HMC M8 - *** - Leadership
2nd Field Artillery Battalion Battery A - 8 Inch M1 (Studebaker Truck) - **

Anti-Aircraft

1st AAA Auto-Weapons Battalion Company A - OS11 - M16 MGMC - *
1st AAA Auto-Weapons Battalion Company B - OS11 - M15A1 MGMC - *

Fighter

1st Fighter Squadron Flight A - P-47D25 - **
1st Fighter Squadron Flight B - P-38G - *
1st Fighter Squadron Flight C - P51D - **

Tactical Bomber

1st Reconnaissance Squadron Flight A - OS12 - F4 - ***
1st Reconnaissance Squadron Flight B - OS12 - L-2 Grasshopper - *
1st Bombardment Squadron Flight A - A-26 Invader - **

Reserve:

1st Infantry Battalion Engineer Company B - OS17 - US Bridge Eng (Studebaker Truck)
1st Infantry Battalion Airborne Company A - US Airborne 43 - ***

Highlights


This army is finally starting to look impressive!


Jet fighters are tough o beat, even if encountered in limited numbers.


One group moves in the west with British support...


...while two attack from the in the eastern side.


Finally, a Skilled Support award for my artillery. Too bad text of unit names does not line wrap in the UI.


I was secretly hoping that this would be the award!


Getting some extra prestige in the end won't hurt.

Summary

Final Prestige: 15427 (up 2092)

Overall

Things got much easier now. With a relatively balanced core (just lacking strategic bombers in the mix) that managed to gain some experience and earn awards, even tough encounters became possible to deal with in many ways. I also learned the limitations and strong sides of my army better as well as got used to playing around negative traits. Too bad there is just one mission left, as I grew fond of my units.

[Tassadar]

Frontlines: Bulge - Houffalize

Hero:


Not an amazing last hero, but 1st Reconnaissance Battalion Company C can get some use out of him since recons are very vulnerable.

Starting Prestige (after purchases and replacements): 15134

New Units Commissioned:

2nd Tank Battalion Company B - M26

Nice gift for the last mission, it can help with some dangerous areas.

Starting Army Composition:

Infantry

1st Infantry Battalion Ranger Company A - Rangers - *** - Cheap Replacements, Rapid Fire 1.5X
1st Infantry Battalion Engineer Company A - US Engineers 43 (Studebaker Truck) - ***
1st Infantry Battalion Engineer Company B - OS17 - US Bridge Eng (Studebaker Truck)
1st Infantry Battalion Motorized Company A - US HW Inf 43 (M3 Halftrack) - **** - Aggressive Counterattack, Fast Entrenchment, First Aid, Provocator
1st Infantry Battalion Infantry Company A - US Infantry (Studebaker Truck) - *** - Ferocious Defense
1st Infantry Battalion Airborne Company A - US Airborne 43 - ***

Tank

1st Tank Battalion Company A - M4A3(76)W - *** - Steamroller
1st Tank Battalion Company B - M4A3E2 - *** - Field Repairs, Provocator, Steamroller
1st Tank Battalion Company C - M4 Crocodile - ***
1st Tank Battalion Company D - M5A1 - **
1st Tank Battalion Artillery Battery A - M4A3(105) - ****
2nd Tank Battalion Company A - Sherman Crab - **
2nd Tank Battalion Company B - M26 - *

Recon

1st Reconnaissance Battalion Company A - OS11 - M8 Greyhound - ***** - Resilient
1st Reconnaissance Battalion Company B - M24 Chaffee - ***** - Butcher
1st Reconnaissance Battalion Company C - M20 LAC - *** - Resilient

Anti-Tank

1st Tank Destroyer Battalion Company A - M18 Hellcat - *** - Entrenchment Killer 3X, No Retaliation, Tank Killer
1st Tank Destroyer Battalion Company B - M36 Jackson - ** - Fast Learner, Hit and Run
1st Tank Destroyer Battalion Company C - M10 Wolverine - ***

Artillery

1st Field Artillery Battalion Battery A - 105mm M2A1 (Studebaker Truck) - ***
1st Field Artillery Battalion Battery B - 155mm Long Tom (Studebaker Truck) - ***
1st Field Artillery Battalion Battery C - M7 - *** - Skilled Support
1st Field Artillery Battalion Battery D - OS11 - 75mm HMC M8 - *** - Leadership
2nd Field Artillery Battalion Battery A - 8 Inch M1 (Studebaker Truck) - **

Anti-Aircraft

1st AAA Auto-Weapons Battalion Company A - OS11 - M16 MGMC - *
1st AAA Auto-Weapons Battalion Company B - OS11 - M15A1 MGMC - *

Fighter

1st Fighter Squadron Flight A - P-47D25 - **
1st Fighter Squadron Flight B - P-38G - *
1st Fighter Squadron Flight C - P51D - **

Tactical Bomber

1st Reconnaissance Squadron Flight A - OS12 - F4 - ***
1st Reconnaissance Squadron Flight B - OS12 - L-2 Grasshopper - *
1st Bombardment Squadron Flight A - A-26 Invader - ***

Highlights


One group attacks from the northwest...


... and one from the southeast. I have a lot of deployment zones again, but need to select the best approach.


German supply hex is the first target.


My light tanks get Steamroller, it's more of an achievement than a useful award.


Gaining Skilled Support while fighting around Ortho in bad weather.


Another award, as I move the eastern group north and take out an Axis airfield with jet planes.


Side effect of Provocator is that awards for kills are earned much faster.


Cooperation between AT support units and Provocator also helps.


Periods of snow can isolate planes due to impact of Fear of the Unknown has on the Fog of War if the bases are too far away from the frontline.


One final Steamroller, this time for the Sherman Crabs, as I approach the main target...


...and one more for the M26. I can consider myself fulfilled.

Summary

Final Prestige: 13187 (down 1947)

Overall

Not having to focus on encirclements anymore since earing prestige for the future stopped being a requirement, I just took over objectives directly and farmed some overruns just for the small part of my soul that sometimes like to have achievements done. With time, the campaign started to become more "standard", which is probably most notable in the last scenario. After all the earlier struggles, limited core composition and having to defend against tough enemies, it is refreshing to get some payback on the AI.

Frontlines: Bulge

Final Army Composition:

Infantry

1st Infantry Battalion Ranger Company A - Rangers - **** - Cheap Replacements, Rapid Fire 1.5X
1st Infantry Battalion Engineer Company A - US Engineers 43 (Studebaker Truck) - ****
1st Infantry Battalion Engineer Company B - OS17 - US Bridge Eng (Studebaker Truck) - *
1st Infantry Battalion Motorized Company A - US HW Inf 43 (M3 Halftrack) - **** - Aggressive Counterattack, Fast Entrenchment, First Aid, Provocator
1st Infantry Battalion Infantry Company A - US Infantry (Studebaker Truck) - *** - Ferocious Defense
1st Infantry Battalion Airborne Company A - US Airborne 43 - ***

Tank

1st Tank Battalion Company A - M4A3(76)W - *** - Steamroller
1st Tank Battalion Company B - M4A3E2 - **** - Field Repairs, Provocator, Steamroller
1st Tank Battalion Company C - M4 Crocodile - *** - Steamroller
1st Tank Battalion Company D - M5A1 - ** - Steamroller
1st Tank Battalion Artillery Battery A - M4A3(105) - **** - Skilled Support
2nd Tank Battalion Company A - Sherman Crab - *** - Steamroller
2nd Tank Battalion Company B - M26 - * - Steamroller

Recon

1st Reconnaissance Battalion Company A - OS11 - M8 Greyhound - ***** - Resilient
1st Reconnaissance Battalion Company B - M24 Chaffee - ***** - Butcher
1st Reconnaissance Battalion Company C - M20 LAC - **** - Resilient

Anti-Tank

1st Tank Destroyer Battalion Company A - M18 Hellcat - *** - Entrenchment Killer 3X, No Retaliation, Skilled Support, Tank Killer
1st Tank Destroyer Battalion Company B - M36 Jackson - *** - Fast Learner, Hit and Run
1st Tank Destroyer Battalion Company C - M10 Wolverine - ***

Artillery

1st Field Artillery Battalion Battery A - 105mm M2A1 (Studebaker Truck) - ***
1st Field Artillery Battalion Battery B - 155mm Long Tom (Studebaker Truck) - ***
1st Field Artillery Battalion Battery C - M7 - **** - Skilled Support
1st Field Artillery Battalion Battery D - OS11 - 75mm HMC M8 - **** - Leadership, Skilled Support
2nd Field Artillery Battalion Battery A - 8 Inch M1 (Studebaker Truck) - ***

Anti-Aircraft

1st AAA Auto-Weapons Battalion Company A - OS11 - M16 MGMC - *
1st AAA Auto-Weapons Battalion Company B - OS11 - M15A1 MGMC - *

Fighter

1st Fighter Squadron Flight A - P-47D25 - ***
1st Fighter Squadron Flight B - P-38G - **
1st Fighter Squadron Flight C - P51D - **

Tactical Bomber

1st Reconnaissance Squadron Flight A - OS12 - F4 - ****
1st Reconnaissance Squadron Flight B - OS12 - L-2 Grasshopper - **
1st Bombardment Squadron Flight A - A-26 Invader - ***

Final Prestige: 13187 (up 10617)

Overall

First allied DLC completed and I am hesitating in my final assessment. The clear positive, aside form being able to play as the Americans were:

- Limited scale of the scenarios. This experiment was in my opinion an interesting one, especially refreshing after the grand scale of AO series.
- Multiple and isolated deployment zones. At first I was not sure how I felt about it, but it caused some actual deployment consideration, more thought provoking than just placing all units in one location and moving it one way on the map. Of course, this can be easily overused, but proved its potential.
- Severely limiting the role of planes in an American campaign. Very nice twist to the usual approach!
- Solid map design when it comes to terrain.
- Nice to see new units, but they were rather cosmetic and not that impactful or tempting to get. There's room to expand this idea, but each DLC should add and also rebalance some of the entries in the Units file.

However, there were also some noticeable things that I prefer would be changed in the future when Frontlines makes a comeback in other locations.

- The length is a few missions too short, especially with one scenario where the player does not get to deploy his core.
- Relying a bit too much on specific heroes for the AI (Vigilant tanks, I'm looking at you!).
- Slightly too many auxiliary units that sometimes trivialize encounters when used as meat shields.
- Could use some narrative polish.

All in all, I am satisfied with the time spent on this. It was a clear experiment and one that can lead to valuable conclusions. I'll happily try another DLC under the Frontlines banner and remain open to the experimental nature of this series, paving the way to a longer allied campaign.

[bebro]

Thanks for the feedback

As previously, some remarks:

Re too many heroes of a certain type -- point taken. Fun fact is that is was much more common in the 1st beta build, then I reduced the number already as testers also didn't like the no. of "vigilantes".

However, the basic line of thinking during creation was that this particular cam has lots of heavy terrain, and the player is usually better at dealing with it, while the AI is ...well, the AI. But yeah, might have been over the top.

I also agree re the limited size, but then this was not something that could be expanded greatly, as the whole cam is dealing with just a few weeks in 1944-45 only. Just doing a looong multi-part DLC on my whim was not an option here.

Some people suggested the campaign choices should be offed, instead all 12 maps should played in sequence -- but I decided against it simply because playing all choices that happened roughly at the same time in sequence felt wrong to me.

[Tassadar]

Re too many heroes of a certain type -- point taken. Fun fact is that is was much more common in the 1st beta build, then I reduced the number already as testers also didn't like the no. of "vigilantes".

However, the basic line of thinking during creation was that this particular cam has lots of heavy terrain, and the player is usually better at dealing with it, while the AI is ...well, the AI. But yeah, might have been over the top.

I felt that it was the case. For AI, Vigilant and Sixth Sense are heroes that can serve as a band-aid for AI limitations. If there is one change the AI should have aside from stumbling into Camouflage several times in a row it's some sort of script that strongly discourages it from stopping vehicles in close combat tiles unless told to hold position or if otherwise it would be very advantageous to do so. Even a basic (but not necessarily simple to code) change like this would make the gameplay much more interesting.