Hi all
Since GS v.20 is going to be a major reshping of the game, I would like to post two major changes that I think will be benefical for the game
1. France in early 1939 is very weak, with the new disembark system German players will go for an early France campaign in order to start Sea Lion as early as possible.
Historically, the French mobilization in September 1939 was very succesful, the army had a very high morale. It was later, in 1940, when internal division within the army and the French society as a whole developed. My suggestion would be not to give any penalty to France in 1939 when the German player invades Belgium.
2. Barbarossa, the standard tactic for the Russian player is to rail units back outof the reach of the advancing German player. It is almost impossible for a German player to destroy a significant ammount of non GAR units in the initial stages. My suggestion would be to change the deployment of the Soviet forces, deploying non GAR units forward and leaving GAR only for cities, so that the German player can prey on some strong Soviet units at the start. That would include planes.
A couple of suggestions for GS v.2.0
Moderators: firepowerjohan, rkr1958, Happycat, Slitherine Core
-
Peter Stauffenberg
- General - Carrier
- Posts: 4745
- Joined: Sun Jul 08, 2007 4:13 pm
- Location: Oslo, Norway
There are already made some changes in GS regarding Poland and Belgium.
1. Lodz is added as a city in Poland with a garrison. Armia Prusy is moved slightly so it's not adjacent to Armia Prusy.
This means the Germans will need to commit fully to the conquest of Poland to be sure to get to Warsaw in 2 turns. If they send several units to the west on turn 1 / 2 then Poland might last 3 or 4 turns.
2. Liege is changed into a fortress, but the fortress will automatically be reduced to a city once Germany is paradrop capable
The fortress near Liege is actually Eben Emael and was built to prevent German military actions towards Liege and then Brussels. Eben Emael was disabled by 78 paratroopers on the start of Case Yellow so it failed to prevent the German blitz through Belgium.
In GS Eben Emael will automatically be reduced on the first clear weather turn on 1940 (when a paratrooper unit could make a paradrop). You don't have to make the paradrop near Liege since the size of the paratroopers needed was less than 1 division. Most of the 1st Fallschirmjäger division paradropped near Rotterdam while only a fraction paradropped on Eben Emael.
1. Lodz is added as a city in Poland with a garrison. Armia Prusy is moved slightly so it's not adjacent to Armia Prusy.
This means the Germans will need to commit fully to the conquest of Poland to be sure to get to Warsaw in 2 turns. If they send several units to the west on turn 1 / 2 then Poland might last 3 or 4 turns.
2. Liege is changed into a fortress, but the fortress will automatically be reduced to a city once Germany is paradrop capable
The fortress near Liege is actually Eben Emael and was built to prevent German military actions towards Liege and then Brussels. Eben Emael was disabled by 78 paratroopers on the start of Case Yellow so it failed to prevent the German blitz through Belgium.
In GS Eben Emael will automatically be reduced on the first clear weather turn on 1940 (when a paratrooper unit could make a paradrop). You don't have to make the paradrop near Liege since the size of the paratroopers needed was less than 1 division. Most of the 1st Fallschirmjäger division paradropped near Rotterdam while only a fraction paradropped on Eben Emael.
-
Peter Stauffenberg
- General - Carrier
- Posts: 4745
- Joined: Sun Jul 08, 2007 4:13 pm
- Location: Oslo, Norway
3. France will not lose efficiency upon DoW upon Belgium, but on the turn Brussels falls
This means a half hearted Axis attack on Belgium late 1939 just to trigger the morale loss will not be effective. A swift 1 turn conquest of Belgium will mean the French are weaker on their first turn since the morale loss happens after the German first turn instead of before.
All these changes mean that a 1939 German attack in the west is more risky than before. Playtesting so far shows that the changes work as intended. Blitzkrieg is still possible, but won't necessarily be the preferred choice. Semi-blitz is more interesting than before (full focus on Poland on turn 1-2, attack Holland on turn 4 and Belgium during the winter a few turns later). Sitzkrieg is also more interesting (only take Poland and Holland in 1939) and make a full blitz of Belgium in the first fair weather turn of 1940.
We changed the Russian setup some version ago. So the Russian setup is quite more forward than it used to be. I think that a good German player not starting too early can destroy or at least deplete quite a lot of non-garrison forces on turn 1 of Barbarossa. You can even paradrop units to prevent juicy targets from railing to safety. The goal of turn 1 should be to get adjacent to as many corps / mech units as possible so they can't be railed. Then you destroy them when they retreat.
Some people complain that the Russian setup is too forward so they can move to the Dvina / Dnepr line and hold it for most of 1941. So people have different views of what's best. WE looked at OOB maps for Barbarossa when placing the Russian units so the setup is not that inaccurate.
This means a half hearted Axis attack on Belgium late 1939 just to trigger the morale loss will not be effective. A swift 1 turn conquest of Belgium will mean the French are weaker on their first turn since the morale loss happens after the German first turn instead of before.
All these changes mean that a 1939 German attack in the west is more risky than before. Playtesting so far shows that the changes work as intended. Blitzkrieg is still possible, but won't necessarily be the preferred choice. Semi-blitz is more interesting than before (full focus on Poland on turn 1-2, attack Holland on turn 4 and Belgium during the winter a few turns later). Sitzkrieg is also more interesting (only take Poland and Holland in 1939) and make a full blitz of Belgium in the first fair weather turn of 1940.
We changed the Russian setup some version ago. So the Russian setup is quite more forward than it used to be. I think that a good German player not starting too early can destroy or at least deplete quite a lot of non-garrison forces on turn 1 of Barbarossa. You can even paradrop units to prevent juicy targets from railing to safety. The goal of turn 1 should be to get adjacent to as many corps / mech units as possible so they can't be railed. Then you destroy them when they retreat.
Some people complain that the Russian setup is too forward so they can move to the Dvina / Dnepr line and hold it for most of 1941. So people have different views of what's best. WE looked at OOB maps for Barbarossa when placing the Russian units so the setup is not that inaccurate.
Respecting Barbarossa, there is one moment about it, which seems many players don't understand.
As axis you can launch decisive Barbarossa, maybe capturing Moscow in 1941 autumn even, which real germans were close to. But if you want to do it, you deffinetely can't do other optional things real germans did (balkans + norway + bombing britain + sending DAK) - you have to choose and decline most of side options. I guess it is because GS allied players perform better, then historical allied commanders (well, they have experience and knowledge of history, real generals didnt) so early axis operations almost deffinetely will be much harder and costly (compare your unit and lab builds to what deployed from start of 1940 or 1941 scenarios i.e. simulates real history).
Precise following history against more or less competent player leads to pretty mediocre and stoppable Barbarossa, not to what happened in real history, it is the point.
Good Barbarossa with border troops destruction and pockets also availiable, but preparations should be placed №1 priority just after fall of france.
As axis you can launch decisive Barbarossa, maybe capturing Moscow in 1941 autumn even, which real germans were close to. But if you want to do it, you deffinetely can't do other optional things real germans did (balkans + norway + bombing britain + sending DAK) - you have to choose and decline most of side options. I guess it is because GS allied players perform better, then historical allied commanders (well, they have experience and knowledge of history, real generals didnt) so early axis operations almost deffinetely will be much harder and costly (compare your unit and lab builds to what deployed from start of 1940 or 1941 scenarios i.e. simulates real history).
Precise following history against more or less competent player leads to pretty mediocre and stoppable Barbarossa, not to what happened in real history, it is the point.
Good Barbarossa with border troops destruction and pockets also availiable, but preparations should be placed №1 priority just after fall of france.