Time of Fury beta version Barbarossa solo AAR

gwgardner · Post by **gwgardner** » Thu Mar 03, 2011 5:20 pm

In olden times of fond memory wargames were played on thick-stock maps spread out on tables, with cardboard counters. Some people still play them that way, I guess. I moved to PC games simply because of space. My favorite table top game of all time took all of a ping-pong table to lay out the 9 connected maps - the great game War In Europe.

War in Europe is now available as a PC game, but there's no AI opponent, and board games don't always translate well into PC games, so I've held off getting it. But now there is ... ta da! ... Time of Fury!

I'm telling you, I think Time of Fury is the game I've been waiting for these many years. It's an epic-style game, huge map, huge scope, but PLAYABLE.

There are lots of scenarios, some of them using only small parts of the map and lasting a few turns, but in this AAR I'll be playing the Axis vs the Allied and Commintern AI in the Barbarossa scenario. This scenario covers the entirity of the European Theater of WWII, starts in June '41 and will not end until ... my victory over the Allies and Commintern, of course.

sullafelix · Post by **sullafelix** » Thu Mar 03, 2011 5:23 pm

Excellent start, but not all grognards or their games have left this dimension. Actually board games of all kinds have been seeing an upswing in sales for several years.

gwgardner · Post by **gwgardner** » Thu Mar 03, 2011 5:25 pm

The player in ToF can optimize the game for a particular playing style. I'm not a geek number cruncher detail guy, but I do like to know everything the other players (AI) are doing, within the constraints of fog of war, so here are my preferences.

gwgardner · Post by **gwgardner** » Thu Mar 03, 2011 5:27 pm

More options:

Most times I actually put the 'ai before move delay' and 'ai after combat delay' to 1 or 2 seconds.

The 'advanced recon' option is really sweet. It basically means that the air game takes on even more importance, as the enemy will have varying levels of hidden units and hidden stats that have to be discovered through recon.

gwgardner · Post by **gwgardner** » Thu Mar 03, 2011 5:33 pm

Here are the country options that I have chosen:

gwgardner · Post by **gwgardner** » Thu Mar 03, 2011 5:35 pm

My starting map and counter selection (counters by Romdanzer), showing the area of Army Group North.

gwgardner · Post by **gwgardner** » Thu Mar 03, 2011 5:36 pm

and the same view with a different map (by Agent S I believe) and using sprites

doomtrader · Post by **doomtrader** » Thu Mar 03, 2011 6:00 pm

Will AI be wiped out again by Gary?

gwgardner · Post by **gwgardner** » Thu Mar 03, 2011 6:12 pm

doomtrader wrote:Will AI be wiped out again by Gary?

In my first try at Barbarossa, it was the other way around - the AI had me on the ropes when the winter hit.

Razz1 · Post by **Razz1** » Thu Mar 03, 2011 6:36 pm

This is build 34 right?

If yes, the city supply increase to 20 will help, but Mother Nature still hates the Germans.

gwgardner · Post by **gwgardner** » Thu Mar 03, 2011 8:31 pm

Before launching the attack in the east, I want to set policy in the west with my sub fleet. I have put my fifteen sub groups along convoy paths to the UK, in raider mode. That will cause them to attempt to evade any surface action, and to focus attention in hitting Allied shipping.

There are three types of subs that I can order from my shipyards. I'm going to focus solely on the cheapest, the one with the shortest build time. I plan to lay down the keel for a new coastal sub every week, and each should be ready to put to sea seven weeks later. [historically the Germans built approx 1000 subs during the entire war. A sub group in ToF represents several subs, so I'm not going to be far off in my production.]

I'm not building any other naval units other than transports, and unless I find that my coastal subs are too vulnerable (since they can only take one hit before being sunk), I'm not going to build the more powerful long range subs.

cpdeyoung · Post by **cpdeyoung** » Thu Mar 03, 2011 9:10 pm

Gary, I will be interested in how you do here.

How are you getting the screenshots up to display?

Chuck

gwgardner · Post by **gwgardner** » Thu Mar 03, 2011 10:04 pm

Good to see you here. Check out the 'screenup' threads here in the forum, allows one to upload quickly to the Wastelands server, then quickly get a link to put in the forum entry. Ask Doomtrader for the zip file containing the executable and pdf.

gwgardner · Post by **gwgardner** » Fri Mar 04, 2011 9:28 am

While the attention of Berlin may at this critical moment be directed to the east, operations continue in the North African desert also. Tobruk is isolated, but the German and Italian forces in Libya are not yet in position to take that vital fortress and port.

Supply will be the key here, and the daring of commanders on both sides.

gwgardner · Post by **gwgardner** » Fri Mar 04, 2011 9:39 am

Supply in Time of Fury is especially well modeled. It relies on railroads and forwarding centers (cities).

1) From the Main Supply Source (MSS) for a country, in this case Berlin, full supply extends only along railroads to other cities.

2) A city that has no rail connection to the MSS gets less supply forwarded to it along roads (not depicted on the map).

3) Supply can be extended across seas by convoys, and from the destination port again along railroads and roads.

4) Supply is delivered to the troops by truck, from the nearest city.

5) Finally, if a city has no connection to the MSS, by railroad, road, or convoy, then it offers only 'local' supply - much reduced from full supply.

gwgardner · Post by **gwgardner** » Fri Mar 04, 2011 9:59 am

The air battle fought over the Channel and over the UK is but a memory. And not a good one. Sea Lion became an impossible dream, and its forces were moved to the east. All that remains in the west are garrison and occupation forces, sufficient air power to contend with the growing bomber threat from the UK, and submarine bases to contest the Atlantic.

Hidden in the fog of war, the UK sits isolated. Its turn will come again, after the Bolsheviks are attended to.

gwgardner · Post by **gwgardner** » Fri Mar 04, 2011 10:19 pm

Along the Eastern Front, the simplified historical order of battle for the Germans was:

http://www.ordersofbattle.darkscape.net ... ssaOB.html

AGN 8 infantry corps
AGC 12
AGS 10

AGN 2 armored corps
AGC 5
AGS 3

The Barbarossa Scenario OOB accords with that quite closely. [Wastelands has spared no expense in researching OOBs! quote: John Hammond]

Here's Army Group North, objective Leningrad.

gwgardner · Post by **gwgardner** » Fri Mar 04, 2011 10:29 pm

Army Group Center has more armor, and the largest objective - Moscow

gwgardner · Post by **gwgardner** » Fri Mar 04, 2011 10:38 pm

Army Group South has most of its forces poised to strike at the Ukraine from Poland. Objective Kiev. Other elements are in Romania, first objective Odessa.

Of course in addition to these geographic objectives, the overriding goal is to destroy the Red Army and Air Force.

gwgardner · Post by **gwgardner** » Fri Mar 04, 2011 10:52 pm

Now for something totally awesome, let's say you, like me, have delusions of grandeur as a table-top (desktop) general, and you want to get that feel of standing in the center of a staff meeting making crucial decisions over the latest situation map of the front.

Voila! The situation map of the southern sector of the AGS. Using the 'stylized' map and counters by Peter123.