OOB Blitzkrieg -- My Review

[Beruldsen]

I just completed the entire campaign of Blitzkrieg and I'd like to share my thoughts ... some of which have already been expressed...

The Good...
1. Decent AI -- I found most of the scenarios challenging ... to achieve a victory you generally needed a pretty good strategy. The AI attacked my weak units and retreated their depleted units. Core composition was key ... the mountains and forests required a blend of armor, infantry and artillery. I like that the air group is completely separate.
2. Good looking map -- An improvement over Panzer Corps..
3. Game Speed -- The game moved along pretty quickly ... no significant lacks during the AI turn.
4. Supply System -- Certainly an improvement over the non existent Supply system in Panzer Corp
5. Fun -- It's a fun game to play ... doesn't require much of a learning curve ... similar to the other OOB DLCs.

The Bad...
1. It Ain't Really Blitzkrieg -- The Supply System makes it all but impossible to use your Armor in a Blitzkrieg fashion. Every time you dare push quickly your supply is cut off by some depleted unit. Instead of Supply being strictly one hex wide ... why not make it 3 hexes wide. Secondly, infantry seems to cover more ground than I would have imagined and armor less. Some tweaking is needed here.
2. Supply System -- See above ... just too easy to cut off units ... makes for deliberate play vs Blitzkrieg.
3. Kill ALL units -- This has been mentioned a ton ... and I agree ... having to kill all units seems like a lazy way to create a scenario. Destroying a specified number is ok ... but not every last unit ... once again sort of contradicts the whole point of Blitzkrieg. I can't tell you how many times I had to replay Kiev ... having to chase down a depleted unit that snuck through.
4. More Info -- There a couple of scenarios where reinforcements arrive ... it would be nice to know in advance so you can plan accordingly.
5. SS Resources -- I'm not complaining ... but why so many resources every turn to the SS ... Would be nice to transfer to the regular units. This includes always reinforcing with Elite.
6. Secondary objectives -- I think adding more secondary objectives would be fun ... if you offered a bunch every scenario it would give the player the option of which to pursue ... more resources, captured equipment, specialization points, etc.

Overall, I really enjoyed the game ... but I'd like to see some improvements in game play for the next DLC.

[bjarmson]

Nice short review that hits most of the salient points. What bothered me the most when I played the scenarios was they just didn't capture the quick thrusts and mobility German armored formations used at this point in the war (which essentially ended after Barbarossa). Virtually every time your armor spearhead gets even slightly separated from the infantry your supply is cut and you have to backtrack to reestablish it. It just doesn't play like "lighting war". If you play slow and steady, keeping the armor with infantry you don't have much difficulty doing well no manner what mix of troops you use. But this isn't Blitzkrieg, hence Slogkrieg. Many of the scenarios play nothing like the actual battles they supposedly depict. This was a real disappointment. Are the scenarios playable, yes; are they representative of the actual battles, no.

A bit about the SS units. We are actually dealing with the Waffen SS, the military arm of the SS. While separate from the German army they were under full operational control. SS leader Himmler made every attempt to make sure they had the best equipment, men, and training and were kept up to strength as well as possible. Being the military arm of the Nazi party they were not required to share resources with the regular German army (hence their independent, lavish resources). They had a reputation for being elite units, though this was likely the result of being lavishly provided with the best equipment available as much as actual military ability. Fanatical in attack and defense, they are also committed many atrocities and war crimes, both of civilians and soldiers. Though utilized by regular army commanders, they were often derided for their lack of tactical capabilities and military discipline (line officers tended to be chosen more for their fanatic Nazi beliefs than military abilities), which resulted in tactical blunders, excessive casualty rates, and a propensity to commit atrocities.