BE 2.3 Locarnus addon: 1st attempt (discountinued)

[Locarnus]

Battlefield Europe is one of the great PzC mods and due to its single large scenario it is uniquely suited for a succession AAR.

In a succession AAR, each player takes control for a limited amount of time (turns), writes an AAR about this timeframe and then hands over the savegame to a successor.

The advantages of such a succession type of game are:
1. Every new player needs to deal with the situation left behind by the previous players. That is especially interesting with respect to strategic decisions.
2. No one has to commit for a long playthrough, but everyone can experience a part of it (either by playing or by reading others experiences).
3. Since the savegames are public in the AAR, it is possible for AAR readers to really analyse the situation, instead of being restricted to images and text of the written AAR.
4. Or even two players doing the same 6 turn interval and then discussing tactics and strategies.

edit: There was a first attempt by Locarnus (with addon version 2021-08-23), but after ~4 turns (and 2 turns discussed here), the addon was updated to version 2021-08-26. The first attempt is described from posts 2 to 9 of this thread.
Some thoughts and conclusions were discussed.



German upgrade paths for addon version 2021-08-26
Many minor axis nations have a single upgrade group for eg fighters and bombers, mostly unchanged from BE 2.3

0) Infantry (1939, 1942, 1943, 1944 versions for many of those), Jaegers are more expensive, especially Fallschirmjäger
- Regular: Wehrmacht Inf (1939 and 1942 version can switch to desert camo without upgrade - only visual change), Grenadiere, Pioniere, Kradschützen (switchable to recon mode), Cavalry
- Jaeger: Fallschirmjäger, Brandenburger (bonus unit), Gebirgsjäger, Skijäger
- Brückenpioniere

1) Tanks, which now includes "tank destroyers". Those are generally more expensive now (prestige cost)
- Pz I: Panzer I tank variants, Panzerjäger I tank destroyer, Bison I (Sturmpanzer I) artillery
- Pz II: Panzer II tank variants (including Flammpanzer II), Pz II recon variants switchable to recon mode, Marder II family, Bison II (Sturmpanzer II) and Wespe artillery
- Pz 38(t): Panzer 38(t) tank variants, Marder III and Hetzer tank destroyers, Grille artillery and Flakpanzer 38(t) SPAA
- Pz III: Panzer III tank variants (including Flammpanzer III), StuG III assault guns (includes all TD and arty variants) and StuH 42, Panzer IIIs are not cheaply upgradeable to Panthers like in BE itself!
- Pz IV: Panzer IV tank variants, Nashorn and Jagdpanzer IV tank destroyers, StuG IV, Hummel arty and Brummbär assault guns/arty, as well as Möbelwagen, Ostwind, Wirbelwind flak panzers
- Pz V: Panther tanks and Jagdpanther
- Tiger I tanks
- Vk4501 chassis Ferdinand and Elefant
- Tiger II (King Tiger) and Jagdtiger in same upgrade path

2) Recon, no relevant changes compared to BE 2.3 beyond the Pz II recon vehicles and Kradschützen being switchable and upgradeable through the tank class (or infantry class for the Kradschützen)
- SdKfz 221
- SdKfz 222
- 8x8 recon: includes 232, 233 and both 234 variants
- SdKfz 250 recons
- Pz II recon: Pz II recon variants, all switchable to tank class for upgrades to other Pz II chassis variants

3) Anti-tank
Self propelled anti tank units are now part of the tank class, so that they do not receive the unfair +3 initiative.
Gun groups when in AT mode, for upgrading transport modes while staying with the same caliber:
- 3.7cm Pak 36
- 5cm Pak 38
- 7.5cm Pak 40
Transport groups when in transport mode, for upgrading to another caliber, while staying in the same transport group:
- Opel Blitz
- Every other transport is in the same group, including Krupp Protze (KP), UE, SdKfz 10 and 11 and RSO. This upgrade path/group also includes the Pak88, which does not have the camo trait and needs a new transport.

4) Artillery upgrade paths are usually based on the weapon system, except for StuGs and StuHs
- leFH (light field howitzer): 10.5 cm leFH (not the 10.5 cm sK!), Wespe
- sFH (heavy field howitzer): 15cm sFH, Hummel
- Nblwf (Nebelwerfer): all towed and self propelled Nebelwerfer units
- sIG (heavy infantry gun): Bison I and II (Sturmpanzer I and II), Grille, StuIG33, Brummbär
This means, that eg you can cheaply upgrade from Panzer I to Bison I artillery (in tank mode), switch to Bison I artillery mode, cheaply upgrade to eg Brummbär (artillery mode), switch to Brummbär tank mode and then cheaply upgrade via the Panzer IV upgrade path to a Jagdpanzer IV(70) or a Wirbelwind flakpanzer. Far fewer upgrade dead ends!

5) Anti-air units (Flak)
- 2cm Flak, including SdKfz 10/4 self-propelled versions
- 2cm Flakvierling, including SdKfz 7/1 self-propelled versions (which now have a tropical variant)
- 3.7cm Flak, including SdKfz 7/2 self-propelled versions (which now have a tropical variant)
- 8.8cm Flak variants

7) Fighters
- Bf 109 variants
- Fw 190: Ta 152 and Fw 190 fighter variants (A and D) as well as fighter bomber variants (F and G) in their fighter configurations (secondary mode, can be switched to tac bomber mode over an unoccupied friendly airfield)
- Bf 110: Bf 110 and Me 410 in their fighter configuration (secondary mode, switchable to tac bomber config, which is their primary mode)
- Ju 88: Night figher versions in fighter configuration (secondary mode, switchable to strat bomber config, which is their primary mode)

8 ) Tac Bombers
- Ju 87
- Hs 129 (a real tank buster variant is also available, the B-3)
- Fw 190 fighter bomber F and G variants (in tac bomber primary mode, switchable to fighter config, which is their secondary mode)
- Ju 88: Night fighter variants (in tac bomber primary mode, switchable to fighter config secondary mode), ground attack version Ju 88P-4 as well as Ju88A and Ju 188A in tac bomber configs (secondary, switchable to strat bomber primary)

9) Strat Bombers
- Do 17 and Do 217
- He 111 is not cheaply upgradeable to He 177
- Ju 88A and Ju 188A in their strat bomber mode (primary, switchable to tac bomber secondary)

[Locarnus]

This post and the immediately following posts show the first attempt by Locarnus, with addon version 2021-08-23.
After ~4 turns (and 2 turns discussed here), the addon was updated to version 2021-08-26, some thoughts and conclusions discussed and the AAR restarted by faos333, beginning again at this post:
viewtopic.php?f=145&t=106799&p=939612#p939546

From the original first post of this thread:

This AAR uses the Battlefield Europe mod 2.3 with the Locarnus addon, version 2021-08-23. Also installed are the addons "BlueAxisSymbols" and "PG Style Strength Plates" from the Battlefield Europe threads original post.
Install instructions are available in this thread: https://www.slitherine.com/forum/viewto ... 7&t=106547

I will start my tenure with a strategic overview from turn 1.
Please note that this is somewhat of a test run for the Locarnus addon. So no uber optimized gameplay, and I would prefer no early Sea Lion, since that would effectively remove a good portion of the aerial warfare and multi front aspects.
Some of the decisions and strategic plans are focused on role-play. My character does not "know" that a leadership change is not far away. I also try to at least pretend to be a leader without too much history and editor knowledge...

[faos333]

Im fine with it, waiting for my turn, let me know when will be needed

[Locarnus]

Im fine with it, waiting for my turn, let me know when will be needed

I'm not sure how many turns everyone should play. Since there is limited interest in the addon thread, perhaps longer tenures are better?
Eg 10 turns or so?


My summary of the first turn. Screenshots after the complete first turn, so at the very beginning of axis turn 2.

Upgrades in turn 1:
1.1 Pz IIC to Flammpanzer II in Memel
1.2 Wehrmacht Infantry to Grenadiere (Opel Blitz) in Athens

Africa
Malta is being attacked by our Italian strategic bomber, which in turn is guarded by two Italian fighters.
No assault on Tobruk so far, we wait for the Italian fleet.
And due to some luck, minimal losses on the axis side, while the two enemy tanks are as good as defeated.
In Athens, we upgraded a Wehrmacht infantry unit to Grenadiers with Opel Blitz, those will be sent to Africa via naval transport, followed by additional infantry.
Our objective is to stabilize the front in Northern Africa and wait for reinforcements coming from Greece.




Army Group North
We did not manage to break through to Riga in the first turn, a single strength point remains on the Soviet arty.
But we managed to gain an acceptable position for our run to Minsk, which should close the pocket and trap a lot of Soviet forces.
Unfortunately our field commanders did not steer clear, gaining experience (and kills) at the cost of strength losses.
We also retrofit a Panzer IIC to Flammpanzer IIs in Memel and prepare to retrofit a Panzer I to Bison I (Sturmgeschütz I) in Königsberg.
We will advance towards Leningrad, and Finnish forces should make contact with the enemy during the next turn.




Army Group Center
Encouraged by the quick defeat of the Brest fortress, our overzealous forces engage the immobile Soviet defenders between Hrodna and Minsk.
This leads to an unplanned diversion of significant forces to the North of the Pripyat Marshes. Thus weakening our southern front and hampering our advance, while the central front is overcrowded with German units.
We will have to reevaluate our situation and shift more forces from our Hinterland to the South.
Unfortunately our overstrength Panzer IIIG was bombed and quite a few of our artillery pieces will be unable to engage the enemy in the next turn...




Army Group South
Our weekest front in the East, the Romanians make progress due to rather light opposition.
Though Odessa appears to be much more fortified than Brest and we lack armor in the South.
Partially bypassing Odessa seems to be prudent and we urgently call for reinforcements to sustain our push towards Crimea, the Dnieper and the Don.




Atlantic Theater
Submarines and naval aviation sink an enemy convoy and we send more forces to intercept British trade routes.
While we ordered many troops from France to the East, we did not have enough trains.
Fortunately one of the units left behind was stationed in Caen and attracted British fighters, which were shot to pieces by AA and our single full strength fighter unit in the West.
Our half strength fighter unit was stupidly sent to Paris for reinforcements (there is a good chance that this will be intercepted and perhaps even killed), but the Caen distraction and a lot of luck saved it...




Addendum
Overall the first turn went much better than I'm used to, due to some favorable rng. Since the overall rng luck held for the allied turn 1 (allied fighters took a beating over Caen), I will continue to engage the Minsk pocket to "balance the scale". Imho the experience and kill count usually does not make up for the lost strength, prestige and time? I considered replaying turn 1 for a more "normal" situation, but I guess luck levels out over time...
So far nearly every ship has been reinforced and the fully functioning Italian ships have been sent towards Crete. This may change in turn 2, since the player is able to deploy new units and thus it is a much harder decision where to spend prestige.

Any questions, suggestions and comments are welcome. The Panzer Corps forum is not very active and it would be nice to hear from the few people reading this AAR.

[faos333]

ok Im fine with 10 turns.

Regarding the forum many people read few post and fewer have the skills to mod the game.

Also, many BE veterans are not that much active this moment to comment

[Locarnus]

ok Im fine with 10 turns.

Regarding the forum many people read few post and fewer have the skills to mod the game.

Also, many BE veterans are not that much active this moment to comment

Yeah, it is unfotunate that it takes so many steps to update PzC and then install mods.

A more overview focused description for turn 2 and the preparations for the future:

Purchases and Upgrades in turn 2:
2.1 new Bf 109F-4 tropical version on Crete
2.2 Pz I to Bison I (Sturmpanzer I) in Königsberg
2.3 Bf 110C to Bf 110E in Berlin
2.4 Flak 36 to mobile, tropical Flak 36 with tropical SdKfz 7 in Essen

Africa
Operation Malta - Bombing has to pause until the enemy fighter unit is destroyed, we block the airfield so the fighter can not reinforce.
Operation Mare Nostrum - The Italian fleet and airforce prepare to destroy the British naval units that defend Tobruk, allowing for reinforcements to arrive from Athens (eg Grenadiers are already on their way)
The Italian airforce failed to secure air superiority over Africa, a new tropical version Bf 109F-4 from Crete will support those efforts in the future.
Operation Tobruk - A two pronged assault on Tobruk is planned after most of the British relief troops were defeated in turn 2. The Italian navy will have to support the assault on Tobruk after it sinks the British ships in the area.
The rest of the Africa Corps will have to defend the siege towards the east. And the airborne troops are evacuated from Crete towards Athens.




Baltic Theater
The Finnish troops have initiated the continuation war, to reclaim territories recently lost to the Soviet Union
And the German Baltic Fleet encounters resistance while moving towards Leningrad, preparing to secure the ferry route Tallinn-Helsinki (for the Flammpanzer II).
Operation Leningrad - Riga falls early on in turn 2, allowing recon elements to capture the airfield near Tallinn. Though it will take some more time until relevant forces reach the outskirts of Leningrad.
Moscow North-West - Some units will be split off to advance towards Moscow from the North-West.




Central Theater
Minsk pocket - Although we would have been able to reach the outskirts of Minsk in turn 2, we decided not to close the pocket. At the end of turn 2, all but 4 units in the Hrodna-Minsk pocket were destroyed, and some surrendered. We are confident that it will take minimal casualties to defeat the remaining 4 units in the future, hopefully forcing a surrender of at least the T-34.
Moscow South-West - Although this somewhat delays our advance and the number and quality of some Soviet tanks was quite surprising, we are confident in our ability to destroy the Soviet union within the next months and be home for christmas!
Kiev pocket - Even the more advanced Soviet tanks to the South of the Pripyat Marshes fall prey to the Luftwaffe and the combined arms Blitzkrieg tactics. Though another large force has been spotted beyond Kiev. We make plans to encircle those units and force them to lay down their arms.




Black Sea Theater
Uman - We are breaking through to Uman and plan to bypass Odessa with our frontline forces. From there we will advance towards the South-East and the Dnieper river.
Odessa - This fortified city will be cleared by units from our hinterland, which were redeployed to the southern front. With support from our airforce, even such a well defended city will not be able to stand against us.




France
Air force traps - Using the spotting range and the known positions of the British Chain Home Radar, we have prepared some traps for the annoying British air force. A Schnellboot to the North-East of Brest, guarded by a Flakvierling, and an infantry unit in Caen, guarded by a 2cm Flak and a figther above our radar. While we do not plan an early Sealion, imho it makes sense to make some use of tactics that are common for the more advanced PzC players.
Western Fleet - We move our damaged major surface units towards the South. This frees up French Brest for submarine maintenance in the future and keeps our more valuable ships a bit further away from the British air force.
Rhine-Ruhr industrial heartland - Though not under immediate threat, this area should be defended from allied raids in the future.




Addendum
Not closing the Minsk pocket in turn 2 and defeating those units in detail has delayed our advance. Hopefully this will somewhat make up for the advantages of the early rng luck in turn 1 and my "editor" knowledge.
The air force traps are debateable, since it can be seen as an AI exploit. Any preferences regarding them for my tenure?
What about the style of the AAR? The arrows on the screenshots are much more work, but imho it brings some orientation to the maps. Especially for people who have less detailed knowledge of BE or the WW2 European theaters. Maybe only for major points in the AAR?

[faos333]

The AAR is very informative and the arrows bring the map into the right perspective, this will help a lot successive players to understand what is going on.
What program you use for the arrows?

Personally, I have high expectations on Moscow South-West attack, it might be able to reach Moscow in time.
Question, how about the weather settings are they the same with BE mod? If yes, Moscow must be reached at turn 10.
France the air force traps tips are great. Although I would transfer the planes there to the East or Malta.
Tobruk, I would prefer more units to press an attack from the west.

[Locarnus]

The AAR is very informative and the arrows bring the map into the right perspective, this will help a lot successive players to understand what is going on.
What program you use for the arrows?

Personally, I have high expectations on Moscow South-West attack, it might be able to reach Moscow in time.
Question, how about the weather settings are they the same with BE mod? If yes, Moscow must be reached at turn 10.
France the air force traps tips are great. Although I would transfer the planes there to the East or Malta.
Tobruk, I would prefer more units to press an attack from the west.

I simply put the pictures into a LibreOffice presentation (which is free) and add arrows and text to it.
You can then right click on the arrows and convert them to curves, then select each end point and adjust the appearing dotted line to make a curve.
In practice I copy paste the arrows and adjust them (colors, curves).
The presentation slides can then be exported to .png format.
I'm sure there is a better way to do this...

I did not change any weather settings.

Imho 3 figthers over France are a good start in 1941 (the two Bf109s and the Fw 190 in August) and keep the British in check. Combined with some flak and air force traps, those are usually enough to secure about 1 kill per turn. Thus preventing the Royal Air Force from building up enough power to overwhelm one of my fighters. Though be aware that attacking an enemy fighter during an axis turn in one of those air force traps provides them with +1 initiative from their Chain Home Radar. Only viable if they are damaged enough in their turn by defensive fire from Flak and fighter cover. It is also important to not give in to target fixation and keep your own fighters out of the British Chain Home radars influence. Best to remember their precise locations on the Western tip of Cornwall, the one in Essex which just reaches Antwerpen, and the one directly to the West of Portsmouth on that airfield. Accounting for their spotting range of 5 hexes, air force traps can be planned.

Yeah, at Tobruk I was a bit overcautious, waiting for the Italian fleet and reinforcements from Greece. Maybe should have prevented the Australian infantry in the Western trenches from reinforcing, by putting the Italian Tank and the Bersaglieri in proximity. Also the route from Athens to Greece would need spotting and protection in the next turns, there are usually some British ships from the Middle East venturing around the North of Crete. Would be a shame if they manage to sink a troop transport with valuable cargo.

I wanted to collect notes from this AAR for future updates, but writing everything down and reconsidering strategies led to some major changes. So I once again published an update based on those thoughts.
Even though my leisure time (and thus time for PzC) will be a lot less in the coming weeks, I could eventually replay those first few turns.

But perhaps it makes sense if someone else restarts the AAR with the new update? That would also give me a fresh perspective on those first turns with the addon, without the incredible turn 1 luck. I would then take over a tenure later on, when I again have more time available. Also providing a bit of stability (no big new patches) for this addon.

@faos333: Are you interested and do you have time to restart the realistic+ scenario from the beginning?

I would edit the first post, so readers can skip to the real start while keeping the information from this first attempt. The addon thread has the relevant update 2021-08-26 along with some thoughts that prompted those changes.

Version:
2021-08-26
Update based on experiences from first attempt of succession AAR:
- Starting prestige lowered by another 300 points
- Most Black Sea mines changed to moored mines, due to the lacking sea mine clearing and fleet purchasing mechanics in PzC
- Leningrad is no longer an upgrade location (same as in original BE), but it blocks the railway line to Helsinki
- Leningrad and Malta only give 100 instead of 1000 prestige upon capture (taking them gives a strategic advantage, but does not buy you many more units)
- The defeat of the Soviet Union provides 300! prestige per turn (if no partisans hold ex Soviet victory hexes), simulating the rerouting of resources to the German industry, instead of the Soviet army
- This should encourage players to try for a more historical approach (an early Sealion would do little for the German industry, but Soviet resources would help a lot)
- Kazan added again and designated as a victory hex, making the defeat of the Soviet Union a bit harder. (This one was added already in the last patch, but I forgot it in the patchnotes)
- Only 3 infantry upgrade paths: Regular (including Pioniere), Jaeger and Bridge Engineers
- Pioniere defense stat lowered from 8 to 7 and late version nerfed a bit as well
- Romanian Reserves do not share the same upgrade path as Romanian regular infantry
- AT gun upgrade paths simplified again: By caliber in AT mode, by transport in Transport mode. Only 2 transport paths: Opel Blitz and "Everything else"
- Flak upgrade paths adjusted: 20mm Flak, Flakvierling, 3.7cm Flak and 88, the first 3 include the versions mounted on vehicles (eg SdKfz 7/1 for Flakvierling)
- Tropical versions for the SdKfz 7/1 and 7/2 flak vehicles and the SdKfz 251 infantry transport halftrack
- Tropical versions for the final Panzer IIIM+ and N+ versions (stats only)
- Rebalanced Flammpanzers (nerfed the II a bit and the III a lot, it was OP due to a stat error)
- Rebalanced some German artillery prices

[Locarnus]

A few additional notes regarding the first few turns of the initial attempt above (only two turns described in some detail in the previous posts):

1. Blunders and Regrets
1a) My biggest blunder was sending the damaged fighter in France towards the Paris airport for reinforcements. That could have led to its destruction, but the fighter trap over Caen and lots of rng luck saved it and even allowed me to reinforce it in turn 2.
1b) Not blocking the Australians to the West of Tobruk with the Bersaglieri and the Italian "tank" was another regrettable decision. Could have even used the Italian armored car for encirclement (mass attack bonus).
1c) Occupying frontline railway cities with frontline troops in turn 1. Could have left some of them out and then railway transported troops from the hinterland to take them in turn 2. Would have resulted in more troops getting to the frontlines.

2. Ambigous
2a) Not being able to take Riga in the first turn was a bit disappointing, but might have turned out to be in my favor. Instead of rushing forward with light units I had a more consolidated army once I pushed through.
2b) Not closing the Minsk pocket had me sustain casualties, but also provided experience and prestige through surrenders (eg of the more valuable units like the T-34).
2c) Perhaps I should have moved more units to the Southern flank, instead of using them against the Minsk pocket. But it probably did not matter too much.
2d) Upgrading the infantry at Athens to Grenadiers meant that it blocked the port for an additional turn, backing up other troops transported in by railway. The ferry route Athens-Tobruk (or west of Tobruk) has to be protected from turn 3 or 4 or so. And landing troops without being exposed or too far away is another obstacle (escarpments). But I did not want the paratroopers stuck in Africa, so I moved them to the Russian front.

3. What went well
3a) Luck. Overall I had tremendous rng luck in the first turn (in the axis phase and in the allied phase). Allowing me to wipe two British fighters over the Caen air force trap in turn 2 was a real game changer, with no casualties.
3b) The air force traps over Caen and the one North-East of Brest using a Schnellboot as bait (and moving the Flakvierling to cover that) worked really well.
3c) My target priorities for the Flak88 in Africa made quite a difference (together with some turn 1 luck).

4. Upgrades and changes by the addon compared to BE 2.3
4a) More upgrades for less prestige and more purchase options are available, but some units are more expensive (especially elite infantry types and tanks). An advantage in the beginning (mitigated by the lower starting prestige), but a disadvantage during the first Russian winter.
4b) The main difference was, that I was able to buy a Bf 109F-4 over Crete in turn 2. In the new update, the player has 300 less prestige to start with, compared to the version I used, so prioritizing becomes even more important.
4c) Imho the option to have infantry upgrade paths improves the choices without leading to too much heavy infantry. Having only one Pioniere was annoying and paying for them full costs is a bit much. I changed that in the new update (so that they are in the same upgrade group as the other regular infantry and Grenadiere. But nerfed their defense (and their later versions a bit more) to make more of a distinction between the general purpose Grenadiere and the close combat focused Pioniere.
4d) The small icons showing the unit mode (eg AT vs AA) help with the overview and unit recognition. Especially for the early Stugs, where the mode was hard to make out with their short barreled gun.
4e) My Ju 88A units were mostly put in tactical bomber mode. But given that the stats in that mode are similar to the much cheaper Stuka, they are expensive to maintain when they get hit. I also decided against using the scenario prompted option to change from Strat Bombers to fighters in Vienna. 400 prestige to have another fighter in 6 months at the cost of a bomber right now is not a good trade when playing with the addon. I left the option in the game, as well as the other options for upgrades to Marders and such, but advise everyone against using them. Organic upgrades and purchases are available in the addon and are usually better.
4f) Some more tropical versions help with the African theater (and early regular Infantry and Grenadiere being able to switch appearance helps with the visuals). There are even more tropical versions in the new update.
4g) "fixed" AA guns being moveable (by 1 hex) in AT mode is imho also nice to account for some of them blocking airports or other relevant terrain. So it is not useful for chasing fighters or even redeploying via train, but there is at least some option for getting them out of the way (or reclaiming the Finnish airport near Helsinki which is usually Strat bombed and sometimes neutralized).

5. Tl,dr;
Less prestige to start with, but more options to spend it imho made me feel more like a supreme commander of the axis forces and less restrained by gameplay mechanics.
Repair the fleet in France or buy a new fighter unit?
Immediate cross class upgrades for older units, or help push the frontline right now?
Spend the prestige as soon as you have it or leave a reserve for the Russian winter?

[faos333]

Yes I am available to restart for the 10 turns, I will need to verify with you, which strategies to follow so it will be consistent with your test plan.

So can you write anything more for the first turns moves?

I am asking this because my style of play is different in some aspects, for example defending in western europe with Fighters. I very much liked your analysis about the british radars.

Question in order to install the addon, which is the best way?

[Locarnus]

Yes I am available to restart for the 10 turns, I will need to verify with you, which strategies to follow so it will be consistent with your test plan.

Question in order to install the addon, which is the best way?

Great to hear!

edit: The 10 turns were just my estimation on how far I could take it before having less time available. If you want to change that, it is your decision.
I would also love to have savegames or a screenshot showing available prestige and kills, eg from the end or the beginning of Axis turns, but that is up to the players.
It would help a lot with balancing comparisons to BE AARs.

I would only ask the players in this succession AAR series to not go for an early SeaLion (eg in 1942 or 1943) or abandon Africa early on (until Operation Torch). Since that would effectively reduce the number of fronts to worry about.
Everything else is fair game. If serious issues or even stuff that feels like exploits are found, please discuss them in this AAR thread. And if they are too lopsided, maybe not exploit them to the fullest extent.
The realistic+ scenario is the only one being altered and "General" difficulty would be my preference to keep it comparable with most of the other BE AARs.

I just updated the install instructions in the addons thread: https://www.slitherine.com/forum/viewto ... 7&t=106547
PzC version 1.32 is listed as a requirement, but so far 1.31 should work as well, as far as I know (since I did not expand on the number of used zones, maybe in some future version).
So far you essentially have to install the Locarnus addon (version 2021-08-26!) on top of Battlefield Europe v2.3.
If you find any issues with the install instructions, please let me know, feedback is very much appreciated. Especially since this is probably the biggest obstacle for people trying out mods in general and this one in particular.
You may double check that your prestige in turn 1 (realistic+ map) should be 640 in the 2021-08-26 version, when starting from the scenario screen. And the city of Kazan should exist and be the most North-Eastern victory hex at the (147,22) coordinates.

Good luck and have fun!
Looking forward to your first impressions!

[Locarnus]

So can you write anything more for the first turns moves?

I am asking this because my style of play is different in some aspects, for example defending in western europe with Fighters. I very much liked your analysis about the british radars.

Besides no early Sealion and not abandoning Africa, I'm looking forward to unorthodox approaches.
Finding different playstyles and situations makes for a more interesting succession AAR, both for the readers and players.
And also may show some balancing weeknesses which would be missed in a more consistent approach by one player.

Imho my only real hint is, to reevaluate situations based on new options.
Being able to purchase new units from turn 2 and having more upgrade paths and alternatives can drastically change the strategic options.
Especially the scenario prompted trades of eg strat bombers for fighters in 6 months or the Marder upgrades are imho not very appealing anymore.
Since you can organically buy new fighters (if you have the prestige) or organically upgrade from Panzer II to Flammpanzer II, recon Panzer II, Marder II or Sturmpanzer II (upgrade paths based on chassis, when in "tank" mode).

If you like, I can write down the major upgrade paths, the in game library is not updated so far (no Pz III to Panther upgrade path!!). I already did this some time ago, but changed a few things in the last update and added new options (eg for fighter versions of Fw190 to ground attack versions of Fw190).

edit: Switching air units is also something special. You can switch a Ju88 from strategic bomber mode to tactical bomber mode. But if you want to complete the cycle back to strategic bomber you have to be above a friendly, unoccupied airport. This is due to the fact that after tactical bomber mode it wants to switch to long range ferry mode by landing. And it can only land at an unoccupied airport. You can then switch from landed mode back to strategic bomber mode.
The same holds true for all aircraft. Primary mode -> secondary mode -> landing for ferry mode -> back to primary mode.

Also see this picture from the first post of the addon thread:

[Locarnus]

I changed the title to "discountinued". Real life intervened.

If anyone else is interested in starting a succession AAR, I recommend the following settings:

Version: latest August branch version, eg currently 2021-08-31c
Start from: Campaign menu bottom right picture ("1941-1945" on picture, "1941 - Barbarossa" is the the title once you click on it)
Difficulty: General, for comparability
House rules: No early Sealion, use max 3 air transports and 8 ferries at the same time (more are available since you can not rebuild them), don't use long range arty to shoot England from the continental mainland

Would love some feedback for this addon!