How to take the ahistorical path of the Main campaign on Field Marshal difficulty

[euramer]

After finishing the 3 last DLC on Field Marshal, I tried to do the same with the main campaign with the objective to achieve the ahistorical path with the Africa Korps at Gazala. After the needed repairs and upgrades, I started the scenario with zero prestige. Unfortunately, if I succeeded with the two bonus objectives and quite a few British encirclements, I finished with a bit more than half the 5000 prestiges needed to change the course of history: Alas insufficient. I found that objective pretty steep given that I receive a 60% penalty for the level. How is-it doable?

[Trepko]

Main campaign is harder than AO DLC, so your situation is not so surprising.

tips to win more prestige:
- win scenarios quickly (you get a prestige bonus for every spared turn)
- force enemy units to surrender everytime you can, and use the good heroes combo to do this.
- take "trophy of war" trait (prestige x2 when an ennemy surrenders)
- capture all the cities you can (with liberator hero or trait)
- in the last scenario, downgrade all the units you're not using into very cheap ones: this way, you take the prestige back without losing the XP of the units (and you can re-upgrade them later)

and, of course, sorry for this one, but...: play better ?

I let you imagine when you play in Generallissimus: -80% prestige and 10k needed to change the course of history

[robman]

Trophies of War will solve the prestige problem. You need to also have Perimeter Control, Deadly Grasp, and Flexible Command. Force Dispersion is a fairly painless negative trait in the main campaign. Trench Slog will cut into your ability to force captures, so I’d avoid that one if you can.

[Bee1976]

Well it is possible to gather enough prestige without the power 4 build and/or liberator. But this will be a harsh journey

Try to avoid losses whenever possible. For example, try to avoid moving units outside of the protection zone from anti air guns. Never send out strat or dive bombers without fighter support.

Place your ground units well. Infantry in close tiles like cities and forests, tanks never in close tiles (without vigilant hero).
and bring in support. the best artillery piece is the 15 cm gun, it protects adjacent units from hard and soft attacks (note: anti-tank units wont be protected)
if you can afford a 21cm gun, try to always place it 4 hexes away from enemy artillery, so it will counter battery enemy artillery for you (or 5 hexes if you can use a hill, but you need to see the enemy artillery piece to counter battery it.

If you need to get rid of infantry in close combat tiles, supress them with strat bombers or artillery and force them out with engineers.

Of course with the proper heros and/or hero combinations some stuff will be way easier. A vigiliant, no retaliation flametank will be able to clear close combat tiles way easier, for example.

But the best way to gather enough prestige are the tips you already recieved from Robman/Trepko:
Play Power 4 build for mass captures and spice this up with liberator
Way easier, but kinda boring

[robman]

All excellent advice! And remember that you can earn 1000 prestige by dismissing a hero. Early in the game, I would much rather have elite reinforcements than (for example) First Aid or River Assault.

[euramer]

Thank you very much for all these helpful comments. In my previous try I had used Liberator, Blitzkrieg and now I have added Trophies of War, but I had to renounce to my favorite, Infantry General and accept a Slow Modernization penalty. The first scenarios have been much easier with less "Beans counter" arbitrations. My core is smaller, but I have a new Envelopment Hero of good augury for the future...

[VirgilInTheSKY]

Liberator is of no use in campaign I think. Only points in single maps has enough prestige making this trait remarkable.