Slitherine

Some games in the Total War series have a gameplay mechanic called attrition. I wonder if you played one of them, and if so, if it served as an inspiration for you to implement this Natureinfluss feature to the mod.

https://totalwar.fandom.com/wiki/Attrition

It does seem counterintuitive to me, though, that even the Red Army units can fall victim to this "unit", whereas in Napoleon: Total War, all Russian units are immune to cold attrition.

BeADriver wrote: Sun Dec 28, 2025 9:50 pm Some games in the Total War series have a gameplay mechanic called attrition. I wonder if you played one of them, and if so, if it served as an inspiration for you to implement this Natureinfluss feature to the mod.

https://totalwar.fandom.com/wiki/Attrition

It does seem counterintuitive to me, though, that even the Red Army units can fall victim to this "unit", whereas in Napoleon: Total War, all Russian units are immune to cold attrition.

When any army is prepared for frost, it can endure it more easily. In 1941, the Red Army suffered no less than the German army. The USSR was not only Siberian divisions! The Winter War of 1939-1940 in Finland clearly demonstrated how General Frost can act. When there were more frostbite victims than wounded.

General Frost, Colonel No Road, Political Instructor Mud
https://novayagazeta.ru/articles/2011/1 ... truk-gryaz

BeADriver wrote: Sun Dec 28, 2025 9:50 pm Some games in the Total War series have a gameplay mechanic called attrition...

No, I wasn't inspired by the Total War series. I watched a lot of documentaries and read a lot. It strikes you that more soldiers suffer and die from cold, heat, hunger, thirst, poor hygiene and related diseases than from direct combat, both in ancient times and in modern wars. Humans are basically amateurs when it comes to killing. Nature is more effective in that regard.
As for Russian soldiers, they can of course also suffer from natural events, with certain national peculiarities. Uzbek has described this well and aptly below.

On this occasion, I would like to wish all visitors to this forum a Happy New Year 2026. May there be lots of war games and as little real war as possible.

Sonja89_1 wrote: Wed Dec 31, 2025 8:00 pm
On this occasion, I would like to wish all visitors to this forum a Happy New Year 2026. May there be lots of war games and as little real war as possible.

Happy New Year to you too, and of course to all on the forum

And, yes, let's hope for as little real war as possible.

So, after a long Christmas break, we now have the ‘Nile’ scenario. Our brave soldiers reach the Nile south of Cairo and establish a first bridgehead on the eastern side of the river. An MV is achieved by capturing all primary objectives and reaching at least 18,000 prestige points. For a DV, all primary objectives must be captured, plus 4 flag fields on the eastern side of the Nile.


The British defenders have entrenched themselves on the high ground west of the Nile (1). I use a Stuka attack to take out enemy artillery (2), but come under anti-aircraft fire from the enemy's rear, which results in heavy losses. The British defence is well organised and not easy to penetrate. Two Tiger units (3+4) at the front break through the enemy's defences and head for the river. Even strong defences find it difficult to withstand such an attack. It won't be long before the Nile is reached.


Twelve rounds later, all primary targets on the western side of the river have been captured. A bridge is built at Beni Basar and a bridgehead is successfully established (5). However, enemy aircraft continue to launch counterattacks (6). A fighter group (Meteor) catches one of my units and inflicts heavy losses (7). Although the Meteor also loses some strength points, this enemy unit remains a dangerous opponent. It's a good thing I have anti-aircraft guns nearby to significantly weaken this monster unit and then completely eliminate it with a fighter unit. My ground units expand the bridgehead and prepare to push north (8). An overpowered Sherman Firefly approaches from the west, which could cause me a lot of trouble (9). Thanks to my well-positioned spy, I discover this dangerous enemy early on. This leads to a duel between the Sherman and my elite Tiger II, which ends disastrously for the enemy unit.

Strategic map: From the last position of the previous mission (Kattara Depression), the attack begins towards the Nile (10). At the northern end, I position myself west of El Fajum behind a lake and fire relatively safely with my artillery into the British lines (11). In the centre, I first break through the enemy's still weak first line and then their main line of defence (12). El Fajum can then be taken relatively quickly, making Beni Suef untenable for the British (13). The two cities in the south are also captured at the same time. Without wasting any time, bridge engineers are deployed to quickly cross the Nile (14). On the eastern side, a rapid deployment and the capture of the last four objectives are successful (15).

After reaching and crossing the Nile at El Fajum, my troops can swing northwards and advance into the Nile Delta in the ‘Cairo’ scenario. An MV is achieved here again by capturing all primary objectives, and a DV by allowing no more than 10 of the 20 enemy evacuation units attempting to leave the map by transport ship or rail to escape. This time, speed is of the essence, especially in the early stages.


British units have entrenched themselves slightly west and east of the Nile at Giza and Cairo (1). Coming from El Fajum, my core troops are advancing northwards. An elite Tiger II unit is breaking through the enemy's defences and tearing open the front line (2). To the east, another Tiger unit has also created a gap and is positioned just south of the pyramids of Giza (3). Progress is also being made on the eastern side of the river. At the start of the third round, my units are already at the outskirts of Cairo (4). The Luftwaffe is providing considerable support. But the British air forces are also counterattacking and seeking out the weakest targets (5).


At the beginning of the 11th round, my troops are already at the gates of Alexandria, which is still protected by a wide defensive ring (6). The strong British naval presence off the coast (7) should not be underestimated either. Italian air forces are called in to bomb individual enemy ships that move out of anti-aircraft cover (8). Italian ships also move in (9), but subsequently suffer some losses. Italian and German ground forces, which have previously broken through the defences at El Alamein, approach from the west (10). At the same time, my core ground forces arrive from the south-east via Giza in front of the city (11) and prepare a joint attack.

Strategic map: Ship transporters gather between Alexandria and Rosetta, bringing evacuation units to the escape zone at the top right of the map (12). On the land side, the railway takes over the evacuation (13). In the Mediterranean, I send Italian destroyers far to the east to attack, decimating the transporters until the submarines arrive (14). However, enemy aircraft also inflict losses on me. At the same time, my capital ships engage the British navy off Alexandria (15). The ground attack begins in the west at the heavily fortified British position in front of El Alamein (15). It takes several rounds to overcome this bottleneck. My core troops, advancing from the south, are able to capture the urban areas of Giza and Cairo relatively quickly (17). This enables me to quickly halt the evacuation by rail and attack Tanta at an early stage (18). After shielding Alexandria, I manage to capture the city after a few rounds (19). After that, only Rosette (20) and the heavily defended Mansura (21) need to be attacked and captured. Unfortunately, a very experienced SE artillery unit was severely damaged by a Mosquito air raid and subsequently destroyed by an Arab suicide bomber. These evil boys love to attack targets that offer no resistance.

I haven't played this mod for a few months since I had no time to do so. Now I am back. The mod is still great and I really had to laugh out loud when Beate Uhse joined my core.

I read somewhere in this thread that after the last czech missions there would be no more units spawning during enemy turns on the border of the map.
I am at posen now and exactly that happened. One of my tank armies was swinging around the enemy flank to destroy their artillery. You can imagine how surprised I was when three KV-2(?) with three overstrength and really strong heroes spawned on the edge of the map and wiped out two of my elite tanks with ease.
Will this continue on other maps? Do I have to stay away from the edge?

SSLConf_pewp3w wrote: Sun Feb 01, 2026 4:29 pm ... Will this continue on other maps? Do I have to stay away from the edge?

In my scenarios, there are often a large number of enemy units in action. It is not always possible to place them on the map and activate them later. Enemy units are frequently brought onto the map. However, care is taken to ensure that they only intervene in the action from the direction of the respective main front. So, if possible, try not to push too far to the opposite edge of the map, especially not too early on, and drive along there with your flank exposed. This can lead to nasty surprises. The earth is not flat, and the edge of the map is not the end of the world. If you keep this in mind, such surprises will remain the absolute exception. I don't like this surprise visits either.

The ‘Suez’ scenario marks the end of a section within the 4th campaign. It represents an important intermediate goal with the capture of the Suez Canal. In this mission, you must capture all primary objectives to achieve an MV. For a DV, you must also free French prisoners from a camp in the Sinai and lead them west of the map, as well as pilot two of your ships through the canal and place them on two squares in the Red Sea.


Coming from Cairo, the main attack is focused directly west of Suez (1). In a compact mass assault, the British defences outside the city are smashed (2) and the attackers advance relatively quickly into the city of Suez. From the canal, two powerful British cruisers (not pictured here) fire barrage fire into my ranks, causing casualties (3). Nevertheless, the canal can be reached quickly at this point.


A few rounds later in the north of the front. The port city of Damietta can only be reached by ground troops via a narrow strip of land (4). In addition, the city is occupied by strong troops and receives distant supporting fire from a fortress at the end of the peninsula that is initially too powerful (5). Progress is correspondingly slow. However, my own fortress is firing down the British fortress round after round (6). While Damietta has not yet fallen completely, other units are already advancing towards Port Said (7). In front of the city are several British ships (8) that are keeping my own small fleet at bay. In contrast, Ismailia (on the southern edge) has already been captured via an attack from Mansura (9). My air forces are already attacking enemy positions on the east bank of the canal (10). Meanwhile, two Tiger units have crossed the canal and are pushing through the enemy defences, which are unable to offer sufficient resistance (11).

Strategic map: Coming from Cairo, the city of Suez is stormed (12). At the same time, a rescue team is immediately sent eastwards in transport aircraft and dropped off near the prison camp (13). The French prisoners are freed and then escorted westwards. Damietta is taken after a lengthy siege (14). Ismailia, on the other hand, falls relatively quickly (15). This also allows rapid action to be taken against Port Said (16). By crossing the canal at Port Said and Suez simultaneously, the enemy forces in the centre can be caught in a pincer movement and wiped out (17). This clears the way for two of my ships (18) to sail south through the canal and fulfil the last condition for a DV. Unfortunately, I had lost sight of the fact that ships in canals or straits can only use half their speed. In the end, my two ships only got as far as just beyond Suez. In the end, I was two rounds short of reaching the target points (19). I had to settle for an MV. So, if you take on this mission, please send the ships off in good time.

This is followed by a section of three scenarios targeting the North-East Africa region, with several Italian and French colonies. The first is the ‘Port Sudan’ mission, located in eastern Egypt and eastern Sudan between the Nile and the Red Sea. The player achieves a DV by conquering all flag fields, an MV by conquering the primary fields and achieving at least 19,000 prestige points.


The map is rather narrow and very long. After the first breakthroughs, my units advance southwards across a broad front (1). After the capture of Luxor, my troops encounter only sporadic resistance (2). There is no coherent front, which speeds up the advance. Only the Royal Air Force is still carrying out dangerous attacks (3). However, this can also lead to disastrous attacks, such as the British Stirling bomber that flew into a group of my ME 262s (4). It did not fare well. But the player also lives dangerously. In the Valley of the Kings, you can be struck by the curse of the mummy (5).


We take a bigger leap to the end of the scenario. Coming from Berber, my units storm towards the last main objective – Port Sudan (6). Taking a shortcut through desert terrain, a second group advances on the port city (7). At the front of the line is a unit of Jagdtigers, which is making its way through the enemy front with little resistance in order to take out the central anti-aircraft guns (8). Even heavy anti-tank weapons on their flanks cannot stop them. From another direction, one of my mobile artillery units advances further (9) and fires a salvo at the second British anti-aircraft gun (10). This is immediately followed by a Stuka attack, which eliminates this source of disruption. Once the strong anti-aircraft gun emplacement has been eliminated, my aircraft attack the remaining enemy and break their resistance in no time.

Strategic map: My attack begins at Assjut (11) and initially advances to Safaga and Luxor. From there, small groups move relatively quickly southwards west of the Nile (12) and along the coastal road (13). The bulk of my units is concentrated in the centre (14) and has Aswan (Assuan) as its next main target, where it encounters a strong counterattack that delays me for some time (15). At El Diwan, my western group crosses the Nile and reinforces the attack on Abu Hamed and Berber (17). Muhammed Kol is attacked on the coast (18). There, off the coast, my small riverboat ‘August the Strong’ once again (after ‘Odessa’) falls victim to enemy fire (19). One should not underestimate the Royal Navy, even if it waits quietly for a long time. Now I need a few new freshwater sailors again, who will have to laboriously gain experience once more. Finally, Port Sudan falls as the last primary target, bringing the mission to an end (20).

After a bit of a break, I’m presenting the next scenario here: ‘Eritrea’. It is set in the country of the same name in North-East Africa, which was a former Italian colony but was occupied by the ‘evil’ British. The players have the delightful task of ‘liberating’ it. Although the actual inhabitants probably couldn’t have cared less which European foreign rulers exercised power over them. For a MV, all primary objectives must be captured; for a DV, 10 sniper units must also be eliminated and the Dahlak Archipelago occupied.


The first image shows the coastal region of the Red Sea. Just inland from the coast rises the mountainous region, which stretches all the way to the Ethiopian highlands. Fortunately, Abyssinia is neutral here and is therefore not involved in the fighting. I am sending armoured units southwards along the coast (1), as I fear attacks from the powerful British navy, which could inflict heavy losses on soft targets. This mountainous region contains resistance zones with sniper units at their centres (2). Although infantry units are more advantageous in high mountains, they suffer heavy losses against concealed snipers. Therefore, tanks and heavy artillery are more likely to achieve the objective (3). In any case, the advance is slow. It is much faster to use paratroopers in transport aircraft (4). On the Red Sea, I am sending my powerful submarine south (5). However, it is not invulnerable to destroyer attacks either (6).


In the middle of the game, I advance from Kassala towards the main front west of Asmara (7)+(8). The British Royal Air Force attempts to relieve its own ground forces (9). However, my own very strong anti-aircraft defences will severely decimate them in the coming round. There are still British ships off Massawa, preventing a naval assault on the Dahlak Archipelago. In addition, Scottish mountain troops are positioned north of the city, suggesting they will put up fierce resistance (10).

Strategic map: Advancing from Berber, my main force attacks Kassala in South Sudan (11), breaks through the defences, repels a counter-attack and captures the city (12). To eliminate even the last remaining snipers, the advance continues far to the south (13). On the eastern side, the mountainous region near the coast is far more difficult to traverse (14). It is home to numerous snipers who must first be laboriously fought out. In the Red Sea, Farasan is occupied (15), thereby securing an important airbase. The fiercest fighting of the mission takes place near Asmara (16). However, once the airfield there has been captured, the British no longer have any runways, which, as is well known, leaves the remaining enemy aircraft grounded – a considerable advantage. The advance along the coast to the final objective, Assab (17), is then merely a formality.

The ‘Djibouti’ scenario marks the conclusion of the North-East Africa campaign. The mission takes you along the Gulf of Aden to the Horn of Africa in Somaliland. The enemy’s air forces pose a particular challenge this time, and you should secure the captured areas adequately, as enemy paratrooper operations may occur in the rear from the uncontrollable sea area. An MV is achieved by capturing all primary objectives; for a DV, you must additionally destroy a radar station on the island of Socotra, occupy the island’s flag fields, and then leave the island.


The first image shows the situation following the first major breakthrough on the front and the capture of Djibouti. My forces are pouring eastwards. Near Hargeisa, a heavy British infantry unit is being caught in a pincer movement (1). In the Gulf of Aden, my new submarine advances to attack British ships, but is held up by a sea minefield (2). On land, too, I encounter a mine belt which, together with a mountain range, shields the town of Berbera (3). However, as soon as a gap appears in these minefields, my heavy Tiger IIs will inexorably plough their way into the enemy’s defences and break any resistance (4). Yet caution is advised in this position. Behind Berbera lie many enemy reserves and also some mobile anti-aircraft units, which subsequently make life very difficult for me (5).


Having taken Berbera, we press on eastwards. As so often, my Kradschützen lead the way (6). At the same time, my experienced grenadiers are making a southern flanking manoeuvre (7). The space between the coast and the mountain range is very narrow near Bosaso, which noticeably slows my advance. Fortunately, the air forces are not affected by such bottlenecks and can strike quickly (8). My powerful Stuka unit has just taken out another enemy anti-aircraft unit, clearing the way for the rest of the air forces. Up to this point, this bomber unit alone has destroyed more than 170 anti-aircraft units across all missions. But the enemy air fleet is not sitting idly by either. There are fierce counter-attacks (9). A Mosquito unit with superior numbers and additional heroes proves particularly troublesome, having caught an unprotected self-propelled artillery gun (10). However, this is a ‘Brummbär’, which can take quite a beating.

Strategic map: Advancing from Assab (Eritrea), my ground forces are pushing towards the first main objective – Djibouti (11). Once this key city at the mouth of the Red Sea has been captured, the next major target, Berbera, is targeted (12). But my small fleet also has its work cut out for it in the Gulf of Aden. There are repeated isolated counter-attacks by British and US ships (13). Even more dangerous, however, are US military paratrooper operations near Assab and Djibouti, which are barely defended (14). At times, the enemy manages to seize control of several flag squares. I had to rush troops there as quickly as possible to regain control of the areas. With the capture of Bosaso (15) and Ras Hafun (16), the last two primary objectives fall into my hands. This is followed by the attack on Socotra, carried out entirely by airborne assault (17). As the island is not to be permanently occupied, the ground troops are withdrawn from the island immediately after the mission is completed. This brings the final mission in Africa to a close.

Sonja89_1 wrote: Tue Apr 28, 2026 7:51 pm This brings the final mission in Africa to a close.

Well done, and thanks for sharing.

Having another go at this wonderful MOD. Is there a list of captured and/or hero units that are given?
Must admit that the arty capabilities of headquarters are a bit overrated - hitting at 6 hexes distance? That is a battleship range of 20-25kms.
What does a "Luftwaffenbauregiment" exactly do? Doesnt provide airsupport/anti air.

ptje63 wrote: Sun May 24, 2026 12:23 pm Must admit that the arty capabilities of headquarters are a bit overrated - hitting at 6 hexes distance? That is a battleship range of 20-25kms.
What does a "Luftwaffenbauregiment" exactly do? Doesnt provide airsupport/anti air.

1. Probably represents higher org level artillery batteries that can be disbursed to subordinate units.
2. It's a switchable unit that can turn into a dirt airfield that services fighter/dive bombers only. Be careful, since it works only on its own hex and not surrounding hexes like a normal airstrip. Also may confuse the fuel warning hexes if you move them a lot.

Thanks Eskuche for the clarification .

Now arrived at the 1939 Pfalz scenerio, turn 13, and I must admit it feels more like fighting the Russians than the French. Just how many more units am I to expect? The swarms of infantry, tanks, bombers and fighters keep coming!
It feels a bit like the German units are equivalent to division-size and the French (due to the amount) to battalion-size.
What I like is enemy units that have heroes as well. But what I find odd, is the fact that German units have had their share of battle experience (Spain, Poland, Czech, etc / DAW part I) which explains their experience and heroes. But how and where did the French gathered them?
Even though its been some years since this MOD appeared, many thanks. I have never been able to enjoy PC2 due to its gameplay, and very happy to have discovered DAW which will keep me busy for the next ... ?

Thanks from me too for the clear explanation, Eskuche. The ‘Luftwaffenbauregiment’ basically acts like an aircraft carrier on land. It can be very helpful, but it can also be dangerous, as Eskuche described.

The ‘Pfalz’ scenario is indeed a tough nut to crack, and I had actually set it even tougher at the start. I toned it down twice myself after the first tests. The French experience stems, amongst other things, from the Spanish Civil War. Unlike in real history, here it was the French who fought alongside Franco in Spain, not the Germans. Although there are some similarities, there are also deviations from real history. To get a better overview of this, I recommend the attached PDF files with the brief description of the alternative history.

I’m glad you’re finding this mod useful. And the campaigns are so extensive that you can spend a lot of time on them. Enjoy!


The ‘Palestine’ mission marks the start of the Arabian campaign. The British have entrenched themselves on the other side of the Sinai, between Gaza and Aqaba. This first line of defence in particular is formidable and cannot be taken in a surprise attack. Instead, I had to fight my way through it. Further south, you still encounter Arab troops, but they are easily overcome. The MV requires the capture of all primary objectives; for a DV, the capture of all flag fields is necessary; and, as a special rule, no non-Israeli ground forces of your own may remain on the three Jerusalem fields.


From the bridgehead east of the Suez Canal, my ground forces are pushing through the Sinai (1). I have gathered my air forces off the coast, which are driving off the remaining British ships (2). British submarines must also be taken into account (3). My air operation is immediately met with a British counter-attack, which hits me hard (4). Very strong enemy air forces are also involved right from the start. The SE-Meteor in particular is giving me a hard time (5). A Mosquito with superior strength is also causing losses (6). My submarine takes 9 hits and is subsequently taken out of active service for this mission. However, my small riverboat fares even worse (7), being sunk a few rounds later by a salvo from a British battleship.


A few turns later, my ground forces have broken through the enemy’s main line of defence south of Gaza (8) and are advancing towards Jerusalem without pause (9). An Israeli Panther unit takes the western part of the city (10). At the same time, I roll up the British defensive line southwards towards Aqaba (11). At that very moment, I am hit by a fierce British counter-attack (12). An Achilles unit with a hero bonus strikes my already battle-hardened Tiger II unit and deals it massive damage. A further enemy attack even reduces the unit to just 1 strength point (13). Nevertheless, I still manage to rescue this badly battered unit from the encirclement. It survives the scenario.

Strategic map: The main offensive takes place in the north of the Sinai (14), leading to a relatively rapid breakthrough (15). Without delay, I attack Jaffa, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem (16). At the same time, the British front is being outflanked (17). This results in some fierce counter-attacks (18). In the south of the Sinai, I capture a small enemy stronghold (19). At the same time, airborne troops are dropped north of Tebuk (20) to secure the border region with Arabia (21). Further north, the advance continues towards Amman (22) and finally Haifa (23). The enemy is exhausted and offers only weak resistance in the end.

Hi Sonja89, thanks for still supporting this mod . Im at Lyon now, and struggling - great challenge.
Is there a list of captured units or heros that are awarded? It would help me deciding to buy new units or not...

ptje63 wrote: Sun Jun 07, 2026 2:15 pm Hi Sonja89, thanks for still supporting this mod . Im at Lyon now, and struggling - great challenge.
Is there a list of captured units or heros that are awarded? It would help me deciding to buy new units or not...

Hello Ptje63, I’m afraid I can’t provide you with a list like that. I could name a few, but I don’t remember them all myself. So there will still be some surprises.
Yes, ‘Lyon’ is a very tough mission. On my last attempt in November 2024 (see earlier), I failed on the extended difficulty setting.

Greetings! I have considered a DAW replay for my next project. I don't quite like +5 Manstein or -5 turns, as those heavily reward map pre-knowledge, especially air waves, so I have settled on the following rules:

1. One-of rule: only buy 1 active unit of each type. (Exception is if a hero spawns, like on map 1! I have two of the Hs 123 bombers). This significantly makes a mechanic-abusive run filled with Branderbergers, which I had previously determined was the most optimal play, not possible. This also allows exploration of all unit options, as I had never used, for example, non-EL units in previous playthroughs. This also encourages spreading out SE units. This also limits abuse of the airforce.
2. Flat 40% prestige. A bit harder than Rommel but not crippling pennypinching.
3. +1 enemy strength starting in 1936, and perhaps +2 by mid '39-41 campaign, then +3 in '44-46, when we have all of our tools at our disposal.

Experience has already been reduced by campaign settings, so I won't touch that further, as it leads to tedious experience farming.

1. Dresden. Ended turn 16 due to reserves being almost completely wiped out. We likely would not have been able to penetrate the 16 strength MG nests near the final objective, so we took the liberty of sneaking the last victory objective by horse.


2. Breslau. Up to now, SE Jager and Bridging infantry are my units. We have to do a bit of game-mechanic abusive strategies of allow capture then recapture of defensive victory points; even at 40% prestige, they get us back ~300 prestige just from these four alone!


The latter half of the map goes okay; however, the mud along with wave of four additional enemy aircraft along with the untouchable forts surrounding the last objective force us to take the early win again at turn 24/28.


Note I am still trying to avoid during-map replacements unless absolutely critical to hold a hex.

Edit: A major hindrance is the availability of only one core 3-range artillery piece at the moment, given the one-per-unit rule.

3. Starting Obserschlesien, our first non-hard map, with 1102 prestige! The map also features an exit hex, which is phenomenal. We can save units and sell that for their full value; we also can use these hexes to re-use non-core units and still save them for the future. A major feature of the Allied campaign, not all DAW main campaign maps have this. My previous attempts have always been to try to grab every last flag hex. I think we will have to be a bit more judicious in force preservation here. Instead of attempting anything more than necessary for DV if possible, we will focus on saving as many auxiliary units as possible. There is about 3700 prestige worth of aux units on this map. (I am actually curious if the game is winnable on 0% prestige using just sold units..! We also still have 14 deployable aux units from the second map.