While I did not finish my last Italian campaign and also a few dozens turn away of ending BE 2.4 - Kursk save for Total victory, I could not resist and started playing the 2.5.1 from the little scenarios onward!
First of all thank you again, McGuba for this wonderful mod and I still think one day, we will have a whole new game, with all the other features implemented, what can improve the game mechanic. But the new features in this version are very nice and makes the gameplay again interesting in a new way!
I started the game with my latest settings:
- Dice chess
- I constantly look of my earlier replay to see what strategies worked
- Double Rommel (25% prestige)
- Field Marshall (50% xp)
- Tons of reloads but only for different decisions, not different dice outcomes
- Finns do not move/fly further from historical 1941 advances until Leningrad is captured
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First time with a modified core: 2x fighter, 3x PzIV
- Aiming for Total victory
First impressions until turn 25:
- I still like the earlier scenarios, maximizing to collect xp and kills
- I notified the less collectible prestige - it is a huge strain in the main campaign at 25% prestige rate...
- The modified core composition is a life saver!
- I could take Moscow this time in 1941 which was a big win for me! I think some luck and some additional arty made the difference.
- While I could achieve already several of my goals (Moscow, starting Caucasus, Malta, invading Britain, taking Tobruk and breaking the El-Alamein line) it is a painful struggle with even more saves and reloads.
- I feel the difference of the lack of use of the Regia Marina. While it was still possible to take Tobruk and slowly grind through El-Alamein I had to invest a lot more of my scarce resources to the Mediterranean theater.
- First bomber stream was luckily destroyed without getting penalties.
- I was very happy that I could weaken Malta to str 7 already in 1941 with just Rudel and fighters and I could take it in the spring of 1942. It was also a big difference compared to my earlier walkthrough.
- I have a tons of 1-2 str units, mostly inf, but also several obsolete tanks. In a whole new game it would be a good and realistic feature to have the option to merge weakened units (of course with restrictions and some penalties). I simply do not have the prestige for reinforcing them. I could delete the tanks and get the free, modern tank reinforcement but I find it to do so gamey... On the other hand, I will probably use them in the brutal winter of 1942 as cannon fodders to slow down enemy advances so, maybe still I will get those free units...maybe I will delete the replacement ones to avoid that unrealistic event?
- I just wonder how I can survive with this weakened, meager resource state from the winter of 1942 and onward...

- Turn 26 - Finns.JPG (548.75 KiB) Viewed 8608 times

- Turn 26 - SW of Leningrad.JPG (538.4 KiB) Viewed 8608 times

- Turn 26 - Moscow.JPG (585.84 KiB) Viewed 8608 times