Difficulty - General
Traits - Auxiliary Force, Industry Connections, Force Concentration, Panzer General, Poor Maintenance, Ruthless
Auxiliary Force - for those cases where I need extra bridge engineers or other infantry, more fighters, artillery and so on. I won't be using this on a regular basis (it's not intended to be similar to Auxiliary Adventures), but as I will likely be very starved for core slots, I might need to resort to this in several scenarios to just somehow put enough units on the field to form a proper front and compensate for negative traits.
Industry Connections - the aim is to not only use pure Wunderwaffe, but prototypes as well, adding to the flavor and unit power.
Poor Maintenance - Wunderwaffe were known for mostly being impractical and plagued with issues. They were powerful in many cases, sure, but also not reliable and rushed. Considering that I plan to base my core on both these and prototypes, it's only fitting I choose this trait. The effect on the rest of my force is justified easily by the fact I cannot spare the mechanics, who are busy fixing other units.
Ruthless - I want to use my own units. There will be some cases where I can use CP awards, but overall not captured ones that can be taken form usual battlefield encirclement and capture. Not only would it make things too similar to my previous runs in some cases, but I also want a tighter prestige situation this time as I do not want to adjust difficulty over General and be able to try out some units not used before. Lore wise it makes sense that my Wunderwaffe and prototypes are meant to be checked in combat conditions and I do not have means to take care of spoils of war.
Force Concentration - with less units overall and special rules about assigning unique heroes, I could use those extra hero slots to find space for all of them.
Panzer General - I'll have to deploy more overstrengthened units, so extra slots will help me deal with the issues caused by this and tanks should be the most common ones. I was thinking about Killer Team, but with less units overall as time goes by, I might not have the slots to assign all of the heroes if I get extra ones. I also want the units to earn their hero normally and not define the units usage form the start. If it becomes more powerful with the course of the game - great, but a horde like this from the start would not feel good for me.
Extra rules:
1. Units that qualify as Wunderwaffe are:
- German units or non-German that were only prototypes or concepts (both gift ones or normally available in game) - for example Verdeja 2
- German units produced experimentally and used in limited scale on the battlefield, or scrapped serial products - for example Neubaufahrzeug or Panzer I Breda
- German units with produced unit count under around 50 (same sheet will be used I had for the Retrograde run) - for example the Sturmpanzer I
- German units produced normally, but then not used by Germany itself aside from some test runs and otherwise sold to other countries - for example He 112
- Gift units with unlimited supply awarded ahead of their production schedule - for example Pazner IIA
- Special gift infantry - for example Azul Infanterie
- Gift units and CP awards of non-German origin, but only if they are rare/prototype sort or appear way before their actual production - for example Char 2C or Il-2, but not Somua S35
- Machines classified as Wunderwaffe in common understanding of the term - for example Tiger and Königstiger, or all jet planes
2. Wunderwaffe can only be upgraded to other Wunderwaffe, so no upgrading the Sturmpanzer I or He 112 until something better of the same sort comes up. Exception - gift units with unlimited supply awarded ahead of their production schedule like the Panzer IIA, but these like in the Panzermon run can only be upgraded outside this rule under the same production line/chassis.
3. Starting the SCW campaign with default core.
4. Unit upgrade purchase checklist is as follows:
- If free core slots are available, Wunderwaffe is overstrengthened to fill in the gaps, if all Wunderwaffe are overstrengthened and core slots remain, next step can be considered.
- Non-Wunderwaffe core units can be upgraded to available prototypes. If no new prototypes remain, next step can be considered.
- New units can be bought after steps 1 and 2 are exhausted. In scenarios where some specific units are required or have a lesser impact this will impact steps 1 and 2 accordingly. This can also be used if both Wunderwaffe and prototypes do not add up to the exact core slot limit and leave 1-2 points left.
5. Non-Wunderwaffe units cannot be overstrengthened.
6. Only one Wunderwaffe or prototype unit of each type can be part of the core.
7. If a prototype becomes available normally and the unit still uses the parts, in will remain using it, but will be upgraded at the first available instance to a new prototype.
8. Aside from special units such as bridge engineers or paratroopers, Auxillary Force can only be used to purchase the most "common" unit of each type. Very Slow Retrograde run spreadsheet to be used as reference. For example in 1939 if I want auxiliary artillery, I can only use the 10.5 cm leFH 18 and if I need an anti-tank in 1940, I can only use the 3.7 cm Pak 36.
9. Unique heroes can only be assigned to Wunderwaffe units.
10. Not a rule, but a general trend - top tier heroes will remain in Wunderwaffe units (Galland and Bar will be overjoyed to still fly the He112 over England...), the remaining ones will be assigned to regular core.
11. One prototypes use up available parts they need to wait for more of them assigned randomly, or for the equipment to loose prototype status. Other units will be deployed in the meantime.
12. Auxiliary force will be composed of non-German forces only whenever at all available (Italian, Romanian, Hungarian, Finnish etc.).
13. In training scenarios I will deploy other units to help them gather experience as expected, since my Wunderwaffe will otherwise be deployed in every other mission anyway.
AO Spanish Civil War - Seville
Wunderwaffe classification for SCW:
Tank:
Verdeja 2
Pazner IIA
Anti-Tank:
Panzer I Breda
Fighter:
He 112
That's not a lot to start with, but I'm curious how things will look like later. These will have to do for now alongside any nice prototypes I might get my hands on.
Starting Prestige: 1400
Starting Army Composition:
Tank
PzAbt 1 - Panzer IA
PzAbt 2 - Panzer IA
PzAbt 3 - Panzer IA
Recon
AufkAbt 1 - SdKfz 221
AufkAbt 2 - SdKfz 221
Anti-Tank
Panzerjäger Abt 1 - 3.7 cm PaK 36 (Horse Transport)
Panzerjäger Abt 2 - 3.7 cm PaK 36 (Horse Transport)
Artillery
Artillerie Abt 1 - 10.5 cm leFH 18 (Horse Transport)
Artillerie Abt 2 - 10.5 cm leFH 18 (Horse Transport)
Artillerie Abt 3 - 10.5 cm leFH 18 (Horse Transport)
Anti-Aircraft
FlaK Abt 1 - 2 cm FlaK 30 (Horse Transport)
Fighter
I./JG 1 - He 51
II./JG 1 - He 51
III./JG 1 - He 51
Tactical Bomber
I./SG 1 - Hs123a
II./SG 1 - Hs123a
III./SG 1 - Hs123a
I./AG 1 - He 70 Rayo
Using default army for this one. Cammo pattern will be - blue for regular core, red for prototypes (excluding non-German ones), no color for auxiliaries and special cammo for Wunderwaffe and special captured prototypes. Also, it's turn one and already 3 of my units lost their attack actions. This will be interesing.
Not being able to force surrenders does not mean that encircling the enemy is not beneficial. However, without Deadly Grasp they take much more time to produce significant results.
Summary
Final Prestige: 1969 (up 569)
Overall
This was quite difficult, for sure more than I anticipated. Firstly, Poor Maintenance does not affect movement in the way I expected - units do not loose all movement, but just some, which can lead to planes not reaching targets that are in theory in range. Small things like this need to be taken into account. Also, I tend to loose attack actions in the worse possible moments on units that really need them. Will have to adjust to this. Final prestige gain is poor with no captures possible, prestige available is limited even on General, but I hope to still be able to afford auxiliary units as expected.
AO Spanish Civil War - Antequera
Starting Prestige (after purchases and replacements): 2677
Hero:
Such an early Legendary hero can help offset my Ruthless trait and allow for prestige needed to field auxiliary forces. Normally I would not be thrilled by such a hero, but in these circumstances this might be one of the better ones I could have gotten.
Prototypes Awarded:
M11/39 - 20
A large stock of Italian tanks, great for this early stage of the war. I'll deploy them in this mission for sure!
Starting Army Composition:
Tank
PzAbt 1 - Panzer IA
PzAbt 2 - Panzer IA
PzAbt 3 - Panzer IA
Recon
AufkAbt 1 - SdKfz 221
AufkAbt 2 - SdKfz 221
Anti-Tank
Panzerjäger Abt 1 - 3.7 cm PaK 36 (Horse Transport)
Panzerjäger Abt 2 - 3.7 cm PaK 36 (Horse Transport)
Artillery
Artillerie Abt 1 - 10.5 cm leFH 18 (Horse Transport)
Artillerie Abt 2 - 10.5 cm leFH 18 (Horse Transport)
Artillerie Abt 3 - 10.5 cm leFH 18 (Horse Transport)
Anti-Aircraft
FlaK Abt 1 - 2 cm FlaK 30 (Horse Transport)
Fighter
I./JG 1 - He 51
II./JG 1 - He 51
III./JG 1 - He 51
Tactical Bomber
I./SG 1 - Hs123a
II./SG 1 - Hs123a
III./SG 1 - Hs123a
I./AG 1 - He 70 Rayo - Legendary
Strategic Bomber Bomber
I./KG 1 - Ju 52 bomber - to join during the mission
II./KG 1 - Ju 52 bomber - to join during the mission
III./KG 1 - Ju 52 bomber - to join during the mission
Auxiliary Force:
1º Reggimento carri - M11/39
Friendly prototype in action as part of 1º Reggimento carri...
...and it ends up being very useful indeed, taking multiple hits for the team and being able to resist incoming fire much better than my own tanks!
Summary:
Final Prestige: 3866 (up 1189)
Overall:
Out of all the prestige gained, almost half of it was due to the Legendary hero. That's a good sign for the future, as I will probably end up buying more than just one tank. Mission itself was not too bad. Knowing that attempting to capture units does not work allowed me to play much more slowly and defensively, so I just want for a steady, safe attack with proper support on all sides and not making risky moves. While I limited losses this way, my overall gains are not as large as they were in the past and so far not super units in sight.
AO Spanish Civil War - Merida
Starting Prestige (after purchases and replacements): 3814
Hero:
My favorite recon car type hero is assigned to AufkAbt 1 immediately. Not game breaking, but still very useful if a recon pushes too far ahead.
Prototypes Awarded:
75/32 M37 - 20
75mm guns are not amazing if they cannot also use AT mode, but this one can. It can be interesting to offer my ground forces extra support against Republican tanks, so deadly this early in the war.
New Units Commissioned:
AufkAbt 3 - SdKfz 221
Starting Army Composition:
Tank
PzAbt 1 - Panzer IA
PzAbt 2 - Panzer IA
PzAbt 3 - Panzer IA
Recon
AufkAbt 1 - SdKfz 221 - * - Tenacious Defender
AufkAbt 2 - SdKfz 221 - *
AufkAbt 3 - SdKfz 221
Anti-Tank
Panzerjäger Abt 1 - 3.7 cm PaK 36 (Horse Transport)
Panzerjäger Abt 2 - 3.7 cm PaK 36 (Horse Transport)
Artillery
Artillerie Abt 1 - 10.5 cm leFH 18 (Horse Transport)
Artillerie Abt 2 - 10.5 cm leFH 18 (Horse Transport)
Artillerie Abt 3 - 10.5 cm leFH 18 (Horse Transport)
Anti-Aircraft
FlaK Abt 1 - 2 cm FlaK 30 (Horse Transport)
Fighter
I./JG 1 - He 51
II./JG 1 - He 51
III./JG 1 - He 51
Tactical Bomber
I./SG 1 - Hs123a
II./SG 1 - Hs123a
III./SG 1 - Hs123a
I./AG 1 - He 70 Rayo - Legendary
Strategic Bomber
I./KG 1 - Ju 52 Bomber
II./KG 1 - Ju 52 Bomber
III./KG 1 - Ju 52 Bomber
Auxiliary Force:
1º Reggimento fanteria - CTV Infantry (Truck)
2º Reggimento carri - L3/35
1º Reggimento artiglieria terrestre - 75/32 M37 (Horse Transport)
1 Gruppo 1 Sq - CR.32
Another turn, anther bunch of units partially broken down. I'm starting to get used to it...
After a long hunt Vega gets trapped between two 3.7 cm PaK 36 guns and taken down.
Summary:
Final Prestige: 5597 (up 1783)
Overall:
Slowly but steadily, my prestige situation is improving even despite purchases and lack of captures. That said, looking at how Legendary was fixed now, the hero generated 1000 prestige in the mission, only 783 of my gains were from objective captures. I wonder how this will develop with units getting more expensive to replace and with some maps offering prestige bleeding with little target gains. So far I'm a cautious optimist. Mission this time went really great, best so far form all my attempts. Extra Italian forces made the day and allowed for maneuvers not possible earlier. I will for sure ask Italians to help in Toledo, as it is going to be a tough mission with the secondary objectives there and a tight turn limit. Poor Vega - got KO'd already as I have no use for his later OT-133. Poor Maintenance is really flavorful for this run as I expected, but the fact it also affects auxiliary forces can have huge consequences sometimes. In enemy encirclement it can be deadly to my own units, especially that the AI seem to got better at single unit encirclement whenever it feels it can pull it off safely.
