So, as I said, I'm compiling notes based on prestidigitation's post.
Here is an addendum to #5 that I added to my copy: "Note: Elite reinforcements will maintain the experience level, but becomes more expensive as experience grows." Indeed, I have seen players advocate the opposite; that is, to never use elite reinforcements.
To #7 I added: "Take the time to learn how different types of terrain affect attacking and defending combat factors as well as cover and disruption." For example, I am thinking of retreating my sniper to a nearby forest. Being in that forest will benefit my sniper because although both attacking and defending combat factors are lowered, the attacker suffers to a greater extent. Also, my sniper has heard the rumble of tank treads (albeit muffled by snow). If there is a tank right behind that infantry truck, it will be better for him to be in 70% cover which lowers the tank's attack factor.
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At first I thought "elite infantry is generally worthless because it costs extra CP while providing marginal combat stat improvement" contradicted what he said about veterancy but then I realized he means heavy infantry and paratroopers. At least I think that's what he means - I couldn't find any other units with 4 CP required than these. Here again there are nuances; paratroopers are only acquired for a specific purpose and heavy infantry are better than regular infantry where they don't have to move around much and are in defensive mode, particularly against vehicles. Worth the extra CP in those situations.
He left out two biggies: supply management and sea battles. I included a paragraph on each. And as far as "tldr," I find that sorts itself out according to the reader. As a matter of fact, I have a feeling that this is only to get longer.
So anyway, here is my version, what I saved for myself, with thanks (and maybe a bit of an apology) to prestidigitation:
How to Play Order of Battle
Ten basic principles:
#1: Efficiency is everything. A strength 10 unit with efficiency 0 is helpless and ready for destruction. Therefore anything that attacks efficiency is very valuable and anything that doesn't is mostly useless or a buffer for the things that do. Attacking units before they are too weak to do more than nominal damage is a costly tactic and not viable on harder difficulties.
#2: Artillery and strategic bombers are very useful. They attack efficiency and entrenchment, have no risk when attacking, and can even do unit damage. They are by far the most valuable unit classes in the game.
#3: Command point efficiency is critical. Unless the situation calls for it, transportation is generally a downgrade because it costs +1 CP. The exception to this is artillery which moves exceedingly slow without transportation. 1 CP in this case is justified by being able to quickly get artillery to where it is needed.
#4: Heavy tanks and especially super heavy tanks overperform. For 1 CP more than medium tanks you get a unit with far higher ratings that will rarely take damage. The principle here is to always comparison shop with the intended use in mind; compare added benefits versus added costs before buying.
#5: Experience is amazing!! A 3 star unit with wipe the floor with a 0/1 star unit. Unless you have no alternative always use elite reinforce and keep experience high. (Note: Elite reinforcements will maintain the experience level, but becomes more expensive as experience grows.)
#6: Recon units are critical and very CP efficient. You should always have a couple. They do two very valuable things: The first is move about 2/3 of their range forward to see what is out in front before your other units advance. While planes can do this too, planes will not spot units in forests or cities. If recon finds itself in a bad spot after doing that it can pull back behind other units. The second thing they do is chase weak units to complete the kill.
#7: The terrain you choose to defend on or attack into has huge ramifications for the performance of your units. Rougher terrain can reduce attacker damage and defense by half or more! Take the time to learn how different types of terrain affect attacking and defending combat factors as well as cover and disruption.
#8: If a unit offers reaction fire of any kind you should maximize opportunities for that to happen. Free attacks are free attacks!
#9: Manage your supply. Under-supplied and isolated units suffer from lowering levels of efficiency. Don't leave your units in danger from being cut off; don't allow gaps for enemy units to sneak through and around yours; and look for enemy sorties behind your lines seeking to cut supply lines. Even if enemy units are not visible, they leave tell-tale signs of their progress on the map. Of course, using these tactics yourself is quite advisable!
#10: Understand the basics of hex-based wargames. In general you want cheap units to buffer expensive ones, ranged units to attack before melee units, and reaction fire units placed where they are most likely to use their reaction fire. Heavy tanks are of course among the best attackers in the game so take advantage of that. Recon units are the best clean up tool in the game so similarly use that too. Zone of control is a potent tool for ensuring that enemy units can't get good attacks, so work out how movement rules function and take advantage of them to protect your backline.
Further conclusions:
Special infantry types like paratroopers and heavy infantry cost extra CP and have a much higher resource point cost to reinforce while not less likely to take damage. Basic infantry and engineers are generally all you need except when paratroopers are required for a specific purpose and when heavy infantry is used in defensive mode, particularly against vehicles. If they don't have to move around much, they can be better than regular infantry and worth the extra CP in that situation.
The primary role of infantry is to buffer enemy attackers and prevent them from hitting your more valuable artillery or tanks, not necessarily to attack itself (although with high levels of experience they will become extremely efficient in that role). Engineers are the exception as they are dirt cheap to reinforce and can attack efficiency and entrenchment.
At 2 CP each, AA and AT units are an incredible value. AT has reaction fire against enemy armor and does a great deal of damage to it as a result. This will allow your infantry on the defense in good terrain to rip enemy armor to shreds. Meanwhile AA has reaction fire against planes and does heavy damage to enemy fighters without taking any back. These units also perform well with low experience meaning they are cheap to reinforce. Amazing units! If the scenario description indicates enemy armor bring an AT gun or two, but always bring at least one AA. Neither unit needs transportation if they are to be used defensively.
Remember that artillery needs a cool-down period after a few turns of firing. Generally a turn or two, depending upon how low you ran down its efficiency by repeated firings. Like any other unit, artillery with low efficiency will not be as effective and will be more susceptible to damage from enemy attacks.
At sea, don't forget the mechanics of firing efficiency & hit avoidance. If the range to the target stays the same before and after you move your ship, you will have maximized your firing efficiency. Moreover, by keeping your ship on the run, you make it harder to hit. The more movement points you spend in a turn, the more hit avoidance you will have, and the enemy will deal less damage to you.
Submarines are not powerful in this game without specialisations, experience, and commanders. Not even then, really. Submarines can readily sink transports and merchant ships but against enemy warships, they are quite weak. Often their best uses are patrol and reconnaissance.
In the air unit category, recon, strategic bombers and fighter units are all worth buying. Know the difference between types of fighters: Fighter aircraft are often designed for very specific tasks; "Dogfighters" excel in combat against enemy fighters; "Interceptors" perform well against bombers; and "Heavy fighters" excel against bombers and ground targets but suffer against enemy fighters. Fighters are especially experience dependent so you must always elite reinforce them. Strategic bombers less so; they are baseline very strong against fighters and AA, although escorting them for fighter reaction fire is necessary. Don't waste resources on repairing recon planes.
Tactical bombers by contrast are not very cost-effective. While they can be good against enemy armor they are so likely to bleed RP and so experience dependent that only a fool would depend on them when artillery and strategic bombers exist. The sole exception to this rule are the precision strike dive bombers for attacking ships in the Japanese and US campaigns. These are very effective.
As far as tactics, be opportunistic, don't reinforce failure, don't take a fair fight, concentrate your forces and fire, and keep it simple.
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