S' 41 CG XP2

[Marquo]

I am considering resume activity with PzC I remember years ago after S' 41 CG came out here was some discussion that the Axis could cut off and isolate the bulk of the retreating Soviet armor on the first turn; there was skepticism IIRC. Anyway, I just received T1 from opponent who did just that - all of the three large groups of Soviet armor is isolated and trapped.

1. Any revisions or house rules needed to prevent this? Does it need prevented?
2. Is this a knockout blow on turn 1? IMHO yes, but I am curious to hear other's opinion.

Thanks

Marquo

[Fhil]

I don´t bring an exact answer to your questions, but I believe there is a problem with how the game system proceeded over the years, and this problem is felt in all the Eastern Front titles. I´m talking about the fact that for example the Smolensk game begun as a battalion level unit simulation, I mean that the smallest unit possible was a battalion. Later, a decision came to allow the Axis troops to break down to companies, which I think was of course good decision, but nothing like that ever happened to the Red Army. So the Axis troops received a big advantage, and while this change was done to the OOB, unit´s placement at the start of the scenario maybe didn´t change accordingly, thus the Axis troops have enough separate units to isolate everything like you have described.

[Dog Soldier]

Marquo,

Send me a file by email. There is no perfect turn where this can happen that I am aware of. A German player can get close to catching the Soviet armor retreating to the Dnepr and Divina lines on the first turn. IIRC, they have to leave their encircling units in travel mode where they are very vulnerable to artillery, air attack and assault to push them out of the way with serious losses to the Germans.

Dog Soldier

[Marquo]

Marquo,

Send me a file by email. There is no perfect turn where this can happen that I am aware of. A German player can get close to catching the Soviet armor retreating to the Dnepr and Divina lines on the first turn. IIRC, they have to leave their encircling units in travel mode where they are very vulnerable to artillery, air attack and assault to push them out of the way with serious losses to the Germans.

Dog Soldier

I need your email - can't upload BTE file here and the Blitz email won't let me attach a file.

Thanks

[tbridges]

I am considering resume activity with PzC I remember years ago after S' 41 CG came out here was some discussion that the Axis could cut off and isolate the bulk of the retreating Soviet armor on the first turn; there was skepticism IIRC. Anyway, I just received T1 from opponent who did just that - all of the three large groups of Soviet armor is isolated and trapped.

1. Any revisions or house rules needed to prevent this? Does it need prevented?
2. Is this a knockout blow on turn 1? IMHO yes, but I am curious to hear other's opinion.

Thanks

Marquo

Hey Marquo. Bet that was a shocker when you first opened the turn! But I sure can't see how this could even be possible in any scenario I can see. What scenario are you playing? This is HPS Panzer Campaign S'41, v1.16 right?

What does "XP2" mean?

[Marquo]

I am considering resume activity with PzC I remember years ago after S' 41 CG came out here was some discussion that the Axis could cut off and isolate the bulk of the retreating Soviet armor on the first turn; there was skepticism IIRC. Anyway, I just received T1 from opponent who did just that - all of the three large groups of Soviet armor is isolated and trapped.

1. Any revisions or house rules needed to prevent this? Does it need prevented?
2. Is this a knockout blow on turn 1? IMHO yes, but I am curious to hear other's opinion.

Thanks

Marquo

Hey Marquo. Bet that was a shocker when you first opened the turn! But I sure can't see how this could even be possible in any scenario I can see. What scenario are you playing? This is HPS Panzer Campaign S'41, v1.16 right?

What does "XP2" mean?

XP 2 are series of additional add-ons to the original scenarios; done by HPS designers and Ricky B - they are very good - correct OOB and balance issues. You can still get them from Glenn Saunder's Unofficial PzC site; maybe even from the scenario back here -I have not checked.

[Mr Grumpy]

The feedback about the XP2 campaign has been positive over the years, so I will be interested to see what DS thinks if you can get a file to him?

[Ricky B]

Marquo, please go ahead and send me the turn you got, and I will take a look more closely. Playing with FOW off, I can definitely trap the 2 central tank divisions on turn 1, but some of the German units are stuck in T mode and thus very vulnerable as DS mentioned above. So I was able to break one of the units and open up an escape route for at least some of those units. I am not sure what other groups are trapped, some of the units to the north could be but I couldn't see how to trap them all, and the forces to the south are weak anyway and not much of a loss.

I would say that having someone play that way, obviously knowing where to move to get everything trapped, would turn me off a bit, and I believe I played someone that did exactly that many years ago. I played it out, and freed most of the units - the forces lost are not critical in the long term anyway, just a lot of VPs to lose on turn 1. I think the same player also bombed a bunch of rear area T mode units after spotting with recon - we may have actually quit the game, as I don't remember this one going any further.

Rick

[Dog Soldier]

Marquo,

Send me an email from the blitz email here. I will respond. Then you can send me the file.

Dog Soldier