Moscow '42 Team Game

[burroughs]

I'm sure that Schmolywar means business and perhaps he deserves being given a chance, I don't mind that at all nor teaming up with him, but indeed perhaps the team campaign game in a demanding theater and period in not the best mode to start from so it's a point for some further consideration. He is making a point with that inaptness and I understand what he means besides there are not that many of us who are interested so we have to do with what and whom we happen to have. It's only also a thing to consider for You, Schmolyvar, that should You fail at any point, You are going to be relieved from Your command only with an NKVD bullet in your neck that I shall order then in no time so beware.

I am assuming that I am landing again on the Soviet side then. All I could do at that point is to take over not a larger command than Kalinin Front.

I have just bought the game so I mean business too and would like to know what particular campaign we have in mind?

[Liebchen]

I was thinking about the January 6 campaign.

You may be right about the relative lack of interest. I will have to consider if I am ready to take on half of one of these "players" or not. I'm in a four-person team on the Minsk campaign and it's a LOT of work. What makes it manageable is that it only comes in every now and then, after the other seven players have gone.

[burroughs]

Absolutely; three people per side - I didn't peek from the German perspective, I never do, but I am assuming that it's also the case in the nazi camp - is a minimum that we should not neglect for our own sake.

I guess I have studied the 6th january campaign a bit today, but I'll have another look at. Nevertheless, have had an impression so far that no matter which campaign I was launching the initial situation on the Sovietr side was quite the same.

[ComradeP]

Liebchen: the Soviets don't have a truly enormous amount of units when you split them between a few players. Kalinin Front, for example, starts out small. It gets nearly 11 division equivalents as reinforcements (excluding units arriving north of Kimry), but it's small initially. Due to the multitude of independent battalions and larger divisions, the Germans have substantially more units here.

In my opinion, delayed disruption reporting is, at least initially, more of a German than a Soviet handicap, as the Soviets will have to "Urra!" their way (south)westwards in general through massed assaults. For the Germans, whether Soviet units/stacks are disrupted are not is crucial information, however.

The campaign is going to be a slow and methodical affair. This is no Bagration, which might also make it more rookie friendly than you might think on first glance, at least for the Soviets. A situation like what happened in one of the Kharkov 1943 games AAR'ed here, where the Soviets lose numerous divisions in a matter of days, is extremely unlikely.

In terms of campaigns, the January 6th campaign might case some problems because the attrition rates through artillery might be higher than in the full campaign due to the artillery units being near full strength in many cases, whilst the Germans have fewer men per unit and are in worse terrain.

The full campaign might be substantially longer, but it seems to have a natural flow, with both sides having the chance to do better than their historical counterparts.

[burroughs]

ComradeP, are You up for the challenge? I am organizing some support among my current opponents and I happen to have a few, to say the least. I am in the process of collecting resonse and feedback, but we still seem to need more men. Thanks for the input anyway, Kalinin front looks manageable indeed with the centre, Western Front under Zhukov being the biggest chunk of job.I'd rather steer away from that myself so the Soviet side is missing a vital link in the chain.

[Liebchen]

OK, I'm willing to take Zhukov is people can accept a less-than-speedy turnaround time from me.

If not, and ComradeP can/wants to do it, then go for it.

[burroughs]

OK, I'm willing to take Zhukov is people can accept a less-than-speedy turnaround time from me.

If not, and ComradeP can/wants to do it, then go for it.

Great, I've no problem with that, I'd take the Kalinin Front then, let's get Schmolyvar in the south if he still wants and I have one more guy, my current trusted and tested opponent whom I have been given a honour toi fight gfor well over a year now, Mark wuwu25 who feels happy to participate and asks which slots are open - I'd get him to the German staff, he's already a tested Axis leader and filed commander, in digital terms obviously enough.

[Liebchen]

So then:

Russians:
Kalinin Front: Burroughs
Western Front: Liebchen

Germans:
? : Schmolywar
? : Mark wuwu25

But Schmolywar, you said you wanted to be Russian. Does that stand, because I'm cool with Germans, as well.

[ComradeP]

It depends on my current opponent. It seems we need to restart our game in order for 61st Army to arrive for him, and I won't be able to play more than 4 turns per week presumably due to work and not wanting the condition of my wrists to worsen further. A team game, with a smaller force to control, would be a good option for me, but my first responsibility at the moment is waiting on what my opponent wants to do now. I'm guessing I'll know that tomorrow

[Liebchen]

Four turns per week is definitely out of my league.