Site rules and rules carved in stone

[John Given]

Thanks for the post David - I've personally been meaning to get one of those for a while, but I keep putting it off.

Pat, I'm sure you're as honest a player as any on the boards, but nobody should really be replaying moves or turns. Folks can call you out for it, your rep can take a hit - you could even get banned.

As far as your fears of wrecking a game on turn one, remember that cautious recon is the way to go. For folks who have played me (especially my teammates), they will say "John sure is paranoid about taking casualties." Yep - because that's how you lose games. Be extremely cautious about losses you rack up, and be aware of what is causing your losses in a particular scenario. In most battles, it's enemy infantry and artillery that are the real killers, not enemy tanks.

Select ONE "expendable" infantry unit, and move him as far as possible in the direction you want to go. Even a double-timed infantry unit on a road can often move 5 hexes (if he doesn't go uphill). Move units like this out ahead of the rest of your force - nay - ALWAYS lead with infantry units at every opportunity. Vehicles, even trucks, are valuable, precious things that should always be protected.

This advice mainly applies to scenarios where you enter from the board edge into hostile territory, but it could also apply in any and all situations where you need to enter hostile territory that hasn't been scouted. Actually, except for a lot of early-war East Front scenarios (where you have huge maps but sparse numbers of units), I advise against scouting with vehicles. Use infantry - and never use engineers to scout or spot...they are rare and precious, and they also move more slowly.

Finally, if you even think your entry area is under observation, click on every tank and make sure there are no infantry passengers. Then unload all vehicles. Don't forget to make sure all your occupied hexes are unstacked (12 sp's max - and don't forget to include any wrecks).

Once you've secured a perimeter / bridgehead, you can move guys around in transports in your safe areas. And be sure to keep an eye on your flanks!! Otherwise, your "safe areas" will quickly disappear, possibly due to enemy recon. Perimeter security is mandatory if your opponent counterattacks. I can often win scenarios by striking enemy flank areas.

Last but not least - don't attack too aggressively. I've seen players do this to me often, and a savage, brutal attack rarely works. The "finesse" method (micromanaged attack) usually is best. Mounting friendly casualties are usually the first sign you're doing something wrong.

Hope this helped.