Moscow '42 balance opinions thus far?

[ComradeP]

Possibly, but I'm still new to the series, so if the defender indeed has some advantages, a more experienced player will presumably be able to do more with them than me.

There's also the point that he would know what I would be trying, so he can prepare for it and thus prepare a much more effective response than someone who would just be advancing with a small reserve.

I also stand by my point that you don't need to play a full campaign to observe the long term effects of replacement rates on Fixed units.

Maybe a toggle in the editor for whether a unit, when Fixed, can receive replacements would be a way to deal with the starting strengths both sides will have in the northernmost and central parts of the front when the offensives in those areas start. Currently, there's a significant gap between what both sides start the short scenarios for the central sector with, and the starting strengths they'll really have on December 13th/14th in a campaign game, where German infantry battalions will have 500-600 men or more (many might even be near full strength) and the Soviet units that started with 400 men will be (about) full strength.

The replacement rates can currently be higher than they would be with the "regular" strength recovery rate, also because it seems to work based on the full theoretical strength of the unit using the manual's explanation of the replacements system (according to, I believe, Strela) and not the losses of the unit like how the regular strength replacement system is explained in the manual, which means there's not much of a slowdown in drawing replacements as units start to approach full strength.

We end up with the peculiar situation that the replacement rates will indeed allow only a trickle of replacements to come in for active combat areas where the defender makes a stand, but an above average amount of replacements in quiet/rear areas. In 25 turns (a bit more than 3 days) worth of replacements, infantry battalions in the central sector have recovered between 100 en 200 men. Some more, some less. When they can recover undisturbed, the potential to recover losses is much greater than with the quality based system.

Mostly the German units east and south of Tula (and the units of 3. and 4. Panzergruppe that are deep in the woods) have such a low local supply value that they receive barely any replacements. The German units having a higher maximum strength than their Soviet counterparts lessens the impact of the turns when they receive no replacements (because they will still, on average, receive more on the turns when they do receive replacements). It will need to be tested, but that might also mean that the Germans don't receive less replacements than the Soviets at all (the idea behind using this rule instead of the strength recovery rule, according to the notes I believe, as the Germans would otherwise gain more replacements due to their units being of a higher quality) as soon as they pull back to at least 50 local supply hexes.

The difference in replacement rates is most pronounced for Panzer units, when the Germans start to consolidate them, as for some reason the Germans can merge units from two different Panzer battalions provided they're with the same division. That results in bigger units, and the replacement system favours bigger units.

I'm personally not looking forward to being the Soviet player that has to assault (nearly) full strength 4. and 9. Armee units in bunkers, as those assaults are going to be bloody and quite possibly pointless.