Clash of Empires EP 14

[ComradeP]

Looking at the summer and winter campaigns, most seem to have some way that the relative immobility of one side or the long flank can be exploited, which is why I have so far been reluctant to play them. The Russian cavalry quality is poor on average, which means they're not good for the front but can be useful elsewhere.

In the summer 1914 campaign, the Germans have a wide open western flank blocked only by obstacles and a very thin screen. All it takes to block rail movement is a unit on the rail line. More units show up later on, but I don't really see how the garrison units in the west can contain a Russian player who knows where the Germans are and who wants to use that knowledge to send out his cavalry in small groups to block rail movement and capture rear area objectives, quite possibly even triggering sudden death.

The main problem I see for the Lodz campaign is that the Russians have a significant numerical advantage over time, and there is no reason why they can't pull back until they can overwhelm the Germans. Considering that the numerical odds are certainly stacked against them, it's surprising that the Germans gained ground at all historically, albeit with near disaster at Lodz.

Having said that, the campaigns will certainly be enjoyable to players who have limited to no knowledge of enemy dispositions, I just assume I'm fighting against someone who has played the scenario before and thus knows (roughly) where everything is.