Spring Awakening 45' - Questions for Designer

[Elxaime]

Hi James

Once a game is started, updated scenario files won't impact the game. Meaning the fixed units won't change, unfortunately.
Rick

Hi Rick -

Thanks, Pieter came up with an ingenious solution, which was to roll back the game to the earlier midnight, attach the perma-fixed two Soviet Corps to 27th Soviet Army, then they would release later that morning with 27th Soviet Army.

Hi Pieter -

With the coming update addressing the perma-fix issue, the north is fine.  I was speaking more to the west.

- the Bulgarian 16th ID releases on 0400 March 9.  However, its sister divisions of the same corps, 3rd Bulgarian, remain fixed until 0600 March 12.  
- the Soviet 6th Guards Rifle Corps starts unfixed, except for the 10th Guards AB Division, which doesn't release until 0600 March 11, when 57th Army is unfixed.

These are all front-line units.  It just seems that when part of a such a corps releases the whole corps should release. 

It isn't a big issue. I think shifting the main Axis attack to the west also has some real drawbacks, basically because so few high-value victory objectives are attainable in those areas. The Axis will need to get most of its victory points from Soviet casualties, which I think probably gets to a draw at best. Moving all the German armor around probably also causes a lot of vehicle breakdowns (Axis breakdown value in this scenario is 8). Finally, once a Soviet side player sees this "west strategy" once, there are some basic steps he can take to make it much less threatening (even if you don't touch any of the current Soviet release times in the area). It takes a very patient and skilled player like yourself to pull it off! I can't imagine the amount of reworking of corps reattachments that were needed.

I agree completely that carrying out the historical Axis attack in the north, between equal opponents, just leads to a bloodbath that the Axis will eventually come out on the losing end of, basically because of attrition to the Axis infantry. The Soviets have a LOT of artillery in that area. Historically, the German plan of attack looks insane. I suspect the designer may need to fiddle with the VP values and victory levels a bit to give the Axis player a better chance of a victory in "game" terms (e.g. by matching or exceeding historical performances).

Also agree about losses. In the other game I am in, as Axis, the historical northern frontal assault has left both armies in tatters by the end of the third day.

James