The Coil vs. Goliath - An Idiot's Guide to Beating Players Waaaay Better Than You...

[The Coil]

I believe I said "My panzers are waaaay too far forward, and potentially in trouble next turn".



That pretty much tells the story...I lose 3 panzers in about 20 seconds, to a gun and Stuarts out on the flanks. Such an emotional rollercoaster, this game. Time to back my last two panzers out, and try to hold on to what I got.

This is where CTs infantry is just going to wear me down, I'm afraid. Don't think my FJs will have enough ammo to hold the flags...

[The Coil]

Well, I'm just getting pummelled.

The carnage:


Guns, M10s and Stuarts on the flanks, and an assortment of AT units have taken their toll. All my panzers are dead, exchanged for precious few of CTs tanks.

Here's the overhead:


Note that I've still got both big flags! Maybe I'll try to get CT to agree to a cease-fire. :)

My FJs are holding on for now in the middle, but it's a matter of time before infantry, mortars, and HE root them out. My Stugs are angling to the right to take on CTs Stuarts and M10s on the hill, but they're gonna get beat up - they're outnumbered and will probably be outflanked by the time they get in position.

Playing for a few more points now, I think the inevitable is at hand, just a matter of time til CT destroys me...

Not fun, those last few turns. CT played it well, and just shredded my tank pack. A few things I probably should've done differently (you might think "oick more balanced forces' should be one thing, and I'd not disagree, but given my strategy, here's how I could've had more of a chance):

1) Straighter runs to the flags. I favored covered runs over speed, so I had too many waypoints, especially with green armor. Cost me half a turn, so CT beat me to the flags.

2) Runs that would've taken me through the flags, not just to the flags. My panzers on the right got to their flag fine, but were then trapped behind a large patch of rocky ground that would've taken turns to run through. If I'd have run them further left, they have been a bit more exposed, but could've finished off my pincer move on CT 2 or 3 turns quicker before his overwatch was in play.

3) If you're going to play the aggressive tank pack game, play it all the way. I got a bit spooked when I saw CT on the flags, slowed up and wasted a turn or two while he got into position and moved up his infantry. If I'd have kept coming hard, it would've probably worked out a bit better.

4) Taking all greens for armor. Missed too much, command delays too long. I tend to favor lots o' guys over quality, but it worked against me on this one. My boys were dying to CTs first and second shot kills from higher quality armor.

Well, this has been disheartening. After I won that last draw with CT, I was looking forward to convincingly whupping him, but this one was all him. Taunt CT about how he lost to you in a draw at your peril, lest you waken his fury. Some among you may say, "The Coil ain't for real. That draw he won must've been total luck. And that game he claims he was beating Leto in when Leto manufactured a DNF, I bet he wasn't winning at all. The Coil probably ducked out of that game while he could still claim he was in it, just before Leto lopped his head off. The Coil stinks." Never fear, my friends. In just a bit, whenever the heck Leto (who has taken like 2 weeks to do his setup, and I'm still waiting, Mr. Leto - is it fear that holds you back????) sends me a turn, you'll see how fluky this loss to CT was, when I lay a total victory (which, in my terms, means a draw) on Leto's hapless Germans.

[The Coil]

Well, the fight with CT continues to go poorly. Had a brief shot at redemption when my 3 Stugs catch 2 TDs in the open. I score an ineffectual partial pen, a host of misses, and that's about it. Backing out of the fight, CT waxes a Stug... *sigh*

During the shootout, my last mortar with HE left drops some rounds around the 2 TDs, hoping to KO one with a top hit. Interesting (in a sad way) that my most effective AT weapon this game has been an 81mm mortar. This time, no dice though.

This one is winding down. Unless my last 2 Stugs get their gunnery sorted out, there's no chance for me...

So it's looking like I better lay a convincing win on Leto if I want to salvage some dignity here...just got his setup back, updates to come soon...

[McIvan]

I think the green armour was a really bad idea...accuracy too low and too much backing away. Green is ok for area firing HE tanks, but not when you expect them to be fighting other tanks.

[The Coil]

McI - yep, wouldn't argue with that assessment. I'd have been better off with 2 platoons of higher quality panzers, and nixing the Stugs in exchange.

Although one of my Stugs just iced a Stuart. Stug was green and at a fast move. Nice display of gunnery, 10 turns too late...

[Colonel Talvela]

Meanwhile, another Stuart appears on the hill on the far right (I think that's what sniped a panzer earlier), and one of his little Brit recon cars goes skittering after my Grille, no doubt trying for a rear MG shot...

Note - this car was just trying to escape the pziv hoard and I thought the best place to go would be behind the hill. I thought I might find some heavy weapon stragglers, and actually didnt know you had a grille and stugs at that point. But at the point that you took the picture, something had killed my stuart commander, so he couldnt target. I was really excited about killing the grille with MG fire, but it didnt happen.

[The Coil]

Well, with my confidence at an all time low, off I go to take a poke at Leto. I like my force picks less, I like the map less...so this promises to be ugly.

Early on, some big caliber guns from Leto throw some smoke from behind the hill on the left...



Some big caliber whatever is shooting. A Brumbar? Would Leto be so bold? Or is it some Hummel/Grille somethin'? Leto is heading for the flag I've left (relatively) undefended. My boys on the right, riding M10s, hit the small flag unmolested. But I bog the HQ in open ground in full view of plenty of places that could conceal mortars/arty/armor... This bodes poorly.