PzC Tips & Tactics Time Again!

[Kool Kat]

Gents:  

After a year of playing this superb and classic game series... it's time to share some tips and tactics again!

PzC Tips & Tactics - In no order.

1. Don't allow your units to be surrounded and cutoff from supply. Isolated units will eventually Disrupt and are eliminated.

2. Use Travel mode when your units are traveling behind the lines or you need them to move a set distance - then deploy at the end of their movement. Never leave them in T-mode near the front lines. Always screen units in T-mode with deployed units. IF you must leave a unit in T-mode in a stack near the front lines, always move a deployed unit to the "top" of the stack so your opponent cannot "see-at-glance" that an enemy unit was left in T-mode. Same goes for "shielding" HQ units in a stack - move a non-HQ deployed unit to the "top" of the stack.

3. Disperse ALL enemy units in a stack before Assaulting them. It increases the chances of a successful assault.

4. Use recon and motorized units to provide flank protection and to make surgical thrusts behind enemy lines as needed.

5. Never use HQ units as defending units in your front lines. These units cannot attack and do not have ZOCs. In a recent PzC game, my German opponent used a HQ unit in such a manner and I was able to surge past the enemy HQ and was able to move many of my armor and motorized units into his back field!

6. Use recon air assets to search for suspected enemy HQs, artillery, and units in T-mode behind enemy lines. You can then follow-up with any revealed enemy units with either bomber assets or (if in range), some well-placed artillery bombardments.

7. Keep your formations intact. Keep battalions of the same regiment together (either stacked or within 1-2 hexes of each other) so you do not suffer a mixed formation penalty (using other units) when attacking / assaulting the enemy.

8. Keep HQs within supply / command range of their attached units so your units do not suffer "out of supply" penalties - e.g. attack at half strength.

9. Practice good morale and fatigue management of your units - especially in the longer turn scenarios. Units that suffer yellow or red fatigue levels will have their morale reduced. This will result in combat ineffectiveness by increasing the chances of Disruption and having your units Broken. Cycle out fatigued units and have them rest (do nothing) behind your lines for several turns. Fatigue increases during night movement / combat so avoid these activities (if possible) during night turns. Also, units reduce more fatigue during night turns - again if they do nothing. I recently played a German opponent in an El Alamein '42 scenario. He aggressively attacked my British defense force nearly across the entire map and non-stop (day and night cycles). By not effectively managing his German and Italian unit fatigue / morale levels, his force rapidly lost combat readiness and cohesion. At the approximately halfway mark of our game, I was able to mount a counter offense and rolled up his right flank!     

10. Cycle through every unit / every turn to ensure you do not overlook them and make sure you consciously do "something" with each of your units - Attack, defend, use as a reserve, etc.

11. It's best to stack armor with assaulting infantry and not have armor assault alone.

12. Check the hard / soft target ranges of your units. Some infantry MG's has a 2 range against soft targets and some armor has a 2 range against hard targets. If you are fortunate to have some superb AT assets (e.g 88's), check their attack value + range. You may be surprised how far these units can project their firepower and against both soft and hard targets!

13. Use infantry units (when possible) to "dig in" as these units will build IPs and Trenches faster then armor units. Use engineers to "dig in" as these units have a better percentage change of successfully digging per turn. Note - artillery units can "dig in" too, but seem to do better with constructing IPs then Trenches. HQ units cannot "dig in."

14. Use your Artillery dialogue box so you don't miss using your artillery assets. It's usually best to bombard enemy positions before the ground pounders go in.

15. Save your game turn often. It's a good practice to save periodically during your move / combat phases so you will not lose any moves if you experience a SW crash, leave your PC unattended, curious kids or pets come to visit, etc. I once had a cat that loved to jump up on the desk and lie across my PC keyboard!

16. Try to move dispersed units in the front lines behind deployed units so they may recover from disruption and cannot be attacked / assaulted by enemy ground units.

17. Ensure you understand any engineer unit and their capabilities that are part of your OOB. Note on the unit description if the engineer unit has a bridge. For example, in Kharkov 42, the Russian has engineer sapper units that do NOT have a bridge and some that do! You don't want to move an engineer unit adjacent to a river only to find out that it does not have a bridge!  

18. Enjoy and have fun! I "discovered" the superb PzC series about a year ago and I have never looked back at CS or most other PC games. The PzC series is "elegant simplicity" with the right mix of grognard features. I get to re-live my early war gaming years of pushing around stacks of cardboard counters on a paper map with the familiar NATO symbols - now digitized for the PC screen. Often, I will conduct my turns early in the AM with a hot cup of coffee and a quiet house. Many times I will sit down to conduct my turns and when I look up - a hour or more has passed. Enjoyable times!    


What other "tips and tactics" do PzC vets have to share with us?                

[larsonney]

  

Great post!! All things I have learned the hard way over the years!! Which annoys me when I occasionally make the same mistakes now lol!! Thanks for taking the time to share this!! Jon

[Warhorse]

Thanks a bunch, Mike! As a recent player to the whole Panzer Campaigns system, these come in quite handy. Reading the manual as well, but it helps to have insight from others when starting out!

[onesixthsoldier]

Excellent list! I am new to Panzer Campaigns. I have played a few scenarios from Tobruk '41 and Smolensk '41. In fact, larsonney, (Jon) and I have been playing scenarios from Smolensk. I appreciate his patience and willingness to assist.

Question: which options are preferred for PBEM games? which options are preferred for solo games?

Thank You!

[Kool Kat]

Excellent list! I am new to Panzer Campaigns.  I have played a few scenarios from Tobruk '41 and Smolensk '41.  In fact, larsonney, (Jon) and I have been playing scenarios from Smolensk.  I appreciate his patience and willingness to assist.

Question:  which options are preferred for PBEM games?  which options are preferred for solo games?

Thank You!

Gents:  

For PBeM games, I usually go with the default Optional Rules since the scenario was play tested using these rule options.

Note - Do NOT use any Optional Rules (other then the default ones for the scenario) without understanding the impact they have on game play! It is a misconception that using more Optional Rules makes the scenario more "realistic" or "improves" game play. All players should reference the excellent post in the "Important Threads" section that details all Optional Rules and their impact on game play.

https://www.theblitz.club/message_boards...?tid=47923


For solo (Human versus AI) games, I do not play against the computer, so I cannot advise on what Optional Rules to use against HAL.

[Mr Grumpy]

Excellent post, some very useful information!

In regards to 9) as Mike alludes to unit fatigue maintenance is almost a game within a game and ignoring rising fatigue amongst your units will lead to almost certain defeat especially in scenarios of 50+ turns, too many players try to fight a 24/7 battle ignoring the need to rest and cycle fresh units in, many players ignore the increased fatigue suffered on night moves (if using the night fatigue opt rule which most titles have as a default option) and also don't realise that if you break a battalion down into its component units those units suffer increased fatigue (read fatigue section for more info). 

I remember a Sicily campaign I played early on in my playing days and I thought it would be a good idea to break down my German battalions and distribute them amongst my weak Italian units to take advantage of their A quality rating, but of course my opponent simply targeted them with all his direct fire/arty/airstrikes and I discovered to my horror that a company with zero fatigue could accumulate 150 points of fatigue in only a couple of turns!

Only when I re-read the fatigue rules did I realise what was going on.

Obviously there will be occasions when breaking down your battalions is unavoidable, but the trick is to try to limit fatigue in everyway possible and in general your forces will perform better over time, remember that any unit with a manpower strength of 100+will show up as XXX with FOW, so a 101 strength unit and a 999 strength unit appear the same and it is possible to try to hide the fact your unit is a broken down company.

In regards to 3) remember that in assault the calculation is based on the lowest quality rating for the attacking units and the highest for the defending units, a whole stack of B quality units could assault using the D quality modifier due to one small lower quality unit being included in the assaulting stack.

In regards to 5) if a player has HQ's in the front line he is either desperate and on the verge of defeat or does not understand the game system to realise why this is such a bad tactic.

[Fhil]

Great topic!

 I absolutelly agree with the cycling of units. I would add to that: ALWAYS keep some reserve. Both on a tactical and operational level and wait for the critical moment to throw them into the attack, in the same time pulling out tired units to rest and create a reserve from them. It´s very hard to resist that temptation to send them in there already and also to correctly guess that critical moment.

[Kool Kat]

Great topic!

 I absolutely agree with the cycling of units. I would add to that: ALWAYS keep some reserve. Both on a tactical and operational level and wait for the critical moment to throw them into the attack, in the same time pulling out tired units to rest and create a reserve from them. It´s very hard to resist that temptation to send them in there already and also to correctly guess that critical moment.

Hi Fhil:  

This is so true! 

Players must keep a reserve to guard against enemy breakthroughs, bolster defending units, and to throw into an offensive thrust at a critical moment.

In a current PBeM game, I have a good reserve that is also defending a VP hex. Many times I have been tempted to move it to reinforce a faltering defensive line... but have kept it intact and not committed. It remains to be seen what impact (if any?) it will have on our current game... but without being disciplined and keeping a reserve force, I would have limited options.

Again, on face value, PzC is a "simplistic appearing" game... but there is so MUCH more to it! Players who work to uncover and learn these nuances will be rewarded with better play and a more rewarding and fun experience! 

[Fhil]

Great topic!

 I absolutely agree with the cycling of units. I would add to that: ALWAYS keep some reserve. Both on a tactical and operational level and wait for the critical moment to throw them into the attack, in the same time pulling out tired units to rest and create a reserve from them. It´s very hard to resist that temptation to send them in there already and also to correctly guess that critical moment.

Hi Fhil:  

This is so true! 

Players must keep a reserve to guard against enemy breakthroughs, bolster defending units, and to throw into an offensive thrust at a critical moment.

In a current PBeM game, I have a good reserve that is also defending a VP hex. Many times I have been tempted to move it to reinforce a faltering defensive line... but have kept it intact and not committed. It remains to be seen what impact (if any?) it will have on our current game... but without being disciplined and keeping a reserve force, I would have limited options.

Again, on face value, PzC is a "simplistic appearing" game... but there is so MUCH more to it! Players who work to uncover and learn these nuances will be rewarded with better play and a more rewarding and fun experience! 

Well, there´s one more advice: Be quiet, the enemy is listening!

Exactly, one always learns something new in these great games. Another advice I have: always try do to something unexpected! Or at least, make the enemy believe you´re going to do such a thing

Also, there´s a psychological dimension to these battles. In later titles, only the apperance of heavy German machines like Tigers and Panthers can convince the Soviet opponent you´re going to defend the sector at all costs, while you really want to save these for as long as possible instead of sending them into a direct fight with his tank forces.

Another tip regarding the offensive action, more exactly river crossing: always pick up a point or two where it is ideal to cross the river and go for that area! Choose a hex for creating a bridge where it will be least vunerable to enemy direct fire from the opposite bank. Of course, the ideal spot is the one that is completly out of sight for your opponent. A lot of players forgets to guard the rivers, one good aimed tactical attack through the river by a division at night can completely shock your opponent.

[Plain Ian]

Gents:  

After a year of playing this superb and classic game series... it's time to share some tips and tactics again!

PzC Tips & Tactics - In no order.

11. It's best to stack armor with assaulting infantry and not have armor assault alone.

13. Use infantry units (when possible) to "dig in" as these units will build IPs and Trenches faster then armor units. Use engineers to "dig in" as these units have a better percentage change of successfully digging per turn. Note - artillery units can "dig in" too, but seem to do better with constructing IPs then Trenches. HQ units cannot "dig in."
          

11. The user manual talks about penalties from not having 'combined arms' or infantry support but strangely enough ALL the examples shown are assaults with infantry? There is no example showing what happens if you assault with pure armour? Of course the armour should all be at half strength. 

For 48 Panthers in Bulge this doesn't make a difference I guess. Also for most 'grognards' who only assault Disrupted units then it also does not make any difference.

13. Infantry units dig in quicker than armour? Mmmh thats not in the manual or in the pdt?