1914_0917_01s: The Race to the Sea - FWWC 01 France '14
6 - 0 - 2
| Rating: | 6.87 (11) |
| Games Played: | 8 |
| SM: | 9 |
| Turns: | 246 |
| Type: | Stock |
| First Side: | Central Powers |
| Second Side: | Allied Powers |
Northern France, 17th September 1914: During the fighting on the Aisne, the French made weak attempts to turn the German flank near Noyon. The Germans countered the flanking attempt by sending additional forces to the area and stabilized the situation. As the fighting along the Aisne subsided, both sides recognized that the chance for a decisive victory was still possible if the completely open western flank could be turned. The Germans drew up plans to shift their focus to Flanders and seize the channel ports of Dunkerque, Calais, and Boulogne, and the Belgian fortified city of Antwerp had to be dealt with once and for all. The Allies simultaneously drew up plans to out flank the German armies and force them to retire back into Germany or be destroyed. As the Germans and Allies put their plans into motion, the front line began to race to the sea as both sides attempted to bring about the last hope for a quick victory. [Size: very large] *See the notes document for information on scenario design decisions and historical notes.
| Player Voting Stats | ||
|---|---|---|
| Member | Balance | Enjoyment |
 Mike Bowen |
Well Balanced | 10 |
 milrevko |
Well Balanced | 10 |
 jim pfleck |
Moderately Pro Central Powers | 7 |
 Uncle Dude |
Slightly Pro Central Powers | 8 |
| jim pfleck |
Slightly Pro Central Powers | 10 |
| Gaming Records | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Side Player | 2nd Side Player | Result | Score | ||||||
|
 |
jonnymacbrown | vs. | tquinn |  |
|
Allied Powers Major Loss | 18 | 162 |
|
 |
jim pfleck | vs. | Doctor |  |
|
Central Powers Major Victory | 162 | 18 |
|
|
jim pfleck | vs. | fabiominatti |  |
|
Allied Powers Major Victory | 162 | 18 |
|
|
Doctor | vs. | Landser34 |  |
|
Central Powers Major Victory | 162 | 18 |
|
|
jim pfleck | vs. | Landser34 | |
|
Allied Powers Major Victory | 162 | 18 |
It is hard to say about balance I think I got very lucky and did something unexpected (in desperation) that by chance meant I did very well
It would have been really interesting to play to the end. Once the French get behind the rivers it can be hard to get at them. In the game we played the French had taken major casualties and the German not only had a major victory but, I do not see how the French could even come back from the looses they took.
Very hard as the French to win and the turns, after 80 turns or so, can take 90 minutes each to play. But I had fun and the size of the map combined with the 3-5 hex visibility provided a lot of suspense.
lots of marching and lots of tension.
Both sides can attack and defend (although mostly the Germans are attacking). Lots of tension because of open flanks and reinforcements barely arriving in time. It involves a ton of marching so be warned.
The most recent scenario changes allow the Germans to get their reinforcements to the front rapidly and makes it very, very difficult for the French to hold a line and avoid being massively flanked.
I am wondering if anybody played it out to the bitter end; all 246 turns worth.
The Belgian Army needs to get into the game right away but they are fixed the whole game it seems. They finally do gradually release c. turn 150 but by then the Gremans are smashing into Antwerp. There is and can be no battle of Ypes. The German player easily rides north to the Channel Coast picking up dozens of 1000 VP objectives against no opposition.
I played the Germans. This Meeting Engagement scenario was lots of fun for me. I kept wondering: Where are the Allies? I was able to achieve what would have been an automatic victory by about turn 75. We played another fifty turns but nothing got better for the Allies. The designer needs to reconsider his decision to "fix" the Belgians in these long campaign games. They should all release when ANY units of the field army are triggered - not my division or brigade - that's just not realistic, I don't think. Also, to avoid gamey tactics by players who know the deployments of the Belgians and avoid triggering release, there should be a "line" of hexes which, if penetrated, automatically releases the Belgians.
){kind=link}