New Difficulty Level for Grand Campaign

[goose_2]

Started Wassigny last night at least first 7 days...layout and execution so far is going excellently...1st recon awarded +2 Attack hero...other than that proceeding at a pace to minimize losses, maximize destruction/prestige, and hopefully garner the Decisive...probably into this weekend...

Arrass is the bigger question and problem./?

[AnalogGamer]

Arras is a choice.

Go conservative and meld the three initial incursions into a mass driving to the bottom VL.

Keep the Northern Force intact with air support and drive for every secondary you can gobble up.

If the second option is done correctly, it is fun and adds prestige and chance for hero. If done poorly, you break even and get chances for heroes.

I subscribe to the Conan school of armored warfare, so nothing was left when I went there. It's bloody... but heroes are born in blood.

[goose_2]

Arras is a choice.

Go conservative and meld the three initial incursions into a mass driving to the bottom VL.

Keep the Northern Force intact with air support and drive for every secondary you can gobble up.

If the second option is done correctly, it is fun and adds prestige and chance for hero. If done poorly, you break even and get chances for heroes.

I subscribe to the Conan school of armored warfare, so nothing was left when I went there. It's bloody... but heroes are born in blood.

What was the make up of your army brought into Arras?

If I am following your advice it is to concentrate on North area and press south from there to dominate the Southern Force in Arras itself...

Did that really work, and did you have to give up your Southern part of the map only to seize it later with your overwhelming Northern Force?

I have not seen this done so I am having trouble wrapping my mind around this idea.

[AnalogGamer]

I divided my force into three at start. One for each immediate VL. The northern force had about five units and air support. The other two forces merged and continued to the SW corner while the northern force did it's thing.

My smaller mobile force always gets air support.

[dalfrede]

Being defensive in Arras has worked for me.

In the middle clear out the allied units you find, do not approach the center objective. Place infantry in terrain.

In the south clear out the allied units and take the first objective, set up a defensive line using the terrain.

In the north place infantry in the cities, backed by artillery, flanked by tanks. Wait.

Use air force for attacks in center and south. Then split air force for 'defense' in north and south.

ARRAS.jpg (106.18 KiB) Viewed 3200 times

The British will come to you, no need to get aggressive. The major attacks are in the north and south, but you already know this.
The picture is from the editor

[captainjack]

Last time I played Arras I tried a similar approach - holding line south, main thrust in the upper half so that I could attack the left hand objectives from the north.

It worked quite well - never really got easy but it also never really got hard either.

[AnalogGamer]

It does get bloody with a split force, but it gets the job done. If you don't like losing strength points, stay conservative in a single blob and just whittle them down on the ooze to the SW.

All I have is the deployed phase save. Don't remember how I went about doing what I did. My Northern Force consisted of... 1x Me109, 1x Bf110, 1x SE PzIIIF, 1x PzJagar, 1x Fallschirm(deployed ground), 1x Wehr, 1x 105, 1x Sturmpanzer.

I brought more air assets up as needed, when I triggered attacks. Took my lumps, then swept ahead until next attack.

I am a little Kampfgruppe krazy though. My smaller groups can roam with more freedom, especially once Russia is reached.

[goose_2]

Being defensive in Arras has worked for me.

In the middle clear out the allied units you find, do not approach the center objective. Place infantry in terrain.

In the south clear out the allied units and take the first objective, set up a defensive line using the terrain.

In the north place infantry in the cities, backed by artillery, flanked by tanks. Wait.

Use air force for attacks in center and south. Then split air force for 'defense' in north and south.

ARRAS.jpg

The British will come to you, no need to get aggressive. The major attacks are in the north and south, but you already know this.
The picture is from the editor

This is great stuff...I wish it was clearer...and is this the unit composition that you used for this map?

Heavy up North. If you need to sit and wait until they beat their head against your defensive wall, how long is that, in other words when do I need to start moving forward to taking the Victory hexes?

I have also been doing research on this old thread:
www.slitherine.com/forum/viewtopic.php? ... as#p448500
captain jack's post is helpful

also my old playthrough on Field Marshall where I was able to garner the Decisive Victory:
viewtopic.php?f=145&t=65111&p=566228&hi ... as#p566228

I finished Wassigny last night and will try Arras at some point this weekend, I think.

[dalfrede]

This is great stuff...I wish it was clearer...and is this the unit composition that you used for this map?

Heavy up North. If you need to sit and wait until they beat their head against your defensive wall, how long is that, in other words when do I need to start moving forward to taking the Victory hexes?

I play on a different computer so I don't have my unit composition.

In the north the attack comes ~ turn 4. There are 24 turns and a not large map, once the attacks are defeated you have plenty of time to capture the VHs.

Note: do not leave the southwest most hex for last, the allies will spawn units making it hard to capture.
Before you capture the second to last VH, send a Krad around their flank and either take the hex or at least move next to it to prevent spawning.

[AnalogGamer]

After reviewing the posts here, and what I can remember from Arras, there is yet another option.

The SW VL is a unit spawn, so must be negated. It also had quite a few units pre-deployed in the area. This looks like a job for...

The Three Amigos. Three Fallschirm dropped behind the VL, after drawing off the deployed units with a triggering attack from the East/North arc. Any time between turns 14-19 would probably be ideal. Feint in with fully supported ground groups. Then while they fend off the attack, drop the paras and scoop up the VL.

[goose_2]

Ok so I am playing and will stop for the night as I want to get some decent sleep for hopefully an early wake up call to watch Braccada try himself out on Albert Canal, blind, on Rommel...
I think that is a tough battle and looking forward to how he handles the idea of focusing on getting a Decisive or going after secondary objectives...you can do both, but it is extremely difficult and something blind would be tough to do.

I have started Arras. I am at the start of Turn 10...I could not be a pansy and wait in the recommended kill zone, and used my advantages in studying the map to set up nice ambushes and alternative kill zones...as such I currently have all of the First Northern wave wiped out and been using an aux recon and the Main Victory hex at Perenchies to set up an awesome kill zone trap...as such the first wave in the North is 1 unit shy of being wiped out...I will research tomorrow if there is a 2nd wave in the North...if not we will start pushing for more kill zones in the 2ndary Objectives, or bring them to the South...I have not decided.

I also have grabbed Carvin in the central Victory hex...I know it is early but I saw a chance and I took it.


In the south I have 2 inf units to finish off in the First Arras wave...and now I need to plan out for the next...even tougher 2nd wave...

I have been pulling off some amazing stuff with my 88's...Love those guys.


Hoping to finish some time tomorrow, but might need to be this week.


I will keep you posted.

[goose_2]

Quick Update...this morning busted through 7 more rounds and am at the start of Round 17...a couple of mistakes, but overall doing quite well as we have destroyed the 2nd Central Attack Wave, and are beginning to deal with the 2nd Arras attack wave. Hoping to swing around from the North to come up behind Arras, and finally finish off Arras in an overwhelming pincer move...8 rounds to do it in...no problem...

[goose_2]

Quick Update...finished Arras last night before bed...I tried finishing it in the afternoon while kids were in quiet time, but power went out in my home for some reason and lost everything, including 2 heroes awarded...in fact 2nd hero on my +1 movement 88, but oh well...good thing I had that save on Round 17...anyway...Decisive Victory and total domination of the map finished 1 day early...of course I spent a lot of prestige to do it, but it felt great...

Based on this costing me much more prestige than on my French run I will probably keep French run as more prestige and I was awarded SE Pz3F in French run on Calais Map, and nothing for British Calais run...

I will pause on my runs until I can get sometime to type up my AAR's, as such I have started Colmar Pocket on my Guderian West 45 Blind run, first 2 days...painful..but surviving for now...

Also some of my mp matches are getting worried about my absence

[goose_2]

Ok so I am caught up with typing up AAR's and will try to get replays out to Hurly...sometime...

But I am unsure when I will find time to play this weekend...

I am in the middle of Colmar Pocket...I am going to lose some core units because I played it wrong...so i am having trouble accepting that, but will try to finish this weekend...

I feel ready for Amiens and Calais ... These maps are easier than the last ones, although the French one has serious challenges which I believe I will do some overstrengthening to help chances of success...

It is absolutely imperative that I get Decisive's in the next mission as I want to play Dunkirk...

The plan is to continue to build all units to 1st hero and 2 stars exp...I will buy new units for artillery and AA, maybe 1 more recon, but I think the army I have now is adequate and need to focus on a much more slimmed down group of units than in my other playthroughs.

Blessings on your weekend!

[goose_2]

Well I started Amiens this weekend. A bit of a tough slog...but going well...I saved it on Turn 12 after I was awarded +3 Att hero for Fallschimjaeger and that is a good thing as it is a halfway point and I felt after 3 more rounds that I needed to rethink that round as I used the wrong focus for my air units, as I have a lot of ground units that are clustered around and I focused on eliminating the enemies airforce and unfortunately after 3 more rounds they were no longer clustered and as such made their destruction more difficult, so i am going back to Round 12 after awarded that +3 Attack hero and instead focusing on destroying the force on the ground clustered together...

They key is I need to get that Decisive as I want to make it to Dunkirk...

[AnalogGamer]

Nice pick-up for your Fallschirm. At the level you play at, those really matter. Good Luck!

[goose_2]

Yeah! That is the way to go...sticking to the ground has made a huge difference as I have the ground wave almost eliminated and This map will be mine as I am on Round 17 and they cannot purchase enough stuff to prevent me from taking the rest of the map, so slow steady progress will assure me this map for sure...but the greater amazement is the awarding of 2 additional +3 attack heroes...so that makes 5 or 6 units that have +3 Attack heroes...just incredible!!!

I will try to get the map done, but it is getting harder and harder to find time as we have started school again so I am teaching my kids Math at night as well as time for Catechism training so...not a lot of extra time.
On top of that I will be gone all weekend as we are going to visit some fellow homeschooling Lutherans who are willing to host a family of 10...not an invitation that we want to pass up, so if i get done tonight I will try to type up an AAR Thursday and Friday, but it might have to wait for next week, but at least maybe I will get more time today to type up some more Guderian and Manstein playthrough info.

Blessings

[goose_2]

I did it....last night I found some time to sit down and bust out the remaining days in Amiens...

So Amiens is in the can...

The end was actually more difficult than I initially thought as I was unable to utilize most of my airforce, because Amiens was bristling with 4 AA's guarding it. I needed to swing around, which is highly recommended for anyone playing this map...and pressured over the river to prevent more purchases...
Need to concentrate on those arty's raining death on your units, which surprisingly were the most damaged units in my playthrough were my 2 SE Pz3F's...

They are extremely vulnerable at this stage, I am hoping that I can build them up to something great but currently they need to remain protected...

I was not awarded anymore heroes, but I am starting Dunkirk with 3000 prestige, which is leaving me with the hope that I will be able to finish 1940 with 6 maybe even 7000 in prestige which was more than the 5000 I was hoping for.

I have decided I have been awarded so many great first heroes for almost all of my infantry that I will probably not be buying any more new infantry except for maybe a Kradschutzen...I will breakdown all my inf and my thoughts on where to take them for upgrades at the end of 1940...

My thoughts are, that I will finish my British scenario Calais next week, but since I already know that I will not be keeping that playthrough I will go balls to the wall and deck out my force with full overstrength destruction to hopefully help dominate the map...less thinking that way...

Not sure when I will be able to start Dunkirk as will be gone this weekend, and after watching idlecleese's and Night Phoenix's playthrough of Budapest 44 I am itching to give it a shot on Manstein...

I was not expecting to pull off a Decisive on that one, but watching Night Phoenix's playthrough really has started giving me hope.

He really makes it look so easy.

[goose_2]

Last night while my wofe slept after our big trip I busted through Calais...
Like I said I went balls out on the playthrough thinking I would just roll the map, but you still need to be careful in your approach and I still lost a Panzerjaeger based on my rush forward approach. Not my smartest playthrough so please do not follow my lead but I will detail my aar sometime...hopefully today

[goose_2]

Nothing new to report on the super difficult campaign yet, as I was busy playing some mp this past weekend and 2 attempts on Budapest 44 on my Manstein playthrough.

1st one was not going well at all in the North and Center which came into focus after Round 6, so I restructured my layouts there and am on turn 14 on my 2nd playthrough.

It is going much better, but unsure I will be able to garner the needed Decisive on this map. I am surrendering so many units every single turn but they just keep coming, and coming, and coming.

These endless hordes are crazy.

I hope to finish before this weekend as I have Thursday off, but am going on Holiday with my wife Friday and Saturday for some much needed time alone with my loving spouse.

I am prepared to do Dunkirk, it will just have to wait for me to finish weeding through Budapest 44.