Desert Dave

Good to see you back and active, Boardwalk Raconteur, It's always a pleasure to read Your quite unique - give & takes. Yes, I'm also sorry to see The Man go. We need more, and more, and MORE Like him. Thousands more. Then, maybe, we can get rid of some Of the many Life-Killers Stalking around out there.

Good luck with that, SM, get you And the family, and friends, Safe and sound. And, anyone else out there in same situation, Likewise.

Home is ol' SM, Home from the Sea, and - if you will, An SC-information Hunter! Home hale from the dale & hill. This most-excellent idea has been very much discussed, but I just don't think it's going to make it this go-round... though, Hubert has been springing some fine SURPRISES of late, so, who can absolutely say? But, probably not, for now. Let me clarify a little. A while back I had said that sovereign nation of Iran would allow the player to "re-enact" a kind of Persian Lend-Lease route by allowing Russia, in a sense, a clear shot at Iran, provided they can live with the diplomatic penalties. The resulting MPP gain would duplicate the actual amount sent by the Western Allies, give or take. Thus far, there is NOT any specific Lend-Lease application... as there is with USA sending MPP's to Britain and, Britain to Russia (... really, just forwarding USA dollars, with some "juice" for the station agent, of course! LOL!). So. What I am saying is this: Hubert hasn't made a FINAL decision on, oh... 3 or 4 or 5 different ways that this LL might be handled. HOWEVER the default game ends up, even if you as Russian Player must DoW Iran and somehow muster enough berserkers to take the capital of Tehran, **You CAN use your imagination and cobble together some kind of "script" (... from several that would probably work in this instance) and create the PRECISE kind of "Persian Lend-Lease Land Route" that you might want. Same as with those who have asked for a supply convoy from Italy <-> Libya. The thing is... there are SO many ways to play. And, there are so-o-o many editor options To ... up and opt to. :cool:

No way Edwin P, can it be ignored, NOT in this political game. To add to what Bill has said, and to *bump* That crude Mark Twain manque, I'll mention this... no longer Can you safely say - hey! Once USA is IN the game, THEN I can run rampage all over the place! Because, EACH aggression WILL result In reactions by OTHER countries, usually Those nearby. For one example... IF Russia decides, While they are awaiting GErman onslaught, To attack Finland, or Iran, For the resources AND the badly desired Experience for the pale-red units, well, In the first instance, Sweden Will probably raise a ruckus, and In the other, should USSR send beserkers Down through the mountains to take Tehran? Well, Turkey would most probably squawk. **[NOTE: This is a case where USA would NOT be bothered much... IF Britain was able To muster enough forces to take Iran BEFORE Russia - remember, USSR And UK/USA are potentially "Allied" but are "uncooperative," well SOMEBODY probably should open The "Persian Lend-Lease" route, true? Especially if the GErman Player builds Lots of U-boots and can effectively Shut off the "Arctic convoys"] And, those "gamey" invasions, say, Like Allies taking Benelux early? so To put a stick in the spokes of the Pz 3's? Ah, but Sweden & Switzerland (... those "peacenik" nations, LOL!) will likely Move toward Axis collaboration. How much? That's a random number, but there IS A small chance that it could Be a significant advance. (... let's say, oh, GErman Player has Secretly been courting Switzerland, and Then there is aggravation caused by Allied aggression, well, maybe you would See powerful Swiss Guard armies Marching - Kiev to Rostov?) Then, of course, being alert (... and keeping an eye on the Diplo Map) You would probably have to spend Scarce MPP's in order to - try to un-do That particular - rash act of State. This is true all over the map. In almost every single instance. Unlike how it used to be, as when You were a youth - playing Army manuevers Right on through the neighbor's Prize winning! tulips :eek: Well, you just can't get away with much Of anything, these days. [ September 18, 2005, 08:23 AM: Message edited by: Desert Dave ]

Righteous riffs, I get it/I dig it - jjr & moon-enthused. It's one good reason why ol' Immer Bit the dust, or was it? A plastic befit mouth-piece? ah tra-la, Play them side-pipes in full kilt chord, It's that reckless tectonic drift, yea, Either one Tastes - reeks! of... hinge-of-Hell rust. It's why he's delighted, I say you, To be lonesome harpoon dude, ne'er bored, In that there... dun desert loon-bin. It's why he's MAD about nothing old, Nothing is now, nothing's never new. Them Euro young guns! Are... coming? :eek: Big blaspheme. That ain't news. They've ALWAYS been coming. They've always been careening along Der sehr harshen Strasses And the pretty petit Rue l'avenues. And, ho hum, they... always will. Pretend the majesty - mimic Mr Sisyphus That is, and ever always be... half-way Down the hill. (... WHO's! so callow only now? Well, Take yer bow, Crooners, cuz sooner than later YOU will suffer the face-less Fate Of... LOSING! to... a blue-rouged Come hither kinda faux Fraulein In die hazen Cabaret - innen einen Berlin) NO GOOD Players in USA? LOLOLOLOLOLOL! Apparently, You Cats ain't been rock-rolling 'round The real-deal, knock-down towns, Like... Roswell, or Lompoc, Or Cote d' Abilene, or Even - Indian-limned - Terre Haute! LOL! _____________________________________ And BTW... it's way past time To jettison that flame-lame, most passe Sig-line, k-worth. The Man has paid 'is dues. Most, you NEVER even heard about, eh? [ September 15, 2005, 09:11 AM: Message edited by: Desert Dave ]

You got the down beat, jjr. John Fogerty... knows things. Always has. Go back and listen To ALL them Bad Moon tunes, and you'll learn The REAL America. :cool:

You got the down beat, jjr. John Fogerty... knows things. Always has. Go back and listen To ALL them Bad Moon tunes, and you'll learn The REAL America. :cool:

Lars, ... twice re-marking. </font>

Well, as Bill has already mentioned, the delayed arrival of units from the build queue WILL change Barbarossa somewhat. Since Russia is an "inactive Major Power," IE, low production, with few units on the board (... although they MIGHT decide to send some of those to attack Finland, or Iran - but, then, they'd be vulnerable to an early GErman surprise assault, ah, all the variables!), The essential thing is that they have ENOUGH of the PROPER sort of defenders... once them black boots commence the long, knife-like march. OK. Everyone knows by now that there is a LOT more room to maneuver in Russia. LOTS more. This makes it tough for them GErmans as well, since they probably have to garrison all those areas where partisans might arrive, not to mention the Atlantic Wall, and so, they too have a potentially disastrous "manpower" problem. What to do? Should Russia buy mostly corps so to defend, as per usual, the up-front cities and behind the rivers? OR? Do they spend more on research (... particularly the Industrial improvements, and the infantry weapons and anti-tank to forestall the Panzers?) OR? Do they opt for a decently rated HQ and an Armor unit or 2... so to inflict maximum damage once that dreaded first winter has arrived? Point being, Russian Player - in a real sense, NOW has an "active role" and must make solid decisions WRT future defensive/offensive S&T. And so, we are back to... EACH player will make unique choices, and thus & so, EACH game will be a little different, every single time. And this - for the GErmans also, depends on making decisions about the kinds of deployments that will get them where they want to go... whether that is North Afrika or angling up north to cut off lend lease shipments by taking Archangel... WELL in ADVANCE (... assuming you play default game and use that challenging build queue). For example, GErmany NEEDS to have most of their Barbarossa build decisons made, oh, by late 1940 or early 1941. All in all, the Russian Campaign is MUCH MORE volatile and requires better long range planning. There will be ample opportunities for "blitz & surround," beat the non-retreaters into the ground - with the soon following infantry sloggers. Like that, first, for the GErmans. Later, for the Russians. Should be VERY interesting. :cool:

My severest fear, even Greater than EP's concern About some wayward stray Comet, Is that jjr will survive To 80-something as well :eek: And he will search Coast to coast, Salt pillar to post and - finally, Find me. In the hollow of a Redwood Tree, calm, Contemplating all things naval. And he will saunter on up, And make that almost inaudible sound Of... one hand - clapping, and ask: "Say old hank & rag guy, when we gonna get - SC-9? " LOLOLOL!

LOLOL! Brings to mind an old 60's song: "Get it on! Bang the Gong, Get it on." :cool: What you think, Tag-Man? We been fiddling & twiddling? Nix, nix - new guy on the impetuous quest. See, we been... burning down the House! The House of the Rising Sun, Where them decrepit game ideas Retire to die. They are hank & rag and pick-up sticks. A shock of thistle where hair usta be. The Gong what's been bing banged? Is... the sound of a solitary note a'float, One persistent chord - ever in yer ear, IE, Heark to it! SC-2 Blitzkrieg! is Coming... clear, getting... near.

Seafarer, Like the difference between A '57 Ford Fairlane convertible (... with fold away top - this is a "classic" just as SC the Original is :cool: ) And a 1966 Shelby Mustang, X-tremely limited edition. Best if we let you SEE what happens With screenshots. It would take me hours to explain What can very easily be illustrated In a series of shots. Besides, Hubert is yet refining A few things here and there, So... in another 4 or 5 weeks (... best guess, might be sooner, or, later) You'll see how the new! movement schematic Works on a larger map, And with tiles instead of hexes. Sure, Sombra, it is POSSIBLE to initiate 16 attacks, but realistically, Given the build restrictions, And the need to upgrade/reinforce When you are NOT in contact w/enemy forces, And requirements on each front - to fend off Partisans and potential invasions, And given the strength and possible deployment Of units on any particular "front" (... I use this term loosely, because that front - esp in Russia, is VERY flexible) It is HIGHLY unikely you could maneuver Quite intricately, enough To actually achieve 16 attacks. More like, oh, 4 or 5 or 6. Well, as I mentioned above, you'll soon see.

Yoda? You mean... the truly refined Old World mind, Steadily, and relentlessly committed ? So that, say, Beethoven's 9th Is - as if... played out bit, by bit By little piano plinking bit? The... perfect plan? Ever realized, and without sly perturbances From them quantum-quirky inner & outer spheres? LOL, Yeah, he'll do just fine. 99% win percentage?... nah, I VERY Seriously doubt it - perhaps? 60%? As said, there are amazing! amounts Of variables, and no-one, I repeat, NO ONE person can possibly consider, Refine, and integrate EVERY single aspect Of this here new! SC2-Blitzkrieg! yep, I tell you true. Although, from what I have gathered, he Wins because his opponent... loses. Due to... rash impatience and wild schemes That always - sure, they must become Half awake dreams. Due to... spontaneous play, for the fun of it. Due to... risk-taking in the hopes Of upsetting/unsettling... the Master. Forget that, you rakes and rackateers, And instead consider SC resident Zen Monk... who very quietly, very Slowly... would whisper Into the receptive ears: "I shall study this butterfly-mind, all The day and all the night long. Decades, if it is necessary. Why do you feverishly quest Second to second, hour to hour, from Some rain silted flower To a mechanical wrest & grind, (... these are equal in potential PHYSIC... of power), ah, so, Without FIRST understanding The immense spaces in between - ALL there IS, And all that was, and also what will be, yes, Between all of that and Nothing much - can even be seen? " :cool: [ August 25, 2005, 08:41 AM: Message edited by: Desert Dave ]

First things first, EP. I doubt VERY much there will be ANY So called "cookie-cutter" solutions In ANY particular time or place or situation. There are just TOO MANY variables now. Consider Churchill's dilemma, mostly brought down on his own cigar-smoke-wreathed head: 1) Siphoned off some of the most desert hardened troops to send to Greece. Oh, maybe half returned? Most agree that he COULD have taken ALL of Libya IF he hadn't been enamoured of his... WW-I inspired "Balkan solution." :eek: 2) Neglected the entire Far East, IE, Singapore (... thought impregnable), Burma, and India, in order to bulwark North African redoubts. 3) While, first having to deal with a minor perturbance down in Ethiopia (... well, we don't have that area on our map, BUT... could be re-presented in an accurate fashion with a script). I would suspect that, finally, UK will NEED that pressure from Algeria east-ward. If not in FACT, than certainly as ever-potential possibility. USA is slow, SLOW to build up now and they have to make MANY sorts of choices, having to do with what to buy, what to research, what to send via Lend Lease, etc, so there can hardly be any EARLY invasion of France. No, their best play may be to gear up enough so to do the "historical thing" and land the craft @ Casablanca and Oran. Then again, there will be exactly as many strategies as there are SC board members, so, over time I imagine we'll see hundreds of permutations on S & T. :cool: ______________________ **BTW, I neglected to mention the rest of the rationale for Axis to somehow neutralize the RN Med fleets in order to get sufficient forces into North Afrika. There are OTHER MPP's to be gained, in the form of the 2 cities of Cairo and Amman (... part of UK controlled Jordan). And, most critical, perhaps... control of the Suez Canal so that Axis might send Italian Navy - assuming it hasn't been soundly pounded, out into the Atlantic (... recall that the movement arrows go BOTH WAYS now). It's a great way to avoid taking on the Generalissimo Franco supported Spanish Army, there in those imposing mountains of Iberian peninsula.

Ah, Lars, that first game... she ist kaput. Next game, we'll go clear to the end, more than likely. Torch WILL happen, no doubt and that is a problem For the GErmans (... and, Italians, insofar as they will move forward at command, LOL) since they then gotta shift forces to the West. First, though, Battleaxe and Crusader and other Vital desert wars. Anyway, by the time we get to all of those, It'll likely be presented with screen shots, And you'll surely see what I mean When I talk about... VERY volatile North Afrikan, and Med Sea Wars. :cool:

OK, not to worry on that score. In recent PBEM with Bill, we discovered that there is PLENTY of desert action. (... bring yer goggles, suntan oil, pith helmet, camo netting and endless canteens of water) Since he is on vacation just now, I can dare say... I sent HQ Rommel And 21st Panzers and 5th Light Down to Libya, And finally managed to strike deep Into Egypt. By surrounding and decimating his BEF Which he had sent as reinforcements. He should have planned ahead and sent Armor, A couple units if possible, Since that whole area in North Afrika Is NOW as it should be - shifting sands, Wide open and akin to fluid maneuvering On the high seas, as many commanders And historians have aptly described it. Well, it was our first game, and I made All sorts of mistakes as well. Like failing to buy a naval bomber early. Fact is, the "Med Wars" are exciting And X-tremely unpredictable. The key to the land war is Tobruk, As it often was IRL war. Without it, the Axis just has too long Of a supply line. [... and, "Malta Effect" may well reduce supply even further... it's a great way to replicate ALL of the various patrol craft, including subs, that interdicted Italy -> Libya convoys... sure, UK CAN buy a sub - LATER, when they can afford it, and when they actually had some modest successes] DAK/Desert HQ better strike swiftly, as I did, But the longer they dither around, Less likely they can oust the stubborn Aussies And Brits out from Tobruk. They MIGHT venture shore bombardment BUT UK may well object, and bring the well screened Carrier into play. Sure, it's WELL WORTH the effort in SC-2, Since you have - not only Syria, And that crude oil in Iraq, but also Iran. Now, you can more easily plot a thrust Into southern Caucusus region (... no longer being sytmied by that narrow mountain range) And, man o man, you oughta see all them oil-wells located there! Insofar as UK goes, Not only do they need a tank regiment (... might have to re-enact the Tiger Convoy and risk that "guantlet" through the narrow Med) But... air forces, and as many land units As can be mustered... once Sea Lion Is not on the table, but of course. And, likely will have to bolster The naval contingent as well, since Italy Does - and did have a potent Navy, Especially the newer Cruisers - which were Probably the best in the World At the time, other than Japan's. All in all, yep, you are going to be pleased, I do believe, with how the Med Theatre plays out. :cool: [ August 22, 2005, 08:46 AM: Message edited by: Desert Dave ]

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EP, That route you've noticed is FROM Iraq TO Britain, Assuming they are able to conquer/subdue The fomentors of "Iraq Coup" once it occurs. [... BTW, that "coup" doesn't automatically award Iraq to UK... they gotta go in and duke it out. Thing is, they ain't got many field forces to spare. So. Yet another "choice" the player has to make.] We do not assume that the valuable OIL Is "automatically" transferred to UK On some sort of Magic Carpet, no, It's gotta be conveyed. And so, another target for the U-boots. UK can send to Russia (... per slider, as with Lend Lease from USA) as many MPP's As they care to. There is a ceiling %, naturally, but that Arctic Convoy is still another! Tempting target for the boats. :cool: Now, Since Iran/Persia is a viable country With a Capital - Tehran, Then... IF Russia (... UK and Russia conquered Iran together IRL war) Would invade and defeat that country, They would realize some MPP benefit, though There may well be some diplomatic penalty. Well, when isn't there, Following aggressive activity? This action, With resulting economic increase, would Then "replicate" the historical Lend Lease route Through Iran to Russia.

Well, I'd debate that point. I think the Atlantic just got all the press. And, no doubt, Lars, you'd have some valid points. For instance, Malta's "10th Flotilla" AKA: "the Malta Striking Force" Sank ~400,000 tons Of enemy shipping in the 16 months From summer of '41 until conquest of Tunisia. One boat in particular - the Upholder, Sank 10 cargo ships, 3 troop transports, 2 tankers, 2 destroyers, a trawler AND - 3 submarines, Commander Malcolm Wanklyn, Earning the "Victoria Cross," Making all of Scotland proud. :cool: OK. The EARLY Brit Subs were too large For the shallow Med waters, And were mostly used for transport Of everything from men to sausages. Later, yep, there was quite apparently Some better results from the NEWER models Then introduced. **However, I would yet stand behind my assertion That - a MAJORITY - I would venture, On the order of 3 or 4 times the total tonnage Sunk by the RN Subs, WAS sunk by other patrol craft, Whether those be naval bombers Or DD's or smaller PT-boat type vessels. In the game, UK does NOT start out with a Sub. They shouldn't. Though, the game player has one as An allowable build, and sure, IF he bought it, He would require a target To acquire... other than surface ships. So. A supply line from Libya to Italy Is a decent idea. IF it is not in the default game, THEN - you can put it in. Like I said, It is VERY easy to create that convoy script. Following the guidelines (... there is a clear & concise "blueprint" for EVERY script) It would take you, oh, less than a minute?

And, as said, so... it shall be, quite Probably - oh, in mid to late September. With *real* ones too. I mean, with sequential turns, And screenshots of particular combat Actions and tactical parry & joust And don't expect miracles outta me, Mr Bill is one of very best SC-1 or 2 Players in the Universe - perhaps even Acquiring some of them militia powers From... never-say-die Dr Johann Faust Ah, nah, Only kidding... I think. But... NOT kidding about coming attractions, Soon! At a WW-2 theatre or two - near you!

Har de har, har. Har. SM, since when has THAT ever happened? You are suggesting, hmmm, In over 1600 posts... I... have a'times SHOVELED some fouly inelegant mass at Our horror-ized Crowd? ... maybe. Probably not, but... maybe. Say what? Ever since when? I can only conclude: 1) Some surfer took a bad turn and ended up @ Sepulveda & El Segundo, INSTEAD OF Beneath the ferris-wheel pier near Santa Monica pallisades, With the rest of us... ripping out Of the pipeline. 2) Dr Frankenstein has not yet found 'is bride. 3) You are actually waltero in disguise, making little sense when you almost meant to. 4) You are aggrieved ... long time Now, quite likely, Due to... having to cruise the hot-spots In the beg & borrowed family '56 Merc, yellow Over brown 4-door sedan, With an in-line 6 cyl cyclone motor, ah, One plug-wire dangling And dragging - hip-hop along the street. LOLOLOL!

Well, Blashy, I was never any submariner - congratulations, that must have been a fabulous experience... though I very nearly signed up for the Navy (... long tradition in my distant family of Naval service) instead of the Army in 1966, well, that's neither here nor there and anyway You can rest assured that I am EVERY BIT as concerned as YOU are about the whole "naval game." As a kid I loved to play (... and modify with special rules) that old Avalon Hill game... "War at Sea," and later the companion game, "Victory in the Pacific." So. I agree. The GErmans very nearly strangled poor old bedraggled British Lion with them deadly sleek, moon-limned U-boots. WHATEVER advice, comments, suggestions that I personally can make to insure that we BEST replicate the whole naval aspect of SC-2, whether in Atlantic or Med, yep, I have done, and will continue to do so. ALL similar kinds of suggestions on this board are very helpful and seriously considered. Keep 'em coming! :cool:

Lars, As you likely know from your own readings, the Med convoy war was quite different than the "Battle of the Atlantic." Not so much submarines attacking convoys and troop transports, as it was... naval bombers and small patrol craft and destroyers and the like. Though, surely, the GErmans DID send some U-boots to the Med later in the war. Thus, we have the "Malta Effect" (... another abstraction akin to the larger conflict in the Atlantic) where an Air Fleet... or, better a Bomber, which has a higher success rate due to the "naval" component, will reduce supply to the cities controlled by Italy in North Africa. There MAY also be a similar effect for the Axis, IE, having an AF/Bomber stationed in Sicily interdicting supply in the Med. Well, however the "convoy/supply" effects appear in the default game - and they WILL replicate the over-all effects of the "Med War," you CAN also alter this aspect according to your own tastes. For instance, should it not be included (... Hubert HAS considered this possibility before) you can draw in a convoy from Libya to Italy using the Editor. It's very easy, merely a few lines to type in using a clear and concise model. What you CAN do is have a convoy running from a minor country to a Major Power, but as of now, not vice versa. Well, that's hardly a problem because in a certain real sense, HOWEVER you knock out MPP's - going out or coming in, you are doing convoy damage, true? Or, for another example, you could designate a tile location on Crete and have occupation of that unique locale interdict supply in Eastern Med. Which might require the GErmans to unleash Student's Airborne in order to secure Crete? MANY possibilites, but understand that Hubert is YET making critical decisions about certain aspects of this, so there is NOT always any final answer to some of the questions posed in this thread. Bill and I are providing "highlights" and a few particulars that are firmly established - LOL, and even then! Hubert may "tweak" them & those even further! I'd best guess... once the AAR's commence, you'll have more clear and concise answers to some of your questions. :cool:

SM, You set the routes and way-points in a script, using that most amazing Editor, so Though once discussed, there are no in-game changes, just the game to game variations. [... if you search in among the leaves & debris @ the corner of Maple and Main Street, USA, you'll find a little winged-Mercury ornament... used to be attached to the hood of a black, chopped down '56 Merc... :cool: ah, ahem, cut & scratch, the Cat in the '57 Chev is over to Mel's Drive In chatting up the lass leaning in the window, wearing them hi-top roller skates... or, is it low and away... roller blades, these days? LOLOL!]

SeaMonkey, Blashy, Edwin P, And all others interested in the new "naval war," Get Ready! You are going to be challenged, whichever side you play. I won't offer an awful lot right now, since there are still some features that are being tweaked, AND you will likely see some AAR's in the not too distant future, but I will say this much: ... I didn't like how that chopped '56 Merc had beaten my '57 Chev 283 CID w/3 speed Hurst synchro shift... off the line - well, he jumped the light, what can I say, so I ran 'er into the shop and up the pneumatic lift and put on some BFG T/A Radials and Posi-trac diff with reversed stabilizer bars and then let 'er down and bolted on this AFB-quad with ports so huge you could stick yer thumb in there... OOOOOPS! Wrong Gestalt, sorry, LOLOL! ______________________________ As Axis player you now have a good and sufficient reason to hard CONSIDER incorporating the U-boots into your over-all S&T. There is only one U-boot out in the Atlantic at game start, with another due to splash down in early 1940. I decided to preserve the one U-boot UNTIL France was out of the war. Why waste MPP's on a fleet that is soon enough to be... eventually scuttled or (... as at Mers el Kebir) put out of action by the big guns of the Royal Navy? Anyway, and so, I ran the boat in "silent mode" and easily evaded Bill's ASW in that HUGE Atlantic ocean, EXCEPT! My own error - of impatience. :eek: I was trying to get the sub into Bordeaux for refit and resupply, BUT... I neglected to plan far enough ahead (... due to the new feature of "build delay") and order a bomber to station on France's west coast, supported by one of the GErman HQ's. Air Fleets are only HALF as effective as bombers (... now posited as naval and strategic) in naval attacks. That way I could have nailed the Battleship that was guarding the Spanish coastline. Bill would have preferred to deploy his Cruisers since they have TWICE the effectiveness VS U-boots, but they'd been damaged, and as he mentioned, he hadn't achieved any breakthroughs with sonar research. Too bad, but them's the breaks. The Naval Bomber so sorely needed? Say, like the infamous "Fleigerkorps X" with its Junkers-88s and HE-111's and dive-bombing Stukas, which had MAULED the astonished RN when they were trying to evacuate Crete? Like I said, you gotta plan ahead. It takes about 9 months to get one of these off the assembly lines. I needed to order one, say, late 1939. Even though I would spend so much that I couldn't buy another AF or HQ or Tank. Well, those are individual game player decisions of course. But, the way I like to play it is to have LOTS of U-boots on the way so to attack those VERY lucrative convoy lines. For instance, by the time USA begins allotting Lend Lease, you can have 40, 50, 60, 70+ MPP's on that convoy alone (... the USA player decides what % to send), not to mention the Arctic Convoy to Russia, or the one from the Mid-East, or the OIL from Iraq ... assuming UK player has also planned ahead, and gotten enough Commonwealth forces in position to take Iraq once the Axis coup has occurred. Well, there'll be plenty more to discuss once Hubert indicates that he is fully satisfied that SC2-Blitzkrieg! is ready for more public exposure. :cool: I CAN tell you that you DO need to be thinking ahead a bit more than with SC-1. As in chess, where you "visualize" your opponent's moves 2 or 3 or 4 turns down the road, as well as your OWN planning, since you NOW have to imagine what forces you might need 3-6 months in advance. No longer can you say - well, next turn I need a tank and presto! There she is! **(... though, you COULD disable this feature at the beginning of each game in the "advanced" options menu if you'd prefer to have it play out like SC-1). All in all, VERY interesting, VERY challenging, and a whole lot of FUN! [ August 17, 2005, 06:35 AM: Message edited by: Desert Dave ]