Hyazinth von Strachwitz

More clarification is needed. Yesterday I played SoE 1.06. I was the year 1945, and my Italian troops entered Tunisia from the South... American troops did conquer it in 1943. I captured Tunis, and Tunisia was liberated... but there was no territory shift. Is it right when I think that conquering an enemy country brings you a territory shift and liberating it not?

Not quite sure, but I think this has been changed. I played the 1.06 version these days (I can recommend the download, great AI improvements), and almost the same happened in France as my troops conquered it for the second time in 1944.... and all territory shifted to German controll (except those who were still owned by allied troops). So it seems it is no bug... more or less a wanted feature.

Put the focus on Serbia and Russia is the usual way... but the curent state of your game is really amazing for me. Al expects Russia to leave the war in a couple of turns. Currently Russia is conducting a succesful offensive in Turkey and fights the German troops in Russia without sacrificing too much ground. I would say Russia is performing well, and they will leave soon.. what a pity. So I really wonder how this game might end.. I thought Al is gonna make it, but Turkey is not looking too well.

I´m really amazed by the low number of Allied losses...

As long as Russia is still in the war, the German NM skyrockets.. every turn every occupied ressource contributes to this fact. It just ends when Russia is really out of the war, so Catacol is right no to force the Russian surrender too much.

Ain´t that cute... There is a German forum I also use to look in... and there is a forum member who is also named Preusse, and his birth date is 1977 as well... I thought these are identical persons, but apparently not.. long live the Internet!!

@ Preusse: if you want some multiplayer action, just send me your E-Mail via PN... and you will receive the first turn :-) I would prefer to play the German side, but I will do the Allied side as well. Ludendorff is my favorite campaign as well.

Bill, in my current match versus a human player, I get the impression that Germany is way overpowered. We have played 17 turns now, and the French are blown into pieces (just holding a few fortresses).. and I still have a lot of undamaged German units behind the frontline... and it is just the mid of March.

Might be the problem at Verdun is not the victory conditions, may be Germany is simply a bit overpowered. When my match versus a human player has ended, we know more. Has anyone else played it human vs human?

@ Rabelsius: I agree that the Ottoman side is slightly easier to play than the Allies. I just played the Ottomans once, and I achieved a tactical victory.. and I did a lot of mistakes, so maybe your feelings about tweaking the scenario a bit might be right. @ Sapare: If you defend Verdun and keep the fortresses, you achieved more or less the historical outcome. Some historians say that Verdun was a strategic victory for France, but in my opinion it was just a major tactical victory. French losses were slightly higher than the German losses, but the strategic target to bleed the French Army white was not achieved. But a strategic victory means you need to defeat the enemy, and this did not happen. The losses did not really hurt Germany by that time, they still hat enough ressources left. Just compare it with the Nivelle Offensive... horrifiying losses and mutinies for the French, and this did not happen to Germany in Verdun. What I want to say: to achieve a strategic vicotry in the game you need to break German NM, and this can only be achieved when you do better than history, i.e. inflict more damage to the German army. I haven´t yet tried the french side in this scenario, but I would agree that Germany is slightly overpowered. So I don´t know if it is possible to get the German NM to 0%... but the idea is that you have to kill so many German troops that they are definitely beaten. What other victory conditions would you suggest? I think it is quite difficult for the French to conquer the German Capital ...

(1) Balkans War I have played this scenario from both sides, and I see no imbalances. If you give more power to the Bulgarians, they can attack Istanbul too early. It is difficult to achieve a victory over the Ottomans, but it is possible (needed two attempts myself). (2) Verdun Interesting, the impressions I had were completely different. In the beginning it is very easy for the German forces to advance, but once the fortresses are reached, it gets very challenging and bloody for Germany. I am currently playing this scenario versus a human player, and I cannot foresee the outcome yet. Up to now 13 turns are played, and the German troops have gathered around the french fortresses, but cannot get in. Douamont is take by German troops, but in the next turn the French take it back. Up to now I would not call it ahistorical. This is what I really love about SC... each match can be different.

Hi Colin! There is no Tutorial. If you want something small to start with, choose Verdun or maybe Kut. Both are nice to play as the Central Powers, and you can easily get familiar with the gameplay. Jutland is also nice, but a naval scenario EDIT: apologies, I thought you did buy "Breaktrough!"... the Scenarios I mentioned are in "Breaktrough!". In the original Somme is nice as well.. when you play the Allies.

Patience is a virtue. I do not know anything about the release date, but usually Hubert is very reliable.

Sorry, but that is something we cannot do from here.. maybe Mr. Wargamer can help...

My impression: very well presented!

Agreed. In general I like the concept, but there are some smaller points where it leads to strange situations. But it is better than anything else I have seen.

That is one of the weaknesses of the NM concept: even if Russia doesn´t not loose ground or troops, its NM will decrease.. and this forces the EC player to do something. Not quite sure about your analysis of the time from 1917 onwards... if Russia is out of the war, a lot of troops can be diverted to the Western Front. But maybe you are right: I have seen very few games to last til 1918, and so my experience is quite limited.

Interesting developments. In general I would say the scales tip in favor of the CP, but there are two factors which might change the general picture: Ottoman NM and the thick russian defense line deep in Russia. Usually when I reach Vilna and Minsk, there are just scattered russian units left. An attack against entrenched russian corps with Arty support must be challenging. The German troops will win, but the price will be higher than usual. What might bring the decision: can the CP afford to concentrate their units to reach their targets in the east quickly or do they need too many emergency units in Palestine?

As far as I know port supply 0 means that everyone can pass through.. enemies as well.

Pretty sure: this is simply an unusual case Hubert & Bill did not expect...

Looks really interesting. Most games I have seen were almost decided in 1915, but this looks balanced with slight advantages for the CP. What I have seen quite often in these games: whe Germany can start a major attack in the West already in 1916 and capture a few NM targets, France is pratically gone in 1917.... their NM will never recover.

It seems that the loss of Marseille (where their National Anthem "Marseillaise" comes from) was a tough blow for the brave french troops, and they lost their fighting spirit. They felt their whole country falls to the German invaders, and so they stopped fighting...

As far as I know: for the initial release there are no WW2 campaigns included. But as SC "The Great War" came out, the WW2 campaign "Storm over Europe" was published with 1.02 as a free Add On. There is nothing official yet, but I can imagine there is something "under consideration".

There are definitely improvements in the gameplay, but the most important part of "Breakthrough!" are the new campaigns...

Makes sense. The MP are so much quicker than playing the AI :-)