abukede

It has begun! First turn… Al pushed into Belgium hammering the Belgians hard. My initial strategy in the West will be to slow Germany and make his advance as costly as possible without taking too many casualties. So in essence I will initially focus on defense with a goal toward forming a coherant line and taking careful potshots where I can. I expect Al to continue his push until the Entente defense tightens up. Then I expect him to put his focus onto the East. Early research buys will be Trench, Industry and Production…. Goal for the West is to hold early and slowly build up a powerful offensive force that will strike before Russia gets knocked out of the war. I also want to see if I can goad Al to bring the US into the war. With Russia I plan to be offensive minded early… as such I went for the Austrian mine. I want to deprive AH any income I can quickly. Notice I made sure I put a unit on his rail line… as I wanted to cut/reduce his production. The UK has also shifted naval assets to the blockade and will begin a buildup with the purpose of drawing the German Navy to battle. The BEF also landed in France this turn. My forces in the Med are active. No news yet from there.

soon... see the AAR above.

Yes we're back in a bid to beat heck out of each other! I am sure I speak for the both of us by saying how very pleased we are to bring you a sneak peak of this amazing game that Hubert and Bill have toiled over for the past year. I really enjoy it... and I know you will as well. Just as a side note: The first time we (Al and myself) have played Call to Arms while the original was under development... as Germany I managed to surround and envelop around 70% of the Russian army in one big battle in Poland. I virtually caught his entire army in a bag and over a period of 10 turns reduced it. There was no escape for those poor soldiers. Russia never recovered and that was 1915! Just rubbing it in a bit... that's how competitive we both are. Seriously though... we both learned a lot from that game... and I don't think we've played another WWI campaign together since. I know he is itching to get back at me and stomp me good. So... safe to say you are all in for one heck of a show and will probably see some very unconventional stuff tried. As I have said before Al is the only player that can regularly beat me. I have tremendous respect for his gameplay and safe to say over the years we have become good friends. As Germany he is going to do his best to crush me. Will it be a focus on the West or the East? I can't wait to find out! We should have the first few turns up sometime this weekend... Get your popcorn ready... sit back and enjoy the show... er I mean fight.

Well I can confirm it is a big improvment and offers a lot of fun new features, campaigns and scenarios. This week I devoted around 20-30 hours to playing it single player to get through an entire game (1914 campaign) and it was very engaging. Often with beta testing it can be hard to complete games as you get a constant stream of updates. I also thought that the AI played much better and was a more difficult opponent than in previous games. I really like it a lot. Hubert and Bill have done their usual magic and made a great game. If I get the time before my next show I may even do volunteer to do an AAR.

Al and I have discussed this... and I surrender. It has been a bit difficult getting turns out the last few weeks as we both have a lot going on. There is also a super-duper secret project we are working on for Hubert… its been taking up some time! No spoilers here… but you will all love it when it’s released! AAR wise… our game is effectively done. The Axis is on her last legs. Germany would have fallen in the next two possibly three turns and Japan is starving. A strong breeze would knock her over. Al played masterfully and I congratulate him on his win. I made a strategic error by not pushing my offensive in 42 though I sensed Al was stronger than I was… I feel that had I done so… the game would have ended much sooner… as I would have wasted my strength and made it easy for him to push on Berlin. It was still one heck of a game and I enjoyed it. When I play Al it is like a chess match. We are going to take a 2 week break… things should be quieter for both of us and then we are going to switch sides and play the game with the latest version. I am looking forward to the next AAR! I hope you are too.

If you look carefully at the images of the last few turns you will also notice how to pretty much hang onto the same front. It has been a collosal effort especially considering the overwhelming force against me. There is only soo much space on the front... damaging a number of units in targeted counter-attacks limits what your opponent can do as he has to replace those losses. Sometimes damaged units are able to keep fresh units from coming to the front sooner. Sadly... I am really at the end of what I am able to do delay wise. I am hoping full winter sets in as quickly as possible.

Okay... back from my trip. Still hanging in there. Just barely. Looks like Germany will survive into 45. I struck back at Al in a number of places as he closes in. I damaged a number of infantry units, destroying a US army and a Russian corps. This is the German position. Been an excellent game so far. I have done everything I can to delay Al's advance as long as possible... I feel I have been fairly successful in my goal. Not sure how much longer I can hold him off. Good fun! Nothing to report in Asia.

Okay... it's almost over... I have been struggling hard to slow Al down and as you can see there is significant pressure on both fronts in the West. It is ugly. Good thing for me... the weather has begun to change. Nothing to report in Asia.

Yes... buy them both. Global and the Great War are on two completely different scales... and it is very entertaining playing both.

Al surrendered to me. Just kidding. I believe Al is on vacation at the moment. Expect a turn from him shortly and then after this game we switch sides.

I pulled back in the East leaving garrisons in East Prussia and Warsaw. I did destroy 1 russian corps that had taken a mine... Al is near at the end of his supply line. His forward armor is at 5 supply and it's now Oct. I am hoping things get slowed down quick by weather. The Allies in the West have a powerful force and they should breach my western wall this turn or next. It is ugly and I am doing my best to make it as difficult and painful a process for Al. In Asia... minor action... Al has built up forces in Siberia... he will probably invade this turn.

Germany is collapsing fast. My strength is bleeding away fast. I did a little damage to Al... he only lost a couple of units with a few mauled on the East Front. I elected to pull back and form a new line in South Eastern Germany... but that will not stop his armor. It the West Al is gathering his strength... I expect him to hit me next turn... the good news is that it's september so hopefully the weather will turn sour. Japan has no good news nor anything of interest to report. Al's naval superiority will be staggering when he hits me.

Back from a long week of work. Things should ease up this week so turns should come quicker. It is the end for Germany. I struck back carefully on the East Front destroying 1 armor, 4 or 5 armies, special forces and corps. I could have done more damage, especially to Al's armor but that would have left me open and weak... which would have led to a devastating attack that would speed up Germany's collapse. That said Al's next turn on the East Front will be a hammer blow. I withdrew most of my forces out of the Balkans leaving only dug in units in the cities to act as speedbumps. I have some powerful units hidden from view, which I am saving. I want to see if I can get into the next winter... unlikely but we shall see. It's really quite fun defending and making it as difficult as possible for your opponent. This is how the situation looks at the end of my turn. The red arrows represent spaces where I destroyed units. Note the Garrison at level 6! He's my surprise and has survived multiple attacks over many turns! Garrisons are great speedbumps especially if placed in the right position. In the West... I pretty much pulled back... my purpose is delay at this point. I still own Spain... I don't think Al has the strength in the West to break into Germany in a powerful way... at least not for another 2 turns. Once he is able to ramp up pressure on both the East and West at the same time... the collapse of German arms will come quickly. I keep bombarding the Port in Belgium to keep him from landing units quickly. I have been using a railgun for this purpose and I know it annoys Al to no end. Japan... a whole lot of nothing. I am expecting a Soviet attack in the East.

Zukkov... the game has been decided for some time. Al should have no problem taking Berlin and Japan is completely on the defensive. There is no hope. That said... my goal for some time now has been to make it as difficult as possible for Al and to see how long I am able to hold out. I have really enjoyed giving him more than a few headaches. You see when you are losing a game... people have a tendency to quit way too early. I think it can be great fun to hold out and as I have said more than once you learn a great deal about the game by simply defending what you have. It teaches you to be creative and economical with you forces. It also allows you to set up traps and ambushes for when your opponent gets over-confident. The reason that it is fun and important to defend... play a game out is that in another game you may be on the offensive in one theater or region while you must hold and be on the defensive in another... like North Africa or Burma. Meaning that you will be better prepared to handle a defensive fight somewhere else. Just my philosophy. Now go out and get the game! What are you waiting for? Buying this game it is not something you get play for a few hours and then don't come back to.. this game becomes an obsession. Oh... and for all those waiting for SC3... which is being worked on as we speak... I and the other beta bunnies have been hammering Hubert and Bill with all kinds of ideas concerning gameplay tweaks and enhancements for months now! I am expecting something special.

I'm back... been super crazy with work and family... managed to get some time at the desktop. Sorry for the delay... but turns against Al take some time to think out... especially when he is kicking my butt. I don't want to make it easy for him. We had heavy fighting in the West as my Spring like Bulge offensive began to slow down. I destroyed a British and US Army, mauled a number of units heavily... including the armor you see. This is how it ended... it looks like both sides are pretty beat up... Also note how few Allied combat units are actually ashore.... which is good. The rest were eaten up over the past few turns. Had Al managed to hit me on both sides in powerful strength I would have been in real trouble. What I have managed to do... is tangle with Allied forces in the West in a low intensity fight that sucked up units and MMPS over a number of turns... puntuated by a major offensive designed to keep the forces in the West off balance. In the East... I focused on a careful strategic withdrawl... moving backward just at the point when Al was ready for an offensive. I used my airpower to carefully watch Al... as he built up. My counter-thrust in the East a few turns back was calculated to throw him off balance... like the one in the West just did. Both were violent and powerful enough to cause significant casualties to the point where some type of strategic pause was required by the Allies. That said I think my time at careful withdrawls are over... there is really no where else to retreat. It is likely Russia will hammer Germany hard this coming turn and the Allies will strike hard with what is left in the West as well. I am not sure how much longer Germany lines will remain in tact. The good news is German forces in the East are dug in with plenty of aircover and tac air standing by. It's gonna be ugly but Al has the masses of men to pull it off. Nothing much to report Asia... Japan is getting her strength sucked away in China. What a fun game this has been... Excellent job Al! You know it is a shame players can't see a complete replay of our turns... it has been like a chess match.

Finally some pictures!!! This was a fun turn. At the beginning of the turn I got a lot of goodies. I think about 8 volks units. Some came with experience. Two popups like the one below. So it is nearly the end for Germany and Al got a little careless in the West… thinking perhaps the Germans no longer possess the capability to do him any real damage. German forces in the west exploded out from behind fortifications using a combination of air and ground. I could have simply gone for units to destroy but my objective was to do as much damage as possible to his offensive forces to slow him down. My secondary objective was to make it difficult to land additional forces. Here you can see my tac air digging into his armor. Notice the US fighter a tad bit forward than he should be. Before the turn is over Al will be looking for a replacement. For us beta testers it is the little things in life that make playing against each other so much fun. I know Al will be beating himself up over the loss of that fighter. Notice the enemy army in port. I have been bombarding the port to keep him from being able to unload in the same turn. I have been using my rail gun for that. He’s been very handy. This is how it ended. Al is down 1 veteran fighter with 3 stars, 1 armor, 1 corps and multiple units mauled. I also used a paratroop with less than spectacular results. In the West I fully expect to get pummeled by Al’s air in return. I repaired 2 fighters in the West so I should eat away at him a bit and I also brought up reinforcements… but the bottom line is I will probably lose both armor that I used this turn and another 2 ground units. Germany is facing overwhelming forces and anything I can do to delay him works to my advantage. I am trying to see how long I can delay the inevitable. It’s actually fun and I would recommend trying it when the game seems lost you really learn a lot. I almost did the same thing in the East with larger and more powerful forces but changed my mind at the last moment. I settled for tightening my lines and bringing up reinforcements. Not much from Japan… just trying to hang on in China.

Okay... sorry for the delay. I've been very busy preparing for me next show which is on the Luftwaffe. I was able to get some time in to get the turn done. I used ground and air in the west to hammer at a US armor and detroyed it. In the East I mauled a Russian corp and destroyed an army and pulled back just slightly toward Romania in the South. Al had crept forward and I was sorely tempted to unleash the Panzers... however behind his front lines I see 7 armor. I will let him creep forward a bit more before we tussle. Still all in all things are not good for germany as things press in. Unit shortages will soon be felt when combat ramps up. I expect him to liberate Paris this turn. In China... just plain bad news. Japan can do nothing against the Chinese. Supply is real low and it's only a matter of time. Just trying to hang on as long as possible out there. The UJN is still strong... and last turn I lost track of the USN. I wonder where they are.

The weather was pretty poor for me. In the West... I pulled back my forces into Germany... the road to Paris is open. In the East I pulled back also to tighten my lines and await Al's thrust forward. This year we have had terrible weather which has greatly hampered operations. I expect the weather to improve significantly. Al has played a masterful game in against Germany. In the East... China is still a major thorn. I am taking major casualties each turn and repair costs keep me from doing anything else. With the latest patch China has had some teeth pulled... so do not expect an easy repeat of what has occured in this game. My supply in China is terrible. Next to an HQ the best a Japanese unit gets is level six. It is really only a matter of time till my line completely collapses even with heavy air support from my end... I can only delay it slightly. Burma continues to hold. I mauled a UK unit and forced it to retreat. Intelligence shows Al has mustered a massive fleet. He is clearly waiting for the right moment. I am also expecting a Russian attack into Manchuria. It is only a matter of time. No pics this turn as I need every little edge to hang on and throw surprises his way.

Terrible weather again this turn. There was very little I could do across the map. In China I destroyed an army and corps with ground and air attack. The Japanese have armor 3 so that helped a bit. In the West... the weather was very bad and there was not much I could do against Al's beachhead. I managed to destroy a US corps. In the East I elected to sit tight and dig in. Al should get the first turn of good weather next turn. I will admit I made a serious mistake this turn that I hope Al does not pick up on. Overall... I am not too terribly happy with my game play this game. Al and I have decided to switch side after this one and do another AAR with the latest patch.

I know what you mean... but you can mitigate that issue through placement of air assets, screening units (subs, units on islands) and intelligence. I generally find I have a good idea where the main enemy fleet is... The problem I usually have is one of choosing when to hit the enemy.

Build bombers with range... for scouting. Don't forget that you can use them for recon purposes by targeting empty squares.

Interesting turn. England was rained in... so I launched a general offensive in the West complete with heavy air attacks, artillery and ground offensive. Al lost 1 corps, had 2 armies and his 1 armor heavily mauled. I could have committed another armor to the attack and destroyed an army and the armor but I decided to keep him in reserve. This is a game of delay at the moment... Al does not have a lot of room to move on the Western Front... which means he can not bring in many reinforcements... so live enemy units are beneficial to my position at the moment. I know... I know... that sounds odd... but my goal is no longer victory but how long I can hold out and how costly I can make it for him. In the East... I pulled back slightly. My supply situation is getter better the further I fall back and his is getting worse. The ground was poor (mud) and I am almost daring him to cross a river and make his supply situation that much worse... something about 6 German armor sitting just out of his reach behind a line of infantry may make him think twice. I think he may actually do it. The question is... if he does and I punch hard again... will it cost him more time? The further I fall back the less room there is to move. I suspect he will wait till the ground is good and solid and then push hard for the kill taking massive damage in return to bleed me to death. It is a tactic I think will work, unless I kick the Western allies off the continent and shift the forces in the West to the East. (Unlikely) In Asia... a whole lot of nothing. Japanese armor beat up on an isolated Chinese corps. Japan tactically is in a poor position and China is bleeding her dry.

Mcaryf1... I don't think that the naval game favors strategic naval defense. I actually think it favors offense and surprise... you just need to surprise your enemy which is something you should be able to do. The problem lies in time... the deeper into the game the fewer strategic options Japan has... and the greater options for the Allies meaning that the allies can pick on the edges of the empire where the IJN is not... intelligence can also play a critical roll in the game. Do not overlook it.

I think that in the Pacific version of the game... with the huge Pacific... carrier warfare works the best because you enjoy freedom of movement and ability to strike anywhere...

I think from what I am hearing you guys are using carriers the wrong way. You need screening vessels to protect them when you strike. (DD's, Subs) Also CV's are extremely deadly when you upgrade the Naval to 3. Japan should have this by the end of 42. Your carriers should be operating in groups of 4-6 and when you strike the enemy it should be with overwhelming force. Ideally if possible make your attack near a friendly island and then place a fighter there for counter air support. 6 Carriers striking an enemy fleet can be very devastating if you do it right. I also ususally send in surface combatants as well... increase the damage.