AshesFall

Turn 10 Looks like the entente has occupied Lemnos... I hope the greeks are grouchy about that! The west front With bad weather and exhausted troops, all was quiet on the western front. A new heavy artillery piece arrived and some more digging occurred. The german army is now fully reinforced in the west for the first time since August 1914, when this cursed war started. The Serbian and Austro-Russian fronts If the west was quiet, Austria is where the action is. Another determined push by the army that has slogged through hills, wet weather and miserable mud took the city of Nish with minimal losses. Corps on the flanks of the push dug in. We now threaten Usku and the undefended underbelly of Serbia. I’ve realized that I need a plan to deal with the Russians. So far I have only managed to think of one for the Austrians, and it’s a finicky one. The green arrows on the picture represents thoughts around that plan. I am hoping that the Serbian scouts do not reach Temeschburg. The newly arrived corps here should be a secret. Also, I believe that the Rus can only see the detachment in GrossWarden. The cavalry skirts carefully around the edges to avoid being seen. The plan then. If the Rus moves into Austria in force, believing it to be largely undefended or even better to try and relieve pressure on the serbs, then I can perhaps cut their only supply route through Klausenberg with the cavalry and the corps at Stanislaw. When the Rus runs into the single corps near Temechburg, they may pressure it, and then I can strike them from behind with the “hidden” army that has withdrawn out of sight. Regardless, if he moves forward to oppose me and I can cut him off I should be able to destroy that HQ and the four corps. That may well be the turning point of the Austrian front. We shall see! The Prussian-Russian front This front was also white hot. A combined strike by all elements of Von Bulows army destroyed a corps next to Allenstein, and the city was taken. Our losses were not too severe, we could survive the Russian counter strike, especially if he maintains any designs on Koenigsberg. The Russian navy did sally forth, and annihilated one screening destroyer fleet and nearly sank another. Our answer was deadlier, skirting around the flanks of the Russian fleet to sink two cruiser groups. The Rus now has a choice, withdraw, or stay and fight to face overwhelming might in the Baltic. War of the Atlantic All quiet except some raiding of the British-Russian convoy line, almost all submarines are now up to standards and reinforced. The war in the middle east The british ran headfirst into our three corps army and retreated faster than they came. We have occupied the straits. Sneaky british are coming up from Basra to occupy our series of small settlements. This cannot be allowed! A cavalry has been sent the long way to support the corps from Bahdad in repelling this advance. General Staff Serbia has moved it’s capital to Uskub, and Bulgaria seems more and more impressed with our progress. We have decided to send a U-boat to the Adriatic in support of our Austrian comrades. Italian warmongers continue to call for arms. Fools… Last but most! Austria has invented new infantry weapons. Better rifles and protective gear against gases are soon to be distributed to Dankls’ army!

@ Bill and Strategiclayabout Thank you for the tips and comments, having people follow the AAR and commenting is really the most fun about writing it! Is the quality of the maps and arrows bearable?

Turn 9 This turn saw some catastrophic developments. Only one or two things went my way, but they might be important. Let’s get into it! The west front Here is where things went really badly. The French surged forward en masse, laying into the Metz with unexpected fury, heeding neither bad weather nor the fortifications of the defenders. Metz fell. The Kaiser is sad to be so livid he might have had a stroke, and the Prussians mourn. To make matters even worse, the occupying cavalry somehow dug themselves deep in very little time, and nothing can be done to retake our lost fortress. The army hides in shame, and digs earthenworks all over the front while redeploying forces to try and plug the holes in the lines. High command is desperately hoping to get some tips on creative gardening from the Austrians, otherwise holding against the coming French storm will be next to impossible. At least the salient across the river Dieppe is more secure, though Le Havre finally fell with the cavalry squadron there being utterly destroyed. The Serbian and Autro-Russo fronts There is nothing for it. A bold advance is in order! The serbs must be crushed, with the Italians rattling sabers, these troops must be freed to deal with that threat, or the Russians, whichever is greater at that moment. Several strikes on the detachment guarding Nish yielded little in the way of results. The artillery is silent, holding it’s deadly payload for next turn. Defensive positions were dug deeper in the north, and Dankl is gathering his army around Grosswarden. The Rus will have a nasty surprise if he comes a knocking. The Austrians save their resources to start the recruitment of an entirely new corps next turn. The Austrian navy, as badly battered as it is, sank an aging british cruiser that stayed behind in the bay of Italy. The Prussian-Russian front Overcome by shame and spurred to near madness by the news of Metz fall von bulow sent his meagre two corps army with cavalry support forward, striking hard at the Russian corps in marienburg. It was almost destroyed, but the price remains beyond reach. Perhaps this might distract the Russians from Koenigsberg. Massive naval bombardments of the Russians besieging Koenigsberg yielded no results, destroyers were moved to screen should the Rus navy sally out. Von Hindenburg withdraws deeper into Germany to lure the Rus into stretching his supplies, destroying one enemy corps in the process. This was just vengeance, as overwhelming assaults by the Rus across a river in bad weather (I think six corps attacked, and more fresh ones moved up to cover them) destroyed one Prussian corps. War of the Atlantic Most of the submarine fleet is now upgrading and refitting. Nothing much to report here. The war in the middle east This is another area where I fouled up. I lost the initiative decisively by not moving my detachment to cover the channel crossing last turn. Now the brit is across in force and supported by a HQ. I have redeployed as much as possible to fight them. The ottomans otherwise gather their meager funds to start creating the army that will take back what the brits stole.. Prussian intelligence passed on information about a british cruiser limping away near the emerging ottoman navy. The cruiser was promptly sunk, and an advanced french cruiser escorting the british ships was very nearly destroyed as well. General Staff The Prussians, in desperation, invested two more chits in trench warfare for a total of five. It paid off, as they gained a level. Now we just might hold. Both the Prussians and Austrians developed their industry! More MPP is sorely needed. The importance of this can probably not be overstated, this development means more of everything in the future. Other developments include more Italian warmongering, Russian diplomats persuading Romania to see things their way (no doubt with underhanded bribery). We maintain the necessary garrisons near Italy, but no more. Our friends in Africa the Boer have been crushed, and Canadians prepare to join Britain in france. Morale in Koenigsberg is abysmal, no wonder, with Russians as thick as grass around the city.

Most likely, thanks!

Turn 8 The western front Neither side refuses to give pause on the west front. 1 bavarian corps near Strasbourg was badly mauled by british and French forces, and only a timely retreat by the corps commander saved the formation from shattering. Wild attacks against le Havre continue, and the cavalry corps wintering there is suffering. Naval bombardment of the city is constant, making it impossible to move recruits and supplies. French aggression does not go unpunished, as the forces on our salient destroy another corps trying to close on Le Havre. Around Strasbourg, a second corps is destroyed by combined attacks from Rupperechts army, and reinforcements arrive for the nearly shattered 1st Bavarian. The Serbian and Austro-russo fronts. The threat from the east turns out to be very real. The last telegraph dispatch from the detachment that was holding Klausenberg speaks of an entire army on the move (5 corps or so). We have to respond. Telling the men to trust in god and their shovels, General Dankl starts to withdraw two corps from the defensive line. These corps, together with one already at Debrezin, and the corps that has marched to Budapest will form an army to block and if possible defeat the advancing Russians. The two invading cavalry corps are finally destroyed. In Serbia the army keeps pressing onto Nish, even as snow begins to fall in late December. A savage counterattack by the serbs have left two of the corps here damaged and following orders of “priority, serbian front” these are reinforced immediately. One Serbian corps retreats under our advance, avoiding destruction. Two aging and damaged Austrian battleships strike at a british cruiser from the safety of the harbor while the other damaged fleets retreat deeper into the bay of Italy. The Prussian-Russian front Not much to report here. The Danzig line was reinforced, as was Hindenburgs army. The Russian navy counter attacked immediately, sinking one of our battleships The Deutschland. Our fleet withdraws, with fresh naval squadrons screening the damaged ships. War of the Atlantic Our fleets completed their withdrawal to safe waters. Another Cruiser was lost, however, it caused no less than 15 str points of damage mixed between battleships and cruisers before going down. The crew was celebrated as heroes in the newspapers. Our submarines are turning home to port to refit and upgrade, once that is done a full fleet will be dispatched to wreak true havoc among the British. The war in the middle east Nothing much to report here either. The ottomans are moving to guard the border of Egypt. One thing I’ve realized is that I cannot operate or effectively move units into position to start an offensive on Basra. If I want to do that, I have to build the units, HQ and all. So be it… it will take time, but I doubt the brits will be expecting an attack there. General Staff A general ceasefire was called on the west front on Christmas day. The Austrians suddenly realized that those unimportant bits of land the Italians were claiming were theirs! They promptly stated the vast importance of these cities, and refused to yield them to the spaghetti eaters. War will soon be coming here too. (Yes, I really am making all the historical mistakes, blech) With the forced redeployment of several corps to deal with the Russian threat to the east, Austrian high command panicked, however would they hold? The panic lasted until a low born officer pointed to certain passages in a hitherto little known manual of advanced gardening. After the entire general staff had read the book, they realized how to dig better. The Austrians discover trench warfare lvl 2! As if on cue since the lines to the north are now really thin. Lucky! Since there is so little to report this turn, I thought it could be nice to check out some statistics as the year draws to a close. Two bits are especially important I think. Lost units As we can see, the British have lost 10 units (one battleship, one cruiser, two destroyers and Belgian units), the French 7. Five corps, one marine and one battleship. The Rus has lost no less than 12 units, with five cavalry corps, a HQ and a battleship being notable highlights. In their turn, the Prussians lost four corps, their marines, and two battleships along with a cruiser and a destroyer. The Austrians have only lost five units. So far, then, the entente have suffered twice our losses! With an eye to MPP’s then, with Collected, spent on units, and lost in units respectively. Britain: 1565, 302, 4147 France: 1219, 505, 3369 Russia: 1853, 712, 4120 Prussia: 2590, 910, 7594 Austria: 1307, 675, 2826 As far as Research and diplomacy goes, the totals are as follow; Britain: 275 RE, 0 Dipl. France: 150 RE, 0 Dipl. Russia: 275 RE, 50 Dipl Prussia: 575 RE, 0 Dipl Austria: 425 RE, 0 Dipl. I find the “collected/spent/lost” graph a bit confusing, one wonders where Britain has spent the remaining 1000 MPP’s (1565 collected, 302 spent on units, 275 spent on research) and which units the Prussians have lost to a cost of 7500 MPP, more than anyone else despite losing fewer units total than the British. Any insights here? The Research/diplomacy graph is very interesting though. Prussia has spent a lot more on research than anyone else, nearly twice the runners up. The Central powers seem to be focusing a lot more on research in general, and almost as much on units. Hopefully, that foresight into the future will pay off as we continue into 1915!

Thank you, unfortunately (spoiler) the bastard rus destroyed one of my battleships in the very next turn . The Austrians. Sheesh, the Russian push from the east is giving me fits. My opponent is clever and skilled at keeping the pressure up, forcing me to react and move constantly. I have ... plans for the ottomans. Perhaps the plans will even work! I'm glad you're enjoying the AAR, despite us being new to the game. What do you think of the "paint with arrows" style of the pics? Too messy or good? Any tips on how to improve?

Turn 7 The west front The western front turned out to be as bloody as ever. My corps on the front line right in between Rouen and Abbeville was destroyed, and a 9 strength French corpse advanced into its’ place. With some furious retaliation attacks, fourth and sixth corps combined to destroy it before withdrawing towards the river. I’m not sure how this was possible, destroying nine strength in two attacks, but for some reason my odds were excellent. His troops were in good order. I shuffled troops, trying to keep strong units to fortify the Salient across the Dieppe. I don’t want to loose this hold, if I do it will be much harder to advance in the spring. In Belgium I moved troops to spaces that are predicted to be in good enough supply to allow full reinforcement, these troops will then be operated to wherever they are needed. Strasbourg continues to be a killing ground. Three attacks saw the demise of another French corps, with strong Prussian corps holding the line and the city. The nearly destroyed 13’th reserve corps was brought back up to strength behind the lines. Commanders were redeployed and their armies will now be defined manually to keep the “best” commanders overseeing the units in most combat action. The Serbian and Austro-Russian fronts I was right, the Russians are making a huge encircling Maneuver. A brand new detachment (the second of the two I built, boy am I happy about that now) took up position to defend grosswarden, two corps continue hunting the raiding cavalry, they are now very weak and have neither rations nor support. A corps moves along the raillines from Krakow to reach an area where the trains can still stop. Why? An enemy detachment has taken Sarajevo. I didn’t at all notice this. The corps will operate to counter any further incursions by this detachment, and if possible retake the city. The Serbian front has started moving again, the mines around Nish were taken, and the Austrian army tasked with this conquest moves forward supported by artillery. Next turn the blow will fall. A modern French battleship has shown up in the bay of Italy, our submarine ignores it and goes to raid convoys. The Prussian-Russian front Von Mackensen is deployed in the south near Breslau to take command of the forces there and await reinforcements from Belgium to create an army with offensive capabilities. One Corps of that army moves up to block the advance of a Russian corps towards Posen and Glogau. One corps that was badly mobbed by the Rus over the last week retreats in behind hindenburgs forces, they are all reinforced. Von Bulow continues his shameful retreat, entering the safety of Danzig and reorganizing that defensive line. In the Baltic, our new intelligence technology has allowed observers to send word of an exposed Russian battleship. The Baltic task force springs into action again, destroying that battleship with few losses. The war in the middle east Another front is starting to form. The ottomans send strong corps (elite reinforcements to 11) to defend the cities on the peninsula in and around Gallipoli. The german commander sent to modernize the Ottoman army, Von Sanders, will keep an eye on the area. The entente event summary mentioned Gallipoli, and if I am not mistaken it was a hotspot in the war. Precautions are in order! The base and greedy Rus stuck his hand into the hornets nest and advanced heedlessly into the mountains near Erzerum. Two Ottoman corps taught them a lesson. A cavalry squadron is brought closer to the city so that they can be reinforced. The ottoman navy sallied out, a destroyed spotted and caught a submarine, inflicting some damage, while the rest of the fleet will be heading off to help the beleaguered Austrian navy. War of the Atlantic Nothing shown here this turn. The british chased out fleets with three battleships and plenty of cruisers. We have been successful in disrupting the blockade of Prussia for another turn and retreat as far as possible without engaging. Our submarines take to the open seas to attempt to slip through the blockade and reach convoy lines. General Staff Prussias national morale has risen fron 92 to 96, now stronger than any of the Entente nations. No doubt our successes at sea and in Belgium have contributed to this. We also develop advanced submarines level 1! We start converting a captured English tanker to a seaplane carrier, this will be useful for scouting for any opportunities at sea. Prussia invests in more intelligence research (I figure an 8% chance is a lot better than 4%, and getting this to lvl 2 is a priority) and three chits in trench warfare. Austria starts rebuilding a shattered corps and invests another chit in trench warfare (now three). The ottomans invest a second chit in trench warfare. The general staff has concluded that direct attacks against Britain are futile, fleet engagements are risky and are to be attempted only in force and with surprise. To this end the foreign ministry has been ordered to make all attempts to disrupt the British indirectly, the riff uprising is supported, and valuable resources given to indian rebels so that they might perhaps strike at the british around Christmas next year. The cursed tea drinking imperalists have seized Basra, though it was done by “indian levies” English hands are deep in that pot. We could do nothing to stop this. Both general Hamilton and the ANZAC arrive in Egypt. The French increase arms production in the west, and we even have traitors in our own reichtag! Liebesknecht will forever be a name associated with cowardice and unprussian ideals. Italian nationalists also claim some small bits of land for their own. Finally, the Ottomans are mobilizing their vassals, the war in the middle east can now begin in earnest.

Turn 6 This turn. Ach. An elite cavalry lost in Rouen. The battleship Helgoland and a destroyer squadron lost to the British. Air recon squadron lost to marauding cavalry in Austria. Everywhere the enemy is closing in. My opponent is good at exerting heavy pressure everywhere. There are some bright spots however, let’s get to it! I’m trying some color coding in my screenshots to give an idea of what’s going on without too many pictures. Tell me what you think, too messy and cluttered, or good? Green dots = reinforcements Blue lines = operation Blue circle = New unit from pool Red arrows = Movement Red “D” = destroyed enemy unit The west front More reinforcements, due to scenario providence I got another corps, an airship and a submarine this turn. I’m especially happy about the corps, as I can block the sorely threatened Prussian heartland from French advances. I shuffled to the right to hinder the advance, striking at the foremost corpse to weaken it. In the middle, two remaining corpse hold up a ragged line, I desperately need reinforcements. That was the byword of the day, as units everywhere got fresh recruits delivered straight into the low morale of their companions. The readiness of the Prussian army all over the front is abysmal. Hopefully digging in and sitting still for a bit will take care of that as commanders are brought forward. I really need to make Belgium surrender, so after reading the “minor nation surrender” rules I bet heavily on the fact that the detachment was the only thing keeping them in the game. I went after it and destroyed it, and moved remaining units into position to be operated or moved to other fronts next turn. The Serbian front All the units here were reinforced, and will be sitting still for a turn or two to hopefully regain their cohesion. Once that is done the artillery will have gained enough shells for another round of heavy bombardments, and the advance can continue. The Austrian submarine I reinforced promptly ran into british cruisers on its’ way out into the Mediterranean, chucks. Should have anticipated that. The laughably weak Austrian navy redeployed slightly to have its’ stronger elements forward. The Austro-Russian front The Russians are outflanking me in the east, slowly wrapping around my lines. No doubt they are trying to cut my supply, something I confirmed with the cavalry marauding behind me. I redeployed to try and neutralize these raiders as quickly as possible while maintaining as much of my troops dug in as possible. The Prussian-Russian front This one turned out a bitter disappointment. The Austrian cavalry was destroyed, and there isn’t even a trace of bad supply among the Russians near Breslau. I don’t understand why not. When Samsonov was alive, their supply was fine. After the strike against him however, the units were completely cut off with no supply source in sight. Supply calculations should happen at the start of the turn according to the manual, and by then they should have zero, impacting morale negatively. Even if he restored it during his turn, I should have seen it during the replay. Am I missing something regarding supply? I had an important decision to make here. Press on? Or retreat? The deciding factor was simply this; There are just. So. Many. Russian. Units. During the replay I spotted at least three more and a HQ above what is in the picture. I decided to call it a day and retreat with Hindenburgs army. Reinforcements and consolidation should do them good, and I killed Simonov and cost the Russians a turn or two of advance. It might be enough. Fearing getting cut off at Marienburg, trapping my HQ and the two corps at Koenigsberg, I retreated towards the danzig line that I reinforced with detachments operated from behind the lines. I’m running out of ground to retreat over. The danzig line must hold, but more Russians are pouring in from the north. The Baltic naval squadron struck to great success, sinking a cruiser fleet and badly damaging a destroyer fleet. War of the Atlantic The Atlantic war is not the smashing success I had hoped. The british navy was present in force. Either my opponent had them all around for the blockade or he was baiting me into attacking the blockaders with his main navy already up there, a "show" force distracting me in the channel. Cunning. Props to him if that is the case! ^^ Counting four battleships and three cruisers, all of the battleships upgraded, I decided that a fleet in being was a better threat than a dead fleet. I saw some naval forces move east from the channel in the replay, so I arrayed submarines to block approaches where possible and tried to run as far as possible. At the very least I’ve disrupted the blockade a bit for a turn or two. If he chases me with all of his forces I disrupted it longer, if he chases only with a small part I might be able to turn and strike the smaller chasing force. If he doesn’t chase at all… well, I destroyed a cruiser, a battleship and two destroyers for the loss one battleship and a destroyer. Always something. General Staff General staff is hoping that bad weather will slow the Ententes advance on all fronts, putting a stop to the overwhelming aggression of the Rus in the east, fouling the attack on Strasbourg and buying Austria more time. The entente suffered from no rain during its’ last turn, but surely that must change? To the bright spots then, Belgium surrendered! Plunder of 168Mpp was had. This frees up units for redeployment, that gamble (in moving the units away from the HQ in the last Belgian held city) paid off. The ottoman empire joined us, their forces are deployed and reinforced, and they have begun taking lessons in the use of the shovel from the Austrians (one chit in trench tech). The Goeben that we sent them will be used to combat the British in the Mediterranean. The britush merchantmen fear our raiders, and Russian trade can no longer pass over the Dardanelles. British and Japanese forces capture some city in far off china, while the Brit are dealt blows by Von Spee at the naval battle of Coronel and by Von Lettow Vorbeck in German East Africa. German Scientists are proud to present a new decryption method for telegraph messages. Intelligence level one achieved! This should help a great deal in the long run, raising our own chances of further discoveries and lowering the risk of our enemy doing the same.

The Austro-Russian front Nothing much going on here either. Some reinforcements of the cavalry and a corps the Ruskies hurt. I had to operate a corps from the Serbian front to block the marauding cavalry unit going for my undefended gooey middle, I also operated a detachment from the Italian border to block advances southwards by that cavalry corps. The Russians seem reluctant to attack and appear content with probing with cavalry and while that is a little hard to deal with using these limited forces to hold large tracts of empty land, I’m still happy about the lack of large offensives. The Prussian-Russian front This was the scene of some major action this turn. Sensing an opportunity, Hindenburg withdrew from the front lines of the Russians to widen the gap for supplies and struck at the exposed Russian HQ! Samsonov was destroyed (perhaps he committed suicide?). With the HQ no more and supplies entirely closed (The color on the map represents my control I think, so no supply paths) the four corps are cut off and should start suffering. A detachment was operated into Allenstein, the cavalry retreating to Marienburg. The forward Russian cavalry was nearly wiped out. War of the Atlantic The second major theatre of the moment, the hochseeflotte (sp?) surged to engage the British who are even now strangling the life out of the empire. In a furious clash, one battleship with auxiliaries and one destroyer fleet was sunk, and another battleship damaged. Now let’s hope the British response cannot reach us in time… A much smaller task force is sent to the Baltic to deal with the Russian fleet. General Staff Inspired by much digging, the Austrians have learned to use a shovel better! Trench warfare tech lvl 1 achieved. Very nice… I think the French also increased their arms production in the southwest, and the Boer revolt struck South Africa along with Civil unrest in Albania, who just joined the entente.

Turn 5 Lots going on this turn, this will be a longer update spanning two posts with “before” and “after” pics. Events of the Entente Turn: The west front Two corps were destroyed by the French on the western front. My forces here are a bit thin, and the French seem to get ever stronger. They broke through at Belfort moving two corps up next to an undefended Strasbourg. Not good! Fortunately I got two corps reinforcements this turn that I promptly placed in its’ defense. I wish I could say that this was due to awesome planning on my part, but the reinforcements were just dumb luck to arrive this turn. Otherwise miserable weather (mud) and rain made any large counter offensives impossible, I couldn’t even avenge my fallen corps. The detachment in Belgium exited their new capital Antwerp for some reason, an easy grab for me. Hopefully Belgium will fall soon. Reinforcements and digging in was the orders of the day in the west. The Serbian front The Serbs mauled a corps while pulling back further into the foothills. A modern French battleship and auxiliaries appeared in the bay of Italy, threatening the Austrian fleet. It took a herculean effort by all of the Austrian navy to sink it, and one of my battleships barely survived to run away afterwards (One str left, not shown on pic). Otherwise only repositioning here.

Interesting, thanks Good insights. Interesting that I am closer to Paris than most, I thought I was doing a little bit less than historical, but I'm no expert! Will have to keep a closer eye on my supply and readiness... hadnt really noticed that the conquered cities were so low on resources.

Thanks! It seems that rain doesnt have any direct effect on combat. Odd, last turn when it started raining all over Europe I could have sworn that my attack efficiency went down significantly. Maybe it was storms and not just rain . Put a cramp in my style though.

I cant find any tables or sections in the rulebook explaining what effects (if any) weather and terrain have on combat. Can someone direct me to a table of some sort for this?

Turn 4 General Staff I kinda screwed up the screenshot on the western front this turn. Had to use a “before movement” picture and paint the action. Do you like this method better? Should I use before or “after” shots? Edit: Oh yes, except that Moltke has resigned due to health issues and Falkenhayn has now taken over. The west front The general advance on the western front continues. Forward scouting with cavalry revealed Le Havre empty, so we took it. Rouen was surrounded by French corps, but empty. I couldn’t move into it, so the front advanced to just in front of it. This front is definetly starting to stall, front lines are forming everywhere. But we’re close to paris! The French incursion into our lines on the Strasbourg-Luxemburg front was destroyed. The Serbian front The newly arrived Prussian heavy artillery was put to good use, unleashing a full bombardment on the Serbian corpse in Belgrade, the advance then destroyed both that corpse and the withdrawn damaged detachment. Progress on the Serbian front! Everything is pretty damaged though. The Austro-Russian front Nothing much happening here, fortunately. I sent an Austrian corps towards Lodz, hoping to capture it after scouting is as empty with air recon. I didn’t quite reach it, but next turn I should be able to take it. I destroyed the marauding cavalry in the southwest of this picture. The Prussian-Russian front Hindenburg tries something clever. A quick strike to try and cut the invading four corps+detachment+HQ off supply. Destroying a Russian corps in the process. Only a thin corridor remains through Lodz. With luck, this might be a big win in a couple of turns time if I can maintain a supply lock, starve the units and then destroy them. The trick of course will be to maintain it and not get destroyed or out of supply myself, game on! War of the Atlantic Task force is closing in on the blockading forces. Most of the naval units I saw on the replay were around the French coast bombarding units, or moving west. I still have to be quick. End of turn – Events and Misc The Austrians invest heavily in trench warfare research (three chits). It seems that they cannot invest more than a single chit in infantry warfare, oh well. The Prussians put another chit in intelligence research.

Thank you too Bill, happy to have you reading!

Turn 3 General Staff Nothing much to report here, no advances or diplomatic maneuvering yet. The west front The west front. Well. The Prussian army continued the great surge forwards under the lash of their commanders in what would later be known as “the great Belgian marathon of -14”. Many soldiers report having jogged almost non-stop since the Prussian border. That does seem to be coming to an end, we unexpectedly ran into the first british presence in france, and it looks like a front line will start forming. I’ll try to prevent this if I can. Newly mobilized forced force-marched into Belgium to take charge of what high command essentially sees as a “cleanup operation” of the remaining Belgian forces. A notable failure to destroy a French marine popping up on the coast stings a bit in my pride. The Serbian front Gah. Fricken serbs. Nearly every single corps on this front, except the one I valjevo, struck the detachment in the capital. And they failed to destroy it. Austrian commanders are very disappointed, and are contemplating how to “motivate” their forces. Every time I look at this front it comes back to one single fact, I have to win really fast. To this end I operated the Prussian artillery unit in to help, hopefully this will speed the advance. I also moved an Austrian submarine into port for reinforcement so that I can start raiding a little in the mediterranean. The Austro-Russian front The Austrian army held a fire sale in shovels, and every soldier got one. Dig you bastards! A cheeky Russian cavalry squadron that took tarnow has been surrounded by our corps and almost destroyed. We’ll see if he gets away. I’m bracing for the storm. The Prussian-Russian front Significant developments on this front this turn. The Rus seems to be onto us, and have formed defensive lines opposing Hindenburg. OH well, at least it pins some of their forces there. I got something of a shock at all the Russians roaming my undefended heartland, and to that end I operated no less than four corps to the eastern front. One more for Hindenburg together with marines, and three to prevent the Rus from gutting my country through the soft underbelly. The cav should now be out of supply. If the units close to Breslau are not withdrawn, I will attempt a small offensive with Hindenburgs command next turn to flank the central Russian force and cut the Russians out on a limb out of supply. If successful, the corps around Breslau should be able to clean up. Also, von Bulow withdrew his command, destroying a cavalry unit that ventured next to Koenigsberg. It’s better for now to give ground and have my two commands closer. War of the Atlantic The submarine escaped into the north sea undamaged, but if the Brit takes up identical positions during his turn there will be no gaps to sneak through. So, let’s see if he’s on his toes. I’ll scout a bit with the “silent” submarine (don’t really know if they can scout very well, let’s try it!). If he has no significant naval force nearby, I have assembled a task force to strike at the blockade. The ensuing confusion should let my sub through, and then I’ll run away. Hopefully this will prompt a redeployment in force of naval units to the north sea, and I can switch and strike through the English channel with a task force later. End of turn – Events and Misc The Austrians invested in infantry warfare, the Prussians had no money for research due to extensive operations this turn.

Thanks! I'm glad you're reading. This game will be rife with mistakes for sure, on both sides I hope. It does feel like the CP are a bit less forgiving of mistakes though... oh well. I'll do my best!

Turn 2 Time for turn two of our little rumble! first, the event log from the first Entente turn. The west front I promptly forgot about trivialities like supply lines and caution, and surged forward once again. I also destroyed the corps holding Brussels, and occupied that city. Other than that the advance ignored the Belgians and reached the outskirts of france. Calais, Amiens, Arras and more are within our grasp. High command issued a stern order to the generals to move slower next turn and make sure we continue the advance in good order and with good supply. Resistance is sure to appear soon. Germans opposite the French lines of Verdun, Nancy and Epinal dug in. Once things kick off here it is going to be ugly. The Serbian front The Austrian army tightens the noose on the Serbs, the damaged detachment is destroyed and our corps are positioned to strike next turn. I try not to move and strike unless I have already softened a target up, the stationary attack bonus is too good to give up easily. The Austro-Russian front Austrian high command continues to scramble in an attempt to set up a defense against the Russians. Real and deep worry is setting in that I simply have too few units. Look at those Russians, they’re legion! I don’t quite understand how I am going to be able to hold, but I abandoned Tarnopol and put a Cav in Kolomea to keep an eye on the eastern approach. One scouting cavalry unit gets into hot water, they’re probably not coming back. The Prussian-Russian front Von Bulow digs in with his three corps in the north, hopefully this will deter the Russians from advancing for a little while. Depending on how things go I am ready to pull these units back to work in tandem with Hindenburg. Interestingly, a recon flight revealed that the fortified space next to warzaw is undefended. I definitely have to try and distract the Rus from whatever nefarious plans they have in the area, perhaps an offensive action will draw attention from the Austrians? I have to give this some thinking over, the Marines are reinforced to str 10 and will be joining Hindenburg next turn. War of the Atlantic Ach. Disaster. Our Submarine was caught trying to sneak out into the north sea. There are nasty British naval units everywhere. How am I supposed to get through here… hm. Maybe a surprise hit and run strike with the navy will create an opening, we’ll see how badly mauled these poor submariners get. I don’t fancy their chances. End of turn – Events and Misc The Prussians feel a lot like benefactors handing their money and expertise out to everyone else in the central powers, who stand around begging. More money was thrown at the Ottomans, hopefully this will equate to not only better relations but also some kind of better units, or more units. They will certainly need them. Other than that I decided to focus first on –intelligence- tech for research. Not only will this increase our own chances to research, well everything, it will also lower our enemies chances of doing the same. Very, very worthwhile. Prussia also put a point in advanced submarines. I ordered a detachment for Austria, they need something to plug that gigantic revolving door that is the east. Last, an insight in our income. Prussia will be hurting economically for a bit. Hindenburg sure is demanding, costing as much as "getting the ottoman army up to scratch".

Hm, I cant remember anything in particular happening. Well, we got an "I/O" error, restarted and we could connect. Then we couldnt see eachothers moves. We still cant in the 1914 campaign we're running. Despite it being a new campaign (the first one was the westfront divisional level campaign).

Preface Myself and a good friend of mine just got the game and whet our teeth on the smaller division level west front scenario to learn the game a bit. The scenario ended in an enduring stalemate around Verdun and the French border, though the French and brits managed to break through and overrun the right territories and start rolling up the germans from the east to the west, the scenario turn limit kicked in and the whole thing was a draw. We had lots of fun learning though! We’re both historically interested, though neither of us is a WWI buff. We know the general shape of things in the war, but not the nitty gritty specifics. Having skimmed the manual twice and also skimmed the “call to arms strategy guide” we figured we might as well go for the big event and learn as we go. My friend chose the Entente, and I got the Central powers. Comments and encouragement are welcome in the thread below, but try to keep any advice about "future strategy" very "general" and to a minimum, it wouldnt be fair to get a lot of specific advice, it's supposed to be a newbie AAR after all! Turn 1 Loading the game up for the first time is very daunting. I think I sat around for some 15 minutes just trying to figure out the general shape of things at the outset. In my very inexpert opinion (and it seems also the strategy guides), things look very thin and desperate in the east, frustrating in on the Serbian border and positively overwhelming in the west. Well, easier to take things one part at a time, focusing on the smaller piece of one front before moving to the next, and try not to buckle under the weight of trying to figure them all at the same time. General Staff Right away, decisions. I like a game with lots of hard decisions. Where to deploy those units? I didn’t at all like the look of the east front, and one thing I learned in the first scenario we played is the absolute importance of commanders. A good command value is essentially 25-45% of a units combat strength it seems. Not to mention supplies. So I put the HQ in the east together with the first cavalry squadron. The rest of the units deployed in the west, where the weight of the blow would fall. I figured I already had plenty of commanders there. With no economy to manage the German high command declared war on the Belgians, that’ll teach them to give us unconditional military access. The Engish declared war, but they were always going to do that anyway, might as well make it final straight off the bat. The west front Like the Strategy guide suggested I was light on the attacks this turn, satisfied with destroying two small Belgian detachments and occupying Liege and Namur (sp?). One unit marched to close the gap next to the Belgian capital, and took a huge morale hit. Whoops. The front opposite the frenchies is looking thin, but I figure that I can quickly punish him if he leaves his positions and tries to be offensive, so I’m not too worried. I got far ahead, maybe a bit too far ahead, have to be more careful next turn. The goal, of course, is to reach Paris. Failing that, to get as far down the northeastern part of france as possible. The race to the sea is on! The Serbian front A small advance and attacks to start opening the way. If I can surround Belgrade I should be able to take it, and then push the Serbs out of the war as quickly as possible. I need these troops against Russia I think. The Austro-Russian front Wow. There really is a lot of territory, and not a whole lot of Austrian units. Hopefully it will take the Russians a bit to mobilize and start attacking, or this will turn pear shaped fast. I tried to set my units up in important cities, especially the two main fortifications. Now we’ll see I guess. I advanced some cavalry a little to scout for the Russian forces. My abandonment of Czernowitz might not have been a good idea, if he sneaks around with cav he can take most of Austria just by running around there. Will have to build units once I get something to build with… The Prussian-Russian front I sent a cav scouting the front in the north. I’m a bit worried that I’ll have to abandon Memel (my precious income!). The newly arrived HQ has a small force here of three corps and a cavalry unit, with that he will have to fend off the Russians. If things go bad I am prepared to retreat as far as Koenigsberg, but I wont give an inch more to the Rus. That would be shameful. If I don’t misremember history entirely Hindenburg will arrive here as well, he’ll get command of the central force I am gathering. Next turn I’ll reinforce the marines near the german north coast and operate the corps by the Danish border here, strengthening his command. This might give me the option to interfere with the Russian or pressure warzaw. War of the Atlantic I’m a bit scared of sticking out my fleets nose. Maybe a little too scared. I’ll try to scout a little in upcoming turns and see if I can get an idea of how strong the british navy is in the immediate vincinity. One submarine is heading north to start raiding and the second one is on its’ way through the canal to enter the oceans and go north as well. End of turn – Events and Misc I sent the ottomans military support (I have a feeling they will need every single thing they can get to avoid crumbling like a wet card house at the first sign of trouble), and deployed the Austrian army en route on the border to Serbia. The die is cast! Death the enemies of the Kaiser!

Hey there. I recently started playing this with a friend and we started out with the division level west front scenario from breakthrough. At first we could see it when the opponent moved or made an attack during their turn on our screens (we play over network, not email) but then suddenly that stopped showing and we couldnt see the opponents moves at all. Only the final positions at the start of our own turn. So, how do we get this back working? Is there a replay thing so we can watch what the opponent did? Thanks for your help, we plan to write a dual AAR here eventually.

Thanks. Do I have to use hamachi (does tungle work?) or can I go directly through the main menu of the game?

Hey, I was wondering. Is it possible to play this game multiplayer directly over the internet without doing the whole PBEM thing? Thanks.

It seems like the Russians are always "cautious and defensive" and that of course leads to big problems for the german player as the russians only move in force when they are good and ready. Perhaps there should be some sort of incentive to attack early to create the actual imperatives of the war. The russian could still choose remain defensive, but perhaps with some sort of penalty? One thought I had about this AAR is that the CP did not challenge the entente enough at sea, warfare at sea (though a lost cause) could probably have opened the way a little for the u-boats, perhaps raided a little, and thinned the blockading forces and slowed the NM decay.

Hello. =) Two things I would like to see in the game that I missed in both WaW and Pacific. Limit number of "tech chits" (and maybe tech levels as well?) that nations can place in the different categories. Make these limits slightly different for each country to represent "historical strengths". Example: Most nations get to place two "chits" max in "heavy armour". Germany gets to place 3. Most nations get to place two chits in "artillery". UK gets to place three. Operational range for navies and air fleets. Navies: At the end of each round that a naval unit is not in or adjacent to a friendly port, it's "supply" decreases by one. Restoring supply requires an entire turn spent stationary in or adjacent to a port. Air Fleets: No more unlimited operational movement. Limit range to require "pit stops" along a longer route. Example: No strat moving from the US west coast to a tiny island just above Japan. No strat moving from Japan to hawaii. No strat moving from US east coast to UK (must land in azores or iceland in between for example).