Der Weltkrieg Grand Campaign AAR

[Blackhorse]

It's a good thing you don't have a cat!!

By the Way, that looks totally AWESOME!! Thanks for the AAR.

Also, please clarify the game being played. I've looked through the consim folder and cannot find "Der Weltkrieg". What other name does it go by? Storm of Steel perhaps?

[Sergei]

I think it's this: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgamefamily/111

and here's a review from BGG:

Rules: The rules from this series look a bit intimidating at a first glance, but once you get into them they are clear and well structured... clearly broken up into digestible chunks with illustrations for many of the key concepts. Plus, I like the fact that the main series rules [now on the 4th edition which I got online which seems improved over the 3rd edition which game with the games] include special rules that got added for different games along the way [like Mountain units, River Flotillas]. The rules are pretty clear and really boil down to a few key concepts. I like the fact that there isn't a ton of chrome... one you have the system down it is possible to quickly resolve most battles.

Maps: This series is unique [i think.. haven't seen it everywhere] in having different terrain on each hexside rather than for each hex. At a first glance this makes the map look really busy but I quickly got the hang of the different style. I have to admit that I really like this concept as it adds a new level of thought... it doesn't just matter which hex you attack but which direction or directions that you attack it from. Plus, it allows for features like valleys in a mountain range that channel attacks and defenses and makes you think a lot more about how to move your units.

Components: Once you get used to it, the maps are really nice. Counters a good and easy to read. Charts are easy to understand. Many of the games have the 3rd edition rules and earlier versions of the game specific rules/setups but the current revised versions can be found as CSW. My only complaint is that the boxes themselves seem a bit flimsy on the edges and once a lot of counters are punched it can be hard to get everything in the ones with 1" boxes.

Gameplay: Once you have the rules down, the game moves pretty fast. Battles basically involve determining the strength of each side and then rolling one dice for each side. I like the supply approach..to attack or defend at full strength you have to expend supply which requires you to have a nearby HQ. As you never have enough supplies, this really forces you to pick where your main focus is to use it for the maximum effect. Plus, the supply rules don't add much in the way of bookkeeping [one chart per side and basically moving 1 counter per HQ when you expend supplies] or time required. Counter density is not extreme [in Italian Front, Serbia/Romania, and Tannenberg [having not tried the Western Front it may be different] so setup takes less than an hour. As I have mentioned before, turns go pretty fast [although I was playing solitare, so with a second person this may change].

Feel: This series just feels right. Playing the Italian front, for example, there are lots of battles but the front doesn't move that much... which is historical... and it doesn't feel pointless. I look forward to trying more of the scenarios in each of the games I have and eventually the duration games.

[Blackhorse]

Thanks Sergei!

Impressive undertaking by our friend Neutrino!!

I think it's this: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgamefamily/111

and here's a review from BGG:

[mididoctors]

Maps: This series is unique [i think.. haven't seen it everywhere] in having different terrain on each hexside rather than for each hex. At a first glance this makes the map look really busy but I quickly got the hang of the different style. I have to admit that I really like this concept as it adds a new level of thought... it doesn't just matter which hex you attack but which direction or directions that you attack it from. Plus, it allows for features like valleys in a mountain range that channel attacks and defenses and makes you think a lot more about how to move your units.

thats a very cool game device that i expect to see in other games

[Michael Emrys]

That feature is not quite entirely new. Older games sometimes provided hexside features that would effect combat and/or movement. For instance, river hexsides would often halve the attack factor of those units attacking across it. Some kinds of hexsides would also increase movement costs to cross or prevent movement and combat entirely, such as high mountain hexsides. What appears to be new in this game is that all terrain is treated in that way, which is interesting.

Michael

[Pandur]

Hey hey, the little sister is only 16.

ah thats more then good to go..., bring it on...

[PD]

Way to kill a good thread Pandur

[Neutrino 123]

Oh, don't worry. I've just been away doing stupid interviews and crap. The war continues...

This is the link to Consimworld WWI folder. The title would be 'Game Series: Der Weltkrieg'.

http://talk.consimworld.com/WebX?14@276.rXZ4aUEPyf0.19825884@.ee6ded6

[Neutrino 123]

Through Turn 3 November 1914

With the entry of the Ottoman Empire, the British send major forces to Egypt, while the weak Ottoman rail lines support a steady repositioning of divisions to the Sinai Front.

British forces begin to advance in Mesopotamia, while Ottomans move toward the front lines in the Caucasus. Most of the Ottoman forces, though, are still positioned in strategic reserve guarding Gallipoli.

[Neutrino 123]

In southern Galicia, Austrian reinforcements finally arrive in strength, and some Russian units are surrounded.

Unfortunately, these troops reach safety the next turn.

On the bright side, the remaining Serbians are trapped by combined Austrian-Bulgarian forces before they escape to Albania!

All is quiet on the west front, as both sides abandon forts behind the lines, gaining precious replacements for depleted units at the front.

Overall, the infusion of fortress replacements to my forces, combined with low casualties suffered on all fronts, means my units are only slightly depleted. Still, Entente strength has increased to such a degree that it’s still difficult to find places to attack...

[Neutrino 123]

My Imperial forces continue to advance through Poland, probing for weaknesses in the Russian line... The problem is, every time I kill some guys, Melissa has enough replacements to rebuild them all the next turn... arg, damn non-stopping Russians...

Fortunately, successes continue. Fortress divisions released in the east with the capture of Warsaw head toward the 8th army, supporting it with the Wrsh Group HQ. The Russian line is outflanked, and major casualties are inflicted by causing overstacking during the Russian retreat!

Meanwhile, in southern Poland, the Strnz HQ, freshly arrived from Serbia, and elements of the 9th army threaten the Russian 4th Army with encirclement...

[Neutrino 123]

Through Turn 1 December 1914

Army Group North

With the previous successful attacks, the Russians are forced to pull back to more defensible terrain. The Prussian fatherland is liberated!

Army Group Center

The lines stabilize in front of Warsaw... for now...

Group South

Plans are made to begin envelopment of an exposed Russian army. Meanwhile, the Russians begin to slowly pull back from the Carpathians.

Here is a view of the whole East Front. The zoomed out pictures don’t turn out very well. Maybe I need to play with manual focus...

[Neutrino 123]

West Front

Imperial German siege artillery bombard Belfort, which has only a weak garrison.

Caucasus

Some Russian units are surrounded, but they break out, inflicting losses on the Ottoman cavalry.

[Neutrino 123]

Through Turn 4 December 1914

West Front:

Rob, realizing he has too much supply, is forced to attack. He sends forces to Alsace, but the terrain is too difficult there for him to achieve good results. My small force holds, and then my reinforcements turn it into a French bloodbath.

Sinai:

Both armies continue to reinforce, facing each other across the desert. The British reinforcements have almost arrived...

Caucasus:

I’m still not exactly sure what is happening in this front. It’s so mobile, like cavalry armies fighting in the open steppe. According to the picture, it looks like the Russians are getting surrounded a bit, but both sides losses are about even...

[Neutrino 123]

South Poland:

Though we failed to bag the Russian 5th army, we are able to do an effective attack, which causes the Russians to retreat into our ZOC, resulting in a slaughter. Another combined German-Austrian effort executed in perfect harmony...

Galicia:

Meanwhile, in Galicia, the reinforcements from the southern front are making their presence felt. The Russians are forced to pull back in a series of fierce Austrian attacks, with both sides suffering substantial losses.

[Neutrino 123]

Through Turn 1 January 1915

West Front:

French attacks northwest of Paris and in the Verdun area suffer a bloody repulse. The German defenses are much too strong to overcome, and the French lose steps at nearly a 2-1 ratio. My reserves easily prevent any trouble areas from developing, and all understrength units are quickly rotated out of the line for replenishment.

Caucasus: More crazy mobile action here. Three Russian strength points get surrounded, and they retreat to the east edge of the map with some forces...

[Neutrino 123]

In the east, German armies conduct minor repositioning, while settling down for the winter...

The Galician front is still active. The Russians continue their retreat to the Dniester, with the Austro-Hungarians hot on their heels. Russian replacements have been adequate to replace all losses so far, but they’ve began to run out. On the other hand, the rate of losses has been reduced as well.

[Neutrino 123]

Through Turn 1 February 1914

Middle East:

Well, it looks like the British forces on the way here turned back towards the West Front. Major French losses and confusion over proper objectives in the southern area seemed to have prompted this shift...

West Front:

More French attacks with high casualties. There were a couple small trouble spots, but fortunately reserves were available to prevent anything from becoming too troublesome.

Caucasus:

After some swirling fighting more reminiscent of the North African battles of 1940-1943, the front has finally more-or-less stabilized... There was a lot of movement with very little accomplished, so who knows where things are going next.

[Neutrino 123]

East Front:

In the East, German forces conduct some minor repositioning in preparation for the great Spring Offensive. Forces are being built up to strike the Russians a mighty blow. Vengeance for the 22nd Landwehr brigade shall be obtained!

Meanwhile, the line stabilizes in the south, with major casualties on both sides as the Austro-Hungarians try to break through. The three Bulgarian divisions also get into the thick of the action. Since the Austrians are no longer extended, only one small German battle group is assigned to assistant them, in an attempt to outflank the north of the Russian line. Unfortunately, this fails, and our outflanking guys manage only to secure a few hexes of swamp.

[Neutrino 123]

Until Turn 1 March 1915

West Front:

Everything here is completely stable. The French continue to attack, but it is all in vain. They continue to suffer major losses, and the influx of new German divisions provides a reserve capable of easily filling in any weak spots.

East Front:

Army Group North and Army Group Center conduct some more minor advances and repositioning in preparation for the Great Spring Offensive. Russian cavalry are pushed back. Next turn will be the kickoff of the offensive...

[Neutrino 123]

In the south, Austro-Hungarian forces continue to batter away at the Russian line. Assisted by the German 8th Bavarian Reserve (mountain-capable), the Austro-Hungarians successfully outflank the Russian line to the south, forces them back.

Caucasus Front:

I need to supervise this front more since I think Sam and Melissa are both cheating. Their armies are moving all over the map and creating weird designs...

Next Update: the stunning conclusion.

[Neutrino 123]

Early March 1915 - The Final Battle

With the West Front completely secure, the month’s reinforcements can be mostly funneled to the east, but before they even reach the front, the 8th and 9th armies execute their attack. The 8th army rushes through a gap in the enemy lines, quickly overrunning Bialystok against minimal opposition. The 9th army strikes northward, brushing aside some cavalry with a column attack and driving back the Russian infantry. Two giant Russian armies with over 25 divisions are trapped in an iron grip, with no escape possible. This is my revenge! Revenge for the 22nd Landwehr brigade, so cruelly trapped by the Russians the previous year!

The Entente players, realizing the hopelessness of their situation, decided to surrender at this point. It was probably for the best... Russia would have been rapidly forced back out of Poland and behind Riga, while France would have continued doing suicide attacks, and then met the full might of the German Army in August, and get ground to dust. German casualties had been extremely low throughout the game (all units were at nearly full strength, and I was running low on replacement counters), and even Austria-Hungary was doing fine.

It wasn’t quite home before the leaves fall, but at least the war ended before they came back... Long live the Kaiser!

Here is a picture of the final pocket. Those trench markers actually had giant stacks of Russians in them, but I didn’t realize they were gone when I took the picture.

[Neutrino 123]

Unfortunately, while the Germans won the war, they did not win the peace. The Czar, placing a blanket over the German general’s head to prevent him from avoiding the worst of the blows, proceeded to pummel the hapless general on the cold concrete floor for quite some time. This made the general realize that it would be important to have the Czar on his side for the next war...

...which did not last very long at all. Melissa and Sam played again as Russia and Austria-Hungary, respectively, while Rob and I switched places, so I commanded Serbia and the Western Allies, while he took Germany.

In the French mandatory attacks, I rolled almost all 1’s, and the Germans almost all 6’s. The Germans advanced across Belgium, and put the squeeze on French forces that were lured into overextending themselves on Lorraine. That marked the high point of the Central Powers during the war...

Vicious French counterattacks broke out of Lorraine, while checking the Germans after the had hardly crossed the border! Though Lille was taken, French counterattacks relieved Maubauge, and the German advance ground to a halt!

Austria-Hungary choose not to send any forces from Serbia to help fight Russia. This proved to be a wise decision, but it was not enough. Biting Serbian counterattacks inflicted significant damage, and the Invincible Forces of Montenegro destroyed all in their path, surrounding five Austrian mountain brigades.

This all paled, though, before the mighty armies of the Czar. The Austrians ran back to the mountains, but the Germans tried to fight. Their armies were confused, though, by clever Russian cavalry raids, and after a slow start, the 1st and 2nd armies launched a perfectly coordinated attack, each surrounding and defeating elements of the German 8th Army in detail. To save Berlin, Germany had no choice but to surrender...

[Sergei]

Congratulations on your both victories! Hopefully the bruises won't remain long.

[PD]

Thank you for an entertaining series of photos and comments nicely done.