DC3 : Barbarossa under beta

[Drakken]

This does look very cool - I am kind of bummed at the limited scope though, since it only covers the first several months of the war.

I'm not. From experience with WITE most Axis players give up anyway when the Soviets aren't decisively beaten by 1942. Past Summer 1942 there is no way the Axis can regain the strategic initiative unless the Soviet player is braindead. The rest of the war is three long years of  the Russian player will take to grind the Axis back to Berlin. I know very few casual wargamers that would accept to play an unwinneable scenario for so long.

Case Barbarossa is the only realistic time when the Axis has a decent shot at winning the war (and even that is debateable). Beyond January 1942 if the USSR isn't beaten it will never will. It ceases to be interesting with the current design choices for the game. However I would gladly see the current design implemented ib reverse with Bagration and the invasion of Germany.

It might not look like it, but the scenario is eminently replayable. Who knows where Hitler will decide is next month's overriding objective. Who knows what Stalin will encounter as a new crisis next turn and which great Marshall he will send to the executioner.

The pleasure of DC:Barbarossa is crisis management : deal with people, needs and requests in a critical situation and balance these with the logistics of the war. Even better against a human player :  it becomes a big game of chess coupled with game theory. Plus for the Germans to manage a war with unprecedented levels of barbarism without becoming a monster in the process. I mean do you know a lot of wargames where the player is asked to deal with friggin' Einsatzgruppen AND the right choice isn't necessary the moral one? On my turn 4, Himmler is asking me no less than being an accomplice to genocide. Actively refusing would cost me a great chunk of my Political points when I can't afford it; they would certainly be much more useful to decide on more critical problems. My current situation might force me to turn a blind eye to war crimes under my own command... and I love that!

[Drakken]

Sorry for the ranting, but I love this game so much. If there is one Eastern front wargame to own, Berk, this is it. This has everything to become a classic.

[Habbaku]

Resistance...fading...urge to buy...increasing...

[The Brain]

Resistance...fading...urge to buy...increasing...

They're just Ersatzgruppen FFS.

[11B4V]

Hamas, can you free deploy in this game?

[Drakken]

Hamas, can you free deploy in this game?

I can answer for him.

The Soviet player's deployment and OOB at the start of the game is the same every game. Not only that, but the Soviet player suffers tremendous activation penalties on T2, making the Sir Robinski tactic of WITE impossible to perform in practice unless the player use its Helper button to activate ALL his armies (at costs of VPs in favour of the German player, since it is a "cheat").

The Soviet Army reinforcement table of arrival is very rigid; Armies are scheduled to arrive at a pre-assigned date and location (although they can be randomly delayed and the player must play a card to place the HQ on the map, after which Divs assigned to that HQ will arrive with each passing turn).

What the Soviet player can do is play the "Change Orders" card, which allows to deploy the next scheduled Army HQ reinforcement to a location of his choice, at the cost of PPs. IIRC, while the first use of that card is free the PP cost increases with each use.

[Tamas]

That is correct, however when the AI is playing the Soviets, there is some level of randomisation of these deployments as well as a few other things (where major city garrisons will be placed, as well as fortifications) to keep things unpredictable in SP as well.

[jimmy olsen]

This does look very cool - I am kind of bummed at the limited scope though, since it only covers the first several months of the war.

Eh, if the Germans don't win by winter, they're not gonna win.

Plus, I'm sure there will be expansions.

[Berkut]

This does look very cool - I am kind of bummed at the limited scope though, since it only covers the first several months of the war.

Eh, if the Germans don't win by winter, they're not gonna win.

Only if you very narrowly define "win" is that true.

[Drakken]

This does look very cool - I am kind of bummed at the limited scope though, since it only covers the first several months of the war.

Eh, if the Germans don't win by winter, they're not gonna win.

Only if you very narrowly define "win" is that true.

In this game VPs determine who wins and to what degree depending on both players' own objectives.

Taking territory in itself doesn't mount to much, it is halved in the calculation. I can still take Moscow and still reach a draw or a minor win due to Tamas still holding his strategic goal - and even lose if I concede too much VPs elsewhere.

[Tamas]

oooooh did somebody just gave away his selected victory condition?

remember, loose lips sink ships!

[Drakken]

oooooh did somebody just gave away his selected victory condition?

remember, loose lips sink ships!

[Tamas]

True I cannot know if that's Hitler's choice and that might change later.... 

[Drakken]

True I cannot know if that's Hitler's choice and that might change later.... 

Maybe... maybe not...

[Jacob]

I'm really enjoying these threads - good work