SOVIET AAR thread of Drakken vs. Tamas DC3 Barbarossa game

[Tamas]

Off we go!

I am playing The Man, Stalin himself. Very apt as I have just finished reading Court of the Red Tsar. A great book.

I think the game very well summarises my situation:




My Front commanders are semi-random generated in terms of Initiative modifier (penalty, almost guaranteed) to the Army HQs under them, and their Threat level in relation to Stalin's paranoia. Here is Central  Front HQ with a bit of explanation:



North:


South:



Apart from moving my units wargame-style, I will have to manage the priorities between the fronts, the stance of armies, and a slow reorganisation of the disaster that is the Red Army into something worthwile, via cardplays. More on that later after Drakken's first turn.

[The Brain]

Who the fuck wrote that memo? Balls the size of a major non-planet.

[The Brain]

I love how the description guys were executed mid-sentence.

[Jaron]

I love how the description guys were executed mid-sentence.

Brain, you made anoth

[Tamas]

 

[PDH]

Promote Budenny to the highest office!  Any Marshal who parties with naked girls in vats of wine is our man to lead the Red Army to triumph.  Plus, he had a great 'stache.

[Tamas]

Promote Budenny to the highest office!  Any Marshal who parties with naked girls in vats of wine is our man to lead the Red Army to triumph.  Plus, he had a great 'stache.

Wasn't he the one who argued that instead of tanks, horse-drawn artillery was the future, even in 40-41?

[grumbler]

I love how the description guys were executed mid-sentence.

Brain, you made anoth

Oh, well-pla

[jimmy olsen]

Who the fuck wrote that memo? Balls the size of a major non-planet.

I love how the description guys were executed mid-sentence.

[Tamas]

TURN 1

First of all, important pre-turn info: I have chosen Moscow as my ultimate objective: I need to hold it to even have a chance at winning.

Drakken had a pretty good first turn, this is not going to be easy.



NONE of my armies managed to activate. Not even partially. Which isn't unheard of but pretty unlucky. They could still move around a bit but about 40% worth of action points with some divisons totally paralyzed.



An example of details on army activation rolls for the Central Front:




As I mentioned, a lot of flexibility (and also many ways to screw) comes from managing the war via the command cards. I have a fairly limited 10 PP (Political Points) income per turn. One of the cards let me raise that gradually, but it costs 30PP to play at first and only gets more expensive.



I want to save up to it ASAP, but there were lots of things to this turn.

First of all I held a victory speech (if you think its premature, well, haters gonna' hate). This shall give a bit of initiative boost next turn.



Then I used my free options: I ordered one of my surrounded divisions down south to disperse and become partisans (partisan activity up 2% to 2% total there), I have placed a free ragtag garrison in Vilnius since it is prone to being overrun next turn, and I placed a free fortification next to Dunaburg at the southern edge of the Northern Front.



I have a plan: I will try to hold the Germans -at least temporarily- at the Dvina river. There are 3 cities to anchor upon, all just accross the Dvina, and there are 2 hexes of forest next to Riga.

It all depends on whether I can evacuate my Northern forces SW of that line. So, not only did I order a costly "no retreat" option on Riga (placing a strong garrison unit), but also I have authorised the release of a Tsarist general from the Lubyanka prison to be place in command of the Northern Front replacing Voroshilov. He is quite good:



Also I have dispatched one of my two Troubleshooters, Zhukov (the other is Khruschev, who is more of literal trouble-shooter), to the HQ of the 27th Army, which guards the southern half of my planned northern defensive line (the northern half being completely undefended ATM).
This will grant me a few extra options (for PP) regarding that army. I am planning to a) blow bridges while I can, and b) give the general a free hand (initiative bonus for the rest of the game).



Kruschev is more about removing generals on the cheap, which is nice but it also reduces Threat levels (as example is made) so I'd keep him in reserve a while until the generals start being uppity.

I also tried to put the West Army into a neutral posture (from an offensive one) as they are facing the bulk of the German advance in the middle and it would be splendid if there was some of the army left for next turn. But communications failed, the order didn't carry through, but my one-time-a-turn chance of changing stances was lost.



As far as troop movements, I cut off a mechanised unit in Byalistok and attacked it, but to no effect. It was highly optimistic to say the least but in general I am planning to be counter-attacking whenever I seem to have the chance. Most of my units are in offensive stance, and I can soak up losses, Drakken can't.
Otherwise, I was just trying to soften the fall, so to speak, by setting up roadblock units and such. Will see how that goes.

[Habbaku]

Give us some more meat, Tamas.  The German HQ is brimming with activity!   

[jimmy olsen]

Oh, that Tsarist general looks like a beast!

[Valmy]

Um Marshall Rokossovsky was not a Tsarist...or is that just code for anybody who was purged earlier?

[Razgovory]

Um Marshall Rokossovsky was not a Tsarist...or is that just code for anybody who was purged earlier?

Yeah, I kind of wondered about that.

[Habbaku]

Um Marshall Rokossovsky was not a Tsarist...or is that just code for anybody who was purged earlier?

He fought in the Tsarist army in WWI.  Close enough!