[Paths of Glory] Club Seal

[ulmont]

Historical POG:

· Set-up using the complete optional set-up.
· The CP Player must open with Guns of August as an Event.
· Entrench may not be played as an Event on Turn 1.
· Only Austrian and Italian armies may operate in Italy (move, attack, or advance into any space in Italy) and no German armies may end their movement (OPS or SR) in Trent, Villach or Trieste until the start of a turn at which both sides are at Total War.
· The following cards may double as OPS when played as Events: Landships, Zimmermann Telegram, Over There, Tsar Takes Command, Fall of the Tsar, Bolshevik Revolution.
· If the game ends with an Armistice or at the end of turn 20, add 1 VP for each US Army not currently on the map or in the deadpile.
· If the game ends with an Armistice or at the end of turn 20, subtract 2 VP if the Tsar has not fallen.
· Use the optional 8 card-hand.

[Berkut]

Gotcha. You setting up ACTS then?

And what side do you prefer?

[ulmont]

Gotcha. You setting up ACTS then?

Yup.

And what side do you prefer?

I rolled for it; you got CP.  We can flip sides after the fall of Paris.

[Eddie Teach]

I rolled for it; you got CP.  We can flip sides after the fall of Paris.

Such confidence you have.

[ulmont]

I rolled for it; you got CP.  We can flip sides after the fall of Paris.

Such confidence you have.

Paris Never Fell!  (The AP still lost, though).

In a slugfest that lasted until the Summer of 1918, Italy finally fell and then the AP sued for peace.

I think the entire Austrian army was in the deadpool at one point.

Over to Berkut for commentary; I have identified 3 separate strategic errors on my part, which I will attempt to correct.

[Berkut]

It was a pretty decent game, and had some very tense moments.

If I had to pick three major things I would consider for your play they would be:

1. Not playing reinforcement cards. You need the troops on the board.
2. The Russians went way too deep into Austria, which allowed the Germans to easily control Poland and Russia.
3. You *must* get a 3 LF army or two into Italy if the CP is going to go after it. The Italians cannot hold Italy.

[Berkut]

For my part, I made some of the mistakes I always make - not playing RPs in the early part of the turn, and not getting those 2-Ops event/reinforcement cards out of my hand early.

[ulmont]

1. Not playing reinforcement cards. You need the troops on the board.
2. The Russians went way too deep into Austria, which allowed the Germans to easily control Poland and Russia.
3. You *must* get a 3 LF army or two into Italy if the CP is going to go after it. The Italians cannot hold Italy.

I agree re: 1 and 3, but really, I don't think the Russians can hold Poland and Russia anyway, so they might as well kill the Austrians.

The side-changing rematch starts Monday if you're up for it.

[Berkut]

The Russians cannot hold Poland and Russia if the Germans really want it. But they have to make the Germans really want it, and by sending 6 armies into Austria, you let me collapse Russia with a minimal amount of effort, which is why I was able to hold you off (barely) in Turkey while still crushing Russia.

[ehrie]

grumblegrumble I want to play. Anybody want to fire up a game with me?

[ehrie]

How'd the breakout in Italy go down?

[ulmont]

How'd the breakout in Italy go down?

Extremely badly for the AP.  For some reason, the idea of "SR a British Army over there and rape the Austrians" never occurred to me, so the Italians did their usual dive into the pavement.

[ulmont]

grumblegrumble I want to play. Anybody want to fire up a game with me?

Where were you when I was spamming Languish with news stories until someone volunteered for a game?

I'll fire a game up tomorrow.

[ulmont]

The side-changing rematch starts Monday if you're up for it.

In the side-changing rematch, which was played according to the 2008 WBC tournament scenario -  http://www.boardgamers.org/yearbkex/pogpge.htm - Berkut's Allies conceded in the Summer of 1915, granting a glorious CP victory.  Berkut will be along to tell you that this was because I had insane dice luck and cheated regarding the GE11 army card, but do not believe his lies.

[Berkut]

LOL, while you did have rather insane dice, you played well and knew how to exploit those dice nicely. Well done.