Great, sounds good to me.
Alpine Front Strategy
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For reasons I’ve dealt with elsewhere, I don’t believe a Paris-Moscow strategy is viable for the CPs. With no rail movement, they will be left with two separate armies unable to support each other; even a victory on one front will leave them unable to redeploy winning units to the other front in time.
Therefore, the most promising CP strategy must default to Paris-Rome.
The key to this approach is to establish a single continuous Alpine front by taking out Lorraine, Switzerland and Venice ASAP. Switzerland might bring in more Allied units, but it should be worth it as your two advancing armies can now support each other relatively quickly. Stay out of Holland, which just becomes a gateway for the British.
The approach in the east must be to hold the defensive line Prussia-Silesia-Galicia-Budapest, possibly trading Poland, with minimum force. If anything Serbia is a handicap and would be best avoided, but L say you have to attack it, so do it with as little force as you can legally get away with.
Use Turkey to relentlessly attack Russia’s southern flank, diverting forces from your thinly held eastern front.
Use African units to drive north-east, pressurizing the British in Egypt to relieve Turkey.
Consider an Austrian naval build to facilitate transporting units over the Adriatic.
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I agree that Paris/Italy could be a great strategy, but I don’t think you can count out Paris/Moscow. Paris/Moscow works in AA1940, why not here? Yes the Moscow troops can’t reinforce thew western front, and vice versa, but once the writing is on the wall on one front you could easily earmark all newish troops the other front.
I also think that with contested territory and one round attacks that the fronts will be much more static and it will take much longer to go either route.
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What about Rome/Moscow?
If Germany cedes its outer western territories to france it flips the table on france who now has had their supply lines extended by one and Germanys shortened by one. Also keeps the pesky brits from being able to land in Belgium and annoy you. -
A heavy naval build may yet reward London-Rome, defending against which would then put France in a very tough position. Austria knocks out Rome by sea, then Germany hits the beachheads hard. I think it could be done if one could pressure Britain in Africa as well.
I know Seelöwe never works, but maybe… The German starting units alone may hold the line on the ground
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I’m waiting for the full rules on naval combat and amphibious assault before assessing London-Paris.
Rome-Moscow doesn’t win you the game; it has to include one of London & Paris for a CP victory.
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Don’t forget that Belgium is a minor allied-aligned power. Unlike minor neutrals, minor aligned powers can be mobilized by their allied nation moving into them (see Larry’s post on Austria-Hungary’s first turn). If you’re going to go for the Alpine Strategy, you’re either going to have to attack Belgium or fortify the Ruhr to withstand a Franco-Belgian attack on turn two.
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wove100, nice pick up about Belgium being linked to the French, and the French would mobilize them (collecting the income & units). Holland would be different story (I think), because as a neutral its forces would mobilize against whomever entered it. If Germany forgoes attacking Holland, they wouldn’t get the Dutch income, but wouldn’t have to fight their 4 units either. If UK decides to come through Holland, the English would have to fight the 4 units there so it might be better to leave it then counter attack I guess.
I think the strat attempted in most games will be Moscow first then Paris or London depending on the sea’s and who is weaker. I’m not saying it’s going to be the best strat, but probably the most straight forward (and seems to be the way Larry is going). Germany will most likely attack east & west simultaneously in the beginning.
Most will be playing with the optional Russian Revolution Rule. If you force the Russians Revolution by attacking with all 3 CPs then you can use all your resources on the western front afterwords knowing the Russians can’t slither back into the game. Keep in mind that you don’t have to take Moscow in this game with all your units ending up there, just control 4 Russian territories (3 adjacent to the capital), and have Moscow be contested. All your German units won’t end up in Moscow, so they could be one step closer to the sea, or the direction you want them to head. I wouldn’t worry to much about stranding half the German army on Russian soil, because you can bring some back piece mail through the Baltic back to Kiel (or the western part of Germany) where the battle will be raging. Part of the eastern force (stationed maybe in Ukraine) can also head south once Russia is forced out, because the Ottomans or Austrians will most defiantly need some help putting pressure on the English or Italians through Turkey or Romania.
Paris won’t fall easily in this game, but the Germans need to make some early progress then dig-in on the western front trying to keep the battles on French soil contesting French territories for as long as they can to keep French income down (fewer French units). Then roll back as they need to in a fighting (contesting) retreat back to the German border or into German territory until they can focus 100% of their resources on the western front. As the French get further from Paris they will have the logistics to deal with, and the UK will have logistics throughout coming across the Chanel, then marching to the front (so now trains don’t look to good to the Germans do they).
Oh crap, just flipped back and saw Larry posted the French turn (see ya)
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I’m aware of the Belgian situation. My plan calls for a concerted push centred on Switzerland, so if Germany attacks Belgium it brings those extra French units into play a turn earlier - not a good idea.
Also think that the line Poland-Galicia-Romania could be a feasible defensive line in the east, with each held by a different Central Power. Turkey could also use a defensive stack in Romania to launch raids into Russia.
I am of course assuming that Constantinople is the Ottoman capital; if Larry can preempt the move from Petrograd to Moscow he can do the same with Constantinople to Ankara. Larry big man. He can do anything.
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Regardless of what is going on in Russia it would be especially weird to have the Ottoman capital not be Istanbul in my opinion.
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Try this quiz on Ottoman Empire towns (remember this is before the two Balkan Wars).
http://www.sporcle.com/games/Markovic/largest-ottoman-cities-1900
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LOL I got 2 out of 16.
Not bad as far as I’m concerned.
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I got the top 5 (in order, strangely enough) and then Mecca, of course. Can’t believe I missed Beirut!
Other than those 7, I can only recall of hearing of, like , 2.
Surprised Trebizond was not on there.
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People tend to miss Salonika as its been in Greece since 1913.
But note that Ankara isn’t even on the list - in 1914 it was a small provincial town.
See how you do with Austria-Hungary
http://www.sporcle.com/games/Karja/Biggest_Austro_Hungarian_Cities
Russia: (I got 16/20)
http://www.sporcle.com/games/Markovic/largest-russian-cities-1897
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9/16 for ottomans
7/15 AH
10/20 Russia
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My guess is that Kostantiniyye will be the captial of the Ottoman Empire, based on the large crescent moon icon obscuring the Bosphorus.
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But can you make out the SZ borders?
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