@DoManMacgee Totally agree with your thoughts. I also thought that Russia just needed to do something to throw the CPs off their game. In regards to the 1 Inf, I think its just an annoying move people made so the opponent couldn’t just grab free IPCs, but I’ll check with some of the other players to make sure that rule was understood right.
The Flashman Report
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The other armies march slowly west, ignoring the fast trains heading straight for the front lines…
I never thought I’d read a Flashman post with this kind of statement in it.
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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Built some cruise liners. President Wilson assures a suspicious public that they have no military function.
ROUND THE SECOND
AUSTRIA
Pushes more troops into Venice from Switzerland and Tyrol, creating a large stack
to face a single annoying Italian defender. Austria takes (back) the city on the sea.The eastern front is thinly held, and the units are spread as best as can defend. The big problem the CPs have here is the length of frontier:
They hold: Prussia, Silesia, Galicia, Budapest, Serbia
Russia holds Poland, Ukraine and Romania.Austria must press the drive towards Rome, the entire CP strategy depends on it. So no more attacks in the east. Serbia is left with a token defence, Albania and Greece are left in peace.
RUSSIA
Now has 3 large armies on the enemy line, but where to attack? In the end Galicia is chosen, the Central Front can support the others and bring Russia to the very gates of Vienna. The first fighter to go into action helps Russia bring the Ruthenians back into the Slavic fold. The other fighter is sent to Romania to defend against an anticipated Turko-Bulgarian advance. Serbia is quickly overrun, and the Balkans look like falling into the Allies lap.
A transport is added to the Baltic fleet.
GERMANY
With Austria hard pressed, and an Allied transport fleet poised over the English channel, Germany decides that it cannot delay the big battle in the west. The Swiss army descends from the mountains and attacks the French in Burgundy head on.
In order to reinforce the front, Germany now attacks the lightly held Lorraine with the Ruhr-Belgian army, the Kiel army moving into its trenches.
In order to keep its main ally in the game, Germany also decides to gamble in the east by assaulting the Russians in Galicia. Prussia is denuded of defences (now consisting of a single Milton Bradley Hitler Jugend) and the Silesian army drives in from the north, accompanied by two new fighter squadrons.
African armies stand, fleet returns to home base. Three German armies were unable to attack this turn, owing to them not holding rail passes.
The Lorraine battle is up first, an easy conquest to back up the main attack.
Galicia is next to be fought. The Russian fighter is shot out of the sky in the world’s first air to air battle, and the German artillery is happy.
But disastrous rolling turns the move into a fiasco. The entrenched Russians inflict appalling casualties, leaving Germany with just an infantry and a fighter contesting Galicia, the other plane having to be taken as the last casualty. Still, Vienna has been given some breathing space.Now for the big one:
France has: 1 fighter, 18 infantry & 5 artillery
Germany has 1 fighter, 17 infantry & 6 artilleryI have 36 dice. Milton! You there?
The two fighters circle each other warily for four turns, nobody getting so much as a scratch on their doping.
But the grey Ace finally downs his man, and the German artillery is ecstatic.
In the ensuing battle, Germany has the advantage by 12 hits to 8, and both sides settle in for a siege. The Kaiser won’t have to sue for peace just yet.
But he does fall to wondering about a strange prophecy written many years later by the wisest of sages which says that:
“Basically, without rail movement, Germany is screwed”.
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Hey, I’m playing by the OOB rules. Just like you all told me to.
@Eggman:
The other armies march slowly west, ignoring the fast trains heading straight for the front lines…
I never thought I’d read a Flashman post with this kind of statement in it.
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Glorious Russia is still Glorious.
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Very entertaining Flash, I guess the legend of the Red Baron has been born
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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Built some cruise liners. President Wilson assures a suspicious public that they have no military function.
I lol’d :lol:
The two fighters circle each other warily for four turns, nobody getting so much as a scratch on their doping.
I’m seriously considering houseruling air combat to only last 1 or 2 rounds… The idea that all my pricey planes can be wiped out every time there’s a battle is a little silly, considering how short ground combat is.
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FRANCE
Time for a rematch. France doesn’t beat about the bush, and flings every available man in France into the Burgundy mincing machine.
This time France has: 17 infantry & 11 artillery
Germany has 1 fighter, 9 infantry & 6 artilleryDespite the Germans having air supremacy, France grinds the invaders down to just 2 units for the loss of 12. France is saved!
The damaged BB limps home to Toulon for repairs, where it is met by 2 transports delivering the Portuguese army to Marseilles.
A new air corps is formed in West Paris.
BRITAIN
Africa finally sees some action as the UK moves in to contest 2 German held tts.
The Canadian Corps tools into Burgundy and, to the cheers of the watching French, shoots down a Fokker.
Four transports in SZ 8 bridge 8 UK units into Picardy to take over this sector from the French. Two fighters fly over the channel from London to join them.
The Egyptian army captures Jerusalem by beating the token Turkish defender.
After consultation with the Dog of War, the UK discovers that it is perfectly legal to land an infantry in Albania to activate that country, and it does so, grabbing the 2 IPCs to the annoyance of Italy. Four Albanian ruffians are drafted into the makeshift local militia. The British eastern fleet is now concentrated in SZ 17, poised to move on the Adriatic.
The PEF holds its ground, while a fighter and a stack of ground units “arrive in India from Australia”. These last include another new edition as by now I’ve run out of UK infantry. I decide that the Revised units are a better colour match than MB so this is another old game represented in the new.
TURKEY
The Ottomen now go on the offensive, storming into Sevastopol while the Russians are looking the other way. Bulgaria reignites the Balkan wars by marching into Belgrade, the third power to do so this game. Turkey is even confident enough to form an air force. The stand off in Persia continues.
ITALY
Even with a large Austrian army in the north, Italy has the opportunity to make the Central Powers weep. Three units from Piedmont march into Burgundy and deliver the coup de gras to a German infantry, last survivor of the Great Alpine army. France can start harvesting the vines again.
Italy then takes advantage of the Austrians earlier ignorance of the rules, sending its army of Albanian cut-throats straight into undefended Trieste.
Rules question here: if Italy had sent the fleet against SZ 18 this turn, would the capture of Trieste have neutralized the Austrian minefield? I suspect that in order to be deactivated the control must be from the start of the turn.
The Italian Africa corps marches in to contest the Belgian Congo.
Italy also now builds its first fighter squadron.
USA
Builds some more luxury pleasure barges, and some artillery pieces - “for the war in Mexico” according to Woodrow. Meanwhile 4 fully laden Ocean liners, a battleship and a cruiser are “on maneuvers” in SZ 7. In fact they’re waiting a ruling on exactly what is is they can and cannot do, and why the hell they’re allowed to sail to Europe when the President has expressly promised they would never do so.
Some observations:
It looks pretty hopeless for the Central Powers. They have to get a move on before the Americans turn up, but this means attacking before they’re really ready, and in tts closer to Allied production centres.
The laborious land movement and configuration of German tts holds up Germany from bringing its full power to bear, and as I predicted the CPs suffer from this much more than the Allies who can zip around by sea.
Another factor against the CPS is the number of turns the western Allies have between them; when America arrives it could be 4 to 1 versus Germany on the western front.
Africa would be livened up no end with the addition of Askaris; it really is a sideshow, and one that sees very little conflict; more a game of musical chairs. So far not one unit has been eliminated in African skirmishes (I can’t call them battles).
Can Germany win without the damned trains?
Like hell, says I.
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Glorious France is Glorious….also yay Canada!
Wait, Canada can get to Burgundy on turn 2?
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What about the Haiti Dreadnought? What did it do?
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After consultation with the Dog of War, the UK discovers that it is perfectly legal to land an infantry in Albania to activate that country, and it does so, grabbing the 2 IPCs to the annoyance of Italy.
Not so fast. This isn’t really spelled out well in the rules (what is?), but I’m 99% sure when a ‘friendly’ power activates an aligned neutral, that power doesn’t get any sort of increase in IPC income…The only case where activating (and conquering) a minor power results in an IPC increase is when it’s activated in defense of a hostile attack.
Here’s an example from Larry’s France writeup:
Instead, the convoy heads for Portugal, where upon arrival it unloads its infantry. Portugal, being a capital of a minor aligned power (aligned with France actually), places 3 infantry and 1 artillery on the map. In the same way that Serbia used Russian pieces, Portugal will use French pieces.
He makes no mention of France’s IPC income going up.
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@WILD:
Very entertaining Flash, I guess the legend of the Red Baron has been born
I like how you say this…and the next turn the Canadians kill him…
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If the fleet in SZ 2 is unmolested it can offload 2 Canadians in Brest/Picardy on turn 1.
Wait, Canada can get to Burgundy on turn 2?
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Tis a shame those Germans can’t use those trains eh? Loved that line
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It seems the income goes to Italy. Only when Britain liberated a Portuguese colony Kreighund said that the UK gets the money.
I’m just getting more and more confused….
After consultation with the Dog of War, the UK discovers that it is perfectly legal to land an infantry in Albania to activate that country, and it does so, grabbing the 2 IPCs to the annoyance of Italy.
Not so fast. This isn’t really spelled out well in the rules (what is?), but I’m 99% sure when a ‘friendly’ power activates an aligned neutral, that power doesn’t get any sort of increase in IPC income…The only case where activating (and conquering) a minor power results in an IPC increase is when it’s activated in defense of a hostile attack.
Here’s an example from Larry’s France writeup:
Instead, the convoy heads for Portugal, where upon arrival it unloads its infantry. Portugal, being a capital of a minor aligned power (aligned with France actually), places 3 infantry and 1 artillery on the map. In the same way that Serbia used Russian pieces, Portugal will use French pieces.
He makes no mention of France’s IPC income going up.
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Larry just forgot or decided it was not appropriate to mention the income increase, Flashman.
I think the Rules,like 2nd Edit Global, are much clearer than they used to be.
Larry’s 8 piece narrative was just that: a story.
Krieg would not have said that about Portugal proper; it is French aligned.
He would have said(as you have) UK takes the income when the Colony has been poached by the Germans, then lost.
Whichever nation takes it back from the Central Powers(probably Germany) will claim it.
This will happen as the UK has the most number of African units and India producing more.If the Germans do not take Belgian and Portuguese tts, I assume the Allies can never get the income.
Please confirm/deny Krieg. Thank you.
If that is the case, the Germans in Africa would be better off sitting still; there is no point giving the Allies(UK!) extra income. -
I love your commentary of Woodrow’s posturing during the American build-up. What’s next, will he fabricate a Native American uprising in Wyoming?
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Ok im confused. Lets say we have the uk lands in portugul. This activates the country correct? Do the troops that it activates go to the uk or france? And does the territory get liberated to go to france or does the uk get the income from portugul. And are the portugul colonies go to the uk? Or france? Or do they remain uncontrolled till some power moves in.
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@Quintus:
Ok im confused. Lets say we have the uk lands in portugul. This activates the country correct? Do the troops that it activates go to the uk or france? And does the territory get liberated to go to france or does the uk get the income from portugul. And are the portugul colonies go to the uk? Or france? Or do they remain uncontrolled till some power moves in.
Since it’s aligned to France, French units go on the map and France gets the income.
Really guys you are making it more complicated than it needs to be (including you Flashman).
As to the Albania issue, since it’s aligned to Italy, when the British units land Italian units are placed and Italy gets the income.
As to true neutrals, when a figure attacks it, the other side chooses a power to represent it with it’s units and will get any income from that neutral territory if/when it’s freed.
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@Quintus:
Ok im confused. Lets say we have the uk lands in portugul. This activates the country correct? Do the troops that it activates go to the uk or france? And does the territory get liberated to go to france or does the uk get the income from portugul. And are the portugul colonies go to the uk? Or france? Or do they remain uncontrolled till some power moves in.
Since it’s aligned to France, French units go on the map and France gets the income.
Really guys you are making it more complicated than it needs to be (including you Flashman).
As to the Albania issue, since it’s aligned to Italy, when the British units land Italian units are placed and Italy gets the income.
As to true neutrals, when a figure attacks it, the other side chooses a power to represent it with it’s units and will get any income from that neutral territory if/when it’s freed.
The question is whether the Belgian and Portuguese colonies, not the capital territories, go to France upon liberation or whether it goes to Britain since Britain liberated them. I’d say since
the mother countries are French clients that their colonies are as well and should go to France’s economy.
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So would I, but I think the official rule is otherwise.