Austrian Strategies

Yea but you can build a fighter on your first turn and really lay into the Russians in Romania with everything in a beefed up Galicia and what remained in serbia.
That will be 6 artillery attacking with air superiority, and 12 troops from Galicia and however many survived from Serbia (12 went in, might lose one or two, might send one or two to greece)

So thats an attack of 20 Infantry, 6 Artillery, 1 fighter attacking a force of 14 inf and 5 art, and the Ottomans from Bulgaria will be ready to strike. (with a fighter of their own if you are smart)

The AH attack into Romania on AH2 is 28+18+24+2 (if you buy a fighter turn 1)
12 hits
Russian response should be 9 3/6 hits
Then they reinforce. But the ottomans can flush them out.

It would be smart for Russia to buy a fighter R1 so it can reach air parity in Romania.

Yes, you’re right.

Albania is essential to stop the Allies building an army there, and I agree that Romania should be targeted A1. You should have enough to take it, and you won’t get such good odd again in a hurry. Also, my east front strategy is to hold a defensive line along Poland-Galicia-Romania; the sooner the Romanians are disposed of the better.

As I’ve mentioned before, people will be cursing Larry for making the Serbian attack mandatory; if you take Romania then you could just ignore the Serbs, as Russia can’t reach them.

@Cyprian:

@Flashman:

On question: is it worth making part of the assault on Venice amphibious so you get the battleship bombardment roll?

Don’t you then risk losing those amphibious units to an artillery first strike? �Better to just have them invade by land if they can.

I thought I read somewhere that Italy can’t attack on its first turn unless AH has attacked it.
Sort of like how the US has delayed entry.

That would make sense from a historical perspective.

Yes, that’s how I’d have done it.

But this is Larry’s game - he’s made it a simple “all powers bar America are fully at war from the start.”

Otherwise, Austria would be better off leaving Italy alone for a turn.

@oztea:

I thought I read somewhere that Italy can’t attack on its first turn unless AH has attacked it.
Sort of like how the US has delayed entry.

That would make sense from a historical perspective.

I disagree. A 2nd turn attack on Romania will be STRONG and have guaranteed air supremacy.

Russia might notice this and not go in too deep into Romania.

I say this because waiting till AH2 eliminates being exposed to a counter attack on R1, allows for a stronger attack on AH2 with air superiority, and allows for the Ottoman force from Bulgaria to follow you up.

Attack AH 2, Russia responds with reinforcements, Throw in the Ottomans from Bulgaria, then AH goes again and can flush out the remaining Russians. By then Poland will have been firmly in German hands and the influence of a large German army in Poland threatens too broad a front for the Russians and they will be forced to pull back.

I think the Swiss move is well worth considering. Really, the CPs can’t have enough material in Switzerland. This tt is the best staging post for reaching Paris, and it threatens to outflank the Italians and bypass Venice altogether.

A turn one attack into Romania exposes your force to Russian counter attack from the start.
If you wait, Russia won’t roll any dice on its first turn. (what can it realistically attack?)
All Russia can do is cram Romania, and an attack on the 2nd turn doesn’t risk you losing any artillery.

A first turn attack on Romania can only bring Galicia and some Infantry from budapest (you still need to take serbia!)
So after attacking into 18 pips (only 3 hits)
Your force of maybe 10 infantry and 2 artilley will be exposed to a russian counter attack of 8 infantry and 4 artillery.
Then you reinforce (but the ottomans aren’t ready yet) and maybe flush out the russians, but now the REAL russian counter attack comes. Because they stacked Ukraine in anticipation.

The key to waiting one turn is the other Central Powers catch up
The ottomans will be able to cover for you into Romania from Bulgaria and the Germans in Poland will be breathing down the neck of Russia in the north.

I think any austrian strategy is incomplete without discussion of overall CP strategy…

@oztea:

I thought I read somewhere that Italy can’t attack on its first turn unless AH has attacked it.
Sort of like how the US has delayed entry.

That would make sense from a historical perspective.

I think that was an early assumption we made, foolishly knowing that Italy didn’t join the war until 1915 . . .

Curse our knowledge of history and our assumptions the game will attempt to follow it.

Seeing that Italy had been partial to the Central powers for some time before the war broke out it does seem unfair that they immediately jump into hostilities.
The US should roll a die on its 4th turn, and can join on a 4 or better.
Italy should roll a die on its 2nd turn and can join on a 4 or better.
(roll at the beginning of each turn until you are at war)

This way the CP can’t exactly be sure of your intentions……Will you declare this turn or next?

I agree that a AH attack into Switzerland on the first turn is a very promosing strategy. It suddenly makes the Western font 3 TT wide for the french to cover, and it allows the Germans to put an entire army on the front lines without it taking any damage whatsoever. You wouldn’t even have to use the AH force against the french after that, you could shift into a mulifront offensive against Italy, who would be hard pressed to hold Venice, let alone their entire northern front.

I can’t help thinking someone in the playtest group figured how vital Switzerland was, and that’s why they gave it such a low value. It practically signposts the CPs to “go here, idiot”.

I suppose it would have complicated things too much to say that it was the one Neutral that no power could enter and  attack, citing bad offensive terrain.
Does look like a highly useful back door entrance!

@wittmann:

I suppose it would have complicated things too much to say that it was the one Neutral that no power could enter and  attack, citing bad offensive terrain.
Does look like a highly useful back door entrance!

Instead of a rule change they could have just made it impassable like the Sahara if the intention was to prevent either side from attacking them.

Of course! Forgot we had “impassable” terrain.

Can’t attacking Switzerland come back and bite the CP’s in the ass? Remember, in addition to opening up a new route into France and Italy, you’ve opened up a new route for France and Italy to counterattack… I think that the number of border territories (read: contested territories) you have open to attack is going to be critical in this game, and I’m not sure opening up a new one to have to garrison and protect is going to be such a good idea. Guess we’ll have to playtest and see.