The Flashman Report

Weird session.

First of all I had to refund Turkey the 2 IPCs for Smyrna. The bank of England reluctantly handed over the cash, vowing to lay the province waste next time it is captured.

THE FIFTH ELEMENT

AUSTRIA

Cannot afford to waste its army assaulting Rome without more reinforcements, so a couple of units move through to take Naples.

Ukraine is successfully invested by slaughtering all 10 Russian defenders.

Then I have to face the Revolution business. Its really entirely in the interests of the Allies to have the revolution. It denies Moscow to the enemy (while large CP forces are stranded in the east.) A large British force is building up in Archangel to retake Russian tt from the Central Powers (I assume this is still “liberated”, but it does deny the cash to the CPs.)
So, the CP lose their capital objective but they’ll still have to fight for Russian tt if they want to keep its income.

Russia is planning to move an infantry each into empty Belarus and Livonia, not so much to defend them but to sucker Germany into having to take them and thus fulfill Revolutionary requirements.

Then a rule question crops up: can I voluntarily demote a unit to an infantry during movement in order to attack two different areas, if my advanced army has only one infantry? (Question posted in the FAQ.)
My guess is no, but it seems rather unfair that a large stack can only attack one tt. Make sure you don’t sacrifice too many infantry if you’re on the attack.

This question occurred because Russia has a large garrison contesting Sevastopol. Most are artillery, and it has fighter support, but only 1 infantry.
They want to pull this force back to Tartarstan and ultimately to Moscow, while leaving a unit there to deny the tt to the Turks. But with only one infantry they cannot do both.

The idea of Munich as the 2nd German production centre is growing on me (see the above map). Its far enough away from the French border, but means that Germany can move new units to any home tt in one turn.
Lorraine becomes the middle ground between the two, which seems right; though there is still that sneaky attack through Switzerland.

Can’t really continue 'till I get a n official ruling on the Revolution rules questions I posted in the FAQ.

OK, now we can continue with

THE FIFTH ELEMENT

GERMANIA

Still not convinced that a Revolution would be a good thing, Germany moves forwards into Livonia and Belarus. The main eastern army concentrates in Livonia confronting the British Karelian army, the idea being that the Austrians in Ukraine can reinforce Belarus if needed. Germany also builds a transport with the idea of bringing reinforcements to the east more quickly.

The western front is reinforced, but large Allied armies are building against the Germans.

FRANKIA

France is now ready for a war of reckoning with Germany, and pushes a large army into Alsace.

It has 3 fighters, 11 infantry and 7 artillery; the Germans have no air support for their 16 infantry and 5 guns. I have to use borrowed dice again.

France inflicts 11 hits and receives 13 - acceptable losses in the circumstances. It has substantial replacements channeling through from Paris-Burgundy, while Germany has a hard time bringing up new units from far away Berlin.

BRITANNIA

Once again the Brits are on the attack, retaking Nigeria, finally entering the ruins of Smyrna and occupying Ankara to boot. The Indian army drives the last Turk out of Sevastopol and massively reinforces the Russian there, while the final Canadian corps disembarks in Picardy.
The RN transport fleet leaves Archangel, docks in London and transports 8 units over to Belgium, including 3 new tanks. The BEF moves into the Rhineland, tripping over the badly placed map junction; like the French it takes more casualties than it inflicts but the German defenders can ill afford their losses.

In the East the British Russian Expeditionary army attack the Germans in Livonia, they suffer losses but the occupiers artillery is nearly all gone.

Reluctantly responding to pleas from the Italians, the Med transport takes 1 & 1 to reinforce the garrison of Rome.

Britain builds 5 more tanks to cram into their transports next turn, and picks up a big $48.

note: being able to zip around the Arctic passage from London to Archangel is tremendously powerful. The UK thus has the ability to reinforce both fronts on alternate turns, outflanking the German’s painfully slow marches from Berlin. Either give Germany the Munich factory or add another SZ between 5 & 6.

AUTOMANIA

With the Indians moving north into Russia, Turkey sees the chance to regain home tt. Two armies set out from Constantinople and regain Ankara and Smyrna, the first making history by including the first ever tank to go into action. It duly cancels out the one UK hit, and the way lies open for the reconquest of Arabia.

The main concern, though, is in Europe. With the Teutons outnumbered in the west, a bold plan now emerges in the Central Powers Joint War Council. An all-or-nothing attack on Moscow seems to be the only option left; unfortunately the Germans cannot bring up forces for  couple of turns. The Austrian army in Ukraine is large, but Moscow is well defended.

Turkey is asked to sacrifice it’s forward army in a suicidal strafing attack on the Russian capital to pave the way for Austria. Only 5 units are available, and they face almost certain death, but assured of immortality by their regimental Imam, they fling themselves at the infidel.

Two fighters confront each other over the skies of Moscow. At the first and second passes they both fail to hit home, but on the third they run slap bang into each other in a head on collision that leaves neither side with air support.

Every Turkish unit dies in the carnage, but they strafe off 4 Russian defenders, and Austria might just have a chance of turning the war.

The British curse their stupidity in attacking the Germans in Livonia rather than reinforcing Moscow.

ITALIA

The Italian Africa Corps reaches the coast of Tripoli to link up with the fleet. Five lire are spent on 1 & 1 reinforcements for Rome.

AMERIKA

Builds some more stuff. Absolutely unapologetic for breaking the rules earlier, due to the said rules having been rewritten after they sailed. Three more infantry are brought to the multi-national Roma defence army. This time they remember to load up a fighter.

Plenty of spare chips now due to several bloody battles this round. The Russian Revolution caused a great deal of confusion, and I still don’t know who really benefits from it. In any case, the Central Powers are now gambling everything on an Austrian push for Moscow.

THE SIXTH SENSE

Austria narrowly failed to take Moscow, and is still losing the buildup in Rome, despite sending every new unit there. Just too far away…

Russia breathes again and reinforces the capital.

Germany send the navy to help an invasion of Karelia, which is taken. But will the Allies play ball and allow the Revolution? Thew western front is reinforced.

France is content to build up in Lorraine but launches a flanking attack to take Switzerland.

Britain closes in on the last German in Africa and ships the remaining African troops over the Red Sea to defend TJ. A new Indian army is built, and another 8 units to ship over the channel.
A massive attack in Ruhr wears down the Germans further, and the Royal Tank Corps is beginning to prove useful in reducing infantry casualties. But would 10 infantry divisions have been more useful?

Turkey retakes undefended Syria, and Tartarstan falls to the remnant of their First Army. A large force takes Mesopotamia and faces the new British Indian army over an empty Persia, keeping a wary eye on the old one garrisoned in Sevastopol.

Italy places another infantry in the Rome garrison.

USA builds a massive stack of infantry, and now has the French navy to help ship them over. Two more units reinforce Rome, but should the main American puss now be further north?

Western Europe is getting very crowded now that the French and British have added tank stacks to their armies. The fact that these tts (Lorraine, Belgium, Rhine) lie along a geological fault line causing the land to rise upwards in places does not help, and many stacks go a topplin’.

I’m prepared to give tanks the benefit of the doubt at this stage, in large armies of mixed units which attack every turn they are a definite benefit. If you’re holding the line on one front they are a waste of money. Build if you can afford, but only when you want to go all out on the attack.

Perhaps Paris-Moscow is the best chance for the CPs, but if the Russians go rebel what do you do then? Rome is difficult enough to take when you’re been going for it from day one.

A Paris salon?

OK, assuming I now understand the Russian revolution, I can proceed with

THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS

AUSTRIA

Presses its siege of Moscow, but the Russian hold on with 4 defenders. Once again the build up in Italy is too slow to launch a final assault on Rome.

RUSSIA

Not risking a strafing attack on the Austrians, Russia decides to go Red.

GERMANY

Bulks up its western front once more, rippling units down from Kiel to Alsace. Transports bring a few eastern stragglers over to Kiel. Far from being trapped in the east, Germany now has only 3 units in Russia, the obligatory infantry in (shared) Livonia, and 2 in Karelia who decide to stay behind to defend against a possible British breakout attack from Livonia.

FRANCE

Makes a big offensive in Alsace, trading 10 casualties each with the Germans. There is not much else the French can do really; a rather boring power to play in fact.

BRITAIN

Makes more attacks. The single German in Africa still holds out. Arabia is reinforced, but the tanks corps in Persia is pulled back to India. The Sevastopol army, fearing deportation to Siberia, attacks CP armies, capturing Ukraine and Romania from the token defenders left by the big CP push to Moscow.

The British Livonia force occupies Poland, leaving the Austrian army only a narrow escape route through shared Livonia.

A massive attack in the Ruhr by 9 infantry and 4 artillery supported by 3 planes and 8 tanks nearly breaks the German line, with 10 defenders eliminated.  With all 7 enemy hits cancelled the road to Berlin may soon be open. Â

A new Battleship is laid down in the North Sea, and Britain now feels secure enough to teleport all 12 new infantry divisions to Bombay; a reckoning with the Turks is at hand.

TURKEY

Goes on the attack against the British. They avoid the trap set for them in Persia and swing south, recapturing Trans-Jordan and taking control of Arabia.
In Europe their Tartarstan force smashes the remains of the First Indian Army in Ukraine, while from the west the Bulgarians fight the Brits to a bloody mutual annihilation in Romania which now turns “black”.

ITALY

Cannot afford to buy a single unit, but makes a strafing attack against the Austrian besiegers, removing 2 more of the precious Hapsburg artillery; a carro armato deflects a hit to demonstrate that tanks can be useful even in the odd unit. Italy collect 2 IPCs from its African colonies.

USA

Sends its customary supplies to the Rome garrison, but a large fleet carrying 10 divisions sets sail from New York. Initially intending to stop for some R&R in Portugal, they divert to Spanish Morocco after a tip-off about the undefended state of the place. America’s income goes up to a big 21 IPCs.
A green infantry division watches as 3 “Liberty” tanks roll of the production line in Detroit.

The Central Powers are entitled to feel well and truly swindled by the Russian business. Cheated of Moscow, they now have to fight to retain the Russian tts they did manage to capture. Britain’s policy of pouring troops into Karelia by sea, and from India via Persia has ensured that Revolution does not close down the eastern front, it merely exchanges one enemy there for another.
The CPs don’t even score a victory objective if they capture India, which Turkey threatened to do.

TURN EIGHT

AUSTRIA

An attack on Italy strafes off a couple of Americans. But there are too many Austrians in transit.

Fatally, the Austrian army in the east is trapped in Moscow by the absurd ruling that it cannot abandon a “shared” tt, even though units in Moscow are useless to Austria, because it has only one infantry.

On hearing the new Emperor Franz-Joseph falls down stone cold dead and his successor Carl sues for peace.

GERMANY

In a last-ditch attempt to salvage something in the west, Germany joins its two armies in Ruhr and Alsace in a massive attack on the BEF. In a 3 vs 2 air battle, the German air force is shot out of the sky. Nevertheless, their artillery takes a fearful toll of the British infantry. Crucially, the Royal Tank Corps survives unscathed.

FRANCE

The main army takes Alsace from the token defender. Moving through from Burgundy, the French 2nd Army defeats the Germans in Piedmont.

BRITAIN

The Glorious Russian Expeditionary Force moves west to take Poland. Mesopotamia is recaptured from the Turks. Annoyingly, the lone German contesting Gold Coast survives another attack.

Reserves moving through from Belgium join the BEF to inflict more crushing casualties on the Germans in Ruhr. The line buckles again, but does not break; an infantry and tank holding on.  But the German army is now nearly gone, and the BEF once more takes no losses due to its tank stack.

The RN steams into the Heligoland Sea and sends the German navy to the bottom.

TURKEY

Recaptures Mesopotamia once more, but with a large Indian army now facing them in Persia. Romania is rescued from anarchy, and a force crosses the undefended Suez canal to capture Egypt.

ITALY

The heroic defenders of Rome rise from their trenches and attack the Austrians, liberating the city by destroying all 4 Hapsburgers. Italy collects a big 8 IPCs.

USA

Sailing from Spanish Morocco, the AEF disembarks in Egypt and crushes the Turks.

At this point the Central Powers offer peace without annexations.

Did they play badly, or face impossible odds?

Austria was broken by the 5 step march on Rome. They always had the units to take it, but couldn’t get them there fast enough due to the designers irrational fear of the efficient Central Powers railway system.

Germany got a huge army into Burgundy, but Paris was a step too far, and once again the lack of railways fatally stalled the offensive.

Turkey recovered well from losing ground early on, taking over the Balkans as the Teutons moved into Russia.

But above all the Great Russian Revolution Swindle killed the Central Powers. All that blood spent in the east for what? They only turned east to get to grips with the enemy since Paris and Rome were too far away to force a result, yet they were cheated of Moscow, soon lost most of the tts they had conquered, and were trapped in the east by nonsensical rules about having to share tt with Bolshevik Commissars.

Next game I must try the Munich PC; after that its rail movement all the way.

I also need to get some army boards constructed; I was getting well pissed off by the stacking problem on the western front towards the end.

I’m a convert to tanks - they were devastating in the decisive battles in the west.

Overall I still love the game, but it does need a couple of fixes.

Consider it done.

See the “Is Russia too weak” thread.