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 November 30, 1939. Following an incident where Soviet troops were allegedly shelled by Finnish artillery and the Finnish government’s refusal to cede large tracts of land representing a quarter of the country’s economy, Red Army troops begin pouring through the border. Nearly half a million soldiers begin advancing against the Finns. The Soviets have 2,500 tanks to the Finns’ 32, and nearly 4 000 aircraft to the enemy 118. In fact, they start bombarding Helsinki on the first day of the war. Stavka expects the war to be over within weeks as the Soviet material superiority smashes the weak Finnish army. Red Army troops are even advised to watch out not to march all the way across the Swedish border by mistake. Soviet propaganda starts inciting the workers to take up arms against the Helsinki government. On the second day of the war, the USSR forms a puppet government, waiting in the wings for the RKKA advance into the capital. On December 8, a Soviet division slams into a propped-up Finnish regiment near the village of Tolvajarvi, north of Lake Ladoga. The Finns have no tanks, no fortifications, and an artillery battalion made up of literal museum pieces. The Soviets have thrice as many men, armoured support and state-of-the-art heavy howitzers. On December 9, their advance stops. On December 12, they are beaten back and routed. This game is about that battle, and you can take command.  Red Winter is a 2012 board game by Mark Mokszycki, published by GMT Games. It allows two players to relive an important early battle of the Winter War, as well as confront a number of smaller scenarios related to it. It’s a fairly simple company-level grand tactical war game portraying a very interesting situation in a fascinating (and deadly) environment. Players will get to explore the possibilities of flanking manoeuvres across the snow-covered forest, weigh the risk of crossing frozen lakes in full view of enemy artillery against wasting time going around it while the defenders reinforce and dig in, and attempt to survive night after night during the second coldest winter of the twentieth century. They will have to make important decisions and face their consequences. And, unlike the players in a regular game, they will have to live with a very real fog of war.  Soviet troops preparing to defend the settlement of Hirvasvaara from a two-pronged Finnish attack The game features a line of sight system, but it's normally only used to determine whether or not a ranged attack can be conducted against a given hex. Not in this LP, however. You are only going to see the units you are supposed to see. Locations of enemy stacks and units within your movement range are also going to be revealed (because you’d have some recon available, anyway, and to prevent unwittingly marching into a hidden unit), but you will not be told what those units are if you can’t see them. Same goes for the other side, luckily. If I want to sign up, how much of a responsibility should I expect? My goal is to have no-one control more than 5 counters at the same time (although it depends on how many people sign up, obviously), and to only require one post every 2-3 days. You can, however, be far more active in your side’s thread - you decide on your level of involvement. I want to play, but I don’t have any experience with this kind of games. At the end of this post, I will provide a brief overview of the general concepts of the game, and a link to a separate post outlining the rules you can encounter for now. Furthermore, I will be more than willing to help you with your first few turns - I have an ample supply of free time and will have no problem with explaining stuff over and over. I really want this to be a learning experience for as many people as possible! You should at least familiarise yourself with the kinds of units in the game (listed at the end of the post) and the stages of a game turn before we begin. The rest can be learned on the fly. I want to play, but I don’t have any experience with this kind of games, and I don’t really have time to learn. You can still join! All you really need to know is in this post, I’m willing to translate your commands into the game language for you, and fix or omit any obvious blunders. Of course, this means you have less control over the situation, so you may want to pick up on some game mechanics as time progresses. I have certain experience with war games, or even Red Winter in particular. Can I still play? Yes, of course! Everyone’s invited, and experienced players are encouraged to help their fellows with any problems they might encounter. In fact, some positions will even be recommended for more experienced players. I am a veteran of your No Retreat LP, what are the major differences? First of all, this time I’m giving you the game manual. Game mechanics are not spoilers, although I’d recommend you don’t talk about them until they’re introduced to preserve some surprise and to avoid confusing new players. This time there are no cards, too - no need to fear a surprise from the other side’s hand.  Basic game concepts Sequence of play The game is divided into several phases. Once one side has completed all of the phases of their turn, the other side does the same, then we check if any side has won.
Aim of the gameThe aim of the game is to control the entirety of the main road (see here for what it looks like) at the end of the enemy turn. If that doesn’t happen by the end of the game, then: The Soviets win if they have more than 20 Victory Points, The Finns win if the Soviets have 0 or less Victory Points. VPs are awarded for controlling objective hexes (listed at the end of the rules post and marked with a red flag on the map) and for killing enemy units. Units Detailed descriptions of what the numbers on the counters mean can be found in the rules post.     Infantry (left to right: Soviet, Finnish regimental, Finnish from an independent battalion, Finnish cyclist). Infantry is your bread and butter: they’re sturdy and quite good at attacking, as well as fairly mobile. If hurt (like the cyclists above, marked with a stripe across the middle), they may attempt to recover. They can provide support fire at a range of 2 hexes, but the Soviets are a lot better at it than the Finns.   Machine Guns (Soviet, Finnish). Average when attacking, powerful in defence. Can provide very strong fire support at a range of up to 3 hexes. They can take some punishment, but they cannot recover from it.  Mortars (Soviet, Finnish). Cannot attack, weak on defence, but can provide a lot of support fire at a range of up to 6 hexes. They can also fire without seeing the target (provided someone else sees it). Quickly destroyed if they come into contact with the enemy. Can only fire during your turn or the enemy turn, but not both.  Infantry Guns (Soviet). Similar to mortars, but they are a bit sturdier, can attack and have a longer range (10 hexes).  76mm Artillery (Finnish). An off-map artillery asset which can fire anywhere on the board; it is, however, very weak and probably won’t do much unless firing on large concentrations of infantry. Has a limited number of rounds.  Lt Colonel Pajari (Finnish). A special unit which does not fight, but grants numerous bonuses to any units in the same hex. Stacking You may only have up to 5 units in a given hex, and not more than 3 of those may be infantry companies. Zone of Control Each unit has a “Zone of Control” on all hexes adjacent to it. This zone forces the enemy to stop if they move into it, and can also be used to secure uncontested objectives or disrupt enemy supply lines. Supply Supply plays a minor role in this game. It makes it more difficult to recover from losses and prevents destroyed units from reforming. Finns are essentially always in supply, unless surrounded, while the Soviets depend on the roads - they must remain fairly close to them and keep them clear. Movement When moving around, check the number in the bottom right corner of your unit’s chit. This is how many points you have to spend. Various types of terrain (see here) have a different cost to enter. Usually you’ll only be able to move one or two hexes through the suo and two or three hexes through the forest. Moving on frozen lakes is faster (especially for the Finns), but also more dangerous - if you stop in the lake, you’re a great target for the enemy. You can go very quickly along the roads. Combat When attacking, count the total combat strength of your units (number in the lower left) and roll two dice. For every multiple of the enemy’s strength, you get a better result for your roll. The Combat Results Table will tell you just how many losses you must take. Instead of taking losses, you may retreat, but there is a limit on how far you may go this way. Many items in this game provide a combat bonus called a “shift” - essentially moving you to a better column than mere strength would suggest. These shifts are usually expressed as a number and a direction - either to the Left, benefitting the defender, or to the Right, helping the attacker. Your units that do not take part in combat may provide support at range, provided that there is no terrain blocking their fire and they’re not in an enemy Zone of Control. This support works better when targetting large groups of infantry and is weaker during the night or in the morning fog. If successful, these attacks may give you free combat shifts or even damage enemy units. Standing in a frozen lake is a huge disadvantage both in attack and defence. Attacking across bridges is also dangerous. Other types of terrain do not influence combat. That’s it! You know what you have to know!  Soviets uproot entire trees to warm themselves as the night falls Roles on the team Each side shall have three levels in the chain of command:
To start, we need:
When signing up, please include: - what team you'd like to play for, - what positions you'd want to take or not, - a proposal for a thread title for your side, if you have one. Charts, Tables, Manual, Rules Post, The Map (for easier reference)    The Manual Rules Post
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Jun 21, 2015 22:03
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Post reserved for future content.
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Jun 21, 2015 22:03
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And now it's the Soviet Union's turn to be humiliated in winter conditions.  Right. I want another pop at the Soviets. Sign me up as a Finnish commander, group commander preferred but any command is okay. Davin Valkri fucked around with this message at 22:47 on Jun 21, 2015 |
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Jun 21, 2015 22:18
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Sign me up for the Soviet Battalion Commander . edit: LP Red Winter Soviet Thread: Turning Finland Red Inch by Inch unwantedplatypus fucked around with this message at 22:42 on Jun 21, 2015 |
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Jun 21, 2015 22:32
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I don't really have much experience with wargames but i would like to try with the Finnish Battalion Commander
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Jun 21, 2015 22:43
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I'll take Finnish Force Commander, since "people who lack experience at war games, but are good at management." describes me perfectly 
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Jun 21, 2015 23:11
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Right, the Finns have enough people for the initial deployment, but that doesn't mean signups are closed - they'll need more people as they get reinforcements. So, if anyone wants to join the brave Finnish forces in freezing their noses off, they still can.
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Jun 21, 2015 23:17
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This looks like it'll be interesting, but I'm actually rather curious how much fog of war will gently caress with the Finnish's defense. Not signing up, though, just a spectator.
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Jun 21, 2015 23:30
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Finnish Battalion Commander.hakkaa päälle!
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Jun 22, 2015 04:34
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Bacarruda posted:Finnish Battalion Commander.hakkaa päälle! Tulta munille*, Majuri Baccarruda! They're tiny targets but you all know how to hit them! *Fire at their balls
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Jun 22, 2015 04:40
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Bring them all on! I don't need allies or commanders to lead the sons of the revolution to victory! The worker's revolution will not, cannot fail. From Helsinki to Kola the red flag shall fly. Za Rodinu!
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Jun 22, 2015 04:47
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Davin Valkri posted:Tulta munille*, Majuri Baccarruda! They're tiny targets but you all know how to hit them! You assume they have balls, sir!
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Jun 22, 2015 05:03
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I made Comrade Stalin laugh, so he made me Divisional Commander! Surely compared to that feat, combat will be nothing! I ask because I've never experienced the latter, you see...
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Jun 22, 2015 05:07
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Bacarruda posted:You assume they have balls, sir! You think they're sending castrati to fight us, Majari Bacarruda?! The Soviets are more cowardly than I thought!
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Jun 22, 2015 06:00
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Gamerofthegame posted:This looks like it'll be interesting, but I'm actually rather curious how much fog of war will gently caress with the Finnish's defense. Not signing up, though, just a spectator. Given that I'm revealing enemy positions within movement range, less so than with the Soviets' advance - the Finns are more mobile and will know more of the situation across the lakes especially. But it is true that it opens up the possibility of some very unexpected manoeuvres.
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Jun 22, 2015 06:56
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I'll be the Soviet Regimental Commander!
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Jun 22, 2015 18:07
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I'd like to be a Battalion Commander preferably Finnish but I could take a crash-course on Marxist-Leninist doctrine if need be.
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Jun 22, 2015 18:08
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Let's face it, goons should be more competent than Soviets at tactics. Not signing up, merely venting prejudices.
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Jun 22, 2015 18:09
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All right, that's enough people to take off! I'll get to writing OPs for the threads in a couple of hours, but you can start taunting one another right away (and also suggesting thread names).
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Jun 22, 2015 18:25
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I would like to sign up in the queue for a Soviet Battalion Commander
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Jun 22, 2015 19:51
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I will play any part of you have room, zero experience, but I will make time to post and read the rules.
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Jun 23, 2015 04:35
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Sign me up if you still need some
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Jun 23, 2015 09:28
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All right, we're ready to begin! This thread is now limited to spectators only. Players should find their way into an appropriate thread below: Soviet Thread Finnish Thread Have fun and good luck! Signups are, naturally, still open. You can volunteer to join at any point. I'll keep the spectator thread informed of when both sides will receive reinforcements. It would be very courteous of you to join about two turns before that moment, so that your spectator thread knowledge may become more or less outdated. Ropes4u, I've got an opening for you in the Soviet OOB. Go into that thread and see if you want it.
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Jun 23, 2015 13:28
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Just remember...
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Jun 23, 2015 20:36
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Tevery Best posted:All right, we're ready to begin! This thread is now limited to spectators only. Players should find their way into an appropriate thread below: Ill take it though I am clueless.
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Jun 24, 2015 01:41
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Ropes4u posted:Ill take it though I am clueless. Get in the thread, then. Don't worry, as long as you read and understand the rules post and have some wargaming experience, you should understand what's going on. If need be, ask me or the others.
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Jun 24, 2015 07:37
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I'll be only reading the Finnish thread from here on, so I'm available as a backup/reinforcement commander at the Group or Battalion level.
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Jun 24, 2015 08:18
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Soviet Update You rang?   1/609's scouts are back! They report a Finnish roadblock on the other side of the bridge, but the road ahead of it is clear! They had to fall back after taking automatic fire, so no details on the makeup of that force.  Weather Report Roughly 30-40 centimetres of snow have accumulated on average in the general area. Current weather: overcast, no precipitation. A dense fog formed in the early morning, but it is dissipating now. It still limits visibility to about 1700 yards (4 hexes) and provides a -1 DRM to all Ranged Attacks.  All your artillery, mortars and infantry guns are ready to fire. No replacements available yet.  Your Morale Bonus begins! This means you get an extra combat shift in your favour (two in Assaults) and all your units receive a +1 for their Recovery attempts. This only lasts through this night, so make the most of it. Next reinforcements arrive: in a few hours  All your units may now: - Move up to their Movement Allowance (see OP for terrain costs), stopping at enemy Zones of Control, and/or Assault; - Attempt Recovery, if they're a reduced-strength infantry company (you have none); - Start Digging In (Digging In counters remaining: 4). Reinforcements may now enter the field via your Supply Source hex.  Let's talk about how fog of war will work in this LP. The full-colour hexes above are hexes your units can see. If there were any enemies in those hexes, you'd have known their exact force composition. Note that there are some hexes you can see that you can't move to - namely, the reinforcements can't get to the other side of Yla Tolvajarvi, but they can see it. The greyed-out hexes are the scouted hexes, and correspond to the hexes you can move into without Assaulting. This would normally include Extended Movement, but in this case only the reinforcements are eligible for it (other units would have to move too close to the Finns at the bridge), and they're too far away for it to make a difference. If the only thing stopping you from moving into a hex is the enemy Zone of Control, I'm placing the unit that exerted it on the map. If you would be able to move into a unit's ZOC normally, but were prevented from moving any further because you've ran out of movement points, the unit is not shown. In other words, there may be Finns lurking just beyond the edge of this map. This map will be updated after every Phase of your turn, but not on enemy turns (because that would be a lot of work for no purpose, since you can't move then). You will be notified of any enemy movements in your sight range and scouting range.  I need Action orders from Tekopo and unwantedplatypus.You have until Friday, June 26th, 11 AM GMT. Feel free to ask any question you desire. ____________________________________________________________ Finnish Update:  The men of 1/JR16 assemble around Kivisalmi bridge and prepare to defend it. The crossing is extremely narrow and will make for a good defensive chokepoint, so let's hope the Soviets can't flank it!  Speak of the devil! Scouts have returned, bringing news of a Soviet battalion-sized formation heading your way down the road! They must intend to give you no respite! You don't know the exact make-up of that force, but it's most likely just the first of many...  Here's what you can see. Let's talk about how fog of war will work in this LP. The full-colour hexes above are hexes your units can see. If there were any enemies in those hexes, you'd have known their exact force composition. Note that sometimes you will be able to see a hex, but not move into it - not this time, however. The greyed-out hexes are the scouted hexes, and correspond to the hexes you can move into without Assaulting. This would normally include Extended Movement, but in this case I forgot to input it (and it would only expand the map a few road hexes up north, so  ). If the only thing stopping you from moving into a hex is the enemy Zone of Control, I'm placing the unit that exerted it on the map. If you would be able to move into a unit's ZOC normally, but were prevented from moving any further because you've ran out of movement points, the unit is not shown. In other words, there may be Soviets lurking just beyond the edge of this map.This map will be updated after every Phase of your turn, but not on enemy turns (because that would be a lot of work for no purpose, since you can't move then). You will be notified of any enemy movements in your sight range and scouting range. Notice how the reinforcements' vision range and scouting range is not shown, since they are not on the map yet. Weather Report Roughly 30-40 centimetres of snow have accumulated on average in the general area. Current weather: overcast, no precipitation. A dense fog formed in the early morning, but it is dissipating now. It still limits visibility to about 1700 yards (4 hexes) and provides a -1 DRM to all Ranged Attacks. Soviet Morale Bonus begins! This means the enemy will receive an extra shift in their favour in Combat (two in Assaults) and get a +1 Dice Roll Modifier to all attempts at recovery! They will retain this bonus until tomorrow, so be ready for them! The enemy are now taking their Action Phase. Once they're done handing out orders, I'll show you any of their results that you can see. While you're waiting, let's talk about the Soviet Objectives.  Their first objective are the first seven hexes of the main road. Capturing these is worth 5 VPs - and you can hardly do anything to contest them at this point...  The Kivisalmi bridge. A good defensive position, worth 5 VP to the Soviets if they can capture both hexes.  Kotisaari Island represents both a nice opportunity for a flanking move around the Kivisalmi bridge and a chance to leap across Tolvajarvi lake and strike at the village. It would also hinder any attempts you can make to attack the enemy flanks. The lake around it may prove dangerous, however. Controlling any hex of Kotisaari grants the Soviets 5 VPs, which gets upgraded to 10 VPs if they can grab all five hexes of the island.  The next three objectives are right next to one another, but that doesn’t mean they’re bound to fall in a bundle. The Hevossalmi bridge is similar to Kivisalmi, but more difficult to flank, and as such can grants 10 VPs. The Gravel Pits do not have any in-game effects, but are worth 10 VPs. The Hotel is worth a whopping 15 Victory Points, but it can be turned into a real fortress - the sturdy building is the only hex in the game which absorbs the first loss taken by the defenders in a combat.  Far off to the northeast lies the hamlet of Hirvasvaara (10VP). Holding it allows the Soviet to control Hirvasjarvi lake and would grant them a supply link to the north.  Tolvajarvi village. Whoever holds it can instantly block off the main road and interdict any attempts to cross the lake. For that reason, it’s worth 5VP… per each of the eight hexes.  Your last lines of defence: the hamlet of Lutikkamokki and your supply source hex, each worth 10 VPs. Remember that each of the above objectives is only worth half as much if it is out of supply. When the enemy first enter your supply source hex, your artillery will limber up and get the gently caress out of dodge, and will be removed from the game permanently. This is worth 5 VPs to the Soviets.  Finally, the big prize. Controlling the entirety of the main road instantly rewards the Soviets with 10 VPs, and if you manage to hold it until the end of the enemy turn, you instantly win the game (same goes for the Reds!). This won’t be easy, mind you... ___________________________________________ Signups update: Slots open: - one Finnish Group Commander - one Soviet Regiment Commander If a lot more people sign up, I'll parcel out extra units. Otherwise, you can still get in as a reserve commander. Next Soviet reinforcements: Turn 2 Next Finnish reinforcements: Turn 3 ___________________________________________ Let me know if this format works for you, guys! If you have any suggestions, let me know.
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Jun 24, 2015 13:15
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I would like to sign up with the Finns.
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Jun 26, 2015 09:05
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MonotoneMorgan posted:I would like to sign up with the Finns. Well, then go and say hello!
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Jun 26, 2015 21:37
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Soviet update Actually, I'm just going to act on that assumption! Also, a general remark. Remember that the images below may be edited to hide units you can't see or scout out. The only way to be 100% sure that a given hex is empty is to see it on the "vision" image.  Your units spring into action. In just a couple dozen minutes, the 2nd Battalion emerges from the thick forests and floods out onto the shores of lakes Tolvajarvi and Tailvajarvi. The 1st and 3rd Battalions form up behind it, with a strong detachment left behind to guard your regimental artillery.  Finally you get to see the Finnish defensive line. Most of it is focused on trying to block the narrow crossing, but there are also some troops occupying the islet of Hernesaari. You trade some ineffectual fire, but refrain from major engagements for the time being. Your scouts report the road east around Taivaljarvi is clear of opposition. The bridge is defended by an infantry company from 1/JR16 (statline) and two MG units of that regiment (statline). They seem to be ready for a fight, and not the battle-weary forces you've been shattering over the last few days!  Kivisalmi bridge in the summer, seen from the west. The white patch on the far end is the Taipalenvaara homestead.  From what you can see, the island of Kotisaari seems undefended.   You are not adjacent to any enemy units and do not have the ability to conduct effective fire on any Finns (even on a best roll you can only suppress them, and that effect only lasts through the end of your Combat Phase), so we'll just skip the Combat Phase. The turn passes on to the Finns.  The Finns receive no Replacements.  Your turn is over for now. Wait for the results of enemy actions. __________________________________________________ Finnish update You've received unexpected, special reinforcements! Say hello to Kangra and MonotoneMorgan! Also, a general remark. Remember that the images below may be edited to hide units you can't see or scout out. The only way to be 100% sure that a given hex is empty is to see it on the "vision" image.  A battalion of Soviet troops pours out of the woods and lays out on the shores of Tolvajarvi and Taivaljarvi. They begin setting up MG emplacements on the southern embankment and you trade some long-range automatic fire, but nothing serious comes out of this. They seem to be preparing for an attack, but don't hit you just yet. Maybe your positions on Kivisalmi were enough to give them pause? Kivisalmi bridge in the summer, seen from the west. The small white patch in the back is the Taipalenvaara homestead. The Soviets initiate no Combats and no Ranged Attacks. The turn passes to you! All your artillery and mortars are now ready to fire. You have two 76mm batteries with enough ammo for a total of 3 fire missions. Next ammo delivery: before sunset. You receive no Replacements. Next reinforcements arrive: in the afternoon. All your units may now: - Move up to their Movement Allowance (see OP for terrain costs), stopping at enemy Zones of Control, and/or Assault; - Attempt Recovery, if they're a reduced-strength infantry company; - Start Digging In (Digging In counters remaining: 9). Reinforcements may now enter the field via your Supply Source hex.  :alarm:The deadline for orders is 4 PM GMT on Sunday, June 28th!:alarm: ________________________________________________ Here's a little something to get the observer discussion going: I hosed up the Finns' lines of sight again, this time in their favour (I forgot the weather does not change until after their turn, tee hee). I don't think it gave them much, if anything, it may instil in them a false sense of security, but I need to stop doing that. Also I think (from the perspective of having played the game a few times) that both sides have been quite... erratic in their actions. The Finns have garrisoned Hernesaari, which doesn't gain them much - it's a decent spot for a Soviet MG, but the Finns have nothing that can dish out enough damage to be a deterrent to anyone. This means they won't be able to dig in anywhere important - and a Dug-In token is a great defence from the Soviets' ranged attacks! But everything is still in the air. The first few combat results may set the tone of the early game very easily.
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Jun 26, 2015 22:29
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You're repeating yourself (e.g. the fog of war rules in the previous post). Probably doesn't help clarity if you do it in the player threads too, remember that it's war and everything that can be hosed up will be hosed up, often in the worst possible way.
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Jun 27, 2015 11:10
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Pierzak posted:You're repeating yourself (e.g. the fog of war rules in the previous post). Probably doesn't help clarity if you do it in the player threads too, remember that it's war and everything that can be hosed up will be hosed up, often in the worst possible way. Not sure that I follow. You mean that I had already mentioned that LoS is enforced on the Soviet turn? I did, but I wanted to avoid players thinking "there's nothing in that hex in the not-cropped image, surely it's empty" and acting on that assumption.
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Jun 27, 2015 11:18
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I completely forgot to repost the updates for you guys! Finnish update There is a limit of how many Diggin In/Dug-In tokens you may have on the board at any given time, but you can remove them back to the pool at will. So yes, there is pretty much no downside to digging in whenever you have a unit without any more sensible things to do.  JR16's 2nd Company moves over the ice to Kotisaari, remaining well out of effective enemy range. Once there, they spot two more Soviet infantry companies grouped together south of the bridge.  Reinforcements start to move eastwards. Some of the men stop in the Hotel-Gravel Pits-Hevossalmi bridge area, but one company makes it almost all the way to the frontline.  Captain Bacarruda's forces rally in Tolvajarvi. Some receive minor replacements, others are able to regroup scattered subsections. Tired soldiers rest and prepare for new battles. All rolls are made with a +1 DRM, since the units are more than 3 hexes away from the enemy. 1/PPP7 attempts Recovery: 6+1 = 7 - attempt successful! 2/PPP7 attempts Recovery: 6+1 = 7 - attempt successful! 3/PPP7 attempts Recovery: 1+1 = 2 - attempt failed. 8/3/JR37 attempts Recovery: 6+1 = 7 - attempt successful! 3/ErP112 attempts Recovery: 4+1 = 5 - attempt failed.   You have no units adjacent to the enemy and no capacity to perform an effective Ranged Attack (best you could get would be a Suppressed token, and those go away at the end of your Combat Phase), so I skip your Combat Phase and the turn ends. Victory Determination Phase No side controls the entirety of the main road. Soviets now have 5 VPs for controlling the first seven hexes of the main road.  Weather Report Current weather: overcast. The morning fog has now completely dissipated. That means vision now extends up to about 2100 yards (5 hexes). There are no more adverse modifiers to Ranged Attacks. The Soviets receive no replacements. The Soviet Morale Bonus continues! The Soviets are now taking their actions. Stand by and wait for their results. _____________________ Soviet update No problem!  The only movement on the other side you can see is a Finnish company emerging from the fog only to take up position on Kotisaari. They march annoyingly out of the range of your weapons. The troops on the bridge (an infantry company, 2 MG units, Pajari) are beginning to dig in. The Finns initiate no Combats and no Ranged Attacks. The turn ends. Victory Determination Phase No side controls the entirety of the main road. Soviets now have 5 VPs for controlling the first seven hexes of the main road. Weather Report Current weather: overcast. The morning fog has now completely dissipated. That means vision now extends up to about 2100 yards (5 hexes). There are no more adverse modifiers to Ranged Attacks. All your artillery, mortars and guns are ready to fire. No replacements are available at this time. Your Morale Bonus continues! Next reinforcements arrive: in a few hours  All your units may now: - Move up to their Movement Allowance (see OP for terrain costs), stopping at enemy Zones of Control, and/or Assault; - Attempt Recovery, if they're a reduced-strength infantry company (you have none); - Start Digging In (Digging In counters remaining: 4). New reinforcements may now enter the field via your Supply Source hex.  [   It's the 1st Battalion of the 364th Rifle Regiment! The battalion is commanded by Major Zikan, whose direct superior is Colonel Ropes4u.   But what is more, the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 47th Artillery Regiment are now set up and ready to fire! You have enough 76mm ammo for 10 fire missions. Next ammo delivery: tomorrow morning. These batteries are under General sniper4625's direct command. Deadline: Wednesday, July 1st, 7 PM GMT._____________________________ Signups update: Slots open: - one Soviet Regiment Commander We're down to one slot right now, but you can still sign up to get on the reserves list, take part in planning or convince me to split up battalion commands! Next Soviet reinforcements: Turn 3 Next Finnish reinforcements: Turn 3
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Jun 30, 2015 11:34
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I like what you're doing, Tevery Best. At least from the outsider's point of view, things seem pretty clear and you provide good guidance to understand the game as it develops. Keep up the good work.
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Jun 30, 2015 16:34
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Tevery Best posted:Not sure that I follow. You mean that I had already mentioned that LoS is enforced on the Soviet turn? I did, but I wanted to avoid players thinking "there's nothing in that hex in the not-cropped image, surely it's empty" and acting on that assumption. I meant that the "Let's talk about how fog of war will work in this LP." paragraphs are posted twice. Now I see that you're just pasting both threads' updates into one post, so no worry about lost clarity on the players' side, but it does make it more confusing to read.
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Jul 1, 2015 01:05
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Pierzak posted:I meant that the "Let's talk about how fog of war will work in this LP." paragraphs are posted twice. Now I see that you're just pasting both threads' updates into one post, so no worry about lost clarity on the players' side, but it does make it more confusing to read. Okay! I'll be editing the spectator updates from this point on to reflect this.
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Jul 1, 2015 09:04
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Soviet update: A flurry of activity begins on your side of the river. However, due to a miscommunication, your troops do not receive an order to advance to the island, but instead to position themselves on the lake and regroup! This delay might be costly, even if you're out of the range of enemy weapons for now. Meanwhile, 9th Company moves towards the bridge. They can't cross it, but their fire and presence is enough to keep the Finns occupied, unable to dig in or provide fire support to their comrades. The 609th field artillery positions itself near the entrance to the narrows, giving it a very large field of fire. I made a minor adjustment here - Unwantedplatypus wanted to go to "the Suo on P25", but P25 is a forest hex, and in the other direction. I take it this is where the 1st Company was supposed to end up.  Meanwhile, the rest of the 2nd Battalion and the first two battalions' MGs position themselves to strike against the small islet of Hernesaari. Two companies of 3rd Battalion push east along the road, encountering no opposition. Another minor adjustment: as you can see, the reinforcements' MGs are here as well. When correcting Zikan, I forgot they could use Extended Movement to gain +2MP as long as they're moving on the road and remain 4 or more hexes away from the enemy, and given that it made little to no sense to leave them behind, I've let them use it anyway.  The 3rd Battalion's scouts bring news of more enemy forces further north of the bridge, but there seems to be nothing standing between you and the main road from here.  All right, Combat Phase! Wherever you have troops adjacent to an enemy unit, you may now declare a Combat against the enemy hex. The sequence shall proceed as follows: - Sniper4625 will declare which hexes you wish to attack (with combats and non-supporting Ranged Attacks) and in what sequence, - If a unit is adjacent to more than one attacked hex, its Battalion Commander decides which of the hexes it will be attacking (if any), or, if you don't want a unit to participate in the attack, they will also be expected to announce it, - Sniper4625 and the Regimental Commanders will assign their indirect-firing units (mortars, infantry guns, artillery) to any specific attacks (as Support or non-Support), and whether or not they should be fired before or after a Combat they're supporting (sometimes you can pick off a retreating unit this way, but rarely), - Battalion Commanders decide which of their direct-firinig units (infantry, MGs, others) fire at which target hex (if a given unit can only hit one target hex, I'll consider it to be firing by default, and I will also consider all direct-firing units without assigned targets to be firing at any hex they have a chance to cause a step reduction to - I won't show those rolls in the combat log, though). - The Finns allocate their Defensive Support. They will be informed how many fire missions you've allocated as Combat Support (split into direct and indirect), but not what units will be firing. - I roll all the dice, - Battalion Commanders decide how they want to advance, retreat or take step losses as a result of the combats. Now, you shouldn't be able to see the results of all combats before deciding how to allocate your losses, but until both sides get familiar with how retreats work, I'll keep it this way (it shouldn't last for more than a day). You have 48 hours.Remember that any indirect-firing unit (infantry guns, mortars, artillery) gets flipped to its "Fired" side after shooting, and it won't flip back until your next Reset Phase - i.e. it won't be able to provide defensive support during the Finnish turn. You also have a limited supply of 76mm munitions - right now you have enough for 10 fire missions. _________________________________ Finnish update:  Over the course of the last hour or so, scores of Soviet troops start to emerge from the woods. They roll out onto the ice of Tolvajarvi lake and position themselves south of Kotisaari. Your men on the island have also spotted a mortar platoon and an infantry gun taking up positions south of the bridge! And what's more, an infantry company has occupied the other side of the bridge and engaged your men defending the crossing! They won't be able to dig in any further, nor provide fire support to their comrades.  Further east, more Soviet infantry and MGs position themselves around Hernesaari. You spot two companies going quickly north by road. They might turn your flank! Wait for enemy Combat declarations, then you'll get a chance to assign Defensive Support.
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Jul 2, 2015 12:42
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I'm enjoying this LP, but I'm not enjoying how everyone is butchering the Finnish names :cryingfinnishflag: The game would probably have benefited from an Unreal World-style system where you have the actual name and a more-or-less literal English translation of it. For example, Hernesaari is "Pea island", Kotisaari is "Home island" and Taivaljärvi is "Journey lake"*. But that's enough sperging about languages. I don't think the Soviet blunder of just hanging around on the ice is going to be dangerous since the Finns won't have the artillery to take advantage of it. Also the Finns look like they're preparing for a head-on fight instead of attacking from the flanks, which could be a problem. * journey/road/walk/way/path/etc., if I have my etymology correct
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Jul 2, 2015 15:47
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Arelon posted:I'm enjoying this LP, but I'm not enjoying how everyone is butchering the Finnish names :cryingfinnishflag: Actually the Playbook has translations of every single place name on the map, I just thought nobody would care much! The Soviet blunder is fairly benign inasmuch as actual damage is concerned, but the time loss will be significant - and the Finns now have a battalion of troops ready to cross the ice onto Kotisaari at a moment's notice. This might make taking the island costly for the Reds. But the Finns are, in my opinion, making a mistake by not really knowing what they want to do with the rest of their forces - having them sit back and dig in at the Hotel while Kivisalmi Bridge is still contested might be giving up too much ground too early. Many times as the Soviets I spent the entire first day trying to clear out that drat bridge and not succeeding until Day 2, because of a relentless defence of the alternative approaches.
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Jul 2, 2015 16:16
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