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 Hello and welcome to the thread where goons ineptly fight other goons in FAB: The Bulge, a board wargame covering the last, desperate German offensive on the western front of world war II. The epic, dramatic struggle in the Ardennes has captured the attention of wargame designers for decades, its scope, fluidity and dynamism making it one of the most popular topics in wargaming. Fast Action Battles series debuted in 2008 with this title, hoping to offer a fast and playable take on the first two weeks of the battle, keeping the history as exciting as accurate. Mind you, this was written from a grog perspective where "fast playing" means "with some discipline we might not need to leave it overnight". Still, it's not the worst game to introduce people to wargaming - and most importantly, it's just plain fun. What I intend to do here is to moderate a goon-on-goon team game, where you'll take command of an army, learn the rules as you go, duke it out with each other and bicker with fellow commanders hogging crucial supplies as we relive the cold, bleak days of December 1944.  Requirements We will be learning the rules as we play, so the willingness to absorb some rules is really all you need. If you've ever played a WWII operational wargame, you'll be fine. If you have a decent idea about why everyone in the 40s freaked out about armored breakthroughs and encirclements, you should do well. If you have absolutely no idea what you're getting yourself into, just try to look smart, or perhaps enlist for an easier flank guard duty? Update schedule I plan to keep the pace of an update every 2-3 days, and will probably assign appropriate deadlines for issuing orders. I admit, however, that I, as a person, have slight trouble with sticking to commitments. Meaning, when updating hits delays, it tends to spin out of control. Please don't be an enabler. Also, I urge everyone to whine and mock me whenever I get sloppy with updates.  Player aidsHere is the rulebook for the FAB series. Don't feel the need to go through it in detail, as we'll cover the necessary rules on the go. Instead, treat is as a somewhat confusingly written reference guide - or just go ahead and read it if you feel the need for some context ahead of time! Please note, however, that some (major) scenario-specific rules are covered in the game's playbook, not available online. Also, we will fudge things a little timing-wise to better facilitate PbP play. Here is a concise A4 player aid I made. It should cover all the things one could need to remember turn-to-turn, but again - don't feel the need to learn poo poo ahead of time. The full map:  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Okay, let's get this thing rolling! Participants should sign up to one of the five echelons they will command throughout the game. Whether the command is democratic or autocratic really depends mostly on the amount of participants. In case of joint command, I'll probably designate a primus inter pares to keep clear what constitutes final orders.  The Germans  On December 16, Germany armies launched their deadliest and most desperate offensive of the war in the west in the poorly roaded, rugged, heavily forested Ardennes, hoping to exploit harsh weather conditions that grounded Allied air forces. The desperate gambit was Wehrmacht's last chance to maybe - just maybe - reclaim the initiative on the western front.  Forming the northern shoulder of the attack, the 6th Panzer Army was designated as the leading force of the offensive. Despite their combat prowess, the SS Panzer forces struggled with extremely unfavorable terrain and minimal road network. The commander of this army will have to carefully shift his weight to engineer a breakthrough.  Positioned in the middle, the 5th Panzer Army was initially assigned a support role, yet it was their assault that managed to deeply penetrate Allied line, forming the titular bulge. This is assignment is most suited to rapid maneuvers, breakthroughs and encirclements. One one hand, it'll provide the daring commander with all the blitzkriegin' we know and love, on the other it'll probably require the most attention to be paid to how poo poo actually works.  The 7th Army was a relatively small and understrength force, holding the southern flank of the offensive. Depending on how the battle unfolds, they might try to punch above their weight and drive on Luxembourg - or find themselves the target of Allied counterattack, being the weak spot of the German line. To spice up his life, the 7th Army commander will also manage the German strategic reserve assets, for which all the other players will beg and plead. This is a slightly more chill assignment, best suited for folks who'd like to participate, but feel they might be overwhelmed by the game, or the opposite - don't want to ruin the fun for newbies! The Allies    The once-quiet region was defended by a mere handful of inexperienced or recuperating divisions. Despite facing overwhelming opposition, the American forces offered fierce resistance in a desperate attempt to stall the Germans until proper reinfocements could arrive to turn the tide.  The surprised 1st Army bore the brunt of the German attack, mounting a desperate, hurried defense. Teetering on the brink of destruction in the first days of the battle, it eventually managed to bring in the arsenal of democracy and push back with a vicious counterattack. The limited timeframe of the game will pose a dilemma for the 1st Army commander: strike too fast and you'll bleed your forces out for no good, wait too long and you won't reclaim the lost territory on time.  This echelon will cover elements of Patton's 3rd Army and of the British 21st Army Group, both sent to reinforce the strained line of the 1st Army. While managing only a handful of units, as compared to the other Allied echelon, this commander will also manage strategic reserve assets - including the mad scramble of task forces and combat engineers, crucial to delaying and funneling the German advance.
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Jan 28, 2015 16:50
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I'll take the german 7th army.
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Jan 28, 2015 17:10
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I'll take Allied Reinforcements.
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Jan 28, 2015 17:40
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I'll take German 5th. Paris or bust, motherfuckers.
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Jan 28, 2015 17:46
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I'll take the American 1st Army.
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Jan 28, 2015 18:56
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German 6th, Lets do this!
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Jan 28, 2015 19:00
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Do we get to call lucky chits in order to be able to write lovely fan fiction? Because I want to roll alongside Tekopo all the way to Luxembourg without having to actually make any decisions at all.
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Jan 29, 2015 10:53
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Sure! Both units and chits all have historical designations, so you can even be your favourite nebelwerfer battery if you want to. As an aside, expect the offensive to commence today. Perhaps even quite soon, if my supervisor will remain out of office.
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Jan 29, 2015 11:13
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 By December 1944, the writing was on the wall for the Third Reich, relentlessly pushed back on both fronts. Aware that continued defensive operations are but delaying the inevitable defeat, Adolf Hitler chose to gamble on a major offensive, using his remaining mobile reserves. Realising such an operation could no longer meaningfully impact the eastern front, he turned his attention to the west, drafting an ambitious plan to retake the port of Antwerp, splitting the Allied forces and hopefully compelling the Americans and British to settle for a separate peace, independent of the Soviet Union. Several senior German military officers, including Walter Model and von Rundstedt, expressed concern as to whether the goals of the offensive could be realized. They offered alternative plans, but Hitler would not listen. Dealing with mad Führers was a fact of life during the forties, and therefore to win the game the German players have to stick with the Antwerp plan. Thankfully, the game is merciful regarding the extent of success which they need to achieve - namely, their immediate goal within the game is to secure the left bank of the Meuse river. As you might have already deduced, they will obtain victory points by controlling areas marked with white stars. The Allies, on the other hand, score points by pushing across the German border, indicated by the balkenkreuz symbols. Moreover, the yellow stars indicate areas of particular battlefield importance and provide VPs for both sides. Note that victory in this game is determined by net VP difference, so in practice they provide a 2 VP swing each. Finally, each side considered destruction of enemy's combat power one of its critical objectives, and therefore eliminated big units (those that once had at least three steps) give VPs to the enemy.  Germans began the assault on December 16, at 05:30, with a massive, 90-minute artillery barrage using 1,600 artillery pieces across a 130-kilometer front on the Allied troops facing the 6th Panzer Army. Amazingly, Dietrich's army was held up for almost 24 hours in the northern sector by a single reconnaissance platoon and four U.S. Forward Artillery Observers dug in on a ridge overlooking a key road intersection in the village of Lanzerath. Later, they assaulted Losheim Gap and Elsenborn Ridge in an effort to break through to Liège and Antwerp. Meanwhile, von Manteuffel's Fifth Panzer Army attacked towards Bastogne and St. Vith, both road junctions of great strategic importance. In the south, Brandenberger's Seventh Army pushed towards Luxembourg in its efforts to secure the flank from Allied attacks. The game begins in media res, in the middle of first German turn. The forces assault according to detailed pre-battle plans and we take the reins at the interesting part - the combat phase!  Ok, so what the hell are we looking at? You see, FAB: The Bulge is what we grogs call a block game.  Source: Boardgamegeek In this kind of game, the units are represented as wooden blocks, standing on the side so that unit's identity is visible only to the owning player and is typically only revealed when it participates in combat. Beginning with the first Allied turn, we'll move both sides to their separate sub-threads (and take a more detailed look at the forces under their command). For this turn, I've simply revealed units about to engage in combat to both sides, as an exception for teaching and pacing purposes. For those not familiar with NATO symbols, if a unit looks kinda like a TV, it's tanks and if it looks like an X, it's infantry. Any further details are simply flavor for grogs. The number of dots - which we'll call steps - on the top of the block indicates its current combat strength - when the units take damage, we'll rotate them as appropriate. The color of dots indicates unit's quality: Green (white dots), Veteran (black dots) and Elite (red dots). Note that it may change as the unit gets whittled down! Explaining combat will take quite a few words, but trust me, it's dead simple once you resolve it once or twice. At its heart, it is a fairly typical "handful of dice" system. Each player will roll a d10 per each unit step, inflicting a hit on a modified roll of 5 or less. The modifiers are: - Substract or add 1 per each level of quality difference between the firing unit and its target. - Add 1 if it's a tank firing, subtract 1if it's a tank being fired on. - Attacking player additionaly subtracts the Terrain Difficulty rating of the area (see map legend). And that's pretty much it. Any other factors are related to situational counters we'll lay on the map. During this turn, these are only: - Field Works marker, representing temporary defensive positions built hurriedly with sandbags, barbed wire, mines and whatever was at hand. They give attackers a -1 malus and absorb the first hit that would be otherwise taken by the defender. They're pretty neat! - River Assault marker, indicating an attack hampered by a river crossing (it's quite awkard to do under fire). With it, the attackers fire at -1, while the defenders shoot at +1. The only other factors we will encounter in the future is units being disorganized and/or unsupplied. All in all, stuff you'd expect to provide some penalty. The order of firing is: attacker artillery, defender artillery, defender units, attacker units. Each side has to designate a point unit, that leads the assault or defends key positions. The opponent calculates his die roll modifiers as if he was firing at the point unit, but on the other hand it will be the first unit to suffer a loss, making it a perfect way to pointlessly bleed out your elite panzer spearheads. Now, the system has a few tricks up its sleeve, adding up to give it a rather distinctive dynamic,  Germans start the game with above assets in their available pool. The allies were caught unprepared and start the game with nothing! For starters, there's the asset system. Assets are chits we will randomly draw each turn, representing fire support and small detachments scrambling all over the place, plugging gaps and strengthtening spearheads. Most assets belong to particular army and can only be used to support own troops. The strategic reserve assets can support any army they please - as long as the player in charge of them gives his permission. The rigid logistic system Germans used inflicts another limitation - in addition to the above German assets can only be used within appropriate army's zone of operations. In a given battle, the attacker can commit up to 2 artillery chits and the defender up to 1 artillery chit. German difficulties in coordinating concentrated barrages is depicted in an abstracted manner, by requiring them to use both tube (dot) and rocket (arrow) artillery if they want to use two chits. Americans, on the other hand, enjoy superior artillery organisation, meaning not only they don't give a gently caress about rockets, but also they may assign one extra artillery chit over the limit, for some trully devastating barrages. Each artillery chit provides a 5- to hit roll, modified only by the defender being an armored unit or under Field Works - meaning, it is guaranteed to be no worse than a 4- to hit roll, making it crucial to cracking heavily entrenched positions. The other kind of chits, those with a dot above the symbol, are the so-called battle assets, minor detachments reinforcing the fight. Each German army has an engineer asset it can use this way. Battle assets work just as if they were extra one step units participating in the fight. Battle assets can suffer hits like units, at the cost of being eliminated from the game. A very useful feature is that they can suffer hits before your units do, meaning they can shield elite point units. The engineers are, however, probably too useful to sacrifice that way, offering useful out of combat abilities (such as repairing bridges) and possessing a particularly neat combat trick: if they survive the defending units fire, instead of rolling a die, they can instead opt to simply remove a remaining Field Works marker before the other units attack. Finally, (and I'm really gonna shut up) the game provides a few ways to cope with catastrophic rolls. After either defensive artillery or unit fire, the attacker might choose to abandon the attack, disorganizing his units and forfeiting attack rolls, but in return suffering only one hit, no matter how many were rolled. If he was conducting a river assault, he is also pushed back. The defender always absorbs the first hit by removing the Field Works marker, if present. If under artillery fire, he may absorb one of the hits by disorganizing the units, therefore incurring a -1 combat penalty and making the unit generally useless for a turn. If under unit fire, he may (again) absorb one of the hits by retreating to a friendly area and disorganizing the units, if they already weren't disorganized. For the purposes of smoothing out PbP play, the players should determine acceptable losses and/or preferred retreat destinations (adjacent, friendly area) up-front, when assigning assets. If the wishes are not stated explicitly, I will call off all attacks suffering more than one loss, utilize every possible damage absorbtion possibility on the defense and choose the retreat destination in good faith.  German players, assign the assets and choose point units where there is more than one attacker! Everyone, state accepted casualties, or pray for the best. Bear in mind, with the ability to absorb 2-3 hits, those one-step American units under Field Works have a surprising staying power. Both combat modifiers and asset limitations are reiterated in the player aid from the OP, if you haven't grabbed it already. As for the mysterious reserve unit marker, without going into detail ahead of time, if the 6th Army beats the Americans back in either battle, blitzkrieg magic might happen. Lichtenstein fucked around with this message at 12:17 on Jan 29, 2015 |
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Jan 29, 2015 12:02
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Use Tube + Rocket in Beaufort + use Engineers Use Tube + Rocket in Echternach
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Jan 29, 2015 14:58
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Tevery Best posted:Do we get to call lucky chits in order to be able to write lovely fan fiction? Because I want to roll alongside Tekopo all the way to Luxembourg without having to actually make any decisions at all. Echoing this.
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Jan 29, 2015 15:51
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Tube + Rocket in Bleialf Bathe our enemies in fire from the heavens. No longer valid, check this post. 1stGear fucked around with this message at 01:08 on Jan 30, 2015 |
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Jan 29, 2015 16:35
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First Army Disorg and retreat American one-step units rather than let them be destroyed. Allow 106th, 99th, and 4th to take one step before disorg-retreat. Effectronica fucked around with this message at 17:28 on Jan 29, 2015 |
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Jan 29, 2015 17:01
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Effectronica posted:Disorg and retreat American one-step units rather than let them be destroyed. Allow 106th, 99th, and 4th to take one step before disorg-retreat. Should we in different threads already? 6th Orders Tube + Rocket in Udenbreth - 12 VG takes the point. -Fight till the death. Tube + Rocket in Bucholz - Fight till the death. This push is happening dammit. Edit- Given the American orders would it be better to not waste a Tube in Bucholz since he will disorg and retreat when unit attacked? Abongination fucked around with this message at 19:04 on Jan 29, 2015 |
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Jan 29, 2015 17:22
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Abongination posted:Should we in different threads already? We'll move to separate threads very soon, it's just that the first German (half-)turn neither reveals any meaningful info, nor has anything at all for the Allies to do. 1stGear, who takes the point in Bleiaf and Lutzkampen? Abongination posted:Given the American orders would it be better to not waste a Tube in Bucholz since he will disorg and retreat when unit attacked? Not really IMO, if the tube hits they'll roll 4- to attack, the same as you'd roll for second artillery chit. Moreover, that'll leave no way for the Americans to use the artillery phase disorganisation absorbtion, as compared to using 2 artys. Lichtenstein fucked around with this message at 17:33 on Jan 29, 2015 |
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Jan 29, 2015 17:29
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Abongination posted:Should we in different threads already? Eh, Lichtenstein said we go after the first turn, so this is just things before the Fog of War descends. Also, First Army Orders: my preference is that CCA/9 withdraw towards Mersch.
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Jan 29, 2015 17:32
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Lichtenstein posted:We'll move to separate threads very soon, it's just that the first German (half-)turn neither reveals any meaningful info, nor has anything at all for the Allies to do. So I understand properly, the unit that "takes the point" is the one initiating the attack?
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Jan 29, 2015 17:35
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Lichtenstein posted:Not really IMO, if the tube hits they'll roll 4- to attack, the same as you'd roll for second artillery chit. Moreover, that'll leave no way for the Americans to use the artillery phase disorganisation absorbtion, as compared to using 2 artys. Whats the benefits of using two arty's? Two attacks before the unit attacks? And yes, point units lead the attack and combat rolls will be done with their experience and such. Abongination fucked around with this message at 17:58 on Jan 29, 2015 |
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Jan 29, 2015 17:48
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1stGear posted:So I understand properly, the unit that "takes the point" is the one initiating the attack? Fluff-wise, yeah. It's the one that leads the assault, with the other units working in a more of a support role. Mechanics-wise, it's the unit against which I'll compile opponent's hit chances (quality, being a tank, etc.). So, better unit = less hits suffered, probably. The suffered damage is spread evenly across your units, starting with the point unit, which gathers most of the heat. This is especially tricky when attacking, since you have no way of dealing with the first hit inflicted on you, other than Abongination" posted:And yes, point units lead the attack and combat rolls will be done with their experience and such. Abongination posted:Whats the benefits of using two arty's? Two attacks before the unit attacks? . As an aside, in an hour I'll start a trek across half the country to some boring-rear end wedding. Expect the next update to hit on Sunday, with Monday being the last excusable deadline.
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Jan 29, 2015 18:06
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Lichtenstein posted:Fluff-wise, yeah. It's the one that leads the assault, with the other units working in a more of a support role. Oh, hey, before you go, how abstract are the turns, time-wise?
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Jan 29, 2015 18:09
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Abongination posted:Whats the benefits of using two arty's? Two attacks before the unit attacks? Two chances to hit and get rid of the field works before your units attack. If both hit, they'll lose the fw and be disorganized, which makes their fire worse. Remember, defenders fire before attackers, so even if all you get out of artillery fire is a disorganized defender, it helps your units take fewer hits
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Jan 29, 2015 18:11
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Effectronica posted:Oh, hey, before you go, how abstract are the turns, time-wise? Two player turns (that is, German + Allied turn) equal one day for about 2/3 of the game, after which things slow down to two days.
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Jan 29, 2015 18:21
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Do we get engineers back every turn until they are destroyed or do they stick with the unit we assign them to?
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Jan 29, 2015 18:23
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Abongination posted:Do we get engineers back every turn until they are destroyed or do they stick with the unit we assign them to? Used assets go into a draw cup - you may or may not draw them on future turns. If they die, they're out of the game forever. Be very careful with your engineers, they're incredibly useful and the Germans don't get many
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Jan 29, 2015 18:27
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blackmongoose posted:Used assets go into a draw cup - you may or may not draw them on future turns. If they die, they're out of the game forever. Be very careful with your engineers, they're incredibly useful and the Germans don't get many Cheers for answering all these questions haha, I should make a list and post em all at once instead of asking when they pop into my head. One more though! With dots or steps representing unit strength, why do some units have multiple colours of dots on them? Example being 3 FJ or 560 VG. Does this mean a single step is one type of troop (green, veteran or elite) and the rest are another?
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Jan 29, 2015 18:34
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Lichtenstein posted:Fluff-wise, yeah. It's the one that leads the assault, with the other units working in a more of a support role. Having gone over the rules a bit more, is it okay if I completely scrap my orders and start again? If not, that's fine. In which case 560th VG will take point in Lutzkampen and the 18th VG will take point in Blelaif.
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Jan 29, 2015 18:40
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Abongination posted:Cheers for answering all these questions haha, I should make a list and post em all at once instead of asking when they pop into my head. This means that at different levels of strength, the unit has different experience levels. For instance, there are several units that start as 3 step green units, but when they take a hit, rotate to become two step veteran units (they've gained experience by fighting). I believe each level always has all its steps as the same experience level (so no [red][red][black][black], just [red][red][red], followed by [black][black] after a step loss).
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Jan 29, 2015 18:46
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blackmongoose posted:This means that at different levels of strength, the unit has different experience levels. For instance, there are several units that start as 3 step green units, but when they take a hit, rotate to become two step veteran units (they've gained experience by fighting). I believe each level always has all its steps as the same experience level (so no [red][red][black][black], just [red][red][red], followed by [black][black] after a step loss). I get it, makes a ton more sense when you picture the counters as actual blocks you are physically rotating around to display the current strength.
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Jan 29, 2015 18:50
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1stGear posted:Having gone over the rules a bit more, is it okay if I completely scrap my orders and start again? Go ahead, no worries! Abongination posted:With dots or steps representing unit strength, why do some units have multiple colours of dots on them? Example being 3 FJ or 560 VG. Yeah, as blackmongoose said, it either represents the experienced cadres bleeding out and Tigers breaking down, or conversely, acknowledging that historically some units got their poo poo together after heavy fighting.
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Jan 29, 2015 20:12
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Lichtenstein posted:Go ahead, no worries! This is also reflected in the number of steps, along with the overall size of the units. Would it be gauche to provide an overview of the blocks that have been revealed so far in historical terms?
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Jan 29, 2015 20:43
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Effectronica posted:This is also reflected in the number of steps, along with the overall size of the units. Would it be gauche to provide an overview of the blocks that have been revealed so far in historical terms? That's a great thing to do, assuming Lichtenstein doesn't have any plans to do it himself. If it helps, most blocks are divisions - the one US armored division was split into Combat Commands A and B, and a few Allied divisions start reduced with special reinforcement chits added to the draw cup on later turns to represent late arriving regiments.
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Jan 29, 2015 22:18
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I'm not exactly sure whose units are who's. I don't think reinforcements are on the field yet but if I missed them orders are to Dis-org retreat one step rather than take losses for now.
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Jan 29, 2015 22:20
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I'm gonna call the 212 VG Division as my lucky unit, then.
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Jan 30, 2015 00:09
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Lichtenstein posted:Go ahead, no worries! Awesome. New orders for German 5th Army Rocket arty on Blelaif, 18th VG takes point Rocket arty on Lutzkampen, 560th VG takes point Combat engineers to Marnach Should be good.
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Jan 30, 2015 01:07
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Hmm, I see Lichtenstein doesn't have PMs. Hopefully this will work ok. PLAYERS DON'T READ THIS SPOILER SERIOUSLY, IF YOU ARE A PLAYER, DON'T READ THIS You should maybe say something about engineer use - specifically, with the current asset allocations, 5th Pz Army might not draw its engineer back on turn 2, which means they can't repair a bridge, which will likely stall their advance at least 1 turn, maybe 2 due to lack of supply. I don't want to be giving strategy advice to the players, but I'm worried this might really mess up the game - the other option would be to just cheat the draws so the engineer comes back for sure.
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Jan 30, 2015 03:26
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blackmongoose posted:That's a great thing to do, assuming Lichtenstein doesn't have any plans to do it himself. If it helps, most blocks are divisions - the one US armored division was split into Combat Commands A and B, and a few Allied divisions start reduced with special reinforcement chits added to the draw cup on later turns to represent late arriving regiments.  So I made a map. Blue represents Allied, red German, with dark red making it easier to see the different responsibilities of each army in Army Group B. I'm not going to get too far in depth on individual units, so instead I'll take about general terms and background. For those of you unfamiliar with NATO symbology, we have four distinct types of units active right now, though the game rules only care about whether they're primarily infantry or primarily armored, and the rest is flavor. The box with a cross through it stands for an infantry unit. Adding a stylized set of wings to the bottom quarter makes it an airborne/paratrooper unit. An ellipse refers to an armored unit, while having one line through makes it an armored/mechanized cavalry unit. In the north, the American 99th Infantry Division and the independent 14th Cavalry Group, a brigade-sized mechanized cavalry formation, stand against 6th Panzer Army, which historically became a Waffen-SS formation after the Battle of the Bulge. So far, the 277th and 12th Volksgrenadier Divisions and the 3rd Fallschirmjager Division have been identified attacking, but 5 unidentified formations are known to be present, meaning up to eight divisions could be available. The American center consists of the 106th Infantry Division and the 110th and 112th Regimental Combat Teams of the 28th "Keystone" Infantry Division, facing 5th Panzer Army. 5 Panzer is known to be engaging our boys with the 116th and 2nd Panzer Divisions, along with the 560th, 62nd, and 18th (labeled as ? on the map) Volksgrenadier Divisions. Two more formations remain unidentified, meaning up to seven divisions could be attacking. Finally, the American right flank is facing 7th Army with the 109th RCT of the 28th Infantry, Combat Command A of the 9th Armored Division (a brigade-sized formation), and the 4th "Ivy" Infantry Division. Against them are the 5th Fallschirmjager, 212th and 352nd Volksgrenadier Divisions, and one unidentified formation. Up to four divisions may be attacking. Some notes on unit types: the Volksgrenadier division became the model for German infantry after Operation Bagration destroyed Army Group Center in 1944. Focusing on short-range weaponry and heavily equipped with "wunderwaffen" like the StG-44 automatic rifle and Panzerfaust antitank recoilless rifle, these divisions were intended for defense. Formed from remnants of broken formations, replacements due for destroyed units, troops conscripted from the private empires of the Kriegsmarine and Luftwaffe, invalided soldiers, and "casserole units" (old men and teenagers), their quality varied dramatically, as we can see from the contrast between the two-step green and 3-step veteran units. Fallschirmjager are paratroopers (their name is literally "parachute hunters", with hunter referring to light infantry in this context). After the disastrous drops on Crete, the Luftwaffe refused to use its paratroops, and after D-Day, no longer even trained replacements in drops. They became pure light infantry formations. The Battle of the Bulge, or Operation Watch on the Rhine as the Nazis called it, was intended by Hitler to repeat the grand "sickle cut" performed by Manstein and Guderian in 1940- an armored breakthrough, followed by an encirclement of Allied forces in Belgium (though through capturing Antwerp instead of cutting through NE France). The OKW instead hoped for a more modest victory by crossing the Meuse and establishing a foothold there. However, this time, instead of coordinated Panzer and Panzergrenadier (mechanized infantry) divisions preparing for a major breakthrough, we have Panzers and infantry of varying quality attempting a breakthrough, speaking to the desperate situation Germany found itself in in 1944.
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Jan 30, 2015 05:42
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First, thanks for the awesome write-up, Effectronica! I intend on peppering the updates with historical trivia (the next one will feature a few paragraphs on the 99th Infantry), but I can't promise I'll have anything to say about some random-rear end volksgrenadier units! Secondly, blackmongoose is probably right in that I should reiterate a thing: used assets will go to a selection cup and we'll draw a fixed amount of them each turn, leaving some uncertainty to when the high command makes each particular asset available. Meaning, if you use your engineers now, there's no telling when you'll be able to repair those blown bridges. Are we telling you you're making a blunder? Not really, we just want to make sure you know what kind of decision you're actually making: if you want to ensure successful river crossing and perhaps not lose half of your forces doing so, it's a great little support chit. But if you want to push further west immediately, your bridgeless logistic support might just poo poo itself to death and in that case it's better to just cross fingers and rely on artillery support. Bobatron posted:I'm not exactly sure whose units are who's. I don't think reinforcements are on the field yet but if I missed them orders are to Dis-org retreat one step rather than take losses for now. Yeah, you'll get your toys as soon as the second turn begins. Lichtenstein fucked around with this message at 12:21 on Jan 30, 2015 |
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Jan 30, 2015 09:53
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Okay, then I won't use my engineer chit in these attacks.
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Jan 30, 2015 10:02
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212th Volksgrenadier Division In August 1944, the 212th Infantry Division was mangled beyond recognition by the Soviets somewhere in Lithuania. Quickly it was reformed in the rear with many, many replacements, but keeping a lot of its veteran NCOs and officers, as the 212th Volksgrenadier Division. Most of the new troops were from Bavaria, and rated as better than most. Well trained, fairly well equipped, it was the strongest unit of the German 7th Army during the push in the Ardennes. And those quality Bavarian recruits played a not insignificant part in that.  This will not be the tale of one of those units. This will be the tale of the other kind of replacements, the 2nd Platoon of the G company, 5th Battalion, 423 Regiment, 212 VG Division, coming straight from scenic Lippe-Detmold*.  "Volksgrenadiers are ready... for what it's worth."
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Jan 30, 2015 12:40
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I hope the German players don't mind but I'll probably be posting images with attached text from the many books I have of destroyed German AFVs.
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Jan 31, 2015 05:27
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