To blitz or not to blitz

[alpeck01]

I have only the "first blitzkriegs" game. Played Poland once and France several times as either side.

Poland is not hard to get a blitzkrieg going in because the unit density is low.

Not so in France - Belgium. I find the BEF and Belgian army can hold the Dyle line all by themselves, not needing any French. That leaves plenty of elite French units to send into the Ardennes, and if the Ardennes is defended it can't be blitzed. So maybe this historically accurate in that the French didn't have to leave a gaping hole in their center (with only a couple of D and E grade divisions) - but I can't even win as German player against the AI. Not only do the Germans get slowed down, but literally stopped dead.

Now it is probable that I am not using the best tactics - have only recently got the game - I wonder if the rigid ZOC's are the best approach for this game. Hexes are 10 km, and the better German infantry plus all the Panzers were trained in infiltration tactics. So I'm thinking maybe semi-fluid ZOC's might help - would certainly change the nature of the game. Or maybe I'm just playing it wrong...

Historically it is certainly amazing that the BEF had only a couple of divisions lightly engaged before they ran for the coast - considering the power of their divisions. The French DLM's did engage Panzer divisions and beat them back - but they were in the wrong place. Anyway, I do appreciate the game, these theaters have been of interest to me for a long time.

[Dion]

Your right, the French surrendered after only only six weeks. Yet, when you play the game, the french can easily stop the Germans cold.

Historically, the French had a slow and old fashioned communication system, while the Germans had a state of the art, modern communication system, commanded by highly trained personnel. That's basically why the Germans overran the French, the Dutch, the Belgians, and the British expeditionary force, all in fortified positions with ease. Combine that with air power and you have a blitzkrieg. If it wasn't for the modern weapon systems of the day, it seemed more like the static warfare of WWI instead of WWII.

I don't know what a rigid ZOC is, but it sounds like something that could be covered by the use of kampfgruppe or an optional rule.

It will be interesting to see how this will be addressed with the new version that is currently in development.

[alpeck01]

The effectiveness of the Luftwaffe is head and shoulders above the Allied air forces, yet it doesn't seem to be enough.
If the game played out for a few months, the Germans could probably win by attrition, due to the air power mostly.

Anyway, thanks for the comment.

[Strela]

It will be interesting to see how this will be addressed with the new version that is currently in development.

I believe we will be able to tackle this with the new HQ activation rule. I expect the French to be struggling to keep all their front line ‘in command’ which will have a range of negative impacts.

That and a couple of other features will allow us to better emulate some of the features of various campaigns.

[Chris]

Below is what was posted by WDS concerning changes to the Strategic War series concerning ZOC's and HQ's.

Zones of control are now dependent on the number of defend points a unit/hex has. Currently all units exert a zone of control. This allows many small units to block significant movement, or at a minimum require the unit to be attacked, hindering the attacker. There is now a PDT value for ‘No ZOC Threshold’ i.e., the defend value that a ZOC does not exist. Currently, in-game we plan to set this to one, implying that units that are one or zero defend points do not exert a ZOC. In games terms, one defend point equates to a regiment and that gels with a division (three regiments) having a ZOC.

We have created two types of headquarters (normal and mechanized) to reflect the differences between for example, armor and infantry HQs. These can have different movement and command radius. More importantly, we are adding code to allow Headquarter Activation.What does that mean? Headquarter can now be active or inactive. If active, all units in range of the HQ operates normally. If a HQ is inactive, any units in range are considered semi-detached, i.e., their movement and attack values are halved, but they recover effectiveness and can take on replacements normally. Units that are out of range of any HQ have all the normal detached rules.

What does that mean? Headquarter can now be active or inactive. If active, all units in range of the HQ operates normally. If a HQ is inactive, any units in range are considered semi-detached, i.e., their movement and attack values are halved, but they recover effectiveness and can take on replacements normally. Units that are out of range of any HQ have all the normal detached rules.

"If a HQ is inactive, any units in range are considered semi-detached, i.e., their movement and attack values are halved" It appears that a unit with an inactive HQ will not be affected when defending.

[Strela]

That is correct, but what if there are not sufficient HQs to cover the front line? We have a range of ways to impact how scenarios play. We intend to go back and adjust scenarios to reflect the new rule set and will then adjust based upon player feedback.

We are delayed on the update due to the AI. It is (very) different to other series and we are working to make certain it not only takes into account the new changes, but also has a range of other considerations.

We have a lot of plans for this series.

[Alan Sharif]

I do not own any games in this series, but the future update will be changing that for sure.

[stormbringer3]

Glad to see that you have a lot of plans for this series. Could you give a possible timeframe for the 1st improvement?
Thanks.

[Chris]

I would like to see Al Nofi's Imperium Romanum and Victory Games Civil War 1861-1865 using the Strategic War system.