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 [F] CSW Forum  / Boardgaming  / *INDIVIDUAL GAMES AND GAME SERIES Discussion  / Era: World War II (GAME SERIES)  / Europa Series (GR/D)

Discussion of the Europa series published by GR/D. Many titles include Fire in the East, Scorched Earth, Western Desert, Balkan Front, Second Front, First to Fight, etc.


Older Items Oldest Items Outline (older msg: 8391)

Ramon Weston - Mar 29, 2016 10:35 pm (#8392 Total: 10006)  

[Weston, Ramon]
Western Desert Replay After Dec I Turn

The Allied player was able to eliminate the Italian forces around Sidi Barani without sustaining any losses. The Allied player decided to be aggressive and surround the Italian forces and cut them off from supplies using movement and exploitation. An aborted CR-42 that was based on the airfield just south of Tobruk was eliminated by the British 16th 2-8 Inf X during the Dec I movement phase. The 3 air units stacked with it were providing defensive air support.

During the Axis player turn, the Axis player decided not to make attacks that could result in AR results since in most cases this would result in the Italian forces being eliminated since they had no safe retreat hexes.

Malta Status Number: 5


Western DesertMap Start Dec II

Ramon Weston - Mar 29, 2016 10:51 pm (#8393 Total: 10006)  

[Weston, Ramon]
Western Desert Replay After Dec II Turn

The Allied player was able to eliminate all of the Italian forces around Tobruk except the units protected by the unimproved fortresses at Tobruk and Bardia without any losses.

Again, the Italian player wisely decided not to make any ground attacks. During the Axis player turn, the Italian 10B 2-10 Mot III unit was eliminated by the Malta Table. This was a big loss since the Allied player always has to guard against his supply line getting cut by this very mobile c/m unit with a ZOC. It would get eliminated but would probably be able to slow the Allied player down for a turn.

Malta Status Number: 8

Attachments:

Western DesertMap Start Jan I.png (856 KB) (83 Downloads)


Ramon Weston - Mar 29, 2016 11:30 pm (#8394 Total: 10006)  

[Weston, Ramon]
Western Desert Replay After Jan I and II Turns

During the Allied Jan I player turn, the Allied player was able to eliminate the Italian forces in Bardia and surround the units in Tobruk without losses or expending any attack supply. The French M 1-10 Mot II unit was sent south of Benghazi to block supply to the Italian units at Tobruk and Benghazi. British bombers were able to put one hit on the port of Benghazi.

During the Axis Jan I player turn, the supply unit was eliminated by the Malta Table while getting shipped to Tobruk. This was a severe blow, since the units in Tobruk would now be unsupplied during the Jan II turn. The Axis player decided not to ship any units out of Tobruk to save them since it appeared that the best the Allied player could get would be a 5-1(-1) attack with a 1 in 6 chance of an HX result and a 1 in 6 chance of a NE result.

During the Allied Jan II player turn, the Allied player used the ports of Bardia and Derna, which were captured during the Jan I turn, to bring up enough forces for a 6 to 1 attack on Tobruk with only a 1 in 6 chance of a HX result to worry about. The Allied player rolled a 4 for a DH result and captured Tobruk without losses and eliminated all of the Italian units in the hex. During exploitation, the Allied c/m units started heading to Benghazi. The French M 1-10 Mot II unit was able to capture Sirte and score 5 victory points for the Jan II turn.

During the Axis Jan II player turn, the Axis player realized that the units in Benghazi were doomed without supplies and started retreating south. All German and Italian air units concentrated on Malta.

Malta Status Number after Jan II Turn: 11


Western DesertMap Start Feb I

Ramon Weston - Mar 29, 2016 11:53 pm (#8395 Total: 10006)  

[Weston, Ramon]
Western Desert Replay After Feb I and II Turns

During the Feb I and II turns, the Allied player was able to capture Benghazi and surrounded and eliminated the Italian units that attempted to retreat from Benghazi. The Allied player also completed the conquest of Cyrenaica worth 30 VPs during the June II VP phase. Allied forces started getting sent to Greece.

During the Feb I and II turns, the Axis player started concentrating his numerous reinforcements and started shuffling them towards Benghazi from Tripoli. Axis planes again concentrated on Malta.

Malta Status Number: 13


Western DesertMap Start Mar I

Ramon Weston - Mar 30, 2016 12:11 am (#8396 Total: 10006)  

[Weston, Ramon]
Western Desert Replay After Mar I and II Turns

During the Mar I and II turns, the Allied player concentrated around El Agheila trying to keep from getting surrounded by the now more numerous Axis forces while trying to slow the Axis advance. Allied forces sent to Greece included 2 divisions, an artillery unit, and a Blen I air unit. The British W Cons X started applying hits to Benghazi in order to lower its capacity to zero. Allied units continued destroying existing airfields in Libya so nothing would be left to the Axis player when the Allied player is forced to continue retreating.

During the Mar I and II turns, the Axis player continued concentrating his reinforcements and continued shuffling them towards Benghazi from Tripoli trying to setup a good attack on the Allied forces. Axis planes again concentrated on Malta. The Out of Supply unit in hex 3434 is the 605th 1-10 Mot AT II, trying an end around the Allied forces.

Malta Status Number: 15


Western DesertMap Start Apr I

Peterg - Mar 30, 2016 4:43 pm (#8397 Total: 10006)  

 
[Peterg]
Interesting reading Ramon.

Jim Broshot - Mar 30, 2016 10:06 pm (#8398 Total: 10006)  

 
[Broshot, Jim]
Always happy to see someone is playing the best Desert War game ever, and maybe the best Europa game ever, even in Cyberspace. And the latest version of your Vassal module looks good, too.

My Canadian opponent and I did two games of Western Desert (switched sides after the first one) in last couple of years, PBEM, using ADC2 and a module he designed.

Ramon Weston - Mar 31, 2016 1:47 am (#8399 Total: 10006)  

[Weston, Ramon]
Western Desert Replay After Apr I and II Turns

During the Allied Apr I player turn, the Allied player overran the 605th 1-10 Mot AT II unit in hex 3434 with his c/m units. He retreated his units far enough to protect the infantry from full AECA attacks of 1.5 to 1 odds or better. With full AECA, a 1.5 to 1 attack at +3 can generate a DE result with the worst result for the attacker being an HX result. A 3 to 1 attack at +3 has 4 chances in 6 of a DH or better result and zero chances of the attacker suffering any losses. Infantry only stacks can not stand up against armored attacks without suffering possibly devastating losses without fortifications. Plus, you have to protect against your opponent sending a unit behind your forces and cutting your general supply. With c/m units having movement factors of 10 and having movement and exploitation phases to move c/m units, these units can move 20 hexes in one turn.

During the Axis Apr I player turn, the Axis player moved his armored forces up within 3 or 4 hexes of the Allied forces. The stack with the Italian 7-5-8 Armored Div also includes 3 X 1-8 motorized artillery units and 2 X 1-6 armored units so it has full AECA. With the Malta Status Number at 14 (after repairs), the Axis player transferred a couple of air units to the front. With only reference cities to base his air units and with 5 out of 7 of the German bomber units withdrawn this turn, there was not much he could do.

During the Allied Apr II player turn, the Allied player found a hole in the Axis defenses and was able to use the French M 1-10 Mot II unit to overrun the Italian 5A 0-6 Cons Eng unit which had been left in a hex by itself. It was also able to cut general supply to the Axis player's front line units. Since it will be eliminated by the Axis player, this will cost the Allied player 1 VP since he will not be able to replace it and withdraw the unit during the scheduled withdrawal during the May I turn. It was worth it since the Axis player lost his only construction engineer unit and it will take several turns to replace it and get it in position to construct airfields and repair ports. With this, the Allied player started his retreat back to the fortifications of Tobruk and Bardia.

During the Axis Apr II player turn, the Axis player eliminated the French unit and mostly left his front line units in place and moved up lagging infantry units so he would be able to protect his supply lines better.

Malta Status Number after Apr II Turn: 15

Attachments:

Western DesertMap Start May I.JPG (188 KB) (78 Downloads)


Ramon Weston - Mar 31, 2016 2:02 am (#8400 Total: 10006)  

[Weston, Ramon]
Western Desert Replay After May I and II Turns

During the May I and II turns, the Allied player finished retreating his units to the Tobruk and Bardia area. The Allied player's engineer unit upgraded Tobruk's fortifications and built an airfield there. The Allied player placed his units out of effective attack range of the Axis units and made it impossible for the Axis player to cut his supply lines.

During the May I and II turns, the Axis player captured Benghazi and Derna. He also moved up his units while making sure the Allied player could not cut his supply lines. With reduced forces and increased Allied AA strength on Malta, the Axis player suffered some bad luck and was not able to keep the Malta Status Number at 15.

Malta Status Number after May II Turn: 13

Attachments:

Western DesertMap Start Jun I.JPG (177 KB) (70 Downloads)


Ramon Weston - Mar 31, 2016 2:31 am (#8401 Total: 10006)  

[Weston, Ramon]
Western Desert module

Jim, I agree with you that Western Desert is probably one of the best of the Europa games. Plus, I also think it is still one of the best Desert War games out there. That was part of the reason why I spent so much time on the Western Desert module. Plus, being a programmer, I was interested in seeing the tools and techniques used to make a Vassal module. You might say it was a labor of love.

Unfortunately, I have only had 3 chances to play it and all of them as the Allied side. Once, was FTF against my brother about 25 years ago and twice online FTF using the Western Desert Vassal module and Skype. I much prefer the online FTF because I enjoy the interesting discussions that usually result.

I am considering adding an extension to the Western Desert module to add some of the optional rules (like desert tracks) and optional units from the Europa magazines. Plus maybe add the Desert Cauldron and Enter Rommel scenarios from the Europa magazines.

If anyone is looking for a game of Western Desert using Vassal, then let me know.

Peterg - Mar 31, 2016 11:28 am (#8402 Total: 10006)  

 
[Peterg]
I'm tempted to say yes to a game Ramon but I've no experience with Vassal. Played WD a couple of times & other titles in the series.

How easy is vassal to use? I dl'd it a couple of years ago but no got no further.

Jim Broshot - Mar 31, 2016 10:09 pm (#8403 Total: 10006)  

 
[Broshot, Jim]
Alas, I am a relic of an older time. I have mastered VASSAL to the extent of being to "play" a game by showing the end locations of units and combat results. I have never mastered the log feature nor have I ever Skyped (?)

I prefer ADC2 or JET for Europa. The graphics aren't nearly as good but they are easier to use by my aged brain.

How about adding the Near East module? Game gets more interesting when the Allies actually have to invade Iraq and Iran and not relying on off map dice results.

Ramon Weston - Apr 1, 2016 4:17 am (#8404 Total: 10006)  

[Weston, Ramon]
Vassal and Skype

In the beginning, I avoided using Vassal myself. But, being a programmer, I have had jobs in several different cities over the last 10 years - Kansas City, MO and Omaha, NE and now Rockford, IL. When I moved, it was hard to find opponents to play in the new city. Luckily, I had an old friend and playing opponent convince me to give VASL on Vassal a try and it worked quite nicely once I got the hang of it.

Now, I kind of prefer playing on Vassal. No longer do you have to worry about leaving the game setup if you can not finish, especially for long campaign games. Just save the game when you are done playing for the day and it is waiting when you and your opponent are ready to play again. No pets, kids or other catastrophes waiting to happen when you leave it setup or needing to write down unit locations if you don't leave it setup.

No longer do you have to worry about leaning over big maps trying to see the factors and moving the units. Plus if you are fumble fingered like me, accidentally knocking over large stacks as you go. With Vassal you can scroll over the map and zoom in and out as you need. Plus if you have the game set to show which units have moved and the game has an inventory button, it is easy to find which units have not moved yet.

But most importantly, you can find opponents who want to play the games you want to play even if they do not live close to you. Since I have started gaming on Vassal, I have finally gotten a chance to play some of the games I have always wanted to play but could never find an opponent close enough to play. In the last 10 years, I have played about 15 different games against 7 or 8 different opponents from all over the country and even against someone from another country. I have finally gotten a chance to play Russian Campaign, Empire of the Sun, Vietnam 1965-1975, Storm Over Stalingrad, and the the GCACW games. Plus I have had a chance to play some old favorites like ASL, Western Desert, A House Divided, and Panzergruppe Guderian. As long as you and your opponent both have a computer with an internet connection, you are good to go. What can I say, I am hooked.

Skype is not a requirement to play but it definitely speeds up play. Skype allows you to connect over your internet connection using your computer and carry on voice conversations. Otherwise, you have to type in things like which units are attacking what hex at what odds, etc., Most people who use Skype and Vassal end up buying a headset with headphones and a mic so they can carry on a conservation while having their hands free to type or use their mouse. Several times, my opponents and I could not get Skype to connect (technical problems with Skype) so we used our cell phones instead.

It is possible to play games using PBEM where you log your turn and when finished you send the log file to your opponent. I have tried it once for a Fury in the West game and it was okay. But, I much prefer using online FTF. All of my opponents have been intelligent and knowledgeable people plus they have all been history buffs like myself. Sometimes my opponent and I have finished playing and saved the game but ended up talking for another 20 or 30 minutes about some book one or the other was playing. With PBEM, you would lose this interaction.

PeterG, both of my last 2 Western Desert opponents had not played on Vassal and I was able to walk them thru it. Within a couple of sessions, they easily had the hang of it. First, you have to download Vassal and any game modules you think you will end up playing. Then, you install Vassal. After installing you run Vassal and load any of the game modules you want by just clicking File / Open Module from the Vassal menu and clicking the game modules that are saved on your computer to load the module into Vassal. When you install the module, it will ask you for a user name and password for that module. It is easiest if you use the same user name and password for all of your modules. The user name is used when you are online to identify you to other players. The password can be important when you play games with sides that have hidden units so your opponent can not hack in and see where and what units are hidden on the map. It will also ask if you want to play offline, online or open a log file. Playing offline allows you to play the game solo if that is your desire or to open a game file that you and your opponent share so you can plan your move for the next time you and your opponent are online. Open the log file is used mostly for PBEM games. Open the game online will load you into a "Main Room" that shows you what other players are also online. It is much easier than it sounds and if needed we can connect by Skype or cell phone and I can walk you thru it. You only have to load the module into Vassal once and then it saves the module name into a list so the next time you play, you double click the module name and select whether offline or online and you are off and playing.

When playing on Vassal, I have had gaming sessions that lasted only 15 or 20 minutes and have also played some 5 or 6 hour sessions. I have had times where we are both busy and maybe get one game session in a month and then I have played 4 or 5 times in one week. Whatever works for you and your opponent. You and your opponent can get online and get the game loaded up in just a few minutes, play for as long as you like, and then save the game until the next time. We usually texted each other and then agreed on a time for both of us to be online. Vassal has tripled or quadrupled the amount of playing time for me against other opponents. Give it a try.

Keith Pardue - Apr 1, 2016 8:43 am (#8405 Total: 10006)  

[Pardue, Keith]
I also have never become comfortable with Vassal, but your Wavell's War module has me studying that game again. Perhaps I will get up to speed.

Peterg - Apr 1, 2016 9:41 am (#8406 Total: 10006)  

 
[Peterg]
Wow Ramon you really know how to sell a product.

I shall give it a try. I lack the table space for many of my games currently so it may be worth learning just for that.

Enjoying the computer version of World in Flames via skype currently so I really should make the effort to join the 21st century & get out of my comfort zone.

Ramon Weston - Apr 1, 2016 2:03 pm (#8407 Total: 10006)  

[Weston, Ramon]
Wavell's War East Africa

Part of the reason I built this module was that I wanted the chance to actually play it. On the plus side, there are not too many pieces and it is an interesting situation. The problem as I saw it was that it was a large map and the campaign would take about 30 to 40 hours to play out (when playing Western Desert, we took about 2 to 3 hours per month when playing on Vassal. The East Africa campaign has about the same number of pieces and has only 14 game months, so 30 to 40 hours sounds about right). Plus there are probably only about 1000 gamers in the country who would be interested in playing it. What are the odds that I would live close enough to someone who wanted to play it, had the time to play it, and had the room to set the game up and leave it setup? Not likely, so I decided to do the Vassal module.

So if anyone is looking to play either Wavell's War East Africa Campaign or Western Desert, then let me know. If you need help with getting up to speed on Vassal, I can help with that also. If someone wants, we could play the simple 3 turn "The Invasion of British Somaliland" scenario from The Europa Magazine # 75, included in the Wavell's War module, while you learn Vassal.

For that matter, I have always wanted to play Narvik. It is very highly rated and from what I have read, it is very finely balanced. There is a Vassal module for it already, so if anyone is interested in playing it then let me know.

I am usually free for about 2-4 hours per evening/night Monday thru Thursday during the week and about 2-3 Saturdays and/or Sundays per month so I am pretty flexible about when we could play. Fridays and Sunday nights are usually not free. I currently have no games going on, so could easily fit a couple of games in, if more than one person is interested.

For the next module I want to do, I am trying to decide between doing a Marita Merkur/Balkan Front/Balkan Front with Wavell's War changes or maybe Western Desert with Torch and the Near East. Since I have not played either of these, let me know what you think. Are there problems with these modules? Are they unbalanced?

Peterg - Apr 1, 2016 4:43 pm (#8408 Total: 10006)  

 
[Peterg]
I've played WD with M-M and found it a good experience in turns of Greece but Yugoslavia was a push over for the Axis.

Andy Nunez - Apr 1, 2016 6:09 pm (#8409 Total: 10006)  

 
[Nunez, Andy]
enjoying the AAR

Wish I had time to play these big games, but even doing it by computer is time consuming and I have so much crap to do. Maybe when I retire... Thanks for posting them! :)

Jim Broshot - Apr 1, 2016 8:39 pm (#8410 Total: 10006)  

 
[Broshot, Jim]
In the beginning, I avoided using Vassal myself. But, being a programmer, I have had jobs in several different cities over the last 10 years - Kansas City, MO and Omaha, NE and now Rockford, IL. When I moved, it was hard to find opponents to play in the new city.

I lived north of Kansas City 1975 - 1987 (exactly one hour from Kaufman Stadium) and never could find a FTF opponent (played a lot of WD solitaire). Moved down here to the Ozarks east of Rolla (70 miles or so from St. Louis) and never could find a board game opponent (miniatures seems to be the rage in St. Louis). Finally got to play Europa FTF at Origins beginning in 1996, then ADC2 came out and the Finnish fellow came up with JET. Have played a lot more Europa since PBEM.

Have played Von Borries EFS (AGN and AGS) PBEM using ADC2 and most recently with VASSAL (Skypeless VASSAL anyway)

Mike Stoddart - Apr 3, 2016 1:12 pm (#8411 Total: 10006)  

[Stoddart, Mike]
Quick question if I may. For the game Spain and Portugal how significant is the following:

"but 2 blue counters, and the non-blue blanks, are missing"

Thanks.

Edit: Oh, I found a post that says this game isn't standalone. Not to worry.


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