|
Yikes.
|
#
?
Mar 19, 2017 21:05
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 11, 2024 21:12 |
|
|
SlothfulCobra posted:Seems pretty defeatist if they're thinking it's going to go into those circumstances already. Sure, they failed to maintain control of Stethescope, but they're not out of this yet. Even when the Germans inevitably flank them, they're not out of this yet. I think they're still spooked from the last round and how losing Croissant ended up being key.
|
|
#
?
Mar 19, 2017 22:26
|
|
|
Seems kinda early to be paranoid given it's not even the end of th efirst day (not even night yet) of battle and the Germans have just established a forward position in one of the towns, and they got a bit of a bloody nose as they ran in early and attacked and got pushed back. I suppose personally I think using the armored cars purely for mindgames in strategy is a bit weird, but within th eboundaries of the game. I think otherwise they might have better luck doing controlled fallback positions - making defensive trenches/strongpoints at various places, forcing the Central Powers to attac kthem, falling back to the next line of them and using small units as spotters or harrassers i fthey can get behind the advancing lines rather than trying to engage constnatly, but that's mostly based upon having a complete view of the battlefield which neither side has. Also I generally approve of how the Central Powers seems to be planning things - generally holding in place and making sure they're not rushing forwards unnecessarily, and once they (hopefully) get thier advance ground to have defensive positions in front of it to cover thier advance on that end. wedgekree fucked around with this message at 06:14 on Mar 20, 2017 |
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2017 05:14
|
|
|
I think the BEF completely mismanaged their use of the cars (which should have been excellent scouts along potential attack routes) and now they are paying for it. They are effectively blind to their southern flank because of this. It is going to get very tricky for them if the Germans are able to exploit the open space the British have surrendered unnecessarily.
|
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2017 07:12
|
|
|
they exhausted a pretty valuable asset early on for questionable gain, but it's difficult to be too harsh on them imo - they were trying to contest an objective, when the entente had just lost a battle over what amounts to a technicality wrt the same type of objective
|
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2017 07:31
|
|
|
V. Illych L. posted:they exhausted a pretty valuable asset early on for questionable gain, but it's difficult to be too harsh on them imo - they were trying to contest an objective, when the entente had just lost a battle over what amounts to a technicality wrt the same type of objective Again thier logic based on that is fairly reasonable in contrast. They're being overly aggressive early on to try and counter the enemy or slow them down. Also in fiarness they didn't exactly have the idea we as the observers did that the Central Powers had early gaem superiority - intel wasn't very specific. So as far as they knew, both sides were about equal so contesting early meant they could bleed the Central Powers longer term and stage a fighting withdraw, or if really lucky route them from the field.
|
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2017 09:35
|
|
|
wedgekree posted:Again thier logic based on that is fairly reasonable in contrast. They're being overly aggressive early on to try and counter the enemy or slow them down. Also in fiarness they didn't exactly have the idea we as the observers did that the Central Powers had early gaem superiority - intel wasn't very specific. So as far as they Fixed that for you. The Germans didn't have an "early game superiority" - both sides started out with two mobile brigades. Arguably, the AC brigade is more powerful than a cavalry brigade, even. The Allies had to realise they would reach Steth roughly at the same time as the Germans would (unlike the Germans, who had a far larger range of possible enemy deployment areas). No, what happened was that the Allies cocked their advance towards Steth up and the only thing that saved it from being an unabashed disaster were some lucky dice rolls. If they wanted to contest the place - and no reason for them not to want to contest it, admittedly - they should have planned out an actual advance, rather than "yeah let's move into that area ASAP". If they had advanced from the same direction, rolled out into a battle line, then advanced under machine gun and artillery cover, they would have had far better results as the Germans would not have been able to defeat both their brigades individually while using the town for cover. The Allied logic is bad and predicated on the notions of "surely the defender was given early numbers advantage, because spawnkilling Germans would have been interesting" and "we are invincible, so who cares about coordination".
|
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2017 10:55
|
|
|
Its period accurate logic.
|
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2017 15:01
|
|
|
Lol the Germans are going to just occupy the BEFs fighting position free of charge, aren't they?
|
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2017 22:50
|
|
|
IIRC yes, that's an empty trench, but at least the Germans get a scare. EDIT: it would be hilarious if they set up shop in that trench, then the BEF infantry shows up first thing in the morning and tries to walk into it
|
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2017 22:51
|
|
|
Ikasuhito posted:The Brits were just being good sports and setting up a defensive line for us, you'll see. This is unironically what's actually happened, isn't it? E: Beaten
|
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2017 22:53
|
|
|
Tevery Best posted:EDIT: it would be hilarious if they set up shop in that trench, then the BEF infantry shows up first thing in the morning and tries to walk into it It's what any sane commander would do. Though I think BEF engineers are in the area and will probably get attacked and tip the Brits.
|
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2017 23:02
|
|
|
Tevery Best posted:EDIT: it would be hilarious if they set up shop in that trench, then the BEF infantry shows up first thing in the morning and tries to walk into it It's better than that...
|
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2017 23:18
|
|
|
"All right, chaps! The Rupert says the Engineers have dug in a very lovely trench overnight for us to rest at, with blackjack and hookers! Let's double-time to get our Company the best spots!" "Sir, are those horses peeking above the parapet? Why would the hookers need horses?" "The pony show, you muppet!"
|
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2017 23:25
|
|
|
If the Germans swarm over and kill the engineers uncontested, will the entente thread even know about it come daybreak until they start sending orders that get no responses? That is, assuming that their brilliant master plan of using armored cars with headlights on as scouts doesn't spot them and report back.
|
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2017 23:37
|
|
|
Roll20 scoop: following his brigade's overnight ventures, mossyfisk is trying to convince his side to immediately throw it all off, retreat across the river, and attack into FdE EDIT: entente thread update up and it's hilarious Tevery Best fucked around with this message at 00:57 on Mar 21, 2017 |
|
#
?
Mar 21, 2017 00:54
|
|
|
Oh my. Things are about to get properly interesting, aren't they? That was really lucky for the Brits that they had someone just barely within range to see the little tussle. Also, Blob is looking MIGHTY prime for some hilarious instances of fuckery.
|
|
#
?
Mar 21, 2017 01:05
|
|
|
Jeez, Tevster, give me a chance to get the Observ-O-Vision up... Germans British Hopefully later I'll have time to do maps of exactly the route taken by the German 3rd Brigade (they're lucky they couldn't just wander off the map and just disappear off to the south) and suchlike, but here's Observ-O-Vision. It's from Turn 47; this is how close the BEF and Germans came to tripping over each other.  Here also we can see that as things stand, and as long as they hug the bottom of the map for dear life, the Germans can have their infantry cross the river unobserved during daylight hours...  This is as winning a position as you could surely hope for. Let's see if Roll20 and the Spirit of Sandman will take it away from them. Full position, Turn 48: 
Trin Tragula fucked around with this message at 01:14 on Mar 21, 2017 |
|
#
?
Mar 21, 2017 01:12
|
|
|
Oh my god. I didn't realize the Brits and the Germans are literally standing back to back pointing their guns out ahead of them.
|
|
#
?
Mar 21, 2017 02:28
|
|
|
I now somewhat understand how Trin must have felt back in the beginning of the first round. Cackling maniacally is FUN.
|
|
#
?
Mar 21, 2017 02:34
|
|
|
Tevery Best posted:Fixed that for you. Well played and appropriate fix.
|
|
#
?
Mar 21, 2017 03:38
|
|
|
I...uh...I don't know what's going to happen now. How did...god. So the British didn't go through with their terrible idea of cars with headlights on for scouts (which might've actually made the Germans panic), but they still know that the Germans are...somewhere out there, across the river. I'm not sure they have it in them to figure out that there's a bridge though. ...I guess whoever moves to leave the forest first is going to get spotted and fired on, unless they decide to move through the forest, in which case...I don't know what forest combat is like. One of the Germans has correctly guessed that the British dug into Effyaders forest, just they didn't...stay there. I guess the British suppose that if they keep going back and forth between positions, that's the same as fortifying both?
|
|
#
?
Mar 21, 2017 04:16
|
|
|
... Uhm, that was interesting. So are the Germans going to fill out the trench the British very gentlemanly dug for them or they prefer to get into a melee in the forest? Also at the point both sides receive indirect fire things are going to be fun quick... /Would/ it be better for the Germans to try and stay in the forest or move back and fill out the trench and switch to defense to screen? Also I will add to the list of people wanting to see a Where's Waldo of Third Brigade's adventures.
|
|
#
?
Mar 21, 2017 05:58
|
|
|
Well now. Are the Entente at least theoretically aware that engineers could build a bridge?
|
|
#
?
Mar 21, 2017 06:45
|
|
|
They actually discussed such a possibility, just never really gave it much attention, considering they had no troops to guard the area anyway. The situation in BdB right now is a Prisoner's Dilemma with an added random element. Whoever moves will blunder into the other's line of sight, but then whoever doesn't move has to rely on initiative rolls to not get charged. It is glorious.
|
|
#
?
Mar 21, 2017 09:10
|
|
|
Yeah, the fight in Bois de Blob is going to be an interesting one. I really like how both sides are creating their trench lines, but don't really have the men to fill them - will the last battle make both sides a bit more hesitant to attack? Not having a clue where the enemies forces are is making this interesting - right now, the German Cav in Stethascope could marhc forwards unopposed, but have no idea that they currently have the numbers advantage.
|
|
#
?
Mar 21, 2017 10:21
|
|
|
 Look at all those empty trenches. The Entente really don't have the bodies to fill them (yet), and are thinking of sending all their reinforcements into the Boi de Blob instead. Which might be the correct move because the Germans seem intent on doing just the same.
|
|
#
?
Mar 21, 2017 11:40
|
|
|
If nothing else this battle should teach people the importance of scouting.
|
|
#
?
Mar 21, 2017 12:18
|
|
|
The BEF think that the Germans in the forest are just the weak remainder of the Stethescope force. They're going to be in for a rude surprise.my dad posted:As an aside, I will laugh my rear end off if we lose this game because of fear of ghosts.
|
|
#
?
Mar 21, 2017 13:08
|
|
|
Green Intern posted:The BEF think that the Germans in the forest are just the weak remainder of the Stethescope force. They're going to be in for a rude surprise. The assumptions the Brits have been making this game have been a bit bizarre. Like, they have made four or five assumptions that rely on the best case scenario of things working out.
|
|
#
?
Mar 21, 2017 14:38
|
|
|
In the last battle there was a whole thing where the French and the Germans both kept a healthy contingent of their forces fortifying their western flanks, and both sides suffered for the lack of manpower that caused in the eastern offensive. I think that's what the English are thinking of here, especially when they found themselves with only one brigade to deal with defense along the entire line. Conversely, the Germans might be making the same mistake all over again, the early offensive has them spooked, so now they have a buttload of troops digging in for an attack that can't come because of how many men were lost in the early offensive.
|
|
#
?
Mar 21, 2017 16:09
|
|
|
I think Saros can't see that reinforcement line at the sunken road. I know grey is the traditional color of the Central Powers, but I think it does kinds vanish against the border and the road.
|
|
#
?
Mar 21, 2017 16:56
|
|
|
Nuramor posted:I think Saros can't see that reinforcement line at the sunken road. I know grey is the traditional color of the Central Powers, but I think it does kinds vanish against the border and the road. ? what do you mean by this? Loel posted:
What do they think the Germans are doing - playing Taschenbillard in Stethoscope? The Main Body is attacking Foret de Effyaders, and the Entente is sending in a lonely Brigade to counter that. Oh, and they are deploying their
|
|
#
?
Mar 21, 2017 20:16
|
|
|
Mooddr posted:What do they think the Germans are doing - playing Taschenbillard in Stethoscope? They don't know what the Germans are doing. quote:The Main Body is attacking Foret de Effyaders, and the Entente is sending in a lonely Brigade to counter that. They don't know what the Germans are planning. quote:Oh, and they are deploying their They don't know where the Germans intend the action to be. quote:Never Mind that the German plan with the Bridge was a stroke of Genius, all the Germans need to do now is just play okay to win against the Entente here. And it is def. not the Scenario to blame this time. The Germans are certainly in the pound seats, but let's not forget that nobody's tried to do indirect fire yet and I fully expect them to start jumping up and down and squealing like stuck pigs once they realise that BEF brigades have even more infantry in them than French ones. The decision to pivot north could well pay dividends, but I reckon it's equally possible that they get tangled up in the so-far-unspotted wire, their timetable gets thrown off, the supporting fire lands in the wrong place, the brigades end up attacking one-after-the-other instead of all converging on the forest at the same time, and they get defeated in detail like the French at St Croissant.
|
|
#
?
Mar 21, 2017 20:39
|
|
|
I'm expecting the plan to all go to poo poo right away as the two cavalry forces in the forest almost immediatly run into one another.
|
|
#
?
Mar 21, 2017 21:05
|
|
|
I don't want to get in a fight with you or anything, I just dont understand the French plan. Of course they know nothing about the Gemans, but just assuming that they will not attack seems kinda foolish? The Entente have no information about the Germans, yet they send a single Brigade North. What is that supposed to accomplish? Either a) the Germans attack there - the Brigade is dead, because it is alone without support or b) the Germans do not attack - the Brigade is useless up there and helps noone. What is the purpose of deploying the artillery where it can not help anyone? Why not concentrate on the known German forces in BDB with Infantry and Artillery (instead of just assuming that those are only scouts), and using the Cars and the Cav in conjunction with the plane to find out where the boche is? I know that many things can still go wrong for the Germans, but the Defense of Effya should not rely on that. I am not saying this Scenario is unfun or whatever, I am just an Armchair General that does not understand the Ententes plan and thinks it is not very well thought out, that is all.
|
|
#
?
Mar 21, 2017 21:11
|
|
|
The artillery being deployed on the back road makes sense: it moves vastly faster there, so they can more easily get in into posision than deploying it in a field. I assume thats what the reasoning is, they probably discussed it in the roll20
|
|
#
?
Mar 21, 2017 22:42
|
|
|
I think the fundamental flaw in the Entente reasoning is that they're still fixated on stopping the Germans from getting across the stream when that ship sailed with Operation: Sneaky Bridge.
|
|
#
?
Mar 21, 2017 23:12
|
|
|
Mooddr posted:The Entente have no information about the Germans, yet they send a single Brigade North. What is that supposed to accomplish? Either a) the Germans attack there - the Brigade is dead, because it is alone without support If the Germans attack perfectly, with artillery support and a 3:1 advantage in men all arriving at the same time, sure, it's dead. How likely is that, though? There weren't many perfectly-planned attacks last round and they were all on a much smaller and simpler scale. They seem currently to be targeting a 12 noon attack with no more than two brigades. If they don't, the defenders are in a big fat brigade that can take a lot of losses before they have to morale-check; it stands a reasonable chance of either driving the attack off or at least damaging it bad enough to affect the enemy's morale in the next round of orders. Even if it rolls terribly and disappears quick, it still at least spots the enemy and provides vital intelligence. quote:or b) the Germans do not attack - the Brigade is useless up there and helps noone. Calculatus Eliminatus. If you want to find a certain something, you've got to find out where it's not. This is the fork the defenders are trapped in; to be sure of winning any given battle they need to concentrate their men, but to be sure of even knowing that there's a battle to be fought, they need to spread out. No good committing everything to the south and then finding out that you've been headfaked and the enemy's taken the Foret de Effyaders without a fight and is marching through Trois Freres towards the canal. The way they're playing it seems to me to be about the best they can do with a bad hand.
|
|
#
?
Mar 21, 2017 23:35
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 11, 2024 21:12 |
|
|
Trin Tragula posted:If the Germans attack perfectly, with artillery support and a 3:1 advantage in men all arriving at the same time, sure, it's dead. How likely is that, though? There weren't many perfectly-planned attacks last round and they were all on a much smaller and simpler scale. They seem currently to be targeting a 12 noon attack with no more than two brigades. quote:If they don't, the defenders are in a big fat brigade that can take a lot of losses before they have to morale-check; it stands a reasonable chance of either driving the attack off or at least damaging it bad enough to affect the enemy's morale in the next round of orders. Even if it rolls terribly and disappears quick, it still at least spots the enemy and provides vital intelligence. quote:Calculatus Eliminatus. If you want to find a certain something, you've got to find out where it's not. This is the fork the defenders are trapped in; to be sure of winning any given battle they need to concentrate their men, but to be sure of even knowing that there's a battle to be fought, they need to spread out. No good committing everything to the south and then finding out that you've been headfaked and the enemy's taken the Foret de Effyaders without a fight and is marching through Trois Freres towards the canal. The way they're playing it seems to me to be about the best they can do with a bad hand. Again, I would have concentrated the Arty and Infantry on the known Enemies, and the Cav and the Cars for scouting duty. Sure, Foret de Effya might be lost (if the Germans attack in the North), but one Brigade has not many Chances of holding them up either.
|
|
#
?
Mar 22, 2017 00:44
|
|