1914 Battle Report

Nice report mate. Feels like the Entente needed to be a lot more aggressive vs the Ottomans and on the Western Front. Did the Entente players mention any learning points at the end of the game?

Thoughts below:

• France was entirely too passive. They need to be more aggressive with Germany to keep them out of France’s IPCs and ease some of the pressure of Russia. Next time you play, try concentrating your forces in Belgium-Lorraine F1 and being tough on Germany.

• UK was wasting its time by concentrating on Europe. UK should be sending the majority of it’s money to the India territory in order to defeat the Ottomans. With aggressive UK play, a single Ottoman mistake can result in their collapsing and the Entente raking in the IPCs/Victory Points.

• Everyone else more-or-less did what they were supposed to, but I think you’re misreading the rules. You’re not required to leave Infantry in every territory. You just have to make sure that there are no Artillery Units alone. You’re allowed to leave territories empty, but retain them under your control. That’s a difference between A&A and Risk that some newer players mix up (I was the same way when I started).

Thanks again for the report!

@DoManMacgee said in 1914 Battle Report:

Thoughts below:

• France was entirely too passive. They need to be more aggressive with Germany to keep them out of France’s IPCs

For a moment, before I saw the context of the post, I thought this was a historical reference to France in the September 1939 - June 1940 period, rather than a gaming post about A&A WWI 1914. :) I’ve been watching a DVD of the two Battlefield series episodes on the Battle of France, so at the moment this subject tends to catch my attention.

@CWO-Marc Jockeying for position is important in the opening turn(s) of 1914. You need to abuse the 2-move capabilities of your starting forces to get strong stacks set up. This will deter the German player from aggressively attacking you, lest they take irreplaceable casualties and get sucked into a decisive battle that’s closer to your supply line (capital) than his.

Whoops! Totally didn’t realize that it was you @CWO-Marc and not the OP. If France was as lackadaisical in WW1 as they were in WW2’s opening months, the Central Powers would have had it easy.

@DoManMacgee said in 1914 Battle Report:

Whoops! Totally didn’t realize that it was you @CWO-Marc and not the OP. If France was as lackadaisical in WW1 as they were in WW2’s opening months, the Central Powers would have had it easy.

No problem about the mistaken identity, and good point about the contrast between the WWI and WWII performance of France early in each war. I’m not sure if this is widely known, but France briefly invaded the Saar region of Germany in early September 1940 – taking advantage of the fact that most of the Wehrmacht was in Poland at the time – then withdrew after Poland fell. All that France got out it was some useful propaganda footage. I once saw a British newsreel whose narrator was enthusiastically describing the scenes filmed on German soil, at one point commenting “Here is a captured German railway station!” Quite a change from what General Foch is reputed to have communicated to his superiors during the Battle of the Marne in 1914, as I recall, it was: “My left flank is driven in; my right flank is giving way; the situation is excellent – I attack!”