From: "Mircea Pauca" Subject: [consim-l] COMP: Empire II Leipzig scenario replay 1 (LONG) Greetings from Romania ! These are replays of 'person against computer' played a few weeks ago. Alan Emrich made this scenario, it shows nicely the pleasures and limitations of the Empire II wargaming system. The map is quite large (54x62), has many villages but most are not named, so I'll give a generic description; someone with a better map could understand all better and correlate them. There are around 200 brigade-level units and 1-hour turns so it all took several days to play. I) As Allies (Prussian-Austrian-Russian-Swedish) It's 8 AM, September 16, 1813. Not knowing much of the precise enemy positions, Allies start converging from all directions to Leipzig: from the NW (Blucher), then more forces from the N; from the SW (Austrians helped by Prussian Guards, the tail detached from Schwarzenberg's S-N column); from the S (head of that column) and SE (mostly Russians under Barclay de Tolly, helped by the middle of the column diverted NE). By 10AM combats are in full rage, and French positions became clearer: in the NW, VI Corps gives way but Ney reinforces it piecemeal from III and IV Corps; 'Napoleon' (only the best combat unit !) appears briefly, is beaten badly (to ~40%) and retreats to recover. In the W, they try to harass the Allied column in the plains, but then consolidate in a strong small bridgehead including some Guards that covers W of the bridge from Leipzig and the Elster river marshlands, anchored by the villages of Lindenau and Plagwitz. 'Napoleon' recovered to some 70% appears here in the afternoon. In the S close to Leipzig, a large French group with Guards infantry mills about, trying to cross the Pleisse river that has been reached by Schwarzenberg's spearhead. The bridge is defended by 2 Austrian brigades that are permanently rotated with 4 others to rest them and keep the defense alive. Strong French artillery and Guards are firing from the E across the river. Our arty always pounds with 'river' bonus the enemy point units making them assault very ineffectively (the stupid AI still tries) then lose time to replace them with fresh units etc. It's basically 2 vs. 2 units plus massive reserves and fire support for both sides. The French chew themselves. Further to the SE, Russians wage a massive attrition battle with the main French line anchored on E-W rivers and hills. To the W close to the impassable Pleisse river, some Prussian Guards seize an opportunity and cross a small E-W affluent, but they're pinned by superior French forces, including some Young Guards. The Prussian penetration will be cut off from the bridge then annihilated around 4PM. It would have been better to defend only that river and help the Russians further East. Around 11 AM the French react en masse with a cavalry charge with parts of I Cavalry Corps, IV Corps and some Guards. They're quite dispersed and not too effective on massed [2-stacked] Allied units, both sides take heavy casualties. Russian Guards counterattack the confused horsemen (Fatigue -4...-6) shattering them. [ The usual outcome of such bloody battles with my play style with the Empire II system is many enemy units eliminated or shattered badly below the morale break threshold by our fire and shock, and yet more enemy units left almost intact for the time being. The typically Napoleonic 20% zonal superiority is actually formed of critical spots moving each turn with 8:2 units including arty fire shifted here, and many 2:4 holding groups recovering for an opportunity. Most friendly units are in good order but only slightly above morale break. The Morale Break point is about 30% for Guards, 50% for conscripts but units may break randomly above that, so at 60% it's danger. What I forgot is the steady flow of Replacements in this scenario, divided almost equally on all units for both sides, depicting the 'reorganization ability' of units. It helps them more to get back from 80% to 90% than us from 60% to 65% (Their units get fewer and fewer). I insist on units, because that's modeled in E2: basically a bunch of squares with numbers on them, and what I believe is the first use of colored Strength Bars (with shades of green, yellow, red) in computer games, before getting ubiquitous in the popular so-called 'real-time strategy' games. Very ergonomic ! There are no formation-level morale effects and command limitations. Just units obeying or not] From the SE, Prussian IV Corps arrives in column, deploys and assaults French IX Corps. The defense is focused on a SW-NE river and village in front of it. It seems the Allies are slowly winning due to superior tactics over the AI's. Sep.16, 12AM score: Allied 34, French 142 points geographic objectives 12:142, value of units eliminated 22:0 (15 units) In the afternoon, combat continues on all fronts, slightly slower due to exhaustion. Weak Austrian cavalry (we know it was really Romanian ;-) just recovering from rout has the glory to run from battle and seize the unguarded W map exit for a lot of points. Blucher (only the NW Army of Silesia has a +1 combat bonus) finally overcomes the French on the S flank close to Elster river and starts racing towards Leipzig. In the SE, infantry pins the almost equal French and some cavalry outflanks them, running to Leipzig too. Sep.16, 6PM: Allied 188, French 96 points objectives 120:88, units 68:8 By the evening, Allied troops have almost run out of ammo. [This is a result of my favored massive fire preparations before assaulting 2-stacked positions - it helps much in the Empire II system as it produces temporary 'fatigue'. Ex. 5-6 fires achieve Fatigue -2, reduces attacker losses by 20% and increases defender losses by 20%] Offensive pressure is much reduced. As the night is falling the Allies hold fire to accumulate the very scarce flow of ammo for tomorrow. The French still take ineffective potshots. The night is very boring, still 1-hour turns, all those units to order around but no combat and half movement. In the night, Allied spearheads enter the N and E outskirts of Leipzig and are blocked by a few recovering French units. Probably triggered by the imminent threat to paying Victory Objectives, the French skillfully disengage most of the forces from the W bridgehead and S defile and rush them to defend Leipzig proper. It's a very awkward situation, historically it would have shattered French morale (or not ?) but not in the E2 model, the AI doesn't care. In the morning of Sep. 17, the Allies try to get more forces to Leipzig, pusuing the stubborn French rearguard from the W across a single road over difficult swamps.From the South the Austrians finally break through from the defile and race to Leipzig too. A major street-to-street battle ensues, the Allies win with heavy use of artillery (poor Leipzig...). Meanwhile, a small Prussian detachment screens NE of Leipzig against French VII Corps, their last fresh force marching SW to the rescue. Final French pockets of resistance in the SE and N are also liquidated by local Allies, too far to get to fight in Leipzig proper. Sep.17, 12AM: Allied 377, French 40 points objectives 248:24, units 129:16 By now the battle is decided, no more French reinforcements, and Bernadotte's Swedish+ 'Army of the North' is due to arrive the next day from the NE. If all this sounds pretty boasting and one-sided that's mainly the quite poor AI. It may be dangerous at local levels, but I estimate the advantage above the AI of a human knowing its tricks at 30-40% in tactics (mainly the AI's suicidal charges and rare, uncoordinated firing) and 10-20% more in strategy. It's still fun if you don't dislike micromanagement. If any human gamer still loves this 'old horse' and would like to try it PBEM, I would agree to try what comes of it without that fundamental imbalance. Part II: As French With a better knowledge of Allied capabilities (from the play a few days before) my French try to establish holding sectors in favorable positions to gather superior forces for crushing sectors. For 'holding' at start I select the river defile S of Leipzig, the bridgehead to the W and most of the S-SE positions (where I expected the main Russian attack). Starting forces should suffice here. I plan offensives against Blucher's army to the NW: VI Corps supported as soon as possible with Ney's IV and III Corps, then the mobile portions of the central reserve: IV Cavalry Corps, some Guards and all horse artillery. Prussians at the SE end should be outflanked and rolled back by IX Corps helped by neighbouring V Corps and I Cavalry Corps. I make a point not to finish shattered enemy units but leave them to run away to dillute the overall Allied recovery capability, which is separate for their Armies (Silesia and Bohemia) and superior to the French. It's much less danger to let them recover from 30% to 50% and come back for more, than from 60% to 80% ! Also I plan to abstain from Ranged Fire with infantry to conserve the precious ammo for the more accurate and effective artillery and some Guards Infantry. The battle starts pretty well. French Guards end up dispersed to all sectors and doing well in all. 3 brigades to NW, 7 to the W, 4 defending the S river crossing, 7 to strengthen the S-SE line. The S line is under pressure but holds well its entrenchments, I don't attempt more than local counterattacks (Guards cavalry coming through gaps). The 'defile' further to the NW holds very economically, a large enemy mass is bottled up before the bridge. All artillery marching N up the road near Doelitz fire 'en passant' on Schwarzenberg's massed column on the other side of the Pleisse river, then run out of range. The W bridgehead is expanded more than the initial plan. As enemy spearheads come quite scattered I see opportunities to overwhelm them, I divert some reinforcements planned for the NW (including some of III Cav Corps and Guards Cavalry) so it becomes a sizable separate battle, more a meeting engagement in the wide plain before the bridge than a localized defence. A large Allied force coming piecemeal has been tied up here. The offensives planned to the NW and SE go quite well but start slowly, as Lanchester theory predicts. The main effort at start is against Blucher's I Prussian Corps in the plains close to the Elster river (where 'my' Blucher won in the other game), other Ney's forces hold the two Russian corps further to the NE. To the SE the Prussians are outflanked a bit and slowly chewed. Sep.16, 12AM: 53 Allied, 128 French points objectives 52:122, losses 1:6 In the afternoon the whole Allied position in the S unravels, starting of course from the SE open flank. A few Allied units survive here and there, I let them recover in silence (so that other units don't recover too fast). The S Allied column still tries to get over the bridge directly to Leipzig, and still is bottled. Its tail detaches in time to block my victorious SE forces from encircling them. They hold the W side of the bridge over the Pleisse. I also have to guard against I Austrian Corps expected tomorrow morning from the S. In the W, dispersed combats still rage all along the plain. I make a cavalry raid to the VP-paying map exit, then the French make another raid and get it back. In the NW, Blucher's force is defeated, Russians in the N still fight but with decreasing force. Sep.16, 18PM: 49 Allied, 199 French points objectives 48:124, losses 1:75 Sep. 17: In the morning, the French cleans the last pockets of resistance: Austrians on the plains to the W; Russians in the N (they have Blucher's +1 bonus); a few scattered enemies (cavalry is quite hard to pin). The S wing splits in its mission: a part blocks then liquidates Austrian reinforcements that came by the south road, the other encircles from the S the last substantial Allied force, that previously blocked in the defile. They are trapped to the E by the impassable Pleisse, to the W by a smaller river and woods, and from the N and S by French forces. The Allies die hard, because they recover much faster (all the Allied fixed recovery split between 15 units; Allied units recover now 10% daily, and the French 2-3%). The battle space is very congested, many French units bleed to breaking levels but others come to help as they come from battles finished elsewhere. Sep. 17, 12AM: 3 Allied, 281 French points objectives 0:148, units 3:133 The last challenge is to synchronize capturing all Allied survivors in the same turn so as the last few do not recover instantly the next turn. Blucher's Russians fall at 11AM, Austrians in the defile at 3PM. The fresh French VII Corps arrives from the NE, much too late to help. It's marched back NE together with all fast victorious units, to block Bernadotte's Swedish Army. Other units enjoy a welcome rest. On Sep. 18, the French (around 4-5 corps, at 70-90%) await well-prepared the arrival of Bernadotte. The enemy seem to include some British too, with rocket artillery ! They are crushed until 12AM. Final score: Allies 5, French 355 These are the joys of playing against a computer when knowing well the mechanism and the situation from the inside of the other side. I know Markus Stumptner's rules are much more 'human' - and it would be great to include them in an ergonomic computer game with decent AI and a PBEM interface. Just dreaming... Thank you for reading and thinking on this, Mircea Pauca (mpauca@fx.ro)