Greetings

[PCRefugee]

Hi all. As the name suggests, I am a refugee from the defunct (but excellent) UK mag PC Strategy Games. I have been looking for a decent board for a while (and hopefully I've found one at last). I'm currently playing EU2..as Scotland of course.. and getting a serious kicking from the English(no surprises there then) so any tips on how to handle The Auld Enemy would be greatly appreciated. I'm also hopelessly addicted to Space Empires IV which should keep me going until the release of MOO3. Finally, to Grumbold: I am the poster formerlly Known as Ken (name already taken here).
Hope to have some interesting discussions with you all

[Velociryx]

Howdy Refugee!

My recommendation with England would be to hit 'em hard and hit 'em early. If possible, ally yourself with the French....yeah, it'll drag you into some wars with Spain, but so what? The Spanish are nothing to you, really, and they're not in much of a position to cause you harm. 'sides, when the Frenchies attack (and they will), England's forces will be torn between two fronts, and that gives you the edge.

Adopt "smother and siege" tactics to keep them unable to recruit in the northern provinces....do this by creating one wampum big attack force (large enough to fend off a determined English counter attack) and create a secondary force (mostly infantry) that you can use to lead the attack with....the plan is thus:

1) Use your main attack force to drive off whatever garrison the English have guarding their northern border. Having done that, reinforce your main battle group as needed and strike as far south as you wanna go for your first war with England (don't try to eat them all in one bite....take 3-4 provs and make peace...that'll put you on par with them, size wise, and you'll be able to hold your own much more easily after your first war).

2) March the main force in behind enemy lines as far south as you wanna go, and lay siege to that territory. While that force is moving, march your infantry reserve into the territories your main force is going through, and detach a covering force before moving on to the next territory you eventually wanna capture. Covering forces leave just enough troops in an enemy territory to prevent recruitment of troops behind you.

3) Once you've got covering forces everywhere, leave the balance of your infantry in a province adjacent to your main battle group....they can start laying siege to a secondary prov for you (albiet, not very quickly, with the absence of cannon).

4) When your main battle group captures it's first province, immediately move to join the remaining (reserve) infantry and the covering force in the prov adjacent to them. This siege (already under way) should resolve VERY quickly.

5) Assess the situation - If English troops are on the march toward you, combine all forces in the prov you're in and meet them in battle to drive them off. If the Frenchies are keeping them tied up, then move on to another "covered" territory and repeat, reassessing the threat of English troops after each successful siege.

6) Once you have 3-4 Provs in hand, and have driven the English off a time or two, you're in great shape to dictate terms of peace heavily in your favor. Do so, build up the provs you just took, and wait for war to break out again....

Two or three rounds of that should see you with the Island all to yourself....

-=Vel=-

[Chowlett]

Where 'bouts in Scotland? I'm from Troon myself, Ayrshire - it's always nice to see other Scots on the boards.

[PCRefugee]

Thanks for the info Velociryx. I'll give your strategy a try(if I can afford it) and hopefully rewrite history in a major way.
As for my location..Dunbar (birthplace of John Muir). It is accused of being the sunniest place in Scotland but I have my doubts.

[FrustratedPoet]

Re: Greetings

Originally posted by PCRefugee
I have been looking for a decent board for a while (and hopefully I've found one at last).

you certainly have, my friend.

Vel: jeeezzzz, is there any game you don't have the inside track on?

[Grumbold]

Hi Ken/PCRefugee

I'm not sure in EU2 you can win a fight as early as that. England starts in a pretty strong position even if Henry and the bulk of his forces are occupied in France. I'd be tempted to keep on good terms with the French but wait until they have absorbed a few of their splinter states before getting aggressive. Henry has some seriously good leaders (and a couple of bad ones, so I suppose you could get lucky and meet one...) so I'd be tempted to ride out 20-40 years unless France/England DoW each other and you get pulled in. At that point I think I would still let the English lose a few troops beseiging before counterattacking unless your leader stats are very strong. Now that morale can dip just for sitting for months outside an enemy castle it can be worth it even on top of the usual attrition losses they suffer. You don't want that army coming back at you when yours is dipping from beseiging northumberland.

[PCRefugee]

Plenty info for me to digest in my quest to see Scotland as a world power. First impressions of the board are..yes, this is the type of place I've been looking for. I am finding EU2 has so many subtleties and intricacies that it's fast becoming my favourite game of the moment.

[Velociryx]

Hiya Stoo! And I shall simply answer your question with a....

Grumbold: Oh ye of little faith! ::grin:: 'tis true that it ain't exactly EASY, but it can be done....just gotta have a bit of luck on your side....be a wily cuss in the spirit of William Wallace and all that...

And Ken: Much luck to you in your quest! Scotland and Lorraine are my two favs to play....

-=Vel=-

[Grumbold]

I haven't tried the Scots yet (been saving them for after I knew the game a bit better) but I've played England and those stats have me running scared. If you only have to face the leader that starts in York then you're fine, but if Henry or Exeter(?) sail back across then I'd expect to see any tartan army remnants running and not stopping until they reach the highlands. Once I've finished whinging about MM IX and playing HOMM4 I'll actually give it a try

[FrustratedPoet]

Originally posted by Grumbold
Once I've finished whinging about MM IX and playing HOMM4 I'll actually give it a try

hehehehe, you haven't been whinging that much, have you?
note to everybody: don't mention pdf manuals around Grumbold, he might explode.

EU2 sounds really interesting. i'm bored of Civ3 now, but i'm another person whose spending a lot of time on HOMM4.

Vel? are you playing HOMM4 at the moment? or is that the only strategy game i actually know more about than you?

i've recently given up on Dark Age of Camelot (it's not a game, it's a lifestyle choice and i already have a life, thanks ) so i suppose i have room for another game at the moment and EU2 sounds pretty cool. i'll head over to the EU forums and check out what people are saying.

[Cookie Monster]

All of this talk about EU2 really has perked up my interest. I have EU but never bothered to get EU2. So may I ask for your opinions? In your judgement is it worth it to invest in EU2 when one already has EU?

Welcome aboard PCRefugee. Do you like wargames?

[Velociryx]

Hey Stoo! Nope...I was intrigued by HOMM4, 'specially since HOMM3 was such a kicka$$ game, but I've not bought it yet....looking forward to it, but I'm almost scared to buy it...lol....I'm on a roll right now with Candle'Bre stuff, and I guess I'm worried I'll get totally hooked....

As to EU2, HIGHLY recommended. Simply awesome. If you liked EU, EU2 will be the game you always wished EU was....

-=Vel=-

[PCRefugee]

Hi Haupt Dietrich. To answer your second question first...yes I like wargames. I started off many many moons ago with board games like Advanced Squad Leader and Third Reich but always had trouble finding opponents so the advent of wargames on the PC was the answer to my problems. I've got the usual bunch on my hard drive..TOAW 1 & 2 , East, West Fronts, Rising Sun etc. Waiting to get my hands on Uncommon Valour from Matrix when it's released.
As for EU2, I just got it a few days ago and it's too early to say whether it's worth buying if you've already got the first one. Unless, that is, you want it bigger and better than before. My initial impression is that EU2 is what the first one should have been but, as I say, it's early days yet. I think the fact that I just can't stop playing it right now speaks for itself.

[Cookie Monster]

PCRefugee:

Glad to see there's another wargamer out there! I have all the same games you mentioned as well and love them all. My favourite scenario from the TOAW series is the Mideast 1967 War. Check out the "Do You Like Wargames" thread in this forum for Leonidas' and my exploits in the Korean War 1951 Scenario.

Keep this genre alive!

Velociryx and PCRefugee:

Thanks for the opinions on EU2. I guess I know what I have to do!

[Standup]

Hi Ken...Guess that makes three of us who survived the long march from PCSG.
Dunbar is one of those places i've passed through many, many times on the journey between Stirling and London but i shall look on it in new light (sunniest place in scotland eh ?) for the few minutes i spend passing through.
See you around

Standup