Winter is Coming

[TheBigRedOne]

So... the game that Rabbit and I had was a real nail-biter.  Only, we found that it wasn't actually a nail-biter. Let me explain...

I was the Finnish player in THROUGH THE DARK WATERS.  I had lost the lighthouse around turn 6, but I still had Finnish reinforcements coming to the island.  They arrived and we proceeded to conduct a series of back-and-forth attacks & counterattacks.

I managed to get a foothold onto the buildings just above the lighthouse and on the final turn my men surprised both of us and pushed out the demoralized and badly bruised-up Russian commandos.  I was elated!  

However, that elation quickly melted when I noticed that the victory levels didn't change to my favor.  Rabbit searched and found that this scenario had a (in my view) moronic victory condition: Lose the lighthouse and you've lost the game.  It didnt' matter if the lighthouse was taken.  So, while we both thought this was going down to the wire, it had already been decided on turn 6.

Bummer.

Not recognizing the objective as a Capture was a huge oversight, and may have changed how you chose to defend it.  In both our games it took 12+ turns for both of us to finally get that objective.  Industrial hexes favor the defender heavily, and the way the terrain is laid out, they can't be pushed off heading east, so it turned into a last stand scenario, even with Demoralized troops.  Brutal.  I'm surprised you lost it in 6, although Rabbit, in my estimation, is one of the best SB players out there.  If anyone would be able to find an efficient way to take an objective, he would.

The other thing that many people overlook is the number of victory points floating out there in the water.  More than enough to turn the tide even after losing the lighthouse.

This is a winnable scenario for the Finns, but attention to detail is crucial.  Luck, as always, plays a big role as well.