F '14 Flanders campaign German reinforcements deployment issue

[ComradeP]

Aside from the reinforcement issue at the map edge, which seems to be limited to a handful of units, the 3000 point objective in La Bassee at the map edge is a problem for the Central Powers, as it's guarded by Fixed units that will withdraw in about a day and right next to a strong Entente force.

One of the issues that you'll always have with meeting engagement style campaigns is that players can create ahistorical situations through knowing where the enemy forces start and marching forward or backward at a timetable that makes it difficult for the opposing forces to deploy or follow the historical strategy. An example of the Grand Campaign A scenario would be moving V Armée into the Ardennes, which has its own advantages and drawbacks but which does allow you to move much further than IV Armée is likely to get as it will walk into advancing Germans.

In the case of the Flanders campaign and the scenarios derived from it, the Entente can stage a forward defense with relative ease. In the Ypres campaign, the division holding Menin withdraws at the end of the first day, leaving a large gap in the German line. Unlike in the Ypres campaign, the forward Entente cavalry units are not Fixed at the start of the Flanders campaign.

The cost on the long term might be high, but as you're likely to lose many of the men in the BEF, you might as well do it when they're holding objectives that initially start in the hands of the Central Powers. The situations this can create can lead to units arriving behind enemy lines or in positions where their use is limited due to the enemy being in a threatening position.

There's not a lot a scenario designer can do about it, as you can't cover every eventuality, but something like reshuffling some of the objective hexes to make an early push less strong an opening move for the Entente might help. A competent Entente player should be able to push the Germans back across the Canal de la Haute Deule south of Loos, which swings the point balance 4550 points in their favour.