Post by John Marston on Jun 18, 2021 11:29:13 GMT
This is the only era in which Austria gets bumped down from its typical 5-star perch to a measly 4. Weakened after Austerlitz, her military is slim, her Generals tired, and her territory reduced. 1806 Austria has an okay economy, and two Generals: one mediocrity (Bubna) and one legend (Radetzky). There are two good starting units for your Generals (double Heavy Artillery, triple Guards, both in Vienna) and a third acceptable starter (double Light Artillery in the east). In the east, it faces a paper tiger (Turkey), and in the west, a crumbling meatshield (Rhine) in front of a true powerhouse (France). It's worthy, in my assessment, of the 4-star designation.
Deploying Our Assets -
Generals - Sophia
Our analysis can draw us to three major fronts:
1. The Eastern Front: Ottomans
2. The Western Front: Confederation of the Rhine, then France, then Spain
3. The Southern Front: Italy, then Algeria
Of these three, we notice that the only one where we'll face really scary Generals (Napoleon, Lannes) is the Western Front. This naturally leads us to throw most of our assets to the west, including our artillery forces. The lynchpin of my strategy, in effect, is a turn-1 switcheroo. I put a General (Sophia) on the Light Artillery in the east, and sent her to the west. To balance that out, I sent Radetzky to the east. Each of them got better use where I sent them than they otherwise would have.
Note that the switcheroo only makes sense if your Artillery General moves 3 hexes or more on Light Artillery. If you're using Kutaisov or something, the switcheroo is not for you. I recommend, for yourself, to have two fairly tough artillery Generals (3-star Sophia and Isabela are sufficient, 4-5 star Sophia and Isabela are better), one high-HP Infantry General, and one high-HP Cavalry General. You can make do without an Infantry General if yourCavalryman/woman is good enough, and vice versa. I'm spoiled, because I have Lan and
Victoria, although by the time Lan entered the field, there were no worthy opponents left.
1. Opening Moves: West
In the west, we begin by taking southern Germany. Our Generals on the Heavy Artillery (Isabela) and the Guards (Victoria) will do a pretty good job here, since Franquemont will be busy attacking Dresden. This is the easy part, which is why you should bully Savary as soon as you're able. Ideally, he will be very weak, if not dead, by the time Lannes arrives. Your advances will be noticed by the French. Lannes and Napoleon will come and face your team. Using line infantry from Munich, your Infantry General, and whatever else is on hand, aim to surround Napoleon while the artillery (hopefully including that second General from the east, Sophia), finish off Lannes. An elite team will need 3-4 rounds to do the job. A medium team, in my assessment, may need as many as 6. Remember that because Lannes has leadership, you should not surround him. It's pointless.
2. The East
The Turks will attack your positions in Transylvania. Bubna and some units you build here should play defense until the Russians come and help take a load off. Radetzky, meanwhile, leads a force to take the factory in Serbia. Radetzky will make Mourousis wish he'd never been born, because Radetzky is a beast. All in all, you can expect to have Sofia by turn 10 or so, Istanbul by 20, and the last vestiges of Turkey on turn 30-something.
3. The South
After vanquishing Napoleon's offensive, you will be free to deal with Italy. The Italians don't really launch any scary attacks (occasional units attempt to cross the Adriatic, but they're nothing to write home about), but they do build a lot of forts and ships. This makes Sophia, with a small group of regular units, the perfect candidate to drive down the Italian Peninsula. Take Milan, continue to Venice, Florence, Rome, Naples, etc. Make sure a lot of forts attack Sophia every turn, because that'll save you some time.
After Italy, continue to Algeria.
3. Later Moves: The West
Your allies will do most of the heavy lifting against the Confederation of the Rhine, Netherlands, and the French invasion force in England (mostly because you distracted Lannes and Napoleon). You can try to snag Frankfurt, but your primary French targets will be Nancy, Metz, Paris, and then southern France. You may need to send some units to help kill Denmark, because the AI is stupid.
If your cavalry General is powerful, you can send them alone through Lyon->Marseille->Spain, but this isn't necessary. In any case, there will be no strong enemies to face anymore.
Aftermath
I finished this thing in 40 turns, while playing very sloppily (I forgot about whole fronts a couple of times). This leads me to think that a player with less elite Generals, but more thoroughness, can replicate my result. However, because of the time lost fighting Napoleon before you can advance deep into France, I do not think this is a viable speedrun for 30 turns. 40, yes; 30, no.
Credits - Jean-Luc Picard
Deploying Our Assets -
Generals - Sophia
Our analysis can draw us to three major fronts:
1. The Eastern Front: Ottomans
2. The Western Front: Confederation of the Rhine, then France, then Spain
3. The Southern Front: Italy, then Algeria
Of these three, we notice that the only one where we'll face really scary Generals (Napoleon, Lannes) is the Western Front. This naturally leads us to throw most of our assets to the west, including our artillery forces. The lynchpin of my strategy, in effect, is a turn-1 switcheroo. I put a General (Sophia) on the Light Artillery in the east, and sent her to the west. To balance that out, I sent Radetzky to the east. Each of them got better use where I sent them than they otherwise would have.
Note that the switcheroo only makes sense if your Artillery General moves 3 hexes or more on Light Artillery. If you're using Kutaisov or something, the switcheroo is not for you. I recommend, for yourself, to have two fairly tough artillery Generals (3-star Sophia and Isabela are sufficient, 4-5 star Sophia and Isabela are better), one high-HP Infantry General, and one high-HP Cavalry General. You can make do without an Infantry General if yourCavalryman/woman is good enough, and vice versa. I'm spoiled, because I have Lan and
Victoria, although by the time Lan entered the field, there were no worthy opponents left.
1. Opening Moves: West
In the west, we begin by taking southern Germany. Our Generals on the Heavy Artillery (Isabela) and the Guards (Victoria) will do a pretty good job here, since Franquemont will be busy attacking Dresden. This is the easy part, which is why you should bully Savary as soon as you're able. Ideally, he will be very weak, if not dead, by the time Lannes arrives. Your advances will be noticed by the French. Lannes and Napoleon will come and face your team. Using line infantry from Munich, your Infantry General, and whatever else is on hand, aim to surround Napoleon while the artillery (hopefully including that second General from the east, Sophia), finish off Lannes. An elite team will need 3-4 rounds to do the job. A medium team, in my assessment, may need as many as 6. Remember that because Lannes has leadership, you should not surround him. It's pointless.
2. The East
The Turks will attack your positions in Transylvania. Bubna and some units you build here should play defense until the Russians come and help take a load off. Radetzky, meanwhile, leads a force to take the factory in Serbia. Radetzky will make Mourousis wish he'd never been born, because Radetzky is a beast. All in all, you can expect to have Sofia by turn 10 or so, Istanbul by 20, and the last vestiges of Turkey on turn 30-something.
3. The South
After vanquishing Napoleon's offensive, you will be free to deal with Italy. The Italians don't really launch any scary attacks (occasional units attempt to cross the Adriatic, but they're nothing to write home about), but they do build a lot of forts and ships. This makes Sophia, with a small group of regular units, the perfect candidate to drive down the Italian Peninsula. Take Milan, continue to Venice, Florence, Rome, Naples, etc. Make sure a lot of forts attack Sophia every turn, because that'll save you some time.
After Italy, continue to Algeria.
3. Later Moves: The West
Your allies will do most of the heavy lifting against the Confederation of the Rhine, Netherlands, and the French invasion force in England (mostly because you distracted Lannes and Napoleon). You can try to snag Frankfurt, but your primary French targets will be Nancy, Metz, Paris, and then southern France. You may need to send some units to help kill Denmark, because the AI is stupid.
If your cavalry General is powerful, you can send them alone through Lyon->Marseille->Spain, but this isn't necessary. In any case, there will be no strong enemies to face anymore.
Aftermath
I finished this thing in 40 turns, while playing very sloppily (I forgot about whole fronts a couple of times). This leads me to think that a player with less elite Generals, but more thoroughness, can replicate my result. However, because of the time lost fighting Napoleon before you can advance deep into France, I do not think this is a viable speedrun for 30 turns. 40, yes; 30, no.
Credits - Jean-Luc Picard
