What exactly are tanks good for?

@the_good_captain It is only during the pre-emptive artillery strike that tanks don’t cancel hits. Per the following paragraph, the land combat is conducted normally, except for battleship bombardment.

@Arne said in 1914 Introduce Tanks Earlier in Game:

Hi, are there any objections (except for the historical ones) to introduce tanks earlier in the game than round 4?

Other than historical reasons, I don’t know why you couldn’t start buying tanks as early as you please. It would shake up some of the established strategies. Whether that’s good or bad would be up to you.

-Midnight_Reaper

France:
The powerful French Navy MUST help clear the Atlantic for safe shipping to the continent.
Then, a French reinforcement of Albania and/or Egypt is a good tactic.
France needs Infantry buys for several rounds before advancing on the Germans, in my opinion.

@protevangelium:

How did things in Africa go for the CPs, and how do you feel the naval balance affected this, Chacmool?

Well like everytime in my games the northern African Units of the Allies were early shipped to the European theatre (to reinforce and/or activate Minors like Albania or Portugal) and the British Egypt Army invaded Trans Jordan.

South of the Sahara the Germans took some british colonies until the Allied armys catched them. There were some battles without hits/results in this contested areas until the Germans as defenders could decimate the attacking Aliies in South/East Africa. The naval forces of Britain were too busy bringing more troops into Arabia to push the turks back but after the colossal german/austrian naval investements they had to reduce their Mobilizatian in India to a minimum to enlarge their own Fleet in the North Sea… In the med Italy wasnt capable to answer this naval race and France had to buy Infantry…

At the End of the game strong turkish forces captured the last African tts that werent already in german control while Austrian units landed in Northern Africa.

Tanks are useless in penny packets, devastating in large spearheads; just as the French found out in 1940.

One option is to build a phalanx of French tanks and then reinforce the breakthrough with British infantry before the enemy can counter-attack. Or use American infantry to shield a British tank army, as the UK can usually spend more on tanks than France.

Austria-Germany can do the same on the western front; Germany-Austria in the East.

But the main use of tanks is to convert an industrial advantage into victory by effecting a breakthrough into enemy tt, ending the stalemate. When the Allies start building a large tank army its usually the writing on the wall for the CPs.

Personally, I’d like to see tanks made available to buy a round earlier.

@Flashman:

As long as you have infantry to absorb hits on counter attacks, tanks will repay this by deflecting hits on your next turn.

One possible strategy is to build a stack of French tanks, attack with them, then reinforce the area next turn with British infantry.

But see tanks primarily as a means of breaking through a defender who cannot afford to hit back. They’re a war finishing weapon once you have the upper hand economically.

+1. Good post!!

We don’t know what happens when capitals are captured. I would assume they can still build there when contested, even though they’ll collect no money for the capital itself.

On past rules we can assume that all money is captured, the country cannot build new units or collect money, but can be liberated by its allies.

Has anyone read Crowns in the Gutter by Ted Racier?

He designed Paths of Glory.

Book is published by Strategy and Tactics Press.

http://shop.strategyandtacticspress.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=B002