Paths of Glory (GMT Games) - First ever game AAR

[yveslarochelle]

I played that game a lot years and years ago, until I found out how ridiculous the "out-of-supply" rule was considering how easily one can "encircle" the opponent in some part (East) of the point-to-point map. Sold and never thought of it again since. Until today!

[PMMagro]

The WW1 game is all about exhausting your enemy (without collapsing yourself). It is no blitz.
You only get out of supply if you have no depth (can not cover the front with units). If you go in deep without civered flansk you are wide open to being surrounded and made to starve.
Like in Kut 1916?

[chabbietainte]

It is obvious to me that the supply rules produce exactly the desired result - massive carnage and horrific casualties so terrible a nation might never recover. Is this not both realistic and historical? What result are you expecting?

[chuckdavis]

The supply rules are harsh because the historical commanders would have not put them in position to be out of supply, it is suppose to restrict what you attempt, and if you do something risky you have to realize it might bite you on the ass. Plus even if your supply is cut by small units armies didn’t have the mobility to react very well historically, how far can you March without food?

[juliangrayson]

Another great video and would be good to see how it plays solo.

[johnsy]

Did you play using the WBC historical option (mandatory Guns of August)? Also, interesting you should mention about playing Othello in the East Front. If you had played the earlier rules of PoG, there was something called "The Dance of Death" in the opening turns in the Eastern Front which involved cutting off Austrian and Russian armies in turn...like a dance of some sort

[Caratacus]

Great vid, and a generally great game but am 100% with you on the supply rule. No army in WW1 ever surrendered because it was out of supply so it's unhistorical to focus the game on cutting armies off, especially using small units. It should be all about the attrition of combat.

[marcela]

I have this one on my shelf waiting :) Did you play it solo with Stuka Joe‘s method?
Have you ever tried out the Der Weltkrieg series? Formerly it was SPW but not sure who is the publisher these days. I find it a elegant large-scale game with potentially all theatres (although not card-driven as PoG), Dave Schroeder made very good rule videos that gives you a good start (it feels before anyone else did) and I would be interested in your opinion on it.

[brunobaretta]

Okay think about why WW1 armies never allowed themselves to get OOS: modern warfare relies on extremely precise transportation and provisioning. Feeding and supplying millions of fighting men is not something you can just wing. If say a WW1 army lost control of a crucial railroad track it was relying on to supply their troops, they would be extremely hard pressed to break out without a supply of food, artillery shells, bullets, etc. Which is why that never happened. I think the supply rules in this respect are actually extremely historically accurate. And even SRing a few corps to secure your lines can prevent the thing that happened with the cavalry corps.

Also, this CP player sounds like he ignored his RPs and reinforcement events to his extreme detriment. Making a big push means nothing if your opponent is able to claw back all your gains with fresh troops against your depleted ones. Small progress is often far favorable to big progress. Remember, every turn simulates three months or so, don't expect to roll through massive Russia I'm three turns. It takes a while.

Finally, my understanding is that among tournament players, folks often issue supply warnings when they aren't threatening to cut their opponents supply. Many think of it as a "check" in chess.

And I also think the Russian calvary corps belongs to the optional deck of cards most people seldom use. I think the original deck of cards maintains a much nicer balance

[johnsy]

I'll play PoG with you over Vassal if you want

[joearnold]

I can’t manage to build any interest, as much of a classic as ppl say it is.

I just don’t like the point to point map.
When the entire Western front is like eight spaces, I feel like I’m playing a game of Boggle or something.

I’d rather have hexes