• We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.
Secondly, Austria can afford to take some risks, it can even afford to lose a few army corps. They get plenty of reinforcements that will make up for the losses. As long as you can keep casualties rates close, every battle is an Austrian victory.
Sounds bloodthirsty - I know, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing if you play the Austrains.:blush:

I'll defer your much greater experience, but it seems to me that since the Austrians can build up overwhelming forces given time then it's a pretty sensible move to play cautiously at the outset. Bringing the Prussians to battle on terms that allow Austria to do at least equal damage sounds like a recipe for disaster in the case of a less-than-competent AGEOD player (which is to say, me).

Anyhow - great update loki. Just one question, when you say that sappers add +1 to the chances of a breach, how does this compare to siege guns?
 
It's a tradition, so it must be good, eh? :)

Another solid turn - in my mind, as long as you're not being beaten to a pulp by Narwhal, you're basically winning (at least compared to the historical thrashing that Austria received).

I look forward to more news on the eagerly awaited Cossacks. Perhaps all these Russian pay issues will encourage them to, what's the quaint phrase again, oh yes, "Live off the land" with extra vigor. ;)

well by the end of the year, E Prussia is a very pleasing shade of red flames against the snowy backdrop ...

but yes, I find against Narwhal, even vaguely feeling in control (no matter how ill conceived) is akin to 'winning'. In general, the alternative 'free the Saxons' opening has sent this game off in some different directions. But I am of the view now, that its the Prussians, not the Austrians who gain from the early bloodbaths that usually happen, as will slowly become clear as we work through 1757.

Great update!

I have to disagree with this statement, though. While it is true for the Prussians, the opposite applies to the Austrian side (at least in my humble opinion). The fastest way to beat Prussia is to make the war as bloody as possible. The higher casualties get the more difficult will it become for them to replenish their troops. At first his light cavalry will become a useless carcass, then his elite infantry brigades, then the heavy cavalry, ...
Secondly, Austria can afford to take some risks, it can even afford to lose a few army corps. They get plenty of reinforcements that will make up for the losses. As long as you can keep casualties rates close, every battle is an Austrian victory.
Sounds bloodthirsty - I know, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing if you play the Austrains.:blush:

as above, I'm now not sure this is correct, but then one delight of the AGEOD games is the variety of strategies open to them. The next post shows the VP situation & I'm about 500 behind and losing each turn. Now at this stage that doesn't matter as I'll even out the turn based city loss sooner or later. But in the games where the start sees those heavy battles, I've been around 2000 behind at this stage, and unlikely to ever catch up. Now I do think if the Prussians have failed to win by say late 1758, a good VP lead makes a backs to the wall defence around Berlin et al a feasible basis for a points victory, its also a lot easier to land a killing blow on the Austrians laters in the game if they have been shrunk in 57-58.

So yes, loss of an Austrian or French column is annoying rather than fatal, but I'd rather not fight, outnumbered, 'at all costs' and take all the VP/NM losses that follows if I can help it.

Having failed To think up anything good to say I'm simply going to say good luck.

thank you, as has been said many times, comments are the currency of AARland ... :cool:

I'll defer your much greater experience, but it seems to me that since the Austrians can build up overwhelming forces given time then it's a pretty sensible move to play cautiously at the outset. Bringing the Prussians to battle on terms that allow Austria to do at least equal damage sounds like a recipe for disaster in the case of a less-than-competent AGEOD player (which is to say, me).

Anyhow - great update loki. Just one question, when you say that sappers add +1 to the chances of a breach, how does this compare to siege guns?

as above, I actually agree. Now you may have no choice in the matter, but if the 56 Prag gambit seems to be off the table due to the Pirna rules, then I think you can try to minimise early battles if you can and then fight much more on your own terms.

In terms of the bonus for siege work, they are identical. In effect the number of siege-pts on the offense (sappers, traits, siege guns, Russian howitzers) & defense (sappers, traits, fixed guns) give you the chance each turn to get a breach (& the chance to repair a breach). So for that sappers are a cheap substitute. However, siege guns are all round much more powerful, its just I don't have 300 cash units to spare on a new gun so opted to boost my siege power that way.

With the main Russian army, I built a specialist siege formation (+4, I think), which I'll discuss in a post fairly soon. Think of it as the Empress Catherine's equivalent of 8 Guards Army (with the same target as well) ... ;)

The French one under Armentieres is pretty good too. I think both those bits of OOB tailoring were well worth it as otherwise sieges can really drag out with the Austrians due to your lack of artillery.
 
"The storm no more, I dread": June 1757

Again, these turns were mostly cautious moving and watching. I'm still building up in some sectors so quite prepared to wait. The French consolidate at Wesel and await new forces. Equally it seems that Frederick is not too sure what to do. Due to the rivers, Wesel is easy to defend, unless Narwhal is prepared to expose his supply lines to attack.







In the meantime, Soubisse's Army of Germany unlocks and starts to move to join the forces at Wesel. I have another 2 corps due soon to unlock at Paris.



In East Prussia, some cossacks pay a brief visit to Koenigsberg and find, as I'd expected, that only the fixed garrison remains



Up in Pommerania the inevitable happens to those horribly isolated HRE units, not that there was much I could do to save them.



Equally more of the cities around Hamburg fall, and, again, there is not much I can do to resist.



In the latter part of June, the HRE/Bavarian army at Nuremberg wakes up. I need to take back Eger, partly to clear the road into Bohemia and partly to secure Bavaria in case the Prussians return to the offensive. I've split it into 4 columns (including the HQ stack) using Rutowski (Saxon and with the HRE trait), Serbolini (Austrian but also can command HRE units) and Hohenzollern (HRE).



The HRE command ability is very useful as it means those officers can command brigades or corps of any nationality (except Russians and French ... maybe I'm not sure about this). So really help in integrating the HRE, Bavarian, Wurtemburg and Saxon units with the main Austrian army.

In the meantime my scouts spot that the main Prussian army has fallen back to Dresden and the other column (that had been in Bavaria) seems to be retreating to Leipzig



With this, I order Daun and his 4 corps to take the depot at Lobositz. In this game, I really used a lot of scouts and it was invaluable in spotting Prussian movements and changes in their OOB. The only force that could arrive before I had a suspicion something was up was Moritz's pure cavalry corps [1]. Once the Cossacks are available, especially operating out of Poznan, I had coverage of all the key routes around Berlin as well, at this stage I was more concerned with what might have been one move away from my armies.


So apart from me taking Wesel, there is very little change in the overall situation. I'm well behind on VP score (which is to be expected, but I've seen much worse). The losses are low (by my experience), reflecting the lack of major clashes between the Austrians and the Prussians and this is reflected in the relatively high and even NM scores.



The conventional view is the Austrian side wants early battles to wear the Prussians down. I now am starting to think its the other way around. Early battles lead to lost Austrian elements (so VP gains) and potentially leave Daun's main army small enough to be finished off later. I think I'm starting to see the benefits of the lucky start with the Saxon break out and no major battles in 1756.

In strategic terms, I'm happy to sit back at the moment. The French army at Wesel will be 90,000 or so strong in a few months (about 50,000 now), the Russians are lumbering towards Koenigsberg, and I've built up Daun's army with the winter reinforcements. However, I'd like to wait for the HRE units to take Eger before moving into Saxony, then I can press with 2 relatively powerful columns at the same time.

I've not shown it, but Charles and Piccolomini are moving east for a campaign on the Oder. That is the one sector were I end up being a bit careless [1], with, as we'll see, predictable results.

[1] - these two comments are closely related to each other
 
Last edited:
Why didn't you send any of the Austrian corps commanders to help the Swedes?? At this point all of them have better stats and them being corps commanders in Dauns army would help with CP (at least untill you can make them part of the russian army) - which IIRC is a problem.
 
Bizarre That mass of stuck HRE units did better than the Better Led Swedish force. Is there a reason for this?

HRE units didn't try to defend - they were on passive stance - Swedes did. Tho I'm not sure if blue-green stance on the HRE troops wouldn't produce even better results.
 
Actually, it was a display bug. The troops I slaughtered were the HRE troops that retreated to Stralsund. For some reason they were colored blue - but should not have.
 
Why didn't you send any of the Austrian corps commanders to help the Swedes?? At this point all of them have better stats and them being corps commanders in Dauns army would help with CP (at least untill you can make them part of the russian army) - which IIRC is a problem.

In effect at the moment, 12,000 fairly useless Swedes are pinning down 25,000 useful Prussians so I'm happy to hide in Stalsrund. Equally, I often find it hard to make good use of the HRE army at Nuremberg as with Hohenzollern and the loony with big staring eyes I can usually only make partial use of about 2/3 of them (the rest I end up using as garrisons etc). This time with both Rutowski and Serbollini over there I was able to fold them all into useable corps with a small group of 6-8 battalions in the HQ stack. For the moment, at least, that seems a better use of Serbollini than sending him off to Stalsrund (as long as Narwhal sits on them in the siege, I can't break out in any case).

Actually, it was a display bug. The troops I slaughtered were the HRE troops that retreated to Stralsund. For some reason they were colored blue - but should not have.

Yes, thats the explanation, when that battle report came up I panicked that the Swedes had left the fort and were retreating to the middle of nowhere (as usual). But if you have a battle in a province, the report shows all the units in the province, not just those involved so it can sometimes be a bit confusing.

As to why the HRE units got dressed in blue for their final defeat I'm not sure, but as Narwhal says its simply a display bug
 
In effect at the moment, 12,000 fairly useless Swedes are pinning down 25,000 useful Prussians so I'm happy to hide in Stalsrund.

I agree this was a major mistake. Yet again.While trying to destroy the Swedes is legitimate (esp. since they are not useless anymore since our "mod"),committing that many troops was a mistake. What determines the chances to take down the city is the number of guns (or rather, the "power of guns") involved, not the number of men. With those 25 000 (or say 15 000 I would have scrapped), I could have had a significant advantage on other fronts.
 
Equally, I often find it hard to make good use of the HRE army at Nuremberg as with Hohenzollern and the loony with big staring eyes I can usually only make partial use of about 2/3 of them (the rest I end up using as garrisons etc). This time with both Rutowski and Serbollini over there I was able to fold them all into useable corps with a small group of 6-8 battalions in the HQ stack. For the moment, at least, that seems a better use of Serbollini than sending him off to Stalsrund (as long as Narwhal sits on them in the siege, I can't break out in any case).

You can actually get ~2400 power from the HRE troops if you get all your HRE commanders there(Serbeloni, Zweibrücken). Hohenzollern can get his skills up in a brigade command and jump back to corp command when Saxe-Hildeburgshausen retires. You get two more HRE brigade commanders in '79 so you get their survivability up. Just be careful with the army and have Zweibrücken in command. :)

Correction: This is actually correct only if you send the Württemberger and Bavarian troops to Bohemia under the command of Rutowski. The Saxons usually have to sacrifice some brigades to get out from Pirna. So you can have a powerful Saxon-Württemberg-Bavarian corps who can actually fight Prussian armies with some succes.
 
Last edited:
The conventional view is the Austrian side wants early battles to wear the Prussians down. I now am starting to think its the other way around. Early battles lead to lost Austrian elements (so VP gains) and potentially leave Daun's main army small enough to be finished off later. I think I'm starting to see the benefits of the lucky start with the Saxon break out and no major battles in 1756.

You make a convincing argument. With time not really being an issue in this campaign, you can sit 1757 out without getting too much behind in VP. In the meantime your armies will steadily get stronger. This blueprint for a campaign will work.
But it has some risks. You can't sit back too much, otherwise your opponent will start concentrating his forces against one front and try to crush it. Usually this will be Sweden or Austria).

But although, I believe this is a good cautious strategy, I don't think it is necessary. By 1757, the Austrian side is already strong enough to apply pressure (probably more tentatively with Austria itself, but less restrained with Russia and France). For example, it is possible to stage a successful expedition against Kolberg in 1757 after a quick capture of Koenigsberg. And in the West, Minden and even Bremen are achievable objectives for 1757. Especially the capture of Bremen can pay off big since the British reinforcements will then spawn at Emden. It is beautifully far off and lacks a depot. It will even give you the opportunity to crush the British reinforcements before they can join with Prussia's other forces.

In the end, this comes down to different playing styles. My strategy is certainly more risky but it doesn't require stupid risks, just some smart maneuvering. I have implemented it multiple times and it has always worked well for me. Besides, I have this reckless urge to take Berlin as quickly as possible. :blush:
 
But although, I believe this is a good cautious strategy, I don't think it is necessary. By 1757, the Austrian side is already strong enough to apply pressure (probably more tentatively with Austria itself, but less restrained with Russia and France). For example, it is possible to stage a successful expedition against Kolberg in 1757 after a quick capture of Koenigsberg. And in the West, Minden and even Bremen are achievable objectives for 1757. Especially the capture of Bremen can pay off big since the British reinforcements will then spawn at Emden. It is beautifully far off and lacks a depot. It will even give you the opportunity to crush the British reinforcements before they can join with Prussia's other forces.

Wow, you really must have a good luck with activation rolls or you just risk single corps'. Do you like to make your enemy to spread it's forces so you can exploit this to maneuver to a better position?
Still it baffles me how you can get Königsberg and Kolberg in the same year. Do you leave a small sieging party in Königsberg and just bypass it trough the swamps or something?

Btw if you're finishing any games soon or just have too much time, I'd love to play against you in either RUS or ROP. I only have 3 PBEM's going on and I want a few more. :)
 
From your footnoted comment, loki, it sounds like you're about to fall prey to a good old-fashioned cavalry charge. The Oder might just run red with Austrian blood, it seems.

Other than that bit of foreboding, you are steadily increasing the size of the forces at your disposal. The future looks bright. And not just because of the East Prussian bonfires lit by the Cossacks. ;)
 
I agree this was a major mistake. Yet again.While trying to destroy the Swedes is legitimate (esp. since they are not useless anymore since our "mod"),committing that many troops was a mistake. What determines the chances to take down the city is the number of guns (or rather, the "power of guns") involved, not the number of men. With those 25 000 (or say 15 000 I would have scrapped), I could have had a significant advantage on other fronts.

Well you did come up with a rather neat solution later on, but I do wonder if the best approach is to go in very heavy handed at the start or ignore them. Even with our changes, there is only 1 supply wagon available and the leaders are usually inert, so I think they are a pretty passive threat till later in the game?

You can actually get ~2400 power from the HRE troops if you get all your HRE commanders there(Serbeloni, Zweibrücken). Hohenzollern can get his skills up in a brigade command and jump back to corp command when Saxe-Hildeburgshausen retires. You get two more HRE brigade commanders in '79 so you get their survivability up. Just be careful with the army and have Zweibrücken in command. :)

Correction: This is actually correct only if you send the Württemberger and Bavarian troops to Bohemia under the command of Rutowski. The Saxons usually have to sacrifice some brigades to get out from Pirna. So you can have a powerful Saxon-Württemberg-Bavarian corps who can actually fight Prussian armies with some succes.

Yes that is where my luck at the start with the Saxons really has worked in my favour. Rutowski makes a real difference in terms of command capacity and more guns+supply wagons are always very welcome. I tend to leave Zweibrucken with the French at the start, to ease their command problems, so I guess that is a matter of judgement as to where you get the most use out of him (but there is a large HRE force with the French and its pretty useless when commanded by French generals).

You make a convincing argument. With time not really being an issue in this campaign, you can sit 1757 out without getting too much behind in VP. In the meantime your armies will steadily get stronger. This blueprint for a campaign will work.
But it has some risks. You can't sit back too much, otherwise your opponent will start concentrating his forces against one front and try to crush it. Usually this will be Sweden or Austria).

But although, I believe this is a good cautious strategy, I don't think it is necessary. By 1757, the Austrian side is already strong enough to apply pressure (probably more tentatively with Austria itself, but less restrained with Russia and France). For example, it is possible to stage a successful expedition against Kolberg in 1757 after a quick capture of Koenigsberg. And in the West, Minden and even Bremen are achievable objectives for 1757. Especially the capture of Bremen can pay off big since the British reinforcements will then spawn at Emden. It is beautifully far off and lacks a depot. It will even give you the opportunity to crush the British reinforcements before they can join with Prussia's other forces.

In the end, this comes down to different playing styles. My strategy is certainly more risky but it doesn't require stupid risks, just some smart maneuvering. I have implemented it multiple times and it has always worked well for me. Besides, I have this reckless urge to take Berlin as quickly as possible. :blush:
Wow, you really must have a good luck with activation rolls or you just risk single corps'. Do you like to make your enemy to spread it's forces so you can exploit this to maneuver to a better position?
Still it baffles me how you can get Königsberg and Kolberg in the same year. Do you leave a small sieging party in Königsberg and just bypass it trough the swamps or something?

Btw if you're finishing any games soon or just have too much time, I'd love to play against you in either RUS or ROP. I only have 3 PBEM's going on and I want a few more. :)

This is the real gem that is the AGEOD approach. We've obviously all got somewhat different ideas that we have found to work to a greater or lesser extent. Mine is partly driven by playing against Narwhal. He has a habit of creating a very large Prussian force and hitting either the French or the Austrians very hard. This can be fatal as you can lose one or both completely. So my solution in this game was to match that, or at least build core armies so large that they might lose a battle but would have the strength to avoid being too badly damaged. This is why, both with the French and Austrians I am building up and keeping the formations so they are mutually supporting. Lose 1 column and at a later stage, I may be badly overwhelmed on a critical sector.

From your footnoted comment, loki, it sounds like you're about to fall prey to a good old-fashioned cavalry charge. The Oder might just run red with Austrian blood, it seems.

Other than that bit of foreboding, you are steadily increasing the size of the forces at your disposal. The future looks bright. And not just because of the East Prussian bonfires lit by the Cossacks. ;)

Yep, the Oder is set for a disaster ... it was the only sector where I was being rather casual in my moves (in defense I wanted to put on some pressure somewhere despite my general passive approach to 1757)
 
"Vanished with the sleeping blast": July 1757

The North

One consequence of Russia's active entry into the war is the Danzig decision. Now this is a nice zero-sum game, I can pay money to make it into an active base or not bother. Narwhal can pay money so this cannot happen (if I pay and he doesn't then it becomes a Russian active depot as opposed to just a safe place to rest). I made the gamble not to bother (remember that cash is a major constraint for the Austrian side) and I think Narwhal paid up.



The war proper starts in East Prussia with Mishukov landing at Memel. There is nothing the Prussians can do about this, so this siege will go ahead till the port is in Russian hands and it duly falls by the end of the month.



By late July, the main Russian army arrives. As usual this is horribly organised and a first job is to ensure a decent OOB. One key element is the formation of the 'Third Division'[1]. In total this has +4 on any siege roll due to the artillery in Chuvalov's brigade, the siege battery, Sappers and howitzers. If I'm lucky this will blast through various fortresses on the road to Berlin.





The rest of the army is really in case of any conventional battles, which I don't expect till I reach Kolberg.

Bohemia

By early July, most of Daun's army is at Lobozitz, but the Prussians have left a nasty surprise. Von Bilberstein and his entire corps have caught typhus



As you can see the impact is devastating, as last turn that corps had a power of about 1500-1600. At least it will recover over the next 3 turns. The main Prussian army waits at Dresden and being cautious I have Daun's army in defend mode.


(note this is the turn after the Typhus event and von Bilberstein is recovering)

In order to deny Narwhal manouver space, Nadasdy is ordered to Budin (the province between Lobositz and Prag) and Kollowrat over the Elbe to the east.



The idea behind this is that Nadasdy will 'march to the sound of the guns' if Lobositz is directly attacked but equally will make it much harder for Narwhal to manouver around me, if that is what he tries instead. Kollowrat is more exposed (I believe the 'march to the sound of the guns' routine does not apply across an unbridged major river), but it seemed a useful deployment if Moritz's cavalry were sent raiding down the east bank (as has been known to happen).



By the end of the month, the HRE army from Bavaria starts to siege Eger. I'm happy to sit back till that force is free, and I can either use it as a column in its own right, add some to boost Daun's army even more or send some over to the Oder to ensure that offensive is fairly secure unless a massive Prussian army is deployed to the region.

Oder



In an attempt to create some pressure, and maybe break up that stack at Dresden, I decide to send Charles to Kosel to start clearing the Oder fortresses, Picolomini is about 3 weeks marching behind him.

France

By early July, Soubisse has reached Dusseldorf and I've split his army giving most of it to Armentieres, who will rejoin L'Armee Francaise at Wesel.



But here, I'm briefly content to wait. Once all my formations are here, I'll have 5 corps and 100,000 men, quite enough to overpower that Prussian column protecting Munster.

In over VP terms, not much changed in July, losses were minimal (a few cavalry skirmishes) and I'm content to sit and build up. I'll have five corps at Wesel soon enough, the 3 HRE corps available in Bohemia (once Eger falls) and the Russians will move on Koenigsberg in August.



[1] - often referred to as 8 Guards Army in the email correspondence
 
The one drawback from this AAR format (told purely from loki's perspective), is that the Prussians seem very passive - which I know can't be the case, with Narwhal in control. It reads as if Austria is pretty much in the driver's seat, slowly tightening the noose around Prussia's neck.

On the bright side, this means that whenever Narwhal starts to throws his weight around, it'll be as unexpected to us (or rather, given the general level of AGEOD competency in this thread versus my own, to me) as it was to loki while he was playing through the turns. :)

Can't fault your methodical approach, think that the '8 Guards Army' is cute and enjoy the (baseless) accusation that somehow the Prussians were conducting biological warfare and infected your troops with typhus. :)
 
Great comment Stuyvesant! Wisdom, humour and insight all rolled in one! :)

Another excellent update, loki!
That was a very interesting gamble not bribing Danzig. I have always spend the money in multiplayer games and it has never paid off since the Prussian players tend to pay as well (they can afford the money).

That French army looks very nice. Time to go on the offensive! Charge! Chargez! Attack! Angriff! Ouch, I am sounding bloodthirsty again.:blush:

Wow, you really must have a good luck with activation rolls or you just risk single corps'. Do you like to make your enemy to spread it's forces so you can exploit this to maneuver to a better position?
Still it baffles me how you can get Königsberg and Kolberg in the same year. Do you leave a small sieging party in Königsberg and just bypass it trough the swamps or something?

No, I started for Kolberg only after Koenigsberg had fallen (I had gotten lucky and the siege hadn't lasted long). The march to Kolberg was relatively fast since I always used multiple corps commanders (if you have two or three, chances are at least one of them is active) and seperated the slow siege artillery from the main stack.
I have to admit that trick was a bit insane. I tried it because I was sure my opponent would think it crazy as well and therefore ignore it in the hope that winter would take care of those Russians.

Nevertheless such a strategy is valid since it establishes a viable third front a year sooner than usual. This will overload Prussia's defenses. Prussia is able to lock Austria and France into a stalemate but it can't contain all three major enemies simultaniously and thus will start losing ground quickly.
However, it should be obvious that loki's strategy presents a much safer road to victory.

But I think we starting to get a bit off topic. Sorry loki! :)
 
The one drawback from this AAR format (told purely from loki's perspective), is that the Prussians seem very passive - which I know can't be the case, with Narwhal in control. It reads as if Austria is pretty much in the driver's seat, slowly tightening the noose around Prussia's neck.

On the bright side, this means that whenever Narwhal starts to throws his weight around, it'll be as unexpected to us (or rather, given the general level of AGEOD competency in this thread versus my own, to me) as it was to loki while he was playing through the turns. :)

Can't fault your methodical approach, think that the '8 Guards Army' is cute and enjoy the (baseless) accusation that somehow the Prussians were conducting biological warfare and infected your troops with typhus. :)

well it was suspicious that I caught typhus once I arrived at a Prussian fort. Actually, over these turns he was oddly passive. I think he was hoping I'd break cover before all my forces came together. Wesel is very hard to attack from where Frederick is and any clash with Daun is going to end in a brutal draw. So I suspect he was hoping I'd move out of my protective layout (& my habit of spreading out over 2-3 provinces helps reduce the scope for flanking movements).

We've now come to a view between ourselves that early battles, even with a poor exchange rate favour the Prussians over time. Our logic is that the Prussians can recruit back almost all their losses (they have the cash to put their conscript companies to use), the Austrians can't (I never have the cash to draw down all my notional replacements).

Great comment Stuyvesant! Wisdom, humour and insight all rolled in one! :)

Another excellent update, loki!
That was a very interesting gamble not bribing Danzig. I have always spend the money in multiplayer games and it has never paid off since the Prussian players tend to pay as well (they can afford the money).

That French army looks very nice. Time to go on the offensive! Charge! Chargez! Attack! Angriff! Ouch, I am sounding bloodthirsty again.:blush:



No, I started for Kolberg only after Koenigsberg had fallen (I had gotten lucky and the siege hadn't lasted long). The march to Kolberg was relatively fast since I always used multiple corps commanders (if you have two or three, chances are at least one of them is active) and seperated the slow siege artillery from the main stack.
I have to admit that trick was a bit insane. I tried it because I was sure my opponent would think it crazy as well and therefore ignore it in the hope that winter would take care of those Russians.

Nevertheless such a strategy is valid since it establishes a viable third front a year sooner than usual. This will overload Prussia's defenses. Prussia is able to lock Austria and France into a stalemate but it can't contain all three major enemies simultaniously and thus will start losing ground quickly.
However, it should be obvious that loki's strategy presents a much safer road to victory.

But I think we starting to get a bit off topic. Sorry loki! :)

as to Danzig, I couldn't work out why bother spend the money, its a simultaneous decision so that saved me a bit for the replacement cycle.

As to Russia, I think you can lodge one of the main divisions in Danzig before Koenigsberg falls, and thus get the critical first depot built up. And I agree, with the Russians always have multiple corps commanders so you can rotate them in/out depending on who is active. its not as if any are particularly useful (except Browne)

As to France, by waiting I actually take Munster and Lippstadt by manouver not battle.

Oh and if anyone is worried at the lack of deaths, we do make up for it in the end ...:ninja: