Is it possible?
GBP is deficient in a lot of ways. The main bonuses come from entrenchment and planning, with very small pockets of org scattered around.
Planning is a great bonus, but using plans isn't a good idea.
Entrenchment is a great bonus, but it takes a very long time to build, and you instantly lose it all if you move.
10% defense is great, but that doesn't help you kill the divisions attacking you.
The tactics and one night bonus are alright.
At best, GBP is an infantry focused doctrine in a tank and air dominated game.
Even if you manage to make a line of infantry on forts and forests and hills that can pen mediums/heavies (say mods with heavy AT or medium TDs mixed with normal ATG), doesn't get slaughtered by CAS b/c of AA, and still has the soft attack to beat back infantry, you'll just get cycled because you can't re org quickly after a battle. Once that line is breached, you're screwed since most of your stats come from digging in.
If you try to attack, what are you doing it with? You get 20% bonus breakthrough to, and that sounds good, but infantry don't exactly have breakthrough to boost. Even with 70% planning, you're not going to do a whole lot of damage unless you make attack specific divisions, and you'll piss manpower away attacking with any infantry. Using tanks will get them clicked while you're planning (theoretically enough tanks would be on line to ignore the push and pull a true deep battle move, but I've never seen it happen).
So how can this be fixed?
The first issue I think is org. GBP needs artillery and support tanks more than other doctrines, yet suffers severely to adding them due to lacking org. MW infantry will have a lot more org with arty and AT then a GBP division will. Giving GBP inf more org, or giving support guns some org would alleviate the issue.
The next is entrenchment. Entrenchment needs to be an option for GBP, but due to game mechanics (responding to breakthroughs) it can't be the only option. I'd prefer to see bonuses being given to infantry and arty units used in favorable terrain. a 5% attack/defense for infantry in forests for example. That would be a lot better than entrenching speed, as nobody would enjoy fighting infinitely super entrenched frenchmen.
Org recovery rate could be affected by mobile divisions. Cav and armored cars might finally find a niche if they improve the recovery rate of a division, even more so if the battalion versions give recon as well (no org loss to support company).
Attacking will likely still have to be left to tanks, but it should be easier to make attacking infantry. Bonus breakthrough and attack to special forces divisions would be one option.
Beyond that, GBP really should have some type of manpower boost. A fully rocket arty attack focused army should be a somewhat viable strategy as GBP, but they would take too many losses. I suggest buffing hospitals with an exclusive tech to field surgeons to return manpower to the pool in the way thats worth it.
GBP is deficient in a lot of ways. The main bonuses come from entrenchment and planning, with very small pockets of org scattered around.
Planning is a great bonus, but using plans isn't a good idea.
Entrenchment is a great bonus, but it takes a very long time to build, and you instantly lose it all if you move.
10% defense is great, but that doesn't help you kill the divisions attacking you.
The tactics and one night bonus are alright.
At best, GBP is an infantry focused doctrine in a tank and air dominated game.
Even if you manage to make a line of infantry on forts and forests and hills that can pen mediums/heavies (say mods with heavy AT or medium TDs mixed with normal ATG), doesn't get slaughtered by CAS b/c of AA, and still has the soft attack to beat back infantry, you'll just get cycled because you can't re org quickly after a battle. Once that line is breached, you're screwed since most of your stats come from digging in.
If you try to attack, what are you doing it with? You get 20% bonus breakthrough to, and that sounds good, but infantry don't exactly have breakthrough to boost. Even with 70% planning, you're not going to do a whole lot of damage unless you make attack specific divisions, and you'll piss manpower away attacking with any infantry. Using tanks will get them clicked while you're planning (theoretically enough tanks would be on line to ignore the push and pull a true deep battle move, but I've never seen it happen).
So how can this be fixed?
The first issue I think is org. GBP needs artillery and support tanks more than other doctrines, yet suffers severely to adding them due to lacking org. MW infantry will have a lot more org with arty and AT then a GBP division will. Giving GBP inf more org, or giving support guns some org would alleviate the issue.
The next is entrenchment. Entrenchment needs to be an option for GBP, but due to game mechanics (responding to breakthroughs) it can't be the only option. I'd prefer to see bonuses being given to infantry and arty units used in favorable terrain. a 5% attack/defense for infantry in forests for example. That would be a lot better than entrenching speed, as nobody would enjoy fighting infinitely super entrenched frenchmen.
Org recovery rate could be affected by mobile divisions. Cav and armored cars might finally find a niche if they improve the recovery rate of a division, even more so if the battalion versions give recon as well (no org loss to support company).
Attacking will likely still have to be left to tanks, but it should be easier to make attacking infantry. Bonus breakthrough and attack to special forces divisions would be one option.
Beyond that, GBP really should have some type of manpower boost. A fully rocket arty attack focused army should be a somewhat viable strategy as GBP, but they would take too many losses. I suggest buffing hospitals with an exclusive tech to field surgeons to return manpower to the pool in the way thats worth it.
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