What time period is the best for a balance QB game .

[Hannibal]

When would you say the German and Russian forces are most in balance ?In the early war the Russians have the T-34 and K-v the germans do not have much of a answer .Then there is the time frame when the Panther and Tiger are out and the Russian only have the t-34 .So when are the armour forces of both side most even ?

[zukkov]

tough question. the russians always suffer from poor gunnery, even in the early war. and having green or conscript crews only makes it worse. on the other hand, the germans really do have an advantage with panthers and tigers. good optics and firepower, combined with superior armor and crew experience makes them very tough to beat. but the real trick in balance has more to do with terrain, weather, tactical situation, and more importantly the player's abilities than the equipment. however, all of that aside, i'd say late war. once the t34/85s, isu122/152s, and is2s are available to the soviets, things are probably as even as they're gonna get. that includes tank quality as well as crew quality...

[dieseltaylor]

Time frame wise my brother and I play Oct 43 -many games on huge maps with 3000 pts because you can afford to outflank your opponent.

Terrain type and the size of map make a huge difference. Southern steppes and a medium map the soviets get creamed easily because there are no flanks and not much cover.

Northern Russia rural with trees and hills it's anybody's ballgame. I suspect built=up areas Russian's could be great but I like fighting more open battles with movement, or let's face it the possibility of flanking someone makes the game much more exciting.

Having 20 T34's in one battle was a hoot - great double envelopment marred slightly by the indestructible AT gun bug in v1.02. And the fact that all the flags were reasonably close, ... and he had 4 Tigers.

But it is the terrain, size of map, choice of forces and your smarts that are in important

[SirReal]

I'd say early '42, just before the Tigers and Panthers. As soon as the cats come out and play, the russian player has a technical disadvantage which must be compensated for with superior maneuvering skill. Against an equally competent german player, I think the russians will still lose, though. You -have- to get flank or rear shots (and flank shots aren't to be trusted, either). And a good german player knows this and will try to prevent it.

/SirReal

[ July 12, 2003, 06:06 PM: Message edited by: SirReal ]