Something I’ve been thinking about lately, especially in longer attack/defend scenarios.
Most experienced players learn pretty quickly that rushing gets you killed in CM. Suppression, spotting delays, and hidden AT assets punish impatience hard, so over time you naturally become more cautious. But I’ve started to wonder where the line actually sits between careful play and simply giving up initiative.
I’ve seen (and probably done myself) attacks that stall out not because the defender stopped them, but because the attacker became too concerned about losses and stopped pushing for information and positional advantage. On the other hand, pushing too early or without enough reconnaissance usually ends badly as well.
Curious how others approach this balance. Is it mostly scenario dependent, or do you find yourself deliberately forcing action at certain points to avoid losing momentum?
"Si vis pacem, para bellum." — Vegetius
"Do not hurry to the sound of the guns without knowing why they are firing." — British maxim
"In war, the simplest things are difficult." — Clausewitz
"No plan survives first contact with the enemy." — Moltke
"The side that can most quickly exploit success is the side that will win." — Guderian
Some days you’re the hammer, some days you’re the nail. 🪖🎲
Looking for a game? Challenge me here:
For me the scenario time limit is usually deciding this.
Glad you brought this topic up... It's very much an issue with my game play. I like calling it TEMPO meaning how many actions you are doing in a given turn as compared to your opponent. Obviously a defender with a static defence doesn't need to move too much if its well thought out and in good command.
Loss aversion is an issue for me among others but is probably one of my greatest drawbacks.. In the end I think losses are inevitable but are they giving you something in a return. It's war after all and losses are going to happen the difference is are they from being careless or are they inevitable but with something in return.
Having reserves is also something I'm paying attention too as well so I don't ask too much of units that are fragile so they can recover over time...
I also have a bad handle on exploiting any advantages I do have with not having supporting weapons close enough to exploit gains I may have created for myself.
Not being fluid with your operational plan is also an issue 9 times out of 10. Your plan needs to change and that causes a mental block and plans need to change depending on their success rate.
Looking at your stats on the Blitz I'm impressed you brought this up since your the leader there with 100's of pbem matches under your belt. Another thing I'm trying to pay attention too is match ups when it comes to fire fights... Is it worth the losses on my end or is it better for me to find more favourable conditions to engage the threat... I'm notorious for picking forces that don't allow me the flexibility and support I need to accomplish the desired goals of any given match.
Such as unicorn purchases and not having enough infantry to sustain loses to soak up an opponents master class in killing...
Best too you I'm sure I'll have more to add here..
p.s. your very good with your mortars on our match...
In the end its the Commanders will that is broken to shit more than what's left on the map...
Calculated losses with aggression I think is something to keep in mind, wasted aggression with unnecessary losses is a recipe for disaster...
I'm having the same issue with our current match... I get to a point where I'm doing nothing instead of pushing you...
That’s probably the purest answer.
The clock doesn’t care how careful you were—if you haven’t created a problem for the defender by mid-game, you’re already on the back foot. I’ve definitely had “low loss” attacks that were actually losses long before the last turn.
"Si vis pacem, para bellum." — Vegetius
"Do not hurry to the sound of the guns without knowing why they are firing." — British maxim
"In war, the simplest things are difficult." — Clausewitz
"No plan survives first contact with the enemy." — Moltke
"The side that can most quickly exploit success is the side that will win." — Guderian
Some days you’re the hammer, some days you’re the nail. 🪖🎲
Looking for a game? Challenge me here:
TEMPO is a great way to frame it.
I’ve started thinking in terms of “who is forcing decisions this turn.” If I’m not making you react to something—fires, movement, pressure—then I’m probably the one losing initiative, even if nothing is exploding.
"Si vis pacem, para bellum." — Vegetius
"Do not hurry to the sound of the guns without knowing why they are firing." — British maxim
"In war, the simplest things are difficult." — Clausewitz
"No plan survives first contact with the enemy." — Moltke
"The side that can most quickly exploit success is the side that will win." — Guderian
Some days you’re the hammer, some days you’re the nail. 🪖🎲
Looking for a game? Challenge me here:
That’s a really honest take, and I think most of us fall into that trap.
Losses are inevitable—the question is whether they’re buying you something. If they’re not generating information or shifting the fight, then yeah, that’s where it turns into wasted effort instead of progress.
"Si vis pacem, para bellum." — Vegetius
"Do not hurry to the sound of the guns without knowing why they are firing." — British maxim
"In war, the simplest things are difficult." — Clausewitz
"No plan survives first contact with the enemy." — Moltke
"The side that can most quickly exploit success is the side that will win." — Guderian
Some days you’re the hammer, some days you’re the nail. 🪖🎲
Looking for a game? Challenge me here:
Match ups in engagements are a huge factor, its better to find a trap and loose the minimum for the intel...
Pick your match ups knowing the advantage goes to your side.... Otherwise re think how to deal with it or avoid it. Killing the enemy wins matches that's all that matters in the end, the flags come later...
I think that’s exactly the danger zone.
Once you stop doing anything that forces contact, the defender gets to settle in and the problem only gets harder. Even a small probe or shift can be enough to restart momentum.
Sometimes it’s less about the perfect move and more about just making sure the game is still moving forward.
"Si vis pacem, para bellum." — Vegetius
"Do not hurry to the sound of the guns without knowing why they are firing." — British maxim
"In war, the simplest things are difficult." — Clausewitz
"No plan survives first contact with the enemy." — Moltke
"The side that can most quickly exploit success is the side that will win." — Guderian
Some days you’re the hammer, some days you’re the nail. 🪖🎲
Looking for a game? Challenge me here:
Matchups are everything, no argument there.
But I’m not sure it’s always about killing power. I’ve had games where I never really destroyed the defender—just forced him out of position, blinded him, and took ground while he was reacting. Sometimes the win condition is disruption, not destruction.
"Si vis pacem, para bellum." — Vegetius
"Do not hurry to the sound of the guns without knowing why they are firing." — British maxim
"In war, the simplest things are difficult." — Clausewitz
"No plan survives first contact with the enemy." — Moltke
"The side that can most quickly exploit success is the side that will win." — Guderian
Some days you’re the hammer, some days you’re the nail. 🪖🎲
Looking for a game? Challenge me here:
Inflexibility to adapt to the given situation and pushing matchup firefights that don't favour you is a recipe for disaster. Not taking advantage of your good luck and advantage gives your opponent the time to take it away from you...
@panzer-lehr I've returned turns in pbem matches without doing anything and that is a red flag....
@panzer-lehr Indeed... breaking the will of your opponent at times depending on the player doesn't take much... I've won a defence battle with 2 excellent mortar barrages and the surrender came the next turn...
You don't have to destroy your opponents force entirely to break his will to fight... But every loss adds up in his head....
Exactly.
Once that starts happening, it’s not really about the map anymore—it’s about what the other guy thinks he can still do. When every move feels risky and nothing feels like it’ll work, the battle’s already turning.
"Si vis pacem, para bellum." — Vegetius
"Do not hurry to the sound of the guns without knowing why they are firing." — British maxim
"In war, the simplest things are difficult." — Clausewitz
"No plan survives first contact with the enemy." — Moltke
"The side that can most quickly exploit success is the side that will win." — Guderian
Some days you’re the hammer, some days you’re the nail. 🪖🎲
Looking for a game? Challenge me here:
That’s a really good self-read.
I think we’ve all had those turns, and yeah—it’s usually a sign you’ve slipped into reacting instead of acting. Even a small probe or shift is better than giving the other guy a free turn.
"Si vis pacem, para bellum." — Vegetius
"Do not hurry to the sound of the guns without knowing why they are firing." — British maxim
"In war, the simplest things are difficult." — Clausewitz
"No plan survives first contact with the enemy." — Moltke
"The side that can most quickly exploit success is the side that will win." — Guderian
Some days you’re the hammer, some days you’re the nail. 🪖🎲
Looking for a game? Challenge me here:
I actually always try and find pbem opponents that are well above my skill set so I can hopefully learn from them. I don't mind loosing if I retain something useful to add to my approach to playing better...
Attack and defend matches are where its at imho, meeting engagements are more even...
I can't believe I'm your first QB opponent...
I find most battles are not balanced in the vanilla game not that I can't manage to screw it all up with my purchases when I do so in QB's
Well put.
I think a lot of attacks fail not from bad decisions, but from failing to exploit the good ones. You win a position, gain contact, create an opening… and if you don’t act on it quickly, it just closes again.
"Si vis pacem, para bellum." — Vegetius
"Do not hurry to the sound of the guns without knowing why they are firing." — British maxim
"In war, the simplest things are difficult." — Clausewitz
"No plan survives first contact with the enemy." — Moltke
"The side that can most quickly exploit success is the side that will win." — Guderian
Some days you’re the hammer, some days you’re the nail. 🪖🎲
Looking for a game? Challenge me here: