Victory Points
The number of VP’s in a game will, of course, be one of the primary factors affecting the strategy and tactics which you pursue in the course of the game. But it is not the only one. During long games, strategy plays an important role.
Before the game begins
Determine where your Victory Points are likely to come from. Look at the map, and estimate the most likely source of your medals from killing off units, and any territorial objective medals. This will help to frame up your plan of attack before you begin.
When you are ahead of VP's
General rule, the further you are ahead, the more risks you can take.
When you are ahead, you are free to trade VP’s with your opponent. If you have a battle which results in each of you gaining/losing one VP, then that is good for you, since you will cross the finish line before your opponent. Even trades are to your advantage.
When you are behind in VP's
When you are behind in VP’s, you are in the unenviable position of having to more carefully defend your weak units, while being more aggressive with your full-powered units.
You will need to be a bit more bold and aggressive, pushing your opponent around until you regain some VP’s.
At the same time, you may need to do some tactical retreats to protect weak units. Making your opponent come after you, may cause them them to over-extend their forces into your territory, where you can mount a multi-force counter-attack.
When VP's are even - at the Start of the Game
When VP’s are even, you have the opportunity to gain a positional advantage on your opponent. Especially in long scenarios of 6 or more VP’s, territorial control can provide a significant advantage for you.
This would include steps such as:
1. Move artillery forward for better firepower.
2. Move armor into the woods to gain a huge control factor over any open terrain.
3. Coordinating the movement of armor and infantry to work together for an assault.
4. Moving infantry into towns and hedgerows – if you are in a defensive scenario, or massing them near the enemy for an offensive attack.
When VP's are even - near the End of the Game
When VP’s are even near the end of the game, it may come down to having the right Tactics cards at the right time to deliver the final killing blows.
Cards like Behind Enemy Lines and Barrage are great hold-outs for the end, when you need to take out some weak units to gain your final one or two VP’s.
When playing for VP's across both rounds
Remember that a complete game in M44 is two rounds, once for each side. This can influence your decisions, as you calculate the total VP’s for both rounds. If you are ahead on total game VP’s then you can play more boldly on that second round. You can take risks you might not normally take. You can experiment with new strategy and tactics which you haven’t tried before.
However, if you enter the second round behind on total game VP’s, that will force you to play cautiously and not give up any VP’s cheaply. Make the enemy pay dearly for each one. Remember that your opponent knows they are ahead also, so they may be inclined to take more risks as well. This is where you must judiciously balance your desire for preservation of material, with the need to launch a bold attack when circumstances warrant it.
Special Medal Objectives
In some scenarios, medals can be earned by achieving special objectives. For example,
- Territorial Temporary Objectives
- Territorial Permanent Objectives
- Exit Hexes
- Special Actions
