Written by Jacco van Weert
EMail: weertj@xs4all.nl
Experience with the Galaxy PBeM game is needed to fully understand the guide, you should also read the Galaxy beginners guide (by Greg Lindahl) and the Ship design guide (by Howard Bampton)
Why this guide?
Is this the all-out winning strategy?
Galaxy is a wargame and should be treated as such. The most important thing is to divide the different area's into ZOC's (Zones Of Controls). At the beginning your ZOC is of course very small, but the trick is to expand your ZOC as soon as possible. ZOC's should be splitted into several smaller ones as soon as they are becoming to large. Example:
*1 *2 *3 *4 *5 *6 *7 *8 *9 <------------------------xx Ly---------------------------->
When we define 1 ZOC the central planet is #7 and could function as HQ and
reserve depot. However this area is hard to defend when attacked from several
sides. Therefore it's better to split the ZOC in 2 ZOC's.
ZOC 1: Covering
planets 3,1,5 & 8
ZOC 2: Covering planets 4,2,6 & 9
Planet 7
should be the HQ of both ZOC's.
Of course when your Drive Tech increases the
ZOC's are decreasing.
I consider the use of forts obsolete and this should be avoided at all costs. The military structure should be flexible and dynamical at all positions. I normally use the following military structure;
Player ;-)
|
|------------------------|
| |
| Cargo fleets (not covered).
|
|---------------|---------------|-----------------------|
| | | |
Army PanzerArmy ExpeditionalArmy Passive Reserve
PanzerArmy / Army | | --------------------------------- | | | 1st Corps HQ Corps 2nd Corps
1st and 2nd Corps could consist out of 1 of more Divisions all depending or
their ZOC coverage. The 1st Corps normally covers the Northern/Eastern part and
the 2nd Corps the Southern/Western. Depending on the layout of the ZOC's the
coverage could change, in worst case when cut-off from the other armies it
should from a Hedge-position.
The HQ-Corps act's as reserve and rebuild
corps, when a division is heavly damaged it's send back to the HQ-Corps were
it's refitted and reinforced. The HQ-Corps can also contain several special
forces units, e.g. small Divisions and special 'Fort-busters' and other goodies,
all depending of the position of the (Panzer) army...and it's
....TAM-TAM-TAM..TATAAA!!!...(dark voice) "mission".
Important is the fact
that a PanzerArmy is self-supporting and can therefore perform long campaigns on
it's own.
ExpeditionalArmy | | ------------------------......... | | : | | : E-Division E-Division ........ | | (see Division)
E-Division a fast division, normally ships with drives 50% of their
mass.
Corps | | -------------------------........ | | : | | : Division Division ......... | | ----------------------------------------- | | | | | | MG SG MTG ADG PD D
Division, the layout of an fully equiped division, of course most of the time the division is way under strength due to battle or minor front importance. And furthermore in the early stages of the game a Division could be much smaller.
All units in the Division should have more or the less the same speed, except for the Deflectors, their speed should be higher because they are the first to go in a battle and should be reenforced from the Army's reserves.