For the solo game I'm playing with the Germans activating Ukraine (see other post for my thoughts on Ukraine activation), I'm going to post an end of season accounting. Here's the Autumn start game condition. Overall, I'm pretty happy with the balance. It seems daunting for the Germans in July when there are so many Soviet units, but the Soviets get worn down by the end of Summer.
The Germans have been conservative and less aggressive than I normally would be to try to minimize losses to their armor. It shows in the board position as they are lagging the historic German progress. They still haven't taken Dnepropetrovsk or Smolensk (but the later will likely fall in Oct I). They made a concerted effort to take Leningrad in September, but the door was slammed on them with a heavy Soviet commitment to its defense. The Germans have been blessed with Fair weather for the upcoming October I turn (11 on the weather roll and no Rasputitsa).
Axis unreplaced losses sit at:
-7 regular steps, -1 special step
-1 special Romanian steps, -2 regular Romanian steps (demobilized for happy home front; the Romanians demobilized their fighter and merchant ships units as well), but Romania has 7 PP after season start to rebuild.
Ukrainians add 2x 6-4-5 armor corps, a 3-1-6 armor division, and 3 infantry steps.
This is pretty close to the Typhoon setup with infantry just right and better with the Axis minors and armored forces.
German economy after season start sequence:
PP: 12 1/2 German, 7 Romania, 3 Ukraine, 2 Hungary, 1 Slovakia, 1 Italy
EP: 10 1/2
FP: 7 1/2
OP: 3
Morale: 10 Romania, 5 Hungary
Soviets have carefully preserved their specialist divisions and guards units. Soviet forces consist of:
75 infantry steps (including 4 guards)
6 armor divisions
3 airborne divisions
7 cavalry divisions
2 mountain divisions
2 marine divisions
All told 95 steps; this compares favorably to the 92 steps in the Typhoon setup.
The Soviet economy after season start sequence:
PP: 74 1/2 PP
EP: 53
FP: 47 1/2
OP: 3
Morale: 85 1/2
Board position:
Demobilizing Small Nations units have some issues. In 561.3, you do lose MPs if you gain EP. -X MPs when, conversely, scrapping, disbanding, and demobilizing units (513.0) and voluntarily returning EPs to their Faction’s pool causes that Small Nation to lose a like number of MPs. With Air Units, no EP are gained but the MS gave you 1 EP so it cost you -1 MP. Naval units yield 50% of the EP to buy. Alan and I are playing TMS and I am not so sure you want to scrap the Romanian MS. Maybe you want to place a 2-4 Div in Constantia and have the Soviet have to guard some ports. Novorosslysk is an objective, Sochi is a short walk to the oil fields and Taganrog is a stroll to Rostov (not open to invasion, an estuary city). The Soviet fleets might sink you but they have to find you.
Interesting plan with the Demobilizing. I never thought to cash in the Romanian MS, which now seems obvious. With the Ukrainians perhaps the Romanians weren't needed yet, and can work on their morale. Or was this before you helped us realize that Romanians could remain in Ukraine? Funny how we all missed that.
The Romanians got 5 PP from demobilizations (1 air unit, 1 4-4 inf, 1 MS), then 2 more from Autumn pay day, leads to a total of 7. Hungary spend down to 0, then got 2 from Autumn pay day.
If this is the beginning of Autumn, the Ukraine card must have been a July selection and then activated after the capture of Kiev. Somehow the Germans got by with ten less EP through the Summer. There is an earlier version of the Barby Campaign that has the Romanians erroneously starting with 2 PP (or perhaps it is just one Module). They start with zero, then gain two in July. Hungary starts with 3 PP and gets two more in July (so five in the short Scenario).
Man, that is a lot of Axis EPs and FPs and very few Ukrainian PPs. No wonder the Germans are tippy-toeing around if they are invested that heavily in getting Ukraine up and running! Hokey smokes!!
It sounds like you have the Romanian and Hungarian PPs totals reversed. Hungary starts with 5 and Romania 2, and they each only gain 2... so it's hard to imagine Romania with 7 PPs short of a lot of effort to do so.
Overall, this looks like a darned interesting game situation!! :D