Last Guide Home

A guide to various aspects of playing

Introduction

Last Guide Home

A general guide for The Last Train Home.

This intriguing title is set in the real history of World War One. In the changing of politics, identities and the Russian communist revolution helpful allies of the Czech Legion find themselves surrounded by those they came to help now thrown into turmoil.

You find yourself being both the strategic commander and the tactical commander.

Train Strategy

Train strategy:

Early Troop capacity:
It is recommended to see at first to the expansion of the capacity of troop cars. Other scattered legionnaires are in the area. Getting a fourth troop car will be quite challenging. Still having the capacity lets you get manpower then make the cruel choices to keep those most beneficial to the last train home.

Workshop:
Needed for at least a time to research both levels of winter clothing. These add to the warmth of dismounted squads. Without them the Siberia cold will make them sick more often. Producing other gear can be helpful but often you can purchase enough to keep going.

Kitchen:
Making soup effectively converts herbs into food. This is a large source of food. Goulash is also handy as it speeds the healing rate of the wounded. It is possible to make apple pies to sell though I found little need for that.


An eight car train:
With the original Grandfather engine improved for +1 car you can assemble eight (8) cars plus the engine. The order used in my first play through was partly on game mechanics and partly on roleplay:

= Artillery car > Gives artillery fire to “solve” difficult tactical challenges and lots of durability to smach barricades if needed

= Engine > A high durability with minimum people makes it also a good rammer

= Workshop > Needed for winter clothing upgrades

= Storage > Accessible to workshop, engine and galley with limited movements, alternate put it ahead of the workshop as there are never crew in storage

= Troop Car #1 > Consider putting a leader (if you choose one), the train engineer and stokers here, or spreading out skill sets

= Kitchen > Making hot food easily delivered to nearby troops

= Troop Car #2 > General troops

= Hospital car > Bring rear safe from head on damage

= Troop Car #3 > Women’s car to give them what privacy is possible, a few males as well such as the main doctor, nurses (other doctors) also go here, the troops also represent a defense from rear attacks or those jumping on (though I’ve not seen such a combat)


In order to have a nine (9) car train you will need the bigger engine and upgrade it. This would allow a fourth troop car to the system above.

If staying at eight (8) cars and wanting a fourth troop car you can either hold off on the kitchen car or after researching both winter clothing remove the workshop car, possibly to return the kitchen car.

10-man Squad

10-man squad:

A multi faceted squad with a variety of skills to solve the tactical situations:
3 Scout, 2 machine gunners, 2 riflemen, 2 medics, 1 Grenadier

At the start of a battle pause the game to setup standard hotkey groups as:
1 = Scout
2 = Scout
3 = Scout
4 = Fireteam of machine gunner, rifleman, medic
5 = Fireteam of machine gunner, rifleman, medic
6 = Grenadier
7 = The seven non-scout people

The scouts grow into snipers with a one button kill. They also get “distract”. With two or three distractors you can move an enemy over and over then pivot them. Once turned away a scout, or a rifleman, can sneak up to kill them.
Three scouts lets one be using the binocular look ahead while the other two team up for a distract-kill or kill shot two enemies.
During the moving around times in tactical battles the scouts lead the way and kill enemies that are in small numbers.
In larger battles move the scouts back to save their health for the stealth portion. Use their long range and kill buttons to knock out key enemies. Enemy grenadiers are a priority. Two scout kill shots are needed for a fixed machine gun or a high health enemy.
For high level scouts remove their ability to “stabilize” so that the can fit in: critical shot (the one button kill), distract and camouflage (hide anytime not moving).

The fireteams are well rounded to hold ground. There are battles with many enemies that could overwhelm scouts. Moving them separate so that one is near the scouts and the other is guarding a vulnerable approach. This also naturally spreads out the medics so one bad moment doesn’t kill both.

Grenadier is your specialist. Early game explosives are rare. They are expensive to use. They do “solve” situations, can greatly damage vehicles and might save the whole squad in an emergency. Landmines are like grenades you place then hope the enemy walks over, very mixed results in that working. Its currently not possible to set a landmine target so enemy infantry ahead of a tank will detonate the mine before the tank gets to it. Smoke grenades provide momentary cover though its not a critical ability.
Remember to save grenades for important moments. Even if there are lots on the train the grenadier only carries a few into battle. If squad mates are about to die let them fly!

Having the non-scout troops in one hotkey if very handy in moving them around during the stealth portions of missions. The 1,2,3 hotkeys frequently used for the scouts with the 7 shifting the main squad into places.

Remember to use scout binocular abilities frequently. There are enemies that move around. They might have a patrol or new-spawn come in that wasn’t there before.

The two riflemen will get a faster movement and silent movement. This makes them very good at supporting the scouts in stealth skills. Scouts can be set for binocular viewing and distracting to turn the enemy then the riflemen bayonet charge.
Bayonet charges have also saved squad members both by killing an enemy and by giving the enemy someone else to shoot at while the wounded legionnaire runs away.

Medics only have pistols making them a low damage damage output. In large battles consider shifting the medic back a ways to protect them. When the other, under cover, troops are getting wounded consider running the badly wounded back to meet the medic rather than running the medic up. High level medics get an aura affect to trade protection<>damage one way or the other. I prefer to increase my troops protection.

Tactical methods

Tactical methods:

With the above squad organization tactical methods develop as:

Look-Kill
Scouts 1,2,3 moving around with one more using binoculars while the other(s) move up. Choose between distract-pivot-knife or critical shot. After the critical shot run the scout back away. There might be someone coming to the sound you didn’t expect.


Concentrated fire:
If you are going to shoot someone shoot them a lot.
Two machinegunners with setup arcs are brutal. The two rifleman and grenadier provide added firepower. The scouts nearby or behind can do one shots on key targets like grenadiers, machine gunners or officers.

Crossfire:
Since the game uses a cover system getting the enemy into a cross fire can knock them out faster. The class L shaped ambush is based on a short side ahead of the enemy to stop their movement with a rest in the other length firing. The result is that anyone piece of cover will likely only protect from one direction not both.

The cold, the cold, always the cold

The cold, the cold, always the cold

In The Last Train home cold is rated from 0 to -5. The worst -5 is met in the later game on the northern route. Each point of heat or insulation holds off one point of cold. The most you can get is four with the worst cold still getting through.

The more cold that gets through the quicker people get sick. When shivering healing is stopped. Slow exposure to one point of remaining cold will slowly create illness. Ill troopers can still be sent out though are at risk of doubling up the illness to serious.

To deal with -4 heat the train cars with people will need double insulation and the second stage stove. The third stage stove reduces the fuel needed. These changes are needed per car. Only the engine car, with its roaring boiler, and storage car, with no one riding in it, are exempt.

When improving the cars start with insulation one across all cars. Then do the insulation two. Then start adding stoves.

When zoomed in to the train view when clicking on a car in the upper left is the stove on-off control. This needs to be set on each car. With many cars on the fuel rate will really go up high.

For dismounted people the winter uniform acts as insulation. One and two points of protection.

Coal for fire and cloth for blankets can be assigned on each mission. They are consumed on the trip at 1 per trooper in the squad. If you forget to issue quickly bring the squad back then issue. Issuing is done by clicking on the symbols under each squad.

The hospital car should be a priority for insulation and heating. This is so that the sick have a place to safely recover. Remember to click on the patient spaces to assign them to a bed. Now the ill be riding here, hopefully in warmth, rather than in their chilly troop car.