Opening Soviets Without Conscript Spam

Any suggestions?
I have for a while now been playing with T1 and sniper, but I have trouble opening with it.
It seems the more I deviate from meta 4-5 conscripts the weaker I get, and I am bored of out of my mind from building conscripts.

So final questions is how to get by with fewer conscripts? tips?

as a side note I was thinking what would happen if Sovie T1 would get decrease in cost to what Germans get? don't you think it would add allot of variety to their play without adding much imbalance?

Thanks ahead of time

Well I haven't played Russian much since the new patch (stopped playing for a while, just getting back into it, played only german post-patch so far), but I've seen two different openings so far:

1. Con Con Clowncar and rush straight for the enemy's fuel.
2. Shocktroops as a call-in asap

I know that some players have been going for a fast Penal Battalion in their opening builds. The idea is to keep them constantly fighting so they get vet quickly. Don't retreat the penals, just merge conscripts into them and retreat the conscripts when needed.

I've been trying:

1st Engie builds T2 while you build 1st Conscript, go for fuel with con, cap joining sectors with Engie...
Maxim > Con > Maxim
Upgrade health station on HQ
Shocks
AT Guns as necessary...
(if going Soviet Shock army upgrade PPSH on Cons)
Tech to T3 when fuel allows, T34s...

Bulletins: Maxim accuracy buff, shocks accuracy buff, T34 armour buff

Trick is to be flexible with the maxims early game (especially due to Gren Riflenades and flanking flamer Pios), while flanking mgs and mortars with cons.
Upgrade to AT nades to slow down vehicles for AT guns to pick. Shocks to sweep up infantry.

A flamer halftrack would ruin your day however, so plant mines or get that AT Gun instead of shocks or health upgrade

I do conscript, maxim, mortar, then get 2-3 guards and upgrade with dp-28.

I know that some players have been going for a fast Penal Battalion in their opening builds. The idea is to keep them constantly fighting so they get vet quickly. Don't retreat the penals, just merge conscripts into them and retreat the conscripts when needed.

Penal + 2-3 conscripts are a good start.

Never retreat your penals, just reinforce them with conscripts and let them level fast.
Don't upgrade flamethrower neither. Just engage enemies at long range and behind cover.
Even if suppressed, try to flank with cons the MG42 instead of retreating the penals.

Finally, upgrade flamethrower when you see the firsts LMGs or G43s.

Later you can make another penal unit (I don't recommend it, because it requires a lot of micro to have them constantly merged) or go to doctrinal infantry before teching to T3-T4.

I know that some players have been going for a fast Penal Battalion in their opening builds. The idea is to keep them constantly fighting so they get vet quickly. Don't retreat the penals, just merge conscripts into them and retreat the conscripts when needed.

i will expand on this since its the opening i use.

send the engineers to cap the nearest point and retreat them as soon as they cap.

build 2 conscripts.

make t1

build 1 penal, observe if they get mg42 and make a scouc car acordingly, else make another penal.

you should have 2 conscripts and 2 penals with an optional scoutcar.

penals should be at the front allways they shred grenadiers, upgrade them with flamers, and only upgrade ATnades in your conscripts, the situations in wich you would use molotov are now handled by the flamer penals,

send your penals to cutoffs and make use of their high damage, keep them reinforced with merge and never reinforce them normaly, your penals are pretty much capping the points penals leave behind and reinforcing them.

later if you feel you have good micro, you can make a sniper or else make a 3rd conscript or another penal, it depends on if your enemy makes more infantry then your army would be 3 penals 2 conscripts, if he makes light vehicles then its 2 penals 3 conscripts for the at nade potential.

allways keep the presure on, and if they have mgs, remember your engineers with flamers, and flame on, burn the facist

on penals:

penals are better used at longer range, dont look at the flametrower as a weapon but instead as a tool, its a treanch clearer, an assault disencourageer, and a tool to finish off weakened enemies, penals are pretty much glass canons and should be used with care. in due time with trial an error you will lean in wich situations you can asault and wich situations you should just stand back and shoot from far.

Good stuff guys, thanks allot

And always take enemy equipment with penals, and then reinforce them with conscripts.

MG42, Pak or mortar crews with penal weapons are really great.

i will expand on this since its the opening i use.

send the engineers to cap the nearest point and retreat them as soon as they cap.

build 2 conscripts.

make t1

build 1 penal, observe if they get mg42 and make a scouc car acordingly, else make another penal.

you should have 2 conscripts and 2 penals with an optional scoutcar.

penals should be at the front allways they shred grenadiers, upgrade them with flamers, and only upgrade ATnades in your conscripts, the situations in wich you would use molotov are now handled by the flamer penals,

send your penals to cutoffs and make use of their high damage, keep them reinforced with merge and never reinforce them normaly, your penals are pretty much capping the points penals leave behind and reinforcing them.

later if you feel you have good micro, you can make a sniper or else make a 3rd conscript or another penal, it depends on if your enemy makes more infantry then your army would be 3 penals 2 conscripts, if he makes light vehicles then its 2 penals 3 conscripts for the at nade potential.

allways keep the presure on, and if they have mgs, remember your engineers with flamers, and flame on, burn the facist

on penals:

penals are better used at longer range, dont look at the flametrower as a weapon but instead as a tool, its a treanch clearer, an assault disencourageer, and a tool to finish off weakened enemies, penals are pretty much glass canons and should be used with care. in due time with trial an error you will lean in wich situations you can asault and wich situations you should just stand back and shoot from far.

I used this strategy last night and I lost, but not because of the strategy. I got careless with my T34s and I was playing on Minsk Pocket, not the most ideal map for this strategy (or for Soviets as a whole).

Nevertheless, this build is very powerful and should be able to deal with most things the germans throw at you. Thanks for posting this, I will use it in battles to come