Thank you! That was very helpful!
Saving majority of bid for allies
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I reckon it is hard to get better value than the sub in SZ98 and fighter in Scotland. If the Germans attack both UK fleets evenly, full scramble; you’ll kill a bunch of Luftwaffe. Generally, the Germans really need to let one of the fleets escape, and perhaps hit the Cruiser in SZ91.
How is your saved money going to get better value than that? I can’t see it.
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The fighter is a very good purchase for the bid but the sub in sz 98 is only good for Taranto raid which I am against doing unless it is very clear Germany is going USSR. Even then I still feel stacking sz 92 is the optimal play. I realize I am in the minority with that belief but I feel a failed Taranto is catastrophic and the costs of ensuring a victory require all of UK’s projecting power spent in the first round.
The one thing I really like about the fighter in Scotland is that it will usually cause the Germans to bring more than they are used to and this could possible cause them to outright win the battle instead of just strafing. Depending on their buy this can mess with their plans which is always a plus.
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Hmm. I was going to say that with the sub you can leave out the CV and still stack SZ92. Perhaps if the Italians don’t scramble and the Germans took Southern France such a strategy would be pretty risky. Also risky if the Germans buy 2 more bombers.
However, if your objection is Taranto going wrong, then you don’t want to do that. I don’t know, I kind of reckon that the allies have to take their chances in a few battles unless they have a monster bid, in which case they might go with a reinforce Yunnan strategy.
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If you don’t like ss 98, there’s always ss 110. You can use it to defend 110, or submerge it and use it on UK1, or move it to 92.
The best use of the bid will be something that either
- has an effect on G1 or J1 attacks and/or makes it necessary to forego one or more attacks.
- can be used offensively on R1 or UK1 or Anzac1.
So as discussed fig Scotland is a very strong bid. It makes it risky for Germany to go both 110/111 and it’s a critical additional attack unit on UK1. I wouldn’t want to pass up the (potentially cascading) advantage such a unit gives me for a unit I won’t get to place until UK1.
I prefer ss 98 to ss 110 because I’m usually going Taranto and more units are better–I want overkill in case of scramble and if there isn’t a scramble I want more fodder against an Italian counterattack. But there’s a good case for ss 110 as extra insurance that Germany will forego hitting 110/111 as too risky and as extra fodder for countering the Bismarck.
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Depending on the size of the bid, adding a fighter on Malta can also work and address your main concern of not having good enough odds against a scramble in SZ97. I guess I’m not that risk averse though.
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Fighter Scotland is better than saving, again it is something you planned on buying anyway so slap it down.
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Curse that fighter bid in Scotland. In so many battles it has managed to shoot down two German planes. That changes all of the math in subsequent battles throughout the game. Arghhhh!
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@Cow:
Fighter Scotland is better than saving, again it is something you planned on buying anyway so slap it down.
That is another point. You would buy it anyway. Then you can spend some money on troops in South Africa UK1, depending on what Germany does and how well it goes.
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I am wondering what everyone thinks about saving most of the bid the allies would receive instead of placing units on the board. Most games I have played lately start with a bid of 12-20. Lately I have found myself only spending 6 of that on a sub and then banking the rest for UK London. I really like the flexibility this provides since I have been able to use the money saved to buy factories in Persia and Egypt even earlier or make sea lion even harder if Germany is showing it.
As UK I usually do not play very aggressive on round 1 and avoid the Taranto raid. Most of the time I opt for stacking sz92 instead with an AB on Gibraltar. Then with the extra cash saved up use it to either fortify London or build factories in the ME basically a round early. So far the strategy has worked in a couple of games but I am wondering what everyone else thinks.
What are your thoughts on this? Do you think it goes against the spirit of the bid or is it fair game? Also, is it foolish to not use it on troops right away?
A lot of the games I’ve played in the bid rules don’t permit buying bases with it. Saving the bid to buy an air base is the same thing as buying it up front. The air base thing at Gibraltar is annoying. But if on G1 I bought 2 bombers I can usually call the UK’s bluff by bombing London and buying a small navy with a few transports. If the bombing raids succeed this causes a little panic.
Also, if all of the bid goes to the UK, a bid unit could go to Scotland and London to make up for less stuff placed there.
Anyways a bid is a house rule nonetheless so I guess players could agree to any use. Some people I’ve come across think the bid should be spent anyway you want, like 8 infantry (24 IPC) bid being slapped down on Paris! That would force Germany to forego one of the UK fleets and bring air into the G1 Paris battle.
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I should clarify n correct my past comments re how the bid is used in tournaments; In tournaments; you can only buy units with the bid. You cannot buy bases or factories (right away), and you cant save money.
However, at Gencon/Origins/Smorey Swamp TN, you can put all the units in one square. This apparently didn’t come up in the earlier tournament in 2016, but no-one there objected to putting the higher bids all in one square in 2017, which is not really a problem in most editions but it adds some choices when the bid is higher.
42.2 average bids 7-12 to Allies
G42 average bids 0 to either
Classic automatic bid of 9 to Axis
G40 no tourney bid that I know of but bids average 8-20 in leagueSince the bid is a house rule, you can apply it however you like. The bid should be a game changer. The bids that place a fighter into the German open or a sub (or 2) into Taranto change the game and change blowout battles into more equal contests.
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I should clarify n correct my past comments re how the bid is used in tournaments; In tournaments; you can only buy units with the bid. You cannot buy bases or factories (right away), and you cant save money.
However, at Gencon/Origins/Smorey Swamp TN, you can put all the units in one square.  This apparently didn’t come up in the earlier tournament in 2016, but no-one there objected to putting the higher bids all in one square in 2017, which is not really a problem in most editions but it adds some choices when the bid is higher.
42.2 average bids 7-12 to Allies
G42 average bids 0 to either
Classic automatic bid of 9 to Axis
G40 no tourney bid that I know of but bids average 8-20 in leagueSince the bid is a house rule, you can apply it however you like.  The bid should be a game changer.  The bids that place a fighter into the German open or a sub (or 2) into Taranto change the game and change blowout battles into more equal contests.
That is interesting that in tournaments you are not allowed to save money.
Like I said earlier, the main reason I like to save most of the bid has to do with the fact that the UK will know where it needs to focus its resources much better at the start of its second round compared to round 1. Although I will admit a sub for the Med and fighter on Scotland is very good value and tough to beat.
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