[GUIDE] How to Climb the Ranked Ladder A&A 1942 SE Online Beamdog

[Tahweh]

A&A 1942 SE – Common Novice Mistakes for Each Country – Strategy Guide
By Tahweh

The following are basic guidelines for climbing to high gold and low platinum in the Beamdog online version of Axis and Allies Spring 1942 Second Edition. As a player improves, details given below are sure to be adapted. Nevertheless, if the main goal of a player is to climb in rank and skill level, fixing the below holes in gameplay are a straightforward way to go about it. At a more advanced level, a player who understands the general rules/meta will be better equipped to break them. This guide is meant to be accessible for newcomers and beginners, but they would still do well to learn some of the jargon. I am hoping that his guide will help the player base improve, and decrease the number of games I see where the game is basically over within the first two rounds.

Overall allies strategy summary: Do KGF, which stands for “Kill Germany First.” This is the most straightforward way to win. Again, if you are a beginner and want to climb, save the other strategies for when you have more experience. Kill Japan First (KJF) has some serious potential for overcoming the axis advantage, but learning to climb with KGF first is still advisable. Finally, after you master the standard KGF and start to encounter better players, consider learning how to incorporate strategic bombing raids in your KGF strategy.

Overall axis strategy summary: Gang up on the Soviet Union with Japan and Germany. Most allies players will go for KGF, so you want to play a defensive game with Germany (you need to survive!), and a rapid expansionist game with Japan to the mainland, not the pacific.

Required reading: Don’s axis and allies essays – main point here is understanding the importance of infantry (http://donsessays.freeservers.com/)

Soviet Union:
Mistake #1: Buying anything except infantry and artillery – Your job is to put up a mass of bodies to slow the German and Japanese advance. Against a competent German player, inefficient buys such as tanks and fighters will cause your front line to collapse.

Mistake #2: Buying only infantry – It is easy to think that you must simply turtle and stack up a wall of infantry, but this is a mistake. Instead, what you need to understand is that your resupply lines (Moscow/Caucasus) are closer than the German resupply line (Berlin), so having artillery on hand to strike back at opportune times is critical. Impatient German players will stack right next to you, so having artillery gives your infantry mass the much needed THREAT of being able to wipe out anything next to it.

Artillery allows you to strafe more effectively, which means attacking in greater force with the intent to retreat to avoid a counter-attack - YOU MUST UNDERSTAND THIS MECHANIC AS USSR (https://www.axisandallies.org/forums/topic/19845/strafing/2)

Mistake #3: Putting stacks in positions to be wiped out – a clear example of this is on the Siberian front with Japan – avoid putting your 5-6 infantry on the coastline! It may be tempting to attack/defend Buryatia or soviet far east, but Japan can bombard and use its airpower to remove your entire stack, leaving you with nothing left to defend. In general, Japan will only lightly invest in this theater, but if they do push hard for Siberia, just fall back a space every turn.

As the USSR, become comfortable with trading land for time – time for your allies to help you. Round 1 always buy 4inf 3art, and attack Ukraine with everything in range including the tanks and planes. Use all other units to attack West Russia, and then during non combat land planes in caucuses and move your anti-aircraft guns to West Russia. In non-combat, send all eastern units to the west, with the exception of one infantry in Buryatia and one infantry to support the US fighter in China.

(In the future, you can consider doing a STRAFE on Ukraine if you manage to kill key units there (bomber) and want to keep your heavy hitting mobile tanks. Also, the occasional luxury buy on USSR later on (tank and maybe even third fighter) can be very powerful in certain situations.)

Germany:
Mistake #1: Losing tanks and fighters – As Germany you should only risk your tanks when you have a massive stack of infantry to back you up. If you lose your fighters needlessly, the allies will not be forced to buy an expensive navy. Air power is valuable because of the THREAT (+flexibility) it provides, not necessarily the follow-through of that threat. You cannot afford to be left without an air force (to guard your coastline and trade territories) or tanks (to support the infantry mass you should be producing).

Mistake #2: Buying anything except infantry and artillery early! This is the same idea as the Soviet Union section. The front is bloody and filled with casualties, and you need infantry to soak those casualties. Look at the starting board for Germany, you already have a mass of tanks and airplanes – you do not need more firepower early, only sponges to soak hits to prevent the first mistake. Your approximate ratio of inf/art can be around 3 to 1 after the first two turns, but this can be more or less depending on what fits your max IPC buy. Later on, create a “wave” by purchasing a few tanks to catch up with your infantry and eventually crash into the Russian front (with planes being the tail end of the wave). Versus a hard KGF, stick to almost all infantry, and let Japan put most of the pressure on Moscow.

Mistake #3: Over-investing in Africa or a navy. If you are beginner, I will just say never buy ships on Germany period. As far as Africa, play with the units you have (send over mainland units with the transport round 1), but after your transport is destroyed, just let Africa fall and focus on defending your capital and marching infantry towards Moscow.

Just keep it simple and buy 11inf 2art round 1. Send everything in range to hit sz7 (you can spare 1 sub for the other UK destroyer if you prefer). Land your fighters in Finland or northwest Europe. Attack trans-jordan with inf/art from Italy and battleship to clear destroyer. Do not get your large stacks within striking range of the Russian inf/art stack until your units have enough defensive power. This should avoid some of the danger caused by a USSR player who knows how to hit back (i.e. calculated strafes and trades). In general, the game plan (more so in KJF where you need to force the win with Germany) is to stack Karelia round 2, Belorussia round 3, Ukraine round 4, West Russia round 5, Caucasus round 6-7, and capture Moscow round 8-10. Consider SLOWLY growing your air power after G2 as you spam out inf/art. The switch to tanks may come later than you would like, as you will usually always need infantry back in Berlin to defend. Versus a KGF, be patient and let Japan win the game for you. Your win main KGF win condition is keeping allies stuck in the Nordics by stacking Karelia with infantry and preventing allies from safely stacking France or NW Europe

United Kingdom:
Mistake #1: Focusing on the wrong part of the map. Stop building factories and buying planes for India. Understand that India will likely fall to Japan turn 3-6, depending on how much your opponent wants it. (Note: India is a sideshow compared to Moscow, and better axis players will not go all in for it. That being said, intermediate Japan players love the India grab, and it may be wise to learn the timings to properly defend India, as allies can theoretically hold it much longer. UK planes plus Russian inf, tanks, and/or planes can save India.) You can mix in some tank/art with infantry buys in India, but in general only lash out there if Japan completely ignores it. At the same time, you need to invest enough to make sure Japan cannot easily take India. If Germany is building ships and transports to take Africa, let them, it is their loss, as USA/UK can easily recapture Africa later. As the allies, you should be thankful when you see Germany building anything but all infantry and artillery. Build a navy to ferry units to Finland in conjunction with the USA. Look up shuck-shuck strategy. (https://www.axisandallies.org/forums/topic/29805/noob-questions-on-kgf-shuck-shuck/3)

Mistake #2: Losing a massive stack of transports. You cannot afford to lose track of how big Germany’s air force is compared to your navy. You should not only be even, but slightly ahead, as you may face a desperation attack and do not want the fate of the game determined on one dice battle. Use some destroyers as fodder, but the bulk of your navy should be carriers and fighters, with the US supplying the most. Do not be afraid to buy all ships/planes one round (usually a sin to spend on ships) if you realize you messed up and an impending Germany suicide run is coming. Any US ship reinforcements take longer to arrive.

Mistake #3: Not helping USSR when you can. This is hard to give details on, but if you have a few units nearby and an important battle is coming in Caucuses or Moscow, send them. This is very applicable for fighters. Some who criticize the balance of this game and other versions say that it is all a game of “how many fighters can I send to Moscow.” Understand this idea and the fact that keeping Moscow alive is a top objective, right up there with crushing Germany.

Buy 3 infantry for India one carrier + destroyer for sz7. If you calculate this is too risky, buy 1-2 fighters for UK instead and save the rest (send original fighters to West Russia or Iceland -> Moscow). Take out the German transport to prevent Operation Sealion. Turn one you need to destroy the Japanese transport. Send aircraft carrier + fighter/cruiser/both. Do not do the risk navy attack at sea zone 37, especially since we are not doing KJF. Turn two you create navy if you could not turn 1.

Japan:
Mistake #1: Not doing pearl harbor. The full pearl harbor attack is when you send everything in range and take low defending units as casualties. A better option for this game version is known as pearl harbor light. Send the fighter and bomber from mainland, sub, cruiser, and fighter on the nearest carrier (1 sub 1 Cru 2 fig 1 bom). For casualties, take the fighter with the least amount of fuel left, as you will be losing that one regardless. For all other casualties take ships. Do not put your aircraft carrier on the combat zone. KJF (kill Japan first) is becoming more mapped out by players, so in the future learning to defend against it will be important. Not doing pearl harbor light encourages a strong KJF.

Mistake #2: Over focusing on Siberia. Just take the free territories and focus on the China route to Russia or taking India. I will leave out the debate on whether to run the quick India focus strategy or not, as it depends on how heavily the UK invests in India. If the USSR makes the mistake I mentioned of attacking a coastal territory, then crush them in one swift blow and enjoy your tank blitz through the Russian countryside.

Mistake #3: Buying ships and losing fighters. Do not buy ships unless the US clearly signals it is going KJF. In this case buy 2-4 submarines and reposition a few planes to create a deadzone in the sea. Learn what a deadzone is if you do not know already – this is a key concept for land as well. (http://donsessays.freeservers.com/deadzone.htm) Remember, the seazones closest to japan offer far more mobility, so if you did pearl harbor light the you should be able to stay ahead in the pacific. On Japan, your airforce serves as a force multiplier for your long supply lines and spread out ground forces. Axis powers especially cannot afford to needlessly lose fighters.

Buy 2 transports, 1 destroyer, and 2 artillery. This is a safe buy, and your goal is to solidify your position against crazy openers that weaker opponents often try against Japan. Build up to 4 transports as soon as possible. Your goal every turn is to seamlessly ferry 8 units (mostly inf plus some art) to Yunnan. On round 3, only when you are certainly facing a KGF, you should buy a Manchuria factory. Round 4 you can buy a 5th transport to sail around with some extra warships to take Australia/NZ and Hawaii. Round 6, if everything is going well you can buy another factory in Kwangtung. This will allow you to output maximum units at the Russian front. Eventually, you will have the power to stack Kazahk and then Caucasus. From there you build 4 artillery per turn in Caucasus until you can take Moscow.

United States:
Mistake #1: Not doing shuck-shuck. Look up what this strategy is. Ignore the pacific and spend all points to safely ferry infantry over to Finland to support USSR. Any fleet (plus transport w/ two infantry from west USA) that survives japan pearl harbor should be transferred over to the Atlantic. Watch out for a sneaky west USA attack. Losing Alaska is not a big deal – just buy some infantry to secure west USA, as east Canada will be walled off from the units funneling into shuck-shuck.

Mistake #2: Same as England – take enough precautions to defend your transports. The TUV (total unit value) trade for Germany goes through the roof when you lose 8+ transports even if Germany loses most of its air force. You cannot afford for Germany to buy that much time for itself.

Mistake #3: Not helping Russia when you can. See UK tip #3.

Standard round 1 buy is 1 carrier, 1 destroyer, 2 transports, and 2 inf. For future buys, make sure your infantry to transport ratio is on point – don’t have infantry sitting around waiting for transports or transports waiting for infantry. You can consider keeping your navel units in the pacific and even buying a very small amount of ships if you notice Japan is getting away with spending nothing to guard their shores. This will only work at lower levels, but making Japan waste money on ships is less money funneled at USSR.

All Nations:
Mistake #1: Buying factories – rarely buy a factory on any nation. Most factory purchases are extremely inefficient. Only buy factories when there are production limitations with Japan in a KGF.

Mistake #2: Buying battleships or cruisers. If you are building a navy in the first place you better be the UK or US (once and a while japan), assuming you followed previous tips. Cruisers and battleships are hopelessly outclassed by destroyers and carriers + fighters. Do not ever buy cruisers or battleships unless you are trolling or have a rare production limit problem.

Mistake #3: Fix and be aware of your defense profiles. You need one profile that is defend territory at all costs, which does not prioritize based on unit value but rather defensive value. You switch to this before a game changing battle happens such as a Moscow invasion. Your other standard profile can be close to default with anti-aircraft taken as first casualty and cruiser taken before fighter (I recommend taking aircraft carrier before fighter in many cases). This profile needs a clone of it which is different in one way – submarines submerge. Change to submerge profile as the first thing you do on axis and make sure you do not submerge as allies. These three profiles are good enough for most players.

Mistake #4: Not understanding the impact of the turn order. Be aware that post Germany’s turn, the allies can deliver a triple punch with UK-US-USSR, and against Japan US-USSR-UK. This is also a factor on the Axis, for example after USSR moves, Germany can take new territory and then have Japanese fighters land on the territory for support. Related to this, make sure you know about the can-opener technique, which can cause tanks to blitz to areas you thought were guarded. (https://www.axisandallies.org/forums/topic/24454/blitz-units-can-openers-and-turn-order/6)

Mistake #5: Not using 3rd party statistical tools. Calculate important battles ahead of time, and start to define what probability ranges you are comfortable with. When players talk about what they “offer” on something, they are referring to the percentages calculated from a tool such as this one: http://calc.axisandallies.org/

The end
Thank you for reading. Feel free to critique this guide. My in-game name and steam name is Tahweh (#1223), and I finished top 100 platinum with axis and allies in season 1. During season 2 I was excited to earn a spot on the top ten leaderboard as allies, but did not hold it for very long. More accurate was the best rank where both factions hovered, which was top 20.

Join player discord: https://discord.gg/wZ8TY7J
Here you will find truly elite players (top ten on the plat ranked ladder) with great advice

Add me as a friend on steam – maybe get a game sometime: 1022181865

[Panther]

@Tahweh
Welcome to the forum :slightly_smiling_face:

I have moved your topic to the appropriate category, as you posted in the category dedicated to the boardgame.

You will notice that we have a dedicated forum for the online game.

[Tahweh]

Thanks for fixing that.

[DoManMacgee]

@Tahweh While your tips are generally helpful as a fellow top 200 plat player (got into top 70 as Allies at one point, but I haven’t been playing much lately due to life commitments) I’d give the following caveats:

1. USSR can afford to build a Tank or two. The ability to move two spaces instead of one is sometimes vital for transferring forces from one part of the front to another.

2. Absolute buys should not be suggested. There are multiple openers for each country that compliment different overall strategies. However, I can also see that you’re tailoring this guide towards beginners, so a basic, low-risk KGF/Russia Crush strategy is probably best for just starting out.

3. Germany needs to buy Tanks to make up for the longer “supply line” (as you called it) between Berlin and the Eastern Front Vs. the Soviets’. Of course, you don’t do anything silly like buying all Tanks, but 1-3 Tanks each turn while you’re ahead is recommended, unless you’ve scouted that the Allies are going for a KGF and you don’t see yourself breaking Moscow anytime soon.

4. India falling should not be accepted as a given. It’s a likely outcome, but if you go in with a defeatist mindset that India will fall, then you’re also effectively conceding the game, as once Japan takes India their IPC income usually hits critical mass. India should be fought for tooth and nail so that, once it finally falls, Germany will be near-defeat anyway.

5. Pearl Harbor is not something you should do in 100% of your games. Over-committing to it means you’re not making progress in Asia fast enough and under-committing means whatever is still in the Sea Zone gets counter-attacked A1. Whether Japan does Pearl Harbor or not should depend on what the UK does B1. If UK is committing heavily to India you should ignore Pearl Harbor and focus on Southeast Asia before UK builds momentum there.

6. The build you recommend is valid, but building 1-2 Factories in Manchuria/FIC is also valid. Capturing Moscow before Berlin falls to the Allies is the goal of the game, and you need to accomplish it as quickly/safely as possible based on what the Allies are doing. If the Allies are fortifying Asia, you need to take your time and build INF, but if they’re leaving Asia totally bare, then start building Tanks and make for Moscow as fast as you can.

7. Ignoring Japan in the Pacific lets them turn into an IPC monster extremely quickly. Some naval presence in the Pacific is recommended. You don’t need to contest the Pacific, you just need to force Japan to actually spend some of their IPCs on Surface Vessels so they’re not flinging 45+ IPCs towards India/Moscow every turn.

8. Japan can buy 1-2 factories a game. However I wouldn’t recommend that a beginner try doing such a strategy.

9. Great article otherwise. Avoiding these common pitfalls + learning the optimal opening(s) for each country are the two biggest hurdles to “stop being bad” at Axis & Allies. The road to “getting good” involves learning how to play out the long game and not panic when individual battles go badly.

[Tahweh]

@DoManMacgee Really great reply thank you. This guide is definitely a work in progress so I will look at making some edits. I will say though, for beginners it is hard to imagine a scenario where they should not just go ahead and do pearl harbor light. If the US fleet is left alone and the British get a bunch of fighters and potentially some sort of navy near India things can go south very quickly.

[DoManMacgee]

@Tahweh That’s why I conditioned all of my comments with something along the line of “this makes sense when addressing a beginner BUT…”. The game gives you a little leeway to venture outside of the normal opening moves, but if you don’t have a solid plan when you’re going off the reservation things are gonna blow up in your face.

The most common one I see is Germany going for Sealion. It’s a somewhat viable strategy to build an Aircraft Carrier G1, but you have to leave it at that and maybe buy 1 Destroyer a turn to defend yourself against the UK/US or at least delay the inevitable.

In the lower ranks I saw people plopping down 2 Carriers G1 and then following it up with additional heavy navy buys G2-G3. Meanwhile as USSR I scouted this, started building Tanks, and was in Poland/Balkans by R3 while Germany was still trading losses with my UK fleet and being unable to actually invade London. There’s trying something different and then there’s going way overboard, which I think is why a guide like the one you made is a really good baseline for newer players to work with.

EDIT: Cleaned up formatting a bit.

[Tahweh]

@DoManMacgee yeah definitely, I am hoping that the guide will form some sort of script for players to at least be aware of. As you said many of the “other” ideas do not work without the proper knowledge and follow-through.

[Spectacular_Vernacular]

A very good article for beginners. This is certainly a must read for anyone trying to make their way out of Wood, Bronze, Silver, and even Gold. I will personally be changing my Japan strategy to the Pearl Harbor Light, as recommended.

I’m looking forward to more articles, and more skill from you :)

[Allen Montgomery]

These tips were great for little tweaks to my strategy and are appreciated!

[Imperious Leader]

Why cant ladder system be set up for 4-5 players? What’s this 2 player garbage? 2 player is nothing but a game for control freaks. The beauty is to watch how others win with you using different methods that you never though possible and the creativity found in another interpretation of play style. If you want 2 players , you might as well play yourself because your learning from only ONE other person.

[DoManMacgee]

@Imperious-Leader It’s ranked, thus the 1-on-1 requirement. In a team game if my partners suck and I lose because of it then why should I be penalized with a loss on my record?

That being said, a separate ladder for team games would be a nice addition to what’s already in place. Ideally you’d be required to form a pre-made team with you and 1 (Axis) or 2 (Allies) friends to participate so you’re not stuck with random teammates.

[Imperious Leader]

Its ranked and what? So you lose and everybody loses…and? Everyone get a 0-1. They win and all go 1-0. The Lakers win and go 1-0. They lose and all go 0-1…and?

Over time you accumulate wins and loses …yea its ranked and other people may suck or not. Just like any other team sports. The game isn’t 1 v 1, it never was.

[DoManMacgee]

@Imperious-Leader Because team sports are crap. If I wanted to play a team sport I’d go play a sport. I value proving that I’m good at A&A without other people backing me up, hence playing 1v1.

Also, the rulebook for every A&A edition provides player assignments for 2-X players, where X is the total number of countries in the game. So the game is designed just as much for 2 players, 1v1 as it is for 3v2, 5v3, or however many people you can get to sit in your living room for 6+ hours.

[Imperious Leader]

The game does not account in the rule book for more than 5 players so your statement is without merit. The game may allow 1v1 but it is also a simulation and most of the tests to demonstrate how well a player performs will be when he can successfully navigate the strengths and failures of each of the the different players including ones on the other side. The diversity of such trappings allows for a greater sense of this skill, whereas an easier choice and lesser ability is evident when fewer players are involved. Therefore, it is a much more difficult and compounded task awaits players where their skill is put to the test with as many players as the game allows.
In the real war, this same mechanism awaited the very combatants as they had to interpret how to fight a war with many different personalities running countries and that same problem is totally absent when 2 men run every country on Earth. I know it’s difficult to appreciate this ‘problem’ but it is the best problem to have!

[DoManMacgee]

@Imperious-Leader No A&A games exist that allow for more than 5 players? That’s a new one.

A&A has so many factors that make it unrealistic that claiming that it’s a “simulation” and using that as a jumping-off point to claim that you should need to play with more players to “navigate their strengths and weaknesses” is a complete joke. This a strategic-level wargame, and it barely classifies as a wargame at that.

IRL if you play with multiple players in some kind of tournament setting, the good players are going to dictate to the lesser players. I would not trust myself to make any decisions if I were on the same team as people who are actually good at this game (like Black Elk, Cow, etc.) and similarly, I would not trust the weaker players who post their games on youtube to make any major decisions in a game where I was on their team. In either scenario, my success or failure would be entirely anchored to the people I’m on a team with, rather than my own actual skill level.

tl;dr if I wanted to experience the puzzle of a real war I’d go play GW36 lol.

[Imperious Leader]

@DoManMacgee said in [GUIDE] How to Climb the Ranked Ladder A&A 1942 SE Online Beamdog:

IRL if you play with multiple players in some kind of tournament setting, the good players are going to dictate to the lesser players.

Not necessarily true, lessor players have no idea who a “better” player would be unless they watched their games and this kibitzing feature is not possible on 42 online. You can always send messages, but nobody has to follow. And Psychology of how you approach other players is one of the traits that was part of the real war. AA being unrealistic has zero to do with it being a simulation. It is a simulation, albeit unrealistic but painting the broadstrokes of History. It is not an abstract game.
I would not want to play 2 player Monopoly or 2 player Risk because you lose everything in terms of a multi dimensional-- dynamic game. You learn alot more when you deal with more players who have their own way of playing and in turn you need to be flexible enough to interpret what they are doing.

So according to you its not a simulation but a ‘Wargame’ which means what? A wargame is a simulation.You mean they make abstract Wargames? I think your being disingenuous to say the least.

So you play 1vs.1. You beat a lessor player or lose to a better player. It’s the same as playing 4-5! You lose to USUALLY a dominant player who brings his team to a win, or vice versa. But playing 1 v 1 only gives you one player to learn from or a shallow win against that one other player. Also, note that conventions with FTF Tournaments ALWAYS HAVE TEAMS, so control freaks will have to learn to get along with others and learn compatibility in different approaches to the game. In these we play as a team, where all decisions are made together, but deference is granted to the controlling player. If you fail too many times in a team setting, the weakest player is YOU.

Now that you don’t buy AA as a simulation, playing 3-6 nations as one “robot” with perfectly syncopated parts in unison is even less than a simulation as you protest it is. I think the problem is you don’t play many games except with one other guy who lives nearby, if a bunch of people lived near you, you would enjoy such games more.

The Historical aspect of playing a game based on History 1940-45 is replete with examples of at times divergent and competing strategies of leaders fighting together! AA is a Historical based game and a wargame ( light) and you lose alot of what the game can be if you avoid multiplayer games.

[Tahweh]

This is really off topic

[Imperious Leader]

yea sorry it is. ok enough

[DoManMacgee]

Agreed that we’re way off topic and should stop. I already agree with @Imperious-Leader that 2v3 should be its own unique ladder. I just disagree with the idea that it should outright replace the 1v1 ladder so we’ll just leave it at that.

[Imperious Leader]

How bout we agree that the ladder should have a multiplayer division. Like in Tennis–singles and doubles…