What can the Allies do to counter Axis IPC boost in AA50?

[Lynxes]

We’ve all seen how powerful the Axis gets when they get their NO bonuses in the '41 scenario. After five tough games against Perry, when Axis won four games out of five, I’ve arrived at the following tips for the Allies:

1. USA needn’t focus on Japan for the sake of doing so. If Japan is very aggressive and building up to invade Alaska or Western US, you will be forced to build up your defenses, but losing Hawaii, Australia and India isn’t fatal if you can deploy your forces elsewhere to good effect. Only once you really get threatened you need to step up and spend big on the Pacific front. Try to keep a West Coast fleet afloat, that means you at least stop the Japs from sending all their aircraft at the russians, but moving it forward is very risky at best. If the Japanese go all-out on naval production, you should ask yourself if matching it is wise since your IPCs are more valuable in Europe than trying to stop a Japanese juggernaut. Then just build a land shield in West US and watch the Japs weep for not being able to use their mighty navy…  :evil:
2. Italy is the first way to go, since it has very nice effects if they can be destroyed. You get Africa protected and you also help the Soviets a lot since Caucasus is shielded from amph invasions and also those nasty double attacks that can tear holes in the East front and leave it open for German tanks to storm forward to Moscow. Build heavy on transports and invasion troops and move them with enough protection in the form of carriers and cruisers to Algeria and into the Med. Don’t forget the followup, 2-4 transports should leave the East Coast loaded each turn.
3. A south African IC is nice for UK since then you can keep your IPC from dropping too low. An Indian or Australian IC shouldn’t be possible given adequate Japanese play, don’t even try it!
4. The scandinavia/ karelia invasion route is crucial in the beginning to stop Germany from keeping and building in that IC. In all the games that Germany could build in that IC, they totally dominated the Russians. Be ready to sacrifice ground troops as UK! Also as UK you need Norway and Finland to keep up your IPCs.
5. SBR isn’t optional, it’s required!! Germany can’t be allowed to build for 55 IPCs/turn since they will then have an air force of 4-5 bombers in no time and then Russia won’t have a production capability and you will also be very vulnerable to air attacks against your navy. USA should build 1-2 bomber/turn and also go for tech since chances of getting Heavy bombers are actually quite good. SBR production must of course be balanced by invasion forces and defenses vs. Japan. But bombers are also good to turn against the enemy, remember a bomber can just as well kill off Japanese tanks in West Canada or carriers at Hawaii or German Infantry in France or Italian ships in the med… You get the picture, buy bombers, its an order!  :-D
6. Get an IC on the continent such as Italy or build one in France. That is THE way to counter the Axis advantage of having a rampant Japan rolling forward. Once you get builds in that captured IC, you will very soon be winning the game!
7. Soviet play is hard and you need to not overcommit yourself. Destroy German infantry as much as possible and try to build up a tank force in reserve. Be ready to admit you can’t protect your ICs at all times but you really need to retake them ASAP. Karelia you need to have UK help probably. Losing Karelia is bad, but losing Caucasus is FATAL, just don’t do it if you can’t retake it immediately. As for the Japs, don’t worry, retreat your forces, if they get to Moscow your Allied so-called friends should be in Berlin already…

[Uncle_Joe]

Yay! Actual tips and suggestions rather than calls to change it already. :)

I agree with most of these as well. And its interesting that most of them are the ‘historical plays’. I would imagine that the game was designed to encourage historical strats while still allowing for the a-historical options.

About the only thing I would like to try and break out of your ideas is a Brit IC in India. I’m not sure if its viable or not yet. I think it depends on what Japan does on J1, but I imagine that they dont have the resources to prevent both an Aussie IC AND an Indian IC without slowing themselves down getting to their NOs.

Thanks for the ideas so far! :)

[Flying Tiger]

I don’t want a KGF strategy though. I want a global war like it really happened. Give me a game with the possibility that either side can win with a slight nod for the Allies. Maybe 60-40 for the Allies. In AAR we did KGF because Japan was weak enough, now we do it because Japan will kick your ass. I think that blows.

I appreciate the tips. All are good.

[Lynxes]

I agree it would be nice not to have to go KGF. Maybe that’s possible in the '42 scenario, where that India IC is a go since Japan has only one transport to start with.

Another idea I’ve been thinking about is to play for 12 VCs for the Axis. We would then have to reduce Axis IPCs, such as removing one each of the NOs from Japan and Germany and also adding 5 IPC to say one each of the US and Soviet NOs. Then you would have a shorter more intense game and also you would be very daring to avoid Japan since just Karelia will do if Japan takes India, Hawaii and Australia. This could be a variant of the game, “Axis tactical victory”.

[Black_Elk]

I find the heavy reliance on SBR a little discouraging. German and Russian production is already so low, and I’m also worried that SBR combined with a cost at 15, will just make new factories more trouble than they’re worth. I also don’t think the Russian NO is going to change the dynamic out of the White Sea, since a steady stack of UK troops up north, totally trumps the 5 ipcs you’d get with no troops in Archangel.

So much of it is going to come down to the bombers though, its hard to even think beyond them. You can’t pass up that kind of power projection for 12 ipcs… especially USA, which is so slow on the uptake, but really its a similar situation for everyone. The balance of power in the east seems precarious. My biggest concern right now, is that Germany and Russia will decide the game before the Western Allies can really get into the fight, making the early bombing results even more critical. I don’t know though, its still too soon to tell. We’ll have a much better feel for the pattern a couple months from now.

If the Allies end up needing a bid, maybe we should think about just giving the British some starting factories in India and Australia. That alone might be enough to draw down a real Pacific game, since USA would be much more likely to invest in their defense. The way things look right now, I don’t think an India IC is a particularly smart round 1 purchase for UK, so unless we give it to them for free (Colonial Garrison style) then we might not see it very often.

I’d much prefer a standard bid for a pre-placement factory in India, to a pre-placement bid of inf and tanks like you typically see in Revised. If it even works that is. Having the starting IC is sort of a double edged sword, since you’d have to defend it once its there, but at least it would encourage a more Pacific oriented style of play from the Allies.

[Funcioneta]

Better a Chinese bid. And big.

[crimhead]

@Flying:

I don’t want a KGF strategy though…

You missed the most important part:
@Lynxes:

2. Italy is the first way to go, since it has very nice effects if they can be destroyed…

KIF!

Yeah, Pacific warfare would be nice.  Maybe if the Japanese can get to India/Africa/Mediterranean so quickly while only seeding a couple transports at Hawaii, Australia, Mexico, Panama, Alaska, Western USA, we will find USA needs a small force - maybe mostly subs and planes - to slow Japan down.  That would be nice.  Who knows yet?  I suspect there’s a lot of play in this game.  I’m playing my third game tonight!!! :D :D :D

[Je_Gab_Fan]

Lynxes, you are so right, bombers are such a tremendous force now that they only cost 12.
with the new system you can seriously cripple an economy with 3 bombers.

And by experience, I think it is important to invest in the pacific as USA if the japanese go for a mitghy naval force. You gotta give them a decoy to go after, and maybe try to get it to China/India to keep the huge japanese navy busy.
It will be actually expensive but might save you from a japanese invasion.

but I disagree though about the Indian IC. I guess it’s important to prevent japan from becoming too strong. with the uk fighter in Africa and the russian tanks they might spare on turn 2-3, you can possibly keep it alive if the japanese player went with some conquests in China.