Hi,
I have recently started playing this game but used to play the older version and the board games years ago. My first few games I found that axis seemed to have quite the advantage. However now I have played some more I’m finding it harder and harder to get anywhere with axis. I overpower Russia early as expected with Germany but even when I attack Russia with a huge advantage the dice rolls seem to screw me over. Now if I lose that battle (100ipc+ to 50ipc was the last) I can’t seem to rebuild another attack because of the pressure on France. I have the same trouble with Japan attacking India. When playing as allies I can easily defend India while still adding pressure in Europe.
Is anyone else finding this problem and any solutions? Should I ignore India more and let Britain game a little ground there while helping to quickly take Russia?
Every game seems to go the same way where if I fail to win the key battle (dice rolls don’t help) the game is pretty much done.
Thanks for the help
Jofes
@Jofes From what I’ve read and the games I’ve played, the axis initially have the advantage at the beginning, at least in terms of manpower and the setup of the board. If they can capitalize on that, they have a very good chance of winning. But they also can not afford to have very many bad dice rolls, especially in key battles. I have had the same problems in Russia. The allies start with more income, so if they can hold of the axis long enough, and make wise purchases, the advantage goes to them.
Use a battle Calc before committing to big fights. You can find one on this site at http://calc.axisandallies.org/
That being said, I’ve been burned tons of times by AAO’s RNG. I lost a 98% chance to win battle for Moscow the other day, having to retreat after the defenders basically got 100% of their units to hit me.
Hi,
Okay well at least it’s not something i’m doing completely wrong! Interesting about the calculator though I didn’t know that was available. What about India do you try and take it usually? I feel like just adding the industry to Manchuria can’t get you units quick enough even when adding 3 tanks per round for extra movement. I tried adding a second industry in Thailand quite early but didn’t have the IPC to threaten them and ended up losing it to the Brits haha.
Thanks again
Jofes
@Jofes Usually the three cities I go for are Leningrad, Moscow, and Calcutta (India). If you’re having a hard time in India or Russia, Honolulu is another option, but I find it hard to hold. I’ve never really tried to take London, but if you can take it early, that’s definitely a game winner. Sometimes India can be hard to take, especially the longer it takes. Maybe try the Thailand factory first, as long as you can hold it. Another option could be an island, like the Philippines, Borneo, and East Indies. You just have to have transports and a large enough navy to keep the enemy fleets at bay. A Manchurian factory is nice because you can get three units instead of two, but it takes two turns to get there by sea, and just tanks going by land take three turns to attack. When you attack India, no matter what you do, some units will definitely have to come by sea. But they can come from Japan in the same time it takes from Manchuria via boats, so Thailand factory first might be your best option.
@Jofes Well first of all, winning as Axis is not supposed to be easy. If it was easy, it would not be a fair game.
If you are consistently losing big battles, you need to take a hard look at your battle decision making. Maybe the odds are not as in your favor as you thought. But if you are always getting terrible luck with big stack battles, yes, there is often no recovery there, as the battle can be game deciding.
With Germany, against a good Allied player, you probably have to risk having France taken in order to make the final push to take Russia. You often will not have the resources to hold France and take Russia. Retake France after Russia falls.
With India, there are so many factors. If UK gets lucky with the big SZ37 battle, it can be really hard to take India any time soon, especially if USA harasses Japan effectively. The big SZ37 battle is actually a reason I am getting tired of this game. It’s a very iffy battle that can go either way and can decide the game. But not everyone does this.
With Japan, try not building any early IC at all. While you can build 8 units per turn, use Japan only. This is faster and more efficient. So build up to having 3-4 transports and ferry troops over. If USA leaves you alone, 4 is ideal, possibly 5 if you want to make excursions to Australia, etc. If UK and USA are both hounding you, 3 transports is max, as you will be building ships and planes too. You will not take India if UK and USA both gang up on you, just rely on Germany to win at that point. In a KJF, you are playing defense, protecting your money islands, ferrying minimal troops to take Russian territory slowly and keep India at bay.
Try the Steam version of this game, not sure if you are playing it. Lots of players, and you can get experience quickly. Just play the Allies and watch what good Axis players do against you.
@Dimitri Do you have Germany try to take India usually? If not, what is your usual third victory city?
@J-o-C Yes, in a KJF, Germany takes Russia and then takes over the continent easily. Or it doesn’t and I lose!
If I am the allies, I usually try to keep equal pressure on both sides, so neither can get out of control. Unless one side is doing especially good or something. Or if one side is doing worse, I focus on the other more.
@J-o-C I agree that pressure on both sides is needed to some degree. Whenever Japan is left alone completely, I feel it always goes poorly for Allies.
@Dimitri Hi,
That’s a good idea I might try going without the quick industry as I always build it in turn one so it slows down the early push. I agree about SZ37, there’s a couple other points such as Ukraine and the British starting fleet. If you get crazy dice rolls in these areas the game is pretty much done. I just forfeited a game as allies in turn 1 when the Germans wiped out my Russian attacks with just losing a couple infantry. Russia would fall by round 3 it’s not worth putting the time in. Great game overall but few things need adjusting I feel.
I would say that it would be a good idea to relax on India, go for Africa as a more aggressive campaign and leave India to the IJN. Build a decent sized German Navy by turn 3 or else the rest of your game will be defensive. The navy will help you keep pressure away from France, and can even open up possibilities to a small South Pacific campaign.
@Panzerboy0191 I think against a good Allied player, a German navy is a bad idea, and a trap. Allies will build planes and ships anyway to work with transports in the Atlantic, and then Germany is forced into an arms race it cannot win, all the while it has few troops to fight USSR with, resulting in USSR pressing into German territories. Whatever gains Germany might make in Africa, it will give up to USSR in Europe.
In my view, the best German navy, in terms of dealing with an Allied navy, is made of pure planes, where it can be used to deal with USSR at the same time as deterring weak Allied naval efforts.
Subs and Planes. Subs absorb losses as fodder. Its the best solution to keep UK from building anything and to keep USA from landing troops
