@ckladman Yes, the game tends to favor the allies without objectives, and the axis with. To balance, you could trying giving a bid (additional starting units) to the side that is at a disadvantage, or play with objectives but reduce the payout. (3 ipcs vs 5.)
Need Help w/ 1941 Germany Please!
-
Hi everyone - I’m new here, need some help from the experts :-)
I play a semi-regular game with a couple of my friends. I usually like to be Axis due to its fast starting pace and dynamic nature. But I can’t seem to win, no matter what I do. Let me take you through my typical first couple rounds and if you would be kind enough, let me know what I’m doing wrong?
My R1 purchase is 1 Bom, 6 Inf. Attack Baltic with transported Inf & Art, Bombardment, Inf from Poland, and a fighter or two, depending. Attack British BB & Trans. with 2 subs and Norw fig. Attack lone dest. with baltic sub and nw euro fig. Attack e. pol. with remaining polish forces and attack Ukraine with Bulg. troops. Finally, I bombard the Brit. fact. with my one bomber (I’m thinking I should be bombarding Russia with that instead?) I don’t attack Egypt because I rarely manage to take it due to that fighter, prefering to take it on the 2nd or 3rd round with Germany after Italy has softened it up really good (is that too late? and is the game designed for Italy to take africa, coming into its own as a country?)
As non-coms i reinforce my forward divisions with the remaining 2 tanks and an infantry from berlin, and I move another berlin infantry into france. i try to land at least 2 fighters in paris at this time as well, both for defensive and possible offensive purposes. my Med. trnsp. takes the armor and infantry in france and algeria respectively to libya.
Rd. 2 I buy max. armor and a bomber, and rd. 3 I usually have to buy a mix of inf. and art, the armor of which is to rendezvous with Rd.1’s infantry in the east, Rd.3’s purchase to go there also, if circumstances permit. All the while, I keep a general program of maintaining my front line in the east without going in too deep, and keeping an eye on the british fleet in the n. atlantic while bombing britain’s factory to slow them down. This is what always ends up happening:
Britain rebuilds naval behemoth in n. atlantic and is ready for a 4-transp. minimum invasion SOMEWHERE with reinforcements by Rd.3, and my eastern division(s) are staring down a stack of around 17 russian inf., accompanied by the same number of tanks and artillery that i have. I start moving backward because of this stack in time to get sandwiched in berlin by all allies. I usually have 14-20 damage counters under my berlin factory too, since there are 4-6 combined brit and us bombers in UK (they are buying 1 each round minimum, sometimes US buys more), making it difficult to churn out enough units to keep up with the incoming attacks. if i’m lucky i’ll shoot down 2 bombers the whole game (i’m a shitty dice thrower for this game - great at rolling 6’s!)
At about this time, Japan is JUST BARELY a turn or two from Moscow, but with a minimal force, easily defended. Caucasus usually falls to my Italians, but it is too little, too late.
My main problem is that by Rd.2 or 3, russia has consolidated and there is more infantry than i can shake a rifle at, and additionally, i can’t do anything about britain’s naval supremacy, all while getting downright TROUNCED economically by combined brit/us bombers.
There are 1941 German strategy pages in the topics section and i’ve been reading those, so i understand if you don’t follow up with a whole treatise. But can some of you fine ladies and gentlemen give me some tips and expose the holes in my strategy? I’m starting to think winning with Axis is impossible if Allies make little to no mistakes, but that can’t be right.
By the way, we always play with no economic advantage rules.
Thanks in advance!
-
I’ve only played A&A 50 several times and the Axis have won all the time. Here are some suggestions. Stop dividing your forces between the British and the Russians! Try going all out against the Russians with everything you have. Buy tanks galore and use Italy to take Africa and mabye take the Atlantic. Japan should be putting the pressure on Russia too, and should also at the same time cause the US to divert resources from the European theater. A good way to do this is invade Alaska and put an industrial complex on it. That will get the US’s attention. Good luck!
-
Ill tell you what i do most of the time when i play germany, on my first turn i buy 1 destroyer (to make sure your fleet in SZ5 wont be destroyed by a joint attack of a boat and planes from UK) other then that a mix of inf arty and tanks,
i always make sure to capture egypt on turn 1 since it gives 1 more national obj to Italy (and remove 1 UK NO as well 8-) )
I use my bomber from Germany, and with the transport from SZ13 i get a tank + inf from france , the units from lybya and with that amount of unit i menage to capture it on first turn,
I also attack de BattleShip and Transport on SZ 2 with my Subs, i usualy wins with the surprise attack advantage.
I also use my transport in SZ5 to move 1inf+1arty from germany to baltics (later to leningrad) and i send in 2 inf, 2 tank and a fighter as well
I send in 2 inf 1 arty 1 fighter and2 tanks on east poland
I send in 2 inf 1 arty 1 fighter and2 tanks on Ukraine
and u still have a fighter to either defend (france…etc), help on any territories on offense i mentioned up there (the one you feel the more necessary)
In non combat moves i do move an inf from norway to finland to make sure i cap leningrad the turn after with all possible aircraft, coastal bombardement from the cruiser, land forces from finland and baltics, + units from Germany (throught navan transports)
doing this gives you (if you play with N.O.s) 47 IPCs at the end of Germany’s turn…
PS:excuse my english mistakes :oops: :mrgreen: -
General Neems-
Our experience is the same as yours. British can attack turn 3 with 3-4 transports worth, US has shifted all force to the Atlantic and can attack turn 3 with 2-4 full transports (typically, into Morocco, which then threatens France or Italy on Turn 4), Russians build at least as fast as the Germans so Germans are stalemated in the east by turn 4.Japan can grow by leaps and bounds, but to no effect. Having an income of 60, owning China, India, and perhaps even Australia allows them to build in Japan, perhaps Manchuria or Vietnam (3 turns away from the front lines). All to take 3 turns to land on the east coast of Africa. In 3 turns (turn 7), the game has been long over.
In other words, we don’t see how the Axis has a chance.
Steve
-
General Neems, I havent played much games so far, but here’s a thought that I do rely on.
You say yourself, it is too little, too late. There’s a few japan peeps at Moscow’s door, but just not enough to crack it down.
And then Berlin falls, because you have been investing all your stuff in Russia, and the poor germans all got killed on the looooooooong way to Moscow.So, two obstacles, you need more units at Moscow, and you need more time.
Shift your german attention. Buy time by being a total pain in the Allied ass. If UK is able to land troops with a decent amount in rd 3, then you did something wrong in the Atlantic, and UK is having way too much money.
Forget Rusia (well…not completely, but face it…it’s a looooooong road for the germans, and a painful one, even if they have to keep the ATlantik wall up at the same time). That oughta get rid of one obstacle: Time.Now, the lack of units. That’s Japan’s cup of tea. No matter what you do, it will take you 6 rounds before Japan is at Moscow’s door. In those 6 turns you should have taken all of the Pacific, and made UK look like a crying baby. If USA is being a dick and is playing in the Pacific, even better. Soak his IPC’s up, as you slowly creep up Moscow. By turn 6 you should be doing over 60 ipc at least. Don’t tell me that you can’t buy any tanks for that…or bombers…
It’s a long game, but a fun one, with IMO the most succes for the Axis, instead of just racing to MOscow with Germany.
-
Germany really needs to take Egypt on the first turn, both to keep UK from collecting 7 IPCs at the end of his turn and to assist Italy in collecting 21 IPCs on his first turn. (Assuming Germany takes Egypt, Italy can collect 21 IPCs if he captures Trans-Jordan.)
Italy is your friend. Help him out a bit at the beginning, and he’ll help you out in the end.
-
Build: 5 inf. 5 art. tank/research
Combat Move: Subs in the Bay of Biscay+Air support from Germany take out British Battleship and transport. Ignore Baltic States and instead focus on Ukraine and East Poland, with all 6 tanks in East Poland. In Africa, if you are playing NOs, Attack Egypt, if not, just strengthen your position in Africa.
Non-Combat: Reinforce Norway or Finland, move some troops from Germany to France/Poland/Northwest Europe.
Deploy
Collect IPC’s
Sorry, the build is wrong, Germany doesn’t have enough money 1st turn… -
Finally, I bombard the Brit. fact. with my one bomber (I’m thinking I should be bombarding Russia with that instead?)
Strategic bombing is useful for long-term economic gain. Germany’s opening round is all about explosive attacks gaining board position. Your bomber is your best offensive unit. Use it in combat, opening round strategic bombing is a waste. Use it to invade Egypt, go after Britain’s fleet, or an opening round hit on Karelia.
-
Thanks for the advice everyone. This last Saturday we played a game, I was Japan and a friend of mine was playing Germany. We won! Germany and Japan met in Moscow (Rd. 5 or 6, don’t quite remember) and the Allied players threw in the towel. Granted, Russia was being played by a novice and GB & US player was drunk, but we won nevertheless! Germany had to do a lot of baiting & switching in the Eastern front to pull it off.
-
Hmm-
Insuring that my opponents are all drunk or brand new to the game-its a strategy that hadn’t occurred to me. :-D :lol: -
Axis needs all the help it can get! :evil:
-
an axis bid in 41 will be the standard soon
-
You know, some of us think allied bid will be needed soon or after. There are more in the game than the classical KGF and Godzilla into Moscow tactics …
Try Polar Express (japs massive landings in Alaska area), so USA will be too busy to reinforce Africa. Fight USA in America, not in Europe, gain Africa for uncle Benito and make new-in-this-game axis economic advantage :-P win the game for you
-
You know, some of us think allied bid will be needed soon or after. There are more in the game than the classical KGF and Godzilla into Moscow tactics …
Try Polar Express (japs massive landings in Alaska area), so USA will be too busy to reinforce Africa. Fight USA in America, not in Europe, gain Africa for uncle Benito and make new-in-this-game axis economic advantage :-P win the game for you
EXACTLY!
-
Played a game again last night, only got through two rounds, but from what happened I’m starting to think the game is more balanced than I previously thought. We played WITH NO’s this time, rather than without, and I found that it makes a massive difference. It started to look a lot like Revised, as far as national economies and general mechanics go, which was a relief. Axis is doing very well (we’ve taken Africa unchallenged, control Karelia and most of North USSR and are putting a lot of pressure on Caucasus, and Italy took India and the Mid-East), although the Atlantic Allied presence is troubling, not to mention that Britain got Heavy Bombers and the US got Super Subs and has designs on the Pacific. Looks like a very even game, albeit with a looming possibility of Allies coming out on top due to Britain’s new bombing capacity.
So in short - use NO’s & play smart and the game is balanced!
-
i agree with Neems. the NO’s add goals that put off going directly for another nations capital. and the re-designed Tech rules make things much more interesting
-
an axis bid in 41 will be the standard soon
I think it’s too soon for declarations like this.
We all thought that the axis were way too powerful in 1941 when the game just came out. Now we all think the allies are too powerful.
I think we might find that the game is balanced, it is only for lack of imagination and/or luck of the dice that one side prevails and the other does not. (Lack of imagination does not mean you are stupid, it means you could not think of a way to beat your opponent.)
-
i think it’s fairly balanced to be honest. i’ve seen both sides win, and i’ve won with both sides. anyone who thinks one side has a much larger advantage needs to play the game a lot more :-P
Suggested Topics
