@Cmdr:
Why should he? You and U-505 and the others never admit when they are wrong, and you guys are often wrong.
How exactly did I get dragged into this?
But, just to be clear. Monotonously repeating the same faulty logic doesn’t make you right any more the last time you post it than it does the first time you post it. I have no reason to admit I’m wrong when you use that garbage tactic.
Yes, Page 11 does state it is an optional rule. It is the very first time that tech has been optional. It was a stupid move on the part of the game manufacturer.
No. It was a smart move by the manufacturer because it allows the real strategists to keep the yachtzee style gambling aspect out of the game. The dice in combat is gambling enough without having to worry about your opponent rolling one die and getting heavy bombers or any of the other techs that unbalance the game.
As for insulting the intelligence of others, I have never done so.
I can say from personal experience that this is a bald faced lie.
@ogrebait:
The answer of which comes first depends a lot on what the Allies and Germany do. The first issue is whether the Italian Navy survived UK1. If they didn’t, you are pretty much stuck with reinforcing Europe until Germany and Japan can secure the Med.
If the Navy is alive, then Italy should almost always make an initial bid for Africa & TRJ to secure the Suez and gain an NO. What happens next depends on how strong the Allies press into Africa and how well the German assault on Russia is going. If the Russian front is going well for Germany, an Italian assault via the Black Sea can quicken the end. If the Allies are not putting up a big fight in Africa (which means they are probably pressing Germany and/or Japan), then feel free to pillage Africa for IPCs.
I beginning to think that Italy is one of the hardest countries to play well. It involves a little luck and a great deal of initial help from Germany and then Japan. The greatest challenge for the Italian player is to build a critical mass of units and IPCs so he/she can remain relevant for the rest of the game.
From the Allied perspective, I think pounding down Italy should be one of their primary objectives early in the game. If the Italian Navy is eliminated and Italy rolled back to 9 IPCs/turn, the battle for Europe can quickly turn against the Axis.
This has been my general policy from the beginning and I find it hard to add anything relevant except:
If Italy can manage to control the majority of Africa for long enough to consistently make 20+ IPC per turn then depending on the defensive infantry needs for France, it becomes possible for Italy to make a purchase of 1 or 2 aircraft every turn for a couple of reasons(UK or Rus SBR’s, threatening a 1-2 punch on Allied fleets). Usually this is improbable because either the Allies are challenging them for Africa or Europe is under heavy pressure and the Axis needs every ground unit it can muster for defense, but it is never out of the realm of possibility.
