I think I may have figured out a new strategy for the Central Powers that leads to victory, but i would like to see if it stands up to anyone trying to disprove it as I have only played it in a solo game.
The main objective of this strategy is for all three Central Powers to work together to capture Bombay by something like round 8 at the latest. The key steps to complete this objective is as follows (note: this strategy requires the Russian Revolution):
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Germany and Austria sends most of their units east to knock Russia out of the war. They also spend 1 or 2 rounds producing units to send east as reinforcements.
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The Ottomans focus on building an army to attack Bombay while mainly holding their position for the time being. They also can attack Greece and Albania to increase their income.
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Germany and Austria need to manoeuvre their units to Ukraine where they threaten to capture Moscow, territories surrounding Moscow, and also sets them up for an ideal striking position into India.
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Once the Russians have been knocked out of the war (likely via the Russian Revolution), all three Central Powers must begin their advance towards Bombay.
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By round 6 they should have all reached and begun attacking India.
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After 1-3 rounds they should have captured Bombay.
Aftermath:
With the Middle East dominated by the Ottomans/Central Powers their total income compared to the Allies will be much larger. The fall of Bombay means that the British cannot produce units in the Middle-East. With the fall of Bombay, the Ottoman’s fall attention can be turned to invading Africa and stealing additional income of the Allies, or/and even assisting the Germans and Austrians in Western Europe. If the Allies decide to send reinforcements to Africa then they will slowly become outnumbered in Western-Europe. If they decide to launch an offensive in Western Europe then they will have to abandon Africa, losing a significant amount of their income. The Capture of Bombay increases the difference of income between the Allies and Central Powers and allows a unified Ottoman army that threatens to capture Africa if the Allies don’t divert much needed troops away from the Western-front and Italy.
Potential Alterations:
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If the Russians play aggressively and inflict heavy casualties on the Germans and Austrians then the Central Powers may need to delay the offensive a round or two and send more reinforcements.
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If the Allies play aggressivley on the Western-front, then German and Austria may have to fall back, however, this situation will only help reduce the number of defenders at Bombay.
Possible Allied counter-strategy
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The biggest threat to this strategy is if Russia sacrifices themselves to block the passage to Bombay via Sevastopol using all of their units. The Central Powers will struggle, likely fail, to complete the strategy via the Turkish Straits due to the distance.
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The other threat is if the Allies work together to defend Bombay. Even if Britain spends all of their IPCs on the defence of Bombay, there is a good chance that it will still fall. However, if France and maybe even Italy help reinforce Bombay, then they might be able to defend it.
Conclusion:
In the year that I have been playing this game, the Bombay strategy has been the only one that has lead to victory. It involves a standard attack-Russia strategy that most players likely would not suspect is also really a Bombay strategy. The Americans can do little but defend what ground the Allies still have in Europe or Africa by the time they arrive. The Italians will only be trying to survive against the Austrian army, maybe even forcing the Allies to divert units to assist them. The British will have to focus on defending Bombay as much as possible or accept the loss of the city and construct an army in France that will ultimately have little influence. If the Central Powers succeed, then their combined economies, and the ability to attack Africa to further decrease the Allies income, will inevitably lead to a victory for the Central powers. Of course this strategy requires a certain amount of secrecy, deception, and skilled players, but it is, I think, the best strategy for the Central Powers that does not involve an unreasonably long gameplay.
If anyone could please criticise this strategy as much as possible (without being rude) and tell me what you would do if you were the Allies or Central Powers, it would be appreciated.
