• @dazedwit should be an easy Axis win since India fell on J2. Hold the money islands, and force the Allies to decide whether to spend all of the money in the Pacific to counter Japan, or keep supporting Russia.

    Eventually you will overcome all resistance as you soon will be at economic parity but have superior mobility with the shorter supply lines.


  • @Arthur-Bomber-Harris I just bought a major for Korea. Going to pump out ten tanks a turn and crush both Russia and China. I have $57 for Japan Turn 3 after sacking Calcutta. Depending on what UK does in Middle East I could have all 4 of money islands end of turn 3. I’m hoping GHG will tell me what he would do so I can do it. This is an effort to beat his Middle Earth strategy afterall.


  • @Arthur-Bomber-Harris I play every country aggressively - hyper aggressively. It’s more fun that way.


  • @dazedwit you also play against inexperienced opponents. India should not fall until J4 at the absolute earliest if the UK Pacific is stacking the Capitol with infantry and reinforcing with a few planes.

    The level of gameplay is so much higher in the League matches here. Much better way to build up your skills and test out strategies as almost anything works when the other side has huge blunders.


  • @Arthur-Bomber-Harris well, I’m playing against myself.

    I bought a fighter and infantry for India on first buy which is pretty standard I believe. I was following GHG’s Middle Earth strategy so the boats and planes went to conquer the middle east turn one.

    that left India so vulnerable. I think in a real game J2 would surprise everyone. I bought the Hainan Naval Base turn one, which no one ever does. That really opened up so many opportunities that I think I’ll buy air base turn one now forever.

    If no Middle Earth I would have went with my J4 plan to sack it because odds would shift to India with those two extra planes in India. It was J4 so I could sack Persia Turn 3 and then turn back. Beginning Turn 2 India will not have a factory, and next to no money when I convoy 6 IPC’s off them. So they would sit their turn after turn not being able to add a single unit. I think that would be both cruel and hilarious.


  • @dazedwit use battlecalculators to make sure India survives turn 2.

    The UK Pacific needs ground units, not fighters. If absolutely necessary, you can block with ships, but that usually isn’t necessarily if Japan takes a more normal set of opening moves.


  • @Arthur-Bomber-Harris My Japan strategy was initially a J2. But that was assuming Battleship at Singapore got retreated to India or wherever as it usually is. If it doesn’t move then I waste a turn clearing the BB. I decided J1 and take the battleship out completely so I can do J2.

    I might mess around in future with J2, as I will have 3 AC’s off Calcutta so additional Tac and Ftr which will really increase my odds. Declaring war at start of turn means I can’t get the Carolina AC and planes through Philapines to Hainan.

    I’m experimenting with getting at capitals as quickly as possible before they can stack on them. After this game I’m going to work on G1, G2 Sea Lion to see if it’s doable, before England really stacks up. G1 would take incredibly lucky rolls. G2, I can leave behind multiple subs in convoy zones to limit their stack turn one.

    My plan this game was to hit the West Coast of Australia next, but Anzac went all infantry and both main territories pretty stacked now. I’ll have to figure out and decide whether to nickle and dime Anzac or go help take Egypt. My brand new India factory going to be churning out 3 tanks a turn to hit Russia and China from the rear.


  • @Arthur-Bomber-Harris I"m all set with calculators. I know people on here talk about not attacking unless you have 95% odds… pfft, I go at 45% odds. I like to gamble.

  • 2024 '23 '22 '21 '20

    @dazedwit you want to go at 45%, sure try it, it is after all a game.

    However, the reason people stress 90-95%+ attacks is that the game is not decided in one battle. There are many battles over the course the game. If you go all out on a bunch of 50-50 battles, you will lose in the long run 100% of the time.

    Cheers,
    Surfer


  • @surfer no, not usually. If I have a few big hitters and one more unit than my enemy, that’s enough for me


  • @dazedwit said in Middle Earth Counter:

    @surfer no, not usually. If I have a few big hitters and one more unit than my enemy, that’s enough for me

    That’s Gold Jerry ! Gold !


  • @dazedwit A typical J2 attack on India would look like the following setup. With a bit less optimal gameplay for the UK Pacific, I could see a 45% odds.

    975227a6-c5ad-43c7-8ff3-03c184b62afb-image.png

    Keep in mind that a failed J2 attack on India essentially is game-over for the Axis as half of the Japenese air power will be lost and the economy is set so far back that no USA spending is required in the Pacific for many, many turns. The Axis should be winning 90+% of the time for an OOB game so there is no reason to take such ridiculous gambles on the second turn unless something happened unexpectedly on G1 such as getting diced in Paris.


  • @Arthur-Bomber-Harris GHG removed his planes and boats to attack Middle East - thinking he had at least a turn or two to rearm India.

    India has almost nothing on it after turn one following this strategy aside from infantry, AA, and a fighter you might have bought turn one - or 3 extra guys. I wasn’t planning on J2 Calcutta Crush - I just noticed how week India was and how many pieces I could legally send in. Odds way more in my favor than what you are showing.

    IIRC:
    India: 7 INF, 2 FTR, 2 AA
    Me: 2 SB, 2 Boosted Tacs, 2 FTR, 1 ART, 1 Tank, 2 INF, 2 BB shore bombardment, 1 CR shore bombardment - if I didn’t go J1 and UK moved BB from Singapore, I would have additional boosted tac and ftr for J2 sack.

    2 hits on bombardment removing AA’s
    3 out of 4 hits on the 4’s
    2 out of 3 hits on the 3’s
    2 hits on the 2’s and 1
    (not exactly sure which hits, just that all 7 inf were taken out on this batch after bombardment)

    That left India with 2 ftr after their return hits.

    India had a good roll, maybe five hits so lost 3 ground and 2 planes

    So round two: 3 - 4’s, 2 - 3’s. Got 3 hits and it was over pretty easily.

    I would never had done this if the Middle Earth Strategy wasn’t in play. It would have been J3 or J4 otherwise.

    Be aggressive. Go after capitals before they can stack.


  • @dazedwit if Japan has positioned the troops on J1 to hit India, all it takes to delay the assault is one UK destroyer in SZ37 and no transports can reach on J2.

    Planes can usually get back to India for defense on UK2, making it difficult to contemplate a Japanese attack until at least the fourth turn in most normal matches.


  • @Arthur-Bomber-Harris
    Well, for one, they have to suspect that J2 is even possible.

    and more importantly, that’s not Middle Earth. According to GHG’s video which I just rewatched for the 50th time you are basically abandoning India to move as many troops from India to Middle East - including guys moving to West India, planes attacking Iraq. If India had more transports India would be empty playing Middle Earth,

    Pretty much every game that’s not an issue. I decided to buy the naval base on turn one instead of turn two. That made this possible.

    Maybe Japan’s turn one moves would have made him abandon ME immediately but who knows since I’m not actually playing him, just trying to beat his strategy. Sacking J2 was way out of what I was planning, I just saw an opportunity. I was planning to sack Persia J3, and India J4 originally. With the turn one Naval Base, India not going to be placing units ever again as I bomb factory with both SB, and convoy the F out of Singapore and Calcutta for up to 6 per turn


  • @dazedwit where did the 2nd transport come from?


  • @dazedwit building a naval base on J1 is a clear sign of an impending attack on India. No other reason to do it on the first turn instead of building transports or factories with the initial spend.

    Players should be able to understand if their capitols are going to be plundered the following turn… a necessary part for every turn.


  • @Cornwallis If you are talking about Italy, it’s their two starting transports. One survived Taranto.


  • I’m playing out the whole game now and playing every country like a maniac. I just started G4, took Leningrad and decided to take some pictures for an update because the map is kinda insane.

    France took Southern France back from Germany turn one with the two guys from Normandy and the fighter from London. Germany had plans for that complex turn 2 so this would set them back a turn so they gave up that plan and let Italy take it back… except all the units in No. Italy already moved east, so France has held it 3 turns.
    USA ready to go for Italy’s capital - so Italy bought all inf and got a couple fighters back. US can just land in Southern France so Germany is going to take it back this turn and add a couple guys to Northern Italy.

    Germany_Turn_4_1.jpg

    Italy built an AB on Syria turn 2. Both German and Italian planes been wreaking havoc in every direction from the Syrian AB. Italy had 3 guys survive invasion of Syria turn one. That little army and all the planes getting there turn 2 has turned Italy into a Middle East menace. This is Italy second turn in a row taking TransJordan and keeping all those boats trapped in the Red Sea. US is coming as soon as next turn to start crushing Italy - so on Italy4, all units from Alexandria and the one tank in TransJordan will attack Egypt. After one round of battle will retreat all survivors to TransJordan to get further away from US - and will prob just unleash them on Middle East or Russia or whatever presents itself.

    Germany_Turn_4_2.jpg

    Convoying UK off of Africa

    Germany_Turn_4_3.jpg

    Japan has so many options - Go west, go Norht, go East. That large fleet can be taken out J4, or can deal with resurgent Chinese, or go to Australia.

    Germany_Turn_4_4.jpg

    Damn Kiwi’s breaking up my Money Islands!

    Germany_Turn_4_5.jpg

    Ah, forgot to clean up Anzac attacks from last turn

    Germany_Turn_4_6.jpg

    You can tell US went KGF. Pearl Harbor fleet all out of sorts to drive Japan out of Alaska and Canada

    Germany_Turn_4_7.jpg


  • @dazedwit

    Just finished Turn 4 so another update

    Japan took out the allied fleet in the Suez Canal and took back the Money Islands.

    IMG_9127.jpg
    IMG_9128.jpg

    US and UK about to join forces this round.

    Us took Tobruk from Italy with everything that was in Morroco.
    IMG_9130.jpg

    Lonely Philippines
    IMG_9131.jpg

    Us builds first fleet in Pacific in response to Japan Turn 4 build
    IMG_9132.jpg

    UK going to retake Suez
    IMG_9134.jpg

    Two lonely Brits in the Urals
    IMG_9135.jpg

    And, UK breaks Neutrality by invading Spain to give US an easy entry to Europe
    IMG_9133.jpg

    Suez Canal is open!
    IMG_9141.jpg

    Spain is secure and all 4 planes land in Normandy
    IMG_9140.jpg

    Italy was looking so strong but now US is on their heels.

    Italy sends its navy and entirety of its airforce from Syria to take out the US Med fleet
    IMG_9142.jpg

    Italy going to spend 3rd straight turn attacking Suez
    IMG_9143.jpg

    Can opener only 3 turns from Moscow
    IMG_9144.jpg

    Italy took out fleet and looking great.
    IMG_9146.jpg

    Italy takes a VC
    IMG_9147.jpg

    The can opener looking good, 2 moves from Moscow
    IMG_9148.jpg

    ANZAC is getting bored
    IMG_9151.jpg
    IMG_9152.jpg

    France has been shockingly active all game and helpful to the allies
    IMG_9153.jpg
    IMG_9155.jpg

    IMG_9154.jpg
    IMG_9156.jpg

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