Hello, I play pacific 1940 a lot. I have also played global a few times. Pacific 1940 second edition is a great game but I can almost easily win every time if I’m Japan and I attack on the third turn. A new rule was passed around late 2014 to allow the USA to receive a 30 IPC bonus if Japan attacks or declares war on them before turn 4. This seems to balance the game a little but I can still always win with Japan. The strategy for Japan is pretty much the same. Take the money islands, build a minor in French Indo China and Kwangtung and knock out China and India. Post in the Philippines with your huge navy and three fighters that can scramble and those six deadly kamikizes. Let Anzac and USA come to you so you can use the fighters to defend at 4 when the big navy battle happens. Eventually you will be making more than the allies with the money islands NO and the India NO. You should be around the 70-75 mark. Then when the time is right strike at Sydney or Hawaii and hold it and you should win as it will be six victory cities. For the allies, man this can be tuff lol. You better hope Japan attacks you on turn 1 or turn 4 because turn 2 and especially 3 it’s going to be difficult.
1: China: buy men and hit and run and fall back to the north west of China. You will be lucky if the Burma road is open more than two turns. Pull back and make Japan come to you.
2: UK: pull everyone back to India and just buy men!!! Try to bring your navy down to Australia and unite them with Anzac and hopefully later USA. If it looks like India is going to fall then pull your airforce out and send them to Australia to hopefully land on a Anzac or American carrier. If Japan hasn’t declared war early then take as many islands in the south as possible .
3: Anzac: small ships and transports are good. if it looks like Japan is going to invade then pull your forces to south Australia because from there you can hit any territory. Use your small ships to convoy raid or unite with the main USA fleet. Queensland is a great staging area for the allied navy early in the game. Also since there’s a airbase there fighters don’t hurt also since they can scramble.
4:USA: the big boy lol. The problem is when USA is neutral she only makes a freaking 17 ipcs a turn. While Japan is around the 40 mark and Japan has soooooooo many aircraft at its disposal. USA I say aircraft carrier early then mainly subs, destroyers, and a transport every turn with land units. A few rounds into the game get a navy base on the Johnson islands and start combining your fleet with the Anzac fleet and hopefully a small UK fleet. try to take the money islands by sacrificing transports because Japan will have a bigger navy early in the game. When the time is right move to Dutch New Guinea with your fleet and prepare for the big battle. Sometimes it’s better if Japan attacks you and sometimes it’s better if you attsck them. Hopefully you will have a lot of subs at your disposal. If you win the navy battle then Japan is pretty much toast even if they have India and China. Good luck and let me know how the war goes lol. I am playing anniversary edition on Saturday 😜
I love this game
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I really love Axis and Allies in general, but I really love Pacific 1940 in specific. I played a game of Anniversary Monday night, and while the European theater seemed fine, I couldn’t help but pine for the Pacific theater of AAP40. The Pacific in Classic, Revised, Anniversary, and Spring 1942 seems so flat. On the allied side it all falls on the United States, usually. Sure, the British often get a factory on India, but even then, Australia is still lifeless. The Pacific of AAP40 is alive, dynamic. Islands like the Carolines are vital, even without giving any IPCs. AA50-41’s Pacific just feels like Japan takes over everything, then hopes the US doesn’t care enough to build up and destroy their navy. AAP40 is the exact opposite of that, its a tense struggle to the end. I think AAG40 will only make it more interesting with the Soviets as a factor. I think the US won’t have the luxury of ignoring Japan, I can see already that if they dump that 80+ IPCs all to the east that Japan will grow to be an unstoppable monster.
Even compared with classic AAP I think AAP40 shines. Sure, the VP mechanical was cool and makes AAP a worthy game to play since it does have a very different feel and objective than other AA games. I like AAP a lot, and I think treating the British as split income rather than having ANZAC as a separate power made and makes a lot of sense. It was a more historically minded game in some ways too; Japan’s economy could never hope to compete with the US’s 75. Still, AAP40 feels a lot more epic to me. Japan and the US are locked in an epic struggle, rather than Japan being locked into the role of having to loose as slowly as possible to win.
Sure, the production problems were annoying, but we got our Tac Bombers in the end, and its easy enough to make minor adjustments to the setup to make J1 less overwhelming. I think the good of AAP40 greatly outshines the bad. Still, I do think WOTC are chimps.
So, who here agrees with me that AAP40 is their favorite AA, at least until AAE40 comes out?
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AAP40 is second. AA50 is first but i have a feeling not for long. When G40 comes out I think it will go.
1.G40
2.AA50
3.E40
4.P40I just think global theaters are awsome. I wouldent buy 40 if they dident combine. I have 2 of every AA global game except AA50 since it was bloody expensive.
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What kind of American says “bloody?”
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I do. my dad was british and so was my mom but born in america and I hate that foggy island.
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@Proud:
I do. my dad was british and so was my mom but born in america and I hate that foggy island.
Nice save.
And I agree with you on your game rankings. I loved AA50, but more territories, types of units, sea zones and powers gives 1940 a huge advantage. I love how Egypt, TrJ, and East Africa don’t all touch the same sea zone, how the Baltic Sea is split up, how Russia and China are finally epically huge, etc.
AA50, it was a fun ride for 2 years, but I’m afraid you’re 2 weeks from suffering the same fate as the Original, as far as I’m concerned….
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For Face to Face games, AA50 maybe be the better choice (less time to finish a game).
But for the cyberworld-
AAG40![
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Good point, Speller. I guess I’m referring to online, unlimited time games.
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@Proud:
I have 2 of every AA global game except AA50 since it was bloody expensive.
It’s bloody expensive now… $799.99 USD.
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@Proud:
I have 2 of every AA global game except AA50 since it was bloody expensive.
It’s bloody expensive now… $799.99 USD.
Guess what……NOT ON EBAY. I got my AA50 about a month ago for $300 from ebay. IF you go with amazon then ya its that big.
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@Proud:
@Proud:
I have 2 of every AA global game except AA50 since it was bloody expensive.
It’s bloody expensive now… $799.99 USD.
Guess what……NOT ON EBAY. I got my AA50 about a month ago for $300 from ebay. IF you go with amazon then ya its that big.
NEW? at $300 … I would still call that bloody expensive, for a boardgame, but not as bad as $800.
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@Proud:
@Proud:
I have 2 of every AA global game except AA50 since it was bloody expensive.
It’s bloody expensive now… $799.99 USD.
Guess what……NOT ON EBAY. I got my AA50 about a month ago for $300 from ebay. IF you go with amazon then ya its that big.
NEW? at $300 … I would still call that bloody expensive, for a boardgame, but not as bad as $800.
YEs its new and yes its expensive. But its better than Amazon.