Axis invade US to some success! – Update 12/6

[Pelanderfunk]

@SalothSar:

@Pelanderfunk:

@SalothSar:

If your going for the USA why attack Russia?

My opponent will play a very offensive Russia if I’m not aggressive with my German attack. By G3 or G4, his Russia would have enough of an airforce to be a real threat to any invasion force of my own. If I attack G1, I can keep him limited to infantry buys – infantry can be a tough nut to crack, but at least they aren’t mobile or offensive enough to disrupt my invasion plans.

Case in point, that’s where we’re at right now. He’s got a mass of infantry that can only realistically protect one or two of his cities, and I’ve got a slightly smaller force of tanks and mechs that can outrun him to the weakest city and take it.

How can a Russian player be agressive if they can’t attack until R4?

It’s not about where is Russia attacking, but what is Russia buying. Every time I’ve left Russia alone until R4, I have a much harder time overcoming them.

If you attack early, Russia must buy infantry, or you can take Moscow by G6. If they only have infantry, your attacking options increase because they can’t counter attack effectively.

If you attack late or wait until R4, Russia has time to build combined arms forces – tanks, mechs, artillery, planes. Then, every move I make in Russia I have to make sure my attacking force can’t be counter-attacked and destroyed.

This may just be the way my opponent plays Russia, but I’ve noticed a pattern – Attack on G1 or G2, fight Russia outside Moscow. Attack G3 or G4, fight Russia in Poland.

In this game, there was no reason to wait. I could pick up the 5ipcs within the first few turns so that the loss of the NO is balanced out. The German army that I sent to attack the USA didn’t include any of the ground units I could use to attack G1 or G2, so I had enough troops.

[Pelanderfunk]

I updated my post with progress of this game.

[RedHunter]

Your in trouble though I think since the USA can now focus back on building up huge forces. If they put enough ships to defend the west coast and then send everything else into germany they can land on norway to shore up the brits then push their way in. How are you going to defend vs that and still pour enough into the east front to stop Russia from counter attacking? Stalemates are a bad idea for tha axis because the worst thing you can do is give America the time to get going.

[Pelanderfunk]

@RedHunter:

Your in trouble though I think since the USA can now focus back on building up huge forces. If they put enough ships to defend the west coast and then send everything else into germany they can land on norway to shore up the brits then push their way in. How are you going to defend vs that and still pour enough into the east front to stop Russia from counter attacking? Stalemates are a bad idea for tha axis because the worst thing you can do is give America the time to get going.

Well, I’d agree with you if we were back a few rounds. By round 13, though, time is no longer on the Allies’ side. The US has been giving the war all its got for 8 rounds or so. It’s not like there’s this huge force that could come in and save the Russians if they could just hold out a little longer.

Last night in round 13, I was able to take out most of his remaining offensive weapons. At the start of US14, my opponent conceded.

Here’s the final bank graph:

I was only able to pull this game off because I made very few tactical mistakes, and I was able to capitalize on all of my opponent’s errors. That being said, my initial strategy put me in the position to win. Each of the three Axis powers had a very specific role to play in the victory.

Japan
1. Invade the US to cause as much chaos as possible.
2. Focus on taking as much money as possible from “soft spots” and money territories (Africa, China, Siberia, DEI).

Germany
1. Invade the US to cause as much chaos as possible.
2. Focus entirely on Russia, buying only tanks and mechs.
3. Repel any European invasions that the Italians can’t.

Italy
1. Gain as much money as possible in Africa and the Middle East.
2. Build as big of a fleet as possible and stall the Americans in the Atlantic.
3. Build ground troops to repel invasions.

Basically I won the game because German and Japan took too much territory that was too hard to retake. The only reason that Germany did as well as they did (I was playing against a turtling Russia) is because they could afford to spend their entire income on mechs and tanks for Russia. That was only possible because the US couldn’t get in the fight because it was too busy retaking Western US and fighting the Italians in the Atlantic.  By the time the US was landing in Europe (US11), Germany had enough IPCs to buy some defenders.

[Guest]

@Pelanderfunk:

This is a game in progress, but my opponent and I have reached the most balanced midgame we’ve had yet in global, all stemming from an unorthodox Axis attack. Also, keep in mind that these attacks are only possible because of my opponent’s strategies.

That explains it, then. No way the allies ought to let that happen just like that.

[RedHunter]

I wouldn’t have given up…but thats just me. I would have kept the fighting going until the axis won the game.

[Pelanderfunk]

@RedHunter:

I wouldn’t have given up…but thats just me. I would have kept the fighting going until the axis won the game.

I would have kept playing this game, but I completely understand why my opponent quit. It’s hard to play the same game against one opponent for two months only to end in a slow defeat. I’ve been in his shoes a few times, too: part of me wants to keep playing in case he makes a mistake, and part of me wants to start all over again so I can use all the new strategies I gleaned from this game.

[calvinhobbesliker]

What are the units on the vertical scale of the graph? And what colorcorresponds to what country?

[Pelanderfunk]

That’s a graph of the country bank over time. So if you recorded the amount of money in each country’s bank at the end of every turn, then graphed it, that’s what you would get.

There’s a legend on the right side of the graph that explains which country is which – the blue on the top is the Allies total and the orange is the Axis total.

[Sime]

That’s a pretty interesting strategy for that specific scenario.

Do you think he was aware that Germany could reach his capital before you sent the Italians to America?  In your opinion, was he buying all the talk of you sending the Germans to Egypt?

I think if I was in your position I would have sent the Italians to Africa instead of attacking America, keeping up the illusion that Axis is heading south.  If he didn’t perceive the German threat, he would be sending his units to intercept the Japanese and hopefully leaving his capital lightly defended.

It’s a bit riskier this way because if he sees the threat and stocks his capital, the Italian units are no longer in position to invade America and divert attention away from the Japanese, but it’s just another way of looking at the situation.

Anyway, great write-up, Pelanderfunk. I enjoyed reading it.

[Pelanderfunk]

@Sime:

That?s a pretty interesting strategy for that specific scenario.

Do you think he was aware that Germany could reach his capital before you sent the Italians to America?  In your opinion, was he buying all the talk of you sending the Germans to Egypt?

I think if I was in your position I would have sent the Italians to Africa instead of attacking America, keeping up the illusion that Axis is heading south.  If he didn?t perceive the German threat, he would be sending his units to intercept the Japanese and hopefully leaving his capital lightly defended.

It?s a bit riskier this way because if he sees the threat and stocks his capital, the Italian units are no longer in position to invade America and divert attention away from the Japanese, but it?s just another way of looking at the situation.

Anyway, great write-up, Pelanderfunk. I enjoyed reading it.

No, he definitely saw it coming. Truthfully, the Italians were a bit of a waste in the US – all they really did was give the US a few more targets. On the other hand, maybe the resources he wasted on those targets could have won the war if he used them differently.

My opponent tends to let his emotions leak into his strategy. I knew that if I sent even a tiny Italian fleet over, he would destroy it the first chance he got, even at the expense of a more benefitial move.