Sea Lion G1 vs US entry

[almashir]

Hi, everyone,

I got the map for Christmas.  It’s awesome, but I haven’t had a chance to play yet.  Looking at the starting setup, the Royal Navy starts just out or range of most of the Luftwaffe, which is a good thing for preserving their sea power advantage.  However, this means the RN is also not in a position to block a German invasion on turn one, if the German player decides to build nothing but transports and land 14 units in London before the British player has a chance to do anything.  On the other hand, the penalty of immediate US entry seems like it would be a fairly ominous deterrent.

For those of you who have a few games under your belts, is a turn 1 Sea Lion fairly common?  If so, does it seem to be worth the penalty for the Axis of immediate US entry?  It seems like it might be a problem for the Germans to commit that much of their initial construction (plus starting air power) to taking London.  Paris might actually be able to hold out for a turn or two.  This could be bad news with the US in the war, and the USSR a turn or two closer to being able to do a reverse Barbarossa while a big chunk of the Wehrmacht is out of position mopping up France.  Not to mention what immediate US entry would do to Japanese war plans.

[koba]

Hi almashir,

I’ve been playing global 39 a couple of years now and have never tried it. My opponents would jump all over Germany and, the truth is, its just not worth it for the few ipcs the UK is worth as you are not able to collect their cash. Honestly, I’d rather see France, Poland and the whole UK n. Atlantic fleet gone before I thought about a sea lion.

A lot of this depends as well as the caliber of your opponent or their play style. I know the guys who sit across from me would be licking their chops and before turn Three was out, I’d be facing an invasion fleet in Africa, the UK or in Europe. If Russia rolls high too, its a hard go for Germany. I’d rather put the resources into Europe and beating the Soviets.

And you are right, if you have a Japanese partner they may not be terribly pleased about the move. Then again, if you can coordinate all three axis nations properly, you might score a knock out; but if its not going your way by Turn Four….

[almashir]

Hi, koba,

Thanks for the reply.  Yeah, that’s kind of what it looked like to me.  But the initial setup plus the German double super blitzkrieg turn at the start almost seemed like the designers were laying down a triple-dog-dare on the Germans to try it.  :lol:  I’m glad to hear it’s not that common.  I’m one of those dweebs who likes the game to present roughly the same set of options and challenges as the leaders of the time faced historically.  While the RAF gets a big chunk of the credit for preventing an invasion by bloodying the Luftwaffe’s nose, I think the main reason the invasion didn’t happen was the sheer size of the Royal Navy.

[koba]

No problem almashir,

You can blast the UK navy out of the water by end of Germany’s first turn and effectively blockade them. I’d turn my land forces’ attention, as I mentioned to france , Poland, Holland, Denmark, etc. Going for Yugoslavia and at least Narvik on impulse 2 is a good idea too. These are nice juicy targets that get you some income and don’t pit you in a heavy pressure situation vis a visthe US.

This is just my opinion. Others may play it more aggressively, but again, your opponent’s nature and abilities play a big role in a decision like that.

Im happy to see more people getting into this game. I think 2014 is shaping up to be a huge year forgloab 39. There is no point in me hiding my excitement and impatience for the new map, expansions, pieces, markers, and rules.

I make a point of playing this variant once a month and find myself always wanting more of it. Hopefully, you’ll take a liking to it too.