How is the balance with the new Alpha 2 changes? Please give your view.

[Guest]

My experience:

OOB: allied advantage
Alpha1: even
Alpha2: axis advantage

[Funcioneta]

@jim010:

Just popping in, but isn’t Manchuria and Kiangsu all original Japanese territory, and therefore eligible for a major IC? On the game map out of the box it is colour coded as Japanese, making them an original Japanese territory?

The only original Japanese territories in mainland Asia are Siam and Korea. All China is chinese. It’s the same as in AA50, 42 scenario: Germans started with soviet territory occupied, but still was original soviet

But for historical reasons Manchuria should be original Japanese (Pu-Yi as puppet of Japan, and occupied by Japan before the start of WWII (sino-japanese war) in 1937 :wink:). It’s chinese in game to allow China enter in Manchuria (stinky ACME wall)

[Jennifer]

@13thguardsriflediv:

My experience:

OOB: allied advantage
Alpha1: even
Alpha2: axis advantage

I’ll agree on A2 with the caveat of an Axis surprise attack somewhere on the board.

[jim010]

@Funcioneta:

@jim010:

Just popping in, but isn’t Manchuria and Kiangsu all original Japanese territory, and therefore eligible for a major IC? On the game map out of the box it is colour coded as Japanese, making them an original Japanese territory?

The only original Japanese territories in mainland Asia are Siam and Korea. All China is chinese. It’s the same as in AA50, 42 scenario: Germans started with soviet territory occupied, but still was original soviet

But for historical reasons Manchuria should be original Japanese (Pu-Yi as puppet of Japan, and occupied by Japan before the start of WWII (sino-japanese war) in 1937 :wink:). It’s chinese in game to allow China enter in Manchuria (stinky ACME wall)

Are we sure about that?  Has Krieghund commented on this?  By the rules, all colour coded territories are origanal, aren’t they?

[Krieghund]

Roundels, not border colors, indicate original ownership.

[Gargantua]

What a SCAM!

[JamesAleman]

I’m currently seeing no losses as the axis, with a London first and Anzac first approach.

This makes America choose which side is more important….with London and Egypt, all Germany needs is 2/3 of the Russian cities which means they don’t hit the 100+ units in Moscow. With Australia secured, Japan just needs India or Hawaii…as India is “permitted” to do well by turn 5 so as to draw their men away from the capital, a rapid redeploy with the Jap Navy and 9+ transports can make India easier than Hawaii. (Especially if you build 1 naval base mid game).

Regarding Italy, my G1 moves always result in 2 German fighters in S. Italy for a 3 plane scramble that makes UK1 assault on Italian navy a coin toss…and expensive. Plus it requires over committing units due to the implied threat of a scramble.

To counter the axis, I am working on a UK1 abandon UK strategy that shuts Egypt down and brings the US into the war turn 2. I have not seen a London that can hold on turn 4 or later. (4 games “actually” played so far with different opponents each game)

Just my impression so far, with so few games played.

To Jen: regarding the home guard and sea lion. Would simply moving France to the top of the turn order, force Germany to build other then the standard sea lion and delay sea lion by one turn? I guess Italy would lose Northern Italy if Paris were to abandon France and Britain would gain 1 French fighter…might be too much. Eureka: have UK go first, this gives them one more build then the German’s in terms of units able to hit London, frees the Navy so that there is a Royal Navy and denies the UK the Sub NO as they can not kill all 5 subs turn 1. Also, this lets Germany choose its strategy after seeing if UK went all infantry. Not sure if India being able to reinforce Yunnan with a turn 1 DOW would be overpowered.

[Cow]

game blows. I can’t just race to berlin because it fuckin takes too long and japan will get all his damn NOs on pacific. It’s pretty #$%#% stupid.

Every damn axis and allies game comes down to moscow and berlin, with the exception of a few KJF scenarios.
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That’s why this game is so hard to balance.Can’t just accept victory on one half and defeat on the other :| it is so silly.

[Jennifer]

@Krieghund:

Roundels, not border colors, indicate original ownership.

Wait, so any territory that the Japanese start the game with are eligable to have Major Industrial Complexes, provided it has the appropriate IPC value?

[Krieghund]

No, Japan may build major ICs only on territories with Japanese roundels printed on them.

[Jennifer]

@Krieghund:

No, Japan may build major ICs only on territories with Japanese roundels printed on them.

Okay, you had me confused, thought you were talking about control markers placed at the start of the game.  Good, back to Korea as the only valid Major IC location for Japan.

[Cow]

it’s still a turtle spot.

[Jennifer]

Yea, I like having a major there in anycase.  Allieviates the desperate need to have 5 transports in home waters…

[Cow]

I don’t see how anyone can have problems with Japan. Most of the time I screw around or I go hyper aggressive and round 3 india, round 5-7 china is done. with asia out of the picture I make as much as america.

The problem with balance is which way is USA designed to go? In every other axis and allies game USA goes europe. There’s no pacific.  Now usa has to go pacific or axis wins as soon as they hit 6/8.

USA vs Japan is about an even match. they both end up making the same. That’s why I don’t have a problem with usa making absurd amounts of cash. just means japan has to dominate asia that much quicker.
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Anyway like the above users said. Germany takes down uk in a LL game. Japan screams ALL I DO IS WIN WIN WIN WIN NO MATTER WHAT and the allies go cry in a corner wondering why they are playing this game
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AA50 and revised (if you play v4 you’re not a man) usually had capitol battles at around 6-8 for germany or moscow. Sometimes 9-11 if the russian player is a puss or if allies are doing really bad… like usa goes pacific and in that case just russia dies and axis win.
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This map is smaller than big world and WaW… but considerably bigger than AA50 in certain aspects. I think it should be geared around round 9-11.
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I am still working on my own version with victory conditions as russia or usa for axis and germany or japan for allies. It’s hard to setup because there so many countries now and stuff blocking japan from taking russia unlike all the other maps.
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[billinjackson]

For improved balance, what do you guys think if we pushed Russia and USA entry into the campaign up one spot? Russia turn 3, USA turn 2? Maybe just one of them? Thoughts?

Bill

[Cow]

For balance we need to solve victory condition issue first like combine it and figure out what the magic number is.

Then as far as entry into the campaign… Russia should be able to go before America. In fact America’s entry being around the same time as russia is pretty silly. I am thinking bump America’s entry to the war to Round 4 and just give india more stuff

[Jennifer]

No, I like the VCs the way they are, it’s low enough that if the allies fail to make note of them, they lose the game but high enough that if the Allies really try to keep the Axis from getting enough, they can without nerfing their war effort too much.

I, honestly, think all they need to do to even the game out now is to break up the block of allied turns a bit.  I’d say drop ANZAC and China so they move post Italy.  Rarely does Italy have an impact on what ANZAC and China do, and it makes it so one person doesn’t have to run 5 turns consecutively. (okay, 4 turns, but since you have to keep Pacific/Atlantic money seperate for England, it feels like 5 turns.)

[charver]

Balance is good, with a considerable improvement over the original AA40G rules and turn order.  We’re taking about 4 hours per turn - and can only play the game because all the animals live outside, and my family treads softly around the pool table with this game set up.  The board is 2 inches too wide (north-south) to fit in the pool table.

From a game mechanic pov - I would like to see all facilities damaged from conquest to put some price on the Risk-like momentum of taking those French and Soviet factories that seem to start the game with German design templates, and the Brit Shanghai (etc.) naval yard that is oh so ready to help the Japanese navy.

Have Fun,

[Jennifer]

I’d say it would be beneficial to max-dmg all complexes, shipyards and airbases upon capture.  Force you to rebuild what was destroyed when you took the land. (What self-respecting army isn’t going to sabotage its own war making ability before losing it to the enemy.)

However, that’s a house rule.

I am wondering about balance against a Sea Lion coupled with a Japan 1 surprise strike.

[Koningstiger]

Played it too little to be able to form a final judgement but without a doubt it’s a HUGE improvement over the original out of the box game and set-up. Scrambling rules are great, so is the MIC in Germany, the minor ones in the US, the restrictions on movement for the US while not at war etc. Also the British can attack the Italian fleet and cripple them while at thye same time incurring losses themselves OR they can concentrate off of Gibraltar and basically deny Italy it’s ‘easiest’ NO of having no enemy warships in the Med for the rest of the game.  Love Alpha 2 so far!