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

  • TripleA

    the red road is the burma road. it is red on the map, do you own the board game?

    you seem really lost jen. good night.

    you’re bad and i am not reading your big wall of text. you have been inconsistent throughout this thread. you say axis is favored, but then go on to say USA makes too much money and america is so great this and that. when america is a boring ass country to play.

    play a game or shut up.

  • '18 '17 '16 '11 Moderator

    Don’t need the Burma road either.

    See above.

    Honestly, why do you bother debating anymore Cow?  We’re getting pretty convinced of your lack of tactical prowess as it is.  Ignore America! Lol.  Funny.  You cannot win with Japan if you attack China.  There is no attack, no not one, that Japan can make upon China that will result in the game win.  China has literally nothing you need and is well able to be relegated to last place.

  • TripleA

    If you need a good odds calculator do what I do and open up TripleA. it can simulate 5000 battles by default and give you a % of how many were won or lost.

    It’s also a good program to play AA50, classic, big world, revised, or whatever the hell you feel like playing. Pacific 1940 is being developed, because there isn’t likely to be any major changes and if there is we can just save an edit to load.

    When tripleA gets global 1940 this forum will be pointless to me. I am just surprised as hell larry harris makes adjustments based off forum feedback.

    I just know I go to sleep happy I didn’t buy V4 and a little depressed about global. sht my group played global with classic rules, that sht was crazy as f**k. good times good times. no naval bases, no air bases, no artillery or mech, no national objectives, and we made italy part of germany, no victory cities just play till the other side gives up, ICs make any # of guys on them. that game was just slugs and tanks. it was a grind. it was actually more fun than the last few global games. We kept tactical bombers and destroyers/cruisers around, because we had no idea what to make them. but turning mechs to tanks is not a big deal if tanks are 5 (it balances out IPC wise on your starting units).

    taking over uk is hard when you can load either 2 inf or 1 tank.

    If I am going to be a guinea pig for this game, I am going to be grouchy as hell on the game’s forum.

    I am sure a year from now the game will be done and well we have to do is hand over a country to the lowest bidder for serious games.

  • '18 '17 '16 '11 Moderator

    You cannot take out India prior to round 4, period.  There is no possible way to do so.  You cannot use the old 1940 method of having a Major IC in Malaya since Malaya is not orange.  The only major IC you can have is in Korea.

    You cannot take out China prior to round 4 because it is a waste of manpower and time.  You would be FAR better off taking out all the fleets and securing the islands (and thus denying all your opponents their national objectives.)  It is superlatively easy to accomplish this, if you strike early and strike hard, it is nigh impossible to do this if you allow your opponents to collect their forces and marshal their strength, for it is you who must attack and it is they who can choose to defend on the ground, or water, of their choosing to set you up at the greatest possible disadvantage.

    It is far wiser to destroy them before they have a chance to move, thus destroying their ability to marshal their forces, and deny them the power.  China is an after thought.  It has always been an after thought, it most likely always will be an after thought.  The allies would ADORE it if you wasted time in China.  That is more time for them to gather islands, gather their forces, and put you in a significant disadvantage.

    Let us look at what China can do to Japan: Nothing.  There isn’t a darn thing China can do to Japan.  It can liberate some territories and it can turtle.  It can do no other thing.
    Let us look at what Japan gets from China: +12 IPC a round, great, but hardly outweighs the losses listed below:
    Let us look at what Japan loses in China: At the very least, 24 Infantry, 6 Artillery and 1 Mechanized Unit.  It is safe to say, you will lose at least every one of your starting ground units in SE Asia going after China.  So for +12 IPC a round, you are giving up 100 IPC in ground units.  Hardly a wise trade, in my opinion, but if you choose this trade, then it is your choice, is it not?

    Meanwhile, while you are dithering in China, England/ANZAC have increased their power significantly collecting the Dutch East Indies and unifying with the Americans.  America is a powerhouse because you did nothing to twindle their forces and Japan is well on its way to being kicked out of the Pacific entirely.

    I have participated in and seen more games lost by Japan and America because they failed to strengthen their naval prowess early enough in the game to maintain naval supremacy.  From the instant they lost naval supremecy, the game was lost.  Islands count for: 29 IPC + 20 IPC in NOs (am counting Australia as the island it is, realistically in terms of game play.)  You have also denied 20 IPC to your opponent, not including lost land income.

    For the investment of a few transports, Japan has kicked America out of the Pacific, consolidated all the islands in the Pacific and sunk every surface ship the enemy has in the water.  Now it is only a matter of time before India goes (after all, against 100+ IPC, India’s 15ish IPC isn’t going to do a heck of a lot) and then it’s a matter of tackling the China that cannot leave its shores to do anything to you.

    I will gladely, GLADELY, trade you an unrestrained China for no Allied warships, or even no Allied surgace Warships in the Pacific!



    As for your game request:

    Forum Play
    Alpha +2 Rules
    National Objectives turned on
    Non-Aggression as described in Alpha +2
    Low Luck except round 1:

    Round 1 Results:

    Germany:

    • Normandy taken with Artillery, 2 Armor
    • France taken with 3 Armor, Fighter, Tactical Bomber
    • SZ 111 cleared with Submarine, 2 Fighters, 2 Tactical Bombers, Strategic Bomber
    • SZ 112 cleared with damage to battleship
    • SZ 91 cleared with Submarine
    • Mutual destruction in SZ 106 (British transport remains, Destroyer/Submarine destroyed)
    • Yugoslavia taken with 7 infantry, 2 artillery, 3 armor, fighter

    Other battles run Low Luck as needed.  Results assume Britian does not scramble the fighter in Scotland, there is no point, odds are significantly in German favor anyway, all England will do is trade fighters 67% of the time.

    Finland/Bulgaria activated of course.

    Italy:

    • SZ 93 cleared with loss of submarine
    • Greece taken with Infantry, Armor
    • British fleet attacks and is completely destroyed in SZ 97, along with German Fighter, Italian Fighter, Italian fleet in SZ 97 and German Tactical Bomber

    Japan:

    • Philippines taken with Infantry, Artillery remaining (fighter defends the land)
    • SZ 35 taken with damage to battleship
    • SZ 37 cleared without loss
    • SZ 26 cleared with loss of Tactical Bomber (Fighter from Japan lands on 3rd carrier)
    • FIC/Sham State twol, mt
    • Cha/Anh twol, mt

    Sometimes I toy with taking Amur, usually I do not.  For the sake of ease, assume Amur falls and 3 Japanese infantry are lost.  Sometimes that works out better, if Russia is one of those players who stacks in Amur.

    Allied Attacks, round 1 (except SZ 97) are Low Luck.

    From Round 2, all game play is Pure Luck as the dice fall except extremely large battles (any battle with more than 200 IPC worth of ground/air units or 300 IPC worth of naval/air units.  To prevent the ridiculous to happen.)



    If you accept, and I don’t see why one would not accept, as those are the stastically probable results with the most likely outcomes and a gift of SZ 97 which takes 3 british fighters, tactical bomber, destroyer, carrier and cruiser with it, we can start a thread.  I’ll upload the most appropriate map, of course, I do not know how you will wish to use your nations, so I can only adjust the Axis powers.

    Below is how I envision the end of Round 1, give or take some NCMs to avoid issues from England with Italy. (Perhaps the 5 infantry stay in S. Italy, in case England goes to SZ 91/92?)

    envisioned.AAM

  • TripleA

    low luck except round 1??? pick one or the other.

    in the mean time let me look over this round 1.

  • '18 '17 '16 '11 Moderator

    @Cow:

    low luck except round 1??? pick one or the other.

    Allied nations use LL on round 1, Axis use the predetermined calculator odds on round 1, then LL on rounds 2 and forward.

    I won’t have some weird fluctuation of the dice allow you to snatch victory from the statistical jaws of defeat.  We’ll go with the 10,000 battle odds for the Axis attacks and the mutual destruction in SZ 97 (because that battle has so much flux and I have never seen England not attack nor do well in there anyway, the only real thing is if there is a British ship left or an Italian ship left or no ships left, so just end it now and call it a mutual wipe, for it most certainly usually is anyway.)

    I suppose, if you do not want to do the SZ 97 battle, you can move your ships out of the Med. /Shrug.  But you’d leave the Europeans a lot more stuff and I think you’d be far happier killing it early…of course, you also said to ignore America with Japan, so maybe you don’t want to cripple the Axis air forces?

  • TripleA

    we play LL from round 1. fresh. Predetermined calculator odds is a no go. you roll that one die roll out, allies have to do it too.

  • '18 '17 '16 '11 Moderator

    @Cow:

    we play LL from round 1. fresh. Predetermined calculator odds is a no go. you roll that one die roll out, allies have to do it too.

    If you want to use the calculator’s best guess at results for your attacks on round 1 as the allies, go for it.  There’s nothing that the allies can hope to achieve with their round 1 attacks anyway except squander their forces against superior forces.  /shrug.

    We’ll start LL on round 2 and use the calculator’s best odds for success on round 1.  I am just trying to avoid that insanity of one unit destroying something that hs 99% odds of victory by using the calculator on round 1.

    After all, we want to test the STRATEGY not the DICE, right?  Do you really want 1 infantry shooting up 13 tanks, 48 infantry and 3 fighters without being killed?  Neither do I.  Hence, the R1 results based on the calculator. It assumes each level, gives the statistically best answer and the most likely outcomes (red and highlighted).  Ends the argument that “France defended too well, that’s why the Axis lost” or “You killed all the French units and American units in round 1 without losing ANYTHING!  That’s why the Axis won!”)  This way, it’s the odds on probability for the end results and this way, no one can say the other won because of dice…LL, NL or PL.

  • TripleA

    give me some time to cook dinner. Also you already did the allies turns and buys. I may want to make changes to them. already opened a thread in the gameplay forum. the game may be fine and bearable for me.

    I already know I want to edit a buy.

    What time zone are you in?


  • @Cmdr:

    @Cow:

    low luck except round 1??? pick one or the other.

    Allied nations use LL on round 1, Axis use the predetermined calculator odds on round 1, then LL on rounds 2 and forward.

    I won’t have some weird fluctuation of the dice allow you to snatch victory from the statistical jaws of defeat.  We’ll go with the 10,000 battle odds for the Axis attacks and the mutual destruction in SZ 97 (because that battle has so much flux and I have never seen England not attack nor do well in there anyway, the only real thing is if there is a British ship left or an Italian ship left or no ships left, so just end it now and call it a mutual wipe, for it most certainly usually is anyway.)

    I suppose, if you do not want to do the SZ 97 battle, you can move your ships out of the Med. /Shrug.  But you’d leave the Europeans a lot more stuff and I think you’d be far happier killing it early…of course, you also said to ignore America with Japan, so maybe you don’t want to cripple the Axis air forces?

    I think I saw somewhere back that you think the axis are dominating and always win. Well, I would just like to point out you’re not playing axis and allies. So… quit with the bs.

    “I won’t have some weird fluctuation of the dice allow you to snatch victory from the statistical jaws of defeat.”

    Well, if you knew statistics you would know that low luck skews the statistics. ex. in low luck 2 tanks will always beat one fighter. In low luck, battles that are 70% turn into 100%. So, for the Sea Lion domination reasons that I believe you gave, and probably all of your battle domination as the axis, those just aren’t true. if you play all 100% battles it’s easy. but a 70% battle, with an 85% battle, with a 90% battle actually give you only 53.55% chance of victory for all of them. So if you think the game is unbalanced toward the axis then you may be right. I wouldn’t know, b/c I don’t play Pansy axis and allies for luck wimps. I play a strategy and war game. Taking away luck also takes away strategy, something that I think a lot of people don’t realize


  • I’ll be watching this game with interest.

    CJ, your strategies seem sound and well reasoned.  I will say this, “If your strategy can be thwarted by one anomolous round of dice, it is not a strategy that the fate of the free world (or 3rd reich) should hang on”.  I am anxiousu to see if you can deliver the blow to USA at Hawaii and still contain UKI and ANZAC.

    I’ve been wanting to try this in our group.

  • TripleA

    fire knight ll and dice games are totally different and I agree. they are a matter of player preferences and after time we solve the bid riddle. For example in AA50 dice games allies need somewhere 3-9 ipc and in LL aa50 dice games allies need 13 (for 1941).

    And jenn can you send me a copy of all the units so you to where on your attacks so i can verify they were 90% + battles at least.  I assume they are.


  • Interesting discussion!

    I see your point CJ.
    My own version of play goes like this.

    G1 clear both UK BB fleet and take France.
    J1 attack Hawaii sz full force, BB CA DD SS to Philip sz, 3TP capture Philip, 1ftr For 2bmb Jap taken down UK BB, Cha Anh Hun FIC and Hong Kong taken.( yup leave the Yunnan open… so what? ). collect 36
    Usually US1 will buy heavily in Pacific at this point.

    G2 prepare for Sea Lion
    J2 pick up Hawaii and Islands, prepare to further strength Hawaiian fleet. making ~50.

    I admit that Japan has to be very careful on which islands to pick. India and ANZ have free hand to strength their fleet, and if they are bold enough, they can put the contest to the Dutch Islands.

    But the point is what can US do now? Sea Lion is almost a guaranteed. a all Pacific US 2 buy will allows it to go on pair with Japan Hawaii fleet, but further delay her progress in Atlantic. It might even reach the point that UK can never taken back.

    it is really a “putting every problem on US” strategy!  :wink:

  • TripleA

    I can understand why you prefer not to roll out R1 even in low luck, subs are pretty random, since usually they aren’t rolled with the rest of your stuff, but you should post me what attacks you did and not just results. I can look at results on the map.

    there usually are a 90% here or there and I can see why you want to take avg unit left results. Openers are not standardized for everyone at this point so I got to check.

    Are these your results from another game?

  • TripleA

    ok I still can’t open your global .aam file.

    which module are you using? I got functionetta’s oob and I believe stoney’s alpha+2 module. Link me the module you use.
    ~
    you didn’t do any out of the ordinary attacks with G1. the italy naval I need to know what was sent and lost. I am curious why you lost air units there with germany/italy or which specific ships were lost by UK.

    Just can’t open this map. seems like I am missing that particular module. oh well. night. 12:00AM Hawaiian time. didn’t stay out for long saturday night.
    ~
    I got func’s module OOB and TMTM’s alpha+2.


  • Interesting discussion Jenn and Cow

    Cow you need to be more honorable with a lady in the house.

    Jenn you have shown more grace than I could give.

    Jenn, your analysis on China is very good- solid points here though I wonder if you go after US on round 1 in full force like you say and China nor Russia is attacked, I would think US could go ALL/MOSTLY Pacific and keep the Japs occupied.  The problem with Japan is that they have to go East then West to get the VCs they need.  It takes longer than you think.  I am doubting this J1 Gambit- I think a lot has to go right for Axis to pull it off- not convinced yet.

    You guys need to quit talking and play it out. :-)

  • '18 '17 '16 '11 Moderator

    @Cow:

    give me some time to sht shower shave, look over this sht, and cook dinner. Also you already did the allies turns and buys. I may want to make changes to them. already opened a thread in the gameplay forum. the game may be fine and bearable for me.

    I already know I want to edit a buy.

    What time zone are you in?

    I did no allied buys, CMs or NCMs.

    I am in Central Time Zone.  I take it this is the thread. (http://www.axisandallies.org/forums/index.php?topic=22551.0)

    Once we iron out the details, I will post Germany and you can post Russia.  The above map was in reference to how the Axis forces should be aligned at the end of Round 1.

    The only issue is that knowing what will occur, ahead of time, the Allies might have a leg up in stopping it.  I take that lightly, as NCSCSwitch knew ahead of time in AAR that Russia would go gangbusters on Germany while America stayed out of it for the most part, focusing mostly on Japan, and it did him no good, and he was one of the best players on the forum.  Then again, he was a formula player and had a near impossible time making up ways to counter non-traditional strategies.  You, on the other hand, I have never played before, so I am not sure how your imagination works.

    AFAIK: Game 1:  Japan works on establishing naval supremecy, then destroying England and ANZAC before turning on America, China and Russia if any of them.

    Game 2:  Japan ignores America entirely, perhaps taking Philippines and/or some unprotected Islands on Round 3 or 4 as you wish. (Cow plays axis on game 2.)

    The only question here is:  Can Japan stop America from being too powerful navally and will stopping it make the game easier in the long run.

    or

    Will crushing China make it easier?

    That is, in essence, what we are attempting, right?


    Questioner,

    I see what you are saying, but I think you missed the idea.  The idea is to remove America as an effective force by crushing it’s naval power early (and thus, preventing them from ever getting a navy of any decent power.)

    Since England has only a Cruiser, 2 Destroyers and a Transport, France has a Destroyer and ANZAC only has a Cruiser, Destroyer and Transport at the start of the game, Japan does not really have to invest against them.

    By round 3, those two powers will probably only have a few submarines as well which is still not much of an investment.

    Now, it is possible for America to have good defending odds, using CAP fighters, so it is, theoretically, possible to keep the fleet in SZ 10.  Unfortunately, it will also be trapped in SZ 10, and it will mean locking their fighters in W. USA and investing solely and fully in the Pacific with no aide to Europe.

    Japan to will be locked, but honestly, Japan has no need to invest more, just to move surface ships over to counter the Americans, collecting the NO for Hawaii and denying it to America (along with denying them the Philippines NO) and put submarines in the water to sink whatever ANZAC/England put out. (A new carrier and some destroyers to protect a set of 5 transports, of which you should have all 5 by the end of round 1.)


    I never said it was easy, but I do feel it is significantly easier than allowing the United States to amass an amazing force of undefeatable naval strength as is generally the case in every game where America is ignored until China and/or England has been conquered.

    So I took the challenge, I have to attack America, virtually ignoring China until ANZAC and England are conquered and then focus on China and Cow, on his turn, has to ignore America until China and England are conquered.  (By ignore, I take his meaning to be literally make no attacks against any American units or terrain, save for the Philippines.)

    I believe my arrangement is far superior to his arrangement.

  • '18 '17 '16 '11 Moderator

    BTW, yes, I do know that LL and NL skew the statistics, Fire Knight, hence why I said run the 10,000 battle calculator and go with the statistically typical results. That way, it is theoretically possible for 1 infantry to stave off 500 infantry, but it won’t be the most typical outcome and thus will not be recorded in the game.

    In general, I am attempting to see how waiting for one round might give Japan a better edge against America.  I do not really see it being possible, as America has only to put an IC in Mexico and thus produce 6 naval units a round before the War starts.  This is an issue because I have found, in naval engagments, you want to have 3 hit points for every 2 hit points the defender has (A battleship and a cruiser have 3 hit points) and you want to have 125% of the punch (a battleship has 4 punch) before attacking.

    OBVIOUSLY, that is not a hard and fast rule, it is just a guideline, and one that has been of insurmountable importance in many a game for me, hence the title I have been given as The Fleetkiller (of course, EM gave me the title because I usually won against slightly poor odds and won decisively, because I am lucky in naval engagements and unlucky in land engagments.)


    Also, I never said they would ALWAYS win, I said they would generally win.  Dice will ruin any game. “Good Dice beat Good Tactics Everyday!” as they say.  However scenario:

    America is reduced to SZ 10 and mainland USA.
    ANZAC/ENGLAND are sunk before getting the Dutch Islands and thus preventing them from collecting an extra 11 IPC over 4 rounds (actually you should take Borneo too, so that would be -15 IPC over 3 rounds and the loss of 11 IPC for the actual islands.  You will need 2 rounds to take them, 1 round to get in position, 1 round to take them.)

    China is strong, but who cares?  As I said, China cannot leave China, thus they cannot do anything of consequence to Japan. They can be annoying and they are relatively difficult to destroy, but none of what they have is what Japan needs anyway.

    On the otherside of the world, England is beat on Round 3.  We all know that, over 10,000 battles the vast majority of the time, Sea Lion is successful.  Since America is investing in the Pacific, they obviously cannot then invest in the defense of London nor the liberation of London for quite some time.  Therefore, it is safe to assume that London will be firmly in German hands for most, if not the entire, game from Germany 3 on.

    With America fighting for dear life in the Pacific, London in German hands, Italians taking out Africa (since African defense forces will slowely dwindle and die off whereas Italian military forces can be replenished, this is safe to assume) and perhaps even a minor Japanese invasion into Russia, it is safe to assume Russian days are numbered.

    After all, all Germany need do is sit a submarine in SZ 125, and she should have some to spare for this.  Russia, with no destroyers of her own, and no realistic ability to create any, and with their fleet trapped in the Baltic, will never dislodge this submarine and thus, should never have their NO.

    With all those floating transports Germany will have, keeping Scandinavia shouldn’t be hard at all.  With the Egypt, England and Sweedish NOs, they should quickly consume Russian hegemony and replace it with Socialism.


  • @Cmdr:

    Questioner,

    I see what you are saying, but I think you missed the idea.  The idea is to remove America as an effective force by crushing it’s naval power early (and thus, preventing them from ever getting a navy of any decent power.)

    Since England has only a Cruiser, 2 Destroyers and a Transport, France has a Destroyer and ANZAC only has a Cruiser, Destroyer and Transport at the start of the game, Japan does not really have to invest against them.

    By round 3, those two powers will probably only have a few submarines as well which is still not much of an investment.

    Now, it is possible for America to have good defending odds, using CAP fighters, so it is, theoretically, possible to keep the fleet in SZ 10.  Unfortunately, it will also be trapped in SZ 10, and it will mean locking their fighters in W. USA and investing solely and fully in the Pacific with no aide to Europe.

    Japan to will be locked, but honestly, Japan has no need to invest more, just to move surface ships over to counter the Americans, collecting the NO for Hawaii and denying it to America (along with denying them the Philippines NO) and put submarines in the water to sink whatever ANZAC/England put out. (A new carrier and some destroyers to protect a set of 5 transports, of which you should have all 5 by the end of round 1.)

    No, I got your point, I just haven’t had time to look at the map (starting setup to A2) this weekend- little busy.  I’m just going off memory here for the moment.

    You know a simple setup change- DD to block in SZ (i forget now) off Hawaii could stop all this.  Might be needed if this gambit seems to powerful.

    Also the Guaranteed Sealion on round 3 in practice is not as simple as in Alpha1.  According to my calculations, Allies have a very slight punch advantage- the extra ftr in Fra- flown back to England makes a huge difference- Britain can stack and make Germany pay.  Are you assuming an AC is not bought to get you some extra TTs or aircraft???

    Really I’m gonna have to play out your opening moves and see for myself- I think I’ll try that today and see when I get home tonight.

  • '18 '17 '16 '11 Moderator

    The fighters in France should be toast on Germany 1.

    Germany should get Normandy, France, Yugoslavia, SZ 111 in Germany 1, leaving them with 70 IPC. (Perhaps SZ 110, but generally, if I hit SZ 110, its because I am not intending on Sea Lion.)

    England should have: Fighter in Scotland, 2 Fighters in England (+1 French one), 1 Fighter in Gibraltar, 1 Fighter in Malta and 1 Tactical Bomber in SZ 98.  If you move them all to England, you do have a slight edge (assuming you block shore bombardments with a destroyer and move an infantry/armor from canada to england.)

    However, this gives Italy a free hand and I have yet to see an England player do this.  Generally they might build everything in England, but they do prosecute a fight against Italy and thus, under those circumstances Germany with 10 Aircraft and 22 Ground forces SHOULD be able to win.  Indeed, if England does not reinforce from England, the odds of German success goes to 90%. (Still assumes fighters in England and they do not fly cap and thus do not die, assumes Canadian forces go to Brazil or something and some British surface warship is used to block BB/CA bombardments.)

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