What is the best tech ?

[Axisplaya]

G40 - Alpha +2
If you had to choose one tech for each of these powers, what would it be ?

Germany
Russia
Japan
USA
UK
Italy

[The Dessert Fox]

Japan: Long range aircraft (Great for island hoping and is great with air bases)
Russia: Advanced Artillery (Good for trading territories)
UK: Improved Shipyards (Great for re-building Navy)
Germany: Super Submarines (Convoy raiding and attacking the UK and US Navies)
Italy: Improved Shipyards (Good for Re-building Navy and for being able to hold out the Med against US and UK attacks in North Africa and Southern Europe)

[shrinks]

Germany- jet fighters or rockets advanced artillery super subs are good too
Russia- rockets or improved(increased?) factory production or advanced artillery
Japan- long range aircraft or shipyards
USA- shipyards, advanced artillery, jet fighters, almost anything but rockets and improved mechanized infantry.
China- i’m not sure they can, not that I ever would but looks like war bonds
UK- shipyards, long range aircraft.
ANZAC- shipyards, long range aircraft….war bonds and jet fighters?
Italy- shipyards and…war bonds?
France- pretty much nothing

I personally believe that heavy bombers have completely lost their touch, rarely are you able to blitz anyway with most countries so improved mechs isn’t that good. War bonds I think is pretty lame unless your Italy or ANZAC and need some extra money. I think shipyards are freaking amazing with long range aircraft a close second!

[Gargantua]

I’m surprised no one mentioned Improved Shipyards for the Germans.

$6 Transports and $5 subs oh my!

Of note, there is not a BAD technology Germany can get, italy is almost the same.

Radar for countries like Japan always blows :S

[poloplayer15]

for the UK rockets are also a good thing. you can reach west Germany and of course the French factories.

[Jennifer]

Technologies, as currently configured?  Darn.

I disagree that Russia needs advanced artillery. I find it less beneficial in trading territories than others I suppose. (Why trade 7 IPC instead of 6 IPC when trading territories?  Aint like Russia earns enough as it is!)

I’d have to go with the following:

Germany:  Against Russia: Improved Mechanized Infantry for sure!  Against England: Jet Fighters

It is safe to assume Germany has 70 IPC to spend on round 2.  If they are going against Russia, that is 7 Mechanized Infantry, 7 Armor.  Since these guys are moving into the fray much faster than any artillery can follow, the added punch to the mechanized infantry could prove the decisive factor in any battle.

Against England, the Jets would make sinking the British fleet and keeping it sunk a lot easier.  After all, Germany really does not need the LRA tech for its purposes.

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Russia:  Either War Bonds or Jet Fighters.

War Bonds would give Russia some extra cash it would need, and presumably, the techs would start on round 1, thus it could have 4 rounds of extra cash before being attacked.  At 3.5 average result on the die, that would be +14 IPC before Germany, allegedly, attacks.

Jet Fighters would give the Russians just that little extra punch that could be invaluable when trading territories.  I can’t recall the number of times I have lost a trade because my fighter kept rolling a 4.

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Japan:  I definitely agree, LRA couple with Air Bases would be an almost unimaginable boon to the Japanese.

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United States:  Shipyards and/or LRA

Same reason as Japan.

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England(both boards): Rockets, Radar or Improved Shipyards.

Honestly, with London falling so easily right now, I find it hard to see shipyards as superior to radar.  At least radar should improve the number of German planes destroyed during a Sea Lion attempt, perhaps giving England the victory.

Rockets could just plain be useful, if you could get enough guns out.

Shipyards would be great for Calcutta, but they don’t desperately need them as much as say Jets or Improved Factories, or whatever.

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ANZAC:  Improved Factories, probably.  At least one could build 5 units instead of 3 in New South Wales.

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Italy: I agree, shipyards to rebuild or maybe paratroopers.

At least the paratroopers could take the islands in the Med, snipe underdefended ground territories, etc.  Shipyards are probably still better.

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France: LRA.  All you have is a fighter anyway, why not give it longer range?

[knp7765]

At first I couldn’t believe that nobody picked Heavy Bombers.  Then I remembered that in the Europe 40 rulebook they changed Heavy Bombers to where you roll 2 dice and pick the best result so you still only get one hit.  WHAT A CROCK!!  That sounds more like smart bombs to me.  Basically you are getting a better chance of hitting the target by rolling 2 dice instead of 1.  As far as I’m concerned, Heavy Bombers carry a bigger bomb load so they destroy more stuff.

I DO NOT use the new 1940 rule for Heavy Bombers.  In my games, if you get Heavy Bombers then you get to roll 2 dice and get 2 hits (assuming both dice came up 4 or less).  In the case of Strategic Bombing, you can now inflict up to 12 damage points on an IC rather than up to 6.  I guess that is my house rule.

With that in mind, I think Heavy Bombers is the best tech for USA and maybe Germany too.  Although Super Subs would probably be even better for Germany.
USSR = Advanced Artillery or Improved Mechs
UK = Radar, Improved Shipyards
USA = Heavy Bombers, Long Range Aircraft
ANZAC = Increased Factory
Germany = Super Subs, Improved Mechs, possibly Heavy Bombers
Japan = Long Range Aircraft
Italy = Improved Shipyards, War Bonds