Preview: Game Setup

[djensen]

Yeah, it’s rough.

@Hobbes:

@djensen:

Russia is basically screwed. This game needs a bid of about 2-5 IPCs. With 2, Russia gets an extra infantry at the end of the round. With 5 Russia gets on infantry now and one at the end of the round.

A bid of 6 would give 2 infantry at the beginning of the round for Russi but that might be too much for Germany to overcome.

You’ve played 2 games of it and you’re already saying that Russia needs a bid?…

[cebrickey]

Why is unoccupied China divided north / south in A&A 1941 instead of east / west as in A&A 1942 (and Revised, MB, and Nova versions)? And then two infantry in one territory and none in the other? This setup makes China too easy to conqueror and provides the Japanese an easy backdoor to central Russia.

A&A 1941 is marketed as a simpler, shorter playing game, but the China map and setup are just too ahistorical. I know, an A&A map and setup ahistorical, stop the presses.

Just my humble opinion.

[cebrickey]

When is the approximate start date for A&A 1941? It looks like the late fall of 1941 just before the attack on Pearl Harbor. Is the play order the same as in A&A 1942? If so, are there any restrictions on the UK attacking the Japanese on turn 1 since they are not at war yet?

[Variable]

I doubt it, but that’s a very good point.

[Hobbes]

@cebrickey:

When is the approximate start date? It looks like the late fall of 1941 just before the attack on Pearl Harbor. Is the play order the same as in A&A 1942? If so, are there any restrictions on the UK attacking the Japanese on turn 1 since they are not at war yet?

September 1941 - the German army has just finished conquering the Ukraine and is ready to restart its march on Moscow.

[Autarch]

@cebrickey:

Why is unoccupied China divided north / south in A&A 1941 instead of east / west as in A&A 1942 (and Revised, MB, and Nova versions)? And then two infantry in one territory and none in the other?

I like this setup because China was divided North and South between the Communists and Nationalists. Not sure why the commies dont get any units, though.

[CWO Marc]

@Autarch:

I like this setup because China was divided North and South between the Communists and Nationalists. Not sure why the commies dont get any units, though.

During the war, Mao’s Communists only controlled a small part of northern China.  Showing them as controlling half the country’s total land area would have been a huge exaggeration – especially since Chiang’s Nationalists don’t have their own units either, as they did in Anniversary and Pacific 1940.

[oztea]

Northern China should start with one Infantry, Japan looks snags that, and now touches Stalingrad on J1

Or……on R1
Attack Manchuria with the Tank from Stalingrad.
Preemptive strike.

[Imperious Leader]

Or……on R1
Attack Manchuria with the Tank from Stalingrad.
Preemptive strike.

Soviets have only two tanks and attacking Manchuria costs the Soviets half their tank force. naw.

[oztea]

Except then you are knocking japan down a pretty big notch, 2 IPCs is huge.
You get to use your Far East stack offensively, and use your other stacks (archangel and moscow) and the fighter to knock out the Germans in west Russia.

Collect a cool 10 IPCs, and now put Japan in a position where one of it’s transports has to stay next to Japan, to retake Manchuria.
You likely save yourself the headache of having Japan AND Germany bordering Stalingrad on R2.

Japan has to make a hard choice of what to do with its other transport, does it take the phillipines? or Borneo? Instead of both.

[oztea]

Actually, the more I look at this setup, the more I think Russia is screwed.

[Imperious Leader]

2 IPCs is huge.

yea sure take it and lose 6 IPC tank? No way. Russia cannot afford any experimental invasions. They don’t have the resources and can barely deal with Germany.

[DarthShizNit]

@oztea:

Actually, the more I look at this setup, the more I think Russia is screwed.

Russia is screwed, which is why crazy strategies are just what it needs. I for one will champion the manchuria blitz on R1 until it is proven to be devestating to Russia beyond a doubt. Get’s you up to 10 IPC (which lets you buy another tank and still have room for an infantry) on R2, and forces Japan, which is the weak spot of the Axis, to split her forces even more. She either has to ignore it and then become outnumbered on the mainland choosing instead to go for the islands. Or she has to regain her status on the mainland (where most of her IPC is) and have to choose only one attack on those unguarded ICP’s in the south pacific.

[Bigtiti]

that does mean giving up moscow in a very near future. those 3 inf and tank are vital.
for the rest; i agree. it seems game is made to go KJF almost every time :(