Epic Fail!!! I tried a variation of the G1 attack on Russia and made one crucial error so I thought I would share (for those interested of course) so no one else makes the mistake i did.
Purchased 6 art 2 inf
Bessarabia 1 Inf 1 armor 1 tac (I took the other inf and put him in Yugo to strafe back to romania after round 1 of battle)
Eastern Poland 2 Inf 1 armor 1 tac 1 fighter
Belarus 3 inf 1 armor 1 tac
Here is where I tried to add a little more to Grasshoppers plan
sz 115 1 cruiser 2 fighters 1 tac 1 tt 1 inf 1 art to attack vyborg (3 inf) along with two bombers.
2 inf from norway to finland to make 6 inf in finland
6 inf 2 art + 1 inf from romania to yugoslavia. Figured that no matter what happened I would roll 1 round and strafe. Didn’t think I would win.
sz 111 1 battleship 2 subs 2 fighters.
sz 106 1 sub
sz 91 2 subs
France 4 inf 2 art 4 mech 6 armor
Normandy 3 inf 1 art
So I beat the cruiser in 91 with a first shot attack.
Got the destroyer and transport in 106 and kept my sub.
Pretty bad dice made me lose everything in 111 and he had a damaged battleship left.
Got 4 hits (amazingly) in Yugo and strafed to Romania
Lost 1 inf in bessarabia so I had an armor remain and lost nothing in eastern poland or belarus.
Here is where it gets bad
sz 115 He rolls a 1 for the first shot attack and takes out my cruiser which in turn means I can’t get his sub
He then rolls a 2 for his cruiser and gets a fighter
Allies -12
Axis -22
Now I have to retreat my tt back to 114 where he is surely dead on the next turn
Allies -12
Axis -36
Meanwhile my two bombers that were going to assist my inf and art have to fight one round before they can retreat. I get 1 hit, he gets 1 hit
Allies -15
Axis -48
On the allies turn
Russia attacks finland with 4 inf 2 fighter 1 tac on my 6 inf Wins while I took out 3 inf 1 fighter. 2 IPC 3 IPC bonus
Norway gets taken by UK 3 IPC I lost 5 IPC bonus.
IPC swing 45 since I have no transports to take those back until my next turn when I have to buy them
Allies +23
Axis -22
He will actually be able to hold finland for three turns because of units he moved in to protect it.
So all this is to say I got hosed on a 1 and 6 chance of losing my cruiser but if you choose to emulate the russia side of this attack (which I think could be a good one cause you get 10 of russias inf instead of just 7) make sure to purchase navy to drop in 114 to protect the tt that has to retreat or buy another tt in 113 to be able to take norway/finland back. I will be trying this attack again and hope for better luck next time.
Epic Fail!!! I tried a variation of the G1 attack on Russia and made one crucial error so I thought I would share (for those interested of course) so no one else makes the mistake i did.
Purchased 6 art 2 inf
Artillery are unnecessary at this point in the game, because they won’t get to the front fast enough to support the infantry you move east to counter the Russian counter. Round 1 Germany needs air units and a destroyer, but if you wanted land units…. 6 Mech infantry would have been a more efficient purchase.Bessarabia 1 Inf 1 armor 1 tac (I took the other inf and put him in Yugo to strafe back to romania after round 1 of battle)
Eastern Poland 2 Inf 1 armor 1 tac 1 fighter
Belarus 3 inf 1 armor 1 tac
I think you mean Baltic States here, because you can’t reach Belarus G1. That said, Germany didn’t move enough units into these attacks, and therefore left themselves weak to take the Russian territories needed to provoke Russia into countering.Here is where I tried to add a little more to Grasshoppers plan
sz 115 1 cruiser 2 fighters 1 tac 1 tt 1 inf 1 art to attack vyborg (3 inf) along with two bombers.
2 inf from norway to finland to make 6 inf in finland
6 inf 2 art + 1 inf from romania to yugoslavia. Figured that no matter what happened I would roll 1 round and strafe. Didn’t think I would win.
sz 111 1 battleship 2 subs 2 fighters. Not enough
sz 106 1 sub
sz 91 2 subs 110 is more important
France 4 inf 2 art 4 mech 6 armor
Normandy 3 inf 1 art Normandy not necessary until G2So I beat the cruiser in 91 with a first shot attack.
Got the destroyer and transport in 106 and kept my sub.
Pretty bad dice made me lose everything in 111 and he had a damaged battleship left.
Got 4 hits (amazingly) in Yugo and strafed to Romania
Lost 1 inf in bessarabia so I had an armor remain and lost nothing in eastern poland or belarus.Here is where it gets bad
sz 115 He rolls a 1 for the first shot attack and takes out my cruiser which in turn means I can’t get his sub Your cruiser means nothing in this scenario, you need a destroyer to engage his sub, this makes your G1 attack on the Russian boats unessasary this early in the game because you don’t have a destroyer.
He then rolls a 2 for his cruiser and gets a fighter
Allies -12
Axis -22Now I have to retreat my tt back to 114 where he is surely dead on the next turn
Allies -12
Axis -36Meanwhile my two bombers that were going to assist my inf and art have to fight one round before they can retreat. I get 1 hit, he gets 1 hit Bombers are best used when hitting sea zones G1 or using them in Strategic Bombing Raids.
Allies -15
Axis -48On the allies turn
Russia attacks finland with 4 inf 2 fighter 1 tac on my 6 inf Wins while I took out 3 inf 1 fighter. 2 IPC 3 IPC bonus
Norway gets taken by UK 3 IPC I lost 5 IPC bonus. When the UK are left with the ships in 110, they can land in Europe and do a lot of damage.IPC swing 45 since I have no transports to take those back until my next turn when I have to buy them
Allies +23
Axis -22He will actually be able to hold finland for three turns because of units he moved in to protect it. I wouldn’t continue this game because the misunderstanding of the sub vs cruiser battle really hurt your chances to win.
So all this is to say I got hosed on a 1 and 6 chance of losing my cruiser but if you choose to emulate the russia side of this attack (which I think could be a good one cause you get 10 of russias inf instead of just 7) make sure to purchase navy to drop in 114 to protect the tt that has to retreat or buy another tt in 113 to be able to take norway/finland back. I will be trying this attack again and hope for better luck next time. The cruiser should not have been used that way, or lost that way… after you read the rules about subs, you won’t make that attack again.
Try a closer version of my plan next time, your luck might change.
“The cruiser should not have been used that way, or lost that way… after you read the rules about subs, you won’t make that attack again.”
Thats not true. If the sub chooses to keep on fighting, the cruser can and probably will sink the sub. If the sub submerges, you can still land your forces into Vyborg.
The only thing you did wrong in this fight was, that the USSR could as well scramble one plane from Leningrad, and therefore, would most likely sink your crusier and destroy your fighter and you won’t be able to land into Vyborg.
You’re right, and I stand corrected. However, if you argue that the sub can submerge, and the fighter can scramble, the attack is still ill fated. It’s better to buy a destroyer G1, and attack the Russian fleet G2 when there are more planes available.
Well like I said it was an epic fail and in my opinion all boiled down to an error in my purchase to not prepare for the first shot hit.
The cruiser should not have been used that way, or lost that way… after you read the rules about subs, you won’t make that attack again.
I did read the rules about this which is why I brought 2 fighters which allowed me to roll 3 3’s. I hit 2 of them when i ended up rolling so if he had not rolled the 1 for his sub then the battle is over. I did however overlook the scramble but so did my playing partner which neither of us will do next time.
Your cruiser means nothing in this scenario, you need a destroyer to engage his sub, this makes your G1 attack on the Russian boats unessasary this early in the game because you don’t have a destroyer.
Actually my cruiser means I can get the sub if he chooses to stay and fight and the rule states that you roll all dice of the same attack value at the same time and the defender must take the max amount of hits. This means if I get two hits with my 3’s he cannot say that my cruiser hit his cruiser and my airplane hit nothing since they can’t hit subs.
I did mean baltic states.
The sz 111 battle I rolled with my son about ten times before my buddy came over to play and not once did the UK remain with a unit. With that being said I will try to get another plane there.
Bombers are best used when hitting sea zones G1 or using them in Strategic Bombing Raids.
Again, this is another repercussion of him rolling the 1. IF he didn’t roll that 1 I have 2 2’s and 2 4’s on three 2’s. More than likely I will take them out and keep both bombers. A risk I was willing to take in order to take out 3 more guys. That in turn would eliminate the counter attack on finland.
Germany didn’t move enough units into these attacks, and therefore left themselves weak to take the Russian territories needed to provoke Russia into countering.
He did counterattack and I was able to take them all out very easily with my second wave and all I lost was some inf and 3 armor. All I had was three more tanks available and I figured they would get lost in the counter attack. Of course not the case in finland but that was discussed.
I wouldn’t continue this game because the misunderstanding of the sub vs cruiser battle really hurt your chances to win.
That doesn’t seem to fair for my playing partner “My first turn didn’t go like I wanted so lets start over”
I really enjoy reading your posts grasshopper but I don’t take anybody’s first moves and do exactly what they do. If like the idea, I try to figure out the best way that I can think to do it. I will try this opener again with a few tweaks here and there and hopefully my next post will be how good it worked:)
OK, I totaly understand that you gotta do things your way, I’m just glad that you’re willing to try this G1 strategy again, because it’s really fun IMO.
Again, this is another repercussion of him rolling the 1. IF he didn’t roll that 1 I have 2 2’s and 2 4’s on three 2’s. More than likely I will take them out and keep both bombers. A risk I was willing to take in order to take out 3 more guys. That in turn would eliminate the counter attack on Finland.
If that if has such repercussions for you, it still sounds like you made that too risky. A 1-in-6 chance isn’t poor enough odds if you are going to bank a lot on your opponent missing the roll.
If that
ifhas such repercussions for you, it still sounds like you made that too risky. A 1-in-6 chance isn’t poor enough odds if you are going to bank a lot on your opponent missing the roll.
Yea the repercussions were not fully realized till after the fact which in turn would have and will change my purchase next time I try this. In hind sight the purchase seems to be pretty pointless…I’m dumb:(
OK, I totaly understand that you gotta do things your way, I’m just glad that you’re willing to try this G1 strategy again, because it’s really fun IMO.
Im wasn’t trying to sound like an ass I just really liked the idea of your G1 but if I do all your moves it feels like I didn’t do it. That is why I took your idea without the exact moves and tried to formulate my own plan. Clearly it backfired but I learned a lot and that seems to be the best way for me not to do something again. Tell me a hundred times not to do something and I will end up doing it, but after I do it and it blows up in my face then it seems to stick a little more. Makes me sound like a kid huh:)
Even with the awful start I am not in horrible shape. I don’t think I can win but I am just trying to see what I can make of the game with that huge IPC swing. If I can make it last then it will get me real excited to try again and do it the right way.
Not at all, I admire you for trying new things and experimenting.
Cheers.
Made any changes to your G1 after a few games YG?
Still think it’s ideal?
–Jeff
One idea I had would be to use the romanian tank to slingshot the S. German inf into Romania
And why buy a fig? Scramble defense replacement? Maybe a tank and mech in Germ for counters on G2 would be better?
Made any changes to your G1 after a few games YG?
Still think it’s ideal?
–Jeff
Yes, I still like my initial G1 attack on Russia, and I will continue to support this strategy until it becomes broken. I myself don’t feel any reason to change my blueprint at this point, and even though all the battles I instigate are on the risky side, they’re balanced just enough to get consistent results. It is flattering to see members in our group use it and get successful outcomes as well. Someone I know who was first against the idea of attacking Russia G1, was open minded enough to use it last weekend, and he sacked both Moscow and London in 7 rounds.
The way my plan is set up now, I see the idea of strafing Yugoslavia as being slightly greedy IMO. I understand the need to get troops to Romania quickly, but it’s to risky to take significant losses in a neutral territory when Germany is already stretched thin. To me, it is important to get the right odds in the right battles rather than a neutral like Yugoslavia. If you’re patient enough, those Southern Germany troops will be right where you need them, when you need them.
The only variant I see so far in my blueprint is the use of the Tactical Bomber in Germany. You can take it to sea zone #111 (at which point you will need to purchase an Aircraft Carrier), or you can take it to bessarbia (which will give you the freedom to buy what you like). As for my choice of purchases, I want to attack Russian Submarines G2 so I will need to buy a Destroyer G1. I prefer to put my Tac Bomber from Germany into the Russian front, so that will increase my odds of losing air units in sea zone #111. Therefore, I buy a Bomber, and a fighter to help with scramble protection if needed, and to operate attacks on UK ships in the Med on G2.
Grasshopper, i am totally on board with a G1 russian attack. It has worked great in our games! We have some pretty crafty Russian players and the G1 attack has really given them pause when its R1’s turn. I have experimented with leaving sz 110 or 111 alone both have pros and cons. I like to build a minor in Romania G1. my buddy likes to buy a major G1. My question for you is what/where do you build in the remaining turns to keep a steady and healthy flow of ground units to attack russia? I would like to try the G1 attack without the factory build turn 1. (i did notice some interesting things you do G1 that i am definitely gonna try. Southern France and Normandy. German Navy in the med sounds fun!!) Keep up the good work! I too only play by table top, nothing like the sound of dice hitting the box!
Grasshopper, i am totally on board with a G1 russian attack. It has worked great in our games! We have some pretty crafty Russian players and the G1 attack has really given them pause when its R1’s turn. I have experimented with leaving sz 110 or 111 alone both have pros and cons. I like to build a minor in Romania G1. my buddy likes to buy a major G1. My question for you is what/where do you build in the remaining turns to keep a steady and healthy flow of ground units to attack russia? I would like to try the G1 attack without the factory build turn 1. (i did notice some interesting things you do G1 that i am definitely gonna try. Southern France and Normandy. German Navy in the med sounds fun!!) Keep up the good work! I too only play by table top, nothing like the sound of dice hitting the box!
Great post, nice compliments…. gotta busy night ahead preparing for a group game tommorow, but I will definitly respond back to this. For now I will just say that I built my minor IC in Romania turn 2.
Far better results this time grasshopper!!!
Purchase
tt dd 2 armor 1 inf (tt to help fix any debacle in sz 115 again. dd to be able to scramble planes on the sub if it was left. 2 armor 1 inf to transport to Novgorod if successful)
Bessarabia 2 inf 1 armor 1 tac
Eastern Poland 1 inf 5 armor
Baltic states 3 inf 1 fighter 1 tac
sz 115 bb cruiser 1 fighter tt w/ 1 inf 1 art from germany
vyborg 1 inf 1 art from tt 2 bombers
Yugo 6 inf 2 art from GSG 1 inf from romania to strafe after first round no matter the results.
France 7 inf 4 mech 3 art 3 armor ( was a little worried about heavy losses on this one)
sz 111 2 sub 3 fighters 3 tac (figured scramble was unlikely)
Finland 3 inf
Liked the idea by variance I think to put 6 armor in eastern poland so I put 5 with one going to Bessarabia to be sure I didn’t lose a fighter there (my buddy has been rolling ridiculous dice lately). Also like the idea of just taking france and worrying about SF and Normandy till turn 2.
sz 115 (where it all went wrong last time I tried it if you recall) He does not scramble, as I assumed, but believe it or not he rolled a 1 with his sub again so if I hadn’t taken the battleship the plan would have been foiled….again by a 1 in 6 chance. He also rolled a 3 for his cruiser, but I took out both his ships and moved on to Vyborg with a damaged bb and a cruiser left.
Vyborg win with 1 art left
Baltic win with 3 inf left
Eastern Poland win with 5 armor left
Bessarabia win with 1 armor left
Yugo I once again get 4 hits and strafe to Romania with no losses
France got lucky and wiped him out in 2 rounds but lost 7 inf and 2 mech
sz 111 No scramble and I win with all my planes left no subs
I could probably expain his whole move but I will give you the short version. I took over Novgorod on G2 and have not relinquished it since. I made a slight error by missing a chance at a can opener with Italy to get Ukraine on G3 but firmly secured it on turn G4. Russia will be gone G6 no matter what with a chance at also having Volgograd and Caucasus if the Italian can opener works and he chooses not to land 4 or so UK planes in Caucasus.
Meanwhile in the Pacific Japan waited till J3 to attack after getting attacked in Yunnan by UK so America is still not a factor yet.
Japan is on turn 4 and has China almost gone but no more ground troops to finish the job. A good chance at taking the last two islands for the NO bonus with America only able to get to sz 6 or sz 33 on this turn. Both moves will allow my whole navy, minus a couple subs, to move back to the Phillippines and he doesn’t have the navy to have a chance in an attack or defence since he could only put 3 units a turn till now.
LOVE the G1 attack and it may become an axis staple in our games!!!
Great news, nice work using the forums to refine your strategy and use peoples advice, do your opponents follow these threads?
Grasshopper,� i am totally on board with a G1 russian attack.� It has worked great in our games!� We have some pretty crafty Russian players and the G1 attack has really given them pause when its R1’s turn.� I have experimented with leaving sz 110 or 111 alone both have pros and cons.� I like to build a minor in Romania G1. my buddy likes to buy a major G1.� My question for you is what/where do you build in the remaining turns to keep a steady and healthy flow of ground units to attack russia?� I would like to try the G1 attack without the factory build turn 1.� (i did notice some interesting things you do G1 that i am definitely gonna try.� Southern France and Normandy.� German Navy in the med sounds fun!!)� Keep up the good work!� I too only play by table top, nothing like the sound of dice hitting the box!
Just pulled off another successful G1 attack on Russia, and even though it was my partner snake11eyes that got the VC win in the Pacific, Germany surrounded Moscow and waged a blood bath war in the Med.
As for your question about German purchases in later rounds, this is what I tend to do with slight variances based on situation….
Round #1
1X S. Bomber (SBR)
1X Fighter (Replenishment)
1X Destroyer (@ Russian sub with planes)
Round #2
8X M. Infantry (in Germany)
1X Destroyer (@ Russian Sub with planes)
1X Fighter (Replenishment)
1X Minor IC (Romania)
Round #3
3X Infantry (Minor IC)
3X Infantry (in W. Germany)
1X S. Bomber (SBR) or 3X M. Infantry
2X Fighter (Atlantic & Med)
Round #4
3X Infantry (Minor IC)
2X T. Bomber (Atlantic & Med)
2X Destroyer (Med)
1X Aircraft Carrier (Med)
Things get unpredictable after round #4.
I like to gain the Russian Minor ICs and just build from there. I don’t like moving toward Moscow to early, because to gives the attrition odds back to Russia when I’m to far away from my production. I would rather out produce them over time while paying close attention to allied ships in the Med and Atlantic. I also make sure that I am operating with 12 or more German air units. My Philosophy when playing Germany is… You may not be able to keep the Kriegsmarine, but there is no excuse for losing the Luftwaffe.
A little bit but not much. He is a far superior player to me and the only other person I play consistently. With that said neither of us have won with the axis yet (0-8). I have a pretty good chance in this game but I have been known to make some pretty colossal errors. Japan is at 65 ipc with India held at bay pretty good and I hope to eliminate all Chinese inf this turn along with a Russian armor and mech. That should give me time to get some ground units in to eliminate them all together. Hopefully all but 1 Russian inf will be gone by Mongolia after this turn while my navy parks it in the phillippines with 0 chance of losing to the us navy for at least a couple turns. Germany should be around 90 ipc with 17 Russian ipc after taking the capital on G6. Should be able to threaten London in a couple turns. Italy is at 14 ipc and just buying inf to solidify capital from any attacks.
A little bit but not much. �He is a far superior player to me and the only other person I play consistently. �With that said neither of us have won with the axis yet (0-8). �I have a pretty good chance in this game but I have been known to make some pretty colossal errors. �Japan is at 65 ipc with India held at bay pretty good and I hope to eliminate all Chinese inf this turn along with a Russian armor and mech. �That should give me time to get some ground units in to eliminate them all together. �Hopefully all but 1 Russian inf will be gone by Mongolia after this turn while my navy parks it in the phillippines with 0 chance of losing to the us navy for at least a couple turns. �Germany should be around 90 ipc with 17 Russian ipc after taking the capital on G6. Should be able to threaten London in a couple turns. �Italy is at 14 ipc and just buying inf to solidify capital from any attacks.
Sounds like you’ve got it in the Pacific, but maybe a you’re little hemed down in Europe, do you guys keep the table setup and just continue the game on later days?
Yea, whoever is the axis gets the board at their house (since we can’t seem to win with them) that way we get a chance to plan a bit. It is generally played over a week or so based on how busy we get.
Actually it’s the opposite, we get spanked in Japan so fast that Germany doesn’t get a chance to impose it’s power before it’s too late. We also play till the other gives up.
