Hi guys!
I’ve read your replies and have considered a few things… I still would like to brainstorm the idea with you two and maybe use RR to give this a chance… Agreed?
Let’s consider Russia restricted case… which makes matters simplier and more fair for the axis…!
Turn 1
The fleet thing:
I don’t know how you see things but the uk is certainly unable to attack the med fleet because of some things:
First: the uk waters (bshp, tr + rs tr and rs sb) is attacked by baltic fleet tr+sb and 1bmb+5 fig…
On the attack you have firepower: 2+15+4 and one fodder, average 3.6 kills… good chance of killing all 4!
Defense: 4+1+1+2 average 1.2 kills… or 1.1 if the g sb did strike home.
This means that only one casuality for the G is very likely… leaving a sb or tr for blocking the uk airforce to hunt med fleet this turn!
Even if the G did only kill 3 the 1 loss only, has 33% chance of still happening… the remaining bsp can miss too in the second round of combat.
The med fleet + atlantic sb should blow the bshp in one turn with 33% of no retaliation… and 66% of making it without losses anyways…
Thus good chances are to leave a Bshp, a sb and a tr in non combat moves there.
You should agree then that it’s likely that a tr or sb is still in uk waters and/or the med fleet has 2-3 ships left which can be difficult to deter with 2 fig and bmb…
The IC in france can not be taken by canada tr or us tr because there is 2 inf and 1 fig that was forced to land there…
Now the eastern front:
- I have considered your answers and come to the following conclusions:
I would then go for leaving everything in EEu with an AA from italy or france, leave an inf in caucasus.
I believe the russian shouldn’t be able to attack this force there with success: 9 inf, 8pz, 4 fig, 1bmb and 1 AA against 17+ inf, 3 tks, 2fig.
In africa the standard moves are done, leaving the 2 inf Seu in lybia (alternative later)
Collect 35 ipcs. (totaling 52 ipcs now.)
Uk has no fleet left except a tr in canada, a lonely sb in suez and a lonely tr in india… Uk shouldn’t be able to hunt med fleet (because of survivor) and/or has a great chance of facing a bsb, a tr and a sb with 2 fig and a bmb…
Note: I’ve considered to land an inf in Gibr aAlgeria to prevent the Br fig from joining the hunt… instead of landing in Lybia, Good idea or not?
Will uk rebuild a fleet that can be trashed again by a Bshp, a tr, maybe a sb and 5 fig and a bmb? Even with 2 fig from Us on a br Ac and a tr this is very risky don’t you think?
Or will they try to defend asia… slowing the jap? (IMO best option)
Japan goes sov far east and china and every attack fleet possible to pearl harbour: 2 Bshp, 1 sb, 2 fig, a Bmb… This means on average Us fleet sunk in one turn, retaliation is likely one loss only (sb)
Us can try to make it with Pac fleet to Panama but will be caught by the huge Jap fleet… So what’s the option?
-IMO Us should hit back with 2 fig a bmb, a tr, a bshp… This should cause lots of damage…
If Us don’t do that they can build a heavy fleet in EUs intimidating the Jap to strike in the next turn… But this ties up all money and is very risky too if the jap goes berserk aswell…
Or Us can hide fleet in Alaska and build things to help Britain…
I mean Us fleet going to Atlantic is non-sense don’t you think considering the huge jap fleet in hawaii?
Us or Uk taking finland with a tr is non sense too turn 1 and turn 2 or explain me how?
They should be able to land something in Algeria to try to hinder the G but then they lose the tr next trn…
Turn 2
The russian is unable to take more than Ukr… shouldn’t risk taking finland aswell… or if he does EEu could be a serious threat… The Karelia mountain of inf should be around 23+ inf there now!
G does what it can in africa…
Consider retreating with everything to Germany leaving an inf behind in EEu, maybe retaking Ukr if lightly defended…
Trashing the new Uk fleet with Us fig or not… Losses should be minimal ( 1tr and maybe a fig or 2 fig or so) depending on if Us sacrificed a tr to block med fleet…
Moving Med fleet to uk waters if not done in combat… Reinforce with a Ac, 2 fig a tr…
Collect 32 or so.
If the jap is able to pass through with fleet in Atlantic… joining Uk waters by turn 4… You should agree that Uk waters will remain German and Landing in Europe should be very difficult…
-Eating Russia from east has begun for the jap… because the russia stockpiled everything in Karelia as common tactic recommends…
Uk can not build fleets at all this turn and is restricted to airforce or trying to hold india with IC but this is now risky as the jap has a firm grip there having the whole first turn unhindered by Russia, Us or Uk…
You tell me what Uk does this turn because I don’t know…
If Uk didn’t buy a fleet turn 1 (as I recommended)… It should have a chance to hamper the jap in russia.
Us has the difficult choice: Reinforcing pacific fleet if still alive… Or building a new one in Atlantic that can be smashed by both Japanese and Germ?
Or should Us go aircraft heavy with Brit to eventually blow at great sacrfices the Jap and Germ fleet?
Turn 3
Russia should go all EEu but should leave reinforcements in Karelia (Germ has fleet that could go backdoor way…) and East because Jap is near…
G3
Germany faces 25 inf or so in EEu with 9 inf or so, 8 pz 4-5 fig, 1 Bmb… Not enough to strafe… So germany goes mostly inf around 10-11 or 8 and tr in uk waters depending on Allied airforce presence around… AND Stack inf in germany leaving an inf or two in Italy…
Jap should go further east in russia and pass through to atlantic…
Uk… I realy don’t know… you tell me!
Us… Difficult to speculate too… Fleet? Airforce?
Turn 4
Russia should be unable to smash through germany all at once due to lack of offensive power… and should therefore go for italy with few inf, stack inf in EEu and either defend against jap in east or gamble in producing tanks for final assault in germany in the future… (taking another turn, build in Karelia and try all forward next turn)
G4… Infantry and usual tr in uk waters if Jap doesn’t make it with enough numbers to uk waters…
Should retake italy with minimal forces… Or Go all out in EEu with 6-7 fig, a bmb, 8pz, 17-20 inf against the 25+ inf, 3 pzs, and 2 fig (if there) if the odds are good!
If not attacking, Russia will face 25-30 inf next turn plus the usual attack force…
I’ll stop there because it gets pathetic trying to guess what’s next…
As I have played it…
Holding uk waters is possible while trading terrain for time to the russian… and works best with RRestricted…
Jap has free hands in asia the first 3 turns… meaning rapid powerhouse, minimal losses, and strongest possible pressure on soviet early…
The tides turn somewhere in turn 5 or so when the russian no longer outnumbers the G and definitely has too few offensive power to take germany… Beginning the long retreat home to protect russia…
Us and Uk get confused the first 3 turns as the usual shuck-shuck is hampered… Building fleets that go down directly at low cost for G and Jap is terrible especialy seeing Asia and Africa being seized with relative ease and the russian moving around his mountain of inf without doing much damage (only an inf a turn)…
If Uk and Us goes asia and africa instead of normal allied naval and air strategy… Things get more difficult as Germany can’t defend africa, build a fleet and hold the russian at the same time… but then needs less Ipcs to maintain uk fleet floating…
Japan gets also in trouble if allies realize early that G is mostly a delaying action… to give time for Japan to grow unstoppbale!
Best result of all is if the allies get very confused… Russia goes all forward and tries to hold the jap too late while… Us tries first to help britain and builds fleets too late… and Uk build fleets after fleets… and sometimes try to help asia… and when all goes eventualy wrong is itself under pressure from multiple possible assaults from uk waters to either karelia, canada, uk, us in just a turn…
The tactic works okay depending on opponent reactions… But so far most fun is seing haughty allies getting confused, disagree with each other and forced to think twice of what to buy and how to do the best allied general strategy… At least the game gets interesting for ALL players!
Last thing, as I see it for G…
The biggest problem with G’s offensive in russia is SUPPLY and Logistics…
Trying to mount a succesfull offensive from EEu is impossible (unfair) because the new inf are deployed in germany… meaning terrible delays to EEu… and that race is won by Karelia who can place their units directly there…
2 Solutions I thought of:
-
buy early IC in EEu! Now the inf race is more fair… EEu shouldn’t fall or be forced to be abandoned… and Karelia isn’t safe anymore…
-
Go bomber heavy, both jap (from manchuria or china eventualy) and G (from berlin) and try luck at early strat bombing of Russia/Karelia from both… 4-5 StrBbings a turn can be devastating to russian inf building in Karelia if you are lucky…
-The problem is keeping Us and Uk busy during the 3 first turns…
Have you tried these 2 tactics?
PS: I can only play the boardgame… and I’m in Sweden!
Or if you know of any MAC version I can get my hands on… (any free download? I would be happy to play with you as the axis or G… trying to make it difficult and interesting for the allies before eventualy getting trashed!