West Coast Garrison

[88 Millimeter]

Exactly DM. When I’m Germany and I see only 4 Brit transports I know exactly how much the UK can bring to my flanks. 5 or 6 transports allows a constant threat of 10-12 land units to W Europe, Germany, and E Europe, as long as you’re operating in SZ 6 or in the Baltic. It forces Germany to either hold back more troops from eating Russians- or if they don’t you can land with more force, which might allow you to land U.S. troops w/ fighters to reinforce. Which for Germany is scary.

When defending my flanks as Germany I use Britain’s transport capacity to determine how strongly I defend my coast- if Britain can’t destroy the entire force then the U.S. can’t land fighters- if they do it can easily put them over the top and allow them to hold the territory.

4 transports for Britain does make sense logistically- if you’re more concerned about getting help to the center of the board then don’t buy more- but more does have its advantages.

Back on topic. A west coast garrison is important, especially the logistical method outlined by others. I’ve made the mistake of not defending it and had to deal with a constant Japanese flow- I over-corrected in the next game by defending W Canada so heavily that it was impossible to take. I think a better idea is a compromise- a light continuously moving garrison of 4 Inf (with an AA from W US if any Japanese airforce is nearby), with Armor built in W US- also constantly flowing east- is plenty. If Japan wants to devote resources to that then it means Russia is able to breathe a little easier.

[JamesG]

Darth and 88,

That is a good point, using extra TRNs to quickly move units previously placed in Norway/Kar to assault EE, WE, or Berlin along with the 8 units built in the UK.  It’s still not exactly something I’d probably do myself.  I like to buy 4 Inf and 4 Arm with the UK to load 4 TRNs, and that costs 32 IPC which is sometimes more than the UK makes depending on what’s going in Africa, India and the Pacific.  So I rarely have the expendable $$ to buy an extra TRN, and if I do I’ll probably use it to buy a fighter every couple of turns or place an IC in Norway.

And I’m also a believer of not having more TRNs than ground units to transport them with.  With DM’s proposed UK1 buy of 3 TRNs for a total of 5, you don’t have enough money left over to buy enough ground units to fill those 5 TRNs.  You can buy 2 Inf, plus 2 starting units from Canada plus 4 starting units from the UK.  That’s 8 units for 5 TRNs.  Not something I would do, but I guess it’s not terrible.

In summary, while I now see the greater flexibility for massed attacks to the flanks that extra TRNs provide, along with the extra fodder it provides I already recognized, it is still is not something I see myself doing.  I just think there are better uses for UK $$.  But I reserve my right to change my mind in the future.  :-)

[88 Millimeter]

James- I agree that the UK often doesn’t have the cash to build extra transports. The flow of a particular game would dictate that purchase. I’d use it at a key time when Germany is threatening a key position to force them to move some troops into defensive positions or keep them at home.

My secret (don’t tell anyone) UK first turn move is 2 Transports/ 3 Infantry/ 1 Armor. It provides the UK the opportunity to deliver 8 land units on UK2, which is pretty devastating that early in the game. It forces Germany to make quick decisions regarding the defense of France/ Norway. It relieves pressure on Russia. If the idea is to get the maximum number of Allied land units to the mainland in as quick a time as possible, what’s not to like about that purchase? I’ve seen that purchase single-handedly demoralize someone who had never seen it before. It works particularly well if the person purchased a Carrier, as German land forces are in shorter supply. Germany has to choose immediately- defend my flanks or give them up to go after Russia?

A British Carrier on UK1 hasn’t made sense to me since I started using the 2 Transport strategy. Take all Allied navy to Algeria on turn 1, build two Transports out of range of German aircraft. Or sit in SZ8, and let the US join you for added protection (works best with a US1 build of a Carrier and 2 Transports), go wherever you desire on turn 2 and then build a Carrier, after your infrastructure is in place. Now your British and US fleets can act together or independently, as each will have Battleships/ Carriers/ and Transports rather than one nation relying on the other.

[frimmel]

I was looking for peoples experirence on how much to leave back in LA and Can. I don’t want it to be wimpy but I want an aggresive attack everything player to give it a try without needing a whole turn worth of IPCs to get it back and maybe stop it in the first place. Something that can draw some units away from Russia. Maybe create the fear I may drop navy in the Pacific.

[Guest]

Well, there is the issue of “timing” an attack on Alaska (or Mexico or Panama, but usually Alaska)…

TWO turns before the Axis gets ready for their final push on Moscow, Japan lands HEAVY in Alaska with INF.  This forces the US to divert WCan INF and WUS ARM to throw the Axis out of Alaska… meaning that 2 turns later, those forces are NOT landing in Norway or threatening Western Europe.

It allows the Axis to remove the US largely from teh equation on their final drive to Moscow.

The trick is, the Axis MUST have enough forces in Asia to TAKE Moscow, otherwise the diversion of Japan forces prevents a second round of strong assault and gives the Allies the game.

[JamesG]

@88:

My secret (don’t tell anyone) UK first turn move is 2 Transports/ 3 Infantry/ 1 Armor. It provides the UK the opportunity to deliver 8 land units on UK2, which is pretty devastating that early in the game.
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Take all Allied navy to Algeria on turn 1, build two Transports out of range of German aircraft.
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go wherever you desire on turn 2 and then build a Carrier, after your infrastructure is in place.

All the above is my basic early UK strategy as well.  But one thing I’ve found that can mess it up a bit: if Germany bought an AC on G1, they can move it out of the Baltic on G2 to SZ7.  This will block the Allied fleet off of Algeria from landing in Europe on turn 2 (unless they move into the Med and out of supply).  And each of the two allied fleets lack the punch separately to take on that German navy.  So I may buy one less TRN and one less INF on UK1 in order to purchase a 3rd Fighter, if faced with a G1 AC.  Then if Germany does move out on G2, UK can attack with 1 BB, 3 TRN, 3 FIG, 1 BMR (oP=17, cnt=9) vs 1 AC, 2 FIG, 1 DD, 2 SS, 1 TRN (dP=19, cnt=7).  Not a great battle for the UK, but they can retreat once the TRN fodder is gone and leave the remnants of the German fleet for the US to finish off.

[88 Millimeter]

Great point. I’m not used to the German players that I play against moving out of the Baltic- they usually stay put to hold the north as long as possible. We also don’t play with bids, so our German moves never include the German player trying to combine fleets- the Egypt move has to be done with navy.

The extra Fighter would be helpful though, especially the longer the game went. It might also be a deterrent to the German fleet moving out in the first place.

[JamesG]

@88:

We also don’t play with bids

Are you playing with 4-5 players at a time, so that there are at least two Allied players?  If playing with 3 or less, which leads to one player playing all three Allies, the Axis is at a slight disadvantage w/o a bid.  With 4-5 players, the Allies usually don’t coordinate as well so the Axis is back to even footing even w/o a bid.

[88 Millimeter]

I play FTF with just one player- we alternate sides. He happens to be the 7th ranked player on the Flames of Europe site, so I get good competition. We’re about 50/50 on wins- the game we’re in now will decide the balance but I’m in some trouble with the Axis.

Anyhow, we feel that the game is nearly balanced, but we use several house rules to try to give the Axis a nudge.

[JamesG]

@88:

Anyhow, we feel that the game is nearly balanced, but we use several house rules to try to give the Axis a nudge.

Yeah, house rules are another way to balance the sides w/o a bid.