Do you find the game balanced?

[Thamor]

The normal Game with russians getting 24 ipc, do you find it more favored for Germany to win than the allies?

Well with my friends we played our very first 5-7 games with the mistake in oil money. We played that allies get them too and they can divide the money with themselves, that led to russians getting about 30ipc a turn. And that made for germans a really hard push to overcome them.

Well in the end I played most of the games as germans and could win even with the oil money mistake and found it pretty balanced. If you have good luck with your subs and wipe out the british navy totally, but canada fleet and u.s fleet. You would delay the allies a very long time and make it harder for them to send planes to russia, because it would make it more difficult to hunt the german subs.

I usually went for the oil money, but not with full force, only reinforcing the attack there with 3-4 inf, 1 art, 1-2 armor, and maybe 1 plane, that being usually bomber, because it wouldn’t lose a turn in moving to africa and back to russia. Most of germanys 1-2 turn buys would go to infantry, maybe 1 armor or 1-2 artillery to balance the force. So that on turn 3 you could start pushing to soviet soil really hard. In the end the game was decided usually decided in 2 hard battles. Russia would stack belorussia and see how the germans would push to russia, I usually pushed first to eastern poland with some force, that it wouldn’t be too easy for the russia to free, my early infantry would have been pushed to positions to move to ukraine and my second force from 1st turn buy and 2nd would move to east poland. The point was to divide the belorussia stack, would they try hitting the stronger east poland team first or the strong ukraine. East Poland team would get reinforcements from buys, so usually the ukraine team would be hit, but that would leave them open for attack from east poland. So the 2-3 big fights would center in that belorussia stack 1st attack to destroy 1 german force and after that the germans would destroy russian team and move more troops to east poland. In the end it came to dice luck, but it was pretty balanced if the dices were rolling averagely for both sides.

After our 7th game way way back, we have played this game now for about 4 years. I noticed in the rules that the oil money could be only gotten Germans and we tried playing without the extra cash. Well we found it really hard for the allies to hold out, if I played with the germans it would be more like 70% 30% odds for axis win. Nowadays we sometimes play with the extra cash for harder game for germans and sometimes without them for little easier for germans.

What do you think about the oil money, if the allies could collect them too?

[madscientist]

Hmmm. The way my friends and I play, it is usually the Allies who have an easy time. UK and US just send aircraft to Russia, and Russia builds all inf, counterattacking Germany with inf and aircraft. Germany can take out all of the North Atlantic UK fleet, but not usually both the US and UK North Atlantic fleets. US usually builds at least one destroyer to help take out subs, and by round 5 Germany still isn’t near taking out Russia and D-Day has happened.

Do you strife with Russia? I mean, just attack for one or two rounds just to take out what’s on the front lines?

What do you build with Germany to have such success?

BTW, we play with normal rules for oil money.

[Thamor]

My starting turn is like this. The first 12ipc, I buy 1 trans to baltic and 1 artillery to romania(southern place to attack ukraine). Then I watch what the allies do with the 12ipc, this option gives the germans a really good chance to try Sea Lion. If they don’t reinforce too much leningrad, I will go for russia.

My first turn buy is usually 9inf, 1art, 1trans if I go for taking out russia (and we play with the allies getting oil money, taking them away is less money for russia). 1st turn buy could be 12 inf 1art.

Subs destroy all UK fleets around England w/planes supporting. The tricky part in mediterraen, if the allies boosted malta plane with 2 inf,  I wouldn’t maybe try taking it out with only 1inf 1art and 1bb support, too much risk of not taking it out, so I would skip malta and move straight to next the british destroyer&trans, this could lead to 1dest, 1trans, 1fig of attacking my german fleet. But with 1bb, 1dest, 1trans I would have pretty good odds of taking it out and if they attack I would get to attack the oil money on turn 2 already. If they don’t boost malta I would attack the plane and maybe move destroyer to block them from slowing my advance to the oil money. Baltic transports would move to take out leningrad, attacking force would be compared to how many soviet infantry would be against them. Baltic states will be taken, with some german force, maybe surviving 3inf 1art 2armor. East Poland would be strafed with 3 inf and x armor. Bessarabia would be taken w/ minimum force (2inf, 1art) and ukraine would be strafed with 3inf 1art 2 armor 1fig. Finnish troops would take vyborg. If these battles go at least averagely well, I would hold vyborg, leningrad, baltic states, bessarabia. British should have only 1dest, 1trans(maybe 1dest in gibraltar, it’s really hard to get some good attack there with these moves) in atlantic in canada and us is in it’s starting place. Poland should have 2nd wave ready 6+inf 1+art, 2+armor, Rumania 5+inf 1art, 4 armor, 1 fighter. Almost everything is moved east, In france would be left minimum reserve force at this moment. Maybe something like 3inf 1art. All armor is moved east. Africa front 1inf in Libya, Tunisia 1art, 1armor. Reinforcements would be to germany  9inf 1art (or 12inf 1art), 1trans would be placed eastern italy seazone, in that sea zone so that it can move on turn 2 straight next to oil money countries. Norway infantry would all be moved to finland. There is no holding back, in this game. If you go to moscow you go with brute strenght and nothing is left behind defending useless countries, like norway. You get the IPC back from russia and oil money. The 2 trans in baltic are only to harass leningrad and most likely will be sunken with british planes, but if all british planes move to leningrad your subs will harass couple of turns longer maybe, depending how many survived G1.

Now if you can see the situation, russia should have lost some of it’s forces and lands and would see 3 german forces in&around leningrad waiting to be attacked. Now comes the time if you really get lucky, and you manage to hold baltic or even leningrad. Then  you would be in very good position to start finishing soviets off. 1st thing for germany is to get a airfield base on east poland or baltic states (East poland is the best option, but on 1st turn you should take baltic to harass leningrad with force). Russia should and will attack leningrad and baltic states, but this would weaken his belorussia stack tactic. I won’t go to detail as there are now too many possibilities that could happen.

Short notice how this could go, and it has gone in my games.

-Russia succeed in driving you back, but leaves offensive forces in baltic states, that you can wipe out
-Africa egypt is left behind, maybe fleet battle happens, if not then germany moves next to oil money and maybe graps egypt and irak.
-G2 would see another stack of inf build and maybe 1-2 armor. Subs would be hunted, but with luck some could survive.
-G2 would see ukraine taken or strafed or exchanged to german hands, but not taken with full force. Baltic state soviet force is destroyed and east poland is taken. 3rd wave would have 14+inf 1+art 5+ armor. Russia is forced again to either attack the germans back or give them land next to belorussia.
-G3 build up would see 7+inf, 2armor and if there is enough IPC 1fighter.
-If East poland is held, G3 would see East poland reinforced with everything that can be but there, with 4+ fighters to hold it. Ukraine is taken with romania army. Oil money is being slowly put to german coffers.
-First assaults from uk/usa may happen to france. First lend-lease planes are in soviet use.

I will stop here, ask and make reply moves against this and I will try answering how I would see it. Not all games can be won, dices rule most of A&A:E games. But the tactic here is that you divide the soviets from G1 already, by moving close to leningrad from 3 places, in leningrad, in baltic states, in vyborg. At the same time, you start making another assault force in south, romania. And your main drive comes from poland every turn.

Ps. Move your Germany or Italy anti-air gun to east for protection from soviet planes, when you move in force to east poland or baltic states there should be with them 1AA, everything that can help you keep them intact should be used.

Comments are welcome to this :)

[madscientist]

That’s a pretty good strategy, just sending the Norway troops to Russia and building that 1 trn in the Med to take out the oil states, along with moving the antiaircraft gun to Poland. But doesn’t Russia have enough troops if everything is moved west to counter these initial German forces? Any more German forces can be countered by the 3 extra ftrs and 2 bombers and built inf that Russia will have by round 3.

Anyway, I like your strategy and I might try it next time I play.

[Thamor]

Yeah the planes are a problem, but this tactic will prevent soviet player from putting purchases to leningrad giving you the option, if the finnish or baltic team survive to G2 to attack again leningrad and destroy british fighters.

This tactic relys on divide and conquer, you prevent the soviet player from using the belorussia stack tactic. He can still do it, but he will give you territory. Usually the game is decided in when germany gets east poland and can hold it that turn and if the russian player doesn’t even strafe, the german player can attack the belorussia stack with everything he can get there. A lot of armor and planes. Then it’s decided in one big battle, the german has options to slowly spread around belorussia, if he doesn’t have enough forces and need more infantry to soak hits. In the end the game is decided in 1-2 big battles in russia…

Love the game :)

[AlliedFront]

I would like to start out by saying that i find the game quite balanced, luck in rolls, tactics, teamwork seem to be what makes the difference in the game for the victory :).
  Saying that, i would think that if you have an extremely competent German player, you’d have to have other equally competent players for each allied position (or if your playing 1v1 just one obviously) for there to be a good game. My first turns as the Germans go mostly like this (barring that nothing crazy happens). I usually do all i can do to kill British ships in the Atlantic and Med, after all the Brits have the big navy and it will take them at least two turns to have a navy capable of standing up to anything with much force. I dont attack Americans for two reasons 1. they can replace their losses with ease, and it only sets them back a turn (plus they have to buy a navy anyway so it really doesnt put a dent into any plans. 2. attacking the Americans draws ships away from possible targets in Canada or near west side of England. But me, my friends, and my dad who i play with the most, have found that although the initial sub attacks are very important, it is nearly impossible to hold onto the seas if you want to win in Russia. At least the Atlantic anyway. The Med should be held at all costs, if the allies get at the Med sea, they are capable of litterally landing in any direction, all of which belong to you… thats alot to defend against. Plus, your other factory is there, and if the Allies make you buy units to protect it, thats more infantry that wont be used to attack Moscow, and worse case scenario, the Americans take North Italy. They hold it. Game over.
  So like i said in the Med sea i do what ever it takes to secure everything there from sea attack for as many turns as possible, I also do my best to take Malta and Gibraltar. (Malta being the much more important of the two). Then i invade Libya, moving the Tunisia force down, maybe even send the North Italy fighter for air support, with those forces and with Malta gone (hopefully) the Egyptian forces will have a tough slogg to take Libya. And if they do, just pop some guys down to reinforce, the British cant afford to lose those pieces right away, you can. And from that piont launch off towards the rich oil fileds of the middle east, all the time reinforcing with troops so they can come up Russia’s preverbial butt hole.
  Then the most important of maneuverings, the Eastern Front. There is a variety of ways people choose to go at this, but i think the way i like best is to head towards Stalingrad, while harrasing or attacking straight into BeloRussia, also taking Ukraine to the best of my ability. Doing this ideally would be done witht the least amount of tanks possible, savign them in the back ranks for counter attacks or further thrusts into Russia (which ever is necessary). I think the drive towards Stalingrad and the mere harrasing of other Russian troops farther north is a good strategy because it for one gets you closer to the eventual capture of a factory that is badly needed for the Germans. It also cuts off any attempts that might be made by the Russians to reinforce africa, and it gets your african troops on a path to reinforce they offensive. Stalingrad also has the least infantry defences around it. There are downsides, one of the major ones being that Stalingrad is the farthest away from Germany, making it diffucult to reinforce. Leningrad is a good one to try and seize quickly, but it is also the ones that the Russians will most expect an attack, it will be the most defended and most hard fought for. Really all you need against Leningrad to keep it heavily defended, and thus its defenders unable to help the rest of the motherland, is the infantry from Norway and Finland, with some shuttled up from Germany, and a turn buy of tanks in Poland. Those tanks are also in position to blitz in to Ukraine if needed, but they’ll be most useful to keep Leningrad in check.
  Well, that went on longer then i thought it would  :lol: but those are my basic steps for what to do on Germany’s first turn. I’m not saying its unbeatable, most plans that are plugged as that arent, thats just the way i do it.