That’s actually an idea I toyed with for a while, as a possible way to set up a more effective KJF game. I haven’t quite found one that works in an optimal way for me yet, where G doesn’t stomp, but it somehow seems like something that should be possible.
Another idea I had for a set up change, back when we were first exploring set-up changes for Russia instead of open bids for the Allies, was to re-orient Russia’s production behind the Urals.
The Karelia factory moves to Vologda
And the Caucasus factory moves to Kazakh
I felt that this more accurately modeled the situation in the real War. Since Leningrad and Stalingrad were contested by Germany, it feels kind of weird that the Russians are forced to defend these front line factories, instead of producing stuff behind the Urals like they did historically. Moving these factories nerfs the Axis production position on the center (improving balance by sides), although it also had the effect of encouraging the JTDTM, since Japan is under a lot more pressure to slam Russia from the rear. The Japanese definitely have a harder time of it though, because Russia can project more power towards the Asian side.
Basically it tended to move the whole eastern front defensive “line” for the Russians, even further east. Archangel, Evenki and the territories of western China became even more critical.
I actually thought it worked quite well, though I had a hard time persuading others of its merits, which is why I just started to give the Russians a bomber, since that was easier to explain while adding some excitement. I still really like the factory tweak idea though, over an open bid (which everyone just uses to break the Med, or sz 37.) More fun in my view to give the Russians a better fighting chance, with a more dynamic production spread.
:-D
Moving the factories east one step is a very interesting idea. The problem with a factory in Vologda is that it’s useless for fighting Germany – it doesn’t border any territories to the west that aren’t bordered by Moscow itself.
Also, I’m not convinced that putting a Russian factory in Kazakh will make things harder for the Japanese – it could wind up just moving the Japanese’s first captured factory that much closer to the Japanese home islands. As Japan, if I had the chance to capture a factory in Kazakh, I would largely ignore India (holding a loaded transport nearby to keep it honest) and just charge straight for Kazakh. On J1, stack all available units (including units from Tokyo and Philippines via ferry) in Anhwei and Yunnan on J1 and build three tanks and a transport in Tokyo. On J2, converge inf/art in Szechuan on J2 while landing tanks in Yunnan, and build 2 bombers. On J3, attack Kazakh with something like 9 inf, 4 art, 3 tnk, 4 ftr, 3 bmbr. Even if Russia builds 2 inf in Kazakh on R1, R2, R3 and leaves them there, and reinforces with the 4 inf in Evenki, Yakut, and Novosibirsk, and leaves the starting 1 inf in Kazakh, and sends in an AA gun and 2 fighters for extra defense, Russia still only has 11 inf, 2 ftr, 1 AAA – not nearly enough to stand up to the invasion force. Japan takes the territory with 2 inf, 4 art, 3 tnk remaining. Russia could theoretically retake it with all available troop reserves, but then Germany walks into Moscow on turn 5. Basically, Russia has to send massive reinforcements from the western front on turns 1, 2, and 3 to stabilize Kazakh, or it becomes a Japanese factory on turn 3.
If i were redoing the setup, I would say put the factories in Archangel, Moscow, and the Caucasus, with the Turkish Straits permanently closed to sea traffic, and give Russia a starting cruiser, destroyer, and transport in the White Sea instead of a submarine. This sets up a fun ferrying competition, where the Germans can hold the Baltic and ferry to Karelia, while the Russians hold the White Sea and ferry with bombardment from Archangel right back into Karelia.
A factory in Archangel helps the Russians reinforce China/Evenki as needed and is more likely to stay under Russian control. A factory in the Caucasus, with the Turkish straits closed, can now be protected affordably, and maintains a credible southern option against Germany.
I do agree with you about both the history and the excitement, though – better to move factories than to break the Med or SZ 37, and much of Russian production was behind the Urals by 1942. I’m really not even sure what the SZ 37 battle is supposed to symbolize – I’m not aware of the Japanese leaving their capital ships unescorted anywhere near that place or time in history, and if I recall correctly, the main reason why the Japanese couldn’t project naval influence further west toward India and Madagascar was problems of fuel, logistics, and resupply: they just couldn’t get enough oii to steam that far west! I never heard that the Australian and British Indian Ocean navies were in danger of linking up for a joint attack.
It’s true, the two minor factories still serve as a Russian Achilles heal, and like you, when I tested it, Japan gunned for Kazakh (which is my usual 1942.2 attack route for Japan anyway), but the advantage for Russia is that it stretches the German logistics. So Russia can trade with less fear of G immediately stacking the captured factories. Kazakh is kind of interesting too because Indian tanks can reach it in 1 move, and bombers from UK can likewise reach it in 1 move. It’s also possible for the Soviets to put more pressure on Japan in the first round, since Russian tanks built here can reach Kwang on the blitz, while still covering W. Russia or Ukraine. This advantage diminished with each round that elapses, since Japan can shuck so easy, but it might be fun for teasing out new round 1 plays vs Japan. The Kazakh factory is also a permanent blocker, which can come in handy if getting pressed by Japanese tanks and you need to do a full evac.
It took me a while to realize how important Kazakh is to the Russian position at the center in 1942.2, (the China design is different from earlier A&A boards where this territory, while important, was somewhat less critical in Classic or Revised.) Often in 1942.2 I’ve seen the Russian player let Japan snag it uncontested, which invariably causes the center to fold faster than it might otherwise. The sz61 push to Yunnan allows the Japanese to reach Kazakh very quickly with reinforcements from the home island, and a Japanese held Kazakh is usually in range of German air too, which means that sometimes the Allied player gets tripped up here. They will pull out of Kazakh thinking they can trade the territory with ease, only to get caught with their pants down and lose it permanently to Axis, with no real chance of recovery, as Japan just keeps funneling ground there each round. Here the proposed starting factory draws a big red bulls eye on the territory, making it pretty clear to both sides, that this territory should not be given up without a fight.
:-D
Also, by removing the Caucasus factory, you really alter the German player’s priorities at the center of the gameboard. They can still park units in Caucasus or Karelia to threaten the center, but they can’t reinforce that stack as easily, which makes the move somewhat less attractive. I rather envision that the trading which occurs in Caucasus and Karelia between G and Russia, is like the Siege of Leningrad or the battle of Stalingrad, with control shifting back and forth, ownership representing when one side or the other has gained the upper hand, but without allowing for immediate spams of infantry. Instead ground has to be moved into the city first haha.
Vologda is less useful, of course, but it can help to control the north vs an Axis link up, and gives you a but more reach into the Soviet Far east. Its hard to justify building units here at the outset, but this factory is 1 space closer to Japan, so perhaps useful in a KJF type scenario where you want to hold the north against an early blast, or rush some defenders towards the far East, so you don’t have to watch all that red land turn yellow with no contest.
Archangel is an interesting alternative candidate. It’s only worth 1 ipc on this map, which would be somewhat limiting for Russia, though also limiting for Axis when captured, and it would be a permanent blocker. I like the concept of 1 ipc factories, though I get the impression others might feel that 1 ipc is too low for a starting factory on this board.
Kazakh and Vologda aren’t quite perfect, but I find that the Russians can be pretty effective out of Moscow, if they don’t have to worry as much about Germany stacking Caucasus with a free factory. Now if G wants to build out of Karelia or Caucasus they’d have to spend 15 ipcs first and face a one round delay, which can make a big difference at about round 6 or 7 when Axis can usually stack the south with ease. Less pressure for UK in India, can also help free up British units to cover Suez or the Russian capital, if Japan goes balls out against China.
I agree with you about sz37, the set up there is a bit odd. I suppose there is nothing to prevent you from giving the Russians the extra bomber too, in addition to the factory change, if it seems like the Soviets are still too weak.
:-D
I posted the factory change idea with a gamesave in the HR section, in case anyone wants to try it.
http://www.axisandallies.org/forums/index.php?topic=36172.0
Part of the reason I like this tweak, is because it encourages to the Russian player to actually fight against Japan, instead of just ceding control of the East as soon as Japan arrives. Kazakh is not quite as hard to stack/hold as might seem to be the case at the outset. After a few rounds of building, even Evenki and Yakut can hold, provided you’re willing to trade a bit against Japan early on. I think the issue OOB is that Russia is under huge pressure to stay fixated on Karelia and Caucasus for fear of early German stacking, which means they have basically no free units/opportunities to send against Japan. The challenge I think, under the set up I proposed, is that the lack of a starting Factory in Caucasus (no permanent blocker there) changes the way the Allies can “can-open” at the center. You have to be more on guard against a potential Axis blitz route, and remember to leave a blocking unit if you pull out of the territory as Russia, since the factory is not their to serve this function.
I think there are some other potential factories tweaks you could make too, if you don’t like the Vologda/Kazakh idea.
One solution might be to move the starting factory in Karelia to W. Russia (German occupied at the outset, but easy for the Soviets to recover on R1) and just keep the Caucasus factory in place. This does the double duty, of denying Germany their easy Lendingrad factory capture, while giving the Russians +2 production in a critical space. The danger there is of Germany taking and stacking W. Russia right next to Moscow, but that just means that the factory can still serve as a swing territory available to either side over the course of play.
Another idea suggest above is to move the Karelia factory to safe territory that is only worth 1 ipc, to make it less valuable as a target. Arch, Evenki, or Novos could be interesting.
This stuff is of course all just musing on bid alternatives, and not necessary for beginners. But I think its fun to have some suggestions for different ideas to try, when the game gets a bit old, and you want to attempt something new on your 1942.2 board.
My favorite tweak is probably still just the Russian bomber at Moscow, if you need a quick fix. I like how the sculpt is so damned huge!
Also, it’s not inconceivable, that, when provided with an extra bomber from the outset, the Russian player might even get to point where they decide “Well, ����-it! I’m just going to buy second big bomber!” Drop 12 ipcs just the one time, to unleash the dread Red Air armada haha! A pair of fighters, and pair of bombers! The double duo in the skies! A death defying dual with Germany in the light trading game. Plus you get some extra reach on the air evac, in case Stalin has to fly away during the endgame heheh.
:-D
This thread is a good read. Â :-D
I think Wrus + Belo might need some more detail. I think it was mentioned, but I think it may be the best Russian opening in terms of defending Kar. I’m not a huge fan of the Ukr attack anyway, dating back to Revised - lol, but if your intent is to try and keep Germany out of Kar (at least not holding it), all the Ukr attack does is drain 3 inf and probably 1 rt from threatening Kar on Russia 2. Even if the strafe goes well the rt has to retreat to Cauc. BUT with the belo attack you can attack with 3 inf, 2 ftrs and not only are you eliminating 3 German inf they could go to Kar, but your inf are in position strike Kar (whereas in Ukr they would not). You can get away with an inf or rt buy on R1, b/c with every thing else going to Wrus, Ger should not be able to stack Kar on G1.
The Attacks:
Belo - 3 inf, 2 ftrs
Wrus - 9 inf, 3 rt, 4 arm
Place 7-8 units in Mos
You leave Kar and Cauc empty.
Which brings me to:
Another Russian opener, which has not yet been properly considered in this thread. The tricky Tank on Non Com! haha
:-D
I love it! Â :-D
I’ve been doing the Inf, but I’ll definitely try this b/c it is perfect with this open, since you can take Wrus with 9 inf, 3 rt, 3 arm.
Now you can move the novo/kaz inf to Mos. From here they can go to Wrus on R2 or more likely you can use 1 inf + 3-4 tanks to retake Cauc. 1 inf if Ger moves in only 1 inf, or 2 inf if Ger moves in 2 inf.
Now you’ll also have to take Ukr, but Germany likely left ony 1 inf there. So typical Round two attacks for Russia will be:
Kar - 2 inf (arch), 1 ftr if ger left 1 inf (add 1 inf from Wrus if Ger brought in 2 inf)
Ukr - 2 inf, 1 ftr
Cauc - 1 inf, 3 arm (2 wrus and the 1 arm from Sze)
Belo - is optional here in round two because you don’t want to bleed off too many inf or an rt from Wrus that can threaten Kar on R3. But if you do want to do it and you are bringing in an rt, make sure you use the rt in Belo and not Ukr. You want to make sure at the very least the rt is in range of Kar. But you don’t want to bring in more than 2-3 units so you might have forget Belo if it means another rd of deadzone for Kar.
Now the big thing are the purchases. In rd 1, I like 8 inf. It’s not sexy but it turns out 4 inf, 3 rt only help marginally in preventing a G3 stack. You are running too close to 1:1 inf:rt ratio which doesn’t help once you get the the second rd of combat, but the extra inf fodder allows your 3 rt a full two rounds. But either purchase will work fine, so you can’t really go wrong there. But round 2 is the key purchase and also why I like the 8 inf in rd 1. You should have 28 ipc so here’s where you drop your armor. depending on trading during rd 1 and 2 you may be able to get away with 7 inf, 1 arm save 1 (you fill your 8 placement spots) but you can also go 5 inf, 2 arm, or 3 inf, 3 arm depending on what you need to threaten Kar with.
I should add you’ll probably need to be able to kill the G trn in rd 1 with the UK or on Russia 2 with the sub. The numbers can get dicey if Ger can transport another 2 units to Kar on G2. At that point it really depends on how many inf your Russia 1 belo units killed in defense or how many inf Germany lost on the front lines reclaiming.
Anyway, I wanted to bring this up b/c the Tank non-com works perfect with this open since you have to retake Cauc anyway and the tanks move two so you still keep max pressure on Kar even if you have 3-4 arm in Cauc at the end of Russia 2. Â :-D
Love it! I’m going to try this next game. Very excited to have a ‘fresh’ Russian opening that works with OOB rules.
I forgot to mention. You’ll have to watch the German Med BB, assuming it will be alive on G2. You might have to make sure Russia has 2 inf in Cauc at the end on round 2. I guess it depends on how many German planes are in range. So instead of having say 1 inf, 3 arm. You might have to make sure you have 2 inf, 3 arm, maybe even bring in one aa-gun.
It might also be a case where if UK has the opportunity to clear Cauc for you on UK 1 with 1 inf, 1 bom (maybe a ftr as well if nothing better to do) you’d want them to do it. Then you just have to worry about the minimum defense there with Russia preserving as much Russian inf as possible.
Since most players will park 4 ftrs in Fra with Germany on G1, you probably only have to worry about a sneak attack of 1 inf, 1 rt (or arm), 1 ftr, 1 bom, 1 bb. So you might need 2-3 inf for fodder if you are going to put 3 tanks there. But if UK reclaims for you, then you can just keep all your units in Wrus. Just watch the numbers if Germany bought a ftr or bom on G1.
Would a sub trolling move be a good idea on R1?
In this, the Russian sub moves to SZ6 to bottleneck the German subs and cruiser from attacking the British battleship for a round, giving the British some time to maneuver their battleship and transport out of harms way and possibly reinforce them with a destroyer or something else.
Also, what would be a good opener against a German tank spam? (sorry if this is a noobish question)
Specifically, the Germans buy only tanks for the first 3 rounds, and make an immediate push for Moscow. On turn 1, they move all units from Norway to Finland, from Poland to Belorussia, and infantry from Germany to Baltic states. They buy 6 tanks. On turn 2, they hit Karelia with everything possible except 2 or 3 fighters. Then, they move from Karelia to Archangel and from archangel to Moscow in the subsequent two turns (all the while buying 6 tanks and moving them to the massive tank army).
When I play A&A, the German player (whether me or someone else) always does that with little variation, and it always ends up with Moscow on its knees at G4. I’m just wondering if there’s some Russian opener to stop or at least hinder it.
To the first question, submarines and transports no longer create a hostile sea zone in A&A games since the 50th Anniversary Edition. This means that such a move is not possible in 1942.2, since subs can’t block. The German subs and cruiser can ignore the Russian sub in sz6, passing through it to attack sz7, since the sub doesn’t make sz6 “hostile.” This can be a tricky concept to get your head around if coming to 1942.2 from Classic or Revised, since in those games all naval units create a hostile sea zone. Basically the only way for the Russians to bottleneck sz6 is to bid a destroyer in sz 4 and them move it to block.
To counter a tank spam you need to put pressure on Berlin with the western Allies. Buy max hitpoints with Russia and then use British and American air to prop up the Russian capital. The USA should also build a fleet ASAP and work to set up in Europe as quickly as possible, Germany will be vulnerable to amphibious landings by UK.
It’s possible, if the people in your group are used to Revised A&A tank drives, that they are trying to set something up from G1 (since that play was workable in Revised when tanks cost 5 ipcs)
In 1942.2 this opener leaves Germany fodder poor, and lacking the necessary hitpoints to overcome the W. Russia/Moscow air wall.
Here this thread might he helpful too… http://www.axisandallies.org/forums/index.php?topic=35768.0
It describes another move I like to get the air wall up and running.
There’s some info about the new cost structure for 1942.2 armor in this thread… PrivatePanic helped edit a doc that should make the armor section of that guide easier to locate. Basically tucked in there is a discussion of how to use inf/art in conjunction with air to “deadzone” territory and trade cheaper units for enemy tanks over the course of the game.
http://www.axisandallies.org/forums/index.php?topic=35703.0
Also, cool ideas up there Darth! Glad to see others contributing to this thread and keeping the Russian strategy guide active with more feedback
Something I forgot to mention at the outset, but which is fairly important sometimes… if you are attacking Ukraine, it’s better to run the attack in West Russia first. This is because, if you get the chance to strafe Ukraine, it’s good to know how many infantry survived in West Russia. Occasionally Germany will clap hard on you with their defense, in which case taking Ukraine can be more advantageous than strafing it. Either way you are committed to both attacks, but if you run Ukraine first instead of W. Russia, it can sometimes come back to haunt you, even with a brilliant strafe, if you get hammered in W. Russia and allow the Germans a blitz path from Poland and Romania to W. Russia via Ukraine.
Black elk, it is apparent to me that you like to create walls of text in reply to anwsers. I have nothing wrong with it, infact i enjoy it, but what compels you to write essays in response to a question? (also can you do a japan guide, as i am a TERRIBLE japanese player.)
Sincerely, Hitler
No gift for brevity and too much time on my hands I guess.
:-D
Even in casual conversation I’m prone to digressions, so I’m sure the same tendencies surface in my writing as well.
As far as Japan goes, there are, broadly speaking, two scenerios you should be ready to manage…
What to do when the Allies are ignoring you?
And what to do when they’re not? Hehe
The first situation is fairly straightforward, you help Germany get into position on the center as quickly as possible. I think there is a general agreement that the easiest way to achieve this is with aircraft. If Germany is doing reasonably well in the East, Japan only requires 12 ipcs a round to make a viable contribution to the war effort against Russia. A bomber built in Tokyo can reach Karelia in one move, and from there can bomb Moscow relentlessly. This is often faster and cheaper than taking red territory directly. If you go with that approach it may not even be necessary for you to bring ground units in range of the center, for Germany to still break the Russians. Your starting fighters can support the German advance (providing defensive pips), while your bombers hammer the Soviet production centers. That leaves you with 20 ipcs a round or more to dedicate to your own ground campaigns in Asia, or naval ambitions. The faster you push ground units towards the Center the more likely it is that Axis will take the Russian capital before the western Allies are in a position to stop the center crush. To get your ground forces in range you can either expand production with factories, or (my preference) transport them from Japan to the mainland. With the latter method I dig the shuck into Yunnan from Japan via sz61.
The second situation, where Allies are focusing on you instead of Germany, is a bit more nuanced. Here your main priority is to preserve the Imperial Japanese Navy for as long as possible, stack the home island and do your best to maintain a route into Asia with your transports. Your goal should be to draw as much Allied TUV into the Pacific as possible, without losing your own TUV in the process, that way Germany has a free hand, again to rush the center. Aircraft are very useful here as well, especially in combination with carriers and a one time sub spam. Basically you want to cover the money islands (Borneo and East Indies) to prevent the USA from gaining a production foothold. American conquest of a south Pacific might be inevitable, but the longer it takes them the greater the chances that Germany will run the board and arrive in time to save you on the mainland. More than anything though, you want to stack Tokyo with enough fodder that USA has to invest two or three times as much in ships and air to get an adequate number of infantry transported in range to actually threaten your defensive investment. Again if you already have Tokyo stacked, and can still afford 12 ipcs a round, you can provide Germany with bomber support. More often than not though, you will be the one in the driver’s seat as Japan, because it’s pretty hard for the Allies to mess with you, while still preventing Germany from taking the center.
With the center under Axis control, and both their starting capitals uncontested, Axis have effectively won the game, regardless of how high the USA is on income. You can defend Eurasia with aircraft alone, until Germany is able to build carriers and achieve Naval parity with the Western Allies.
There’s a bit more to it than that of course, but since this is a Ruskie thread I don’t want to get too sidetracked. I’ll probably draft a Japan guide at some point to cover their openers in more detail.
Hitting sz 53 is a strong play, if you haven’t seen it done before, though this puts your starting bomber out of position on Moscow for 3 rounds. It’s just a matter of keeping your fleet consolidated and shucking infantry into China after you shock the USA into submission. It’s possible to run that attack even if you get smoked in sz 37 by UK. The move is 1 sub 1 cruiser, 1 bomber and 2 fighters (take the fighter from Japan as your first casualty) then send the carrier to sz 61 and land any surviving aircraft at Wake. As Allies/USA you should dive immediately and save your sub for the counter attack. There is really no way for Russia and UK to influence the sz53 situation, unless they just want to sacrifice units in an attempt to draw the Japanese fighters/bomber somewhere other than pearl.
Before going too much father, it might be helpful for me to ask… Where do you feel you are getting stuck with Japan? At India? Or at Moscow? Or on the water?
If I had a sense of where you feel most frustrated as the Emperor we might be able to give you some more useful opening pointers, or more specific strategy ideas for the second and third rounds.
:)
I need help again… Went for a fairly conservative opening for Russia with the Bomber bid. Felt like it went pretty well with most everything in WR and a win in Baltic (3 inf, art, bmb). The 8 inf, 2 art, 4 arm, 2 AA was hit by the Germans with everything they had with a 52% win ratio, 2% draw, 46% loss. The result is Russia now has lost Karelia and Caucasus, held West Russia with nothing left. Meager defensive units of 4 inf, 2 arm in Russia. Seems like the Axis can take a lot of chances and are able to recover more easily than the Allies.
it sounds like I’m whining and I probably am. I’m not really seeing the fun in a game that comes down to a coin flip in the first round. If Russia doesn’t press forwards, then they are just buying infantry and getting squeezed. if they do press forwards, they are being left open to a coin flip which leaves them basically defenseless.
This is the same problem I had with 1942; Germany could just spam tanks and if a battle went poorly either way, the game was basically over.
What am I missing here? Should I just use the battle calculator and anytime I have a small percentage of victory, go for it? Might as well just have the computer play.
Kirk S.
Can you be a little more specific about the big opening battle you’re describing? What troops and planes did the Germans bring to West Russia? What kind of casualties did they suffer? What was the German build on turn 1?
My math may be off, but I’m not seeing how Germany can (1) retake the Baltic States on turn 1, (2) wipe out your forces in West Russia on turn 1, (3) garrison western Europe with enough troops to hold off even a token UK/US attack, and still (4) come after Russia with enough force to beat the 4 inf, 2 arm in Moscow plus the 6 inf, 2 art you can build on Russia’s second turn, plus the 3-4 inf you can bring into Moscow from Siberia as reinforcements. At best, I think Germany can do three of those four things.
In response to Elk, I feel stuck when it comes to making asian advancements. Basically UK will pump 2 fighters a turn in India and 1 destroyer in london every turn. With this method, he can have superb power projection, meaning i cant get close to india. ( When im playing the allies, I tried to get him to send at least 1 fighter a turn to russia, but he says he needs it for “Indian defense” and cant afford to give me any.) so while hes pumping fighters off of india, I try to push through china and the UK will be sucking up the money islands (he has INSANE luck with the sz37 battle) and the us buys some destroyers and subs just to throw something at me while hes focused in eurpoe. As soon as i make any progress in asia, my fleets destroyed, and i just stack tokyo until the us diverts there attention from the eurpoean theatre to me. So, Im wondering, how do i make progress in asia without my fleet getting totally anniahlated?
Sincerely, Hitler
You can build a factory in Manchuria and set up a 2 transport shuck between Japan and Yunnan. Then you can buy 3 tanks in Manchuria and 4 units in Japan and dump 7 units in Asia every turn. With India only building 2-3 units per turn, it will eventually fall, especially with your large air force.
@craykirk that’s a pretty balsy opening by G? Who was your opponent?
This is the danger of not wearing down either Belo or Ukraine, it leaves G with a lot of fodder to attempt an all out air blitz.
One might think that slamming W. Russia would have some effect on the sz7 battle, though unfortunately G can attack the British battleship with just subs and a cruiser and still come out clean.
My assessment would be that you went too big into Baltic states. 3 inf 1 artillery and the bomber is bit overkill, since anything in Baltic States is easily destroyed on G1 (they just have a ton of units in range.) Germany has 1 inf and 1 tank in Baltic States, which is 9 TUV.
3 inf and 1 artillery is 13 TUV, so even if you include the 2 ipcs you gain from taking the territory, you’re still trading at a loss. Russia just can’t afford to trade at a loss on this board, at any point, let alone in the first round.
8 inf 2 artillery 2 aaaguns and 4 tanks is a strong result for W. Russia in the Soviet opener. So for G to go balls out and attack you with everything, means that your opponent is either being reckless, or they simply don’t consider you much of a threat.
A larger bid might have been advisable if dealing with a disparity in player experience. If your opponent is seasoned, he may have felt the need to hit you with a hot shot right away, just to shake you. Which seems to have been successful. Forcing a player to play outside their comfort zone is a pretty sound strategy, if you think you can pull it off. Now the dilemma you’re faced with is how to respond to an unconventional play. The only thing you really have going for you at this point is that Gs air is out of position on sz7. So the optimal response is probably a carrier build by UK. Though this will depend on whether your Canadian destroyer survived, and whether G built more bombers.
It’s a tough spot man, I feel for you. I’d say just do you best to muddle through. Instead of approaching things like you’ve already lost, try to see how long you can hold out, and throw everything you can at G with UK/USA. A crushing defeat in W. Russia on G1, requires an immediate response from UK. You can’t give G a round to regroup, but you’ll have to be careful of the threat from the rear. If G smashed all your ground, they might just turtle up and let Japan do the dirty work.
I’m just getting off work and gotta drive home. I’ll response to Fuhrer about Japan when I get home.
@Fuhrer when you say “pumping 2 fighters into India” do you mean he is flying 2 fighters to India from UK, or that he is actually purchasing fighters in India? If the later is the case, that is rather poor purchasing on your opponent’s part, and you should exploit it. This means he will have very low fodder hitpoints at India.
If you’re running into problems pressuring India with Japan, this usually means you aren’t purchasing enough transports.
If your Japanese fleet is being regularly destroyed, that means either you’re not supporting it with sufficient carrier defense, or you’re trying to move it too far from home too quickly.
Operating out of sz 61 or sz62/60 is much safer than trying to do so out of sz 36, especially if UK is concentrating their air-power in India (and if they have ships surviving after a successful sz 37 attack, to help make that air-power more effective.) If you’re second carrier is destroyed, you should replace it immediately.
If your transport in sz 61 survives UK1, you are still in a strong position to crush India, but you have to back it up. Often times the Japanese player will stop short of purchasing enough transports to be effective. This is a minimum of 4 transports so you can transport the max production (8 ground) off Japan each round. But even this is on the low end. It’s better to have 5 or even 6 transports as the Japanese.
This allows you to push units first into Buryatia, to feint like you’re going to drive against Russia along the northern route, only to pick up some of those units the following round (with the purchase of additional transport capacity) and then swing south to pressure India.
Don’t be overly distracted by East Indies, Although it certainly sucks to lose this income to UK, its worse to let it deter your advance on India, while you get stuck out of position trying to recoup your loses in sz 37. If you keep pushing ground units into Yunnan via sz 61, this will allow you to threaten both India, and East Indies the following round, without putting your fleet at risk from India based fighters in the process. Even if Japan loses 2 of their starting fighters in sz 37, they still have 4 fighters and the bomber left, which is a lot of attack power, when combined with sufficient transport capacity.
I’d say your friend is on the right track that he needs fighters for India defense, but he should really be transiting them over from W. Russia or Archangel to India, rather than building them in India, both to cover Moscow and to give India sufficient hitpoints to face down a Japanese Burma push.
As for the 1 destroyer a round built at UK, you should be destroying these with German aircraft as soon as they hit the water. You can trade at advantage vs a single UK destroyer with 2 German fighters pretty easily. The DD only has a 1 in 3 chance to shoot you down, which means more often than not you can crush that enemy TUV at no loss to yourself. Better to sink a destroyer when its by itself, than waiting for it to stack up in a larger group.
I’m not a threat… that’s why I’m playing because I want to learn. Take a look at craykirk vs cow in the tournaments. I might have gone 2 inf 1 art 1 bmb and most everything else in West Russia. We both lost the ground forces however since have of the attacking force was air, it totally decimated Russia. The first round went poorly for Russia and well for Germany (which seems to be pretty typical for how I remember my dice luck).
I have attached the save game. I probably should move this to a different whiny thread… :-o
Isn’t it a bit unfair to ask advice on your current game? I see you’ve played on from G1, so maybe the advice no longer applies though.
