Italy's role

[SEP]

I have not yet received my Global maps, so full disclosure is that I’ve not yet played a global game.

I’m curious as to the role Italy should/could play in the game.  Initial impression is that they start pretty low on the ladder as far as IPC’s.  From conversations I’ve picked up here in other threads it would seem their navy is going to be pretty hard pressed.  As far as units on the ground they don’t seem to be a power house, though in a better position than France.  They do seem to be in a position to perhaps gain a fair amount of territories early on.  Whether or not they can keep them is another story.

So these are just initial impressions.

So what can Italy be realistically expected to do?  Do they have a shot at getting Africa?  Do they have a shot at getting all/part of France (with German help)?  Should they get part of France or does Germany need the IPC’s more?  Can they do anything to threaten Russia?

Thoughts welcome  :-)

[Frederick II]

You should watch Young Grasshopper’s strategy video about Italy it’s really helpful and you should watch his other strategy videos.

Here’s the video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGow98LUYl4

[ItIsILeClerc]

Hi SEP,

I consider Italy’s role a very interesting and important one.
As far as I am concerned, they should not act alone, but catalyse Germany’s actions instead.
Italy can can-open Russian defenses, paving the road for Germany there and be a very important factor in Homeland Defenses for both Germany and Italy. Italy can also play the same sort of role (can-opening, road-paving) in the Med/Africa/ME, should Germany decide to be more active there. They can do that, but there is a certain limit to that, since Russia demands a certain amount of ‘attentention’.

If your UK opponent lacks proper experience, taking Egypt can be done even without aid from Germany, but against a prepared UK-player Italy can forget about that. They will need help from Germany (Luftwaffe) and even then it isn’t certain Italy can get a decent hold of Egypt.

EDIT: +1 to what Frederick said.

[SEP]

Thank you.  Good video as well (YG does a good job).

[Dafyd]

I actually like to play Italy.  Young Grasshopper’s instructional video is very good.  I like to do alot of what he was demonstrating.  I try to make a point to get to the South African IC if at all possible.  Cairo can fall to the Italians but it is tough without Germany helping to protect your fleet.  You will need lots of transports at first and capturing Gibralter is important as well.  It closes the Med on the west and Cairo or Trans-Jordan on the East side will protect one of your N/O’s.  Let Germany have France and Have Germany strafe Yugoslavia and then retreat to Romania.  The weakened Yugoslovia can then be taken on Italy’s round one.  The Albaniain Infantry activates Bulgaria?(I don’t have the map in front of me) and round two, Italy assaults Greece; another N/O.  Italy’s N/O is the key to getting the money to start working on Africa.  Be prepared to by Navy until the  French and UK navies are destroyed in the Med. Italy has a better chance at getting to the Middle East faster than Germany but you don’t want to focus on that at the expence of not fortifying Morroco and Gibralter against an American invasion.  This is where your big brother Germany can help with supplying fighters to defend the sea zone from the air base that Italy builds on Gibralter.  Italy really can become a pain in the keister to the allies which makes it so much fun.

[Young Grasshopper]

Thanks for the video props everyone… I really appreciate it.

[Rand]

The videos are excellent.

[cb4]

Yes, a good summary. Just about to start a game with a UK player that I suspect will be conservative on T1. Don’t know how  but everyone in my group has missed the British Somaliland move! :oops:

[calvinhobbesliker]

Italy’s role is to trick the British into thinking they’re weak, and then keep annoying the British in the Mediterranean and the Russians in Russia, until the Allies get so frustrated that they either make mistakes or give up.

[Kzinti]

In addition to young grasshopper videos I suggest getting triple a per gargantua’s instructions and then walk through a league or tournament game.  It is pretty quick and you can see what people do.  It you ask they will probably tell you why they did what they did.

This game is cool because at a macro level the choices are relatively few but execution can be very different and interesting.

[aequitas-et-veritas]

Italys role is: AFESD

-adapt quick to the occuring situation
-fight for your NO’s
-extend Germanys arm in the Med
-support German armys in the russian campagne
-deny US advance into europe via Gibraltar

And you are good to go!

[The Hessian]

Good summary aequitas et veritas!
Follow this instructions and you end in a great Position.  8-)
In one of our last games Italy got 30 IPC’s (despite a devastating raid on Taranto and the fleet at Malta on UK1).

[aequitas-et-veritas]

Thank you Der Hesse.
Italy is monster when unleashed!

[teslas]

I deeply enjoy playing Italy. You can facilitate so much progress for Germany. Yes, you’re often shut down nearly completely by bad luck, and even when you start raking in money it’s short-lived, and you don’t have a lot of units to build on top of, but man, I like Italy.

In some games, especially against weaker allied players, I actively shoot for the ol’ Big It’ly as Italy, or gladly derail Germany a bit to help them into it. 30+ or even 40+ IPCs for the once-scrappy nation is wildly amusing.

But in actuality, in real play, their role is to 1: help Germany (offensively in Russia as well as possibly defensively late-game), and 2: if they can, take Egypt and create discord in the middle east, as others have said.

[JeroldTheGreat]

@Dafyd:

This is where your big brother Germany can help with supplying fighters to defend the sea zone from the air base that Italy builds on Gibralter.  Italy really can become a pain in the keister to the allies which makes it so much fun.

I’m really new to this as well but I say that you should NEVER build any sort of base that is certain to fall to the enemy. An Air base in Gibraltar is a gift given to the Americans on a silver platter.

[teslas]

“Never” is a strong word, and you even went so far as to hold down shift as you typed it and then went back to underline it afterwards.

If the airbase lets you hold Gibraltar for one extra turn, maybe even two, then is that 15 IPCs worth it for you?
Very possibly, sure. Delaying a US entry into the Med for one turn probably saves Italy at least 5 IPCs right off the bat, not to mention delaying its eventual economic implosion by an entire turn more of income.

Is it still worth it if the Americans can fly straight to Egypt or Norway from Gibraltar now?
Maybe they can’t do that yet, and won’t for another turn or two. Very possibly, yes, it’s still worth it. Maybe because you had that airbase, however, your Axis units were able to abandon Gibraltar and get into a better position on their way out. Lot’s of “if”'s. A lot of combinations of them add up to it being worth it.

Is it still worth it if the Americans can scramble planes off of it to defend their navy?
If you weren’t planning on attacking their navy (maybe because you simply don’t have the resources to do so), yes, absolutely, then there’s no difference at all.

So, yeah, sometimes it’s alright to give your opponent a facility if you got your money’s worth out of it first, even if it is only for a turn or two. Plenty of US and JP plays depend on building a naval base that’s only ever really used once in the game. There are some cases where the same is true for air bases all over the place.