Spring AA50-41 Tourney Sign-up (No Tech)

Hi Mike,

NICE JOB  bi

Very nice production with the hot-linked Table of Contents and all the active cross references, plus all the reformatting to fit “book” pages. Very clean and usable.

Of course, one of the long-standing complaints about the original online “manual” is that in many places it seems more like a sales pitch than a how-to manual, and that is all you had to work with.  To get better content either takes a lot of dedication or something like a Wiki where lots of people can contribute their tips.  Also of course, there are a few links that still go to on-line locations; you could not include the entire Almeza site in this manual.

This PDF should definitely be a huge help to those folks who have slow connections or are behind corporate firewalls that make it hard to get to the original or to anyone who wants to print something out to have on their desk while they work.

Congratulations,
August

hamachi network name: PinAAA
no password

someone join!

I still view the Allies with a slight adv b/c of the number of Round 1 attacks the Axis must do, particularly Egy.

As for bids, we didn’t use them in our tourney and the Allies are holding their own quite well.  I think they are up a few games thru 23 games.  It might be like 13-10 Allies right now.

In the League we do use bids, but that is also used to determine sides.  A lot of times both players may bid 0 and just let sides be chosen at random.

I did just post a few stats in the League Forum (thru the first 12 completed) in the discussion thread and the Allies hold a 7 - 5 Adv in wins.  Avg bid was 1.3, but 7 games were played with a 0 bid and 2 were played with a 1 bid.

I agree for more than just the financial reasons.

A Pac Strategy is SOOO easy in this game to pull off, even a rookie can do it!  (With the Allies.)  Japan literally cannot be everywhere with it’s navy at once like it could in Classic and (to a lesser extent) revised.  Too many new sea zones let you hide your fleet around.  If Japan splits up to protect all avenues of approach (notice that they would have to move into range of your fleet to block you after starting out of range) then you can focus your firepower to destroy their smaller fleet(s).

@Flying:

I see no strategy evolving that includes fighting Japan with a large enough effort that simulates the real war. It will be KGIF. I do think KGIF can be defeated by Japan buying large quantities of bombers and using them to blast Russian ICs. This would give the Germans an opening to crush Russia.

Japan can make America fight.

I definitely think we’ll see some KJF’s or US Pac strats in time.  There are actually quite few things I’d like to try as the US, but it’ll just take some more games.

Also, you don’t have to actually kill Japan, just sink its fleet or keep it stuck in the Sz around Tokyo.  Once the fleet can’t move (or is gone), you can pick the easiest capital (still usually Germany in Revised) and take it out several rds later.

For example, I’ve had great success with a US - AC/ftr strat in Revised.  I see no reason why this can’t be attempted and used in AA50 (with modifications of course).

The general premise is to buy an AC and 2 ftrs every turn.  The ftrs can threaten multiple sea zones and once you move to Sol it becomes almost impossible to sink the AC without a massive commitment.  From there the US picks off the islands etc.

You still go after Japan and can get a feel for the Game.  How does Russia and the UK look?

Then immediately buy 1 AC, 1 ftr, + (subs/dd for fodder).

Rd 2 you can go 1 ac + 2 ftrs + ~12 ipc (for other stuff).

Japan has a mightly fleet to start, but they do have to take quite a few islands early.

Now the main question is can Russia hold out for 5-6 turns with only UK’s help and how poweful will Italy be with the US only commiting 2 inf per turn to Alg?

Another option I’d like to try as the US is some type of US Sub strat (talked about in other threads).

US 1 - buy 5 subs, 1 ftr
US 2 - buy 1 ac (+ ftr if needed), + 3 subs + other filler ships (or inf)

Essentially by US 3 you can have:
8 subs
1 dd (start with)
2 ac (1 start with)
4 ftrs (3 start with - maybe lose 1 in Pearl counter)
2 boms (start with)

Here you spent 62 IPC (8 sub + 1 AC), and you should have ~26 more ipc to spend (rd 1 - 40, rd 2 - ~48) meaning maybe you buy 1 more sub, 1 ca, 1 dd.

That is a 14 ship navy with 4 ftrs and 2 boms.  If Japan commits to trying to sink it, it will take quite a bit of effort.  Again the downside is:  can Russia hold out for 5-6 turns with only UK’s help and how poweful will Italy be with the US only commiting 2 inf per turn to Alg?

Also can the UK help with any of this? 
And just how much early help does Russia need?

These last two questions will depend on what will eventually become the “standard” G1 open, so Russia and UK can coordinate the best counters.

I wouldn’t rule out an Aus IC or Safr IC combined with US Pac strat but I’m usually not a fan of the early extra IC.  An Ind IC just seems like it might be too tough to hold, but you never know.

@timerover51:

@Krieghund:

Chinese units can’t leave China.  However, they may enter Hong Kong.

Since in many respects, China is played closer to the historic reality, I am not sure that I would agree with that.  In 1944, Chinese units were moved into Northern Burma as part of the Allied offensive to clear Northern Burma and get the Ledo Road into operation.  You also had Merrill’s Marauders in operation there as well.  Once the Northern Burma area had been cleared, the British-Indian forces proceeded to clear the rest of Burma, using a fair number of tanks units in the process once they got clear of the mountainous terrain.  This is one area where it would be nice to have some terrain effects, as the Assam-Northern Burma area and the Assam-Burma border is some of the worst terrain in the world to fight in or try to conduct military operations through.  It is not totally impassable, like the Sahara Desert or Himalayan Mountains, just very close to it.

Please recall that the game rules are probably to facilitate game play moreso than to ignore the historical reality of what happened.  Maybe you can incorporate a house rule that says something like ‘after round 10, the chinese units are no longer restricted to China’

Substitute whatever round you want, I just chose 10 for an example.

I am beginning to wonder if the Heavy Bomber rule that has some people bent so out of shape is in there to compensate for the large boost that attaining National Objectives gives the Axis.  As a guess, it is going to be easier for the Axis to attain their objectives, and more productive to them than for the Allies to attain their objectives, which do not appear to give them anywhere the same boost.