What qualities make a great A&A player?

Having your pcs positioned for flexibility for secondary opportunities and
the will to take a moderate risks that the opposing player may not see as rationale at first.

positioning pcs to feint an attack to force the opponents pieces to move away from the real target.

The one and ONLY quality that makes a GREAT axis and allies player is ….

One who has fun playing, win or lose.

@Rorschach:

The one and ONLY quality that makes a GREAT axis and allies player is ….

One who has fun playing, win or lose.

Well said. Though I disagree with the only part.

I might add, ingenuity. Even if the move isn’t the best, if the opponent has never seen it before, he might not know how to counter.

Also what are pcs?

@Wilson2:

@Rorschach:

The one and ONLY quality that makes a GREAT axis and allies player is ….

One who has fun playing, win or lose.

Well said. Though I disagree with the only part.

I might add, ingenuity. Even if the move isn’t the best, if the opponent has never seen it before, he might not know how to counter.

Also what are pcs?

Yes, only may be a bit overdramatic, but the point is still valid.  :)

I think pcs = pieces/units

Echoing Jeff’s point, flexibility is crucial. Most of my experience is with Revised and starting on Spring 42. German fighters and bombers on WE greatly limits the Allies’ options. The US and UK must be together at the end of each round or must build double protection. Fighters(and TANKS depending on Axis gameplan) on WE serves another purpose of pushing more infantry East. Japan’s fighter placement is also key. Early on, they should be in range to help defend important German territories if the need arises such as in Ukraine or Egypt. Japanese fighters to Europe will not only defend but can also disrupt the Allies 1-2 attack on a territory or can disrupt fleet movements.

7) An understanding of the Historical situation presented in the games, Each Nations War Aims and particular challenges.
I find this to be more true of the newest versions re AA50/AAP40/AAE40

Good list Axis Roll.  I would emphasize #1 Experience as the most important factor.  Experience is critical especially in the late game where having made mistakes before helps you avoid making the same ones again.  Experience helps to determine which risks are good risks.

Your #2 (foresight and preparation) is also critical.

Some other factors that come to mind
-solid understanding of unit dynamics (what they can do and how)
-good grasp of math and risk calculation.
-efficient buying strategies

1: Looks) The ladies love these guys.

2: Package) These guys are VERY well hung.

3: Power) All men look to them for leadership.

4: Brains) They’re pretty much geniuses.

5: Money) It means nothing to them - they’re above it.

Did I mention chicks really dig these guys?

#1. Being able to flip the board
#2. Being able to throw a dice at your enemies capital
#3. Being able to nuke your opponent

Nahh just kidding

#1. Memorizing the setups and beginning IPC values
#2. Poker Face
#3. Know when to play defensive.
#4. If a place is worth no money, but could really help (Wake, Midway, Gibaltar, etc) take it!
#5. Knowing best IC placings
#6. Always get one of your ally’s (or your parents) to pick-up the little creaser’s or taco bell.

Those are top 6 for me (no order)

@FieldMarshalGames:

7) An understanding of the Historical situation presented in the games, Each Nations War Aims and particular challenges.
I find this to be more true of the newest versions re AA50/AAP40/AAE40

This also means you can play ANY nation well, rather then be good at one and poor at another.

1. Patience :  Yes, you are going to be stuck 10 hours + playing.
2. Stay Healthy: A good player can drink beer, soda, eat junk food during 10 hours+ without developping fat tissues or pimples. The best of the players won’t even have a stale breath or oily skin when done rolling over you.
3. Sacrifice : Yes, its 10 hours + that you won’t be spending trying to get/with a chick or having quality time with your wife and kid.
4. Lucky : Because dices are dices. The more luck you have, the faster you finish the game.
5. Annoying: The more you get under the skin of your opponent, the more he fails.

@Corbeau:

1. Patience :  Yes, you are going to be stuck 10 hours + playing.
2. Stay Healthy: A good player can drink beer, soda, eat junk food during 10 hours+ without developping fat tissues or pimples. The best of the players won’t even have a stale breath or oily skin when done rolling over you.
3. Sacrifice : Yes, its 10 hours + that you won’t be spending trying to get/with a chick or having quality time with your wife and kid.
4. Lucky : Because dices are dices. The more luck you have, the faster you finish the game.
5. Annoying: The more you get under the skin of your opponent, the more he fails.

Okay #5, like throw dice at him, or?

@i:

no tlk him to death makes you oppent forget to do stuff.

Oh talking to them yeah I do that, and of obliviously throw the dice at them.

Somehow that doesn’t fit my definition of a “great” A&A player. :roll:  Diversion and subterfuge (such as trying to distract them so they don’t think too much about what you’re doing) are strategic tools to be used, but childish tricks are dishonorable. :x 8-)

@SAS:

Somehow that doesn’t fit my definition of a “great” A&A player. :roll:  Diversion and subterfuge (such as trying to distract them so they don’t think too much about what you’re doing) are strategic tools to be used, but childish tricks are dishonorable. :x 8-)

I’m sure Stalin threw dice at Hitler  :-D

Independent: Can make competent decisions when you aren’t there to help them.

Honesty: Won’t cheat by re-rolling dice or adding/removing pieces on the board when no one is looking.

Commitment: Will play a game to the bitter end and not just surrender when the going gets tough.

Sensitive: Will react accordingly when I get 3 out of six AA gun hits or win a battle against two defending infantry with a single man.

Supportive: Will support decisions made by ally and roll dice when needed.

Obedient: Will do what you say when you say it ie. will send British fighters to moscow when it is completely surrounded and only a few units more are needed to tip the balance in the allied favor and the only german reinforcements are two turns away and a victory will result in the complete collapse of the german eastern front.

Hmmmmm……  That was a great start, Axis_roll…

You already listed one of the qualities of a great A&A player I think a lot of players miss - the ability to not get hung up on the replacement cost of units.

Tactical/Strategic expertise - As in chess, “material” is not always everything.  Many players get hung up on who has a higher IPC value of units on the board, and who has a higher income.  I’ve won a lot of A&A games where I had an inferior income and/or inferior total units.  I’ve won a lot of chess games where I had less material than my adversary, because position is more important than pieces, in many cases.

Ability to keep emotions in check  The dice don’t know that you just got hammered, or that you just got really lucky.  Good luck leads to overconfidence and bad luck leads to too much pessimism in a player who can’t keep emotions in check

Awareness of pyschological warfare  It can help to make your position look more menacing or less menacing than it actually is.  You want less menacing when it’s a trap.  More menacing when you don’t want your opponent to attack.  Strategic use or non-use of chips, etc. is key.
Also, the talk.  You can psyche out your opponent, or make him overconfident, etc. by what you say.

Ability to plan I know this has been touched on, but it’s different than just being able to see 2-3 turns ahead.  It’s the ability to devise plans 2-3 turns (or more) ahead that will actually be effective and contribute to a W.

(I’ve played a lot of Classic, Revised, and about 50 games of AA50 - mostly 1942 scenario)

Efficiency, and Shucking Efficiency  To be great, you have to be very efficient with your units.  A great player will have just enough to get the job done in the most important areas of the struggle.  Just enough to make the opponent’s attack risky, or just enough to keep the opponent from wanting to attack at all, for example.  It’s a waste to have more than you need, and waste leads to losing!  :-)

Shucking efficiency - Having just enough to deter opponent’s attack on transports, or just enough that it would be too risky for your opponent to attack your fleet.  Besides this, building just the right number of transports and ground units at just the right times to maximize transporting efficiency, enabling the maximum number of ground units to enter the battle at the most critical times.

Restraint  Just because you can make an attack, and just because you will probably lose less than your opponent, doesn’t mean you should do it.  Often it’s better to be patient and build up more forces, and attack at a more opportune time in the future.  Most novices attack whenever and whatever they can, especially when a high IPC income is under the territory.  Just because you can take an empty France with an infantry in round 1 doesn’t mean you should.  If you’re sacrificing a transport, that’s 2 less ground units you can threaten with next turn.  Just because 6 + 5 IPC’s for France are yours, you gave up 7 + 3 IPC’s to do it (-1 for 1/3 chance at destroying 3 IPC’s on counter-attack) and those 11 IPC’s won’t be available until turn 2, and the units it buys won’t be available for attacking until turn 3.  Which is related to…

Understanding “positional value” and “relative value” Positional value - German infantry out on the Eastern front is worth more than 3 IPC’s each.  3 IPC’s allows you to buy an infantry next turn, which will be placed in Germany.  As Zhukov said, players get hung up on replacement value.  Well the value of a unit that is out in a good position is much higher than it’s original cost.  (So you shouldn’t necessarily sacrifice an infantry to take a 2 IPC territory that the opponent will immediately take back in force, unless of course it is to deny the capability to land planes next turn)
Relative value - If your side’s forces are greater than your opponent and/or you are able to outproduce your opponent, than your infantry is not as valuable as his.  Many times it’s a good strategy to trade units at a less than 1:1 ratio with your enemy - when you will outnumber or outproduce him over time. (and there are other cases as well)  Oh - yes - like when the positional value of his units is high.  For example - it can be a good move for Russia to trade 3 Russian infantry for 2 German infantry in Ukraine, because of the high positional value of the Germans and low positional value of the Russians.  (Or, that can be a bad move - all depending on the overall position and incomes and material of both sides, of course)

Well, don’t want to share ALL my techniques……  :-)
Looking forward to seeing more qualities of a great A&A player from you all.