• '10

    Larry Harris 7/13/10

    Well if you insist on bringing Japanese aircraft to Europe by all means go ahead.

    I kind of think Japan is going to need all the aircraft it has and then some.

    I’m in the middle of Global40 game. You know… that’s the combined A&A Europe 40 and A&A Pacific 40 games. It’s about the middle of the 8th round presently, Britain’s turn actually.

    The general situation is as follows:
    Germany and Russia have turned Ukraine into a back and forth battlefield littered with burning tanks from both sides. The Germans, early on, build a minor factory in Romania. This factory has become the hub of the advance on Stalingrad but the Russians have been stubbornly holding the line at Ukraine in spite of massive German Luftwaffe and armor attacks.

    Germany has fared much better with its Northern Army. It appears, by the way, that the German advance into Russia consist of 3 armies. The Northern Army, focused on Leningrad, the Central Army, primarily out of Eastern Poland, and focusing on Russian resistance in Belarus and Western Ukraine, and finally the Southern Army, more on them in a minute. They, the Northern Army have managed to get into Novgorod (where Leningrad is located) and have managed to collect a bonus for Leningrad’s capture and occupation. Russia is one tough nut to crack, however, and the Germans are beginning to understand just how deep and far away Moscow is.

    Speaking of Russia… It has not attacked or been attacked by Japan. Presently there are 18 Soviet infantry units in 3 blocks of 6 infantry each and each located in Amur, Sakha or Siberia. The Japanese maintained a good counter balance with its forces heavily represented in Manchuria. That situation has dramatically eroded, however. Japan has been forced over time to slowly recruit fighters and dive bombers from the Manchurian occupation force. The Russians have managed to keep the tensions along this border to a minimum by never consolidating its entire Far Eastern army along the Manchuria/Amur border. Not feeling threatened, or enticed by Russian weakness, the Manchurian Japanese army has felt secure enough to slowly dwindle away and now are alarming weak should the Russians make a play in that part of the world.

    That’s only one of many problems Japan has been having. The British and ANZAC forces have managed to bring “some” land units and “lots” of aircraft to Java and managed to turn that island into a fortress of sorts. This has proven to be frustrating to the Japanese efforts to capture all of the Dutch East Indies. In fact, this little island defense has managed to keep the Japanese combined fleets at virtually a stand still. It could be argued that the Japanese have waisted too many turns trying to figure out how to take this heroic fortified island with its limited number of Japanese transports and land units in that part of the world.

    In the meantime the US has been constantly building a reasonable force centered around Midway and the Hawaiian Islands. This, I might add, has been at the expense of the European effort. With no real Japanese forces between them and Japan itself, the Americans have managed to conduct air attacks against much needed new transports and other ships being built of the Japanese coastline (sea zone 6). The Americans have managed to do this in spite of Japan’s ability to scramble large numbers of fighters and tactical aircraft. The last US raid on sea zone 6 bagged a brand spanking new Japanese battleship that the Japanese player felt obliged to construct, what with the ever growing US Navy presence in the North Western Pacific. This need to build a battleship at this point of the game is the direct results of battering they took when the two giant fleets finally did collide. That happened when the Japanese player absolutely and reasonably concluded that he had to move his Southern Asiatic fleet North and destroy the American Navy… Both sides took big hits but the US prevailed and came out on top. The Japanese also experienced some silly loses of precious cruiser and destroyers on several ill fated adventures against the ANZAC islands around New Guinea early on in the game. Arrogant bastards!

    In China… I think the Japanese, in spite of their constructed minor factory in Kiangsu (Shanghai), have been outfoxed by the elusive Chinese. This is in spite of the 3 tanks per round being built directly in China. To be as kind as I can be… they have not shown much results for their time and money. Case in point, the Burma road has only be closed twice (if I remember correctly).

    At this late point in the game and Japan not doing so well, the Japanese player is wondering where it all went wrong. But for a few tanks in Kiangsu and an infantry unit in Kiangsi, Japan is completely out of China – except of course for its relatively small force in Manchuria consisting of 4 infantry, a mechanized infantry unit and one of those tiny Japanese cannons with those round Napoleonic type wheels. I do believe that Russia will not be able to resist the forbidden fruits of Manchuria for much long. Speaking of this Russian force… Stalin felt it best to keep them in the Far East to maintain a balance of power or at least make it unattractive for the busy Japanese from venturing into that meat grinder. At the time, the distance between the Soviet Far East and the frontlines around Moscow seemed impossibly distanced from one another – so they stayed put, and that may turn out to be a good thing. Its true that the Germans are whipping ass along the eastern front but there seems to be a never ending line of new Russian infantry with a sprinkling of t-34s along the line. It’s kind of like an elephant attacking an ant hill. The elephant stumps on one hell of a lot of ants but eventually the ants are going to end up eating the elephant… burp! I’m not really being fair to the Germans… That fight is far from over, and who knows… perhaps the elephant my kill all the ants… stump, stump stump!

    It did get hairy for the Russians when an Italian armor unit assisted by an Italian fighter managed to cross over into the Caucasus from Iran, but that small force was pushed back. Still, the Russians hated to expend resources in that direction, what with the battle for the Ukraine and Rostov being so hotly contested. Even at this point It’s not sure which way this battle will go. The side that wins it will probably win the war – at least in Europe.

    What’s happening on the Western Front you ask? Where is the 2nd front!? Except for some strategic bombings of the major factory in Western Germany, the Brits have not managed to gather and implement an invasion fleet. The Germans have masterfully combined submarines, operating off the French coast Normandy/Bordeaux, and tactical bombers and fighters, located in Holland/Belgium and Western Germany, in such a way that the British fleet has never been able to gel.
    The largest British ship concentration is a carrier with a tactical bomber and fighter – in other words fully loaded along with a cruiser that began the game off the Uruguay/Brazilian coast. In the same sea zone, at the outer mouth of the Mediterranean, the US has a modest presence… 6 transports that shuffle back and forth between the Eastern United States and Morocco and a couple of escorting destroyers. Three transports always coming and three transports always going. The French navy, at least what’s left of it, is also at this precarious gathering. The problem – and there is one … is that if any of the three allies withdraw from this gathering the remaining force will get clobbered by the Italian navy that is safely setting in the same sea zone as the island of Sicily, which I might add has its own airbase and lots of ready and willing fighters that can scramble to the defense of its 2 cruisers, 2 destroyers and a battleship should the allies dare attempt to eliminate that force and venture back into the Med. You see, the Italians, like the allies, are both being served by strategically important naval bases (Gibraltar and Southern Italy) that permit both sides to move 3 spaces. Neither one wants to be the first to attack the other. The Italians are fairly better off however, but nonetheless, the allies, spearheaded by the Americans are moving East across North Africa. There will most certainly be a showdown at Tubruk.

    Egypt fell way back when… The Italians AND the Germans (with two armor units) have a rather large force there. The Italians took a risk and built a minor factory in Egypt. It has served them well. They now reach as far south as the Belgian Congo and Tanganyika Territory. They only thing stopping the Italians from overrunning all of sub-Sahara Africa is the South African factory frantically producing 3 armor units a turn. How did the Germans get to Egypt you ask… Well they built a transport in Sud de France, they could do that because the German and Italian player agreed that it would be better if the Germans had the IPCs for the territory but more importantly, that the Germans have access to a Mediterranean coastline. Eventually the German player moved a couple of tanks to Egypt and picked up a fairly nice income bonus of 3 IPCs per turn for just being there! How did those transports slip by the Allied aircraft and ships… Easy, they were surrounded by Italian war ships that begged that they be attacked so that they could destroy the attackers in piecemeal. That attack never came.

    Anyway this is one of the latest games of Global 40 I’ve played. I need to get ready for Gencon you know… This game has been a blast, as they all have been actually. I kid you not. Playing these combined games is a totally new experience. It feels wide open and extremely epic in scale. The territories don’t feel crowded. The way they connect and interact provides for many more possible ways to skin a cat.

    Oh what about that Russian battleship in the Baltic…? It was only after it set sail and managed to knock out two German subs and a valuable transport that the German player even took notice of it. Prior to that the German navy and air force had other pressing things to tend to. In any case the German player finally attacked the battleship. He only managed to damage it, however. As soon as the German turn was over the crippled Russian Battleship made its way back to Leningrad and was finally sunk along with a transport that happened to be present. By the way… this same combination of Russian ships did manage to conduct an amphibious assault against German occupied Finland. That alone should have driven home the message that that battleships should be a high priority target – but noooo. They were part of a two prong attack against Finland that proved successful and threw the Germans high command into hysteria what with the threat to Norway and all.

    At this point, turn 8, the Germans have still not been able to recapture Finland. There are no Russian units actually left in Finland. They’ve all been long ago eliminated by German air attacks, but the Germans are so hard pressed by advancing Russian hordes of infantry that they dare not detach a force to actually grab it. verdammten Ameisen (Damned ants).

  • '10

    Eventually the German player moved a couple of tanks to Egypt and picked up a fairly nice income bonus of 3 IPCs per turn for just being there!

    German National Objective!


  • @johnnymarr:

    Larry Harris 7/13/10

    The largest British ship concentration is a carrier with a tactical bomber and fighter – in other words fully loaded along with a cruiser that began the game off the Uruguay/Brazilian coast.

    Set-up?

    #620


  • And a Russian battleship!


  • @SAS:

    And a Russian battleship!

    :-o


  • Awesome! But what a tease!!!


  • I wonder what is doing the jap player with its aircraft … against 6 inf at Amur, I’d send 3-4 inf and a bunch of planes just to clean those 6 inf  :|

    Not retaking Finland being able to do so … wtf??

    Wich side is playing Larry?


  • It seems to Me that the Japan player isn’t of the greatest skill level. Only a minor factory in mainland Asia?  No wonder the Chinese are killing them. With hardly any new land units coming all India needs to do is hold on from the initial surge and them it and china are in control.  It also seems to me that the allies are going to need to combine their fleets quickly so the uk has enough time to build a strong enough fleet ti repel majority of the attacks the Germans can throw at them. The Russian battleship sounds nice, but once it conducts an amphibious assault I would just put it in the uk fleet. The Italians in the new game sound like they are going to be a very tough nut to crack for the allies.  I think the Americans will probably be left to deal with them after turn two. Any uk units in the are will probably attack the italian fleet. I do hope that the Russians in the east are there at start.


  • I forgot to mention what about a Russian sub is it still there?

  • '18 '17 '16 '15 Customizer

    @Funcioneta:

    Wich side is playing Larry?

    It sounds like he is playing the Germans and therefore the Axis… but… it also sounds like he is playing the US, which would make him the Allies. Hard to tell.

    I would say this is a very exciting article; definitely the most interesting news we’ve had in a while. A lot of eye openers in this one.


  • @Funcioneta:

    I wonder what is doing the jap player with its aircraft … against 6 inf at Amur, I’d send 3-4 inf and a bunch of planes just to clean those 6 inf  :|

    Seems to me the Japanese and Russians are just sitting on their bayonets; neither side wanting to initiate offensive action on another front.

    Hmmm, possibly just because they already have their hands full as it is?

    #625

  • '18 '17 '16 '15 Customizer

    @fanofbond:

    It seems to Me that the Japan player isn’t of the greatest skill level.

    Yeah, perhaps, but I would only assume that Larry and his playtesters are A&A veterans and would know how to work the game. How could the Jap player be of low skill level? Maybe they are deliberately trying out a strategy other than the “quickest road to victory”… by taking India/Asia quickly. Some of my past assumptions were flawed though. Maybe they have one of those Chimps from WotC playing as Japan…

    Regardless… this is casting doubts that Japan is invincible and that Global 40 will be broken like Pacific. Which is a good thing.


  • @Yoper:

    @allboxcars:

    @johnnymarr:

    Larry Harris 7/13/10

    The largest British ship concentration is a carrier with a tactical bomber and fighter – in other words fully loaded along with a cruiser that began the game off the Uruguay/Brazilian coast.

    Set-up?

    #620

    I too saw this sentence and what he is saying here is that the cruiser starts the game off of the South American coast.  Not a CV and a CA.

    The CA eventually met up with the CV and now resides in said sea zone.

    Agreed.

    #626


  • @LHoffman:

    @Funcioneta:

    Wich side is playing Larry?

    It sounds like he is playing the Germans and therefore the Axis… but… it also sounds like he is playing the US, which would make him the Allies. Hard to tell.

    I’m saying LH is playing Japan.

    (Or Canada)

    #627


  • Nope, he’s not playing Those That Received Useless Roundels: he saw finals of World Soccer Cup and he made a last minute rule to play as Spain  8-)


  • I say he’s playing Russia.  :-P  Just from the amount of bragging he seems to be doing on the Russians and the apparent glee he seems to have at the Axis being in a difficult spot.

    And putting the Russian battleship with the British fleet would be nice if it can get out of the Baltic…  However, with the strait rules it is unlikely it will be able to join the UK fleet before the Germans finally decide to just take it out.

  • '18 '17 '16 '15 Customizer

    @allboxcars:

    @LHoffman:

    @Funcioneta:

    Wich side is playing Larry?

    It sounds like he is playing the Germans and therefore the Axis… but… it also sounds like he is playing the US, which would make him the Allies. Hard to tell.

    I’m saying LH is playing Japan.
    (Or Canada)
    #627

    I think he called the Japs “arrogant bastards”. Unless he is into self deprecation, I would think he is calling the enemy (ANZAC) names. Though, he could just be very pro-Allies in his speech to us, because his father fought against the Japanese… who knows.


  • I’m going to love that soviet bb … I wonder if a soviet Baltic AC is going to be a viable option  :-D Or even Baltic subs!  :lol:


  • @Funcioneta:

    Nope, he’s not playing Those That Received Useless Roundels: he saw finals of World Soccer Cup and he made a last minute rule to play as Spain  8-)

    Damn it I have nothing to make fun of Spanish people, for (not including Mexicans.)

    Anyways soccer/football is the most over rated sport.

    Anyways is he saying Egypt’s 3 IPC’S because if Italy does ever capture it they could put a major IC there.


  • @Funcioneta:

    Nope, he’s not playing Those That Received Useless Roundels…

    See that’s where everyone is totally wrong!!  :x

    They’re not Useless Roundels.

    Psst… they’re miniature hockey pucks eh.

    #629

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