Middle Game Scenario, NEED ADVICE!

@all-encompassing-goose said in Ways to make the game better?:

@cernel I do have a bad track record for accidentally making posts in the wrong topic but I got Spring 1942 from Ebay. Unless the seller makes a mistake and gives me the 2nd edition, I know I’m receiving Spring 1942. Also, you cannot get 2nd edition anywhere in new condition for less than $60 which I state in the post I ordered SE for $30 (with all the shipping added)

Definitely worth the money (assuming it’s like new), but your decision to pick the 1st edition does not make a whole lot of sense to me. If you wanted a game that could take less than the 1940 games and still have the Axis&Allies experience, I would think the 2nd edition of 1942 is the most obvious choice (unless you are still playing the first edition of the 1940 games).

This said, one thing that Spring 1942 has going for itself is balance: the game is fairly balanced (being only very slightly unbalanced in favour of the Axis) and can be reasonably played with no bid (and no optional rules picking) at any skill levels, which is rare or even unique for any Axis&Allies world games.

My suggestion, however, is to alter the starting set-up by relocating the American destroyer into the sea zone next to the Eastern United States territory: it near-to-perfectly balances the game (by giving a very small advantage to the Allies) and avoid the very dicey attack by the German sub in than zone on round 1 (being either a +26 or a -6 swing value for the Axis).

Im just curious because I have a buddy that says he had a game last 2 weeks. To me, the longer the better.

I guess you can’t say JAP?  Ok, fine the Japan attack

Right.  Just to clarify, your destroyers and combined fleet can happily sail right past enemy subs and transports.  You need to spend 8 IPC on a destroyer to use it as a speed bump.  Even then, you can destroy the blocking destroyer with air and a sub maybe, then non-combat move past that contested sea-zone leaving behind only the sub and the attacking air units non-combat move to where the fleet will end up.  It gets even harder to slow down a multi-national fleet, your ally clears the blocker then you can move 2 spaces and do combat before a new blocker can be placed, unless the defender was also multi-national….

@Bunnies:

J1

J1 strategy:  14 IPC of transports moves up to 4 units from islands to Asia (as opposed to a 15 IPC industrial complex that can only produce 3 units). 
Transports let Japan hit any number of targets on the Asian, and later African coast, making it very hard to defend against Japan’s attacks.  As a final dealbreaker, Japan’s infantry on its islands are pretty useless, and it has 10 of them - that’s 30 IPC worth of unused material, that Japanese transports can bring into the game.  For all these reasons, transports are Japan’s answer to pretty much anything and everything.

There’s a little more to that math. 2 transports are more cost effective than 1 IC for Japan, if they are used to offload units to Buryatia/SFE/Kwantung/Manchuria (transports move nothing or 1 SZ to pick up units and land them). In the case of FIC you really need to have 4 transports to be able to land 4 units on FIC each turn (using a shuck shuck with 2 transports each on FIC’s SZ and SZ60).

And 4 transports is the bare minimum if you are planning on delaying an IC purchase until you really need it (i.e. Japan’s production is above 40 and you want to spend all money on land units). If you want to hit other targets (Australia, Africa) then you’ll need even more transports if you want to keep those 8 units flowing into Asia.

@Krieghund:

The setup chart on page 6 shows that each power receives a number of IPCs with which to start the game.  This number also happens to be that power’s initial income level.

Ah, I always thought that meant what your starting production capability, not on hand cash.  I read a rule saying the the capability is the same as your “starting ipc’s” so I guess you do in fact start with money.  Thanks everyone for your time!

German naval buys aren’t looking good in this game–12$ bombers and defenseless transports make them much harder here than in Revised.

If Germany buys a Med destroyer, and sits in 14, UK can still muster 2 figs 1 bomb for a UK1 attack by moving the AC up into 15 (assuming Germany committed air to killing the destroyer in 15, which is fairly risky unless Germany uses 2 or more planes).  This is risky for UK, but even if they get diced they will kill enough that Russia mops up the rest on R2.

If Germany buys an AC, then I guess UK holds off on a UK1 attack.  But what UK can do is buy 2 bombers, and fly its figs to West Russia or West Africa.  Then rally all land forces in Jordan.  So now, if Germany lands Egy G2, UK attacks UK2.  3 figs, 3 bombers attack 2 figs 1 ac 1 bb.

The Med fleet is doomed.  I’d recommend attacking Egy on G1…at least that forces UK to either counter immediately or lose Africa, and this counter takes some pressure off Japan.

nice game.

had my first game of 42, was the axis.  Did the Bomber buy 1st round, scared the UK with the new sub rules as the baltic fleet moved into the Atlantic.  Scared the US away till turn 3 from landing in Africa and was able to combine on turn 2.  Pulled back Japan’s navy, killed the Indian fleet, then turned back on the US Fleet.  On turn 4 I was able to destroy both US fleets in the Pacific and Atlantic and took Australia.  A few Allied troops in Africa and had left India’s IC alone except for buffering around it.  Turned on Russia through China and after suckering the allies into throwing everything at Caucaus after i left most of the German army out to dry there, 2 Jap tanks were able to blitz from Sinkiang to take Moscow.  Allies gave up as the Axis ruled all but the North Sea.  Not too wacky of dice, save the loss of my German SBR bombers over Moscow.  
 I haven’t played AA50 much, but I am lovin’ the naval rules applied here!

gotta admit too that those new Russian ship sculpts are absolutely beautiful…sitting in the box never being used.