Advice for newer player

@Stickfliss:

1. I’ve been reading around on these forums and on the strategy guides and I keep seeing this idea of trading territories between RU and G (as in one territory keeps changing hands). How does this take place and why is it beneficial? It seems like it would be best to just take and hold a territory instead of wasting men/tanks/planes over and over. As a side note to this question, when we play, the German player almost always spends everything on tanks, usually amassing a huge tank force. How do you counter this?

generally its a good idea to maintain a certain border instead of trying to advance and defend it with the possibility of losing it.  usually the longer the game, the allies have the advantage. 
Counter Germany’s massive tank force with allied movement against germany.  if he is only buying tanks then he isnt buying Ships… build a fleet with USA and UK and go for Western europe and Germany with amp assaults… get units in norway to help russia and send some fighters to russia

@Stickfliss:

2. Whats the best way to get US troops to EU? Every time I play it seems like it takes ages to get any US, or even UK, support, to Europe. I’ve been playing around with it in my head, and I think by turn three I could be doing Dday. Is this right? Or smart to do it that early?

you may want to buy a fleet on US turn 1 to join the boats there and join UK.  or go for africa and keep a flow going from canada to africa.  you can help lock down africa for UK and get units to caucasus

@Stickfliss:

3. How do you hold off Japan? Every game I’ve played as Germany, I’ve taken the the complete brunt of the allies force and had to hold on until Japan showed up. And every time I’m allies, something similar happens, except the Japanese player just sat around and built up a huge pointless navy. I know if the Japanese player had been smarter they would have spelled trouble for me. Some of the people I play with are getting smarter. How do I hold off an intelligent Japan player when I’m primarily going after Germany.

maybe buy a complex in sinkiang and also buy subs for california… make japan worry about boats and land units

@Stickfliss:

4. A lot of our games end in a similar fashion. London, Tokyo, whatever that Japanese capital on that island is, and the US capitals remain in their owners possession. In other words, whoever controls the entire European and Asian continent mainland wins. I’m fine with that outcome, except that it happens every single time. What kind of other strategies are there? I once built up a decent German navy and accomplished a landing in Canada while Japan landed in Alaska. But both those forces were destroyed and only served to distract the US for two turns. So what I’m asking, are there any other more interesting strategies to be tried? Like a Sea Lion, or capturing the Japanese home islands (or even taking the US)?

its possible to go only after Japan… and maintain a russian border with germany… that way you can stall germany and eventually take japan out.  you need to keep the german money down by holding africa and a strong border with russia having some german territs like west russia and belorussia

@Stickfliss:

4. A lot of our games end in a similar fashion. London, Tokyo, whatever that Japanese capital on that island is, and the US capitals remain in their owners possession. In other words, whoever controls the entire European and Asian continent mainland wins. I’m fine with that outcome, except that it happens every single time. What kind of other strategies are there? I once built up a decent German navy and accomplished a landing in Canada while Japan landed in Alaska. But both those forces were destroyed and only served to distract the US for two turns. So what I’m asking, are there any other more interesting strategies to be tried? Like a Sea Lion, or capturing the Japanese home islands (or even taking the US)?

In other words, the game is about Moscow or Berlin falling first. There isn’t much it can be done regarding that. It is really a matter of geography that makes it impossible for the Axis to win by conquering Washington or London instead of Moscow. A Sea Lion against the UK is impossible unless the UK player makes serious mistakes and a Japanese invasion of Alaska is usually a mere distraction.

It is possible, however, to go for a Pacific strat where the Allies try to get the advantage over Japan and kick it out of mainland Asia and the money islands (DEI, Borneo, Phillipines) while keeping Germany at bay from Russia. It is also very risky though and hard to pull, if the Japanese player knows how to deal with it.