Russia is too strong in Alpha 2+

@Commando:

Try building a major IC in Romania on Turn 2. Attack Russia on Turn 3. Used a two prong attack. You might find different results.

I have tried it against Botider, Mollari (Vir), and a few other players.  The cost of the factory never gets recouped to justify the strategy.  IMHO.

Have you tried the Infantry Push Mechanic?

Germany 2: 68 IPC to spend
Germany 3: 49 IPC to spend

Russia 1-3: 111 IPC

Germany, having spent all in the water on round 1, still has 6 IPC more to spend before attacking on Round 4 than Russia does.  Something to consider, since you massively out number them in the air and on land.

1. Infantry in Berlin
2. Infantry/Artillery in Berlin
3. Artillery in Berlin
   4-8) Armor in Berlin
   (Primary units being purchased, not meant to be used exclusively.)

Italy takes E. Poland, Germany reinforces
Italy takes N. Ukraine, Germany reinforces
Italy takes S. Ukraine and Bryansk; Germany reinforces Bryansk
Italy builds in S. Ukraine, takes Tam or Ras; Germany blitzes Volgorod and reinforces the Italians

From there, Italy moves to the Middle East for the NOs, while Germany moves into position against Russia.  (Assumes Japan’s coming in the back door as well.)

Further, 3 Strategic Bombers is equivalent to 12 damage to Russia’s complex, on average, and costs Germany about 6 IPC in replacing bombers.  (Russia will NOT throw up interceptors, they cannot afford to replace them, Germany starts with 5 escorts, they’d have to lose all 5 to need to start replacing fighters as they still have 5 tacticals.)

Good point on SBR, never thought to make the russians suffer that way in this version… I like it.

Russia is not too strong. SBR on the two eastern factories goes a long way to making them even softer. The problem for Russia against a strong Germany is to determine where to concentrate forces. Germany has much more mobility with the transports purchased in Turn 1 or Turn 2 and in one turn totally shift the focus of the attack. Allowing them to feint if you will. A German player that doesn’t come from Scandinavia as well as, the Baltic, Poland and Romania isn’t effectively keeping the Russian player off balance.

Tried a true neutral blitz through Turkey?  You can get to Iraq with armor by G3…  Can make the difference.  If you catch them by surprise.

Then again, it REALLY depends on how well you are doing elsewhere…  Because you activate whatever 20+ infantry against you.

I like the idea of a minor in Romania, it’s my position that you need one anyways.

@Gargantua:

it’s my position that you need one anyways.

Really ? Wouldn’t Yugo be a more useful place for a german Mic ?

Yugo can’t be upgraded to a major, is one less zone away from Russia, doesn’t touch the black sea, and can’t be added to the starting setup.

If you have a Yugo specific complex strategy, you can still build it in conjunction with the one we are advocating for in Romania.

wouldn´t this make too easy for germany? having an IC near the russian borders?
the minor IC in Berlin already got upgraded to a major one. this already made it a lot easier to catch russia.
and i agree: russia is not too strong! it is hard, as it should be. but it can be beaten, conquered, sacked, however anyone might call it…sake of an early attack: G2.

leave yugo for italy, take greece instead. this buys time for the axis. build art (first turn only!), mechs and tanks etc. this way you cover more spaces and take russia out alone!

and just imagine having some italian mech on your side, paired with a tank from albania! it works!

rock`n roll

Play a game of Europe only, with absolutely NO American units or interference…

see how different it plays out.  And how quickly - if possible, you can win as Germany.

If you lose, there is a BIG problem.

One of the problems I also have, is with all the ships in the med… Italy can’t seem to get anything started, if the UK is sent on playing the denial/slow game.

But there IS America and it IS a consideration.

In any game in which you are not testing a Pac Strat you will always be concerned if America decides, suddenly, to drop 100 IPC in the Atlantic.

Ya and then it’s not a 100% pacific Strategy Jen.  Which is my point.

America is REQUIRED to build in the atlantic, or they will lose.  You force them to do it, by playing as if they were never there.  Voila.  Problem solved.

No.  Just because you have to plan for the contingency that America MIGHT build in the Atlantic does not mean America ever will build in the Atlantic, only that you have to keep units in reserve to deal with it.

@Gargantua:

Ya and then it’s not a 100% pacific Strategy Jen.  Which is my point.

America is REQUIRED to build in the atlantic, or they will lose.  You force them to do it, by playing as if they were never there.  Voila.  Problem solved.

I still think Germany performing a True Neutral crush would be a pretty sweet Strategy to make the Allies pay for having USA spend all their points in the Pacfic…

I’ve always like building a Major IC in Romania, because it allows me to grab the more valuable territories in the south. If the Germans just go full steam ahead into Novgorod, they won’t be accumulating a lot of IPCs every turn. I used to build a Major in Romania but now i feel that a Minor is a lot more efficient…by G2 you could have 8 infantry, 6 tanks, and a combo of aircraft to hit southern Russia, which is usually better than anything the Russians can come up with, unless they abandon the North. That’s why a 2 pronged attack is the best…it forces the Russians to split their forces, which they are not economically capable of doing, whereas the Germans are.

I totally agree KillOFreeze! Except I still like the major IC in Romania!  :-D

russia is really not to strong. i played against a player with far more skill than i had, and i still ended up taking moscow. the key is to not worry about the other 2 VC’s in russia, bcuz they will eventually fall after the fall of its capital

Russia is too strong. Or, the Axis are too weak. Against a skilled Allied player, IMHO, the Axis lose every time. I’ve played about a dozen games so far and this happens every time. I’ve only played the Allies so far but I’m currently playing the Axis against a skilled Allied player so we’ll see. Granted some of the Axis players weren’t the best that I’ve played against but from what I can tell on the forums, most people believe the Axis are too weak or the Allies are too strong. It may not be that Russia needs to be weakened to make the game balanced but the Axis need a little more “umph!” and/or the Allies need to weakened a bit.

No, Russia is not too strong, AMERICA is too strong!

That’s where the problem lies.  America should have to invest on both sides of the board or lose significant resources for failing to do so.  If that happenes, then Russia would be crushed easier since Japan would have more resources to attack them with.