How do you play Europe using Alpha 3.9?

The way I play it is as follows:

• use Alpha.a 3.9 set up
• Use new scrambling, convoy raiding and SBR rules
• Use original Europe NOs (One exception/houserule modification: for the UK to receive its bonus income there may be no German submarines in the Atlantic (rather than anywhere on the board).
• US gets +30 IPC when at war as described in the original rules
• Russia gets two free infantry per turn when at war as per the original rules.

I still find it strange nothing official has been posted regarding on how to play Europe or Pacific on its own. For instanve, they could at least make an official post saying that they recommend the new set up be used. As for some of the other changes, I feel that at least for Europe 4o the original rules work better (NOs, US income etc.)

Hmm, 47 views and not a single reply  :? :-(

I’m really interested in hearing how the community goes about playing Europe 40. Is alpha 3 used? If so, to what extent? Which rules do you use and which iones do you play OOB? How do you feel about the lack of anything official being said about this?

Personally I play Europe 40 more often than I do Global 40 as I find it more manageable (timewise and boardwise).

@Rhey:

I use the same rules as you koningstiger except I use the alpha 3.9 NO’s. For the USA I use the original 35+30 IPC and for Russia I drop the 2 extra units but give them their 37 IPC value as in global.

And offcourse I use my own Finland houserule :D

Why do you give them 37 if their actual value on the Europe map is only 27 (28)? Just curious.

@Rhey:

that’s their total they get in global + it makes them more of a challenge then when you give them 28 IPC’s. They are always completely overrun as germany can easily reinforce their western front for the first few rounds with 10 infrantry each turn and then still having 30+ IPC’s to spend for their eastern front. When that western front is completely reinforced or stable to withstand any invasions for the comming 10 turns, they can pump everything they got in Russia and overrun it so easily.

Personally I haven’t had that experience. You’ve got to play Russia smartly (meaning: "delay, delay, delay; counter-attack even if you have bad odds of winning the battle, but good odds to severely weaken the German infantry stack forcing them to take losses on more valuable units on consecutive turns and having to rebuild those infantry which will take time to arrive once you’re more or less deep into Russian territory.  If all else fails you could land British and American fighters there (you would lose your NO, though). I find this a bit gamey to allow Allied units on Russian soil, but I just wave it away by saying that its really a representation of lend lease.

I believe an Allied invasion should-as it was historically-also make sure that you’re there to stay. Often it’s better to wait 2 or 3 more turns and then actually be able to push on then to get thrown right out again. Attacking Denmark is also an option as it will open up the Baltic for Allied ships and direct invasion into (Western-)Germany. The Germans can’t defend everyuthing, even with the help of the Italians. An invasion from Africa into Southern France and/or Northern Italy can really work as well!

The ICs in France are downgraded after capture, right? Of course you could put three infantry there and in Normandy/Bordeaux and move units from West Germany into Holland/Belgium, but those infantry would then take ages to ever reach the Eastern front. Besides, infantry stacks often LOOK more impressive then they really are. I usually build a couple of tanks in France as well for a counter-attack. Moreover, they could still be moved to the Eastern front twice as fast should the occasion arise.

@Rhey:

well that’s all true what you wrote there. But when I play as the axis (wich I usually do), I tend to go to the south of Russia and push in deep while still trying to get a threat on Leningrad. The main objective are those 2 IPC valued territories in the south and offcourse the Caucasus wich gives you another 5 IPC NO together with Stalingrad.

The alpha setup gives every territorry in france a minor complex. Wich means you can put 9 infrantries there EACH turn. by turn 5 you could easily have 40+ infrantry units just sitting there, without help from Italy. An invasion doesn’t occur before turn 5 anyway as the UK are still on their defensive and the USA doesn’t have enough to strike. The only thing that could really bother me are SBR’s but minor factories can only take 6 IPC damage and the allied player probably can’t bomb all 3 at the same time (and even then you still have the major factory in western Germany) and even if it does then it ‘only’ takes 18 IPC’s (if all are big hits) to repair them. I usually keep my entire airforce on the western front as well to attack Allied vessels that don’t come in force.

Also I try to keep my major forces on the West in Western Germany and Paris and leave the coastal territories nearly undefended. This way the Allied player will usually not land in Western Germany (and downgrade your major IC) and their naval bombardments are pretty useless. This way you can kick them right out again on nearly every territorry they should attack. The only pain to reinforce is Norway. It’s one territorry that should never fall, but when it does, it’s so hard to take back (if you’re not playing with a Finland house rule hehe).

The infrantries (and artillery) I build on the Western front are also there to stay. I don’t intend to send them to the eastern front. I usually have enough IPC’s left to spend for my eastern front campaign. And once i’m satisfied with my western front defenses, I put my complete income in Russia and then it’s bye Russia.

Definitely some good points as well!

a few comments: 9 infantry per turn in France and surrounding territories? How do you manage to attack Russia iwith enough force then? You may end up with 40 infantry if the Allies let you do that, but don’t you need -at least some- of those 40 infantry in the East?

Remember, as per Alpha 3.9, strategic bombers do die roll +2 damage, so in extreme circumstances you could do do more damage to major ICs, but indeed, NOT to minors as you say.

I’ve never had the experience in any of my games that Russia was completekly overrun, but I’m definitely NOT saying it couldn’t happen! However, I’m not convinced it cannot be prevented; that is that the tables won’t start turning before Germany has been able to conquer Russia.

@Rhey:

Well in the alpha 3.9 rules the Germans start with more units to the eastern front then the Russians and they make around 60 IPC’s per turn (even more when they start taking Russian territorries so even with reinforcing the west, you outproduce the russians). The key is also to make transports on G1 to fake Sealion and use up to 3 transports to constantly reinforce finland until you decide to attack. This spreads out the Russians even more and gives you the ability to invade Leningrad by an amphibious assault (a move wich the Russian player usually doesn’t see comming).

My biggest concern playing as the Axis is when the USA goes to the med. this usually denies 1 VC to the Axis (Cairo) and threatens to open up a new front in Europe and taking out Italy. This bothers me a lot more then a landing in Western Europe.

You don’t need to completely overrun the Russians to keep Europe steady. A slow approach is just as good. Just make sure your march into Russia is stable and don’t take territories only because you can. Take them only if you can hold them. And if you can hit a big stack, do it. It’s a lot harder for Russia to reinforce then it is for Germany. Go for the south ones cause they bring in the most IPC’s. And keep them on the defensive.

Building an IC in Norway is a good alternative to building lots of potentially vulnerable transports (to air attack).

@Rhey:

I always built one in Finland. This way if Norway gets captured, you don’t lose your IC in the north and you can bust back easily. Finland usually never gets captured if you built an IC there.

I thought as per Alpha 3.9 it’s only allowed to build ICs in originally controlled territories and even though Finland is a pro axis neutral it isn’t an originally controlled territory.

@Rhey:

doesn’t that only apply to major IC’s? I thought you can build minor IC’s anywhere on any 2+ IPC value territorry

Perhaps. Don’t know the rule by heart. This is the way I remembered it, but if I looked it up, I could prove to be wrong. I think the changed rule is mostly meant to keep the US from building in Norway should they capture it.

I looked it up. Yes, you are right. It only applies to major ICs, so a minor one could indeed be built in Finland.