[East & West by Imp Games] Soviet strategy playtest

(due to the Arab League no longer being Neutral, the Suez Canal is now closed to NATO ships)

Non-Combat Movement:
1 arm Okinawa to Indochina via 1 trn Okinawa SZ to Burma SZ
1 trn, 1 crz, 1 AC West US SZ to West Panama SZ
3 inf West US to East US
1 arm West US to Quebec
1 bmb East US to Midway
1 inf, 1 arm East US to Quebec
2 inf East US to France via 1 trn East US SZ to Irish SZ
1 crz East US SZ to Irish SZ
1 ftr East US to France
1 ftr Iceland to Italy
1 sub Iceland SZ to Irish SZ
1 trn, 1 crz Italy SZ to Morocco SZ

Placement: [5 inf, 1 trn, 1 spy]
1 inf – Iceland
4 inf, 1 trn – East US

FINAL:
South Korea: 2 inf
Japan: 4 inf
Philippines: 2 inf
Okinawa: 1 inf
Alaska: 1 inf
Midway: 1 inf, 1 bmb
Hawaii: empty
West US: 1 AA, 1 IC
East US: 7 inf, 1 trn, 1 AA, 1 IC
Panama: 1 inf
Iceland: 4 inf

Japan SZ: 1 trn, 1 sub, 1 AC, 2 ftr, 1 BB
West Panama SZ: 1 trn, 1 crz, 1 AC
Irish SZ: 1 trn, 1 sub, 1 crz
Morocco SZ: 1 trn, 1 crz

(Allied territories)
Quebec: 1 inf, 2 arm
France: 2 inf, 1 ftr
Italy: 4 inf, 2 arm, 2 ftr
Indochina: 1 arm, 1 trn

Collect Income:
USSR – 0
USA – 43
Neutrals – 0
China – 0
Arabs – 0
OAS – 0
Saved – 0
Total: 43

Production Chart:
USSR:  $63/53
WE:  $27/27
UK:  $33/33
USA:  $43/43
China:  USSR $8
Arabs:  USSR $0
OAS:  Neutral $0

**Round 1
Summary:

Spying/Diplomacy:
US purchases 1 spy
Global Outrage against NATO

Technology:
US gains Ballistic Missiles

Land Battles:
USSR captures West Germany, Greece, Turkey, South Korea
Western Europe liberates West Germany

Naval Battles:
Soviet navy clears the North Sea, Japan SZ
European navy strafes the Black Sea
US Fusion Weapon clears the North Sea
US navy clears Japan SZ

Amphibious Assaults:
UK strafes Karelia
US liberates South Korea**

Combat Map:
Soviet attacks in dark red
NATO attacks in light blue
Areas attacked by both sides in pink

Final Map:
Holdings at the end of Round 1

USSR 2

Spying:
1 free @ Counter-Intelligence
Rolling 1d6:
(5)

Technology:
1 free @ Nuclear Weapons
Rolling 1d6:
(1)

Purchase: [63 IPCs]
26 inf [52 IPCs]
1 spy [10 IPCs]
Save [1 IPC]

Combat Movement:
West Germany [2 inf]

• 1 inf – East Germany

• 3 arm, 4 ftr – Yugoslavia

Total: 2 inf, 3 arm, 4 ftr vs. 2 inf

Pakistan [1 inf]

• 2 inf – Turkmenistan

• 1 ftr – Georgia

• 1 bmb – Russia

Total: 2 inf, 1 ftr, 1 bmb vs. 1 inf

South Korea [2 inf]

• 2 inf, 2 arm – North Korea

• 2 ftr – East Siberia

Total: 2 inf, 2 arm, 2 ftr vs. 2 inf

Technology Results:
USSR gains Fusion Weapons

West Germany
Attacker: 1 inf, 3 arm, 4 ftr
Rolls: 1@1 7@3; Total Hits: 31@1: (1)7@3: (5, 2, 2, 5, 4, 4, 5)

Defender: 2 inf
Rolls: 2@2; Total Hits: 22@2: (2, 1)

Pakistan
Attacker: 2 inf, 1 ftr, 1 bmb
Rolls: 2@1 1@3 1@4; Total Hits: 12@1: (5, 4)1@3: (5)1@4: (2)

Defender: 1 inf
Rolls: 1@2; Total Hits: 11@2: (1)

South Korea
Attacker: 2 inf, 2 arm, 2ftr
Rolls: 2@1 4@3; Total Hits: 32@1: (6, 5)4@3: (3, 5, 3, 2)

Defender: 2 inf
Rolls: 2@2; Total Hits: 12@2: (6, 1)

Wow. Those are some BS defense dice.

P.S. please replace “Fusion Weapon” with “Fission Weapon” in all of my previous posts. It’s been a long time since I thought of them as anything other than “little nuke” and “big nuke” so in my attempt to be literally correct as per the rules, i failed horribly  :roll:

Non-Combat Movement:
1 inf East Germany to West Germany
2 inf East Germany to Poland
2 arm, 4 ftr West Germany to Yugoslavia
3 inf Poland to Yugoslavia
2 inf Romania to Yugoslavia
3 inf Greece to Yugoslavia
1 crz Black Sea to Algeria SZ
1 arm Karelia to Poland
1 inf, 1 AA Ukraine to Poland
1 AA Georgia to Ukraine
1 hrm Georgia to Qinghai
1 inf Georgia to Kazakhstan
2 hrm Belarus to Kazakhstan
2 arm Turkey to Kazakhstan
3 inf Turkey to Georgia
8 inf Kazakhstan to Sinkiang
1 ftr, 1 bmb Pakistan to Sinkiang
4 inf Sinkiang to Qinghai
2 inf Mongolia to Inner Mongolia
3 inf Manchuria to Inner Mongolia
1 arm East Siberia to Inner Mongolia
6 inf East Siberia to Manchuria
2 arm South Korea to North Korea
2 ftr South Korea to East Siberia

Placement: [26 inf]
4 inf – East Germany
2 inf – Yugoslavia
3 inf – Poland
2 inf – Romania
4 inf – Karelia
2 inf – Turkmenistan
2 inf – Kazakhstan
1 inf – Mongolia
4 inf – East Siberia
2 inf – North Korea

FINAL:
Algeria SZ: 1 crz
West Germany: 1 inf
Greece: 1 inf
Turkey: 1 inf
Pakistan: 1 inf
South Korea: 1 inf

East Germany: 4 inf
Yugoslavia: 20 inf, 2 arm, 4 ftr
Baltic States: 1 inf
Poland: 6 inf, 1 arm, 1 AA
Romania: 2 inf
Karelia: 8 inf, 1 AA, 1 IC
Belarus: 1 inf
Ukraine: 1 AA, 1 IC
Komi: 1 inf
Orel: 1 inf
Georgia: 3 inf
Russia: 1 IC
Urals: empty
Kazakhstan: 3 inf, 2 arm, 2 hrm
Turkmenistan: 2 inf
West Siberia: empty
Baykal: empty
Mongolia: 1 inf
East Siberia: 4 inf, 2 ftr, 1 AA, 1 IC
North Korea: 6 inf (China), 2 inf, 2 arm
Kamchatka: 1 inf

(Chinese territories)
Sinkiang: 8 inf, 1 ftr, 1 bmb
Qinghai: 4 inf, 1 hrm
Inner Mongolia: 5 inf, 1 arm
Manchuria: 6 inf

Collect Income:
USSR - 48
WE - 9
UK - 1
USA - 2
Neutrals - 0
China - 8
Arabs - 0
OAS - 0
Saved - 1
Total: 69

Production Chart:
USSR: $69/60
WE: $27/23
UK: $33/32
USA: $43/41
China:  USSR $8
Arabs:  USSR $0
OAS:  Neutral $0

WE 2

Purchase: [27 IPCs]
9 inf [27 IPCs]
save [0 IPCs]

Combat Movement:
West Germany [1 inf]
1 inf, 3 arm – France
Total: 1 inf, 3 arm vs. 1 inf

Attacker: 1 inf, 3 arm
Rolls: 1@1 3@3; Total Hits: 31@1: (3)3@3: (1, 1, 2)

Defender: 1 inf
Rolls: 1@1; Total Hits: 11@1: (1)

Non-Combat Movement:
3 arm West Germany to France
2 inf France to Norway via 1 trn Komi SZ to Komi SZ
2 inf Algeria to France via 1 trn Morocco SZ to Irish SZ
1 crz Morocco SZ to Irish SZ
1 ftr Red Sea (UK carrier) to Italy
1 ftr India to Sudan
1 inf New Guinea to Borneo SZ via 1 trn Queensland SZ to Borneo SZ

Placement: [9 inf]
2 inf – Norway
3 inf – France
4 inf – Italy

FINAL:
France: 5 inf, 3 arm, 1 AA, 1 IC
Italy: 11 inf, 1 ftr, 1 AA, 1 IC
Norway: 11 inf
Indochina: 3 inf

Komi SZ: 1 trn
Irish SZ: 1 trn, 1 crz
Borneo SZ: 1 trn w/ 1 inf
Sudan: 1 ftr

(Empty territories)
West Germany
Portugal
Morocco
Algeria
West Africa
Equatorial Africa
Congo
Angola
Mozambique
Madagascar
New Guinea

Collect Income:
USSR - 0
WE - 27
Neutrals - 0
China - 0
Arabs - 0
OAS - 0
Saved - 0
Total: 27

Production Chart:
USSR: $69/56
WE: $27/27
UK: $33/32
USA: $43/41
China:  USSR $8
Arabs:  USSR $0
OAS:  Neutral $0

UK2

Technology:
1 @ Armor [5 IPCs]
Rolling 1d6:
(4)

Purchase: [28 IPCs]
6 inf [18 IPCs]
1 spy [10 IPCs]
save [0 IPCs]

Combat Movement:
Komi [1 inf]

• 2 inf – UK via 2 bmb UK

• 2 inf – Iceland via 1 trn Komi SZ to Komi SZ

• 1 crz, 1 BB – Komi SZ

Total: 4 inf, 1 crz, 1 BB, 2 bmb (cannot attack) vs. 1 inf

First Strike: 1 crz, 1 BB
Rolls: 1@2 1@4; Total Hits: 21@2: (1)1@4: (1)
Attacker: 4 inf
Rolls: 4@1; Total Hits: 04@1: (6, 5, 3, 3)

Pakistan [1 inf]

• 2 inf – Sudan via 1 trn Red Sea to Persian Gulf

• 2 inf – Burma via 1 trn Burma SZ to Persian Gulf

• 1 ftr India

Total: 4 inf, 1 ftr vs. 1 inf

Attacker: 4 inf, 1 ftr
Rolls: 4@1 1@3; Total Hits: 34@1: (2, 2, 1, 1)1@3: (3)

Defender: 1 inf
Rolls: 1@2; Total Hits: 11@2: (1)

Non-Combat Movement:
1 inf Ontario to Quebec
1 crz Rio De Oro/West Africa SZ to Morocco SZ
1 trn Morocco SZ to Quebec SZ
2 bmb Komi to UK
1 inf Algeria to Equatorial Africa
1 inf Nigeria to Equatorial Africa
1 inf Libya to Sudan
3 inf Rhodesia to Tanganyika
1 arm Congo to Tanganyika
2 sub, 1 AC Red Sea to Persian Gulf
1 sub India SZ to Persian Gulf
1 ftr Pakistan to India
8 inf, 1 arm Burma to India

Placement: [6 inf, 1 spy]
1 inf – Sudan
3 inf – India
1 inf – Ceylon
1 inf – Burma

FINAL:
Komi: 4 inf, 1 trn, 1 sub, 1 crz, 1 BB
Borneo SZ: 1 inf (WE transport)

Ontario: 1 AA, 1 IC
Quebec: 2 inf, 1 arm, 1 trn
UK: 3 inf, 1 arm, 2 bmb, 1 AA, 1 IC
Gibraltar: 1 crz
Sudan: 2 inf
Tanganyika: 4 inf, 1 arm
Pakistan: 3 inf, 2 trn, 3 sub, 1 AC
India: 15 inf, 1 arm, 1 ftr
Ceylon: 1 inf
Burma: 1 inf

(Empty territories)
Western Canada
Libya
Nigeria
Rhodesia
South Africa
Singapore
Western Australia
Queensland
New South Wales
New Zealand

(Allied territories)
Norway: 2 inf
Italy: 3 inf
Equatorial Africa: 2 inf

Collect Income:
USSR - 1
UK - 33
Neutrals - 0
China - 0
Arabs - 0
OAS - 0
Saved - 0
Total: 34

Production Chart:
USSR: $69/54
WE: $27/27
UK: $34/34
USA: $43/41
China:  USSR $8
Arabs:  USSR $0
OAS:  Neutral $0

US 2

Spying:
Rolling 1d6:
(6)

Technology:
1 free @ Nuclear Weapons
:dice: 1d6:
1 @ Air [5 IPCs]
Rolling 1d6:
(1)  
1 @ Armor [5 IPCs]
Rolling 1d6:
(5)

1 free @ Nuclear Weapons
Rolling 1d6:
(4)

Technology Results:
US gains Jets
WE gains half-step towards Jets
UK gains half-step towards Jets

Purchase: [33 IPCs]
6 inf [18 IPCs]
1 IC [15 IPCs]
save [0 IPCs]

Combat Movement:
South Korea [1 inf]

• 1 inf – Midway via 1 bmb Midway

• 2 ftr – Japan SZ

Total: 1 inf, 2 ftr, 1 bmb (cannot attack) vs. 1 inf

Attacker: 1 inf, 2 ftr
Rolls: 1@1 2@3; Total Hits: 21@1: (2)2@3: (3, 2)

Defender: 1 inf
Rolls: 1@2; Total Hits: 01@2: (3)

Non-Combat Movement:
1 inf Panama to East US via 1 trn West Panama SZ to East US SZ
1 crz, 1 AC West Panama SZ to East US SZ
2 inf East US to France via 1 trn East US SZ to Irish SZ
5 inf East US to Quebec
1 trn Morocco SZ to Quebec SZ
1 crz Morocco SZ to Irish SZ
1 sub Irish SZ to Morocco SZ
2 inf Iceland to Komi via 1 trn Irish SZ to Komi SZ
1 inf France to West Germany
1 inf, 1 ftr France to Italy
2 inf Philippines to Indochina via 1 trn Burma SZ to Burma SZ
2 inf Japan to Indochina via 1 trn Japan SZ to Burma SZ
1 sub, 1 AC, 1 BB Japan SZ to Burma SZ
2 ftr South Korea to Burma SZ
1 bmb South Korea to Japan

Placement: [6 inf, 1 IC]
1 inf, 1 IC – Japan
2 inf – Philippines
2 inf – Iceland
1 inf – East US

FINAL:
Alaska: 1 inf
West US: 1 AA, 1 IC
East US: 2 inf, 1 AA, 1 IC, 1 trn, 1 crz, 1 AC
Iceland: 4 inf
Philippines: 2 inf
South Korea: 1 inf
Japan: 3 inf, 1 bmb, 1 IC
Okinawa: 1 inf
Hawaii: empty

Irish SZ: 1 trn, 2 crz
Morocco SZ: 1 sub
Burma SZ: 2 trn, 1 sub, 1 AC, 2 ftr, 1 BB

(Allied territories)
Komi: 2 inf, 1 trn
France: 2 inf
West Germany: 1 inf
Italy: 5 inf, 2 arm, 3 ftr
Indochina: 4 inf, 1 arm

Collect Income:
USSR - 0
USA - 43
Neutrals - 0
China - 0
Arabs - 0
OAS - 0
Saved - 0
Total: 43

Production Chart:
USSR: $69/52
WE: $27/27
UK: $34/34
USA: $43/43
China:  USSR $8
Arabs:  USSR $0
OAS:  Neutral $0

**Round 2
Summary:

Spying/Diplomacy:
USSR purchases 1 spy
UK purchases 1 spy

Technology:
USSR gains Fission Weapons
US gains Jets; WE, UK gain half-step each

Land Battles:
USSR captures West Germany, Pakistan, South Korea
Western Europe liberates West Germany

Naval Action:
Soviet navy controls the Mediterranean
UK fleet rallies in the Persian Gulf
US fleet rallies in the South China Sea (Burma SZ)
NATO fleet in full command of the North Atlantic (East US SZ, Quebec SZ, Morocco SZ, Irish SZ, Komi SZ)

Airborne & Amphibious Assaults:
UK marines & paratroopers capture Komi
UK marines liberate Pakistan
US paratroopers liberate South Korea
US marines land in Komi, Indochina**

Combat Map:
Soviet attacks in dark red
NATO attacks in light blue
Areas attacked by both sides in pink

Final Map:
Holdings at the end of Round 2

Doesn’t look good for the Soviets; NATO marines are on Moscow’s doorstep, and the Red Army isn’t sustaining any gains anywhere.

If the offensive into southeast Asia is successful (starting turn 4 at the earliest) and the USSR can develop Ballistic Missiles, they may yet pull out a victory. But NATO is cashing out high every turn, and that’s bad news…

Commentary:

As is often the case in E&W, diplomacy has played a big role in this game.
The global outrage at the nuclear attack by the US has dramatically changed the face of the game.

My initial strategy for the UK was to rally their fleets in the Red Sea on turn 1, but then to return to the Mediterranean and begin shuttling troops from Africa to Italy, Turkey, or maybe Greece, then to eventually link up near the UK to attack Karelia.

With the Suez Canal closed to NATO, this became no longer possible; all the units in Africa that had been perfectly choreographed for the UK navy steaming across the Mediterranean are now going to be sent to India via Pakistan. This isn’t so bad, since Pakistan is being ignored by the USSR in this strategy (which is generally uncharacteristic in E&W).

As Western Europe, I often rally my fleet in the Mediterranean to keep the Soviets occupied with probing attacks at Greece or Turkey. I decided in this game to instead put as much force behind Norway as possible, knowing that I was planning to send UK ships in that direction anyway. The complete lack of any NATO ships in the Mediterranean has allowed the USSR to keep Turkey and Greece with minimal forces, despite their not being able to gain ground anywhere else.

If the UK or US spies are successful on this coming round, it will be interesting to see what they do. Opening the Suez is a possibility, as is lowering the Chinese contribution to the Soviet war effort. Another option is to steal heavy armor technology from the USSR; in most games, I eventually want the US and UK to both have this tech. Influencing a minor neutral is also an intriguing option; in this game in particular, Thailand would be a good choice for the US, and Sweden is almost always a solid option for the UK.

The US is at a bit of a conundrum in the Pacific; the Soviet air forces are placed in such a way that they threaten the Burma SZ and the Japan SZ. Ideally, as the US I would like to be able to leave 1 transport unguarded in either of these zones to facilitate the shuck-shuck, but if the Soviet forces stay where they are, the US fleet may have to split.

Typically when I play the US, my strategy is to attack heavily into Siberia; this allows you to place directly into Asia, and makes it a lot easier to maximize the number of units you can put on the front lines. With this game, the decision to direct forces towards Indochina means that the US does not have this “release valve,” leading to a weird, unmanageably high income. The US has too many forces currently (more than their transports can carry) but they can’t afford to build more transports, since 1) their income is not expected to increase, and; 2) they already have enough of them for their current unit output. This is why I decided to build an IC in Japan; I’m hoping the US can use this to build Heavy Armor or possibly Fusion Weapons, once they get those technologies, and direct them immediately against the brunt of Soviet forces.

Similarly, it seems clear that the Yugoslavia stack isn’t working for the USSR; it will have to be split so that they can take and hold West Germany. It’s looking like it will be a cat-and-mouse game, with both sides shifting forces back and forth between the France/West Germany border and the Italy/Yugoslavia border. My fear as the Soviets is that the clock is ticking; it’s only a matter of time before the US can start heavily reinforcing Europe. The USSR needs to either crush Indochina before then, or hope for some key diplomatic or technological successes.

I was thinking about E&W again recently, so I decided to look over this playtest one more time.

I think clearly the tactic of not trying to heavily reinforce West Germany sealed the Soviets’ fate, but I noticed a few smaller moves that may have also changed the game:

1. Attacking the North Sea (S1):
I think this ultimately caused the problem of having the UK navy at Moscow’s doorstep. It’s always tempting to get those US transports out of the game (and slow down the shuck-shuck), and I don’t think the USSR can take on the British navy on S1 – but the better move is probably to strafe the North Sea with all your naval units (maybe with your bomber, maybe not) and retreat back to the Komi SZ, to defend against amphibious assaults. This also would likely tie up UK bombers in the counter-attack, meaning they could not be used to shuttle paratroopers to France or Norway. Overall I think this is a more sound tactic.

I think lending the Soviet bomber to the European theatre for round 1 worked out ok, since it really wouldn’t be needed until round 3 – when it can be be well within range of both India and Indochina.

If the Soviets aren’t having to defend Karelia/Komi, it frees up more infantry to shuttle towards West Germany. I don’t think it is valuable for the Soviets to conquer Norway, so long as they can keep NATO out, by distracting them elsewhere. If they let too many NATO reinforcements into the area, it becomes a distraction that forces the Soviets to spread too thin.

2. Recapturing South Korea (S2):
On S1, I think it is important to take out the US armor and fighter on South Korea (ideally with as few casualties as possible.) But while the little extra income is nice, I don’t think it is strategically important enough that the Soviets hold the territory in the long run; it only helps if/when the Chinese withdraw their troops from North Korea, because then you don’t have to worry about the US placing there and walking in, for free.

I think the push towards Indochina did a decent enough job of distracting US forces away from Kamchatka/East Siberia. This keeps the Soviets from losing income in that area, but also causes the US to divert their support towards India. Had the Soviets not attacked South Korea a second time, the 2 armor units used in that attack would have been in position to bolster a strafe of Indochina on S3 – with very good chances of wiping out the defenders completely, and only sacrificing a few Soviet infantry in the process.

This would effectively knock WE out of that theatre, stymie the US, and set up the USSR to push heavily into Indochina on S4, with an infantry stack rivalling the one in India (5 infantry in Inner Mongolia, 8 infantry in Sinkiang, at the end of round 2.) If the UK turtles in India, then the rest of the theatre falls like dominos to the Soviets; if they move their force from India into Burma to salvage the situation in Indochina, the Soviet infantry filtering through Sinkiang can potentially crush India itself.

Ultimately the goal of this strategy in Asia is to try and get exactly this result: to make the UK uncomfortable in the Indian theatre, expand the Soviet economy, and keep the US out of Siberia.