Game?

@barnee

Yeah, it took me a while to figure out as well. Before I had TripleA I was super frustrated not being able to read those files.

If they J1, then I would suggest buying an extra carrier and having these guys hang out with the USA, making the main fleet much less vulnerable to a pre-emptive attack. With a sub or two, and a tac, the ANZAC forces can usually mop up the Japanese fleet if it survives an initial attack by the US.

If they dont, then your planes can land on java, usually, they find a good way to cross, and at least as far as the Japanese TTs are concerned, you can screen those out (even if they have an NB)

The idea of sending the 6 planes to moscow, however, denies you alot of other milestones in the game; without the grey and tan planes in theatre, Bombay is easy to take, and if not, Sydney will be. Players who are not cautious about building reserves with ANZAC can easily find both capitals under threat, esp. once Japan can use Malaya’s base. Whichever one you defend, they attack the other (now that you can’t cross back). If you dont defend either, they can take both.

Another fine plan is to marry the UK air force from India with the one from the Med, assuming that one survives. That roving force can do alot to wreck the Axis, or it can defend the factories in the core area (persia, Iraq–the axis mundi of the board. pun intended).

No matter what you do, its still more than one turn from India to Moscow, and this is very intentional on the part of the game designers. At that juncture in the game, the areas around Moscow are under threat, so you can’t land planes alone anywhere but moscow.

Sending all your auxiliary planes from the minor allies to rescue Moscow will probably save it, but you’ll lose the game when the Japanese dominate that board, or the Italians/Germans take Africa and the 2$ Russian zones. For all these reasons, I prefer to leave most of those planes nearer to where they start, using them to tear Japan apart, rather than sending them on a long range adventure that prevents them from attacking and expressing threat. If Japan is threatened by the USA, there are plenty of times that they have to weaken their westward push, and at that point, UK planes can join whatever Russian stacks are still fighting, once you see the outcome (save Bombay, we hope).

Yeh if left alone like they were Anzac can amass quite a fleet and then do some real work. Subs are cheep so if you can keep your transports alive they can be the backbone of a naval fleet to push and at the very least pull some Japan fleet away from other key positions.

@Young:

I don’t play TripleA, but I imagine one can’t change the initial setup. However, in our table top games, players like to rotate different sides and nations fairly so everyone gets a chance to play something different. To achieve this, I think the Russians should trade their fighter in Moscow for a S. Bomber, the Americans should trade their destroyer in Hawaii for a Battleship, and the UK should trade their Mech Infantry in London for a Tank.

Maybe upgrade the cruiser instead

That should balance the game without the need to bid… What do you think.

I was in the same exact dilemma, I finally got AAP40 right before the news that there would be reprints and just got AAE40 2nd the other day. They pry won’t like me advertising this but I called WofC and they are sending me the AAAs from Pac 2nd edition at no charge when I explained my situation.

I was Japan - went in with a plan and then almost immediately shelved it.

Aimed to set up a shuck to FIC and enter the war as late as possible to do maximum Russia and China damage and keep USA income down - not sure it would have worked as a strategy tbh - but then oddly aggressive USA leaving Philippines and Hawaii LITERALLY open led me to going J2.

Played cat and mouse in the Pacific, always looking to be under the cover of fighters on airbases if in range of US fleet, or sacrificing smaller units to keep ANZAC down or take/retake the Carolines.

My usual plan is to get an IC down J1 and flood China, decided this time for tanks from FIC, next time not sure - for me I spent the game bullying ANZAC, bottling up India, stood off Russia until they attacked then walked across Siberia. My plan was to keep the USA distracted in the Pacific and try to keep parity with their fleet while flooding troops into Yunnan - took the last of the DEI late as a result, but kept suicide transports to a minimum.

The ANZAC landing on the Philippines was a mistake by me - I had blocked the routes to my new Malaya Major IC with the cruisers Japan starts with between New Guinea and Oz, and had meant to land my fighters on Japan on the Philippines. I wanted to keep the ANZAC TPs and the US killer fleet off the Oz naval base occupied. In the end it was fine - by building 3 CVs off FIC was able to pour so much air power into the US fleet that everything died leaving the ANZAC Expeditionary Force trapped on the Philippines.

Great game, mistakes all round, can’t wait for my next game and really can’t wait for next time I play as Japan.

calvin…sent you a pm!!!