MOVED: Compatible Game Pieces and 3-Axis Player Variant

@all-encompassing-goose said in Ways to make the game better?:

@cernel I do have a bad track record for accidentally making posts in the wrong topic but I got Spring 1942 from Ebay. Unless the seller makes a mistake and gives me the 2nd edition, I know I’m receiving Spring 1942. Also, you cannot get 2nd edition anywhere in new condition for less than $60 which I state in the post I ordered SE for $30 (with all the shipping added)

Definitely worth the money (assuming it’s like new), but your decision to pick the 1st edition does not make a whole lot of sense to me. If you wanted a game that could take less than the 1940 games and still have the Axis&Allies experience, I would think the 2nd edition of 1942 is the most obvious choice (unless you are still playing the first edition of the 1940 games).

This said, one thing that Spring 1942 has going for itself is balance: the game is fairly balanced (being only very slightly unbalanced in favour of the Axis) and can be reasonably played with no bid (and no optional rules picking) at any skill levels, which is rare or even unique for any Axis&Allies world games.

My suggestion, however, is to alter the starting set-up by relocating the American destroyer into the sea zone next to the Eastern United States territory: it near-to-perfectly balances the game (by giving a very small advantage to the Allies) and avoid the very dicey attack by the German sub in than zone on round 1 (being either a +26 or a -6 swing value for the Axis).

Flying the fighter to the US Carrier? Ooh, never actually considered that.

Although, I think no matter what you do, you must kill the defenseless Japanese transport, slowing their onslaught into Asia.
I tried Borneo, but in all honesty, the UK can’t hold it, so is it going to work in the long term?

I am thinking about this for my next game…

Amphibious assault into French Indo-China with 3 infantry & fighter & cruiser bombard. Carrier destroys transport. Fighter lands in China, optionally with the one from Russia for 2 infantry & 3 fighter defense. US factory in Sianking.

In our games, we are in a trend where the US builds a factory in Sianking with Russian (two inf.) support, which is making the games more even as it stops the Japanese steamroll to Moscow.
I am sure three planes in China will be taken as a sure sign of a US factory in Sianking.
Even if the amphibious fails, wiping out the French-Indo infantry leaves Japan with 2 fewer men to attack China. Manchuria needs some defense from the Russians, and they need something to attack French-Indo, if the attack was successful.

Japan may retaliate with an all-in to China, which is 1 Bomber, 4 Fighters, but assuming at least one man is left behind for Manchuria, only 4 infantry going in.
With three fighters (one US, one Russian, one UK) the Japanese may take enough losses so that it: a) cannot not take China, b) take with one or two men.

It then would have very few if any men actually on the land territories of Asia, and Russian, English and American troops able to challenge the three 3 IPC territories.
Japan may even hold off on a factory purchase if it thinks it may lose the factory?

In any case, this is taking a lot of attention away from attacking the US, and any attempt to do so would result in an even stronger hold of China.
The US can observe what Japan does, and possibly even hold China for a 2nd factory there, if things go horribly on the Japanese open.

Brazil (US) and Madagascar (UK) are allied territories.
The Axis can capture them by unloading transports in their combat move.
The Allies can place units there by unloading transports in their noncombat move and/or by landing planes.

ok but with the UK battleship left unharmed I would definately not go KJF. Then it is all about getting some boots towards Russia ASAP.

Take, for example, the not-immediately-obvious Japanese air to Ukraine/West Russia/Caucasus trick.

I recently played a game against my friend, where I was the Axis, and I think that the above move probably won me the game. On G1 I threw pretty much all of the available ground units and fighters at the Caucasus in attempts to capture it… this turned out to be a vital move in crippling the Russian deployment options… later on in the game you only have one “front”/IC to worry about. I also moved 1 or 2 fighters to Norway to harass the various allied ships that were not yet organized into a fleet. On J1 I flew 4 fighters to the Caucasus… later on in the game these fighters are even more valuable becuase they can be used to shore up the holes in your German lines, especially when you are pushing to Moscow. Using this joint J and G strategy, I didn’t even have to devote many of my IPCs to attacking Russia as Japan.

Overall, you definently have to be agressive as the Axis right out of the gate.

@McLovin1985:

@skinny1:

@McLovin1985:

@calvinhobbesliker:

I remember playing this, but the map is very small: it’s about the same size as one of the panels of Global 40

Tell me about it…. I’ll never understand why they put the IPC counter ON the board… Should’ve been seperate like the oringinal, made more room to make the countries a little bit bigger.

Thats why I’ve recently bought AAP40, next week AAE40! Then you’ve got to worry about the board being too massive and not how small it is haha.

I think the reason they put the ipc tracker on the board is to have less things in the box to intimidate a new player which is what the game is geared towards. See this:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXeGoWcfxbk&feature=related  After watching this I understand why AA42 does not have as much in the box as Revised did. Overall it is still a great game and my favorite WWII themed game.

Hahahaha, from that point of view yes I understand. I think the only way to truely understand the game fully is to learn from someone first hand in person.

That is how I learned. My uncle and brother used to play the 2nd edition in the 80s but I was too young and it didn’t appeal to me. A few years ago I wanted to try the game so I bought a used copy from ebay and had my uncle come over. I have been hooked ever since.