Should Cow Make a Strategy Guide for 1914?

i would be interested in a axis strategy….most of our games excluding the very first game…the allies have won.

What is the UK doing in your games - this is the whole key to Allied victory, as the other Allies basically are holding against the Axis onslaught.

Have you tried shipping UK units to Russia, or sending them through India?

Are your Allies always throwing themselves against German positions when they should be reinforcing their defences?

In my games Germany usually runs out of steam before it can take Paris, which is in effect game over.

As a very experienced A&A gamer who has played 1914 once here are some of my questions:
1. Optimal purchases by country on the early rounds.
2. What are the stronger (my guess inf, art, fig, trans) and weaker (my guess tank, naval) purchases? Do tanks have a niche role or are they overpriced?
3. What are the main considerations for axis to pressure france, Italy, or Russia?
4. UK allocation between atlantic and ottoman
5. Important contested territories.

Regarding balance: I’m a little surprised that experienced players haven’t come to a consensus on which side has the advantage. Establishing an exact bid is harder, but at least deciding the stronger side seems easier. On second thought, maybe this isn’t surprising considering this game is new. Revised has an 8-9 bid given to axis and 1942 2nd edition is between 8-11 given to allies. The balance issue isn’t necessarily germane to a strategy guide though, and I don’t think it’s important to dwell on it.

Ok, makes sense that Paris is an unattractive target for Germany.

It seems pretty clear from your comments that you believe Russia falls quickly against optimal play. By my evaluation, Russia should be able to stack Ukraine for a while, despite heavy Aus & Ger pressure.

Overall, I don’t see the immediate pressure to force an early Russia collapse.
1. Russia starts with ~48 land units, Aus with 60, and Germany with ~88.
2a. Russia doesn’t have any external obligations and can commit everything to defense.
2b. Austria needs to commit 15-25 units to balkans and italy. I can see substituting germany for some Aus units in holding off italy.
2c. Germany needs to commit 20-40 units (wide range reflects my uncertainty) holding vs France.

What I see is Russia, Austria, and Germany with comparable sized uncommitted armies at the start. Axis produces more than Russia, so I expect the Russia position deteriorates over time. Russia’s supply line is 1 space while Aus and Ger is 2-3 spaces. Ukraine is the main contested territory. I can see a Russia collapse if one Axis power is able to catch a portion of the Russia army and the other Axis power follows through; however, I don’t think this would be easy against an experienced allied player.

I’d appreciate more specifics on how optimal play for Austria, Germany, and Russia looks like with Axis commitment to pressure Russia. Again, my views are from one actual game and deep experience with general A&A mechanics. I’m sure someone with more specific map experience can add something.

Here is my recommendation for opening with each country:

AH:
Buy 4inf, 2 art and 1 plan
Attack: Serbia with 6 inf and 2 art from Trieste plus 2 inf from Budapest
Attack: Romania with 6 inf and 2 art from Galicia plus 10 inf and 2 art from Romania
Move: 10 inf and 2 art from Vienna to Galicia
Move: 6 inf and 2 art from Bohemia to Galicia
Move: 2 inf from Vienna to Tyrol
Move 6 inf and 2 art from Tyrol to Trieste

Russia:
Buy 8 inf, Save 1 IPC
Attack: Seazone 20 with Seazone 21
Move: 6 inf and 2 art from Ukraine to Moscow
Move: 1 inf from Finland to Karelia
Move: 1 inf from Karelia to Moscow
Move: 3 inf and 1 art from Tatarstan to Moscow
Move: 1 inf from Kazakhstan to Tatarstan
Move: 3 inf and 2 art from Livonia to Poland
Move: 6 inf and 2 art from Belarus to Poland

Germany:
Buy: 9 inf and 2 art
Attack: Seazone 9 with Seazone 5,7 and 10
Attack Belgium with 7 inf and 3 art from Ruhr and 7 inf and 3 art from Alsace
Attack: Belgium Congo with 2 inf German East Africa+ Kamerun
Attack: Nigeria with 1 inf from Togo
Move: 8 inf and 3 art from Munich to Alsace
Move: 3 inf from Munich to Tyrole
Move: 3 inf and 4 art to Ruhr from Kiel
Move: 13 inf, 3 art and 1 plan from Berlin to Prussia
Move: 6 inf from Hanover to Silicia

France
Buy: 4 inf and 3 art
Move: 6 inf, 2 art and 1 plan from Paris to Picardy
Move 6 inf and 2art from Burgundy to Lorraine
Move: 1 inf from Brest to Picardy
Move 1 inf from Bordeaux to Paris
Move: 6 inf from Hanover to Silesia
Move: 1 inf from French West Africa to Gold Coast
Move: 1 inf from Marocco to French West Africa
Move: 2 inf from Tunisia+Algeria with Tranports in seazone 16 to seazone 14, activating Portogal
Move BS+ Cruiser from seazone 16 to seazone 14
Move BS+Transport from seazone 15 to seazone 14

British Empire
Buy: 6 inf and 3 art (all in India)
Attack: Persia with 6 inf and 2 art from India
Attack: Transjordan with 6 inf and 2 art from Eqypt
Move: 1 Battleship, 1 Cruiser, 1 Transport from seazone 29 to seazone 28
Move: 1 inf from Anglo-Egyptian Sudan to Arabia, activating it.
Move: 1 Cruiser, from seazone 19 to seazone 17
Move: 1 Transport, from seazone 19 to seazone 28
Move : 1 inf from Rhodesia to Union of South Africa
Move: 1 inf from British East Africa to Anglo-Egyptian Sudan

Ottoman Empire
Buy: 5 inf and save 1 IPC
Attack: Arabia with 1 inf from Syrian Desert and 3 inf and 1 art from Mesopotamia
Move: 1 inf from Constantinople to Bulgaria, activating it
Move: 6 inf and 1 art from Ankara to Mesopotamia
Move: 5 inf and 2 art from Constantinople to Smyrna

Italy
Buy: 3 inf, save 2 IPC
Move: 6 inf and 2 art from Piedmont to Venice
Move: 1 inf from Tuscany to Venice
Move: 6 inf and 2 art from Rome to Tuscany
Move: 1 inf from Naples to Rome
Move: 1 inf from Somaliland to British East Africa
Move: 1 inf and 1 art from Libya to Albania (Transport)

United States (Turn 1-3)
Buy: 8 Tranports, 2 plans
Turn 4:
Move: 1 BS, 1 Cruiser and 8 transports from seazone 1 to seazone 2
Move: 6 inf, 2 plans from United States of America to Canada

What do you think?

A

what do you do with America?  I know in my game when I was the allies I would buy transports and build planes every turn and ship them over too the uk.  By the end of it any airforce Germany could build I would send in my American planes to wipe them out….or at least weaken it then have france or uk finish them off.  In the game it is a huge advantage having that air superiority and the artillery rolling stacks at 4.  This is were I found it hard with Germany I could never get air superiority and get those artilleries to 4

In round 5 America can land 5 inf and 1 art(British on the British R5) and 6 inf, 2 art and 2 plans in
A: Northern France
B: Italy(Piemonte)

A or B depends on the situation. B is nice since you can invade Smyrna or Trans-Jordan R6. A is nice since its easier to set up a route b

Romania accually needs to be taken r1 as AH, so overkill is good. The overall strat for the axis is to maximize number of territories they can take from russia before revolution and if possible take Sevastopol as it is the best link between east and south where you need to send remaining eastern troops to prolong the ottoman collaps.

I might as well continue with round 2-5 that concerns the eastern front.

AH2:
Buy: Only units for the Italien front
Attack: Sevastopol with Romania with 13 inf, 4 art plus plane (bought r1) from Vienna (lets say you lost 3 inf taking Romania r1), Assume you lose 2 inf taking Sevastopol
Attack: Ukraine with 1 Inf (Do not comit everything from Galica since it will be counter-attacked from Polen and Moscow if you do)
Move: 4 inf and 2 art from Vienna to Galicia (the units you bought r1)

R2(25 IPC+1):
Buy: 8 inf, save 2 IPC
Move: 15 inf and 6 art from Polen to Belarus
Move: 1 inf from Tatarstan to Moscow
Move: 1 inf from Karelia to Moscow
(Total in Moscow: 34 inf and 5 art)

G2:
Buy: Inf and art, everything towards the western front,
Move: 31 inf,d 9 art,1 plane from Silicia and Prussia into Polen

AH3:
Attack: 1 inf from Ukraine to Tatarstan
Move: 9 inf and 4 art from Sevastopol to Ukraine (Leave 2 inf in defence from Britain so they cant just take it with 1 unti)
Move: 18 inf and 6 art from Galicia to Ukraine (28 inf and 10 art + 1 plane total in Ukraine)

R3(15+2 IPC):
Buy: 5 inf
Attack: Ukraine with 15 inf and 6 art from Belarus and 34 inf and 5 art from Moscow; Kills appr. 24 units and loss: 18 units. AH: 4 inf, 10 art and 1 plane left, Russia: 31 inf and 11 art left
Total in Moscow: 5 inf

G3:
Attack: Livonia with 2 inf from Polen
Attack: Belarus with 29 inf, 9 art and 1 plane from Polen

AH4:
Nothing on the eastern front

R4(11 IPC):
Buy: 3 inf
Move: 30 inf and 11 art from Ukraine to Moscow (leave 1 unit in Ukraine so AH cant reinforce Moscow)
Total in Moscow: 38 inf and 11 art

G4:
Attack: Moscow with 31 inf, 9 art and 1 plane (You will lose appr. 25 units and kill 18), Germany: 7 inf, 9 art and 1 plane left, Russia: 20 inf and 11 art left

AH5:
Attack: Ukraine from Ukraine

R5:
Counterattack Moscow: Kill appr.: 14 units (Axis total: 17 Units), not enough to clear. Russian Revolution!

This is very tight though, and with some luck RR wont happen!
Britain would liberate atleast Sevastopol R3/R4, which means the way south will be goon for the Axis.

No you cant strafe in A&A1914.

Nope, not as far as I understand the rules

Can you please be specific in what you do, how many units from where to what. Your analysis is very hard to follow. For instance attack Polen r1, means 6 inf and 2 art from Galicia against 6 inf and 2 art in Polen (very much not in your favor).

So please descibe in detail your round1 with AH, then I can go with Russia =)

I dont play with any restrictions, just according to the rulebook. But I cant comment anymore without specifics or arguments about my specifics. I kinda showed that its not so simple as to “send everthing east, dont worry”, clever counterattacks from Russia can more or less end it.

I wonder how is it even possible to kill Russia R5 or 6 ? Even if i send everything east as Germany except Munich, Alsace, Ruhr and Kiel and all my builds from turn 1-3 i get not even close to the russian monsterstack sitting in moscow. I would really appreciate a more detailed explanation here. (Russia always plays carefully and retreats everything to moscow in the long run.)

Buy a large stack of artillery and a couple of planes and move them into Belarus with all the inf you can get there. Not so easy for the Germans to break through.