A/C & FTR retreating options?

@Wolfshanze:

Sad to say, my daughter defeated me in Risk this week… her eye for strategy is in her genes.  I might have to introduce the kids to 1941 soon!

She sounds like she has the potential to rise through the ranks very quickly.  I’m reminded of a quote from the WWII-era movie Air Force, in which the enlisted crew chief of a B-17 proudly announces that his son (a fighter pilot) has just received his commission as a Lieutenant: “Can you imagine me saluting my own kid?”

After replaying it on slow speed, it appears that they are using dice as aircraft range markers and bomb damage.  I hadn’t thought of using dice for range markers but it makes sense.  More practical than using cardboard chits.

@Black_Elk:

For Japan the most important route in a KGF oriented game is probably the sz 61 to Yunnan shuck. This is the shortest route from Tokyo to Moscow. With 4 transports you can shuck 8 ground to Yunnan every round, overland to Szechwan, then Kazakh. Basically if you can do this three rounds in a row, you’ll have enough fodder to start making the Russians sweat their capital. Just like the W. Allies on Berlin, the trick is not to move your Japanese ground forward too quickly and expose them in poor trades for 1 ipc territories, instead hold them back another round until they are stacked deep enough to defend themselves from Russian counter attacks. Szechwan is the optimal convergence spot for the main advance, and the push comes out of Yunnan via 61. This is to allow you to threaten India and Burma without having to put yourself out of position on Moscow. Later if you can launch into Africa or India uncontested thats great, but the main line is out of sz61 Szech push. Otherwise you leave the back door open to wiley Zhukov moves, with Russians running amock in Asia.

Because sz61 is such a clutch zone for Japan, most Allies I see will consider hitting the starting Japenese transport here a top priority, more important than the warships in sz37. You can cut the Japanese transport capacity in half during the opening round if you take your hit on sz61, and it can be done at relatively low risk for the payoff. I see most people jet out of Australia towards Brazil. The transport makes a less attractive target if you don’t fully load it. Just nabbing the dude off New Zealand for the ride. But again, I just don’t see the sz37 attack all that much on the bid lately. Even with a sub, or an extra Egypt fighter, it gets pretty dicey. I think the Allies are better served by keeping their forces in tact. You can still give Japan headaches, although full Pacific press is very hard if Japan has all their capital ships. Probably easier to face them in the med, if you don’t want to hammer 37 on a gambit. But KJF Pacific style games seem to always have a gambit of some sort, going all the way back (some risk you take as Allies to open up the game against Japan) and for that I like that sz37 exists. I just don’t use it as much, once the novelty wore off, and when you see that Europe is still the more attractive endgame on this map.

This specific point should be notice by all players.
This shortest road is truly a good pincer strategy against Russia.

The 40th anniversary ed of Risk was glorious.  All the little touches like the velvety bags and nice weighty pieces did not go unappreciated. I bust it out on special occassions. :)
I was always very fond of the 1993 board, colors and deck design. The throw back wooden box is nice in its way too, with the generic blocks and tinier map. I sometimes use it with people who’ve never played. But I never got into the modern boards or redesigns. For me the 1812 look fit the board best so those are my go to’s.

For the future of the franchise it’s hard to say, with the rights and who owns what, but I am definitely intrigued by War Room. Axis and Allis is a strong name, so it would be nice to see it continued with input from the designer, but a War Room game that had a similar dynamic to the gameplay, and I’d happily jump ship. Or call it War Room: Allies and Axis heheh, for the left jab. Whatever it’s called I’ll surely buy it and play.

Eager to hear more about the rules and concepts he’s planning.

@Veqryn:

rulebook says Mexico and Panama connect, when I believe it really means Mexico and East Mexico connect.

Obviously you’re right.

@Veqryn:

also, can factories be placed on islands?

Yes, as long as the PU-value is at least 1.

Agreed. Awesome video Dave but you’ve got to set it all up again. There’s nothing worse than an unfinished game of A&A.

@jim010:

Agreed.  My game Europe at War I decided to use the same stule of colouring for ease of use.  The original is the most player friendly.  (Battle of the Bulge - even though I like it - is the most player unfriendly map I have seen from them)

Bulge isn’t very aesthetical but I think that is due to more to the hex system, still it could use some colour but then again the battle was fought in the middle of winter…

But Spring 1942 1st Edition has the worst board of the games I own. Size, everything seems to be crammed into it (IPC chart) and the borders in Europe aren’t very clear.