Finally did an 8 person game!

Thanks to a good friend and my son visiting, we were able to get 8 players to do 1914.

We are currently at turn 9 as were doing an all-nighter. We will continue the game later today but wanted to share some views.

First as a group we are middling to excellent A&A players and Vet’s, however 1914 was new to 3 players.

We went with OOB rules and Russian Revolution and RR transport rules in friendly territory.

The war still went about as expected.

more to come.

An over all look at each country;

Austria-Hungary: Is doing quite well, took Serbia and expelled Italians from Albania. Held off Italy even though they lost Tyrolia and had Trieste contested for a while. The Italian player got overconfident, more on that later.
A-H helped to push on Russia, and eventually repulsed the Italians and now stand at the gates of Rome.
They even helped Germany expel Allied troops from Munich.

On the last turn A-H was sending troops to shore up Turkey and are prepping an assault on Rome to knock the Italians out.

Russia: Dead!  :cry:  The CP’s all went east and the Russian player (who was quite experienced) was really on the defensive from the get go and never really recovered. While the RR option almost was triggered, not all of the requirements were met before Germany took Moscow. Which Germany was thrilled about as it gobbled up Russia’s $
Russia may be liberated by the UK…from the KTF moves.
Russia was done by turn 4

so here is a ?  can you build on an enemy capital you control?

Germany:

Key player in the death of Russia, gobbled up most Russian $ which has left them flush with cash.
Did initially take Belgium but was pushed by the French and a small BEF all the way back to the Fatherland.

France took Kiel, Ruhr, Alsace and was contesting Munich. France knew that it needed to take Germany out and launched an assault on Berlin, which it failed to take and only contested 1 round before German eastern armies arrived.

Flushed with cash and extra forces German and A-H were able to push the allies back. Retook Kiel, Ruhr and expelled the French from Munich. Destroyed the BEF and are poised to go west.

Germany was hard pressed and looked like the game was almost over but then…that all changed and the allies did some poor purchases…more later.

@drsnidely:

I always thought playing Italy or the US by themselves would be incredibly boring. Wait an hour for your first turn, buy 3 transports, and you’re done. Doesn’t sound like much fun.

Well its not really but the table talk and they became “advisors”  :wink: to overall strategy.

The US player was by far the least involved but had the biggest mouth…“when we come over”  blank blank blank…

France: Doing quite well also. Pushed the Germans back as stated before and have lots of men to face this new German hoard.

They will need to assist the Italians and wait for the US to arrive in larger numbers.

French transports are going back and forth to the US to help speed the US arrival.

The French however, got quite cute thinking the war was basically won and purchased air planes, tanks and transports…NOW they know better and its all INF!  The airplanes helped but the tanks did little.

France helped out in Africa and the French navy was basically the CP navy killer.

Great Britain - which was I,  8-)

I am doing well. without letting everyone know what my strategy was I went KTF!  no brainer right? If you can unlimit build in India…why not?

Now my French partner at first was like, “what are doing?” “I need help” and the like, like his lesson on unit purchases he quickly saw the beauty of the plan…at least I hope  :| the plan is working, it seems to be.

Others saw it very quickly or already knew.

Britain is pushing the Turks, basically have taken all of Turkey and are contesting Constantinople. And are pushing into southern Russia.

Transports move UK troops to Africa to help stem a small but rampaging Turk force.

A-H will have to help the Turks

I think the Turks are all but finished.

Britain will try to liberate Russia and its territory assuming Germany does not build in Moscow. I’m not sure they will be able to any extent, but they do have the income, for now, to do so, but I need France and USA and a new small BEF I built last turn to help hold in the west.

The Italians:

Attacked A-H, took Tyrolia eventually, and contested Trieste. Moved the Libyan troops to Albania to threaten that area, but just sat there tying up A-H troops.

thought the war was won as well and began to spend on airplanes, tanks and a new fleet. The A-H navy took them out early.

A-H eventually took Albania.

LEFT VENICE undefended and A-H pounced. Cutting off the Italians in Tyrolia who were annihilated. And are now stuck in Rome with a useless fleet and useless tanks. They will likely try to hold on and wait for French or US aid, should it arrive in time.

Italy is now only buying INF too but with far less income they are in trouble.

Ottoman Turks;

did what they could with what they had . But facing a UK build onslaught were mostly on the defensive. He did however activate Bulgaria and help crush Russia. Was able to initially throw the Brits back from Mesopotamia but have since lost it, and it looks permanent.

also invaded Africa and took Egypt, Sudan and East Africa as well as Libya and Tunisia.

now however he is penned up in Constantinople, have been swept from Africa and are contesting Sevastapol with the Brits. and his forces in Russia won’t survive my next assault. They have troops to hold their capital currently but the Brits are coming and have plenty of options.

I sort of agree with Flashman that the UK unlimited building is really unbalanced for Turkey to deal with.

A-H is finally sending some troops south east to help but…

Sorry about switching the Turks and Italy in proper turn order…

USA:

By far the least engaged as usual. Man it takes a long time to get US forces into action. He wisely built men and transports and using Brit and French TT’s he is slowly getting going.

the inital US army was diverted to Africa to help stop a rampaging Turk at Algeria, they have since been liberated Tunisia and Libya and are waiting to be transported to Italy.

small numbers have arrived in France but for now its France that has the heavy lifiting.

the Africa side show was mostly that, Germans expand a little, get pushed back, turkey expands a little more, but is pushed back.

Everyone is exhausted from 9 turns all night.

Although the CP currently look formidable, I am beginning to see that they won’t win the longer this goes.
either they build in Russia to hold on to that, or Russia is liberated and they will lose that income.

And Paris seems so far away. and while the Germans are almost 2-1 in $ over the French, the US $ is unassialble
and the Brits aren’t going away. I will continue to pump out INF and a few cannons in India and push into Russia and A-H.

At least that’s the plan.

cheers and over the top!

Oh, one other thing, despite what I thought was obvious and everyone seemingly knowing the rules, Switzerland stands unmolested. Un-invaded by the Allies or the Central Powers.

Even when I took Persia and Arabia, they didn’t seem to take notice of switerland’s position.

I attribute this to Axis and Allies thinking about Neutrals…why bother?

Only the US player seemed to press for such a move, maybe he will do it with the AEF.

but I think its from not messing with neutrals in other A&A game mentality.

@wittmann:

Morning Legion. Glad you got this mammoth 8 player game together. Must be fun.
Not sure if you got your answer about building in a captured capital, but the answer is no, you cannot.
The UK being able to build any number of units in India, bugs the hell out of me. Both my playing friend and I,  agree it is stupid and a game breaker.

Cool… thanks

Then the CP are doomed, the UK will out build in India enough troops to counter any moves the CP make and will liberate  Russia

I will let the German and A-H player know they need to rethink some deployments.

I doubt it will matter.

Prosit and over the top!

I will let the Germans and Austrians know. Press on and don’t worry about whats behind you.

Well the war is entering a whole new phase. Germany is poised to try to take Paris but the larger hoard has been cut down enough that it may not take Paris only contest it.

The Brits have liberated Russia and its likely to stay liberated enough to get back in the game.

The Brits have been expelled from Constantinople but more are coming and turkey’s money is real low.

The Germans built a large fleet with their large amounts of Russian flush cash (knowing they might not have as much and the decisive land battle over Paris is imminent)  and did interdict the Allied US troop movement.

they trashed a lot of the allied fleet. including plenty of transports. They were lost in the process but did what I think their warlord hoped to do.

A-H failed to take Rome and is slowly being pressed out of Italy, they did however invade Switzerland and entered southern France meeting the AEF for the first time. But have been repulsed. A-H is now again fighting in Romania and Russia vs the Brits from India.

I hope we can wrap this up tonight as the weekend the group will be dispersing.

So unless Germany takes Paris this evening when we start up again, the CP’s $ situation looks in jeopardy.