Thank you for your thorough response.
No problem!
Would not have been worth posting unless it showed all the available info, including the initial negatives of the strategy.
This is an public topic where you can discuss what country is best to be and why.
/All the best Dicxid
Japan, is the most fun to play :D
oh boy one of these :evil:… The best in my opinion is US… a “constant” Income and you get to choose your fights (most of the time)… you also get to choose what you want to go heavy on land, sea, or Air (SBR)… Oh btw not to be picky on your post but everything on these boards are technically “public”, unless specifically requested to be enforced by the mods as a publically viewed “private” conversation…
GG
Do you mean most fun to play, hardest to play, easiest to play ……
Like my avatar does not give me away…
I LOVE to play Japan.
Many say that Japan requires the least skill to play… True… in a game where the Axis loses.
But for the Axis to win… JAPAN has to be the nation that steps up to the plate, and hits the home run. It is up to Japan (excluding certain specific bid situations) to trash UK’s income. It is up to Japan to trash Russia’s income. It is up to Japan to create back pressure on Russia to break the deadlock in Europe. And it is up to Japan to show enough force/threat to try to skim at least SOME US resources away from Europe.
When Japan succeeds in doing all of these things, the Axis has a fighting chance to win. If she fails… Germany gets beaten down, falls, and then the Allies turn their combined might on a rapidly dwindling Empire of the Sun.
I enjoy playing Russia the most, simply because you have so much going on. Stuck between two enemies and the constant strain on resources. It all comes together for a very challenging game, its even better if you hold Moscow
This is the Classic thread right?
Russia the best to play? INF buy after INF buy? Couple of initial strikes then defend, defend, defend?
Hell in a 4 player game, Russia does not even get a player for most folks… USA and UK player both just kind of declare the INF build, shift units around, and then get back to teh 4 nations that set the tone of the war :-P
Obviously my answer is going to be the United Kingdom. Previously posts mentioned the challenge of playing as Japan and Russia. but what about the challenge placed on the United Kingdom? Their empire covers the entire globe and they must defend it against the threats of two Axis powers with limited troops.
They are constantly under the threat of SBR’s from Germany and also the that nation’s naval power (at least initially). They also must supply near half of the total force that it will take to bring down the combined might of Japan and Germany while also dealing with the possibility of a reduced economy.
I like your reasoning… But UK play is subject to the skill of those assisting it…
For example:
After the initial UK fleet is gone, any attempt by UK to rebuild that does not include USA FIGs is doomed.
Any UK landing in Western that is not reinforced by the USA is going to be booted out.
Any UK reinforce of Karelia that is not supported by USSR (such as USSR pulling back to Russia) results in UK getting blasted.
UK needs US help (in most cases) to retake or secure Africa.
So, while the UK player could be extremely skilled, if they are not backed up by at least competant play by the US in particular, they are screwed against anythign less than inept Axis play.
And being dependent on another player who may or may not know what they are doing is NEVER a fun position to be in… especially if your opponent knows what he is doing.
I think the U.S. is the easiest, but also the one that can "help"the Axis the most, when he’s not playing his supporting role. Japan is the most daring I think, if to win the game for the Axis.
Myself, I also like Germany allot, for one to prove that you can take London and Moscow. This does happen more in a 4 or 5 player game, then in a 2 player game and is in need of Allied errors. When player skills are balanced, then the goal should be to prove you can keep the Russians out, and the UK and US at bay until your JAP friend knocks on the Moscow door. ( This requires a skillfull Jap player though)
NC, you make a good point. However, your reasoning could work either way. An Allied power without the UK is a much weaker alliance.
You pointed out that the United Kingdom cannot take WE by itself. That may be true, but I wouldn’t be so quick to say that the United States could do it by itself either; and if they could, it would be delayed a significantly higher number of rounds than usual.
You also pointed out that the United Kingdom could not hope to defend Karelia by itself, but neither can the Russians in a fair amount of those cases.
If their was no UK presence in Africa, well; the Allies don’t want to think what would initially happen to them in that instance.
So, my point is, the Allies work as a team and cannot do well without the specialities of each country. The UK however, is the country that most interests me because of the reasons originally stated.
I would say that either GB or Japan are the most fun to play because they are both reasonably safe from total and full defeat (being island nations) and they have alot of stuff all over the world (especailly GB). With Great Britain you can basically choose any theatre of war you want to engage in. Japan has a fun and important role in the scheme of things. Anyway, i think those are the most fun to play.
I would say the US or UK are my favorite close behind them is Japan
Those are the only countries that if you use strategy and tactics you could make so much as a dent in the outcome of the game.
Some may say that Germany is the hardest to play and requires the most thought, but the games I have played and the ones I’ve seen played over the internet
Germany always has the same opening and tactics only change when it is obvious which side will win, in which case you might as well stop playing unless the losing side really likes stacking infantry and pushing away the inevitable for as long as possible.
Don’t even ask me what I think of Russia unless you want a huge rant about how boring it is to play
Depends what your in the mood for, it gets boring being the same nation many times in a row. And there is no “best” country, its simply a matter of preference and style of warfare.
I like playing Germany the most because it takes some strategic thinking to get yourself out of the hole you’re in. I find it a challenge to hold off all three allies, and when you can hang on long enough for Japan to take over Russia it is rewarding.
I’d pick Switzerland. Your IPC production is really low all game, so it’s really hard to make what units you can manage to produce do much, so it’s a huge challenge. Also you start off pretty much surrounded, and you’ve got to fight your way out. On the plus side, I have never played a game as Switzerland where I ever had to defend, so you can focus 100% of your effort on attacking.
Lol!
My favorites are:
1) Germany
2) Japan
3) Russia
4 tie) UK or US
Germany and Russia are the most challenging, with Japan being the 3rd.
This is because G and R dictate the game and are in the most trouble from rd 1 on. UK and US sort of just fill in the gaps and back Russia up, either supply forces to Kar or to open up a second front on G.
And likewise with Japan, you must take the pressure off Germany, whether that is full court press on Russia or some other strat where you can get the US or UK sidetracked. Either way, no matter how good the Japan, UK and US players are, if the G and/or R players aren’t any good the game will be over quick.
UK and US are probably the easiest to play for newbies, since their capitals aren’t really in trouble. IMO, Japan has too many responsibilities in helping out Germany for it to be played by a newbie (if all other players are experienced).
UK, US, and Japan can also be the most fun though because you can get away with buying some high powered units like bombers and fighters, and you can play around with navies too depending on each game.
I really like the US when playing a Pac strat or KJF, but it can be done so rarely (at least from the start) and is very much dependent on what G and J do on rd 1.
Basically it really depends on what you are looking for game to game. I agree with Biofury on “it depends on what mood you are in…”.
My favorite is the UK. Even with it’s worldwide presence, and naval potential, this nation still runs on luck. With Germans threatening the airspace, seaways and land, up to the very shores of the N. American continent, I find it very rewarding to plan and use this nation to be a plague to Germany.(Not to mention as a lesson in tenacity ;-) Additionally, there is no messy land strategy needed in the beginning of the game, except in S.E. Asia. However, if you are a new player, I would recommend that you start as either Russia, or the U.S. . Both are fairly easy, and will help you learn the rules much faster.
My favorite is GBR because you get to “save” Russia from Germany’s invasion. Also, as GBR you have a lot of choices you can make, like you aren’t set to making 8 inf on your first turn like Russia.
I like playing with Japan and reinacting Pearl Harbor. Besides, my attacking Japan infantry always seem to roll a 1 a lot more so than my Germany friends.