Defend Calcutta Crush-????

One thing worth mentioning here is that Africa is essentially a trap for the Axis.   Whether the Italian fleet survives or not, it is very hard to make much of an income difference or gain any NOs before America enters the war and takes it back, or without compromising some other more critical front. Â

Italy only risks 2 IPCs by losing Africa.   In our Game 92 on Saturday, I had the entire Italian navy survive because my opponent did exactly what you suggested, and attacked Tobruk rather than Taranto.   The counter is quite favorable to the Italians, to send in their entire fleet on the attack and clear the med for your NO.   Even with the gigantic navy, I was still boxed in as I couldn’t control either Gibraltar or Egypt in the long term though I took both of them once.   Â

Buying more ships is a trap, and you can’t really hold Gibraltar.   I spent all my $$ on strategic bombers and mechs to help Germany on the eastern front and using Italy to protect the Atlantic Wall or help leapfrog Germany in the East is stronger than trying to take the Maghreb or the Levant.  If you keep any transports, the most effective thing to do with those is threaten/cover/block/rush out of Gibraltar but its going to be hard…

One of my buddies said that far from wanting to reinforce the Italian stack on Tobruk, he wanted to evacuate it from Africa.  Its ineffective and trapped on a good day and easy to annihilate on a bad one.

@SS:

:cry: KISS  :cry:

Said otherwise, to lose IPCs in Convoy Disruption Phase, the enemy need to capture one of your originaly held valueless Islands AND put in the surrounding SZ a single submarine (-2 IPCs) or warship (-1 IPC).
Those penalties cannot be cumulative, even if there is more units in SZ, it is either -2 IPCs or -1 IPC, no more no less.

For instance, once Guam taken by Japan and having as many IJN Subs as you want in the surrounding SZ of Guam, it will cost 2 IPCs to US until all IJN Subs move elsewhere or are sunk by Allies.

A different NO, simpler but probably costlier to original owners, based on my suggestion made earlier:
All valueless Island groups controled by at least one stationed unit (Ground, Air, operational Air Base or Naval Base) gives 2 IPCs.
But cost 1 IPC to any original ex-owner, this penalty applied during Convoy Disruption Phase of this ex-owner.
http://www.axisandallies.org/forums/index.php?topic=34839.msg1355089#msg1355089

http://www.axisandallies.org/forums/index.php?topic=26960.0

it is right below this topic (3 spaces down or something). USA economy just goes up by 23 a round sooner (but he lost dd and sub to kill nothing and that has to get reinvested, also the fighter but that kills a couple inf on average, he has to reinvest something into the pacific or he can just let japan win).

Anyway Japan in J1 DOW as far as income goes, makes the same amount as not going to war, but steals borneo and kwangtung from uk pac and phil from usa. Picks up free kills.

I am more concerned about usa buying 4 bombers, moving fighter to iceland, uk1 inf and minor complex on egypt, knowing usa will guard him in the event of sea lion g3… germany can always do a  g4 takeover of london if you really want to take london. Usually germany goes barb anyway.

Gibraltor is the best landing spot when then can enter the war.  From this spot, they can land just about anywhere they want.

UK
Normandy
Southern France
Northern Italy
Southern Italy
Denmark
Western Germany (If UK can take Denmark ahead of them and hold it)
Norway

With the Naval Base damaged, they can only reach Normandy or Southern France.

Remember, “If you defend everywhere, you defend no where.”

Bombing the Naval Base takes pressure off of the Axis.  Germany will gain another turn not worrying if the US is going to attack Italy or land in UK or Norway or where ever.  They can concentrate on Normandy and Southern France.  Or let Italy defend Southern France and Germany Normandy.

I find it very interesting and will make plans to use this.

Doc

To put it another way, once the battle is over, you no longer have the option of retreating.

Any naval battle occuring in the seazone presents the opportunity for a scramble, even an unescorted transport landing.

So far I think patience is the key.  From G2 for several turns, I try to maximize production with Germany.  With Germany, West Germany, and France, you can produce 16 units per turn.  That’s 48 IPC’s if you bought straight infantry, so sometimes I’m buying mostly infantry.  It takes several turns to get them to the front lines, but once there, you can start sending waves of artillery, then mech, and buy air to support them.  I still think a G1 buy of a destroyer, sub, and carrier is important.  It’s enough to keep the West away for a long time.  The carrier is not just to “protect a transport” as someone put it, it is to greatly increase the air attack options on the North Atlantic, to keep the UK from getting anything started anytime soon.

I’m just speaking in general, of course.  I have never purchased a complex in Romania, not even a minor, because it’s not forward from West Germany and Germany enough, I don’t think.  If you can’t even fill your 16 production slots, I am hesitant to buy another factory except to enable building directly into the Med, which Romania does not offer.  Just build more units, and patiently move them forward.

To defeat Russia, you mainly have to beat her forces in the field.  Too many players focus on IPC values of territories, when the real success comes not from maximizing your income from turn to turn, but moreso from maximizing your trades.  Even if you don’t trade Russia quite on a 1:1 basis, if you can headbutt Russia’s main force, Germany can normally recover much more quickly, and win from there.  Japan should be taking down Russia’s income somewhat, as well.

This is just what I’ve found so far.  It takes so long to play global, it will be at least a year until I feel I’m somewhat experienced at this version.  At least.

I agree that having at least a little bit of Italian forces is important.  Even more important than can openers, is the ability of the Italians to take a territory so that the Germans can move into that territory and LAND AIRPLANES there.  This is often more important than allowing the Germans to break through with mech infantry and armor to take a little territory, an NO for one turn, or whatnot only to be destroyed.  Also, the use of Italian AA guns can be useful this way, if the Italians take an infantry block territory, and move in with her AA gun, and then G can land planes along with the ground unit stack.

So far I’ve mostly played the Axis, but I stick with my initial assessment from before I ever played this game, that it looks like the Allies are unstoppable if you just have enough patience.  This game’s only been out for 2 months, and I’ve only played 25-30 total game rounds (many of them team, so I was only playing 1/2) so far, so it’s early.  Too early for anyone to say with any certainty what works.  What DOESN’T work, now that should be easier to come up with.  :lol:  One example - not buying defense for London on UK1, but buying with South Africa and Canada too early.  If you buy less than 5 units on London on UK1, in most cases you are begging for a sealion on G2 or G3.

EDIT: I just realized that Britain can block you anyways if they’re not at war with you because they can put ships in the same sea zone as yours. So modify this strategy either to include a J2 declaration of war, or forget about the naval base and the three additional transports worth of units.

Warships which are in the same sea-zone as yours and which become hostile on your turn cannot block your movement out of the sea-zone, eg transport can still make a combat move out of a sea-zone with enemy warships present without penalty.