How to deal with the insane russian NO

@shadowhawk First of all, Russia never just walks into Italian Africa, and if they take Iraq (the only pro-axis territory one could consider easy for them), that is only a net of 5 IPCs. If Russia is spending resources getting down to Africa, I would as the Axis welcome their little escapade as it will take them many turns to get there and weaken their defenses a little.

That said, I know that the 3 IPC NO can be a huge boon if Russia has 2-3 territories (perhaps, Iraq, Finland, Romania, etc), but if they are making big money on this then it is likely that the game is practically over anyway. The way I see it, this NO is just incentive for Russia to consider moving into Finland and making Germany sweat a little, but even doing that will essentially hand over Leningrad if you empty it for the offensive.

I don’t see it as being wildly unbalanced due to the difficulty of getting onto original German territory.

This extra income gives incentive for the Axis to defeat Moscow before about R12, assuming the Russians send a couple fast movers towards Africa. It means more risk must be taken in defending the beaches of Western Europe so you can free up more spending to send to the Eastern Front.

You also have to watch for opportunities to knock out the Russian forces heading towards Africa. A smart bombing raid can take out the forces if they aren’t properly reinforced. I will gladly trade a couple German bombers to prevent more axis territories falling into the hands of the Russians. Also can be some opportunities for the Japanese to assist if India has fallen.

Agreed though that getting more Axis territories into the hands of Moscow is a key part of some Allied strategies. That extra income is game changing in the long run

@shadowhawk You’re right, and I acknowledge that Italy is something of a dud after turn 2, typically.

My problem with Russia going to Africa is that if you send a mech, the soonest it can get one of those territories is turn 5, assuming it had to stop to pick up Iraq (which we agree is a smart move if possible). I’m not sold that it is worth leaving those for Russia who has maybe 2 turns left to collect income. If the UK could take them even as late as turn 3, the math still doesn’t favor Russia taking them.

• The UK is losing 4 IPC’s (not having the territories from rounds 3-5, based on
  the above estimates)
• Italy is retaining those 4 IPCs
• Assuming a G7 attack on Moscow, which is likely a late estimate, Russia
  gets 8 IPCs from one of those territories.

Now, to be sure, if the goal is for Russia to get another land unit in Moscow or so, then maybe it is a good idea, but don’t forget that a mech was sacrificed already, making that almost a wash. Throw in the uncertainty about a German air assault to prevent the take, like ABH mentioned, I just don’t think it’s all that great of a move. I am no expert, however, and I love the dialogue here. :) I welcome feedback that tells me why I am wrong.

@Tamer-of-Beasts if we are talking about OOB matches with no bid by good Axis and Allies player, the only way the Allies will win is if there is bad Axis dice on the first couple of turns.

If Moscow falls on G7, the match is likely lost unless something lucky is happening on the Japan side of the board. We have to assume that Moscow is still holding for one reason or another when discussing strategies.

In most games with a bid or balanced mod, the Allies can have enough planes in Moscow to hold it until much later than G7.

@shadowhawk

It seems like basic Global 1940 (without bids) is imbalanced in favor for the Axis, so the national objective doesn’t seem to make things too hard for the Axis, even if by itself it is very powerful.

@Arthur-Bomber-Harris Gotcha. In that case, I rescind my comments. I haven’t actually played with a bid before (though I am very familiar with the concept and the general strategies out there), so it wasn’t on my mind. In that case, I am in full agreement with @shadowhawk

@shadowhawk Agreed. Since the Africa excursion seems to me to be an abuse of the NO, I wonder if a simple house rule saying that only Axis territories in Europe count in addition to the axis-aligned neutrals.

Or, I like this better: every territory the Russians take for this NO, instead of giving them 3 extra IPCs, doubles its worth. That makes Finland and Iraq still worth aiming for, but Africa is severely devalued. German territories would remain about the same value, since the borer ones are worth 3 anyway. Just food for thought.

@shadowhawk Not really true “nothing stops russia” from moving into iraq or finland.Russia needs to be at war on the Europe side.