I’ve only ever played games live, so I’ve never done a bid game. National Advantages I’ve not yet used either, I’d like to keep things balanced, so much more thought and research into each one would be needed.

We had to use coins in our last game.

We started out with a 600 IPC budget for each power, so the number of units on the board was pretty big.

We used all of the regular chips, and then used pennies to represent a red chip for USA, UK, Russia and Germany and Japan had pennies for grey chips (complex, but we didn’t have much change at the time).

We did have to use silver coins as grey for other powers as well, at one point USA had WAY too much Navy ;)

Hopefully I’ll be getting another copy of the game to compliment my buddies copy so we’ll have lots of chips :)

From my experience, America is pretty well a support role, as long as there’s never much Japanese pressure in the Pacific, America can support the Brits in Germany, and then press on either in Africa or then choose to take some territory in Japan. Because of their massive economy and isolation, I feel they’re removed from the war a lot more than the other four powers - which gives the player a lot more time to plan and judge where the war is going, as well as they’re the last player in a round to go… which helps in this as well.

There’s really only three options for the Americans as well (as I see it).

1. Go after Japan and have it all Pacific.
2. Support the Brits in Germany
3. Support the Brits in Africa

Wherever they’re supporting the Brits, this will inevitably mean they’ll end up helping out Russia, if Russia last that long.

America can be used by the British to hold german territory whilst the UK goes to be Russias’ saviour.

Just my .02 IPCs ;)

Well, I’ve not been playing A&A for long, but I’ve had my fair share
of luck with the dice, both bad and good.

I can remember getting five defending hits with 5 INF which was a nice
blow, but I also lost 26 Japanese INF (and 12 ARM) in NOV to the
Russians when I only got maybe 6 return hits against his tanks…

I also had two GER TRNs trapped in the Med by all 3 allied naval ships
(it was an agreement to allow them through the Suez (Axis controlled)
and get troops out of SEUR as Germany had fallen dramatically) and I
got taken on by the Russians, only a BB and DES but I couldn’t roll a
1 for the life of me. Two transports dead with no retaliation.

My last remaining GER DES took on a lonesome USA TRN in the NE corner
of Australias’ SZ’s and I figured I’d have a chance (as I had defended
an amph. assault with Japan) but low and behold I lost the DES and
didn’t get a hit on the damn TRN.

I’ve not lost my temper (yet) but I’ve still not won, I’ve played two
major games (always as Axis) and am learning a lot. I know why and
where Germany fell, it was a very stupid and obvious mistake but Japan
wasn’t so obvious to me at the time. I had 12 ARM, 26 INF in Yakut and
nothing ahead, that was my line. I was waiting out until I had enough
strength to get out there. By the next turn I had to make a move, with
Germany pretty well gone - Russia was building forces (they had 33
units, of which about 21 were ARM) fast so I moved 1 INF West and left
1 INF in Yakut and took everything else I had into NOVO.

I should’ve taken the two territories with 1 INF and left my line
intact, waiting for the rest of the troops from Japan to be bridged
over through Buryatia…

These things happen, once that was done, I didn’t pull my troops from
Yakut (as he took NOVO and the other place back) and lost them in the
next round which was the nail in the coffin. I should’ve pulled them
into BUR to bulk back up again…

I ended up conceding the game after that, as I knew it’d only be a
matter of time before Japan was gone.

I love this game though, and I want to play Axis all over again :)