Posts made by Matt Hyra

We use a tabletop game simulator called Screentop.
No rules enforcement, but you move your units on the playtest map, and chat with your foe via Discord. Roll digital dice. Works pretty well.

@AndrewAAGamer said in Bid for both Scenarios:

@Herr_B

There was an NDA. I think it was only for pre-release of the game but I have been purposefully being high level just in case.

I will ask the Project Manager if I am allowed to give any specifics.

Feel free to discuss @AndrewAAGamer

The reason the Benghazi Convoy Zone is so far away from the port is so that Malta fighters are able to interfere with it.

@OlivieroRuggieri

A sea mine can be detonated against any ship that enters the zone, which includes transports deploying there. Only newly-arriving ships/transports are subject to sea mine attack. Units already present when the mines are placed do not allow the sea mine to trigger, nor are they affected should a later ship/transport enter the zone.

@Herr_B

“If an Axis player has one or more bombers on Crete, THEY may deploy 1 sea mine…”

So only Axis players that do can mine the Suez.

@COJOH
Yes, that is correct. Think of the old cargo as at the mouth of the port. Not so easy to mine that area.

@COJOH

1. Just for the first round of combat.
2. It bypasses the fighter and can just attack the island.
3. They cannot retreat into a territory where ground combat has or will take place that turn. They can still retreat into a territory that is only under air attack. See graphic example in rulebook.
4. Same restriction, and they too may only retreat to an adjacent territory.
5. The flanking effect is not removed under either circumstance. It always remains.
6. No, may only be detonated against newly-arriving units.

Thanks for the questions!

@OlivieroRuggieri

The German AT Gun can fire AAA pre-combat, and then ALSO fire as a defender with Targeted Fire - Tanks in the first round of combat. If there are attacking tanks and it hits, the German player can declare a tank as a casualty, and then the Allies must choose and destroy any 1 tank amongst their attacking units.
After the first round of combat, they lose their “Targeted” ability.

@OlivieroRuggieri

I appreciate the compliment!
If the Axis doesn’t have a sizable 1-2 punch (Italy, then Germany before the UK can land reinforcements), then it might not be worth attacking Cairo.
I’ll leave the real strategy advice to others.

@COJOH A second game already. Many are jealous…

1. No, as a retreat in North Africa means you stay in the territory from which you attacked. You don’t move in and then retreat out. The Scout Car can still use Long-Range Patrol to move during Noncombat, tho.

2. Yes, nothing prohibits them from driving through the same territory twice. And yes, they can pick up along the way.

3. Page 19 the blue box “Flanking Attacks” says: “The units attacking from the territory that contains the highest number of attacking land units is considered to be the main attack (in the case of a tie, you choose the territory from among those tied).”
   That means you can have a main attack of 5 units and a flanking attack of 5 units.
   Yes, you can always consciously leave potential attackers behind to make one territory flanking, or to spend fewer supply to attack, or just because you feel like it. Units with Move 2 help, as you can move them into attack position, and then check for flanking.

4. If there are no units in Tunis, it’s possible, but still a 1 in a million chance. Just there to stop a total domination from continuing.

5. Two units (up to 5 supply also counts as a unit) escapes the combat at the end of each round of the convoy combat. So if your convoy is 2 units escorted by 1 fighter, the attackers need to score 2 hits in the first round of combat to wipe out all 3 units. If only 1 hit is scored in that first round of combat, the combat defenders must be taken as casualties first, and then the 2 land units would escape at the end of the first round of combat. The combat would then be over.

6. Page 30 under Artillery “Supports Infantry and Mechanized Infantry” says: “paired units need not necessarily be attacking from the same territory.”

Thanks for the questions. You’re getting the hang of it!

@OlivieroRuggieri

That’s a good idea.

@OlivieroRuggieri

Thanks for the map! Hansolo88 is right. Scout cars alone cannot capture RP territories.

A few comments on your map situation:
The UK scout cars should be picking off Axis supply (solo attacks). They have none inbound and won’t have enough to capture Cairo if 4 of it is destroyed. Supply Raider will destroy 1, and then the Axis will likely use 1 to defend. That’s 4 supply lost minimum. If the UK is lucky, could be 6. If they are even luckier, could destroy the Stuka which is illegally parked in Mersa Brega. Remember, air units can only land in territories with a friendly control marker.
Sea Mines in 11 and 16 do little. Convoy zones are where they are most effective.
In the early game, don’t send Bombers to Malta. Fighters are much better at protecting the supplies on land and incoming supplies.
Supply cannot be deployed to Sicily, as that is not a staging area. Move it to Italy. Page 25: “…may also deploy AAA, air, and German AT guns directly to Sicily, Sardinia, and Crete…”
As soon as the UK fleet gets into the Malta convoy, Malta is easily resupplied. Then they can attack the Axis convoys.
No reason to leave supply in Mersa Matruh. MM can draw supply from Cairo.
Add 1 mine to the Cairo/MM border each round and the UK should hold.

@Herr_B

1. Correct.

2. Yes. Detonating mines happens prior to the decision on whether or not to stay and fight.

3. Blitzing is always a unit’s first move into an adjacent territory, and does not require supply. As for Tripoli, page 18 says: “Attacking a hostile territory that does not contain enemy combat units still requires an attack declaration, but as no actual combat will occur, you don’t spend any supply tokens (instead, take the attack arrow from the general supply pool).”

Thanks,
Matt

@Daaras Practice games are a great way to get the next one right!

~Matt

@cmmiles said in Unit Movement After Advance Convoys?:

Can land units move after unloading from convoy transports in phase 1? This would be either combat or non combat movement. E.g., in phase 1 a truck comes off a convoy in Tripoli and later in phase 5, can move east with troops and supplies.

PG is right. Page 12 of the rules says: “Movement out of a convoy sea zone in this phase doesn’t count against these arriving units’ movement allowance, so they may move and fight normally in the remainder of your turn.”

Thanks,
Matt

@Herr_B

1. The amount of supply used with that option is 1 supply for every 5 attacking air/sea units (or fraction thereof). As noted in the optional rule, it is paid “After declaring all attacks…”
   That happens only once, so the payment is also made only once.

2. The UK can’t park a sea unit in the Suez to prevent mining. No, you cannot sail back into the Suez.

3. Not free, as the unit must come from the Reinforcements Zone. They only get there if you buy them.

Thanks,
Matt

@Stucifer said in Spending supply to defend:

@Matt-Hyra
I thank you! I have to say the combined scout cars/bomber attacks can be quite brutal with the supply constraints.

We all enjoyed your game very much on our epic axis & allies weekend. We probably played it 6 times 🤓

6 games in one weekend? That’s a record at this point. Which scenarios and who won them?

~M

@mikawagunichi said in Spending supply to defend:

Another rule clarification please:

If an attacker attacks a territory with ONLY scout cars and/or planes, is the defender still required to retreat if they do not spend supply (or have no supply available) to defend?

Yes, they must still retreat. The good news is that they don’t lose control of the territory, if it’s controllable.

~Matt

@Stucifer The attacker chooses the order of attacks. The defender pays for their defense only when that particular attack is commencing. Not all at once like the attackers do.

Indeed, a good UK plan. A good Axis plan would be to have a couple of reserve supply in El Agheila.

~Matt

@COJOH

Hi there. Glad you like the game!

1. No, they don’t conquer it with a Noncombat Move. Units may only attack/enter controlled territories in A&A during a Combat Move. For example, if other units capture the territory, or you attacked it just to destroy some supplies, you can then move in if it isn’t enemy controlled.

2 & 3. Yes, in the name of sportsmanship. Odd, that never happened in playtesting.

4. Any landmines you cannot deploy go back into the general supply.

5. It could. Even the best minefield can be breached over 2 attacks. Get into position to deliver a 1-2 punch before they can buy even 1 more in between your turns. Yes, they likely won’t trigger all of them on the first attack, but they probably will trigger the rest on the 2nd attack. Then they might have 1 mine during the next attack you make. And you still have plenty of units, as many were turned back by landmines.

6. No. Page 12 says otherwise, but perhaps not strongly enough. We further clarified this in the pg 12 rules posted online, adding to the rules on Atlantic and Indian convoy advancement: “These units may not move again in any other phase of the same turn.” So they cannot fly off to Cairo. They must go to the Indian and then the Suez. The air units shipped to Cairo were crated for compact storage.

7. They are separate limits. So yes, you can have 3 units and 3 supply, tho the supply will instantly drop to 2. You’ll only ever have 3 there at the start of a game or if you unwisely choose not to spend 1 supply for the 15 RPs. Malta is always hungry.

8. There is no switch. In fact, the entire main force can call off their attack after the first round of combat, and then you may proceed with only the flanking attack, with rerolls. We call this a feint.

Good questions!

@Mattvan It can be used by the UK to hold some air units, keeping them from taking up stacking limit space.