I was just playing a game, and it always seems as if those russian fighters spend lots of time sitting on the ground in karelia. I understand they are there for defense, but in the first couple of turns, anyone who attacks karelia is going to lose anyway…… Do those extra 2 fighters really make that much difference early on??? I think depending on what japan does, they can be put to some real use in R2 in asia. Maybe its not a big deal to you really good players, but for a noob like me, it seems like its a decent attempt to really put the axis back a whole turn or two in asia.
The game i was playing was rr, 3rd ed. And this grew out of an attempt to defend yakut. I took all the available inf and the one tank that could make it to yakut on R1 (still leaving one guy in soviet far east). I think you can get like 6 inf and 1 armor there. I also flew one fighter there. (This may even be more effective if you use two.) That was enough to dissuade J from taking it on J1. But those fighters are needed in karelia? Well, the brits can fly their two fighters there on UK 1 anyway, and i don’t think you are out that much in the end from the allies POV.
Now, on J1, japan did the old Pearl harbor thing and had its carrier there. And just like any good jap player, they bought 2 transports and the rest inf. So they had three transports on japan sz.
So, on R2, i sent my ONE russian fighter from yakut, against the three transports. Now, the odds were not in my favor, but if you use TWO fighters, it might even be better. I gambled bigtime and got lucky and took out all three transports with the one fighter. But if you use two, you could concievably do it in two rounds of throwing dice. And if you lose both fighters while taking out all three transports, its an ipc wash, 24/24. BUT, more importantly, if you wipe out japan’s ability to ferry troops to the mainland (when they’ve already bought their J1 transports with that very goal in mind), then you can really hold off the pressure on russia from the east. And that might be enough to give the allies time to get control of africa.
And, as an added bonus, if nothing else, if after the first time you attack those transports, you still have airplanes available in yakut (i’m thinking you can even possibly buy a couple from the us or uk and base them there if you can continue to hold yakut), you will force Japan to keep its carrier and maybe even his battleship, in the jap sz. Or make him buy some subs or something. Whatever happens, if those transports go down on R2, japan is really behind the 8 ball.
