New member here, just looking for some basic guidelines as to how to play with the UK.
I can acquit myself well with the Axis but am always overwhelmed with the Allies, particularly when trying to do anything with the UK.
I’ve tried just about every strategy & looked at how they play it, but I am seriously struggling to either stop advances from the axis on Africa, the middle east or even Britain itself, can almost never hold India for more than a few turns & any attempt to build a Navy is swiftly dealt with by German bombers etc.
Read a few things but nothing seems to be sticking.
Any thoughts for a relative newbie much appreciated!
@dylan64 Welcome to the forum. :slightly_smiling_face:
Maybe at first some guidelines to this forum itself:
As you can see this forum is about all the editions of Axis & Allies. Every game has its own dedicated forum category. Now you posted in the category “Website/Forum Discussion” that - as described - is about the website and/or the forum itself and not about a specific game.
Unfortunately you left open which game you are addressing. So please let us know, which edition of the game you refer to - and I will move your topic to the appropriate category. As the rules of the games are different the answer to your question might depend on the setup and the rules of your specific game edition.
In the meantime I will move this topic to the generic “Player Help” category.
Thank you :slightly_smiling_face:
P Panther moved this topic from Website/Forum Discussion on
@panther oops, thanks fella. yep rookie mistake!
1942 2e
@dylan64 said in Help-Cannot play with the UK:
@panther oops, thanks fella. yep rookie mistake!
1942 2e
Never mind. Thank you for the clarification. I’ll move it there, now.
P Panther moved this topic from Player Help on
@dylan64 Are you playing with the original (Out Of Box) rules, or with the Larry Harris Gen Con setup? The original setup of this game is seen almost universally as very Axis-favored, which may be why you are having issues finding success with the Allies.
For the Larry Harris setup, go to this thread: https://www.axisandallies.org/forums/topic/29339/larry-harris-semi-official-tournament-game-patch?page=1
You can also play with this setup in both TripleA and Beamdog’s official client for 42SE.
If all of this is irrelevant to you, here’s some generalized UK tips:
Alternatively, you can ignore the Atlantic altogether and just buy 3 units a turn in India. If doing this, focus on more expensive/mobile units like FTRs.
Try to build ~3 units a turn for India until you reach a point where it is no longer sustainable to hold it against Japan’s advance. If Japan is going to successfully take India, withdraw to Persia and then either try to retake India or retreat further to Caucasus depending on how things go.
Long term your plan is to either build an Atlantic fleet and save USSR/defeat Germany OR build up in India and fight back against Japan on the Asian mainland. You cannot do both simultaneously unless your opponent is playing poorly.
As for your specific issues:
@dylan64 said in Help-Cannot play with the UK:
I am seriously struggling to either stop advances from the axis on Africa
Generally speaking, US is the one who has to relieve any pressure on Africa + kill the German Mediterranean navy. UK doesn’t have the resources to stave off a dedicated German attack on Africa and trying to build ICs to do so is not feasible as they are too slow to get going.
the middle east
The Middle East in 42SE is just Persia and TJ. These are not territories that should be seriously fought over until you reach a much more stable point in your game. They can probably be retaken if you end up either retreating from India or stabilizing the situation there.
or even Britain itself
UK should never fall. You can just build 8 land units anytime you see Germany beginning to build navy. Additionally, if Germany is building navy then Allies should win the game easily via USSR winning the land war in the Eastern Front + sending US naval assets to prop up UK.
can almost never hold India for more than a few turns
Unfortunately, if Japan is making a dedicated attack against India as their core strategy, you are not going to be able to hold it. You will need to withdraw to Persia and then further to Caucasus (alternatively, you can send the fleeing Indian army to Africa to wipe out the Germans there).
any attempt to build a Navy is swiftly dealt with by German bombers etc.
The turn 1 builds I gave at the start of this post should help with this. If Germany is adding a second bomber on their first turn you probably need to go with the option where you buy no fleet turn 1 (saving IPCs) -> building a larger fleet turn 2. That being said, if Germany is buying a lot of air units to threaten your UK fleet then it means that they are not building as many land units to send against USSR, which makes it easier for them to stabilize their poor starting position and eventually start striking back against Germany.
This is probably a longer post than you were expecting but I tried to be thorough. Let me know if I can follow up on anything.
@domanmacgee thank you so much, that is really helpful.
Yes I agree it’s hard to lose the UK, although that has happened to me once when I took my eye of it trying to focus on India, but that was an early game! My overall difficulties are just in getting any real traction with either a fleet or land progress anywhere else & I’ve read a few tips online but yours are much more concise & I’m keen to try them.
When I play the axis, my first move against the UK is to wipe out the fleet & others seem to do the same so I’ve not found a way to build/rebuild a fleet but the idea of holding back is interesting.
I’ve not seen the Larry Harris setup, but will do so. Thanks again
@dylan64 Yeah Larry Harris setup nerfs the German starting setup to the point where they can no longer consistently kill 100% on UK’s starting navy. That goes a long ways towards making life more manageable for them. Give it a try.
