2011 League Discussion

[DarthMaximus]

Yeah, we’ll have to look at things once we get a little closer to the end of the year.

[Funcioneta]

Some suggestions for next AA50 leagues: we should play to 13 or even to 12 VCs, because 15 VCs is like not having any victory condition. Also, with 12 VCs as victory condition, we’ll stop the ignore Japan strats

Also, bids should be limited to Asia if we want to prevent ignore Japan strats

[666]

A REMINDER

The leagues end on 12/1! Any games not completed by this date will roll into the 2011 season. So let’s wrap up these games or they will effect your 2011 record.

[General_D.Fox]

Has anyone heard how Nix is doing? He hasn’t been on since Nov. 24. I know he told me he was quite sick and had to put our game on hold, but if anyone has regular contact with him, I’d just like to know if he is still alive out there in the “real world.”  :-P

[axis_roll]

@Funcioneta:

Some suggestions for next AA50 leagues: we should play to 13 or even to 12 VCs, because 15 VCs is like not having any victory condition. Also, with 12 VCs as victory condition, we’ll stop the ignore Japan strats

Also, bids should be limited to Asia if we want to prevent ignore Japan strats

I think do one or the other, both suggested changes at once are too much to the base game we’ve all been playing.

---

Personally, I prefer the asian bid idea as it opens up more pacific based strategies while allowing allied bids to get to a 6-9 level.  You could even enforce an all ‘inf’ bid to keep from throwing off the pacific balance.

Using 12 or 13 VCs makes a much shorter the game with more gambit style moves and could be more subjected to the whims of the dice.

[axis_roll]

@PGMatt:

I’d like to see the optional rules be made available; particularly closed Z16 with or without access to Bulgaria.

I agree.

Closing the dardenelles fully or partially (only access to bulgaria) would be nice to have an an option/change of pace.

Ftr Escorts are a nice optional rule as well.

[Funcioneta]

Maybe we could use the alpha+ idea for AA50: axis win if Japan controls 6 VCs or if Germany+Italy control 6 or 7 VCs

[The Dessert Fox]

I would be interested in a revised league it would let me play the KAF. Func knows this strat and it is quite good but with no revised league and nobody playing it on the forums I have sadly left this strategy unused for a while

[DarthMaximus]

League History updated for 2010.  Just awaiting the AA50-42 final game.

[Cow]

what I used to do for my real life games is 1d6+3 for whoever is allies. Recently up it to 1d6+4.

For online games it’s been a long time since I took allies at anything less than 6… I am talking roughly 100 dice games of 1941 and 40 1942 games.

For serious dice games it’s always been 9 pick a side. The highest mountain I overcame as axis was against an 18 allies and no bomber buy… I really wanted to play axis that day.

I almost always do standard openers though and I expect germany to do standard opener as well. 1 sub 1 fig 1 bomber SZ 2, 3 tank ukraine 3 tank EP.  3 inf 1 art 1 fighter baltic. 1 sub 2 fighter in SZ 12. sub vs dd (add cruiser sometimes) non combat transport 1 inf 1 tank libya or if something crazy happens in the initial attacks vs russia… transport 1 inf 1 tank ukraine.

Standard Japan is either burma stack or take philippines down with 3 inf 1 art. kwangtung with 1 inf 1 tank (fighter maybe). 2 inf borneo 2 inf east indies.  1 dd 2 fighter vs bship 2 fighter vs dd tran, bship cruiser vs dd tran. 2 fighter vs tran dd sz 35. yunnan is pretty standard as well unless you really want to hold burma against india (so you can take africa).

usually UK sets up shop in SZ 2 sets up a 6 man drop. or sets up shop in SZ 7 with 2 carrier buy. USA r1 either bomberman  strat (buy 3 bombers for west usa so that you can fly 5 over germany round 3 and punish japs if they try to take your NO early). or carrier 2 tran 1 inf 1 art 1 tank, or all transport and men and merge with UK fleet to take africa (you can also go to brazil seazone round 2 and threaten france if uk has other fish to fry).

If you follow the playbook with -1 here or +1 there, 9 is a fair bid.

[Cow]

desert fox. It’s been awhile since I’ve done operation hollywood in revised too.  It only works vs noobs though. some people even buy 10 inf west usa when they notice 4 transports in japan with 8 men to drop and the german fleet off france.  It’s not even a major set back for usa to pre empt the attack.

[Cow]

for 1942 9 is fair as well… simply because russia round 1 is so dicey. 3 inf or 1 art 1 tank for russia usually prevents really bad situations. I prefer 1 art 1 tank. I do baltic ukraine East ukraine and belorussia or I don’t do baltic.

I mean if you play 1942 often you know that bad dice for russia on r1 usually results in axis victory and the game is not even close.  Where as good dice for russia on R1 doesn’t have that kind of impact on germany.

[Cow]

I also noticed you guys do unrestricted bids here, but it only becomes a problem when bids go above 10

a russian bomber off burytia s.s.r. can spell doom for the 2 transport 1 destroyer japan starts with (same as a russian sub or fighter for that matter).

I don’t like that sort of thing simply because it’s extremely luck based for one and if you do get lucky it is extremely bad for axis. In other words the opportunity cost doesn’t outweigh the lottery or jackpot you can cash in on.

[Cow]

oh and 1 inf in east indies and borneo is kind of lame too… considering 2 inf attacking 1 inf round 1… can or can’t do it, but it is almost a must for japan.

[axis_roll]

@DarthMaximus:

I just went through the '09 results (excluding JWW’s last game) ….  Anyway…

Games = 230
Allied Wins = 96  (42%)
Axis Wins = 134  (58%)

Slightly high on the Axis side, but not terrible considering many early games were played with an Axis bid.  I think most of the second half of the year games were played straight up.  Also Tech was involved.

Has this information been compiled/reported for the 2010 league?  Just curious to see if the Axis win percentage decreased, and by how much (if any)

Thanks!

[Funcioneta]

Just to add a bit of info: I ended 11 games last 1942 league (I have to end the last one). 9 as Axis, 2 as Allies. My only defeat was as Allies, and the game that I played as Allies and won, I had very good luck as USSR round 1 (and also good luck rest of the game) and also a India IC + 2 chinamen pacted bid. The combo of German AC + Japanese India Crush is too much, but even without the India Crush, Axis still wins easy

The problem, China or not, is the same for both scenarios: Axis achieve economic parity (and even economic advantage) too early. In 1941, is Japan who is too powerful. In 1942, Japan is still too powerful but Germany is even more powerful than Japan. Turn order, weak China and poor setup are the main flaws (in 1942, the soviet IC should be at Novosibirsk, not Karelia, both from historical and balance point of view)

[Funcioneta]

@Cow:

I also noticed you guys do unrestricted bids here, but it only becomes a problem when bids go above 10

That’s why I’d advise restrict the bid to mainland Asia

@Cow:

a russian bomber off burytia s.s.r. can spell doom for the 2 transport 1 destroyer japan starts with (same as a russian sub or fighter for that matter).

Too risky: It can fail. Even if success, Japan probably can still recover. Anyway, potentially can balance the game, but I doub seriously that could give too much advantage to Allies

@Cow:

I don’t like that sort of thing simply because it’s extremely luck based for one and if you do get lucky it is extremely bad for axis. In other words the opportunity cost doesn’t outweigh the lottery or jackpot you can cash in on.

Other option is simply bid for UK units and chinamen at mainland Asia. Probably is the better option, because USSR is balanced vs Germany in 1941. Only Asia is really broken, but is enough to mess the whole game

[Zhukov44]

Func the primary imbalance in 42 is Germany’s strength vis a vis Russia.  Bids to Asia won’t help Allies as much as bids to Russia.  Plenty of players would rather have 3 inf in Russia than 6 inf in China.

I keep changing my mind on which scenario I think is harder for the Allies.  Right now I’m thinking 42, because I’m not aware of a consistently viable Allied strategy in that game.  So I think bids will rise.  I won’t be surprised at all if the norm on here is double digit bids for both scenarios by this time next year.

[Funcioneta]

The problem with non-restricted bids is that they usually end being base of ignore Japan strats: double digit bids will be the norm, I agree, but will lead to bids like 2-3 infs to Egypt and 2-3 inf to USSR … ignoring Japan again

I think that for Europe, it would be enough (1942) if we change the ‘german’ IC from Karelia to a real soviet IC at Novosibirsk as I said: in most games, USSR cannot hold mainly due that IC sending German reinforcements to the key northern area (in 1941, USSR can at least trade Karelia some rounds). Novo could be a stronghold against the jap advance in mid-late game. Then, allies need 2-3 inf at India and 2-3 to China (assuming that the fighter is moved to a safe place

For 1941, deleting a couple of jap trannies and bidding for China would be enough. There’s nothing wrong at European side of map in that scenario

After playing many games with and against the German AC, I agree that is not clear wich scenario is more unbalanced

[BigBadBruce]

Question : Is there a AAG40 Alpha+.2 league planned… or even just brewing?

Thank you