So I have a very serious question behind a not-so-serious premise.
Being able to take somebody’s capital when they don’t see that it’s possible until it happens.
In our gaming group we call this the “Bell-Fey” named after the man who does it time and again (but only when he’s MY teammate, his last name is Belfay).
IMO, it’s the A&A equivalent to a checkmate without ever having to call “check” in the first place.
Is it bad sportsmanship, or just a clever way to win?
I make the argument that it is, although I don’t complain about it when I see people take advantage of a strategic blunder like this.
After setting up this Global 1940 game and playing for 5 1/2 hours, isn’t it wrong that at 30-second mistake ends the game?
I would point it out to the other team, am I alone in this?
Your playing with teams and your saying that no one on the oppoising team is consistantly not catching this? Is Bell-Fey a logistics genuis or are you playing with people who need to step up their game. After having my capital jacked once or twice i learned to be overly caucious about my capitals. This is also related to a previous thread about players paying attention. :-o
After having my capital jacked once or twice i learned to be overly caucious about my capitals.
Same here.
Using your enemy’s mistakes is part of the game. No need to say it
(unless maybe it is a rookie in his first game …or a really cute girl :-D )
I think its fair play unless the victim is new. Maybe you should just give the players a quick breif and point out unexpected avanues of attack at the begining of the game and after that its their fualt.
last game my wife did it to me in rome. I had not payed enough attention and was expecting the americans to land in greece which i hadnt taken. I had also while getting carried away with my assualts and sucsesses in africa and russia had forgotten the importance of the capital city. I paid a heavy price in man power and money taking it back.
My gaming group used to refer to losing one’s capital unexpectedly as a “pooch.” As in, you pooched the game when you let the Russians amphib Berlin! (I have done it, lol!)
When we used to play Revised and Anniversary we would, as a courtesy, let our opponents know when they had made a mistake that would end the game. This of course led to its own set of problems and arguments. The last straw was when I had two capital captures reversed in one game when my opponent “didn’t see it” and ended up losing the game I had basically won twice.
With the debut of Global 1940, the days of us letting each other know about bad mistakes is over, possibly with the exception of turn 1 or 2. Reason being–the game takes too damn long to play (for us) and therefore it just doesn’t make sense to artificially prolong it.
No, you never tell… unless your opponent is so hopelessly new that they are going to lose anyways.
At a table of equals, mistakes are you only winning advantage. Use them, or lose.
No, you never tell… unless your opponent is so hopelessly new that they are going to lose anyways.
At a table of equals, mistakes are you only winning advantage. Use them, or lose.
Agreed.
Also, just because you lose a capital in a game doesn’t mean it’s over.
I lost the U.K. once in a game of anniversary, simply because I was distracted by something else. I was a better player than my opponents, and it was embarrassing at the time. However, I liberated my capital, took the fight to the axis and won the game in the end after all.
Blunders happen, if they didn’t and or don’t, then you might aswell just play dice instead of axis and allies.
It should also be said, “To not capitalize on your opponents blunder, is a blunder of your own”
Yea one time when we where playing AA50 Germany took out the UK on the then Italy took out the US same turn. Then when UK’s turn came back around they took out Italy with their remaining Med reinforcements. You guys never know what can happen after one of these “Bell-Fey” manoeuvrings
Hey Robbie,
I am intimately familiar with the “Belfay” (by-the-way, there is no need to change the spelling in order to protect anyone. If Belfay doesn’t want the move of leaving a naked capital open named after himself, he needs to stop doing it.) I lived in the Twin Cities when Revised came out and played weekly games with him and Bunnell. Man, when he is on your team, it is your responsibility to do a “Belfay” check every round. He’s a big boy, it is perfectly legitimate to take advantage of an opponents naked capital if they leave it within range of take over.
Also, Mr. Belfay, if you are reading this, no harm or foul is meant by discussing your trademark move. At least you are not a Vikings fan like Mr. Bunnell is.
Go Bears!!!
GSH34
Oh so it’s bellfay who’s losing his capital all the time? LOL.
Ouch.
With your chess example there are many combinations that end in checkmate without a check ever being called probably the most common is scholar’s mate
1. e3 e5
2. Bb4 Nc6
3. Qh5 Nf6
4. Qxf7#
No check is called which would be symbolized with a + but checkmate is still achieved and so if we apply this to your question it is just a blunder by your opponent that meant you were able to take his capital by not being in a territory with a land border as the capital. Indeed this has happened to me. I forgot that Berlin was in East Germany and so left it open and when the Soviets attacked they used their Baltic transport to captured Berlin. I forfeited because I saw no easy way out from this.
Hells no. Mistakes are part of the game, if the person isn’t able to learn off what they did wrong last time, then maybe it’s time for them to hang up their jeresy and quit before they start flipping tables in a fit of rage.
It’s funny though because if I spot something that my opponent forgot or I see is vulnerable my face lights up like a Christmas tree and I can’t stop looking at it hahaha, kinda gives it away… I need a better poker face. :lol:
Taking advantage of mistakes isn’t just a good idea, it’s essential. With the people I play with, they take advantage of mine anyway, so there’s no incentive for me to help them out there. :-) The only exception is if they’re a new player. Global 1940 especially can be a tough game to learn and it’s hard for someone completely new to Axis & Allies to be able to watch out for that along with everything else they have to do. (Though that’s why I always try to make sure every team has at least one experienced player on it.)
History is full of military blunders… sometimes you can only will due to the folly of your enemies.
If you playing someone who is NEW to the game or the particular variant… I always give them a subtle hint.
If you are only playing once that month, you spent 3 and a half hours setting up the game and playing maybe three rounds, and you are playing the U.S.: then you don’t want the game to end before you get into the war. So I would help the enemy early….if its round 10 or so, then no.
You make a great point there. :|
Hey Robbie,
I am intimately familiar with the “Belfay” (by-the-way, there is no need to change the spelling in order to protect anyone. If Belfay doesn’t want the move of leaving a naked capital open named after himself, he needs to stop doing it.) I lived in the Twin Cities when Revised came out and played weekly games with him and Bunnell. Man, when he is on your team, it is your responsibility to do a “Belfay” check every round. He’s a big boy, it is perfectly legitimate to take advantage of an opponents naked capital if they leave it within range of take over.
Also, Mr. Belfay, if you are reading this, no harm or foul is meant by discussing your trademark move. At least you are not a Vikings fan like Mr. Bunnell is.
Go Bears!!!
GSH34
I just like the spelling like this. Sounds fancy. “Bell-fey”
If you are only playing once that month, you spent 3 and a half hours setting up the game and playing maybe three rounds, and you are playing the U.S.: then you don’t want the game to end before you get into the war. So I would help the enemy early….if its round 10 or so, then no.
Exactly my point. It’s worse around turn 3 or 4 when you’ve been playing for 4 hours or so, teaching new people the rules, and putting strategies together with your allies, only for the game to end on something stupid like this.
I think that when you’re the Allies playing OOB rules, you can probably lose your capital and still be in the game. When you’re the Axis and you lose Tokyo on US3 it’s impossible at that point.
Having read many of the comments, I conclude that allowing one’s team mate to “bell fey” is nearly as culpable as “bell feying” one’s self.
Based on this observation I want to point out a couple things:
My questions are:
