Well I wouldn’t labor too hard to convince someone to bid a single air unit over three ground units :) to me the advantage of the latter is pretty obvious (3 chances to have an impact instead of 1). But rather than being categorical about it, I am trying to consider the potential merits of a fighter. The main one I see is in the movement and the coverage across multiple territories or sea zones.
So using the UK example, an artillery unit in Egypt can defend against a German attack before UK1, during UK1 combat phase it can attack Libya, or in UK1 non com it withdraw to Trans, Sudan, or transport out a distance of 2 sea zones. That is its maximum range. A sub in sz 35, can attack 37 or 61 during UK1 combat phase, in UK1 non com it can move a max of 2 spaces in any direction (including sz17 provided the canal is still open.) But that’s still as far as it can get.
A fighter can get out 4 spaces, so it can potentially land somewhere reaching territories or sea zones in the second round, which a newly purchased fighter (whether in India or UK) would not be able to reach. Even if they are the same essential cost in ipcs, the bid fighter has a greater movement value for this cost since it is on the board from the outset. Production may also play into the decision. For example, it might make sense for UK to buy 2 fighters in UK regardless, in which case the decision isn’t between a fighter or ground, but the decision between 5 total fighters and 4 total fighters (potentially) on the gameboard after UK1 purchase.
You might be able to get a comparable value, or better value on the trade out of a ground bid, or a sub bid, but a fighter might allow you more flexibility to decide what to do after Germany’s turn, rather than before it.
If you bid a sub for an attack on 37 you are pretty much locked in, but with a fighter in Egypt you could decide after you see the German opening. Likewise a sub might keep your cruiser alive after a 37 attack, but the cruiser is stuck afterwards, and may be vulnerable to Japan. A fighter placed in Egypt offers a similar attack potential, but without giving away your plan necessarily, while simultaneously giving you more first round power in the Med. A fighter bid in sz 35 or somewhere else, might allow 2 fighters to escape from 37 (if your carrier dies) to land safely in India. Or perhaps better still, don’t attack 37, and use the fighters instead for other things, that way you can save it to fight over multiple rounds. All these seem pretty workable to me. Whether its optimal or not, I suppose that depends what sort of game you play.
Its not like a fighter bid is so strategically unsound as to put you on the immediate path to losing hehe. It might be sub-optimal for most strategies, but might yet offer some unconsidered advantage in others. The power of air vs ships especially, leads me to think that most players could find a way to make effective use of it, even if the initial gameplan falls apart completely. Which is why I still think its interesting. Or put another way, if my opponent was Allies, I would not be all smiles and confidence if saw them bid a fighter.
Also relevant to the general discussion, though perhaps I haven’t mentioned it specifically… everything I’ve said so far assumes normal dice rules. The situation may be similar in a low luck game, but I would not say the situation translates 1:1 by any means. In LL a single fodder hit, or even 1 extra pip on attack or defense, can take you from something which is “probable” to something which is “guaranteed” 100% of the time. Its a different dynamic and may factor into the decision making process. I prefer dice myself, so that is my focus. A lot of LL principles can be helpful when applied to dice, but they do not translate directly all the time. The bid could be an instance where the difference in play style makes itself felt. I would say in general that the results of the first round battles in LL are more important to the overall game, than they are in dice, and as result the preplacement bid is more significant. Put simply the advantage goes to the first person who wins in LL, and it is harder for underdog to recover from an early swing against them in TUV, because of the cascading effect. So that’s definitely something to consider when it comes to the bid, that would argue in favor of Russian ground, Egypt fodder, or naval fodder to grind it out in 37.
