I agree with Switch. 3 Inf 3 Arm allows counter attack potential into either Karelia or Ukraine on R2. My usual stack at the end of R1 in W Russia is 5 Inf/Art/2 Arm, so the extra 3 Armor makes a huge difference.
Sometimes the appearance of having teeth matters as much as your actual willingness to commit them to battle.
After that purchase you settle into a more typical Russian purchase every round of mostly Inf and the occasional Art or Arm. The extra Armor early also gives you great flexibility in dealing with the Japanese.
I picked other,
Save the IPC’s for a rainy day 8-)
can some of you analyze this poll?
Most folks go defensive (INF), but of that group a majority choose to add at least a few offesnive units to the mix.
A minority go offesnive (3 INF or less)
And a few go variant offense/defense (figther build)
Not a cut and dried analysis since for each ART bought, 1 INF could also be counted as an offensive purchase… And ARM and FIGs are also great defensive units (you just get far fewer of them)
thx ncscswitch!
so, nothing new, then :-P
8 INF, hold the line
no offense switch but you kind of contradict yourselves in these posts, in the russian tactics post I mention that my r1 purchase is usually 3x3 but you told me in that post it was “sub-optimal” so which is it, the best first russian move? or not?
If you are attacking Ukraine on R1, then 3x3 is sub optimal.
If you attack Bel and WR, then you can do the ARM. But it also means pulling out of the East pretty fast to replace the INF you did not buy.
Switch- I’ll reexamine my 3 Inf/ 3 Arm purchase combined with a Ukraine strike. Perhaps 2/2/2 would be better, but I don’t think I could fall all the way to 5/1/1. (and 8 Inf absolutely doesn’t work with a Ukraine attack). I like the ability to threaten Karelia if Germany goes to the north in force. Armor is needed for that.
Keep in mind that I only bring 2 Armor to the Ukraine. Some people bring 3. I take 2 to W Russia. The downside is that there are less pieces that Germany has to account for in the Ukraine with my method, but it does save an Armor.
With a Bel attack, you save ALL of your armor…
i am with switch. better to hold those ARM for mobile defense.
Or for the Counter-offensive when Germany commots too far in one direction… to throw Japan back to the coast if he charges in too fast…
you need punching power/counter attack ability when you have ceded enough territory
Yeah I use to always do the 2x2x2 combo.
i’m still liking the massive infantry build. and conserve all the armor with the R1 Belo, WR attack. then keep buying all infantry + 1-2 Rtl pieces to help contest Ukraine/Belo.
I do this quite effectively and don’t bother to much with the japs, just keep holding the line aginst them then when you think he has enough to break it, retreat a territory. after 5-6 rounds of all infantry + 1-2 Rtl. I go all out and buy 6-7 ARM in one round to team up with the ARM I conserved right off. then back to infantry + 1-2 Rtl or Infantry and 1 ARM
with all the contesting back and forth. West-Russia should be a powerhouse of 14-18 infantry with 8-13 infantry around Novo and them places. then you can swing the tanks back and forth or just hold them in West-Russia and surrounding areas making both axis player think of where to mass since the tanks can reach each theatre.
What made holding the line possible vs Japan while sending most of my stuff vs Germany was… I sent the 2 fgt’s of the states from W-Can to Yakut on turn 2 of the game with an added Arm or two from the Russians makes a stalling effect against Japan very effective.
I buy a third fighter because I will have to trade three countries with germany most turns.
R1 I only strafe Ukraine to conserve the preciuos tanks. The following turns I build more- with seven I feel comfortable mostly.
These tanks will help to fortify quickly when Japan comes knocking. They will be around to prevent Russia to be squeezed too rapidly and sometimes protect Sinkiang.
Afterwards I switch to Inf/Art and if the tide should turn: TANKS ONLY!
I´m also often building a 3rd fighter 1st turn, because you can threaten territories more easily then, combined with high defensive power.
I just saw, believe me or not, Russian purchase (round 1) two destroyers off the coast of Caucasus….
Yea, the German navy in the Med was completely destroyed, but Russia fell on round 3. (Heck, Germany even got Evenki, Kaz and Novo before Japan could march there!)
My friend built 2 destroyers as Russia when we first started. =S He had some plan of delaying the med navy or something lol, none of us knew what we were doing back then!
I generally go with one of three options…
8 INF if I’m nervous, or planning on playing defensively…
5 INF, 1 ART, 1 ARM if I want a more balanced buy…
or 3 INF, 3 ARM if I plan on pushing foward…
Our group plays with NAs though, so the build can vary quite a bit (especially with the Non-Agression treaty! :-D )
As for navy, I’ve contemplated an R1 buy of an AC and a TRAN, moving both Russian fighters to the Carrier…could help keep the Nazis out of Egypt, and will certainly allow for an easy retake, plus it gives the Luftwaffe a LOT to deal with on G1…some of those planes will fall.
Worth the ground your going to have to give up as Russia to ensure that Britain holds most of Africa until Japan tries something?
4 Inf, 3 Art is good. You’re pretty low on infantry to artillery ratio at the start of the game anyway. And if you play ultra conservative with Russia, you’re only taking West Russia anyway, so no risk to starting attack units.
