Global Team game when it comes out!

I have a different opinion……You can not prevent Sea Lion from an experienced German player…I have tried to prevent Sea Lion in every imaginable way…it can’t be done

If I am playing the British…I prefer using that money to give units to the UK Pacific and units lurking around the Med amphibiously

Obviously I am paying close attention to the German buys and course correct if need be

I think you’ve got the right idea.

You might remember my “11 conclusions” thread from a few weeks back, where I explained I thought we should develop a “strategic framework”. My thought is essentially that we should push the meta-game to a final state of maturity by determining what the best Allied response is to the rapid Axis push, and use our conclusions to help support a theory of the board.

The strategy I described earlier (combining the Russians in Africa, the Canadian / U.S. push for the money islands and concentrated British support of Moscow) is the best I can come up with for an Allied response. I am interested to see if you agree or would be willing to test it in your games as well, or if you have any objections that I should consider.

I am buying the following units as part of this strategy:

Russia:
7 artillery, 4 mech on turn 1 followed by straight infantry unless special circumstances demand a fighter or some artillery. I am sending 6 mech, 2 tanks to Africa. Remember the idea is that these forces will be replaced by the British in short order.

America:
4 bombers turn 1 (for Europe) followed by fleet for the foreseeable future (carrier, loaded transports, assorted warships but very few aircraft as ANZAC will provide these).

UK Europe:
6 infantry, 1 fighter turn 1; minor IC’s in Persia and Egypt turn 2; mech infantry turn 3 followed by fighters and mechs 4+

UK Pacific:
3 infantry, 2 artillery turn 1; continue building infantry and artillery until Japan is thrown back, then switch to mechs and fighters to support the defense of Moscow.

ANZAC:
Straight fighters unless Japan is doing some crazy kill Australia first move. These fighters will land on American carriers and/or journey to Moscow.

The general strategy begins by coordinating Russian, Chinese, British and American stacks so they are all hurtling towards China and the money islands at once. Japan can annihilate one or maybe two of them, but then they’re stuck just trying to hold on to their gains. At that point Second Russia is born and the tan blob can begin to move on the Germans. America sends fleet to blockade Italy and/or provide cover for a Grecian beachhead using Egyptians and Brazilian-American forces, who have been marching across Sub-Saharan Africa this whole time.

I wish I could play like that! :)

That is indeed the strategy, and it relies on the allies having pretty bad luck to smash up those stacks without losing 50% of your starting planes.

Germany can replace the planes, but not at the same time as it builds mechs, armor stax
Japan has even more planes, but it needs even more than Germany does because without them, its a paper tiger.

The problem with doing these stub attacks is if you lose more than 50% of your starting air power before turn 5, you will not be able to force your victory cities and strategic objectives.  The consequences are felt several turns later (7,8), when you cant smash stax because you lost your mobile strikeforce.

@SouthsideCH:

@ColonelCarter:

That assumption is wrong. While Germany starts the scenario controlling those territories, they are still original Russian territories, similar to how the Chinese territories controlled by Japan at the start of the games are still original Chinese territories, preventing Japan from building major ICs on anything but Korea.

Then why in the set up instructions does it say put a German control marker on the territory, as well as units? Just a unit on it should be enough. Every time you take an enemy territory do you put a control marker on it? I don’t.

You can play however you want of course. But the rulebook clearly states:

@rulebook:

If you have captured the territory, place your control
marker on the territory and adjust the national production
levels.

While the emblem printed on the map indicates the original controller of the territory
the control marker indicates the the actual controller of the territory - as ColoneCarter pointed out.

There are some rules where the distinction between original and actual controller is of importance.
The 3 IPC bonus for Russia is only one example. The territories you mentioned can never become
“original German, Italian, or pro-Axis neutral territory that the Soviet Union controls”.
When the scenario begins Germany has already captured some original Russian territories.
If Russia takes them back, they will be original Russian territories under Russian control.

So better avoid confusion.
HTH :-)

My turns usually take about 10 mins as axis, 2-3 mins as allies (not counting UK or late-game USA)(not counting die rolls. I find that making a few mistakes in a fast-paced game is more fun than making no mistakes in a game where you can take decent naps if it is not your turn.

@Wakrob:

As per my play with A&A1940 Europe, I feel Axis has it very rough in the Global version.

Our game-
G3 takes London after obliterating Brit navel presence in the first two turns.  I hadnt realized how many planes could get there.
Japan chooses not to go to war with anyone but Russia until J3.
Italians rolled bad in almost every engagement.

I think slow rolling Japan might have been a bad idea.  The money it prevented US from getting seemed more than offset by the easy Dutch/ANZAC National Obj bonus’ the allis got.  And Italians never had much luck, Cairo never fell.
But you’d think taking 35 IPC’s from London and pretty much locking UK out of the game on the western hemisphere should be an easy win.
Germany staled out in Russia after taking Leningrad.  US eventually staged 7 full transports, 2 full Carriers and a Battleship off Gibralter.  Germans 4 Fighters and 4 Tact Fighers guarding London decided to strike first at the fleet and failed.  US takes back London next turn easily.  Axis player concedes at 1:30am in the morning after about 7 turns.
German had held London for about 4 turns.

My opinion stands that Axis have it very hard in this A&A version.

Wak

ARGH!!!  You had the game man, you had it!  If Germany can knock England out of the war it is very difficult for the Allies to come back from it.  Attacking the US navy from England is difficult if not impossible since they can build twice the amount of IPCs you’re making every turn in the Atlantic.  You had 8 planes in England, all you had to do was shuck enough infantry there to defend it and you’re golden.  Let the Americans be the ones sinking tons of money into transports to retake England while you’re already sitting pretty with your own transports and tons of inf from W. Germany to reinforce.  With 8 planes as defense those 7 loaded transports would have had no chance if you’d had a stack of 10+ infantry present.

I’m guessing sorry-bitch-ass Italy was in danger so you felt you had to attack in the Atlantic to save them.  It was easier to me to defend against the US Gibraltar threat by reinforcing Italy with my own inf/tanks from W. Germany fora few turns until they get enough infantry made to hold the capital.

Tally one for the Axis this weekend.  It was a good war and the Axis won a few key battles with some luckier rolls than the Allies ,  no Sea Lion or fake Sea Lion just Barbarossa .  Japan went after China and the Soviet Union on one,  set up for landings in the Philippines Aleutians Hong Kong the Pearl Harbor battle and Borneo I also put pressure on ANZAC with my Carrier and Destroyer from the Caroline Islands.  I brought the Carrier and planes up to hit Hawaii along with the Destroyer . J1 was 2 Trans and 2 Subs. J2 was 1 Carrier 1Dest 2 Subs 1Trans.  J3 was a Minor Fact, Inf, Art enough to fill my Trans and the rest on Navy.  I was lucky on a few key battles to keep the USA at bay time after time, of the 4 times I’ve pulled Japan out of the cup,  the Axis have won 2. My Axis partner, this was the first time he’s pulled Germany, he’s had 10 or so games to see how everybody else has played the Axis.  Yes Japan has taken some real beatings.