Warfare Principles of Axis & Allies (By AndrewAAGamer)

@andrewaagamer This is an epic post - thanks for the public contribution of a terrific teaching resource. These kinds of documents enrich the entire community and are indispensable for lifting new players up the learning curve more quickly.

For printing and ease of offline reading/dissemination, I’ve created a PDF version of this article: Warfare Principles of Axis & Allies with an emphasis on Global 1940 2nd Edition OOB by AndewAAGamer (v2).pdf.

I made no text changes apart from copy-pasting into a single document, adding page numbers, adding a line break or two where the pdf format made them necessary, and the bolding of each of the defined terms from post #1.

EDIT: Updated pdf to v2

Great post:+1:

The explanations in depth makes it worth reading.

It is useful information for not only new players - but also for veterans, even though most of it is already known.

Reading your way through this post confirms what most experienced players know - and explains why most strategies already follow the guidelines in this post.

To confirm the example of Cruiser units:
Since the Cruiser unit was introduced more than a decade ago, I have never played an Axis & Allies game where anyone purchased a Cruiser unit.

During the developement of the Axis & Allies Global 1940 House Rules Expansion, we used similar calculations as mentioned above to determine the FCR, DFP, OFP and SA.

Once again - great and useful post, Andrew:+1:

Andrew also has more specific advice for the Allies in several posts: a thread about Anzac figs on US carriers, How to Stop Japan and Help, I’m the Allies. Those are not the exact titles, but close.

@AndrewAAGamer said in Warfare Principles of Axis & Allies (By AndrewAAGamer):

@jim-bell So far this is my only article. Probably, once I retire and have more time, I will expand on this article and add additional content that I didn’t touch on the first time such as the Neutrals, where to build infrastructure, Strategic Bombing, battle examples in specific theaters, opening moves, vital territories and so on.

Hey… how long until retirement?

:) :)

@AndrewAAGamer New player here, congratulations on retirement! I eagerly look forward to your further insights!

@AndrewAAGamer said in Warfare Principles of Axis & Allies (By AndrewAAGamer):

@Avner Sorry, I missed your post. Actually, I recently retired. I am planning on expanding on this article this year, 2024. :)

Very good

So you will still have to work after retirement

(haha)

Regarding subs, I was thinking about using them as cannon fodder for my other ships/aircraft. This a good idea or not?

Hi @bobisback

Depending on which Nation you refer to - Submarine units & German U-Boat units can be used to bring the enemy to his knees.

We have attached a German Strategy Guide (pdf file) for Axis & Allies Global 1940 that might inspire you.

The strategy is called: The Battle Of The Atlantic

Captain

1. Strategy Guide Germany.pdf

@AndrewAAGamer said in Warfare Principles of Axis & Allies (By AndrewAAGamer):

Absolutely! That is the whole point of subs is to be cannon fodder.

or in the Infantry, you’d be called “Bullet Stoppers” :)

@bobisback said in Warfare Principles of Axis & Allies (By AndrewAAGamer):

Regarding subs, I was thinking about using them as cannon fodder for my other ships/aircraft. This a good idea or not?

Let me contradict champions at my own peril. I am probably wrong. However, every sub on the board has to be answered by a destroyer IF you do not bunch your subs with the fleet. On the other hand, if you leave them in the fleet AND do not take them first AND they take their destroyers first, every hit has to be put on a ship. At some point you could even submerge and wait to combine with your reserve fleet for a devastating attack on the ships. I call this destroyer wars.

If the margins are right, you can take your own fleet off the map and keep the subs. This is better done as the attacker. And the point in the Pac is to put down the Japanese fleet, not the air force. The point is to make Japan spend money on ships, ships, ships early, early, early. And to threaten Japan with being convoyed to death. That allows for skirmishing because you can’t remove five subs without 5 destroyers. And of course, Japan cannot keep up with the US and Anzac spamming subs AND take over India AND China and beat back the Russians in Manchuria. That’s why KJF is the most effective strategy in G40 se.

@crockett36 What does KJF mean?

@bobisback kill Japan first.

I have forked a discussion about France’s role in the game to a separate topic.

It of course might be worth to be discussed but in an own thread, please.

@AndrewAAGamer said in Warfare Principles of Axis & Allies (By AndrewAAGamer):

FRANCE is, well, ummm… does not really have a role in this game except to die on G1.

The way that 2nd Edition 1940 is structured, I’m inclined to think the role of France is “give the US player something to do, before their actual country joins the war.” ;)
I could see pairing up France with USSR, but France with USA makes the most sense to me.

@The-Janus

The Europe 1940 rules do say that the either the US or UK should play France (though in Global, the US is too busy controlling China to get France).