How and when do you use mechs?

@Marshmallow:

We do Portland vs Seattle every year. No reason we can’t also do Vancouver vs Seattle each year…

My family has a house in Vancouver. We’ll be up there in late August.  Big basement, plenty of room for war games.  Garg and I may put something together.  Will let you know if you something comes together.

Thanks for the feedback guys!  Very thought out reply TheMethuselah, that helps, thanks.  I was thinking that 8 Mechanized Infantry might be enough and that some might only use two, so I was surprised to see that 12 can be used by many of the major powers.  Are you sure that there could be 12 different Mechanized Infantry on 12 different territories?  I could see that if Russia was attacking Japanese forces in Asia by land or vice versa.  I was also surprised to see 6 additional fighters for Italy, which would make 8 total.  I had thought that 4 might do it, so I really appreciate your input.  If anyone has a different experience, I’d love to hear from a variety of people, since I never know who I might be playing with and what units might be realistically used with the various strategies out there.

I imagine my mental estimate for fighters and bombers of other countries is off as well.  Do you have an aircraft estimate for some (or all) of the other countries?

Right now I just have some sub par quality photos of the Europe pieces, but maybe I can post those some time; the IJN probably is my best work, but I don’t have any good photos right now.  If I have free time I should be painting rather than setting up a photo shoot.  I’ll plan to post a link here if I end up posting them.  Thanks for the interest.

I read this about Stuka:

The dive-bomber was a purpose-built aircraft, designed to drop bombs with pinpoint accuracy on frontline battlefield targets. To support their panzer offensives, the Germans developed close air support into an art form and the Stuka was central to this effort. The secret of German successes in this field was the close integration between air and ground units. Stuka squadrons worked hand-in-hand with ground units so they could intervene rapidly at the decisive point of the battlefield. These highly specialist squadrons were in the thick of the action and developed an impressive reputation. The need to fly deep into the heart of battle meant Stuka pilots suffered some of the highest casualty rates in the Luftwaffe, and as a consequence became some of the most highly decorated German servicemen. Hans-Ulrich Rudel was the most famous Stuka pilot and squadron commander of the war. He was also the most highly decorated German soldier of the war, being the only serviceman to receive the Knight’s Cross with Golden Oak Leaves with Swords and Diamonds.

This give the general tactics. Does Variable depiction a special case of the above Stuka tactics?

@Young:

Can T-Bombers scramble into an adjacent sea zone from an airbase, or is that just for fighters as well?

T bombers can scramble.

I just made a quick guide as we are new and learning the new rule set with these same questions.

Scramble
A quick reaction team of no more than 3 defending fighters and/or tactical bombers  located on each island or coastal territory that has an operative air base can be scrambled to defend against attacks in the sea zones adjacent to those territories.

Scrambling is a special movement that the defender can make at the end of this phase.
It must be done after all of the attacker�s combat movements have been completed and all attacks have been declared.
The attacker may not change any combat movements or attacks after the defender has scrambled.

These air units can be scrambled to help friendly units in adjacent sea zones that have come under attack. They can also be scrambled to resist amphibious assaults from adjacent sea zones, whether or not the
territory being assaulted is the territory containing the air base.
They may defend against the enemy ships conducting the amphibious assault even if friendly ships are not present.

A quick reaction team on 3 defending fighters and/or tactical  located on each island or coastal territory that has an operative air base can be scrambled to defend against attacks in the sea zones adjacent to those territories.

In situations where a sea zone is adjacent to more than one territory containing an air base (sea zone 109 and
Scotland and United Kingdom, for example), each of the territories can scramble up to 3 fighters and/or tactical
bombers.
In situations where a territory containing an air base is adjacent to more than one sea zone (United
Kingdom and sea zones 109 and 110, for example), the territory may still only scramble up to 3 fighters and/or
tactical bombers, but they may be split between the sea zones in any combination.

Scrambled fighters and tactical bombers are defending, so refer to their defense values.
Fighters                   Tactical Bombers
Defense: 4                       Defense: 3

They are treated as normal defending units in their sea zones. As defenders, they may not retreat. They
can�t participate in any other battles during that turn, including a battle in the territory from which they were
scrambled.

After all combat is completed, each surviving scrambled air unit must return to the territory from which it was
scrambled. If the enemy has captured that territory, the unit can move 1 space to land in a friendly territory or
on a friendly aircraft carrier. If no such landing space is available, the unit is lost. Surviving scrambled air units
land during that turn�s Noncombat Move phase, before the attacker makes any movements.

Amphibious Assault Sequence
1. Sea combat
2. Battleship and cruiser bombardment
3. Land combat

Step 1. Sea Combat
If there are defending surface warships and/or scrambledair units, sea combat occurs.
If there are only defending submarines and/or transports, the attacker can choose to
ignore those units or conduct sea combat.

If sea combat occurs, all attacking and defending sea units present must participate in the battle. (Even if the
attacker chose to ignore defending submarines and/or transports, they will still be involved in the battle if the
defender scrambles air units and forces a sea battle.)

Conduct the sea combat using the rules for General Combat (below), then go to step 3 (land combat).
No bombardment occurs.

Strategic and Tactical Bombing Raids
Fighter Escorts and Interceptors
Defenders uses interceptors-Any number of defending fighters (not tactical bombers) may intercept.

� The attacking bombers and fighter escorts and the defending fighter interceptors will be the only units
participating in this special combat.
� The combat lasts for only one round.
� All of the air units have attack and defense values of 1.
After the air battle is complete, or if there were no defending fighter interceptors, surviving fighter escorts
are considered to have retreated. They don�t participate in the actual bombing raid, are not subject to antiaircraft fire, and will remain in the territory until the Noncombat Move phase. Any surviving attacking bombers carry out the bombing raid. If the territory offers more than one target, the bombers may be divided into groups, and each assigned a specific target (tactical bombers may not attack industrial complexes).

Each complex and base rolls one die against each bomber directly attacking it.
For each �1� rolled, a bomber of the attacker�s choice is immediately removed.

An industrial complex can�t receive more than 20 total damage for major industrial complexes and minor ones can�t receive more than 6 total damage for. Air bases and naval bases can�t receive more than 6 total damage. Damage exceeding these limits is not applied.

After resolving the antiaircraft fire, surviving bombers each roll one die.
Add 2 to each die rolled for a strategic bomber (but not for tactical bombers), then total the results.

Strategic Bombers 1-6+2 against an enemy industrial complex, air base, or naval base.
Tactical Bombers   1-6     against an enemy air or naval base.

@Gargantua:

I was in a group game, where we were winning, and my “allied” UK partner, got wiped from the game, after the germans rolled a last ditch fluke shot on Paratroopers, and took the London Capital.

It was all downhill from there, as no one was in range of taking it back immediately (Blocked)  and he was able to build off of U.K.

But would you say that this actually enhanced the gaming experience?

This is exactly the reason I don’t like the R&D rules, it is a bit too much based on luck and once earned changes the entire (delicate) balance of the game.

I hear this from the previous posts, though I would be very interested in how and why R&D deserves a place in the game based on long-term strategies…

(I can remember from the original setup it made strategic sence to invest in developments, but the game back then was less complicated and less delicately balanced)

As exciting as this seems.

I am putting this in the “Bad Ideas” category unfortunately.

Now if True Neutrals only were continent specific in regards to how they change over… or Mongolia was Pro Comintern/Allies… I would foam at the mouth.

Good idea, but i think if you use long strips of paper and alot of folding, you can do with less stapling and get soemthing like this:

it depends on the timing and which country. early in the game, as germany, i would buy 2 inf and one art. later in the game i might buy the tank, mech combo to get them to the front lines faster.