Tanks blitzing and returning in the same turn

@Luxor:

Can scrambled planes choose not to return to the territory they scrambled from? (Assuming there’s place for them on friendly carriers in the seazone they scrambled to)

No, as long as the territory they have scrambled from has not been taken by the enemy, the planes have to return there:

@rulebook:

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.

I’ve noticed one response to a common variation of a J2. Situation:

SZ36/20 have 2-3 transports and/or marines on board BB/Cruiser (if you are playing Balanced Mod) There are no Japanese naval bases usable in those SZs.

Strategy:
USA DD to SZ43 (Off Borneo)
UK DD to SZ37
UK land on Sumatra
Anzac land on Java

Result:
Allies are secure on Sumatra and Java through turn 2. Some possibility of convoying off income but unlikely to get it all and some of the fleet might be exposed if they try to convoy both. Every bit as important: Japan doesn’t get the money on turn 2 which slows them down a fair bit.

Just tried this against one player and he avoided the DOW J2.

Downside: Losing two DDs. Doesn’t seem like a big problem. The UK one can be replaced turn 3 with the one starting off South Africa.

(The way I play Germany:)
Create 1 huge army that marches into Russia and arrives in Bryansk G5, ready to attack Moscow G6, together with purchases from G5 (aircraft in Berlin/fast in Ukraine). Purchases in G1/2/3/4/5 are always aimed at maximally reinforcing this marching ‘deathball’, like ghr and Demandr described.

Russia has no choice but to surrender Leningrad+Ukraine and Germany should gladly take them with some token forces (1 to 2 inf + air).

What the Allies CAN do about this (very generally speaking because of all the variables): Russia retreats into Moscow while building a lot of inf + ART(!). RAF helps to defend it. UK + USA getting strong at Gibraltar/London + Middle East and, very important, setting up ‘bomber command’. Comes G6 Germany cannot attack Moscow because it is too heavily defended. Luftwaffe is tied into Russia (making life easier for the allies preparing for DDay) because otherwise Russia begins counter-attacking, ending the German presence there. Germany can take Caucasus + Stalingrad but NOT in force because then the Russians can break out where it is most effective, attacking and destroying the German army defending Bryansk if there is still some there. If there is not, because all the Germans are in Caucasus/Stalingrad, what is to stop Russia from retaking Leningrad, Ukraine and all those juicy eastern-european countries? Nada.
Too bad this game has no ‘out-of-supply’ rules as this is exactly what happend in Russia, starving the massive German army in Stalingrad.

In the pacific, the USA + ANZAC have Allied task number 1: prevent an Axis (Pac 6VC) win. This does not mean Japan has to be killed (though you can certainly try), but Hawai + Sydney must be held. If Japan crushes India this is an easy job. If Japan clearly invests in taking Hawai/Sydney (luckily the USA goes after Japan so can react), the task is more difficult, but India will be safe  longer and can even become strong strong strong if Japan focuses too much on Hawai. Most Japanese players I have seen, invest heavily into taking India and Middle East and THEN they try to take Hawai/Sydney. This gives the USA breathing space to invest around 20% per turn into the Pacific, spending 80% of its income into Europe. By the time Japan is ready to invest into taking Hawai the USA can switch to near 100% into Pacific (depending on the Japanese investments) without a problem because its forces in Europe are already massive.

Note that I am using the LL system in my games (and posts) to predict/dictate what major powers must do to stay alive. The LL system is usually pretty accurate and if the dice screw you up, well, then it’s the dice, not strategy, that cost you the game.

@Larrie:

@Eggman:

@snake11eyes:

@Jeff28:

If you retake paris Germany would get another 19 ipcs, right?

The IPC bonus is only for the first time you capture a capitol.

There is never a bonus for capital captures except for the Russian NO regarding Berlin.�  Jeff28 is right, if France somehow recaptures Paris F1, then they will collect income at the end of their turn which will just be harvested again by Germany on G2.�  It may feel like you’re getting some kind of bonus for sacking Paris, but you’re just collecting their starting income that they never get a chance to spend.

Not true. There is a German NO (bonus) for controlling Moscow, 5 IPC’s.

You misread my comment.  I was replying to a person who seemed to claim that you get a bonus the first time you capture an enemy capital.  That has nothing to do with the NOs for holding a territory.

For clarity -

A Blitz is defined as a combat movement where a tank or mech/tank pairing enters an unoccupied enemy territory, captures it, and moves to a second territory as a single combat move.

Any other movement of two spaces, whether during combat or noncombat, is NOT a Blitz and should not be called a Blitz.  It’s either a combat move or a noncombat move, but not a Blitz.

This is important because Mech Inf can always move two spaces as a combat or noncombat move, provided it’s not a Blitz. Calling such moves “Blitzes” implies that Mech can only move two spaces with a tank under every circumstance, and that is NOT the case.

Yes.

Thank you for the tank song LordFoul.

@gamerman01:

I tried to tell you all.  Before I’d ever played the game one time….

But xzorn, you guys would have been so much better off buying planes and mech infantry!  :lol: (sarcasm)

Planes can’t reach everywhere anymore.  The only other ground unit that can move 2 is mech, and it attacks at 1 and artillery can’t keep up.  The only other ground unit that attacks above a 1 is artillery, and it plods along at one territory per round.

Of course tanks are king, and are worth 6 IPC’s…  Can’t believe it was even a discussion.  :-P

Ditto, gamer. 8-)

Yes, I kill most of the RN. except sz 111. 2 subs on 109, 2 subs 2 ftr, 2 tac. on sz 110. 1 sub,1 cruiser, 1 ftr, 1 tac on 112. Norway ftr in France. All air can land in N. Italy. Bomber and Battleship on Russian fleet.

sz 111 is left untouched. 1 Battleship and 1 Cruiser along with sz 106 and 91 also untouched.

Not saying this wins the game, just a way to help Italy.