What percentage is luck involved in a games outcome?

Does there exist an archive of moves in completed tournament or expert level games? If this were available it would be a great learning tool!

I just had a game where my friend conceeded after Russia’s second turn. Total time was a little over an hour. The game before that, same teams, took us about 12 rounds and over ten hours.

@The:

I’d say hit the Solomans with maybe as much air as you can send (if it reaches), but if it can’t reach safely, hit that area with everything you got. Those are the closets transports. The WUS ones are 2 turns away. Hit Solomans, but buy more air for a) defence and b) hitting power because when you go south, he’ll move north/northeast into your path to block you, really putting a cramp in your plans to come back to the defence of Japan.

And if you could post a map or something of what you face, that would be great. But kill transports. Battleships can’t transport men anyway!  :lol: :-D

GL

Thanks, that’s what I was thinking. My focus is Russia while they’re super weak. I can hit his loaded carrier, and trans with 2 BB’s, an AC and four planes. That should do it, and I can take two hits and won’t mind losing a couple planes.

I anticapted his blocking move too and was considering buying planes. I think I’ll buy 1 plane and all land forces.

@mjkusn01:

Where do you guys play AAR online?

http://www.axisandallies.org/forums/index.php?board=40.0

@newpaintbrush:

To get your revenge, you will need:

2 cases of beer
1 can whipped cream
4 bikinis
1 macaque monkey
1 camera (with film and batteries)

Use your imagination.

Yummay

NP.  Actually thought it was an abbreviation issue…

Pre-LHTR Lend Lease is insane.  Non-LHTR Super-fortresses is also pretty crazy.

Colonial Garrison makes KJF much stronger.  Radar messes with things a lot.  Mobile Industry makes the Caucasus no longer a vital country, and increases the strength of a KJF.  Mechanized infantry lets you do a lot of stuff, as does fast carriers, as does island bases . . . really, MOST of the Allied NAs are quite good.

Germany’s Blitzkrieg is decent because it frees up fighters.  Japan’s Banzai is okay.  (Banzai’s not great against a KJF, and even for a KGF, you need tanks and fighters for that last push into Moscow).  Most of the Axis NAs suck.  It is usually a matter of HOW MUCH they suck.

How to abuse pre-LHTR Lend Lease - UK fighters, US fighters.  You haven’t seen “stupid” until you see Russia producing 8-9 infantry a turn with 14 fighters for backup.  No, seriously.  Russia just beats the hell out of everything.  LHTR changed this, thank goodness.

How to abuse Superfortresses - build bombers to strat bomb, go for tech dice on US3 or US4.  With heavy bombers, you shut down Germany.  LHTR limits total damage per turn, I believe, instead of total damage per bomber, so stops this from doing more than 16 IPC damage.

How to abuse Blitzkrieg - well, you take this fat load of tanks, and use 1-2 infantry to trade territories with Russia early.  Since you can use your tanks to trade territories without committing, now you can use your fighters for other things.  Like . . . getting EVEN MORE territory, or fighting off that Allied Atlantic fleet.

How to abuse Banzai - use a lotta infantry, surprise.

Weapons development is a viable option now since you can choose what you get instead of spending a lot of $ and getting super subs.

Even though it’s six times as easy to get the tech you want, the risk associated with it doesn’t translate well into consistent strategies. If you roll 9 die of tech (45 IPCs) you have an almost 20% chance of NOT achieving the tech. That sounds pretty bad, doesn’t it? Ironically super subs is the only tech that I try for, and only if I’m the US and gunning after Japan. Rockets are pretty good for Germany but I really can’t find space in my economy to throw away 30+ IPCs for an uncertain tech. If you’re a habitual gambler or feel like you’re playing against  superior player so you need to take your chances, then I would say tech. Otherwise, it isn’t going to win you a whole lot of games unless you are already winning.

One part of the game that I have not explored is the option of the US going into the pacific in a big way.  Of course, the pressure off Germany is a huge reason not to do it, and it was hardly ever done in the old game.  But the increased value of the islands make it more attractive.

This is pretty fun to do if you have all the Allies cooperating against Japan. You can really make Japan squirm if the US is dumping all cash into a navy while Russia/UK swipe the Asian territories away. If the US smartly maneuvers the navy and researches super subs right before a big battle, likely Japan is going to be staring at an 8 IPC paycheck and squatting on his capital for the rest of the game. But yeah, taking pressure off Germany is a pretty big no-no. You’re leaving 10 IPCs in Africa alone to Germany (couple more in trans-jordan/persia as well) and letting him hammer Russia with full strength, which is much harder to defend against than a Japanese attempt. I admit I’m not an expert though; I haven’t taken that many games to conclusion in a real bonafide KJF strategy. It’s hard to say if the Allies can recover or not once Germany kills Russia; perhaps taking the Japanese mainland gives the Allies too good of a position to retake, but then again maybe Germany takes too many IPCs and can overrun the UK in short order and then the US.