Posts made by a44bigdog

P-Unit you are making what I consider one of the WORST mistakes in strategic thinking to validate your argument. You are assuming that everything falls your way.

So the US gets Heavy Bombers turn one. How much did they spend to get it? What is the effect of this in reduced round 1 purchases? What happens if the AA guns blow them out of the sky? What happens if they roll 1s and 2s? What happen if your target gets Improved Industry or radar on their first or second turn?

Answering these kinds of questions is what Jenn is referring to in her stating that you would assume your opponent has all 12 techs.

Yes. The canals do not affect air units. Ownership only matters as far as sea units are concerned.

Well Darth it sounds like you have the answer worked out. So when are you going to kick off the '09 AA50 League?

I attack the Egypt the same as captainjack, and there are two things I have noticed. In most battles after round 1 you have a good idea which way it is headed. This means taking the transported infantry and armor as casualties and retreating the Libyan forces is always an option if things do not look good. I know what the odds calculators say but I would say that I have seen Germany win this probably a bit over half the time, and interestingly enough when Germany wins probably 90% of those times it has 2 armor left. Which is no where near what the odds show to be the expected results.

To me Egypt is worth taking a crack at. If I win great. If I don’t it isn’t the end of the world. If the UK does manage to sink the Italian navy that also is not the end of the world either.

39 and I can remember Nixon…vaguely
:-D

I will cover using Abattlemap as that is the mapping utility most players here use.

1. ABattlemap and the AA50 module can be found in this thread.
http://www.axisandallies.org/forums/index.php?topic=12873.0

2. Abattlemap is a mapping utility. It is basically an electronic board it does not roll dice or remove killed units.

3 Some Abattlemap helpful tips:

A)  To move pieces you can either move each one individually with the mouse or, you can use shift+mouse to move 5 units, control+mouse to move ten units or shift+control+mouse to move entire stacks.

B)  The same keyboard/mouse combinations work to add and subtract pieces from the board.  Basically, it replicates the old chips (including the 10 chips that many people have added to their boxes. Tongue  )

C)  It will keep a running tally on how many navy units you have (in IPC value) and how many combined land/air units you have.

D)  As you add and subtract flags, it automatically adjusts the IPC value of each nation for you.  Great for collecting income since you don’t have to worry about miscounting.

E)  Many people will put flags in the Sahara to represent rounds of play.  They will also use flags in Saudia Arabia to represent cash on hand for each nation. (This pertains to Revised)

F)  To get a unit list, go to View ==> List Units

G) If your toolbars disappear, go into the directory and delete the abattlemap.ini file (it’s the only ini file in there.)  Restart battlemap and the program will rebuild your ini file and put the toolbars back in the default location.  To stop this from needing to be done, do not put the toolbars on the extreme sides of the board. (XP and Vista will kick them off the screen where you cannot see them.  It’s whacked.)

H)  To open a file you have to open Battlemap then open the file from inside battlemap.

4. Find an opponent.

5. Start a thread in the play games section or respond with your turn in your opponents thread.

6 Dice are rolled via the forum. For 4 infantry and 3 tanks attacking you would type in

;aaa 4@1 3@3;

except instead of ; use :

that will give this:

Rolls: 4@1 3@3; Total Hits: 24@1: (3, 5, 3, 1)3@3: (6, 4, 1)

or for single or multiple dice rolls (techs or SBRs)

type in:

;dice 1d6;

for one die or for 3 dice

;dice 3d6;

again substitute : for ;

Rolling 1d6:
(1)  
Rolling 3d6:
(2, 4, 5)

7. Purchases, combat moves, combat results, non-combat moves and placement are all typed out. We all have slightly different styles and I would recommend looking at some game threads to get a general idea of what a turn should look like.

8. As far as League games, the '09 Revised League has started. To participate post or reply in the Find opponents thread.

9. The only current Tournament is a Revised Tournament in the semi-finals stage.

I hope all this helps you or anyone else looking to join us in online play here. I play both face to face and online. Honestly I have come to prefer playing online for numerous reasons. Mainly because it is easy to find opponents, there is no need to finish the game at one sitting, and you never have to worry about the pieces getting knocked about on the board (the dreaded attack cat). Abattlemap takes a bit of getting used to but I think it is well worth it once one becomes adjusted to playing with it.

Then ya need to get the Anniversary edition and kill two birds with one stone. You can blog about A&A and beer. Two truly great subjects.

Oh, and the beer blog looks good I visited it the other day.

I don’t like the delayed tech.

Did we show Japan the A-bomb before we dropped it? NO

Did the British show the Central Powers the tank before it was unveiled in combat? NO

I also find it amusing that the people that are arguing so hard against tech for the most part either have no games played in the '08 league or very few. The people that are arguing for tech played large numbers of games in the '08 league.

I am fairly certain I can win against a US round 1 Heavy Bomber roll. I have seen it in more than one game and it is not an automatic win.

Again I say we play Out Of Box rules so we can actually determine if stuff needs changing. I fully intend to play AA50 with the box rules. If the League plays that way I will participate. If the League does not I will simply play non-League games.

We may be playing this wrong, but everyone I have played with uses separate rolls for the fighters and the bombers. This is probably just a hold over from the Larry Harris Tournament Rules for Revised.

If it had been the way you described I would have kept a bomber. I would have kept a heavy bomber over a Jet any way. 2@4 vs 1@4.

Lastly on the Big Russian NO. This is just one of the many games I have seen it achieved in. At first it seems impossible, but it happens rather quite often. German reinforcements go to Poland. So it is not unusual to find an empty Bulgaria on Russia’s turn if things do not go according to German plans.

LOL good point. I know I have a reason I put it there, however at the moment it seems to escape me.

I haven’t had any trouble accomplishing those objectives with Japan. If you kill the Chinese fighter round 1, China is limited to infantry which attack rather poorly. If you leave the Chinese fighter it takes several rounds to clean up China.

Georgia also beat Florida that year as well. However they had more conference loses than Florida and Florida won the SEC east. While Georgia was probably without a doubt better than Florida they did not take care of their business as they should have and did not win their half of the conference.

Sorry frimmel but I have been a UGA fan since before Herschel Walker played there, and even though my changes would have hurt Georgia last year, they plain and simply did not take care of what needed to be taken care of.

And tc whether the “Lane Train” can get UT back on track or not, there is always Auburn so you guys won’t have to sweat being the worst. Seriously if the powers that be at AU could find a way to screw up that program more it is difficult to see how. Second coach in row paid after he leaves. Hmmm.

The Chinese fighter starts in Yunnan which borders French Indochina. Japan has 2 infantry and 3 fighters that can strike Yunnan round 1. There is no reason for Japan to let this fighter live and every reason for them to kill it round 1.

The fighter in Poland cannot hit Sea zone 8 however.

Buying a bomber on the first turn puts Germany short on infantry.

If the USA is buying tech dice each turn they are not buying units. That may not be a bad thing. Those dice do not always hit.

As far as the baggage bit I was just checking. I see quite a few players trying to play A50 like classic or Revised.

I was speaking of the battle with the UK fighter included.

The UK has a destroyer at 2, a Cruiser at 3, the Fighter at 3, and the bomber at 4.

Italy has 2 Cruisers at 3, and the Battleship at 4. The battleships ability to  take 1 free hit offsets the destroyers attack at 2 in my mind. Equal hits by either side in the first round leads to a dead even fight.

If Italy looses it’s navy the Axis may or may not gain territory in Africa. They do have 2 infantry in Libya and I have taken Egypt with these before and then covered them with German and Japanese units just so they could wander around Africa while the Allies chased after them.

If England looses the units involved in that same battle they are out some very nice naval and air pieces that they will find hard to replace. After Japan 2 England should solidly be in the 30 or lower IPC range even if they hold all of Africa. Hard to replace bombers and cruisers and buy transports and men to put on them at that level of income.

I have personally experienced both sides of the above outcomes in the game and I would much prefer the Italian position than the English one if something goes wrong.

Bombers are kept in Germany to be used like fighters were in Revised for trading. From Germany they can protect the sea zones along the cost and still readily reach Russian territories. Yes 1 of the fighters from Baltic could land in Poland but I prefer it in Germany for hitting any Navy that comes to close. Also on round 2 I pull back my forces except a blitz blocker in Baltic States, E. Poland and Ukraine. I don’t have enough infantry or armor to push forward successfully. Petering out with tanks in Belorussia and E. Ukraine is not going to get the job done for Germany.

As far as Norway and Finland I do not think these are realistically defensible by Germany in the long run anyway. Besides they can always be regained after Karelia is taken. Think about it which would you rather give the UK 3 IPCs for Norway or 6 for France plus 5 more for gaining a National Objective. That is 11 IPCs to the UK anytime they take France!

So the Allies build up a big fleet. If they have done so they will not have the troops to invade France with. The UK’s money drops like a rock in AA50. By round 3 they are generally about on par with the Italians and have a lot more to be concerned with. If the US builds towards a large invasion force Japan can always threaten or invade Alaska, W. Canada, or W. US. While I doubt strongly they can take and hold any of these territories due to Naval cost and the logistics involved they can force the US to spend all of its builds on fighting for US soil.

I am not advocating not buying tanks either. I start doing so after round 1 when I can purchase a bomber, some tanks and quite a few infantry. Germany does have a 10 unit cap and this does all work out nicely.

One more thing allies_fly I am wondering if you are not carrying a bit of prior A&A baggage. Bombers are now the go to air unit. They cost what a fighter did in classic and 2 IPCs more than a fighter now. They have greater range and greater hitting power. They can even conduct SBRs if you feel like exposing them to AA for little gain. Remember a bomber is no longer the cost of 3 tanks. If you are playing with techs those same bombers can become airborne transports(paratroopers), heavy bombers, or the longest ranged unit possible. I know I have had to adjust my thinking to a transport being escorted by a destroyer to equal that of an old single transport at 1. While not an exact match they are both easily sunk by air.

Italy producing 3 Infantry a turn to stick into France is just poor play in my opinion. There are Russian territories Italy can take. They can save up their money for fleet. Or what about tech? Both London and Stalingrad are in Range of Italian rockets.

That is even assuming that England takes out the Italian Navy. I can state from experience that the fighter, bomber and sea zone 12 fleet is not an auto kill of the Italian fleet. It also leaves England in a very bad spot as well when that attack fails.

I disagree with time being on the side of the Allies in AA50. The income balance can shift quickly to even or to an Axis advantage. Honestly I would say even is an Axis advantage because the Allies have to build the transports to get their units to battle and now they have to increase the number of ships in their navies as transports are no longer cheap fodder.

As far as National Objectives go Germany has 2 of their 3 at the end of G1. Japan has 2 of theirs at the end of J1 with the 3rd coming J2. Also by the end of J2, at least the way I play Japan they have most of the money from the Pacific anyway, before the US can do anything about it. Also the US will spend money in the Pacific either voluntarily or because Japan forces them to. Based on what I have seen in over 20 games played the old ignore Japan is out the window.

This may sound like a turtle from earlier games but I feel it is a bit different. The majority of the defense is set up on round 1. From there it is simply maintained and the actual fighting begins. Granted Germany may forgo some attacks in Russia on round 2 but I have found it is better to just skip these than to throw forces away for 1 or 2 IPC territories that Russia will take back anyway. Again the main thought is not to do anything that jeopardizes your position. There are attack strategies for Germany that will  take out all of England’s ships when they work. I have played against some of these and when they fail, Germany can find itself in a bad position quickly.

I have had success with this so I know it will work. It may not work all the time but I know it will work some of the time if nothing else.

Title:  Lancasters Fail, Fallschirmjagers yell. '41
Date:  29DEC08-6JAN08
Special Rules:  Nation Objectives and Tech
Victor:  Axis by Concession
Game Length: unknown/13 rounds Russia would have fell in round 15
Bias: Equal
Description: Round 1 Germany failed in Karelia, took the three Russian border territories, and Egypt. Sz12 was their only Naval victory. Russia took Finland and consolidated their position. Japan did their usual but only took one of the 4 IPC Islands and didn’t attack Kwangtung. UK invaded France and NW Europe plus built a S. African IC. Italy liberated France attempted Jordan. The US built boats in the Pacific and flew its bombers to England. The early rounds consisted of England invading France and North West Europe and Germany Strategic Bombing the Russians. Japan and the US built navies. Techs were a high point of this game and I will tick them off in the rounds they happened along with a couple of major battles. UK 2 Advanced Artillery. US 2 Super Subs. Germany 4 Improved Industry. Russia 4 Advanced Artillery. In Russia 5 they manged to sneak an infantry into Bulgaria for the 10 IPC National Objective. Also in round 5 the US and Japan fought a major naval battle in the Pacific. 290 IPCs sunk with 1 Japanese battleship and 3 fighters surviving. Japan also built an IC in Alaska in this round. Germany 6 Paratroopers which Germany began using to liberate such places as Libya, Algeria, Norway and Finland. While scattered Allied forces would recapture these on their turns. In round 6 Russia defeated a major Japanese force at great cost in Chinghai but it did clear that flank for some time. Russia 7 War Bonds. Also in Round 7 Japan built a Manchurian IC and the US took Alaska back for good. UK 7 War Bonds. Japan 8 Super Subs.UK 9 Heavy Bombers. The UK had shifted to invading Poland and Germany as France had become too fortified. On this round with 3 bombers the UK had planed to invade Germany as there was only 12 infantry an artillery and 4 bombers present with their 2 fighters, 4 infantry, 2 artillery and 2 tanks, this shifted form a nuisance raid to a chance to take down Germany. Alas it was not to be. The AA took out 1 fighter and ALL the bombers. On Round 10 Russia finally got improved factories for some bombing relief and the US got Radar. The US got long Range on round 11 followed by Japan on round 12 who used it to recapture the Philippines. Also on round 12 the US got heavy bombers and used this to sink the Italian fleet. On Germany 13 they pulled off a massive para drop into Karelia. 4 bombers 4 fighters and 4 infantry and 4 tanks overland. After Japans move coupled with this it was apparent Russia would fall to one or the other on round 15. They probably could have held of one or the other but not both.
Observations: It is interesting looking back I see moves both of us made in the early game we would not make now. The techs made this game very interesting as the tides of war constantly shifted through out it. Also even though a tech ultimatly helped win the game I don’t feel that at any point any one nation became over powered due to techs. While my opponent said the Alaskan IC was mainly to get the US to stop building ships I don’t see any way Japan can maintain such or realistically invade the US with thoughts of conquest. Perhaps if they take the West US they can but not through Alaska.

You are correct in your assessment of the eastern front. It is very easy early for Germany to push to far to fast. Russia also has to be careful of committing this same mistake if the tide is turning and you are pressing Germany back. I prefer to buy 1 fighter a round if at all possible with the Russians in the early rounds as this gives an offensive piece that is not lost when the enemy counters.

Japan is more interested in China than Siberia in this game. Chinese territories lead directly to infantry produced in them for free. Japan can be delayed in Siberia by smart play. Keep a token force in Buryatia in case a chance of capitalizing on an early Japanese mistake arises. However, keep in mind Russian troops only liberated Chinese territories and Japan goes between Russia and the US. It can be worthwhile early to maintain a good sized force of the eastern starting infantry in Stanovoj. They can attack any understrength incursions by Japan and are safe from bombardment and transported troops.

I find it hard to see a Russian navy being viable due to the Italian fleet. If they are not sunk by the Allies, that is 2 Cruisers and a Battleship that frankly I don’t see the Russians being able to spare enough to stand up to this. Also there is the question of Axis air attacks as well. I do like the originality of the thought though.

Karelia is a Russian IC however keep in mind that it only can produce 2 units so sometimes liberating it is not necessarily the best thing to do.