Your final, the one you get to take home then hand in for work……is now closer than it was…which was in mid-August…so being much closer it is now Sept 24. There is an old saying, if you talk the talk, walk the walk. It didn’t say anything about back-pedaling.
:lol: :lol: :lol:
We have also a saying: “He who does not want to knead bread, is sieving grain for 10 days”. I suppose throwing hay in the air is easier than acctually punching the dough. :wink:
Another thing worth mentioning - G1 had a 5 inf, 5 arm buy instead of a bomber because of the starting Russian buy of 4 arm, 1 art. I made it to prevent enskive (he’s an excellent Revised player) from stacking Ukraine with the Russians. It was his first game against FE - I think he did pretty well.
And still, the Axis airforce performed great against a high tide of allied ships. If FE is applied, G may not buy a single airplane the whole game while J shouldn t bother buying until J3.
The problem is, if the US kept the carrier and BB on the Pacific and the Japs would be forced to hold back most of its airforce or face a slow US build up.
This struck me aswell. I would have moved the BB, AC loaded, TT and SS in Solomon Islands and buy a fleet to couter if J2 attacked the Solomon fleet. Japan would have to think before attacking, its fleet would be exposed to a counter.
Another Fortress Europe game, me as Axis. Allied player surrended round 9
That was interesting. Fortress Europe worked fine against an allied “Mediterranean” path to Russia. Some aspects of the game worth imho mentioning:
Seems excessive but we believe if Germany fails to take Egypt they can’t win. If they lose 3 planes right off the bat, they can’t win. The two national advantages hardly every come into play either.
There are a lot of attacks on round 1 that if go wrong can seriously tilt the game either side besides those you listed:
- Russia losing on Ukraine or West Russia
- UK failing to retake Egypt
- Japan losing on SZ52 or China or Buryatia or losing a capital ship
Shouldn t we also add Germany losing
That is what I mean when I say a typicall KGF-all out against Germany just won t work most of the times.
With japanese air in Europe, UK-US will end up creating one loaded AC (UK AC and 2 US ftr combined IPC 34) for every 3 japanese airplanes in Europe (IPC 30-32). At the same time, the Allies must stop Germany in Europe (by offloading 4 UK inf and 6 US inf=combined IPC 30), something that is doable untill Africa falls to Japan.
This consumes all UK-US income in order to stop Germany in Europe and match the japanese air reinforcements. SO, we have Russia and the remaining Japanese forces. Russia alone cannot kill (a reinforced by japanese air) Germany. But it can make sure to hold Ukraine and garisson Novosibirsk, keeping the Japanese at bay.
The obvious move for Japan is to go after Africa. Russia cannot reach the japanese forces landing straight in AngloEgypt Sudan. And with one blow it cripples the allies’ ability to both stop Germany and to match the japanese airforce in Europe.
The thing is imho that while everyone else is totally reactive (Germany is all out stacking ground defences, UK and US are all out stacking gound and sea defences, Russia is all out to hold Ukraine and novosibirsk) in Fortress Europe Japan has the chance to be partially proactive. After sending the air reinforcements in Europe, the remaining IPCs can be used in a way that the Allies have nothing to respond.
That is why most Fortress Europe games end up with Japan taking Moscow after having raided Africa, while the Allies are stuck way outside Berlin. In some cases, Moscow is traded with Berlin, meaning they both fall in the same round. In fewer cases, Berlin falls just in time before Japan takes Moscow. But there is almost never a clear Allied victory with Fortress Europe.
Fortress Europe is the absolute answer to KGF.Imho,the Allies simply cannot outrun the Axis in a Fortress Europe vs KGF race.Moscow will fall to the Japanese before Berlin.The reason for this is that while Japan can take Caucasus,the Allies cannot permanently occupy Southern Europe.The japanese fleet crossing the Canal only adds to the problem.Fortress Europe demands the Allies to radically reconsider KGF.
The only way το beat Fortress Europe is to take advantage of the slow German advance in Europe. The Allies have 5-6 rounds to:a.Expell Germany from Africa, b.Kill as much Luftwaffe possible, c.Stall Japan as long as possible d.Prepare an invasion fleet.By round 6,if the Allies control Africa and are able to land in Karelia while Japan is behind the Yakut-KwangtungXinyang-Persia line and Germany cannot yet take West Russia-Caucasus,the Allies have tipped the scales.It is not the end,not even the beginning of the end.But at least it is the end of the beginning.
Only enemy (in this case: German) DDs cancel the “cannot be hit by air units” submarine ability. So, the Allies cannot take the submarines as losses if they are attacked by german air without a german DD.
I have always been sceptical about this rule. Imho, it would make more sence if the “cannot be hit by air units” was an option for the defender, rather than an erga omnes rule. Because, since the attacker most of the times wants only to destroy the defender’s TTs rather than his entire fleet, he is actually compelled to leave his DDs behind, in order to prevent the defender from using his subs as fodder.
I understand this would be, prima facie, in favour of the Allies. But it could also increase the german med fleet survivability.
Everyone in our group wants to play Germany, and everyone is keen on trying their own special tech, no matter how loud I cringe :-)
Germany is not imho free to choose its stance in the game. To the contrary, it is obliged to adapt to the Allies stance towards Japan.
If the Allies put too much pressure on Japan, Germany has to go all out against Russia, bying at least 5 armor per round, fortifying Ukraine and having its eye fixed on WR-Caucasus.
If the Allies totally ignore Japan, Germany has to brace itself for an all-out defence, buying at least 10 inf per round, safeguarding its luftwaffe, trying to hold on to Africa for as long as possible and hoping that the Japanese airforce won t be landing too late in Europe…
If the German player ignores the Allied initiatives and simply goes on with whatever “sceme” he has, things will probably go bad for the Axis.
How do the Axis players deal with the lack of men in continental Asia? Do you prefer on-spot unit production with ICs or you rather build a drop-off fleet? Or a mixture of both?
For the IC-builders, do you prefer FIC or Manchuria?
For the fleet-builders, how do you answer the threat of the US sub-ftr or the UK bomber?
Imho there cannot be an actual KJF in '42. Japan can only be “broken”, to quote Granada. As “broken”, I perseive it reduced to 8-9 IPCs, without a navy and with 2-3 allied bmb SBRing it every round. And that s the time to turn on Germany.
I tend to believe that if the game evolves to a race between a full-out KGF and a full-out KRF, the Allies will always be the losers. So, especially against the more experienced Axis players, Japan has to be crippled to some extend before a KGF can take place. The way I see it, every round that Russia manages to form the Karelia-Belorussia-Ukraine frontline is a round that the UK and the US must try and mess Japan up.
'the dice gods were angry at me. I need to sacrifice virgins at the volcano to appease them"
Seriously? :lol: :lol: It sounds like Bunns… Where is he btw, he 'll love this thread.
After getting severely diced and loosing in an 8-hour marathon game, I was shouting to the opponent “aren’t you ashamed to say you beat me like this? Aren’t you ashamed to consider yourself a winner? Then of course, there are prostitudes that would go with YOU for 15 $ and THEY are not ashamed, why would YOU be ashamed for claiming such a victory?? ??”
Not that I have anything against the working girls :-) but,oh boy, was I maaad……
There was a thread about that issue some time ago, the Anglo Egypt Sudan Gambit :-D. Imho it is essential to pair this strategy with killing the UKR ftr R1.
@Bunnies:
re: Hobbes’ post:
Hobbes replied before I corrected 6 infantry 1 artillery to 8 infantry 1 artillery.
3 inf,1 art,3 arm and 1 ftr should be able το kill the UKR ftr.So should be 8 inf,1 art for taking WR.
If you DO hit WR with inf/art/tank, it becomes MUCH more palatable. Increased odds of failing Ukraine, of course, but I think the increased odds of failure at Ukraine are quite acceptable in face of possibility of poor dice at West Russia.
I don t know what I was thinking,but you are correct.WR can be hit with 8 inf,art,arm.Which makes the AES Gambit (all rights reserved by B.P.Wrath:)) safer for Russia.
3 inf,1 art,3 arm and 1 ftr should be able το kill the UKR ftr.So should be 8 inf,1 art for taking WR.The losses will be big and there s no way for Russia to survive the G1 counter in either territories,but the UK will have its BB and will be able to counter AES (if needed at all) and will be able to use IND troops for FIC.
Has anyone ever tried to land a ftr in AES in R1?If the UKR ftr is destroyed,G1 will have to dedicate the bmb for AES.That will result to the survival of the UK BB.The Russians will end up losing a ftr,like a Norwegian Gambit without Norway,but Germany will be risking both to leave the BB alive and fail AES.
What do you think?
@Bunnies:
A lot of focus here is on J1 capture of India IC. One thing I haven’t seen mentioned is use of UK Australia sub to threaten French Indochina sea zone. Pretty important imo.
Totally agreed.
My question is,once Japan is pacified (reduced το 9-10 ipc and without a fleet το stand against the US in the Pacific),do the Allies have the time to turn and aid Moscow?Can the 3 ICs (IND,XIN,CHN) redeem Moscow for a round or two?Or is it a lost cause?
A successfull IC in India imho demands also for 1)a 6 inf stack in BUR,4 inf in XIN and a soviet ftr in NOV,2)a successfull Uk1 attack in FIC with 2 UK ftr in either WR or Russia and 3)a US1 China IC(given it is still US owned),or a US1 double IC in both XIN and China if J1 puts an IC in Asia.I would be giving it a shot if G1 buys only 1-2 armor and does a lousy job at AES.
Edit: And of course destroy the lone tranny.
Voted.It is going to be a close one between the Yaks and HMS Prince of Whales i suppose…I voted both :)
