Posts made by Aretaku

@Bunnies:

BTW, I’m guessing Aretaku’s thinking about 2 inf 1 tank 1 fighter vs 3 inf 1 fighter at Norway.  Long odds, with a pretty good outcome if successful, but I don’t like the attack myself.  I’m a proponent of W. Russia/Belorussia or W. Russia/Ukraine.

Yes, I was advocating 3 Inf, 1 Arm, 1 Fig. You have to be careful if Germany has a good first roll, otherwise the fighter is at risk. The odds are long…but I like 'em better than 3 naked tanks in the Ukraine!

Three games now, and in two I have ended with 1 Arm, 1 Fig remaining in NOR, and one saw 1 Inf, 1 Arm, 1 Fig survive.

That armor is safe unless Germany wants to waste needed infantry against a UK counter, and it can be used on the following turn to retake Karelia, or wait until Inf/Figs do the job and blitz it back to Archangel. Also, provided that Russia and UK know their stuff, Germany will NEVER get that money back unless they do the turn 1 counter, and follow it up with Baltic fleet investment, which is not always feasible. A (semi)-permanent 6 IPC shift in favor of the Allies before the Axis even get a turn is worth the longer odds, IMHO.

@Romulus:

Moreover, I do not see NOR as an Easier attack, I used TripleA battle calculator with 10000 runs and odds are:

NOR: 3 inf 2 fig vs 3 inf 1 fig -> 60% propability of winning (with 1,36 units left….)
UKR: 3 inf 1 art 3 tank 2 fig vs 3 inf 1 art 1 tank 1 fig -> 96% probability of winning (with 4,84 units left)

It seems to me that UKR is far better as attack

But what is the goal? If the goal is simply the destruction of any and all German forces, then perhaps UKR is better, but if the goal is the destruction of a German fighter…

Norway attempts this while putting only 1/4 of Russias starting tank force at some risk.

Ukraine attempts this while sacrificing 3/4 of Russias starting tank force, along with half the artillery…and this is if the attack goes well!

I’m not saying that a strafe of the Ukraine isn’t a viable option, but after seeing how advantageous a successful Norway attack can be in my last three games, I don’t think I’ll bother trying to take and hold Ukraine ever again. It costs too much for too little gain.

@hyogoetophile:

Yeah, Russia can maybe take Nor, but the odds aren’t that hot, and who has the troops to hit Nor, WRu and Ukr on R1? Something’s gotta give…

I’ve been forgoing UKR in favor of NOR in recent games, and I’ve been quite pleased with the results.

If you want to kill one fighter, it’s an easier target. Germany can’t retake without risking a UK counter, and doing so leaves his transport in the Baltic. The extra 3 IPCs don’t hurt either. It’s not a sure thing, if Germany has good defensive rolls, but it leaves you far less exposed than a UKR attack.

@captainjack:

On G1 I attacked the British BB in the Med. with my BB, Sub from SZ8 and 2 Figs (I know that’s overkill, but I wanted to kill him in one round of battle - which I did).

No it isn’t…

…my friend did the same G1 against me the other day, only with one fewer fighter, and my battleship took out all three German units. Granted, I still lost the BB, but it was nice to take out 33 IPCs worth of gear instead of 10, or 8, or even zero.

So no, it’s not overkill, because that BB, if at all possible, can’t be allowed even a second shot.

As for Brazil, it’s nice if Germany can get there for a round or two, but those troops should really be used to ensure a proper hold on Africa.

I’m guessing the US went heavy in the Pacific, cause otherwise US efforts should have included retaking Brazil and fighting for Africa.

But hey, if your opponent is going to just let you stand on his land, go for it!  :-D

I like to use the fighter in a counter against Egypt. If that proves unnecessary, I’ll send it to Russia.

As for an Indian IC, if I am the Axis, I squeal with glee if I see it on UK1. That means no Egypt counter, so Germany goes hog wild in Africa. As Japan, the IC will likely be mine by Round 3, even if Russia sends troops to aid the Brits, or the US built an IC in Sink…a full KJF might make me regret taking it as Americas navy approaches, but combined with Africa, UK will be heavily marginalized, leaving Russia standing alone against an income heavy Germany.

If I get an Axis bid that high, I’ll put an extra sub in SZ8, or I’ll give the Japanese a transport to go with the East Indies AC & BB.

A Baltic transport is almost never worthwhile past round 3-4 unless Germany intends to put all efforts against UK…something that I find fails far more often than it succeeds.

Two problems

1. This plan assumes that the fighter in Anglo-Egypt will not be killed on Germany’s first turn. (A rare occurence)

2. The transport in SZ 40 (Australia) cannot reach Borneo in one turn. Only the transport and infantry from India can reach.

Now, I myself am a fan of the following on Britains first turn.

India Destroyer to Jap Transport
Aussie Sub to Jap Sub
2 Inf from Australia to New Guinea (which can be reached)
2 Inf, 1 Fig from India to Borneo (Carrier must accompany to allow fighter to land)

If all four attacks succeed, Japan is down two ships and five IPCs, and has to think long and hard about what to kill and what to potentially let slip away. It also helps in that it keeps mainland Asia relatively calm for a round or two while Japan deals with the situation.

There are many options for Britain in the Pacific in turn one, but when this one succeeds, it can really ruin Japans day.

Get your Med BB and Tran to SZ 12 while also building up the Baltic…most players assume an attempted fleet merge or Sea Lion, but your transport can pick up men from Algeria and attack E. US.

Worked for me, ONCE…  :-P

@axis_roll:

@Aretaku:

As for Atlantic Wall, if the Brits kill even 3 Inf per turn with bombardment, it’s not even worth it economically, much less tactically or strategically. Far better to trade WEU with the Allies as long as possible with Luftwaffe or Panzer support…it sucks giving them $6 per turn, but it’s better than the alternative.

That’s a serious investment in offshores for UK, and if they did that offshore thing, those DDs/transports would be susceptible to the 88’s (art) at a 2 to sink an $8/$10 ship.

Every NA has a trade off.  As Jen pointed out, it is very hard to knock an NA that yields +$3 a turn (free inf) for a country a turn for the entire game.

I think you might have overlooked this in your analysis of Atlantic wall (+3 inf, no +6 for UK….upfront cost of UK navy to even conduct cost-effective offshores).

Again, personal preference is the main driving force behind ranking these NAs.  And there is nothing wrong with your ranking list.  Only through actual game play can you learn all the nuances of the interplay of NAs (for you as well as against you).

Didn’t think you were criticizing my rankings, I just like arguing differences of opinion.  :-)

I don’t find it too difficult to get a good bombardment fleet going with Britain. Lend-Lease or Royal Navy can help defray the cost, and US Tech Advantage and/or Radar can make the tech cheaper, as well as greatly enhancing your fleet’s anti-air capabilities.

Atlantic Wall will certainly aid Germany in holding WEU for longer than one would without it, but I don’t go into France with any more than 1 Inf plus the bombardment until I am certain that I can take it and reenforce with American and/or Russian units. I ferry the rest to Norway via SZ6. If an Artillery shot hits a ship, I’m usually not too concerned. I make sure I have more than I need before I commit to moving within range of the Luftwaffe.

It buys Germany a round or two where UK is not collecting off of WEU, but I simply feel that NAs like Luftwaffe or Panzerblitz are far more useful in the long-term for Germany to select for it’s NAs, especially in that they make trading WEU with UK more feasible for a longer period of time with less need for infantry, with luck denying UK the ability to destroy large numbers of units via bombardment.

@Cmdr:

Atlantic wall also works in trading W. Europe.  Remember, the rule is that you get the infantry if you OWN W. Europe, not if you started your round with it.  That’s an extra defender if you trade W. Europe too.

As for two infantry not being much of a threat to Japan, I have to say, if you are getting them every round and America’s putting pressure on Japan navally, they’re going to be hard pressed to get Buryatia, especially if you couple Siberian Conscripts with Lend Lease and put an American fighter or two in Buryatia to convert for extra defensive power.

You can easily have 10 infantry, 2 fighters in Buryatia on Russia round 4.  Can Japan take it out?  Sure.  But at what opportunity cost, what unit cost and what chance of failure?

I usually hit Bury on Rd 2, Siberian Conscripts or no, depending on how Pearl and it’s potential counter went. That way I have all my air-force and (hopefully) both my BBs in position to hit it and reduce the benefit of the men gained from me breaking the non-agression pact. Russia will most likely only have those three territorys for 3 or 4 rounds unless he starts giving ground to Germany.

Now in an all out KJF, things change quite a bit, but if I am Russia, unless ICs are going up in IND and SINK, I’m not one to bother with Conscripts.

@axis_roll:

@Aretaku:

I can certainly see situations where Russian Winter would be mighty handy, but I simply have yet to see it utilized in a game-breaking manner. It’s a nice Round 1 advantage, but then the Allies have limited NA options.

Round 1?

Russian Winter is best when it’s played later in the game, to buy 1 or more likely 2 rounds of delay(because of the ability to turn the inf into attacking units) at a key time the allies need it the most.  It’s the trump card!

Atlantic wall has it’s pros and cons.  HAving to fight for WEU is a con, but is that a such a bad thing for Germany?  Keeping the $6 cash out of the allies hands might be worth it.

I’ve had an opponent who used Russian Winter on Round 1 coupled with an aggressive Russian opener (WRUS, UKR, BELO)…bought him a couple extra kills on defense, and stalled the Germans on the Eastern Front long enough to let Britain do it’s thing. The Germans were never a threat to Russia in that game.

As for Atlantic Wall, if the Brits kill even 3 Inf per turn with bombardment, it’s not even worth it economically, much less tactically or strategically. Far better to trade WEU with the Allies as long as possible with Luftwaffe or Panzer support…it sucks giving them $6 per turn, but it’s better than the alternative.

@axis_roll:

Interesting.

I have read posts from other players saying Siberian Constripts was a no-brainer for Russia or Atlantic Wall was the bomb for Germany.

I also think it’s funny how you rated Colonial Garrison so low or Pac divisions on the bottom.  I know you listed them from worse to best, but some may argue with your rankings (I will not, it’s really influenced greatly by personal preference).

I do know the creator of this rules set (Cousin_Joe) was a huge fan of Russian Winter, and you ranked it last

I find that while Siberian Conscripts is nice, selecting it draws Japans wrath. Unless coupled with the Russian Railroad, it is too easy for Japan to simply take those three territories from you and thus deny you your selected advantage. Those TWO whopping extra men gained during the broken treaty are a speed-bump, not a wall.

Atlantic Wall basically forces you to fight for WEU, something which it is not always in Germany’s best interest, given the British tendency to build large bombardment fleets. The ability to fire at ships offshore is nice, but the chance to do so is a rare occurence, as is actually hitting the target (at least with my dice!  :x :lol:)

Pac Divisions is the second best man-per-turn advantage after Commonwealth, but I think the US does far more for the Allies with Tech-Advantage or Naval Industry, so I’ve never bothered to select it. Perhaps in combination with an IC in CHI/SINK it would be worthwhile.

I find that Colonial Garrison is, more often than not, simply the gift of an IC to Japan. In my current FTF game, Britain selected it, placed it in India, and also moved a good deal of Russian units there along with built/transported Brit units to try and defend it. I still took it from him in Rd 3. Even an Australia or SA placement is vulnerable to an early Japanese push.

I can certainly see situations where Russian Winter would be mighty handy, but I simply have yet to see it utilized in a game-breaking manner. It’s a nice Round 1 advantage, but then the Allies have limited NA options.

I was going to go into a long and detailed post that rambled on for far too long, but instead I’ll just rank them.

Russia
Russian Winter: zero
Russian Railway: ****
T-34s: ***
Lend-Lease: *****
Mobile Industry: **
Siberian Conscripts: *

UK
Colonial Garrison: zero
Commonwealth: *
Radar: ****
Royal Navy: **
Royal Air Force: ***
Lend Lease: *****

US
Mechanized Infantry: ***
Pacific Divisions: *
Marines: zero
Naval Industry: *****
Reinforced Carriers: **
Tech Investment: ****

Germany
Atlantic Wall: *
German 88s: zero
Panzerblitz: ****
Afrika Korps: **
Wolfpacks: ***
Luftwaffe DB: *****

Japan
Banzai Infantry: *****
Tokyo Express: *
Yamato BBs: ****
Tech Advantage: zero
Kaiten Subs: **
Kamikazes: ***

Since I started using the AARe ruleset, I’ve been favoring the Allies more and more, especially Russia.

I just recently attacked and killed a Japanese DD, Tran and Sub with only a British DD over four rounds of combat without losing my Destroyer.

Obviously my opponent was not pleased.  :-D

These are my usual bid placements…in my FTF games we limit to one unit per territory. These vary sometimes. I’ve been experimenting more with placing bids on the Russian front for Germany to fend off an aggressive R1.

1-2 IPCs: Cash to Germany/Japan
3 IPCs: 1 Inf to Libya
4 IPCs: 1 Inf to Libya, 1 IPC Japan
5 IPCs: 1 Inf to Libya, 2 IPC Japan
6 IPCs: 1 Inf to Libya, 1 Inf FIC
7 IPCs: 1 Inf to Libya, 1 Inf FIC, 1 IPC Japan
8 IPCs: 1 Tran to East Indies SZ (Can’t remember SZ#) (Adding this transport to the East Indies BB and AC can enable early Africa landings, or a fast takeover of Australia or India)
9 IPCs: 1 Inf to Libya, 1 Arm to Algeria, 1 IPC Japan
10 IPCs: 2 Arm (Libya, Belorussia, possibly Kwangtung)
11 IPCs: 1 Tran to EI SZ, 1 Inf to Libya
12 IPCs: 1 Tran to EI SZ, 1 Art to Libya

…I have yet to recieve a bid higher than 12.

@Cmdr:

New Idea:

The transition from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic Ocean was almost impossible for the Germans to do with their surface fleet because of artillery, shore batteries in Gibraltar.

Now, the idea is:

If you have an Artillery unit on Gibraltar, you may fire on all enemy surface ships (Destroyer, Battleships, Carriers, Transports) that attempt to pass from SZ 13 to SZ 12 or from SZ 12 to SZ 13 in BOTH combat and non-combat rounds.   You get one shot at each ship at 2 or less, only one artillery unit can fire per nation. (Therefore Japan and Germany could EACH get a shot if they BOTH had an Artillery piece in Gibraltar.  Likewise, England, America and Russia could EACH get a shot if they had an Artillery unit in Gibraltar.)

You have to roll the dice per ship.  Each roll hits the designated ship, the defender will NOT get to chose casualties.  If you roll three dice at a carrier, destroyer and battleship; IN THAT ORDER; and the 2nd roll hits, then the destroyer is sunk.

Ships at rest in SZ 13 or SZ 12 cannot be targeted.  ONLY ships passing THROUGH the straight of Gibraltar are target able.

Submarines cannot be targeted.

---

Change to board set up:

England gets 1 Artillery unit in Gibraltar at the start of the game.

I like it…

…I’ll probably use it in my next FTF game, I’ll let you know how it turns out.

Well I for one am very excited…and I’ll pay $69 or $169 as long as the board can stand a little more abuse than my Revised board.

We had a Lord of the Rings Risk board that had RED WINE spilled on it, and it came off clean. Get even a little water on the Revised board, and watch your worst nightmares come true!

I don’t need the best quality, I just need an improved game with a slightly better board.  :-P

I picked Trans-Siberian Railway, Radar, Mechanized Infantry, and War Economy.

No love for Island Bases? I know it isn’t spectacular, but it’s far more useful than Salvage, Mideast Oil or French Resistance, and it can be mighty handy in a drawn out Pacific campaign.

@ncscswitch:

A few things to add to Jen analysis above…

Germany loses a lot of units, true.

But, they gain $38 not $30 for taking UK ($30 from the bank, plus paid the $8 for UK territory)
They also REMOVE $30 IPC of UK units that will not be built on UK1.

That is a net shift of $68 units just from the land/cash transfer.

Now, let’s say that Germany DID get wiped out and BARELY succeeded (odds are better than that, but let’s say that UK rolled up).
Germany loses $68 of units (a wash for cash and land transfer)
UK loses $50 of units.

So even if Germany BARELY wins, it is still a net $50+ gain to the Axis (in reality is is more often a $75 IPC shift once you add units, cash and land).

Then, if Germany blocks a UK liberation (SZ8 SUB to SZ1), then UK is not building for TWO turns, adding another $28 or so to the Axis side of the equation.

It also LOCKS USA into liberating London.  That means Germany is going to gain additional cash and land in Africa; meaning when UK is finally liberated and can collect cash again, they are only going to collect about $20.

USA can;t do a KJF with London falling on G1, so Japan is able to just UNLOAD on Asia with no thought to the Pacific (except grabbing UK income).

And I am sorry, with Germany doing a G2 build of about $90 IPC’s, I don’t care WHAT Russia did on R1, they are still SCREWED.  That is a 16 ARM build for Germany with lots of cash left over…  Moscow falls G4…

And that my friends is why LHTR corrected an obvious problem with the rules.

If you’re feeling daring, you can move the SZ 8 sub to SZ 9, and cross your fingers that the British retake attempt fails. After that, it’s just a matter of holding off Russia while Japan and Germany go full bore for America.  :-D

@axis_roll:

What NAs did Germany take in this game where they are sucking so badly?

Afrika Korps and 88’s

Was the US counter on the Japanese fleet lucky?

If you call mutual destruction lucky, yeah.

US sub fled Pearl after going undetected. Pearl scored two hits, US counter took out the rest, but all US forces were also killed (fleet, plus 2 figs/bom)

What did Japan have in SZ52?

Everything that could reach except E. Indies fleet…lost sub to Brit sub, tran to Pearl, and BB, Car, Dest, 2 Figs to the counter.

This was AFTER Japan had selected Yamato BBs. Japans fleet consisted of 2 BB, 1 Car after 1 Rd.

What did Japan do after the US counter killed their Hawaiin navy?

Focused on Asian expansion with their Rd 1 IC, doing a fair job. Took China/Sink and India early, and has been a royal pain in the Indian Ocean. Took him way too long to get to work in the South Pacific, mostly due to American subs and heavy bombers forcing a fleet rebuild. Also too tank heavy on the mainland.

The Axis lacked enough infantry all game long, really.

Britains first turn was stellar, took out tranny, sub, and took Borneo and New Guinea. E. Indies counter at Borneo lost a fig as well!

You are playing with HB’s only carrying 1 inf in NCM, right?

Whoops! :lol:

@Cmdr:

Rockets can be countered with Jet Fighters.  Not well, mind you, but it can.  I think in this case, it would have been wise for Japan to fire off fighters with Jet abilities to Europe ASAP with Germany protecting her fighter stash and getting Jet Fighters (Shared tech) as well.

This would shield some, or all, of the allied rocket attacks.

Actually, this was done, but it wasn’t very effective…probably saved against 1 out of 4 Rockets, but it wasn’t enough to reduce the drain on IPCs to the point where Germany could replace his losses.

That said, a favorite tactic of mine, with an adoption of a Bean tactic to make it even wickeder, is:

America gets Rockets, England and Russia follow with shared tech
America gets Combined Arms and England gets it too
America gets Heavy Bombers and England gets it too

Now, with a large amount of Rockets and Bombers and a nice fleet of destroyers to bombard, you can potentially reduce Germany to negative incomes. (0 IPC left after the economic attacks + units lost in bombardments.)

I’ve tried going heavy hardware with Britain. Get Radar, then roll for Combined Arms. Your fleet is relatively safe from air attack, then just crank out DDs. Possibly even give Britain 2 NAs and pick Lend Lease so he can convert American DDs as well.

Haven’t thought to couple it with Rockets/Bombers though. I find that even with Escorts (another tech), Strat bombing is still too risky. I much prefer paratroops or just using the heavy bombers in fights

I’d still like to hear a comment on my original post regarding Russia.

I think Rome actually ought to be the real target of a Russian advance, provided UK/US don’t get there first. If the German Med fleet can be sunk early, I feel that the route of UKR-BAL-SEU is far easier for Russia to advance along than any WRU-EEU variation.

I found that the German player didn’t really know what I was up to when I didn’t advance on E Europe to go toe-to-toe with his main force. When I went into Balkans, he suddenly had threats on both factories, and due to rockets had no money to effectively counter without ceding almost all of his starting territory.

Russia collected 42 IPCs at one point…

…oh, my game ended BTW, Germany retook Italy, US landed in force in W Europe, and Russia took Italy again. We won via VCs at the end of that round.

AARe: Please do not comment on other rule sets

Playing a game right now where we tried a new Allied strat, although the Allied success in this game really hinged on the US counter to Pearl, which bled the Japanese fleet nearly white.

US NA was Tech Dice, and US got rockets early, followed by Britain. The drain on German income has enabled Russia to make easy gains against Germany.

This drain on Germany has reduced him to about 15-25 IPCs per turn. Russia has now occupied Rome, and if Germany does not counter with EVERY unit available, Russia will build there next turn, effectively clinching victory, given upcoming Russian reinforcements, as well as Allied landings in WEU after Germanys turn.

I think Rome actually ought to be the real target of a Russian advance, provided UK/US don’t get there first. If the German Med fleet can be sunk early, I feel that the route of UKR-BAL-SEU is far easier for Russia to advance along than any WRU-EEU variation.

I’m LOVING heavy bombers and their ability to ferry troops in NCM…means one can fight for Africa without transports if Germany tries to deny the Allies access to the Atlantic, and it has enabled US ground forces to get into the fight far quicker than it would have taken to build the necessary fleet.

The investment into tech, bombers, and supporting fighters has been extensive, but the US has had no other real necessary role other than an occasional Pac naval build of Subs/Dests to harrass Japanese expansion.

Anyone else have interesting KGF strategies in AARe?