Posts made by Black

Okay, this is probably a silly question.

The last two games I’ve played, Great Britain has succumbed early to Operation Sea Lion. The first time, it happened in three turns, after Germany had a chance to build a second bomber. In our current game, it happened on the second turn of play!

[Germany built a transport in Turn 1 and moved a fighter from Southern Europe to Western Europe, while UK built a fighter; in Turn 2, Germany launched a successful amphibious assault into Scotland with two infantry from Berlin, using two fighters and bomber as air support]

In this game, the UK had the misfortune of losing its initial spitfire in support of an amphibious assault from Eastern Canada to North Africa.

After seeing England crushed so easily twice, I have to wonder if the only correct play is to build as much defense as possible on Turn 1 (two infantry and a tank, or three infantry)…in essence, taking the same tactic as the Soviet Union through the opening moves. I realize the tank in Canada could be moved into the UK (assuming it could avoid the German blockade), but a single tank isn’t much defense by itself (in the three turn game, the UK had built a tank in defense, but Germany brought a tank to England’s shores along with an infantry unit, and the thing was gobbled up).

Just wondering if I’m missing something or if an “all defense” tactic is the only effective means of saving the UK’s capital from German occupation.

Thanks!

I’m glad you enjoyed it. Keep playing and if you have questions, we have answers!

Thanks! I’ll try to think of some.
:-)

Luck always plays a part in war. You can’t model everything in a game (weather for example). Luck accounts for this.

Luck evens out over time, but sometimes it has devastating consequences. There was a lot of luck involved in the (historic) Battle of Midway, that resulted in an overwhelming American victory. The IJN might well have lost the engagement anyway, due to their forces deficiencies of the time, but perhaps not in the same lopsided fashion they did. As it was, it was a crippling blow that impacted their capability for the remainder of the war.

A&A 1941 models this quite well. Luck is a factor, sometimes a devastating one, but that’s war. I’ve always got chess for when I’m tired of luck.
:wink:

Picked up this game for my son at Christmas time (he’s a WWII buff), but we only just got around to unwrapping it a couple weeks ago. Since then, we’ve been playing pretty much non-stop (we finish a game and just set the board up again)…we’re on our seventh or eighth go around so far.

What a great game!

I’ve known of Axis & Allies but never had a chance to play it before, despite enjoying war games in general (I played Tactics II with my buddies back in middle school and I personally own hundreds of painted WH40K minis…). Not sure why I never got around to A&A, unless it was that the classic version is a little long for a pick-up game, which is about all I have time for these days. Anyway…

What a wonderful game! I love the asymmetry of it and the multiple strategies one can employ depending on the action/reaction of your opponent. I’ve read (on-line) that there are certain standard tactics that are seen as necessary to play A&A “successfully,” but we haven’t found that to be the situation with this particular edition. Hell, in our last game Russia outlasted the UK, piling up resources in east Asia and keeping Germany busy, while stranded British tanks waged guerrilla war from Norway and Africa, waiting for the U.S. to land a “liberation force” on the shores of England (this only being possible due to horrendous dice roles costing Germany most of the Kriegsmarine in the Atlantic). Fantastic stuff.

I get a kick out of seeing an “alternate history” unfold as we play through the struggles of waging a world war. I love the frustrating balancing act of controlling minimal resources and hoarding production “coin.” I dig on the need to control zones and canals and capture otherwise “worthless” islands to use as staging areas for assaults and air strikes. I immensely enjoy huge sea battles in the Pacific with battleships and subs and destroyers clashing while fighters buzz overhead…

I understand that I am a newbie here and that longtime A&A players may blanch at the simplicity and streamlining of the 1941 game, but our family is finding plenty to dig into. I know folks have complained about the game being unbalanced in favor of the Axis, but we simply haven’t found this to be the case. Germany enjoys a lot of initial land forces, but are at a disadvantage when it comes to its navy, due to the positioning of their port (even taking the Caucasus sticks you way back in the Mediterranean). And while Japan enjoys dominant naval forces, their abilities on land are highly curtailed by both their location and their initial forces, and driving them out of mainland Asia (and thus curtailing their production) is no large task…especially as the UK can reinforce the southern islands from India and Australia.

Each of the Allies begins the game controlling multiple industrial complexes in favorable locations. The Americans’ ability to quickly deploy battleships on either side of the board make it a real race against time for the Axis forces. This lack of balance (coupled with lack of resources) forces both sides to be aggressive, as stalling tactics buy you nothing but a slow death…the tanks will eventually come rolling across your border…
8-)

Anyway, just wanted to stop by and gush enthusiastically about 1941. My household is really enjoying this addition to our game collection. Cheers!