Posts made by Charles de Gaulle

Would an air base on Gibraltar work well for move bonus (forget scramble)?

I am sure this is common for scrambling, but is an air base on Malta worth it for the move bonus?

1.  Japan can build a minor industrial complex any non-island territory is has controlled since the start of its turn worth 2 IPCs or greater (Kiangsu, Indo-China, Malaya, etc.).
2.  Korea is the only place Japan can build a major industrial complex.  A minor may of course be built there instead.
3.  When an enemy is making amphibious assaults from a sea zone you have an operative air base adjacent to, you may scramble to try to stop them.  Even if you lose the ensuing battle, a scramble negates bombardment possibility.
4.  If your planes have any movement points left, they must try to land elsewhere.  If the planes have used their full movements and their carriers have been damaged, the planes are destroyed.  Ouch!
5.  Yes, a single fighting unit’s presence forces a battle and therefore negates bombardment.
6.  Scrambling airplanes with maybe another airbase on Korea, using the bulk of your navy, or building infantry and fighters and AA guns on Japan—all work with disadvantages.

I’ll be with Petain at Verdun waiting for your German hordes  :wink:

I would recommend following the dice. Attacking Poland with AH is not really a good idea because even if you role well, the Russians can still stack enough to make German attack take more losses.  Consider attacking Poland turn two with AH instead, either to support Germany or clear the way.

As for the Atlantic, I always recommend going for the Canadian transport and cruiser.  As you stated, even if going for a big battle with the Royal Navy, those two subs would have to go through two mine zones—that’s four dice at 1.  There are some arguments against attacking the British navy, but I prefer to hit both spaces with full force. The dice are in your favor, though be it sort of close.  However, I don’t think sending those two eastern subs to the big battle is going to be worth it when you could easily lose one, maybe both to mines.

Some interesting stuff here though it does seem to be that facility purchases are rare.

As for Kwangtung and Malaya, I did overlook those, but building a factory on them with the UK is impractical.  A major IC in Hong Kong?  How is that right?

Has anyone ever tried an air base in the Middle East?

People don’t really buy as many facilities as they use to for some reason.  I personally always have a hard time justifying spending 15 IPCs on a move bonus or scramble.  Factories, I love, but I have become quite predictable with these.  What are your favorite places to buy facilities and factories and why?  What does it do?

Here are some common examples, ideas, and situational places for each country:

Germany:
Major Factory:  Romania…
Minor Factory: Romania, Poland, Finland, Western Ukraine, Rostov, Caucasus, Iraq, Persia, Egypt, Greece, Yugoslavia, West India
Naval base: ?
Air Base: Holland, Norway, Ukraine, Greece, Normandy, ?

Soviet Union:
Major Factory: impossible
Minor Factory: Finland, Romania, Hungary, Poland, Western Ukraine, Caucasus
Naval Base: …
Air Base: ?

Japan:
Major factory: Korea?
Minor factory: Kiangsu, Shantung, Manchuria, Kwangtung, French Indo-China, Malaya
Naval base: Indo-China, Siam, Kwangsi, Kiangsi, Kiangsu, New Guinea, East Indies, Wake, Midway, Solomons
Air base: Kiangsi, Yunnan, Hunan, French Indo-China, Siam, Korea, Okinawa, Palau, East Indies, New Guinea, Solomons, Marshalls, Malaya

United States:
Major factory: impossible
Minor factory: Alaska, Korea, anywhere in Europe
Air base: Aleutians, Alaska, Iwo Jima, Palau, Marshall’s, Mariana’s, East Indies, anywhere in Europe, North Africa
Naval base: (the whole Pacific?), North Africa, Norway, the Balkans

China:
Stop laughing

United Kingdom:
Major factory: impossible
Minor factory: Egypt, Persia, Iraq, Anywhere in Europe, Asia if Japan is…dumb?
Naval base: Malta, Norway, Balkans, Middle East, North Africa
Air base: Ceylon, Malta, Gibraltar, Europe if needed, Egypt, Middle East, North Africa

Italy:
Major factory: upgrade Southern Italy
Minor factory: Greece, Russia, Middle East, Egypt
Naval base: North Africa?
Air base: Sicily, Sardinia, Egypt, Greece, ?

ANZAC:
Major factory: impossible
Minor factory: Queensland, French Indo-China (I’m serious), Middle East
Naval base: New Guinea, Solomans, East Indies
Air base: Western Australia, New Guinea, East Indies, Solomons, Japanese Islands?  I’m just shooting off

France:
I thought I told you to stop laughing?

Please share your thoughts.  I would like to increase my facility purchases and creative factories.

The problem arises in the section that says something like “For each hit [surprise strike] the defender removes one unit from play.”  Literally following the rules would require rolling for a submarine that has already been returned to its tray.

A fellow player brought up a good point about something we take for granted that is a little vague in the rulebooks: subs vs subs (with surprise strike and usually mixed in with other units but not destroyers).

Namely, if an attacking surprise strike scores a hit and the defender chooses a submarine for the casualty, can that defending submarine still get a surprise strike shot that turn or is it destroyed immediately?

I searched the rulebook and could really find nothing to back up a correct answer.

I do see quite a few mistakes in your picture, but I am assuming you recognized those or even purposely made them (like the trucks in China instead of artillery.)

I have one good question though:

WHAT is that HUGE battleship sculpt doing smashed on Alaska and British Columbia?!
:?

When collecting NOs treat the territories as the board represents them.  Russia would not collect +3 for Baltic States or Bessarabia, or Vyborg.

Vichy would get French Guiana, but I should note that we have never tried adding Vichy yet to variant.  To do so would certainly require a tweaked setup and a list of special rules.  Also, since this is 1939, it feels acceptable to pretend that France will never surrender, but rather fight or retreat to Algeria etc.

While deplpying minimal forces in the neutrals might look attractive, it sort of ruins the game when the Axis invade Turkey every time as does the US invade Spain.  The strategic advantage is too great to be missed.  I have found it necessary to dissuade the great powers by making them pay considerably for these assaults.

@Black:

Private Panic wrote:

But even when no such time constraint exists I doubt we have ever played a game through to the bitter end!

I suppose we are just really, really stubborn.

The invasion went down and (as predicted) the UK was taken, despite some stout resistance. And while the Allies accept they’re probably dead in the water, they’re still not ready to concede the match.
8-)

Would did you expect?  They’re Americans, bloodthirsty savages that are not going to surrender.  They would rather die for their freedom than live in the chains of slavery.
:lol:

Darkest Hour is something I got to see.  I am a huge Churchill fan.

I always pretended that mechanized infantry units (divisions) had jeeps for their troops and commanders.  Hence the term “mechanized infantry” rather than APC or halftrack.

Psychological warfare?!  Seriously?!  :?

Strategy sir, and outweighing what is important with what you want to do will stop all this craziness of Sealion.  German transports at Gibraltar?  Sink them for the love of France!  German airplanes in range of London?  Then build/send defenses!  Next time Germany opens up like that, you HAVE to ensure you either eliminate their assault forces or have adequate defenses.  There is nothing more important than keeping your capital.  If you’re going to look at this from the strategic point of view, you cannot make an excuse such as “psychological warfare.”

Another thought:  you seem to be fighting Japan with Russia and Germany with the US.  Although this is not a bad idea on a limited level, I would suggest swapping these countries’ priorities.  Surely it is easy to take China with Russia, but then there will still be a Japanese navy out making havoc on islands.  Meanwhile, you give Germany way too much breathing time and ability to execute something as bizarre as SeaLion.  Consider this: defeat the Japanese navy by mostly building American ships in California; once their navy is gone, they will be able to take neither China nor the islands.  Meanwhile, Russia can be making a good fight with Germany (you stated that Russia was too weak to do this; I think that is because you were sending Russian units to China).  Of course, it is a good idea to take Manchuria with Russia, and send an American fleet to the Atlantic to help Britain.

Remember that Berlin is only three spaces from Moscow, but Tokyo is virtually impossible for Russia to take.  In almost every A&A game, Russia has the unique advatge of being able to deploy right into Europe while the Allies cannot.  Don’t forfeit this advantage.

In a Europe game, US has Spain by round 4 or 5 if it wants it. In a Global game, the US can get there sooner granted that Pacific forces are brought over to cover the transports (instead of having to build an Atlantic fleet).

I feel that my setup on the first page is well balanced and also respectful to history.

The Turkish Straits are off limits unless you own Turkey.  Sea units in the Black Sea are stranded there.

Vichy rules are not included in this 1939 setup, bit Vichy would get all its historical territories (all French territories but France, Normandy, Equatorial Africa, and New Herbrides).

If you have any more questions feel free to ask or consult the ruleset.  These additions create many unlikely, but nevertheless possible scenarios that may require explanation but are too numerous to lay out.

Spain pro-Axis?  What happens to poor Gibraltar?  This is an outrage!  I swear you are aligned with Vichy!

Another thing to consider is the German lack of defense navally.  Any German transport built is very vulnerable to British air assault.  Assuming Germany holds its battleship back, the UK will most likely have some other advantage.  If Germany goes for this option, the UK can react accordingly and ask US for help.  Meanwhile,  this risky move on Germany’s part is sure to give Russia massive advantages in the east.

If Germany buys the transport, either sink it or be sure to build or divert the necessary forces.  It does not matter if you have to give up North Africa or a build in India.  Just hold off the German attack and Russia will be able to do serious damage with so many Germans in the west.