Posts made by DoManMacgee

@gamerman01 I requested access to the tournament-related google docs, but while I wait, can you (or someone else in this thread) tell me who I am playing against?

@djensen said in Pre-Announcement: The Axis & Allies Cup:

The tricky part here is if teams want to get together in person but none of the 12 people have a copy of the game, then what do you do? Otherwise I would prefer random.

What I’m thinking is that I would randomly assign the team pairings and the game they must play but not the squads.

For instance:
AA vs. BB Guadalcanal
AA vs. CC Revised
AA vs. DD: Classic

…and so on but you should have 3 games going at the same time at any given time.

Might need to back up a bit on this one.

Say Team A is scheduled to play Team B. Do each teams pair their three squads against the corresponding three squads of the opposing team, or do they only send out one squad each?

If it’s the former, do all 3 squad Vs. squad matches take place on the same edition?

If it’s the latter, what’s stopping a team of just putting their strongest two players as one squad and only using that squad for the entire tournament (effectively rendering the other four players as benchwarmers)?

@djensen
Some clarification/interest asks:

• If there ends up being a lack of interest for whatever reason, might it be possible to downsize to 3-person teams to keep the same general format, just with 1v1 games instead of 2v2 (this is more of a hypothetical than an actual request)?

• When two teams play each other, how does picking the game edition(s) to play on work (beyond the restriction of 42SE for T8, AA50 for T4, G40 for finals)? Do the teams mutually agree on what editions get played, is it randomly generated, or a mix (i.e. team A picks 1 game, team B picks 1 game, 3rd game is picked randomly)?

@djensen Sounds cool to me. Is 5-6 people too many for one team? Maybe 4-6 instead?

@Martin @gamerman01
I have no preference in whatever system is used as long as the baseline format is not Best of 1/Single Elimination. If there is an end-of-season bracket that is single-elim to determine a champion that is fine. If the final standing is just based on overall placement after all league games are played (with no playoff) that is also fine.

Just reaffirming that I am one of the folks interested in playing this hypothetical classic tournament.

@FMErwinRommel I think the game you’re describing is a TripleA fan-game that’s more in-line with core series rules. 1914 is an official release from ~2017 that, despite the A&A name, plays very differently from normal A&A in an attempt to simulate trench warfare.

@SuperbattleshipYamato Thanks. That was all pretty helpful.

I’ll probably watch a gameplay video on YT to decide if I want to make the plunge of not.

@SuperbattleshipYamato said in Has Anyone Played This ?:

2. Its hex based system

That’s a point of interest in and of itself. In A&A Hexes only appeared in Battle of the Bulge but most wargames use them, so they’re not completely alien to me. Are there bonuses in combat for flanking the enemy or penalties for moving your units into the enemy’s “Zone of Control”?

Adding to the above is the introduction of a Cobra “Weather Dominator”, allowing to turn hexes with water into ice (i.e land) hexes at the cost of 1 reinforcement point (basically IPCs). They’re generally used to faciliate the land movement of Cobra-Destro units and bridge areas.

This seems neat. Good gimmick to make games more dynamic.

One huge change that I’m still getting used to is that ships, aircraft, and land units occupy hexes that contain both land and water together, attacking and defending with each other (with some small exceptions). As such, amphibious assaults are made with ships and land units fighting together, and most battles (especially over islands) are conducted with all air, land, and sea units fighting together.

Yeah that one sounds very strange. Land units being able to freely shoot at ships seems very off.

The unit selection

The asynchronous units sound very interesting. Honestly I wish the mainline A&A games did this as the different powers were better at different things during the IRL WW2 (the North Africa game seems like a step in the right direction with different stats for different nations’ units (compare the tanks between the different sides for an easy example).

Infantry work in the exact same way, but they only cost 2 reinforcement points, so it’s easier to spam.

Probably not a good thing but the stacking limit might somewhat mitigate the usefulness of spamming outside of blocking.

Each side has national advantages (although they’re not called that), encouraging certain moves.

Are they optional rules or mandatory?

All powers have a base, which essentially acts as their capital, which is where all units a power buys are placed (with some minor exceptions) and the capture of one base on the other side instantly leads to victory for the capturing power. Interestingly each side has a “shared” base, where units from two powers on the same side can be placed.

I know basically nothing about GI Joe other than the absolute bare basics. Is the game 2v2 or is their an uneven number of powers (example: most A&A games are 3v2 (R/B/A Vs. G/J)?

There are 2 ways to win: Capturing bases (I would compare this to a capital capture in normal games) or getting enough victory points from the board, the latter of which is both the most likely scenario of victory and similar to an economic victory in some Axis and Allies house rules.
Classic has economic victory as one of its official win conditions (for Axis) and its probably my favorite victory condition in the series. Big plus for me there.

4. It’s pretty fun. The round limits and victory conditions keep the games short and avoid the kind of prolonged deaths losing powers in Global 1940 experience. The changes provide an interesting twist, while what’s kept from other games make it easy for returning players to understand the rules.

If the game reaches the round limit and no one wins with one of the previously stated methods (capital/economic), how is the winner determined? Is it a draw?

5. I would put it in between 1941 and 1942. Definitely one of the simpler Axis and Allies games. Probably most similar to D-Day of the games I’ve played in terms of complexity.

Sorry to ask a follow-up on this one, but to narrow the scale to the “lighter” A&A games, which of the following (assuming you’ve played them) would you say this is closest to (complexity-wise). Disregard the actual quality of the games. I’m only asking about scale/complexity here:

41
Zombies
Classic
Revised/42 1st Edition
OG Europe
42 2nd Edition
OG Pacific

EDIT: Sorry, butchered my original post because I typed it on my phone. Hopefully this is more readable.

@SuperbattleshipYamato How’s the balance?
How is it different from normal A&A games?
How is it similar to normal A&A games?
Disregarding the GI Joe Flavor (which I have no interest in), is the game fun in your opinion?

On a scale from 1941 - G40, where does this game rank in terms of complexity?

@FranceNeedsMorePower said in Why Should I Buy U.S.A. Infantry?:

@DoManMacgee I think the French tank should hit on a 4 or less and defend on a 3 or less. I feel 3 for attack is to low maybe I’m wrong.

Maybe if this was a Normandy/Bulge game, but not NA. From what reading I’ve done, Free France didn’t have access to competent Allied tanks until 1944. During the time period this game takes place, the Free French were using “hand-me-downs” from the Allies, for lack of a better term. Putting the French Tank to 4 attack would put it on-par with the British Tank in terms of cost-effectiveness which is probably a bit much when they can move and attack immediately.

@FranceNeedsMorePower In addition to what others are saying also remember that the Gen Con tournaments for A&A are open tournaments for players of all skill levels. There’s no qualifying process for getting there so theoretically you can be watching gameplay from folks who had little-to-no experience on the edition. IIRC A&A:NA came out officially either just-before or just-after Gen Con occurred in early August, so the level of play at that tournament was never going to be as high as one of the editions that have been around for years like G40, AA50, etc.

To answer the actual question, US should absolutely take advantage of the French INF/TANK to take advantage of the fact that they can move and attack immediately, and can also fight without supply. However, it may sometimes be necessary to not buy INF (US or French) to mine the 8-unit-per-territory stacking limits.

@The_Good_Captain Game History

Round: 6

    Purchase Units - Russians
        Turning on Edit Mode
        EDIT: Changing PUs for Americans from 45 to 37
        EDIT: Turning off Edit Mode
        Russians buy 6 infantry; Remaining resources: 2 PUs; 

    Combat Move - Russians
        2 artilleries moved from Caucasus to Turkestan
        1 armour moved from Moscow to Russia
              Russians take Russia from Germans
        1 armour moved from Norway to Karelia
        1 armour moved from Russia to Moscow

    Combat - Russians

    Non Combat Move - Russians

    Place Units - Russians
        6 infantry placed in Moscow
        Turning on Edit Mode
        EDIT: Removing units owned by Russians from Turkestan: 1 aaGun
        EDIT: Adding units owned by Russians to Russia: 1 aaGun
        EDIT: Removing units owned by Russians from Stalingrad: 1 aaGun
        EDIT: Adding units owned by Russians to Turkestan: 1 aaGun
        EDIT: Turning off Edit Mode

    Turn Complete - Russians
        Russians collect 22 PUs; end with 24 PUs

Combat Hit Differential Summary :

Game History

Round: 6

    Purchase Units - British
        British buy 2 artilleries and 6 infantry; Remaining resources: 0 PUs; 

    Combat Move - British
        1 armour moved from Leningrad to Baltic States
              Russians take Baltic States from Germans
        1 armour moved from Baltic States to Poland
        2 infantry moved from United Kingdom to North Sea Sea Zone
        2 infantry and 1 transport moved from North Sea Sea Zone to Baltic Sea Sea Zone
        2 infantry moved from Baltic Sea Sea Zone to Poland
        2 carriers, 1 fighter and 3 transports moved from Baltic Sea Sea Zone to English Channel Sea Zone
        1 armour moved from Northern Italy to Austria
              British take Austria from Germans
        1 armour moved from Austria to Czechoslovakia
              British take Czechoslovakia from Germans

    Combat - British
        Battle in Poland
            British attack with 1 armour and 2 infantry
            Germans defend with 1 infantry
                British roll dice for 1 armour and 2 infantry in Poland, round 2 : 1/3 hits, 0.83 expected hits
                Germans roll dice for 1 infantry in Poland, round 2 : 0/1 hits, 0.33 expected hits
                1 infantry owned by the Germans lost in Poland
            British win, taking Poland from Germans with 1 armour and 2 infantry remaining. Battle score for attacker is 3
            Casualties for Germans: 1 infantry
        Battle in English Channel Sea Zone
            British attack with 2 carriers and 3 transports; Americans loiter and taunt
            Germans defend with 1 submarine
                British roll dice for 2 carriers and 3 transports in English Channel Sea Zone, round 2 : 0/2 hits, 0.33 expected hits
                Germans roll dice for 1 submarine in English Channel Sea Zone, round 2 : 0/1 hits, 0.33 expected hits
                British roll dice for 2 carriers and 3 transports in English Channel Sea Zone, round 3 : 0/2 hits, 0.33 expected hits
                Germans roll dice for 1 submarine in English Channel Sea Zone, round 3 : 1/1 hits, 0.33 expected hits
                1 transport owned by the British lost in English Channel Sea Zone
                British roll dice for 2 carriers and 2 transports in English Channel Sea Zone, round 4 : 0/2 hits, 0.33 expected hits
                Germans roll dice for 1 submarine in English Channel Sea Zone, round 4 : 0/1 hits, 0.33 expected hits
                British roll dice for 2 carriers and 2 transports in English Channel Sea Zone, round 5 : 0/2 hits, 0.33 expected hits
                Germans roll dice for 1 submarine in English Channel Sea Zone, round 5 : 1/1 hits, 0.33 expected hits
                1 transport owned by the British lost in English Channel Sea Zone
                British roll dice for 2 carriers and 1 transport in English Channel Sea Zone, round 6 : 0/2 hits, 0.33 expected hits
                Germans roll dice for 1 submarine in English Channel Sea Zone, round 6 : 0/1 hits, 0.33 expected hits
                British roll dice for 2 carriers and 1 transport in English Channel Sea Zone, round 7 : 0/2 hits, 0.33 expected hits
                Germans roll dice for 1 submarine in English Channel Sea Zone, round 7 : 0/1 hits, 0.33 expected hits
                British roll dice for 2 carriers and 1 transport in English Channel Sea Zone, round 8 : 1/2 hits, 0.33 expected hits
                Germans roll dice for 1 submarine in English Channel Sea Zone, round 8 : 0/1 hits, 0.33 expected hits
                1 submarine owned by the Germans lost in English Channel Sea Zone
            British win with 2 carriers and 1 transport remaining. Battle score for attacker is -8
            Casualties for British: 2 transports
            Casualties for Germans: 1 submarine

    Non Combat Move - British
        2 infantry moved from United Kingdom to English Channel Sea Zone

    Place Units - British
        2 artilleries and 6 infantry placed in United Kingdom

    Turn Complete - British
        British collect 35 PUs; end with 35 PUs

Combat Hit Differential Summary :

Germans regular : -0.67
British regular : -1.17

Game History

Round: 6

    Purchase Units - Americans
        Americans buy 2 bombers; Remaining resources: 7 PUs; 

    Combat Move - Americans
        1 infantry moved from United States to U.S. Eastern Coast Sea Zone
        2 fighters moved from United States to Celtic Sea Sea Zone
        1 destroyer moved from Mid-Atlantic Sea Zone to British Convoy 3 Sea Zone
              British take British Convoy 3 Sea Zone from Germans
        1 destroyer moved from British Convoy 3 Sea Zone to Celtic Sea Sea Zone
        1 submarine moved from British Convoy 4 Sea Zone to Celtic Sea Sea Zone
        1 infantry and 1 transport moved from U.S. Eastern Coast Sea Zone to Celtic Sea Sea Zone
        1 fighter moved from English Channel Sea Zone to Leningrad
        3 fighters moved from United Kingdom to Leningrad

    Combat - Americans
        Battle in Celtic Sea Sea Zone
            Americans attack with 1 destroyer, 2 fighters, 1 infantry, 1 submarine and 1 transport
            Germans defend with 1 battleship
            Americans win with 1 destroyer, 2 fighters, 1 submarine and 1 transport remaining. Battle score for attacker is 24
            Casualties for Germans: 1 battleship

    Non Combat Move - Americans
        1 infantry moved from Celtic Sea Sea Zone to United Kingdom
        2 fighters moved from Celtic Sea Sea Zone to United Kingdom

    Place Units - Americans
        2 bombers placed in United States

    Turn Complete - Americans
        Americans collect 43 PUs; end with 50 PUs

AAE-modified-game3-A6.tsvg

Yeah I got nothing. At this point I think the skill curve has just got the better of me. You gave me 100% of the balance changes and it had 0 impact on the outcome of the game (as in, if you showed the current game state to a 3rd party and asked them whether or not any balance changes were applied, they wouldn’t be able to tell).

@The_Good_Captain Game History

Round: 5

    Purchase Units - Americans
        Americans buy 2 fighters, 1 infantry and 1 transport; Remaining resources: 2 PUs; 

    Combat Move - Americans
        Turning on Edit Mode
        EDIT: Removing units owned by Americans from Moscow: 3 fighters
        EDIT: Adding units owned by Russians to Moscow: 3 fighters
        EDIT: Turning off Edit Mode
        2 infantry moved from Algeria to Tunisia
        1 submarine moved from U.S. Convoy 2 Sea Zone to British Convoy 4 Sea Zone
              British take British Convoy 4 Sea Zone from Germans
        1 destroyer moved from U.S. Convoy 2 Sea Zone to Mid-Atlantic Sea Zone
        3 fighters moved from United States to Mid-Atlantic Sea Zone
        2 fighters moved from Russia to Moscow
        2 fighters moved from Baltic Sea Sea Zone to Moscow

    Combat - Americans
        Battle in Mid-Atlantic Sea Zone
            Americans attack with 1 destroyer and 3 fighters
            Germans defend with 1 submarine
                Americans roll dice for 1 destroyer and 3 fighters in Mid-Atlantic Sea Zone, round 2 : 4/4 hits, 2.00 expected hits
                Germans roll dice for 1 submarine in Mid-Atlantic Sea Zone, round 2 : 1/1 hits, 0.33 expected hits
                1 destroyer owned by the Americans lost in Mid-Atlantic Sea Zone
                1 submarine owned by the Germans lost in Mid-Atlantic Sea Zone
            Americans win with 3 fighters remaining. Battle score for attacker is -4
            Casualties for Americans: 1 destroyer
            Casualties for Germans: 1 submarine
            Turning on Edit Mode
            EDIT: Adding units owned by Americans to Mid-Atlantic Sea Zone: 1 destroyer
            EDIT: Turning off Edit Mode
        Battle in Tunisia
            Americans attack with 2 infantry
            Germans defend with 1 infantry
                Americans roll dice for 2 infantry in Tunisia, round 2 : 0/2 hits, 0.33 expected hits
                Germans roll dice for 1 infantry in Tunisia, round 2 : 0/1 hits, 0.33 expected hits
                Americans roll dice for 2 infantry in Tunisia, round 3 : 2/2 hits, 0.33 expected hits
                Germans roll dice for 1 infantry in Tunisia, round 3 : 0/1 hits, 0.33 expected hits
                1 infantry owned by the Germans lost in Tunisia
            Americans win, taking Tunisia from Germans with 2 infantry remaining. Battle score for attacker is 3
            Casualties for Germans: 1 infantry

    Non Combat Move - Americans
        3 fighters moved from Mid-Atlantic Sea Zone to United Kingdom

    Place Units - Americans
        Turning on Edit Mode
        EDIT: Removing units owned by Americans from United States: 2 infantry
        EDIT: Adding units owned by Americans to United Kingdom: 2 infantry
        EDIT: Removing units owned by Americans from U.S. Eastern Coast Sea Zone: 1 transport
        EDIT: Adding units owned by Americans to Celtic Sea Sea Zone: 1 transport
        EDIT: Turning off Edit Mode
        1 transport placed in U.S. Eastern Coast Sea Zone
        2 fighters and 1 infantry placed in United States

    Turn Complete - Americans
        Americans collect 43 PUs; end with 45 PUs

Combat Hit Differential Summary :

Americans regular : 3.33
Germans regular : 0.00

AAE-modified-game3-A5.tsvg

I gave you 55-56% @ Moscow because I thought it’d make the position more interesting.

@The_Good_Captain German Sub returns fire:
[dice 1d6<=2]

@The_Good_Captain Americans attack Germans in Mid-Atlantic SZ:

[dice 4d6<=3]

@The_Good_Captain Game History

Round: 5

    Purchase Units - Russians
        Turning on Edit Mode
        EDIT: Changing PUs for Americans from 45 to 37
        EDIT: Turning off Edit Mode
        Russians buy 4 infantry; Remaining resources: 2 PUs; 

    Combat Move - Russians
        1 armour moved from Karelia to Norway
              Russians take Finland from Germans
              Russians take Norway from Germans
        3 armour moved from Karelia to Moscow
        2 artilleries moved from Ukraine S.S.R. to Caucasus
        6 infantry moved from Turkestan to Moscow
        1 artillery and 6 infantry moved from Russia to Moscow

    Combat - Russians
        Battle in Caucasus
            Russians attack with 2 artilleries
            Germans defend with 1 armour
                Russians roll dice for 2 artilleries in Caucasus, round 2 : 1/2 hits, 0.67 expected hits
                Germans roll dice for 1 armour in Caucasus, round 2 : 0/1 hits, 0.33 expected hits
                1 armour owned by the Germans lost in Caucasus
            Russians win, taking Caucasus from Germans with 2 artilleries remaining. Battle score for attacker is 5
            Casualties for Germans: 1 armour

    Non Combat Move - Russians
        1 aaGun moved from Ukraine S.S.R. to Stalingrad
        1 aaGun moved from Stalingrad to Turkestan

    Place Units - Russians
        4 infantry placed in Moscow

    Turn Complete - Russians
        Russians collect 20 PUs; end with 22 PUs

Combat Hit Differential Summary :

Germans regular : -0.33
Russians regular : 0.33

Game History

Round: 5

    Purchase Units - British
        British buy 5 infantry and 1 transport; Remaining resources: 0 PUs; 

    Combat Move - British
        1 submarine moved from North Sea Sea Zone to Soviet Convoy Sea Zone
              Russians take Soviet Convoy Sea Zone from Germans
        1 armour moved from United Kingdom to English Channel Sea Zone
        1 armour and 1 transport moved from English Channel Sea Zone to Baltic Sea Sea Zone
        1 armour moved from Baltic Sea Sea Zone to Leningrad
        1 artillery and 1 infantry moved from United Kingdom to English Channel Sea Zone
        2 infantry moved from United Kingdom to English Channel Sea Zone
        1 artillery, 1 infantry and 1 transport moved from English Channel Sea Zone to Baltic Sea Sea Zone
        2 infantry and 1 transport moved from English Channel Sea Zone to Baltic Sea Sea Zone
        1 artillery and 3 infantry moved from Baltic Sea Sea Zone to Poland
        2 carriers and 3 fighters moved from English Channel Sea Zone to Baltic Sea Sea Zone

    Combat - British
        Battle in Poland
            British attack with 1 artillery and 3 infantry
            Germans defend with 2 infantry
                British roll dice for 1 artillery and 3 infantry in Poland, round 2 : 1/4 hits, 1.00 expected hits
                Germans roll dice for 2 infantry in Poland, round 2 : 0/2 hits, 0.67 expected hits
                1 infantry owned by the Germans lost in Poland
                British roll dice for 1 artillery and 3 infantry in Poland, round 3 : 0/4 hits, 1.00 expected hits
                Germans roll dice for 1 infantry in Poland, round 3 : 0/1 hits, 0.33 expected hits
                British roll dice for 1 artillery and 3 infantry in Poland, round 4 : 1/4 hits, 1.00 expected hits
                Germans roll dice for 1 infantry in Poland, round 4 : 0/1 hits, 0.33 expected hits
                1 infantry owned by the Germans lost in Poland
            British win, taking Poland from Germans with 1 artillery and 3 infantry remaining. Battle score for attacker is 6
            Casualties for Germans: 2 infantry

    Non Combat Move - British

    Place Units - British
        5 infantry placed in United Kingdom
        1 transport placed in North Sea Sea Zone

    Turn Complete - British
        British collect 19 PUs; end with 19 PUs

Combat Hit Differential Summary :

Germans regular : -1.33
British regular : -1.00

NOTE: I forgot to have the UK dudes in Europe take land. I did it in edits.

@The_Good_Captain Game History

Round: 4

    Purchase Units - Americans
        Americans buy 3 fighters and 2 infantry; Remaining resources: 3 PUs; 

    Combat Move - Americans
        1 transport moved from Celtic Sea Sea Zone to U.S. Eastern Coast Sea Zone
        2 submarines moved from Celtic Sea Sea Zone to U.S. Convoy 2 Sea Zone
        1 destroyer moved from Azores Sea Sea Zone to U.S. Convoy 2 Sea Zone
        2 fighters moved from English Channel Sea Zone to Russia
        3 fighters moved from Leningrad to East Poland
        2 infantry moved from Morocco to Algeria
              Americans take Algeria from Germans

    Combat - Americans
        Battle in East Poland
            Americans attack with 3 fighters
            Germans defend with 1 infantry
                Americans roll dice for 3 fighters in East Poland, round 2 : 1/3 hits, 1.50 expected hits
                Germans roll dice for 1 infantry in East Poland, round 2 : 0/1 hits, 0.33 expected hits
                1 infantry owned by the Germans lost in East Poland
            Americans win with 3 fighters remaining. Battle score for attacker is 3
            Casualties for Germans: 1 infantry
        Battle in U.S. Convoy 2 Sea Zone
            Americans attack with 1 destroyer and 2 submarines
            Germans defend with 1 submarine
                Americans roll dice for 2 submarines in U.S. Convoy 2 Sea Zone, round 2 : 2/2 hits, 0.67 expected hits
                1 submarine owned by the Germans lost in U.S. Convoy 2 Sea Zone
            Americans win, taking U.S. Convoy 2 Sea Zone from Germans with 1 destroyer and 2 submarines remaining. Battle score for attacker is 8
            Casualties for Germans: 1 submarine

    Non Combat Move - Americans
        Turning on Edit Mode
        EDIT: Removing units owned by Americans from U.S. Convoy 2 Sea Zone: 1 submarine
        EDIT: Turning off Edit Mode
        3 fighters moved from East Poland to Moscow

    Place Units - Americans
        3 fighters and 2 infantry placed in United States
        Turning on Edit Mode
        EDIT: Removing units owned by Americans from United States: 3 fighters
        EDIT: Adding units owned by Americans to English Channel Sea Zone: 3 fighters
        EDIT: Turning off Edit Mode

    Turn Complete - Americans
        Americans collect 42 PUs; end with 45 PUs

Combat Hit Differential Summary :

Americans regular : 0.83
Germans regular : -0.33

AAE-modified-game3-A4.tsvg

Two notes:

1.) Ignore the sub combat in tripleA. I manually rolled everything on the forums with the dicebot.
2.) I forgot to NCM the FTRs from USA to English Channel. I did it in an edit at the end of the turn so no worries there.

@The_Good_Captain German Sub returns fire:
[dice 1d6<=2]

@The_Good_Captain DD Fires:
[dice 1d6<=3]