Posts made by eudemonist

Where do fighter escorts stage for a bomb run on Germany?  Carriers off Denmark?

@edfactor:

so nobody just sets down infantry for Germany?

Not usually, at least not in our games.  Germany can’t afford to lose the North Atlantic, really, and they don’t have the beef at setup to hold against a British counterattack.

Seconded.

@jim010:

Correct, it doesn’t work in Alpha 2, and it all has to do with the new set-up.

Hell, the J3IC was one of the driving factors behind all the setup changes.

@Cmdr:

@eudemonist:

I strongly believe waiting until round four to attack with Japan is a death sentence right out of the gate.

Between Kwangtung, Phillipines, Borneo, Java, and FIC, you’re talking about a 30 ipc swing in territory alone, makes up for the extra U.S. objective money. On top of that, add maybe four bucks from disrupting ANZAC convoys (and four bucks hurts a LOT when you start with ten) and another couple from interdicting off Malaya.  You lose 10 ipcs from not getting the peace bonus, but convoy damage you can inflict offsets some of that, you’re halfway to controlling the DEI, you’re taking away a 5 ipc USNO, and you can stomp on India and Australia’s navy while they’re still tiny.

For a modest income boost early in the game, you are handing the Americans 75 IPC + the ability to drop 10 units a round into the Pacific?  This does not seem wise.  In fact, I have play tested it and I happen to know this is not wise.  America can recover from early losses, Japan can never recover from a single loss, anywhere.

Handing them 75ipcs?  I guess you’re talking about their bonus 25?  I think, if you look at the math, attacking J2 instead of J4 actually only “hands” them 25, as they would collect the bonus at the end of US3 anyhow.  The VERY MOST you could hand them would be 50, with a J1 attack.  Hyperbolic math does not help your case.

Did I mention we’re talking about a thirty IPC swing in territories, which makes up for that 25?

I have also playtested it quite a bit, and have reached a very different conclusion than you.

I strongly believe waiting until round four to attack with Japan is a death sentence right out of the gate.

Between Kwangtung, Phillipines, Borneo, Java, and FIC, you’re talking about a 30 ipc swing in territory alone, makes up for the extra U.S. objective money. On top of that, add maybe four bucks from disrupting ANZAC convoys (and four bucks hurts a LOT when you start with ten) and another couple from interdicting off Malaya.  You lose 10 ipcs from not getting the peace bonus, but convoy damage you can inflict offsets some of that, you’re halfway to controlling the DEI, you’re taking away a 5 ipc USNO, and you can stomp on India and Australia’s navy while they’re still tiny.

@Krieghund:

Those of you that are winning with the Axis, are you going for London or Moscow?

Moscow, in our games.

It’s a lot easier for German planes to reinforce the Med than it is for either British or Italian navies.

If you want Japan to invade, just stack up next to 'em.  They pretty much have no choice, I feel like.

Yeah, putting planes in Southern Italy has almost become a “must” move at our games.  Germany cannot afford to have the Italians routed early, Sealion or no.

Usually when I invade Russia with Japan, it’s because they have stacked up close to the border in numbers I can’t turn my back on.  I hate to do it, and it puts the mainland force way out of position, but if those eighteen dudes wait 'til my little nippers have wandered off south, they can be extremely difficult to kick back out.  Best way to keep me from attacking them is to make them less of a threat.

Think we’re gonna try reducing the Far East Russians to 4 infantry per territory in our game tomorrow.  Hoping that will ease up the pressure on the Japanese mainland and encourage the Russians to play defense up there rather than trying to big-stack the Japs.

How did we go from:

@Cmdr:

By round 3 I have:

Germany:

• Sweeden NO +5
• Russia NO +5
• London NO +5
• Egypt NO +5
• London NO +5
• TT = 40-45 IPC, say 40
  Total: 65 IPC

Japan:

• Dutch East Indies NO +5
• 7 Pacific Islands NO +5
• Either Hawaii or NSW NO +5
• TT = 50 to 55 PC, say 50 IPC
  Total: 65 IPC

Italy:

• Med NO +5
• N. Africa NO +5
• Iraq +2
• NW Persia +2
• C. Persia +2
• 3 of 4 NO +5
• TT = 24 IPC
  Total: 45 IPC

Total Axis income by Round 3/4 = 65 + 65 + 45 = 175 IPC

Allies, on the other hand, have about 37 IPC for Russian TT, no NOs.
0 IPC for England Europe
4 IPC for England Pacific TT, no NOs. (- convoy raids)
20 IPC for ANZAC (assumes Japan went Hawaii instead of NSW)
70 IPC for America including NOs
4 IPC for China
0 IPC for France
EDIT:  37 for Russia

Total: 98 135 IPC less any convoy raids.

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175 IPC for the Axis less 98 IPC for the Allies = 77 IPC advantage for the Axis.

Assumes Sea Lion success and non-crazy dice.

to:

@Cmdr:

Keep in mind,
the Axis combined earn 115 IPC, including most round 4 attacks and NOs.  
the Allies combined earn 196 IPC, including most NOs and Territories by round 4

?

@Cmdr:

Keep in mind,
the Axis combined earn 115 IPC, including most round 4 attacks and NOs.  
the Allies combined earn 196 IPC, including most NOs and Territories by round 4

Ah…I thought this calculation included a 20+ India and ANZAC.

@Cmdr:

Leaves England with 23 IPC (17 Starting + 1 Siam + 5 NO Original Territories = 23 IPC.)

If the Japanese can take a whole two territories, (Kwangtung and Borneo), that is reduced by more than half.

If your Japan can’t even take Kwangtung, yeah, that’s a problem.

If ANZAC has seized Java, Celebes, Sumatra, and Dutch New Guinea, that’s a problem, too.

I don’t think either of those is all that common, though.  I guess that means our Allied players must really suck, right?

@Cmdr:

Russia is perfectly able to stop the German incursion and repell it without the assistance of England or America.

Still don’t agree with this.

@Cmdr:

There are HUGELY significant odds that England/France will own all of N. Africa and the Middle East, and that England will have a minor IC off Egypt.

I think this premise is flawed as well.

I’ve had pretty good success sending a Russian ftr/tac east.  Not saying it will work every time, or that my opponents in that game were the best ever, but it can be viable, depending on the situation.

@Gargantua:

Ironically, I think the convoy raiding works better AGAINST the axis, than it does for it.

True enough.  One reason I like the German subs to be a little better at it.

“U-Boat Peril” is an optional rule that allows German (and only German) submarines to interdict 3 IPCs when stationed in an enemy convoy zone, as opposed to the 2 IPCs subs usually do.

@SgtBlitz:

Convoy damage just doesn’t really work in this game when you can use 1 destroyer and planes to kill a stack of subs who can’t escape.

I strongly disagree.  Convoy damage works great.  Float one or two original German subs down off the west coast of Africa.  Hard to get to, requires the Brits and French to either eat 4 IPCs a round or put themselves out of position to support the Med.  Sitting off Canada can be good, too.

As an aside, does anybody else play with “U-Boat Peril”?  Our group generally does, and I was curious how common it is.