Question I never imagined I would ask but remarkably it’s come up:
If Japan attacks the US (say Phil & 1940 Pearl Harbor) but does NOT attack France, ANZAC, nor UK Pacific, do the European allies enter into war with Japan alongside the USA?
Shockingly, the second edition rules are ambiguous. Please reply with a reference from the rulebook!
(G40E2 if that was unclear)
@marshmallowofwar Afraid not, the UK invaded it in early 1940/39, iirc.
As I see it, you’ve got:
1 TacB from SZ97 which lands on Malta.
1 Fg from Malta which returns to Malta.
1 Fg from Gibraltar which lands on the carrier.
& another Fg from the UK which lands on the carrier.
Am I missing something? I’ve always heard this referred to as roughly a coin flip–which is is, with only 2 fighters–but it’s much better than that with the extra UK fighter.
@tamer-of-beasts No worries at all; I know I’m a weak Allied player: that’s why I’m posting here hoping to learn!
I played both sides, TripleA AI just isn’t cutting it for me any more.
@tamer-of-beasts UK was castrated the entire game–they lost their full airforce on G1 scrambles & then Italy played a very agressivel African/Middle Eastern game after being handed the Mediterranean by a bad Taranto. Ger was convoying them the whole time & was StrB’ing them until they lost both StrBs. They were only buying defensive UK units, but it wasn’t enough with consistently mediocre to poor rolls in critical battles.
IIRC it went something like this (lesson learned–log your solo games!):
G1 is a very good round. Takes all of France, kills the SZ97 Cruiser, kills 110 & 111, wins the dice flip with Nova Scotia. Loses basically the entire air force but takes out the full scrambles on the UK’s part.
UK1 buys Inf & a Fg, loses Taranto badly.
I1 lands in Syria, buys ground troops. I2 takes Egypt, buys transports. Japan’s just doing its think, about to go money islands.
R2 declares on Japan, takes Manchuria.
J3 money islands simultaneously, wipes Russia out of Manchaku. I3 clears North Africa & Malta, buys CV & fleet elements.
G4 attempts a Dover landing, fails. Knocks those Inf numbers down, kills a Fg or two. UK rebuys Inf but can’t rebuy Fg. Successfully lands Scotland. Takes first line of Russian territories, stacks up in E Poland.
I4 takes Gibraltar with overwhelming force, leaves a tall stack of Inf & a few AAA there, moves entire fleet off the Iberian coast.
J4 is completely focused on Calcutta & continues to be for the rest of the game.
R4 has massive stacks in Ukraine, Novograd, each independently weaker than the slowly massing Ger stack but together far stronger. Retakes everything but E Poland.
US buys Tr, an Atlantic fleet, etc. US4 stages in 103 for a London landing if Sea Lion works & Normandy if it doesn’t. (France is completely undefended). Takes Caroline Islands.
G5 lands London, takes E Ukraine with big stack. Goes 50/50 on the deadzone skirmishes.
I5 suicides into the American fleet in the Atlantic. Doesn’t kill it but does knock a destroyer or two off, kills the fighters, tips the BBs.
R5 cuts off the German stack. US5 retakes London.
G6 kills the US fleet (another one is building in Norfolk), falls back to E Poland.
I6 is a full fleet buy. J6 takes India.
By round 7, Ger is uncontested in W Europe & is maneuvering/stalling around the swamps to keep russia’s deathstacks from merging. The Soviets have Norway & the second largest airforce after Japan around Russia/Novograd. They’re skirmishing with Italy in the middle east & Japan in China. The Atlantic is virtually under Axis control. Japan is in India but is losing China. The US is marching around the pacific but isn’t strong enough to really contest a Japan without any major fleet losses.
The UK isn’t going to make it when Ger lands a third time & there’s no American fleet poised to save them a second time. Italy is all through Africa–the Allied african forces haven’t died yet but keep falling back. Italy’s got Gibraltar on lockdown & is starting a shuck shuck to the Middle East. They built an airbase in Albania last round & are working on a bomber fleet.
I called it in favor of the Axis, although I suppose with really good US/Ru plays it might resolve the other way in 6-8 more rounds.
I’m guessing if I had a failure it was playing too passively as Russia. I had a deadzone along the front the whole time & was not in a position to fight in Germany’s home territory (although I had a tank in position to blitz through an undefended Romania/Slovakia, it was killed by a ballsy Italian air attack. Germany would be able to build up & take Russia eventually if it wasn’t having to spend resources holding off the Americans in the Atlantic, but the US really needed to start spending in the Pacific with Japan knocking out the Commonwealth (3G40 rules). I might try running this one again but playing much more aggressively as Russia.
@colt45554 Think it was 1 Fg rest Inf
Playing a solo game. UK lost Taranto with very bad rolls–the BB survived. G1 bought CV & TRs threatening Sea Lion. JP gunning hard for Calcutta. The Axis didn’t bring in either US or RU until round 4. Ended up winning Sea Lion in G4, dominating Africa/Middle East & winning the Atlantic while holding Russia off. US retook London but will fall again to German counterattack since they can’t fight through the combined German Channel fleet & escaped Italian Mediterranean fleet.
What was the best route here? I’m a weak Allied player & this solo game made it obvious.
On this note, is “blonde” or “tan” a better color match for OOB UK G40 pieces?
Hi all,
Big fan of 3G40 & the improvements it introduces to a beloved game. Wondering if there exists a set of rule/setup changes required/recommended to play it in only the European theater, akin to the OOB E40 game.
@Young-Grasshopper, if you haven’t already written those up, any off-the-cuff thoughts on what would be required to maintain game balance on half the board?
Bump. Tucson kid looking for players interested in testing house rules or just playing OOB
DM me to link up