Posts made by Karl7

Nigeria was a British colony not French

I am not sure if we are disagreeing.  My point is that there is a window in turns Ger3-6 for Germany to try to kill/irrecoverably reduce the USSR before the US becomes an major presence.

How can Germany not?  US cannot even attack W-Europe or Italy by US3 with anything approaching a viable force. It will take US 4 or 5 for this happen and maybe even longer if there are sufficient u-boats around.

I agree a J1 is dangerous if the US goes KGF.  I managed to delay US intervention in Western Europe in force by keeping about 5-6 subs on the board with Germany’s air force in Western Germany.  This allowed some degree of tactical flexibility for Germany to attack the USSR and be in range to hit any fleet that came Germany’s way. Obviously this posture was only temporary as the US fleets grew in strength and would be able to handle Germany’s subs etc.  It’s really a question of timing.  On G4 with German sub still in play, the US usually will need another turn before they can move in force toward Western Europe beyond pot shots.  This allows Germany to throw most of weight east for at least one/maybe two turns with Italian help.  Subsequent turns obviously Germany will dedicate more forces west but if Germany can keep its momentum for a few turns the USSR will fall or Germany will be able to achieve some level of economic parity.

I won’t say its easy and bad dice will kill you.  But it’s a strategy that will at least give Germany a fighting chance.

Having played the axis and having won several times, I will agree the Axis are hard pressed but in no way forlorn to win.  I think the critical move to win is J1 attack. This effectively prevents UK East from reinforcing Egypt, allowing Italy to take Egypt with the forces it has on the African continent, nullifying the effectives of Toronto.  With the southern flank secure for a time, Germany can then isolate UK West with subs (no sea lion), build up its forces and assault the USSR turn 4 (with perhaps an Italy3 can opener attack) with all its got.  The trick then is to defeat the USSR quickly before the US can draw off Axis forces to the West.  In my experience only very savvy Soviet players can effectively withstand the onslaught, and even then if Moscow holds with Leningrad and Stalingrad taken, Germany will be pulling down around 80, enough to hold off while Japan expands.   The game then enters a new phase of actual parity, unless Japan can take India.  Then the allies or on the defensive.

In the older games, the allies had a marginally greater total income which only slowly translated into an allied advantage on the battlefield.  However, now, the income disparity is huge, and the Axis have only a few turns to run rampant before the weight of the Allies’ economic might will hem them in and crush them.  I think the problem primarily is that Germany is militarily underpowered.  It needs more planes, particularly when compared to Japan.  If Germany had more land units and a larger air force I think the game would be better balanced.

That being said, the Axis has won most of the games I have been involved in primarily because the US has been indecisive in the face of all its cash.  Ironically, the US player is fooled into thinking that with all its money, it can do everything and anything.  When in reality, especially with the expanded distances in the Atlantic, the US does have to make hard choices and really focus on one theater.  My greatest fear when playing the Axis is that the US will go for broke to smash Italy, open up the Med, flood the Atlantic with destroyers and start drawing of men in raids on France.  But, so far my US opponents tend to slowly build up large forces in the Pacific and then in the Atlantic that do nothing….

Russia, to my recollection, had one man in each boarder province, a large stack of Inf, I think the majority if its inf, in Leningrad, and then another in Viborg, with a tank-mech reserve force in Belarus.  It also had some modest inf stacks in the south.

Germany had 7 transports next to west Germany with more then enough inf and artillery to load – the sea lion fiegn.  It also had some inf, say 5-6 strong, in Finland, east Poland and in Romania with I think 6 tanks in support of Poland and 3-4 in supp of Romania and some artillery and mech.  Italy had 2 tanks and 2 mech in east Poland.  Germany also had 4 tac and 4 fighters and bomber all in range of USSR.

It3 opened up Baltics, G4 German blitzed to Leningrad and used transport to land some 14 men and guns.  Germany also moved into all the boarder provinces with Inf and attacked Viborg from Finland. The southern german forces moved forward one space.

USSR response was to attack Leningrad with everything in range, which was the entirety of its tanks and local inf stacks, which if I recall gave them a slight numerical advantage.  USSR won, but the result was devastating for USSR. This army was smashed G5, with Germany using its transports to bring in new units and inf in Baltics.  By G5 the USSR managed to pull together a large force in Bryansk from local units and from Russian reinforcements in an attempt to put together a defense.

On It4, Italy’s small force attacked from Baltic to Western Ukraine knocking out a blocking inf. G5 Germany blitzed through an empty Belarus into Bryansk with tank reinforcements  in Baltics brought up from east Germany. Germany also attacked with southern Tanks and mech force from Bessarabia through Italian hole in Western Ukraine in Bryansk.  Germany smashed the last major Russian force and its air force stationed there.  USSR could only reinforce Moscow with infantry and was defeated.

Once USSR was destroyed Germany would be in 70+ IPC. territory.  The US was only about to be able to land in strength in France.  With the fall of the USSR in only 3 turns after invasion, there was nothing the allies could do in terms of helping the USSR.  Also, Italy had control of most of Africa and the Mid East.

Italy moved its tank from Albania and its tank from Northern Italy towards the eastern front and bought 2 mech round one.  Round two the mech moved into east germany.  So two tanks and two mech were in range of the baltic states, which only had one man defending.

Standard G1 opening, UK fleet destroyed, France taken. UK responds by building destroyers in Atlantic but they are wiped out.  On G2, Germany builds transports for possible sea lion.  UK builds 10 men and reinforces with units from Canada and Africa.  US manages to land some units too.  G3, Germany does not invade but builds up land forces, feigning preparing for seal lion.  Italy attacks USSR on turn 3 and takes Baltic States. G4 Germany moves in and takes Leningrad, blitzing through Baltic states and using transports, destroying much of the USSR’s heavy equipment. USSR counterattacks with everything they have and loses.  Germany, using Italy again to clear a hole, manages to move a large army next to Moscow. USSR can only build 9 men, and then the allies capitulate – the fall of Russia was imminent.

In Asia, Japan did a J1 attack on UK fleet, Hong Kong, and Philippines.  Japan parked part of their fleet in the Carolinas with about 10 fighters/tac bombers on the island.  This prevents the US from moving in.  Japan built a 10 factory on Hong Kong.  The Asian land war slogged on without one side gaining any definitive advantage.  The game was decide in Europe.

Two realizations from the game: even though the US has 80+, poor US management will severely hinder the allies.  The US was a virtual nonentity in the game, splitting its income ineffectively between Europe and Pacific with no results.  In fact the US pacific fleet sailed all the way around Australia to get around the Japanese force at the Carolinas – a complete waste of time.

Second realization, USSR is not as strong as it appears.  After two rounds of continuous fighting the USSR was severely depleted with no tanks, one tac and a few men.  The Italy/German one-two-punch can devastate the Soviets if they are not careful about how they position their forces.  Grouping their tanks and planes one province back creates a sitting target susceptible to wholesale destruction, which is what happened.

While it’s pure speculation, I think that if the UK/US had never set foot in Europe but just kept bombing and supplying the USSR, the USSR would have eventually overwhelmed Germany and its allies, if over a longer period and at a much higher cost.  Even if Germany had been able to, for whatever reason, deploy most, if not all, of its divisions from the west to the east in 43, 44, or 45, I don’t this it would have allowed them to gain any long term strategic or operational advantage over the numerically superior Soviet forces.  Not to mention, the Red Army of 44, 45 was no longer the stumbling giant of 41, 42, and was only gaining in operational effectiveness.

One game, Axis win.

Germany destroyed brit fleet  G1, feigned sealion, causing pull back of all remaining Britsh ships to Britain.  This allowed Italy to move into Egypt since UK was buying all men and ships in UK.  Germany continued to buy lots of subs which, with growing air force, kept gutting UK fleets.  Italy attacked USSR first on It3 to open hole in Soviet line of defense, which consisted of 1 inf in each border province and then two reserve counter attack stacks in north and south one province back.  This allowed Germany to move in on G4 with tanks and mech to destroy one of the massive soviet counter forces, leaving almost nothing between german tanks and moscow.  Russia tried to pull forces together to defend moscow but Germany, using Italy again to punch a hole, blitzed to moscow on G5.

Japan was, despite its air force, a serious disappointment.  They never got enough troops in Asia to get momentum.  UK sacrificed Egypt to build up India and stopped Japan cold. The US fleet engaged the Japanese fleet around the carolines in massive, complicated and frustrating battles.  Japan came out on top, but was sorely diminished.

Hey All;

Old time A&A player looking to find dedicated, experienced players.  Own all copies of every addition/iteration of A&A.  Also own several knock offs and even developed own games.  I practice law in the city so weekends are my free time.  Live in Glenn Park.  If anyone interested in firing up a game, I would be interested.

Karl

Unless FMG makes exact copies of the existing AA pieces, there is no legal basis for WOTC to sue… although it may not stop them…

I am stunned by AA42.  It is just a rehash of basic AA with AA50 units.  What a missed opportunity.

AA consists of rules, a map, and units.  AA players can supply better maps and rules with abundance, and have done so.  WOTC maintains its market position solely by its monopoly on supplying quality units bundled with its uninventive rules and maps.  Once FMG starts selling its units, the game is over for WOTC.  There is nothing exclusive left to offer.  I may buy AA42 out of nostalgia, but I wonder if I will ever play it.

I certainly will pre-order.

K