Posts made by Ozone27

Eastern Europe is definitely cool, 'cuz you not only take out an ARM, you also prevent 3 ARM (in Germany and South Europe) from attacking Karelia T1. Watch out for his forces in Norway & Ukraine though–heavily reinforce Karelia. Eastern Europe has a tendency to majorly backfire if you don’t properly reinforce Karelia & Russia, or you use too many forces in the initial attack.

Personally, however, I prefer a more modest attack on Finland/Norway, while sinking the TR in the Baltic (at least) and moving the fleet to UK waters. Finland/ Norway is difficult-to-impossible for Germany to get back, provides a ready landing point for Allied seaborne forces, and best of all, whatever ARM you have after the attack is “safe” from German counterrattack–unlike in the Ukraine and East Europe. As USSR, I never waste ARM.

Just my $0.02.

Ozone27

Sure…if your enemy is making 41 IPCs. But what if USSR is making 26 IPCs? Then joint Strategic Bombing by Germany and Japan could be very useful. On (rough) average, you could score 6 IPCs each turn, which would definitely take the edge off the Russian threat for a couple of turns–until Japan comes in and starts gobbling up USSR territory. Of course the same is especially true of Germany (as most players already are aware)–knock off a few IPCs early in the game and Germany can become a hurting unit. Strategic bombing USSR (or UK) as the Axis is the only way I’ve found to be able to counter Allied Strat. Bombing.–unless your AAA can shoot them down, which as previously stated, only works about 1/6th of the time.

Ozone27

House Rules is House Rules and how you guys wanna play the game is up to you.

However, I personally would REALLY not like the rule because it tampers a little too much with the basics of the game. Sure, A & A is about stacking the odds in your favor where possible, but a lot of our most memorable games have hinged on a REALLY RISKY battle, that either succeeded or failed largely on luck. Dice rolls can be frustrating sometimes, but in a wierd way I think it actually ADDS to the tenuous realism of the game–throughout history, generals (including WWII generals) have tried to bring about circumstances in which a battle could be faught in their favor: but plans go awry; a single sentry could be asleep at his post, a single plane might make it through, a secret communique could somehow end up in enemy hands, a single platoon could hold out against overwhelming odds–in the chaos of battle, even small events can have a profound effect.
I think the element of chance is a vital part of the game.

On another level, I think your solution to the “chance” element needs to be tweaked a bit to be workable–rolling the dice and deciding whether to reroll or let stand on the basis of a hazy concept of “more or less likely” is gonna be bad news–it will lead to arguments. Also, how are you going to handle “research” rolls? These are NEVER “likely” to be successful–will you eliminate them, or impose a form of “progressive gains”–i.e. a particular power gets a particular technology on a particular designated turn? How about Strategic Bombing raids–how will they work? What constitutes a “reasonable” roll for a SUB’s 1st shot attack?
I’m not saying it CAN’T work–it’s YOUR house rule, you can play however you want–but make sure you know what you REALLY want out of the game before you tweak the rules: doing so can have a profound effect on the way games turn out…

Just some random thoughts…

Ozone27

I think 5 star is supposed to be “more aggressive”, where 3-star is supposed to be “more conservative”–although I’ve seen 5-star and 3-star USSR do the exact same things T1. One thing I know: the AI Allies don’t do s**t about Japan–making the computer game more or less useless for trying out strategems for Japan. As Japan, you can just WASTE the AI, 'cuz seems like no one will fight you…just my opinion.

And F.Spencer-I think you WAAYY overestimate AAA’s effectiveness and way underestimate Strategic Bombing’s. Strategic Bombing can easily push an enemy who is on a tightrope economically (i.e. Germany, USSR at the beginning of the game) into ruin, and as long as you don’t radically push your luck, can be very effective. The chances are only 1 in 6 you’ll lose that bomber: unless it’s got something better to do, why not go for it?
On the other hand AAA is necessary when you’ve got an IC in a territory that is vulnerable to Strat. Bombing, or when an enemy has scads of FTR’s and little else–but that’s about it. An enemy has to attack you with 3 planes for you to even have a 50%-50% chance of a hit–at that is only for the 1st round of combat. And if an enemy attacks with NO planes, your AAA gun is useless.As a comparison, an ARM costs just as much, attacks at triple the value, and defends at double–the only thing it can’t do that an AAA gun can is fight BMR’s on a Strat. Bombing run. Consider buying ARM (or even INF) instead…

Ozone27

P.S. Oh yeah I almost forgot–an ARM can’t be captured by an enemy and used against you: which oughta be a BIG consideration when buying AAA guns…

[ This Message was edited by: Ozone27 on 2002-03-10 22:39 ]

Yes…its an obnoxious bug. And YES the UK SUB begins on the Mediterranean side of the Suez–in range of the Italian BB.

Ozone27

A human is DEFINITELY harder to beat. Over the course of a few turns, the AI loses its ability to react to changing situations and is easily defeated. Worse, it possesses only a very few opening moves: beat them, and you beat the computer every time…

Ozone27

The only way can see it might pay to leave the US Hawaii fleet untouched is if you take Australia T1. This way you “pinch” the fleet between 2 more-or-less equal fleets, and they must make hard choices about what to do next.

Otherwise, just waste the USA fleet T1, while protecting your capital ships from harm in the counterattack; best way to do this–seize Hawaii as well…

Ozone27

P.S. TG is also right about the balance of FTR’s issue: You can attack and seize Hawaii (both land & sea) while ALSO attacking China w/ 3 FTR T1. Do it…

[ This Message was edited by: Ozone27 on 2002-03-07 21:09 ]

Thanks, TGMoses: those are some GREAT ideas!

P.S. I hafta nitpick w/ the original poster’s analysis of Diplomacy–the game is hardly a “dry logistical excercise”: in fact, emotions generally run pretty high in our games. Maybe its just us, I dunno…

Ozone27

Basically, as KING TIGER puts it, the Axis are a knockout fighter, and the Allies have an advantage in a long, drawn-out game. The skill comes in reversing the situation and learing to play the Axis in a long game–husbanding your resources–and the Allies in a short game, crushing the Axis in a few rounds. Once your crew get to be virtuosos in these styles, your games will become even more interesting. Till then, have fun with wierd strategies and try to anticipate your enemies’ moves. Try playing as the Allies and learn their weaknesses–this will really help.

If the “random” element (i.e. dice rolls) proves to be not to your liking, try playing Diplomacy. This venerable game involves NO chance and simply depends on your personal diplomacy skills to gain mastery of Europe. My buddies and I enjoy it as an alternative to A & A or when we have too many people to play traditional A & A…and you can’t blame “the rules” as an excuse if you lose…

Just some ideas…

Ozone27

See here’s the deal: Germany could WASTE Russia in short order if there were no other players, right? But he/she can’t because the western Allies require Germany to spend some of her IPC’s to counter their threat, right? So USSR is free to spend a whole bunch of IPC’s just fighting Germany with Allied help, right?

That’s where YOU come in! It’s not japan’s task to “kill” USSR (though that is sometimes possible) only force USSR to SPLIT her meager funds to fight both you AND Germany! Meanwhile you can pound on UK and USA (the Western Allies) to pick at their assaults on Germany.

So…gain control of the Pacific. Don’t lose capital ships. Use a minimum of money holding off the Western Allies. Build (or capture) an Industrial Complex in Asia and put 3 ARM, 4 INF onto the Continent each turn. If you can keep this up, and move reasonably aggressively, you and Germany can win the game. Simple as that.

This is not the be-all, end-all of Axis strategy, only the beginning…

Ozone27

Knowing what turn you are on would really help us. But assuming you are on an early turn, your priorities should be:

1.) Help your ally. Germany and Japan are outnumbered at the start of the game, so cooperation is paramount. If Germany needs major aid (and they usually do), launch an all-out strike against USSR. If Germany is doing OK then reduce the Western Allies’ assets in East Asia (namely China, Ssinkiang and India) 1st. But don’t let Germany down. Help in any way possible–try flying in FTR’s and BMR’s ASAP! Think about it–if you can eliminate an Ally you even the odds and maybe even win the game outright.

2.)Keep an eye on the USA. Sure, you are doing well now, but what will USA build next turn? They have a lot of money. The goal isn’t necessarily to kill the USA, just prevent it from launching a counterstroke against you in the Pacific. As long as you OWN the Pacific, you can be a lethal threat, but once you lose it, your help to Germany will rapidly diminish and your importance in the game will vanish.

Just some thoughts.

Ozone27

O.K how about this one? This is a rule my buddies and I have always used but I’ve always wondered if it’s fully legal. Can you pick up 2 INF w/ 1 TR, transport them 1 or 2 spaces to a space adjacent to 2 or more land territories, and then land each INF on a different space? For instance, can a laden TR in the Red Sea land 1 INF on Egypt & 1 INF on Syria/Iraq to immediately take the Suez? Or can a fully laden TR in Black Sea land 1 INF in Ukraine, 1 in Eastern Europe (or Caucuses)? Like I said we’ve always played the game that way but I’ve always been plagued w/ doubts as to the rule’s veracity.

Ozone27

[ This Message was edited by: Ozone27 on 2002-03-04 20:22 ]

Naah, my real problem is that I play better when I’m “on the ropes” than when I’ve got major momentum behind me. USA has a lot of money through most of the game, so I tend to spend cash willy-nilly and regret my purchases later. As USSR, I play well the first few turns, but once the Allies start going on the offensive I have an annoying tendency to lapse into inertia and continue “building up” against the Axis. I vastly prefer playing the Axis powers beacause of this, but (like everybody) am working to improve my weak areas.

As far as the attack vs. the Baltic Sea: I can totally see not wanting to risk a downed Soviet FTR on T1, but that German TR only gets a 1 for an attack–in my opinion its worth the risk to be able to put an extra ship in UK waters on Non Com. Just my opinion; everybody brings a different style to the table.

Ozone27

P.S. I’d like to mention that a good Germany player never forgets about the retreat option. If USSR has a TON of INF and Germany has a lot of ARM, he/she may decide it is in Germany’s best interest to attack Karelia in the hopes of a couple of good rounds w/ the ARM before retreating. This tactic is particularly devastating if USSR continues to languish in the 24-27 IPC income range while Germany takes over Africa and Japan swallows the Far East. Best defense: invest in a few ARM and stick it to him a few times before he sticks it to you.

[ This Message was edited by: Ozone27 on 2002-03-02 23:43 ]

A debugged CD-rom game would definitely be cool: maybe even include the original as a freebie w/ an A & A Europe/Pacific CD-rom!

Till then try Ebay: I’ve gotten all kinds of old out-of-production games from there, real cheap too…

Ozone27

…no, I meant that as far as MY playing goes, I am weakest as USA and USSR respectively. Sorry for the confusion…

Ozone27

MARGINALLY BETTER airpower!?!?!?! MARGINALLY BETTER armor!?!?!? What are you smoking!?!? The Germans pitted their crack, combat-experienced pilots in the ME-109 (the best battle-tested fighter in the WORLD at the time)vs. inexperienced Polish flyers in BIPLANES and “parasols” fakrissakes!!! The Polish military relied on DEFENSIVE DEPLOYMENT vs. the Nazis & Soviets in the hopes of an Allied intervention that NEVER CAME (thank you, UK)… and posessed NO MODERN ARMORED UNITS whatsoever.

The German military’s accomplishments in the opening stages of WWII are very impressive. But they are not THAT impressive. Don’t insult the Poles (or the French) for losing when they had neither the tools, nor the experience–only the GUTS–to win…

Ozone27

[ This Message was edited by: Ozone27 on 2002-03-01 21:54 ]

Look, I think it’s possible if you and Japan can CRIPPLE UK’s economy by taking land and strategic bombing while building up. Not probable, just possible…

Ozone27

Yanny’s is a good idea, but I usually lack the guts to attack 2 territories at once as Russia T1. 1 (preferably Finland, to save your ARM, is sufficient).

However I take issue with the attack mentioned by Anonymous using 2 FTR & a SUB vs. the German Baltic fleet. If you use the SUB, the German SUB gets a counterattack whereas if you don’t use a SUB it doesn’t. I’d take a risk and deploy the SUB vs. the German Atlantic SUB–you’ve got a 50% chance there (unless he submerges or retreats) and you can pretty much prevent the Gerry’s sinking the USA TR T1 if you succeed. Plus its 1 less SUB. Otherwise, just put the SUB w/ the TR in UK waters T1.

Just my thoughts.

Ozone27

P.S. I consider USSR to be my 2nd weakest country–after USA–when I play: so don’t pay me too much mind! :grin:

This is true.

Also, consider how your purchases are harming you: looks like you are buying 2 FTR T1, when 8 INF or even 6 INF 1 ARM would be more useful. Think about it: you are playing an essentially defensive game, right? Well FTR’s are the best defensive units in terms of hit likelyhood/unit, but w/ 2 FTR you are likely to hit only about 1 time per round of combat. W/ 8 INF you are likely to hit 2 or more times per round defensively–making it by far the better choice when you are on a budget (as USSR is). Offensively speaking–where are you going to attack? Probably not any Sea Zones after round 1; more likely on land. On land, Armor can attack just as well as FTRs, but cost LESS THAN HALF AS MUCH. ARM therefore are CLEARLY the choice when you are ready to go on the offensive as USSR.

Just some thoughts…

Ozone27

I 100% concur with my esteemed colleagues: USSR has essentially handed you a “free” tank in Africa–don’t let 'em get away with it! No one wants to be the guy who “overextended” himself in Africa; a minimal buildup with a maximum result is the order of the day here. This Norwegian ARM is essentially “free”; you start the game w/ it. Who knows you might even save the TR (not likely)! When you fly the FTR out T1 (highly advisable) the you’ve still got 3 INF in Finland–they are good for at least 1 hit in the inevitable battle. And by the time you lose Finland you may have 9 more IPC’s coming in from Africa to make up for it.

Just my $0.02.

Ozone27