Posts made by The Pripet Martian

Last time I placed an order with HBG (a couple of weeks ago), shipping prices were unchanged. With gas prices rising dramatically, shipping prices will likely follow. That said, the prices you quoted seem quite high. I’d contact HBG to double-check before placing your order.

I love that photo of the Abraham Crijnssen. For a modern view, pull up Google Maps and go to the Dutch Navy Museum in Den Helder. Switch to Street View just south of the museum and you can see her today, sans foliage.

I stumbled upon this recently. The following is a true story, but could just as easily be a Monty Python sketch:

The HNLMS Abraham Crijnssen was a Dutch minesweeper in WWII. Based at Surabaya (Java) when the Japanese attacked, she was ordered to head to Australia along with other Dutch ships in March 1942. Finding herself alone, and with a top speed of 15 knots, odds of escape seemed slim…until the crew decided to disguise their ship. Using assorted jungle foliage and paint, the crew turned the Abraham Crijnssen into an island.

Sailing by night and anchoring close to real islands by day, the Abraham Crijnssen avoided detection and arrived in Australia 20 March 1942, the last Allied ship to escape Java. She served the rest of the war in the Royal Australian Navy, and is today docked at the Dutch Navy Museum.

This story puts a smile on my face every time it crosses my mind. And when I imagine John Cleese as the Abraham Crijnssen’s captain… :-D

As I see it, the absolute best the US could do is 1 Armor + 1 INF from Eastern/Central US and 2 INF from Hawaii into Persia on US4, and that’s assuming the European Axis declare war on the US in Round 1. There are just so many potential obstacles there: the presence of Axis warships or aircraft in the Med, U-boats remaining in the Atlantic, Japanese movements in the South Pacific.

In terms of distance from the US, Persia is almost the most remote territory on the board. With that in mind, I think the best way America can help her allies - the best way to defend Cairo/India - is to force the Axis to defend elsewhere. Trite though it may be, “the best defense is a good offense” applies here. American landings in Norway or Southern France, for example, can occur much faster than a Persian Expeditionary Force, draw Axis attention away from Cairo and potentially aid the Soviets.

Destroying the UK Home Fleet on G1 is sound strategy. Once accomplished, maintaining even a small Luftwaffe presence in Western Germany/France forces the UK to buy warships before they can buy transports and invade the mainland. If you’re bombing London every turn, the UK shouldn’t have a sufficient invasion force assembled before the Americans arrive on the scene.

When I invade the USSR, Phase One is a two-pronged attack, aimed directly at Leningrad and Ukraine. If you take those ICs, there’s no need to build one in Romania. Up until the turn in which I capture those two territories, I SBR them.

At that point, Phase Two kicks in: I shift the bombing to Moscow and Volgograd and advance on those territories. If the opportunity presents itself, you can ignore Volgograd and drive straight for Moscow, but I usually find the additional IC in Stalingrad really comes in handy. And yes, taking the more valuable southern Soviet territories should have higher priority than, say, Vologda or Smolensk. Caucasus is the northern gateway to the Middle East. Never forget that, while Iraq, Persia and NW Persia are worth 4 IPCs to the Allies, they’re worth 10 to the Axis.

Don’t forget to park a U-boat in sz 125 to deny the Soviets those 5 IPCs. Also, once Leningrad is yours, it should be fairly easy to send a small force blitzing through the northern territories to Novosibirsk and cut off that 9 IPC per turn flow.

I prefer a G2 Barbarossa. From G1 until Moscow falls (G5-7), I have three primary purchases:

1. Armor - Allows for rapid movement from Germany to the front, and from captured ICs to Moscow.
2. Mech Infantry - Same as above. 1 Armor + 1 Mech Inf = 1 Inf + 1 Art, in terms of attack power, but moves twice as fast.
3. Strategic Bombers - Use for SBR on London, Leningrad, Volgograd and Moscow. Force UK and USSR to spend as much as possible on repairs, instead of new units. Bombers based in France also project force into the Atlantic, forcing US to spend more on warships and thus delaying the inevitable invasion.

On the defensive side, I like to keep token forces in Normandy and Southern France, while slowly building forces in France and Western Germany for counterattacks. If there aren’t many Allied destroyers about, I buy 2-3 U-boats and place them off Normandy to further slow the Americans. And if the Italians can take Gibraltar and place significant forces there, so much the better.

As for taking Washington or Ottawa…I’ve done a Sea Lion feint and taken Quebec instead. It’s fairly easy to get a landing force to Canada, but a semi-competent American player will just push it right back into the sea. Likewise, the Americans would have to make a mistake of epic proportions for you to take Washington.

Good luck!

@weddingsinger:

Japan can land on German/Italian territories and doesn’t appear to need to declare war on Russia or even UK/ANZAC (Pg 35 names them as part of the Axis and Pg 20 specifies 'Units on the same side can share a territory or sea zone)

That’s correct, in theory. In practice, however, Japan can’t get a bomber to Ukraine without declaring war on someone, as the Japanese bomber wouldn’t be allowed to fly over Russian or UK Pacific territory and land in Ukraine without a DoW. The Soviet Union political situation (p.36-37) and Powers Not at War with One Another (p.15) shed light on the subject.

I think the biggest issue with R&D in the OOB rules is the randomness. As many have pointed out, how disappointing is it for the Soviet Union to achieve a research breakthrough, only to end up with improved shipyards, for example? With good house rules for directed research, R&D has great potential to upend existing strategies and allow for the creation of new ones (I’m playtesting house rules for R&D right now, and will release them when they’re ready).

The flawed OOB R&D rules have led many to avoid that element of the game, and it’s a shame. Considering the role technology played in World War II, a conflict which began with many countries utilizing biplanes and horse cavalry and ended with jets and the atomic bomb, playing A&A without it is almost criminal.

This is an idea I’ve been kicking around for some time, but my hat’s off to Charles de Gaulle for making it happen first. Sounds like it worked out just as I’d hoped it would. I look forward to trying it myself.

This isn’t my house rule (yet), but it just occurred to me that the OOB rule for scrambling air units is a bit odd. Specifically, why is scrambling restricted to adjacent sea zones? Why not adjacent territories, as well?

While I haven’t playtested it yet, I’m just curious as to whether anyone has tried this and if so, what they thought of the rule.

Happy to help!

Playing G40 vs AI, I just noticed that US movement to Greenland while neutral is not allowed. Not sure if this is a bug or feature, but I thought I’d mention it, as it completely nuked my “Fortress Greenland” strategy.  :-D

It seems Mel Gibson is set to direct “Destroyer,” based on the book, Hell From the Heavens: The Epic Story of the USS Laffey and World War II’s Greatest Kamikaze Attack. Reports indicate production should begin this fall or winter.

Just finished Munich, 1938 by David Faber. A very worthwhile read, IMO. For those who think Hitler enjoyed the full support of the German people and army, this book will be an eye-opener. Likewise, those who think Chamberlain was merely short-sighted in his quest for peace will learn what a dangerously foolish, vain and untrustworthy man he was. The book’s money quote on Chamberlain comes from a Labour Party leader:

“Within the limits of his intelligence, he [Chamberlain] is rational, but it is shocking how narrow those limits are.”

All in all, Munich, 1938 is a thoroughly-researched, well-written account of the British (and French) betrayal of Czechoslovakia and squandering of the last real chance for peace in Europe.

The expanded Gibraltar looks great.

My vote is for Option 3, though they all look good.

Again, well done!

Fantastic job - well done, Tjoek!

A few thoughts:

1. While the standing army icons aren’t necessary for the neutrals, my personal preference would be to have the number of units printed on each country, perhaps in a box or triangle and in a contrasting color from the name/IPC value.
2. Really like what you’ve done to enlarge Holland Belgium and Bessarabia. Wouldn’t mind seeing Gibraltar and SZ 110 a bit larger, if possible.
3. The eastern border between Kenya and Tanganyika Territory seems a bit muted or possibly thinner, compared to the border west of Lake Victoria…but viewing it again from a slightly different angle, it may just be my tired eyes.
4. Now for the first of two truly trivial points: While “Johnston Island” is technically correct, the more accurate name is “Johnston Atoll,” IMO. Johnston Atoll is made up of four islands. During WWII, the US had an airbase on Johnston Island and a seaplane base on Sand Island, part of the same atoll.
5. This goes beyond your map and to the game itself, but I’ve always thought the significant oil resources in Alberta should merit a 2 IPC value for that territory.

Do with these thoughts what ye will. Even if you don’t make any changes, it’s a beautiful map!

–PM

My top three, in alphabetical order:

Basil Hayden’s
Bushmills
Wyoming Whiskey

Nashville vs. Winnipeg in the next round is going to be quite a battle. Bruins-Lightning should be a good one, too. As for Vegas…I’ve been to a couple of games out there, and it’s incredible. Most playoff-like atmosphere for regular season games I’ve encountered, and I’ve been to over half the barns in the league. Can’t imagine what it must be like now. Highly recommend a Golden Knights game to all hockey fans, and as a great way to get first-timers hooked on the sport.

@simon33:

@The:

As Germany, I bomb every Soviet IC my bombers will reach. Hit Novgorod and Ukraine on the turn I declare war, then Moscow and Volgograd as I get within bombing range. Don’t let up until the turn you capture them. On the Western Front, I keep 2 bombers busy hitting London every turn.

I wouldn’t bomb the minor Soviet factories. Leningrad for pity’s sake!? You can often get this on the same turn you DOW and usually on the second turn after you DOW. Any troops bought there are toast! Similar with Ukraine.

My opponents consistently build an infantry stack in Novgorod on R1 and leave 1 INF in the Baltic States to delay me, so I’ve yet to take Leningrad in less than two turns after DoW; hence the strategic bombing. Unless the Soviets leave the Baltic States wide open and Novgorod lightly defended or Germany builds a transport fleet prior to DoW, I don’t see how you take Leningrad on the turn you declare war. Bombing Ukraine serves to discourage the Soviets from defending that IC…and because the max damage is 6 IPCs, it’s relatively painless for me to repair it once captured.

@Cornwallis:

So you bomb London and later in the game Moscow and India.
Do you usually built with germany in order to attack and take Moscow or do you built units to withstand an attack from moscow so you can bypass and take middle east NO’s?

As Germany, I bomb every Soviet IC my bombers will reach. Hit Novgorod and Ukraine on the turn I declare war, then Moscow and Volgograd as I get within bombing range. Don’t let up until the turn you capture them. On the Western Front, I keep 2 bombers busy hitting London every turn.

Rather than Italian can openers, I prefer the Germans initially handle the USSR on their own, while I focus on getting the Italians into the Middle East as fast as possible (An I1 amphibious assault into Syria or Trans-Jordan while advancing on Egypt from Tobruk is key). Once Italy has secured the M.E., they can build a minor IC in Iraq or Persia, assault through the Caucasus and meet the Germans in Volgograd.

For the Germans, I build 1-2 strategic bombers per turn, maintaining a minimum of 5 (2 Western Front/3 Eastern Front) at all times. Beyond that, I build mostly armor and mech infantry until I capture Novgorod and/or Ukraine, then build regular infantry and artillery at those ICs. I find the early armor/mech inf build the fastest way to get ground forces from Germany into Russia, which allows me to rapidly gain territory before the Soviets can build up much of a defense force.