Posts made by The Pripet Martian

To piggyback on Navymule’s comments:

The Axis must be aggressive early. Move fast, hit hard. Don’t neglect economic warfare - strategic bombing of industrial complexes and convoy raiding should be an important part of your strategy. Every IPC spent on rebuilding factories or lost to convoy disruptions is an IPC they can’t spend against you. Simply put, if you can’t capture it, convoy it or bomb it.

Speaking of economics…The European Axis need to get into the Middle East as soon as possible. Iraq, Persia and NW Persia are only worth 4 IPCs to the Allies, but they’re worth 10 to the Axis. Holding those three territories alone doubles Italy’s starting income, while allowing them to threaten both the USSR’s southern flank and India. Likewise, Japan needs to secure the Dutch East Indies before focusing on anything else, as those 20 IPCs per turn are necessary to compete against America’s industrial might.

Good luck! --PM

UK & ANZAC (same player) making no attempt to occupy Sumatra, Java or Celebes. UK did move 3 INF to Borneo, though.

When playing as Germany, I like to buy lots of armor and mech infantry to exploit gaps in the Soviet lines. Blitz, baby, blitz - and don’t stop until you’ve reclaimed the Tsingtao Brewery for the Reich!

We came up with a house rule to make AAA purchases worthwhile without rendering artillery irrelevant: AAA functions per OOB rules if attacked by air units. If attacked by air + land, OOB rules apply for the first round of combat, then AAA defends @2 vs. land units from round two on. When enemy land units are eliminated and only air units remain, AAA ceases fire. All other OOB rules for this unit still apply.

With this rule, we’ve found AAA quite valuable for defense, but artillery units are still necessary for offensive operations.

Fun Fact: My grandfather commanded a AAA company in the war. In January 1945, they provided security for the first convoy to use the Ledo/Stilwell Road.

From what I’ve read, CfNA perfectly fills the niche market of strategic wargamers who are actuaries or accountants in real life and love their jobs so much they wish to continue working off the clock. I’d love to run a marketing campaign for it: “If you’ve mastered The Cones of Dunshire and seek a new strategic bookkeeping challenge, CfNA is the game for you!”

That said, a part of me is seriously intrigued by this ridiculous behemoth of a game. Unfortunately, my wife has informed me that A) our apartment isn’t big enough, and B) our marriage isn’t strong enough for The Campaign for North Africa.

@taamvan:

Why would they attack it?   I don’t think I understand your proposal from the point of view that you have 2 weak and 3 pathetic teams up against 2 strong enemies and 1 weak one so there would no balance in that game or any point in depicting the USA because the only time to attack it would be after you defeat the weak enemies one by one (there is no strong ally at all in your proposal…)

Off the top of my head, the only reason to provoke the US would be to finish off the British, who would (in event of Sea Lion) be operating out of Canada. Like I said, victory conditions would need to be adjusted to give the Allies a fighting chance, but it could be interesting.

@taamvan:

Could the UK and USSR have defeated Germany without the US?

This is every game.    If you mean America never has a forced entry into the war, then why would it even be depicted, just leave it blank.

What I’m suggesting is an extension of the Monroe Doctrine: The US remains a strict neutral unless any Axis power attacks a territory (or adjacent sea zone) in the Americas or any American-controlled territory in the Pacific. The US would continue to purchase units, do noncombat movement and collect income, but that’s it. Combined with the previously-mentioned rule mod, that would allow the UK government to flee to Canada when Sea Lion comes and in effect enjoy American protection whilst continuing the fight against the Axis.

Victory conditions might need adjusting, but it could be fun/interesting…or just the quickest game of G40 you’ll ever play.  :-D

I know this won’t end debate on the original question - Could the UK and USSR have defeated Germany without the US? - but I’m curious: Has anyone tried playing G40 with the US as a strict neutral, thus taking America out of the war? With modified rules (Allies don’t surrender IPCs & can still purchase units/collect income when their capitals are captured, for example), it might be an interesting exercise.

Axis & Allies and Zombies? Perhaps for thee, but never for me. I have no interest in this game, but I also understand it wasn’t made for folks like me, who grew up playing Classic A&A, Squad Leader, Panzer General, etc.

I get the attempt to use the brand to generate more revenue, and if it does, in fact, lead to more “real” A&A games, I’m okay with it. Will A&A&Z turn out to be a “gateway” game, luring more unsuspecting millennials down the path toward the hardcore gaming greatness that is G40? A few, maybe. Even if it is only a few, however, that still represents progress, and I’m all for that.

Will A&A&Z kill the brand? No more than The Phantom Menace killed Star Wars. I’m not concerned. And it could’ve been much worse. A&A and Harry Potter? Pokemon? Zombies might be the lesser evil here.

Just finished Paul Kennedy’s Engineers of Victory: The Problem Solvers Who Turned the Tide in the Second World War. It’s a fascinating read, detailing the obstacles the Allies had to overcome in order to win the war and how they did it. Kennedy breaks the obstacles down into five chapters:

1. How to Get Convoys Safely Across the Atlantic
2. How to Win Command of the Air
3. How to Stop a Blitzkreig
4. How to Seize an Enemy-Held Shore
5. How to Defeat the “Tyranny of Distance”

I learned a great deal from this book (for example, I didn’t know that from 1943-45, roughly 75% of U-boats sunk were killed by Allied aircraft) and thoroughly enjoyed the read. I also found it quite thought-provoking, from an A&A standpoint. If you’re looking for inspiration/ideas for new house rules, particularly for R&D, read this book. If you play Global 1940 (or just Pacific 1940) and find yourself struggling to develop a coherent strategy for the Pacific theater, read this book (chapter 5 in particular).

Two additional notes about Engineers of Victory: First, the Introduction may seem a bit dense and off-putting. As I read it, I thought, “this book is going to be a bit of a slog, isn’t it?” Happily, my first impression was completely wrong. The book only gets better from there, so don’t let the intro deter you.

Second, the chapters are quite long, about 70 pages each. Fortunately, the author has broken them up with sub-headers, which make for good stopping points.

Overall, I’d rate Engineers of Victory a must-read, one that expertly fills in the gap between stories of tactical-level combat (e.g., Band of Brothers) and grand strategy/memoir (Churchill’s The Second World War, Patton’s War As I Knew It, et al).

If you’re ever in the Tampa, FL area, take a couple of hours to visit the S.S. American Victory. Built in 55 days and launched in 1945, she hauled military cargo to the Philippines and China during WWII, and also served in Korea and Vietnam. She’s a floating museum and training ship for first responders now. The American Victory is one of three remaining Victory ships. Well worth the time!

Spaceba, GHG! Not sure how I missed that thread previously.

@John:

Navymule, I prime everything with Krylon primers first, then I paint with either Vallejo, Americana, Folkart or Model Master Acrylic Paints. The last is to clear coat with either a matte or glossy finish.

I’m new to painting, so I have a few rookie questions:

1. I just bought some Caesar Miniatures and simply want to paint them in OOB colors. Should I still follow the primer–>paint–>clear coat path, or is there a less labor-intensive way?

2. Any recommendations for particular paints to match Germany, Italy, USSR & UK OOB colors would be greatly appreciated.

3. Also, I went to both Hobby Lobby and Michael’s over the weekend and saw lots of lacquer paints for models, which I haven’t seen mentioned here. Should I avoid them?

Thanks in advance,
P.M.

I’m reading Paul Kennedy’s excellent “Engineers of Victory” and stumbled upon this nugget whilst sipping my morning coffee:

“…Finally, from mid-1943 onward, all those Russian weapons systems [he’s talking about anti-tank guns and mines] had one further advantage: the mobility brought about by the continual stream of Studebaker trucks and the ubiquitous jeeps. Mutual Cold War chauvinisms later produced a silly debate about how much or how little American Lend-Lease aid actually “helped” the USSR during the war, and it is quite true that the majority of Red Army vehicles (58 percent of its 665,000 trucks by war’s end) was produced in the country itself. Yet it is also true that the American trucks and jeeps were significantly more robust and reliable, that the frontline Soviet commanders insisted on having them, and that they were exclusively used to carry guns and ammunition for combat units, while the Russian trucks were employed to bring up follow-on supplies and carry back the wounded. (A nice symbiosis is observable here: American trucks, brought over in British naval convoys, helped Zhukov’s frontline mobility.) By 1944, ironically, a completely motorized Russian antitank regiment could probably move around faster than a tank regiment itself. No other army managed that.” –Engineers of Victory, p.196

Just thought I’d throw another log on the fire.  :wink:  Oh, and if you haven’t read this book, you really should. Two thumbs up.

@Imperious:

If Germany only had to fight Russia, they would lose from 1942 onward. The Soviets won that on their own and had greater manpower draw than Germany and could replace loses much more quickly. The west doesn’t like this truth, but who cares. But before 1942 Germany could have won depending on actions.

From 1942 onward, the Germans were forced to commit ever-greater resources to North Africa/the Mediterranean, not to mention diverting fighter squadrons to combat the UK/US bomber offensive. In this scenario (UK forced out of the fight, US strictly neutral and sending no aid to the USSR), the Germans would’ve fought a single-front war against a single enemy - one which, without the benefit of Lend-Lease, would’ve had 400,000 fewer jeeps and trucks, 7,000 fewer tanks and over 11,000 fewer aircraft. Under those circumstances, I don’t think the Russians could’ve done it on their own.

Could the USSR and UK have defeated Germany without the aid of American forces? Quite possibly, though I suspect the war would’ve dragged on into 1947 or even '48, and like Midnight_Reaper said, the Soviets would’ve ended up in control of most of Western Europe.

Could they have defeated Germany without US Lend-Lease and other aid? I doubt it. England would’ve been starved into submission and forced to sue for peace, leaving Germany with only one enemy to worry about. The Soviets might still have kept them out of Moscow, but at a much higher cost (which, given the price they paid, boggles the mind).

Just stumbled upon this thread today. A very interesting and worthy topic, IMO. The ultimate question: How do we get more people playing A&A? Bear with me while I think out loud…

I got my first copy of A&A in 1984 (I was 13), because A) I’m fascinated by history, B) I love strategy games, C) Risk sucks and D) I suck(ed) at Chess. I was instantly hooked. Played it all through high school. In college, life intervened and the game gathered dust in my closet until my son was old enough to teach (around age 9 or 10, as I recall). Through the game, I imparted my love of history, critical and strategic thinking to him. As he got into high school, we played less and less, because girls/friends > dad (which is how it should be). He’s still got the game, though, and picked up Europe '99, Pacific '01, D-Day, Battle of the Bulge and Guadalcanal along the way. He introduced his friends to the game and, while they aren’t hardcore A&A fanatics, they still play from time to time.

After several years away from any version of A&A, my wife and I were playing Scrabble one night (yep, we’re party animals) early last summer and having a great time. She commented that she really enjoyed Risk growing up. I said, “How would you like to play a game similar to Risk, but infinitely better?” She said she would, so I immediately bought 2nd ed. Europe & Pacific 1940.

Never having played any version of A&A before, my wife struggled with the rules (and still has problems distinguishing destroyers from cruisers on the map at times). What kept her interest through the early struggles was the awesome potential for customization of G40. She’s always been into arts & crafts, and loves the fact that she can play a great game and use her creativity at the same time.

I can’t stress enough how rough the road was the first couple of times we played. She often became frustrated when she’d try to make a move and I’d tell her that she couldn’t, as it was against the rules (doing a non-combat move during the combat move phase, for example). I honestly believe that, if not for the great customization videos from Sired Blood, General Hand Grenade, Der Kuenstler and others, she would’ve lost interest in the game.

Their videos fed my wife’s imagination, though. They got her thinking about the game almost as an art project. She loves her art projects, so she stuck with it. Now, she also loves the game itself.

Lastly, my dad played classic A&A with me when I was a kid. Last month, I introduced him to G40. He enjoyed the experience and looks forward to playing again. At 77, he worries that he’s not as sharp mentally as he used to be. Dad told me that playing G40 is good exercise for his brain. He’s right.

So there you have three targets for A&A outreach: children (best for teens, of course), people who like both arts & crafts and games, and retirees with an interest in history.

We alternate between music of the era and classical. You know it’s time to change to the classics when the Glenn Miller Orchestra’s “Juke Box Saturday Night” is stuck in your head and instead of contemplating strategy for the next turn, you find yourself wondering what, exactly, is a “soda pop rickey” and how can you get one right now?

Also, if you’re not singing along with “Praise the Lord (and Pass the Ammunition)” or “The G.I. Jive,” you’re doing it wrong.  :wink:

The Patton soundtrack is also great…if you can find it.

I’ll close with a Pro Tip: For those days when you’re hosting the game and are ready to wrap it up and send everyone packing, I recommend an hour-long bagpipe CD - works like a charm.

I don’t know about the other pieces, but HBG had a handful of Japanese Paratroopers back in December (found them while sorting through backstock, apparently) - no more than a couple dozen, as I recall. I was fortunate enough to get one set of five in Pumpkin Orange. The rest were gone within a week or two.

@Private:

Thanks for those recommendations Pripet. I have just bought Jimmy Stewart: Bomber Pilot by Starr Smith.

My pleasure, Pvt. You picked a good one, IMO. Enjoy!