Posts made by wove100

How about a neutral Britain, which will only enter the war against whoever attacks/activates Belgium? I mean, if that’s really why Britain declared war on Germany, it just makes sense.

@Hitlers:

I think Germany could make Africa to be much more than just a small time IPC grab. If Germany were to group its forces in either Belgian Congo or Angola it would become a set back for the Allies. France certainly wouldn’t have enough forces to make any feasible attack so Britain’s Egyptian stack is now wedged between the Ottomans and the Germans, unable to attack one as the other would come in from behind and attack, forcing the Egyptian army to wait till reinforcements from India can arrive in order to do both. This could delay the fall of the Ottoman Empire for a turn or 2 giving Germany & Austria-Hungary time to deal with the continental Allied Powers without worrying about the Balkan front getting reopened

My thought exactly, it all, however, hinges on how the British react with their forces in the Union of South Africa and Rhodesia (which can catch the Germans from SWA in Angola) and their forces in British East Africa and Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, which can combine and counter any move into Belgian Congo. The tie breaker could be the German Infantry from Togoland, but he’ll take 3 turns to get into the action.

So, the best move by Germany might be SWA force to Angola, Kamerun and GEA Infs combine in Belgian Congo, and Togoland Inf moves to Nigeria. This gives the Germans 1 Inf and 1 Art in Angola and 2 Inf in Belgian Congo. The British then have to decide what to do with the Inf in Rhodesia: move it north to make a 3 on 2 Inf fight in the Belgian Congo or move it west for a 2 Inf, 1 Art vs. 1 Inf, 1 Art fight in Angola. Then it’s up to the dice.

@CWO:

From the picture of the British sculpts, it looks as though the naval transport is an ocean liner – a good choice for a troop-transport ship, but not a good choice for a cargo vessel.

I think an ocean liner is perfect. They were used for many purposes during the war, even carrying butter and cheese to the Royal Navy’s Weapons Testing Establishment at Shoeburyness, Essex.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Lusitania#What_war_munitions_was_she_actually_carrying.3F

Looking at the map of Africa, I think my opening move as Germany will be to seize Nigeria with the Inf from Togoland, French Equatorial Africa with the Inf from Kamerun, Belgian Congo with the Inf from German East Africa, and Angola with the Inf and Art from South West Africa. It will add 4 IPCs to spend on turn 2, though I expect to lose German East Africa to the British on their first turn and probably will be subject to a British attack in Angola from the combined forces of the Union of South Africa and Rhodesia (no blitzing so the British will have to leave South West Africa German in order to bring the maximum force against Angola in order to prevent me from having 3 Inf and 1 Art in Belgian Congo on my second turn).

On Germany’s second turn, Angola will be contested (with luck), but I’ll still have Nigeria and French Equatorial Africa, but have lost German East Africa, so I’ll be 2 IPCs up on the deal. I can move my Inf in Belgian Congo to contest Angola or combine my Inf from Nigeria, French Equatorial Africa, and Belgian Congo to have a 3 Inf force in Kamerun. It depends on what the British did with their Infs in Anglo-Egyptian Sudan and British East Africa. Did the BEA Inf drop down and steal GEA or did the British player combine the AES and BEA Infs to contest Belgian Congo with my GEA Inf. Either way, I’m sure I got Britain’s attention and may have forestalled an aggressive offensive against the Ottomans.

Can anyone see a likely scenario where Norway and Sweden are invaded? I could see the UK invading Denmark to open a third/fourth front. I can’t imagine Germany doing it, if they want a Baltic invasion they’ll go for Finland.

My guess is the Persia, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Greece (in that order) are going to be the repeatedly invaded neutrals. The rest are just there for the warmongers who can’t help themselves. :-D

P.S.: Don’t think for a minute I’m not gonna invade Spain, just for the hell of it.

Cost: 6 IPC

Attack: 4 or less (Boosted to 5 or less with Air Supremacy)

Defend: 4 or less (Boosted to 5 or less with Air Supremacy)

Bonus: Promotes 1 Infantry or 1 Tank unit to the “With Artillery Support” Box

Special Battle Role: Heavy Artillery fire in a special round of combat after Air Supremacy has been established and before the rest of the land units roll. Attacking Heavy Artillery fire first, followed by defending Heavy Artillery. Casualties are removed according to OOB rules (except casualties of Heavy Artillery fire do not participate in the subsequent combat, they are removed immediately). Play then proceeds as normal with Heavy Artillery being subject to loss, but not firing again.

Just saw this at HBG!

Heavy Artillery anyone?

Should it be more powerful, fire further (from a territory away), fire before combat (the land equivalent of a naval bombardment)?

OK. Overnight brainstorm.

Flashman’s right, minor aligned and minor neutral IPC values should be incorporated into the controlling major power’s total, as directed in OOB rules. Minor power units are fully integrated into the controlling major power’s command structure (they move together, fight together, conquer together, etc.) Thus, the minor nations’ pieces are mainly to add flavor to the game for those who want to see distinct Belgian, Portuguese, Serbian, Montenegran, Romanian, Bulgarian, Greek, Persian, and Arab troops on the board.

The twist: when minor powers lose forces, the controlling major power may, during its Purchase Units phase, purchase units for those minor nations it controls whose capital territories are uncontested up to their maximum unit allowance (2X IPC value and only one may be Art, the rest must be Inf). During the Place New Units, these minor power units are placed in their respective capital territories (which, as mentioned, is usually their only territory).

The bonus: This rule allows players to muster new units closer to the action. Let’s say Germany wiped out plucky little Belgium on turn 1. If France is able to drive Germany out of Belgium, France will be able, on a future turn, to build 3 Belgian Inf and 1 Belgian Art right on Germany’s doorstep. Similarly, if Germany overran the Netherlands, when the Allies liberate the Netherlands, the British (who had taken control of the Netherlands when the Germans attacked), could build 3 Dutch Inf and 1 Dutch Art on Germany’s northwestern border. Or even a disastrous Allied landing in Greece, which is seen off by a combined Austro-Greek army and allows Austria-Hungary to build Greek units to help drive the Italians out of the Balkans.

The caveat: A controlled minor nation’s capital territory must be uncontested at the start of the controlling major power’s turn in order to build minor power units. Only the allied major power may build minor power units. A conquering power may never build minor power units (the Germans cannot build Dutch units after conquering the Netherlands).

Control of minor powers: In my conception, the first power to ally with a minor neutral power remains in control of that minor power for the rest of the game. Thus, if the British take control of the Dutch when the Germans attack, and the French later liberate the Netherlands, the British gain the 2 IPC boost and may start churning out Dutch soldiers on their turn (since the Netherlands would be uncontested when Britain’s turn begins).

For fun: Brazil and Siam both sent small contingents to France (Brazil’s arrived after the war and the Siamese arrived in 1918). So, Brazil and Siam enter the war when the US does and each is represented by 1 Inf. Brazil is controlled by the US and and the Brazilian Inf is placed in the US, where it may be re-mobilized if lost. Siam is controlled by the British and the Siamese Inf is placed in India, where it may be re-mobilized if lost. The controlling major power pays replacement costs.

I guess it was just a daylight savings-induced fever dream. After all, I’d just lost an hour of my life. :wink:

I know it’s hard to tell, but blowing up the image of the eastern mapboard, it strikes me that Poland may not have a coastline. When I look at it, it seems that Belarus might border the Baltic (it wouldn’t be much stranger than Tuscany bordering Naples).

Like I said, I’m blowing up the image and resolution drops quickly. It’s also late and just possible I’m having a fever dream.

Well, we’ll know soon enough. One last throw for an extant, but distorted East Prussia.

Edit:

The more I stare at it, the more it looks like Belarus might include Lithuania or that Livonia meets Prussia at one point, blocking Poland’s access to the Baltic (similar to how Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona all meet at one point, with Prussia and Livonia being “adjacent” in the same way Utah and New Mexico are - they touch, but movement directly between them is impossible in the A&A sense).

Like I said, I’m tired and desperate, so I’m swinging wild. I just can’t shake the feeling that something’s going on with Belarus. Look at Poland’s eastern border - it doesn’t swoop up toward the Baltic, it seems to be angled so that it meets the line separating sea zones 11 and 12 (although the fold in the board isn’t helping clarity).

So, Chacmool, are you somewhat statisfied by the way Greece is handled in A&A1914? As a minor neutral, it resists whoever invades it first, joining the opposing alliance.

@Flashman:

You wouldn’t need to place a marker - the colour of the tt tells you who controls them.

I was referring to minor neutral nations as opposed to minor aligned nations. Place a British marker in the Netherlands if the British will be controlling the Dutch.

@Flashman:

I wouldn’t have a separate economy for neutrals; rather I would consider them absorbed into their overlord for the duration, certainly for economic purposes.

My original instinct was to give the major power the IPCs for uncontested minor powers, but still allow extra placement of minor power pieces, but thought that might make things too good for the Allies.

@Makoshark13:

When would minor powers take their turn? Would it be on the same turn as their controlling power?

Yes, minor neutrals units are treated as fully integrated with their major power’s units, just a different color to add flavor.

Once I gorge myself on OOB, I was thinking of finding some pieces (HBG anyone?) to use to represent all the aligned and minor neutral nations in A&A1914. The idea being that if minor nations are uncontested, the controlling player can bring their forces back up to the maximum of 2X IPC value, with such forces being placed in the minor nation’s capital (which, of course, for most of them is the only territory they’ve got).

For example, Belgium is activated, but instead of placing French units, you place Belgian units (3 Inf and 1 Art). These pieces are controlled by the French as per the game rules, but if they are depleted, they may be replaced provided Belgium is uncontested (place a major power’s marker to denote which player controls neutral power’s forces). Since 2 IPC is not enough to buy anything, I would propose that minor nations may replace one unit a turn, infantry first. This also avoids keeping track of minor IPCs.

Obviously, France would lose the 2 IPC that Belgium would normally provide and so must look to German territory to provide an income boost. Minor nations conquer on behalf of their controlling power, so France would also get income from any Belgian conquests (theoretically possible).

Rumor has it that PCs require a right click.

And kudos to Flashman for spotting contested sea zones long before anyone else. Sir, I apologize for doubting you.

If you click on the video it pauses. Thankfully, the 3D board mock-up from the rulebook preview misrepresented the piece sizes. The tanks aren’t grossly oversized and the airplanes are larger than feared. I like the wheels on the guns, they don’t go round and round of course, in fact, they aren’t perfectly round!

I’ve always seen the limited production locations of Axis and Allies (whether Factories or Capitals) as a simple way of working supply into the game. Instead of rules about how close to a certain city or territory a unit must be to be “in supply,” Axis and Allies only allows placement of new units in certain territories. You can drive deep into Russia, but unless you keep up a steady march of reinforcements to hold the chain of territories leading back to the nearest placement center, your forces risk being surrounded and destroyed.

By the way, I myself pre-ordered online from coolstuffinc. I used to work at a bookstore, so I have a soft spot for brick and mortar, even if I don’t always frequent them.

It’s almost as if they have to pay rent on a physical space, stock it with product, advertise their existence, and have it staffed with people who can help customers who wander into the store. And how come they can’t get a quantity discount for pre-ordering a couple of copies from WOTC?  :-D