Yeah its really pretty close, the only thing that feels like going backwards from Global will probably be the single hit carrier decks, and the fact that you don’t have cheap mech to play around with haha!
Ah that’s cool, coming at it from AA50, I think the main thing you will notice that’s different is the lack of shucks. The only really good shucks that still exist are…
For the Japanese: sz 61 to Tokyo and back.
For the British: sz 5 to UK and back. Harder to set up than it was in Classic or AA50.
For the USA: the only good shuck left is sz 36 to Borneo/East Indies/Philippines and back (to Push Burma)… But this requires factories and solid KJF positioning.
Other than those, almost every transport move requires launching 2 spaces outright.
The weird ones that might not seem as intuitive for a Classic player are the USA launch to sz 22 or sz 23. There is also the sz 10 to sz 3 launch (with the drop in Finland) for late game KGF, but I find myself going to sz 22 or 23 all the time. I would have considered this to be putting myself out of position in AA50, but in 1942.2 its actually optimal Africa coverage, since its hard to converge in sz 13 before the third round.
Also, for a German naval game, the go to here is the Med rather than the Baltic, even though Italy is only worth 3. Sometimes I will see the Germans drop a carrier to clear to the Med, because otherwise you don’t quite have enough range with starting fighters to hit everything you want.
Some people suggest a extra destroyer set up change for the Americans in sz 11, but I think this is kind of a buzzkill for the Axis, since it takes their best Atlantic U-Boat option off the table. (Another reason I prefer a Russian bomber, to all other bids.) Germany has enough to worry about with their subs and starting air, and I think giving the Allies more ships on the bid just really screws them and makes the German opening too one dimensional.
Optimal German purchasing absent the carrier is probably heavy artillery with armor to race behind, or heavy luftwaffe and just grind slow on the ground (their bomber threat is potent here, similar to G40.)
Optimal Japan purchasing is similar to previous boards, transports with naval or air, over starting factories. With the factories usually being dropped in the second round, once you get a chance to see which way Allies are going.
USA is a little harder to play than in previous incarnations of the 5 man game. It just feels like they have a huge responsibility and not quite enough money to make it happen, but I guess we’re all a bit used to that by now haha. I think they have a really strong priority to cover Africa early, and its pretty easy to do without too much investment, but beyond that taking an Atlantic or Pacific strategy to the next level can be pretty daunting. I’m a big fan of bombers for the USA if you want to get out early and feel like you’re having an impact. Building a fleet takes a bit longer. In general it feels like it takes USA a full round or even maybe two rounds longer to make a decent crossing when compared with their situation in AA50. Slower at the outset, but the same basic principles apply, as in the older games, once you’re get things up and running.
UK likewise takes a bit longer to establish an Atlantic fleet, most people like to spawn Spitfires and stay focused on India for the first 3 or 4 rounds, or at least until USA has a strong enough carrier force to cover them, or until their starting Pacific ships can swing around the globe and get back to England. Its kind of cool though, because by buying a ton of fighters early, you can really give Stalin some breathing room and have a better chance of holding onto India for a few rounds to make use of the factory there. Then when the time comes to drop an Atlantic fleet, you can just sail a few of these fighters back to land on double carriers buys (instead of having to buy fighters and carriers at the same time.) There is something just really satisfying about saving Russia’s ass, and then returning to sz 6, 7, or 8 the following round to land on two brand new carriers! A nice trick to help you stack up quickly on fleet defense when you need later in the game.
Well anyhow, enjoy the new board and let us know how it goes! I’m eager to hear the results of those early games, and to learn your thoughts on the map/balance. Hope your friends enjoy that Ruskie bomber idea.
She’s a total Russian “Night Witch” and a mean flying machine! Gives the Axis plenty of headaches over the long haul, I think you’ll find ;)
Hey Black Elk, I read through all your thoughts in this post, thanks a lot… I was able to sit in front of my setup and really get in to what you wrote. I’m playing the Allies on the 28th and I can’t wait to take advantage of all your game experience… especially after I read your massive Russian thread 8-)
