I'm not sure how long AA50 was tested or how many different testers there were, but we've been playing competitive games (tourney-league) here for 7 months  and one thing I've noticed is it is incredibly hard to duplicate results to test long term playouts.  I've seen lots of similar attacks but very rarely have I seen games with the exact same dice rolls for G1, R1, and J1.

Now that could be one line of thinking, more variety in rds 1-3 over how will things look if we get to rds 6+.
Afterall, it is a boardgame designed to be played FTF with up to 6 players on a weekend with your buddies, on-line play is 1-1 for the most part.  One player working 3 countries is much more effiicient then 3 different players.

So, on-line is much more competitive in that "funness" may be sacrificed at the higher levels of play so that you can win the tourney, win the league, have the best record, etc.  I'm not saying the game isn't fun for a person that wins a tourney or goes 16-0, what I'm saying is at some point winning becomes more important over things like the historical nature of the game, playing muli-player, or if KGF is better than KJF, etc.

Testers have a limited time, we have years if needed to find all the bugs.   

True.  But it really depends on circumstances.  It is really only a 1 time trade b/c you're right, Aus is far away, but sometimes that one time trade is worth it, if you are potentially playing a delaying game with Japan.

As the Allies it may be worth it to see Japan have to go back to Aus for a second time instead of sending the units to Asia.  It really depends on your overall strategy, but coupled with a US Pac strat you might be able to make an opening for yourself.

Perhaps in Japan's attempt to retake they need to move part of their fleet to the Coast of Aus, maybe this moves some capital ships or ftrs out of range of your US fleet that can move somewhere in the Northern Pac.  Or Maybe J's counter of Aus would put their ships in range of US subs/air.

That 's one thing about the Pac, there are so many sea zones it is very hard to plan for every contigency particularly when you really need to look 2-3 turns ahead.  Too much can happen in the mean time that makes long term planning (other than I want to move to Sol by Rd X) very hard.

I've seen the EInd IC work both for and against Japan.  Yes you can get ships in the water, and easily get to Aus, but if the US does use a more northernly apporach, you run the risk of having a divided fleet.

I do agree that trading with Japan in the Pac is really hard but what isn't as hard is amassing a fleet and making an initial move with your UK units (initially from Aus) and then backing them up with 2-4 US units and the US fleet.  Depending on how the US builds their fleet (better Def numbers with lots of ACs and ftrs and a few DDs) it may be to their adv to invite a J attack.  Typically the attacking fleet, if it survives is open to a counter so it comes down to the question of, is Japan willing to lose its BBs/AC/Ftrs/CAs for the US fleet of AC/Ftrs/DDs and its counter.  A good example would be the US fleet at Sol.  Maybe US has some subs/DD/AC/Ftrs at Sol and buys 5-6 subs and has its 2 boms in Wus.  Does Japan really want to attack the US fleet at Sol?  Can it even attack?
If it does can it survive the counter, and who ultimately benefits from the mutual destruction?
If it can't attack then the Allies have a pretty good position to be really annoying and will probably end up holding Aus for good within a turn or two and may be able to push on Car where more reinfocements from Sz 56 can arrive.

I think a KJF is viable, although IMO it is not necessarily a true KJF since it is very hard for Russia to commit much.  Infact it is usually pretty hard for the UK to lend an extensive hand but they can help out.

But I do think the US can go toe to toe with Japan and keep them in check.  It really isn't that hard to get an early massive US fleet to HI or Sol, the key is what can you do after that.  You'll often need blocker DDs to help you pick off some islands and the UK trn/DD with 1 inf, 1 rt can also create trouble.

You can actually trade or retake Aus or take Car and reinforce with the US or use the US to block J fleet movements.  The thing about Car is once you take it with the UK (or US) in order for Japan to retake they'll likely have to move a large portion of their fleet into range of a ton of US subs and US fleet.  The US can still commit 2-4 units to Afr or Europe while spending the reamaining 36-42 ipc on the Pac.

Ideally you can force Japan into having to protect 2 fleets b/c early on they are often so spread out b/c they need to expand so much in rd 1 and 2 and this limits there overall counters in the first few rds to US fleet moves.  So an early large scale investment by the US followed by a rd 2 or 3 move to Sol can cause some problems.  At the very least you can prevent any Japan involvement in Africa and even can retake India via your starting UK units and maybe a spare Russian troop or 2.

You can also get the US earning well into the 50's pretty easy depending on how you want to play it out, but the US has the potential to take any one of these in the first 2-3 rds: Alg/Lib/Nor/Fin.  Usually it works out to where the UK can take one set and the US can take the other.  And if Russia happens to take both Fin and Nor, then great they'll be able to aid in Per with the added income.

Regardless of KGF or KJF you want to take Fin/Nor in Rd 1 and 2 so you can immediately focus on getting Russia her big NO. 

For me it depends on a lot of factors, how much air do I have, much is the Ter worth, is it a vital Ter to have, etc.

I'll usually go 2 inf with air (vs. 1 inf) in most cases.  But if there are 2 defending inf and I have overwhelming air (3-4 planes), I'll match and go 2 vs. 2.  With less air I may go 3 inf vs. 2, and for things that may not be that important but I'd like to try I'll match and go 1 inf + planes vs. 1 inf.

In the case of Russia where planes (either 1 plane or no planes) may be light, I vary anywhere from sending in:
2 inf, 1 inf + 1 rt, 2 inf + 1 rt, 3 inf
These would be for the situation when attacking only 1 inf. 

I try to preserve my rt and arm so I use Inf attacks only when possible.  The odds aren't that much different.
Win % (attacking 1 inf)
2 inf = 67%
1 inf, 1 rt = 87%
2 inf, 1 rt = 97%
3 inf = 90%

So unless it is a ter that I must take to maintain the deadzone and prevent the other side from being able to land planes for added defense if they choose to try and stack, I'll use inf only attacks when I can.

I've started to notice myself getting a better feel for the Allies, it took some losses to weed out bad ideas but I'm getting there.

The early turns are magnified in AA50 and dice in rd 1-2 play a much bigger role.  That is where the Advantage comes from, not the setup.  If Ger wins Sz 2 and Egy the Adv shifts to the Axis, if Ger loses one of the two, I'd say you're in for a 50/50 game, if they lose both Adv Allies.
Egy is more important than Sz 2 but a good showing in Sz 2 can overcome the Allied loss in Egy.

Some helpful notes:

Russia
-if you can hold Kar on R1 do it.  Bonus if you can take Fin as well.  This likely means you can attack Bst on R1
-if you can't counter Bst, consider a UK ftr to help hold Kar to prevent a G2 attack.
-deadzone Kar if you really want to take Fin and Ger stacked Bst heavy
-buy at least 3 arm if you deadzone Kar, you can buy Rt if you feel you can hold Kar so you can use them to take back Belo/Eukr/Ukr if needed.

UK/US
-on UK 1 always buy an AC and at least 1 trn
-it is a good idea to get a US AC for the Altantic on US 1 as well.
-on UK/US 2 take Nor and place more ships in Sz 3 (or have the US take Nor on US 2)
-whichever power plans on taking Nor have the other one take Alg as heavy as possible.

From here on one power should always be sending something to the Nor/Fin/Kar area while the other takes out the Ita fleet (hopefully Rd 3) and supports northen Afr.

In the meantime the Allied ships in the Pac can all move back to Sz 56 where you can mix in a few sub buys to protect the West coast and still threaten Car Is with your UK trn and troops.

The Big Russian NO is doable, particularly if you take Fin in Rd 1 and Nor in Rd 2.

Yeah, it's all been spam.

BBs do also help deter a 1-2 G-J attack since both attacking countries have to go through the free hits of the BBs.

In most cases I usually opt for a DD + CA vs. 1 BB since you still get 1 shore bombardment and get two defensive rolls, but I think an AC + BB + Trn (or DD pending Ger threat) is a solid buy on UK 1 particularly if your other BB surived.  I'll have to try this as an alternate to the 3 CA + trn buy.

If my BB survives, I like to buy 3 Cruisers and 1 trn.  This gives me a complete compliment of shore bombardments for the 2 trns.

If Germany buys any air and/or I lose the BB in Sz 2, I go something like 1 AC, 1 CA, 1 DD, 1 Trn.

If I lost the BB, but Germany didn't buy air and isn't in position to threaten I might buy something like
1 AC, 1 CA, 2 Trns.

I'll get any additional Cruisers on the turn I move my UK fleet to Sz 3 or Sz 6, usually turn 2 or 3 depending on Africa situation.  If I go the Cruiser route, I like to eventually have 4 for 2 transports worth of bombardment.

I have found that you can never really have too many Allied Capital ships in the Atlantic and it seems better to buy them early rather than later.  It is usually pretty easy for Ger to buy an extra ftr/bom here or there and Japan can also get plenty of planes to Europe which gives Ger-��� a potential 1-2 attack on the UK.  Assuming the UK does lose its BB, I think a UK AC and US AC are pretty much mandatory in Rd 1.

What's the ruling on AA-guns,

Scenerio -
Japan takes control of Persia and gains control of an AA-gun.
Russia liberates Persia.

Is the AA-gun now Russian or UK?

This is a good question, I've always wondered if there is a "standard" time when you should forgo this NO.

I've been all over the board, I've landed UK ftrs in Kar/Belo as early as Rd 1, with option to leave in Rd 2, but you do miss the NO on Russia 2, but I've also had games where UK focuses more on Afr, so I might not get to Kar until Rd 5.

Certainly game circumstances can make a difference but I think as long as you are dropping more than 2 units (and have the ability to continue to shuck troops) into Russia it should be fine.  Assuming you can protect your fleet, the sooner you can shuck troops directly to Kar the better.

Now I've been shooting for about rd 3.  Figure either UK/US take Nor in Rd 2, that means you could negate the NO in Rd 3 if Russia took Fin (or armor blitz to Kar) or in Rd 4 once you get to Kar.

But as I said I will also land planes in Russia for a turn if I want/need to get them to somewhere like the Middle East, or if Germany had a great start and 2-3 Allied ftrs are needed immediately for defense of a key territory.

Thanks.

[BOTH]

Yes, and directly above that the rules define eligible landing space, which includes "a sea zone that is adjacent to an industrial complex you own if you will be placing an aircraft carrier that you previously purchased in that zone."

You have to move existing fighters during NCM to the sea zone whre you want to build the AC and leave them there waiting for the carrier to be built.

But to quote the rules..

"Aircraft that cannot move to an eligible landing space by the end of the Noncombat Move phase are destroyed."

A SZ adjacent to a territory with an IC is an eligible landing space, as long as you have an AC that will be placed there during the Mobilize Units phase.

From the rules (Pg. 11, Phase 5: Noncombat Move, Where Units Can Move):
Air Units: An air unit must end its move in an eligible landing space. Bombers and fighters may land in any territory that was friendly at the start of your turn.

Only fighters may land in a sea zone with a friendly carrier present. A landing spot must be available on the carrier.

Additionally:
- A fighter may land in a sea zone that is adjacent to an industrial complex you own if you will be placing an aircraft carrier that you previously purchased in that zone.
- Once any fighter lands on a carrier, movement for BOTH units end.
- You must have a carrier move, remain in place, or be placed (new carriers only) to pick up a fighter that would end its noncombat movement in a sea zone. You cannot deliberately move any air unit out of range of a potential safe landing space.

Aircraft that cannot move to an eligible landing space by the end of the Noncombat Move phase are destroyed.

Neither bombers nor fighters may land in any territory that was hostile at the start of your turn, including any territory that was just captured by you this turn.

Craig

That's what I get for taking too long, Krieghund swoops in and scoops me!

Does this allow a 5th move for a ftr?

Example,
Ger ftr starts in Bul, moves one to fight in Epl, then in Non-Com moves its remaining 3 to Fra.  Ger places AC in Sz 7 (had IC on Fra).  Can the Ftr then be placed on the AC?

JTDTM = Japan Tank Dash To Moscow

KRF = Kill Russia First

KAF = Kill America First

I'm guessing it would be bad G1 Egy turns?  Or UK BB lives in sz 2?

We should get some good strats and play out of the Semi-Finals and then the Final.  Hopefully no rd 1 dice jobs.

We'll probably start sometime in July, unless this fills up really quick or people stop signing up.

Rules - same as non-tech tourney, only tech is allowed.

NO - Yes
Tech - Yes
Sides chosen at random
Brackets assigned randomly

All other optionals are off.
Official schedule will be determined once I know how many players we have.  Assume 1 month per rd.

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