• Is it wise for japan to help germany take over USSR?


  • i don’t know if wise is the right word… more like mandatory. and, yes, it is. :roll:


  • As long as Japan attack any allied player, it will directly or indirectly help Germany to kill Russia! The Q is if Japan should do it directly, and I am not sure that that would be the best way to do it. It depends on what Russia and UK do during the first turn, what purchases aso. :wink:


  • Agreed w/ above.

    In fact, i’m not sure if you are asking "should we ignore Russia entirely as opposed to going full on vs. taking what you need.

    As Japan, i like to simply clear off as much of Asia as possible with a sacking of Pearl, and the occassional harassment of Alaska. Depending on what’s in India i take that in the first turn or the second.


  • The Q is if Japan should do it directly, and I am not sure that that would be the best way to do it.

    Fortunately, I don’t think resolving this will require getting into advanced game theory. I think it can be done by keeping it simple and simply using some clever logic and examples. I think you’re viewpoint is that it doesn’t matter who you go after, that going indirectly after Russia is just as effective as going directly after them? Hitting an enemy is hitting an enemy.

    If this were true then all Allied units of a given type would be worth the exact same no matter their nationality and position of the board. Granted all infantry cost 3 IPCs, but that’s not necessarily what they are worth. A unit’s worth goes up or down slightly depending on it’s position and nationality. The positional factor should be easy for a game master to understand. The nationality factor comes into play because units of different nationaliies can’t attack together, which brings their value down. On defense nationality doesn’t matter.

    Let’s suppose that any Allied player could place units in any other Allied factory. US could place as many infantry in Russia as they desired. Let’s further suppose the rules allowed any Allied player to give as many IPCs to any other Allied player without penalty. US could give Russia 10 of their IPCs if they desired. How would this change the IPC distribution? I think I can fairly safely say that the Western Allies would give more IPCs to Russia than Russia would otherwise have received under the normal rules.* Russia would then still build many infantry in their home territories. This is because units go up in value (not cost) positionally in and around Russia, and when they are the same nationality. It logically follows that IPCs are worth more value to Russia than to the Allied player/s giving up those IPCs. Units are worth more depending on their position, and the best position, in general, is in and around Russia.

    *Why Russia? Simply because at the start of the game there are already more Russian units located around Russia than other Allied units.

    Because IPCs and units are worth more in the hands of Russia than in the other Allied players, it is worth more to the Axis to take out those IPCs and units. This is why directly attacking the weakest link, Russia, is a better strategy than indirectly attacking the weakest link.

    It depends on what Russia and UK do during the first turn, what purchases aso.

    There are etreme circumstances under which the Axis strategy needs to be modified from both attacking Russia as much as possible. After all, as Sean Connery knows all too well, ‘Never say never.’ However, even though there are usually instances where deposits of Western Allied units will form such that they should be dealt with immediately, these extreme circumstances are so rare that the vast majority of the time the Axis strategy should be to both take out Russia.


  • Theduke, you assume too much! 8)


  • Thanks for your replies.


  • please list the assumptions i made and the assumptions you disagree with.


  • Theduke,
    Lets say US and UK build an IC in India and in China (the territory closest to Moscow) and just pumping out some tanks to reinforce Russia. Wouldn´t you go for these ICs first, since those reinforcements are worth more than Japan can reduce in income for Russia by a direct attack! :wink:


  • @B.:

    Theduke,
    Lets say US and UK build an IC in India and in China (the territory closest to Moscow) and just pumping out some tanks to reinforce Russia. Wouldn´t you go for these ICs first, since those reinforcements are worth more than Japan can reduce in income for Russia by a direct attack! :wink:

    well to start with building those complexes there by the allies is not a very smart thing to do, usually the japanesse player will terminate those facotries en 1 or 2 turns by the most and the allies would have given away 2 factories at a decent range from russia, basicly messing up the allied war effort.


  • It really is possible to play with those ics. Crucial is the Russian setup in round 1. Attack (or if possible strafe) Man and send support to Per and Sin. Uk can build ic in Ind. US ic in Sin. Russians units can free Ind if Jap took it (and UK can build in UK2). This opening is possible against a PE bid (up to 8 inf) so should very well be playable vs a 0 bid.



  • Japan should always help Germany cuz once Russia is out of the way the Allies are probably not too far from falling flat on their faces. It is really hard for Germany to defeat Russia without the help of the Japanese.


  • Now Germany is a fragile country so yes. This will be a wise decision! duh!! :roll:


  • A & A is similar to Risk as opposed to most other war games in that there are no stacking limits.

    This allows you to heavily concentrate your forces. The concentrated force is powerful on offense and even more so on defense.

    You also want to prevent your opponents from doing the same. This allows your concentrated force a selection of weak opposing targets. They will be easily defeated without much expense to your concentrated forces.

    As the Axis, the focal point of concentration for you and likewise dissapation for the Allies lies across Russia. This target is wedged between your two powers. There are other territories where the Axis can concentrate, but the UK and WUS capitals are way off of the path of Axis concentration. As the game can quickly unwind with the taking of enemy capitals, Russia is the common logical path for Axis victory.


  • If Japan pushes towards America and sends only some infantry and a few fighters it will give Germany more time till the eventual D-Day


  • That minor delay does not help Germany much.

    By the time of D-Day, the UK or US will have already taken back F-Nor and dropped off enough inf + ftr to Kar for defense. By then, Jpn is the only avenue of attack on Rus.

    Attacking US w/Jpn looks great on paper, but in real time and turns, stalls the taking of Rus. With every passing turn, the Allied economic advantage will make them stronger in arms.


  • @Linkon:

    Attacking US w/Jpn looks great on paper, but in real time and turns, stalls the taking of Rus.  With every passing turn, the Allied economic advantage will make them stronger in arms.

    So true.  Attacking the US (except for China & Sinkiang) is a BAD move.

    Japan is the nation that can turn the economic tide in favor of the Axis in short order.  By focusing on a steady assault on Russia using a Japan transport fleet (using a fleet instead of an IC is faster, more flexible, and helps keep the US “honest” since those forces can reach AK in a single move) combined with a modest roving south pacific/indian ocean fleet, Japan can quickly be the leading IPC nation in the game.  In games I have played, it is not unusual for Japan to be in the 40’s for IPC’s by the end of round 2.

    A Japan with more IPC’s than the US (down to 32 at most), with UK weakened (low 20’s or teens depending on Germany in Africa) and Russia in the teens or less after losing the eastern territories, the economic winds favor the Axis.

    Then it only is a matter of Japan playing smart 9since they have most of the IPC’s) to crush Russia, saving the Germans, and then turning on the US while bombing the tar out of UK…

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