• Have any of you tried buying 5 transports on G1?

    Before you write it off as crazy, consider the powerful punch it can bring to London on G2.  Building 5 transports in the Baltic Sea (plus the existing one there) and making sure that at the end of G1 you leave at least 6 infantry, 6 tanks, and your whole air force within reach, forces your allied opponent to make some crucial decisions.  It can be countered, but an unprepared player might not know how to handle it.  Granted, this strategy is not foolproof and it leaves Germany initially weak against Russia, but if you capture London, the game is pretty much over because you can make sure that the Allies never recapture it.

    G1 objectives:  Strategic bomb London.  Be careful that your forces that will be transported, can’t be destroyed by Russia on R2.  Send your Mediterranean Fleet west to kill the UK Battleship (and take Gibraltar)-then you are also in position for that transport to go to Britain unless the Allies put a boat in your way (SZ 12).  Sub from SZ8 sinks UK transport in SZ1 to prevent both the aforementioned roadblock AND transporting the E. Canada tank to UK.  You could also arrange things to leave Norway and Algeria empty or weak in order to bait the Allies-every unit that isn’t in the UK is a unit you don’t have to kill when taking the capital. (Plus if they earn extra income, you’ll take it from them the next turn!)

    Best Possible Allied Counters:
    US drop all 4 land units in Britain but send DD to SZ12 to block German Med. Fleet from attacking London on G2.  US land bomber and fighter in UK.

    If in range, land Russian Fighters in UK.

    Four good options for UK: 
    1. build as many infantry as possible for defense of the inevitable attack (this allows best use of AA).   
    2. Buy an AC + sub or DD in SZ 5 (moving the BB and TRN there too) to try to prevent the landing from even occurring. 
    3.  Buy 3 subs plus as many infantry as possible.  The subs will join the BB, transport, and Russian sub in SZ 5.  The advantage of subs in this situation is that when you’re attacked by the German navy, your subs all fire at their boats and can’t hit the planes—hopefully this takes out some precious transports. 
    4.  Possibly sending both fighters and bomber at Baltic fleet, knowing you’ll lose your valuable air force but possibly taking out a transport or two.

    Options 2, 3, and 4 force Germany to decide how many planes to allocate to the sea battle and how many to the amphibious landing.  If you try option 4, you’ll want to combine it with option 2 or 3.

    Any thoughts on this?


  • It just doesn’t seem logical. You can see it coming so well, and thus prepare for it.

    So this is what you’re bringing to the fight, optimally. This is assuming nothing is killed, and all the transports manage to come.

    7 inf
    7 tanks
    6 fighters
    1 bomber.

    Let’s do more assuming. Assume that you managed to get 6 IPCs from England. And kill the SZ1 Transport. This is all best possible outcomes, right?

    So England buys 8 men. Russian fighters are out of range.

    12 Infantry
    2 Artillery
    2 Artillery
    3 Fighters
    2 Bombers

    Frood says your chances are at about 65 to have anything left. That isn’t that bad. But if anything goes wrong, the odds could quickly worsen.

    If Russia manages to have its fighters in range, and you don’t manage to strategically bomb UK, or your mediteranean sub gets shot down (all things that are very possible…), or any airplanes get shot down…

    6 Infantry
    6 Tanks
    5 Fighters
    1 Bomber

    9 Infantry
    2 Artillery
    5 Tanks
    5 Fighters
    2 Bombers

    You have statistically a 0.1% chance of making it.

    And that seems like the outcome that would most likely hapen. And if you fail to capture the UK, you have absolutely no point in playing the game. It seems dumb to risk the whole game in the first 10 minutes. You might as well roll dice to just decide who wins.


  • But when it works you get to rub the opponents face in it… :mrgreen:

    …over and over again. :-D

    … sure it probably wouldn’t work against all the experts around here, but I’ve already done it twice v/s FTF opponents… (Albeit of dubious skill… like me LOL!!)


  • :|
    Hmm, if you add the bid option of the atlantic sub, and take out the UK BB in SZ2 with the 2  atlantic subs, the bomber and the Norway fighter, then put your 2 baltic subs in SZ6, that just might hold the door open for the invasion.  :wink:
    I probibly should playtest this first, but it certainly would help.


  • Or you could just research long range fighters and bombers first turn, and if you get it, then go for it on turn 1. And you will have this ability throughout the game. This will allow you to get all your aircraft in range of the attack.


  • I have done something very similar to this.  My buddy knew I always go for Moscow first.  This game I planned to.  I bought 3 transports on G1.  Made the med attack with the sub and med fleet.

    G2 masses Germany navy in SZ7 took London.  My buddy does the Ho-Chi-Men trail through the US to deter Japan from steping foot on the US mainland.  In addition to this he built a navy once they got to E Canada (2 rounds later) he took and held London.  I never got it back.

    Had I not done some fast thinking with Japan on the US W coast Germany would have been toast.

    I had a topic started about conducting Sealion every ones 8 ball said no b/c Germany needs help from Japan.  So I think you would have more luck with a Canadian Sheild then you would with a Sealion.

    LT

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