UK under threat of Sealion: Is it nice to do, when playing with 4-5 people?


  • Recently played UK with 3 other people. I volunteered to play UK and France as I was the most experienced, and the other 3 were new to Europe.

    After a G1 sealion, Russia offered me the U.S. since I was unlikely to have an active role in the game.

    Should a gentleman practice in a full game be to forgo a Sea Lion strategy when a player is assigned UK as his primary power?

    UK has two choices as I see it, in the above scenario:
    Try to hold London, and drive up the opportunity cost of taking UK in terms of piece position and units lost?
    Or:
    Abandon UK turn 1 or 2, to maximize your effort in Africa with your last production going there and giving Germany an easy G2 or G3 London. Using Brazil and Persia to produce 5 infantry after your capital falls (granted this is a one time occurrence)

    Either of these two options results in a boring UK play experience. Either you are building infantry for 2 turns and watching Africa wither, the German fleet and air force keeping you from building a navy. Then Germany takes you on G3 or G4. (Sure you might win, but it won’t be as a result of your play style, just a result of whether German is too far out of position)

    Or, you get to build units once (maybe twice), lose your capital, and eventually run out of units in Africa while you at least get to make tactical decisions in Africa.

    Sure, the U.S. can liberate you during the game, but I would argue that, that is less entertaining as you will spend rounds with little to do or deploy.

    So, my question is:

    Are you a Gentleman? (or Lady)
    and if so, would you still do a Sea Lion when UK was one person’s primary power?


  • Yes of course, when playing Germany I always pull the Sea Lion.


  • @Razor:

    Yes of course, when playing Germany I always pull the Sea Lion.

    Do you always win?


  • @Bodeacious:

    Do you always win?

    This game is designed in a way that favours conservative play, so a victory based on derogatory play would not necessarily give me satisfaction nor pleasure. A real geek might find it more manly to act out his military power fantasy, and in my case that is building great warships as Germany and force the bloody Brits to submission. When that is said, a Sealion strategy will not necessarily make Germany win or lose, but it will make the match more entertaining.


  • How the hell did Germany pull off Sealion turn 1? They don’t have the forces to do so.


  • @RedHunter:

    How the hell did Germany pull off Sealion turn 1? They don’t have the forces to do so.

    It’s theoretically possible if you get Paratroopers and send in the Luftwaffe.  There’s no other way to get landunits through so I’m guessing he meant G2, not G1.


  • @kcdzim:

    @RedHunter:

    How the hell did Germany pull off Sealion turn 1? They don’t have the forces to do so.

    It’s theoretically possible if you get Paratroopers and send in the Luftwaffe.  There’s no other way to get landunits through so I’m guessing he meant G2, not G1.

    Paratroopers still need to be supported by accompanying land units other than those dropped, so with the seazone 112 blocked G1 sealion is impossible.


  • @cressman8064:

    @kcdzim:

    @RedHunter:

    How the hell did Germany pull off Sealion turn 1? They don’t have the forces to do so.

    It’s theoretically possible if you get Paratroopers and send in the Luftwaffe.  There’s no other way to get landunits through so I’m guessing he meant G2, not G1.

    Paratroopers still need to be supported by accompanying land units other than those dropped, so with the seazone 112 blocked G1 sealion is impossible.

    Sho 'nuf.  Forgot it worked different than AA50 - rarely play with tech.

    So yes, he clearly meant G2.


  • If the other players are brand new, an early Sea Lion may put them off from playing again and so sure, take a shot at something else a couple times.  After they get into it, they still may not think Sea Lion and you can hit them with it at that point.


  • @RedHunter:

    How the hell did Germany pull off Sealion turn 1? They don’t have the forces to do so.

    I should have said: “after a G1 Sealion build”. Meaning UK now has to choose how to respond on its very first turn. Forcing them into one or two responses. Infantry, or abandon UK and build elsewhere once.

    This topic is regarding a “full” game, where only 1 player is UK, and the other allies are controlled by someone else. The question being, is it nice when playing several allies to use a sea lion threat on the first turn of play?


  • I’m as gentlemanly as they come, but I’d check-raise my Grandmother if she sat at a poker table with me.

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