German bid: Two infantry in West Russia. Yay or nay?


  • I saw this move in a game.  Whaddya think?

    (Note:  Technically, it is “aye”, or “nay”, but I like “yay”.  Which is not to be confused with “yayo”.)


  • Yeah I saw that move as well, and it didn’t go well for Switch at all.  Those 2 extra inf didn’t do a hill of beans of difference.  Put them somewhere better where they can possibly be used to counter attack or with the fighter in Ukraine to get an extra extra hit or 3 when/if the Russkies hit there.


  • I woudnt do that. I favor Belorussia instead… because really Soviets use only the 3 infantry and 2 planes on it and now you just saved 3 infantry by placing 2 more in Belo, Additionally you have more fodder on the front lines.

    The 2 inf could also go in UKR, because people like Jennifer like to attack that on SU1

    But West Russia is certain death because all Soviet units can reach with little harm. West Russia is a meatgrinder of axis forces.


  • Based on sim results, it is sub-optimal, I tried it in that game for specific purpose though, and to an extent it worked (Russia only attacked 1 territory on R1).  And had I not had sub-par dice both on the attack of West Russia by Russia, and on the German Counter, it could have been dreadfully effective in the long term.

  • 2007 AAR League

    i would never do it.


  • I will likely try it again sometime…

  • '18 '17 '16 '11 Moderator

    Interesting idea, but I really don’t see a long term benefit from it.


  • Nah.  Those guys are toast, and they don’t add much to slow down the pile of plastic that Russia will put down there anyway.  Maybe they’ll kill an extra Inf?  The bid is better used elsewhere.  Not that I play with a bid.

    ~Josh


  • I have only played with a bid a couple of times so far, and I have placed units in Libya both times.  I vote thumbs down on WRus for the reasons others have said.  But here’s a another way to ask the question:

    What other bid placements have you tried other than Libya?


  • @goldenbearflyer:

    I have only played with a bid a couple of times so far, and I have placed units in Libya both times.  I vote thumbs down on WRus for the reasons others have said.  But here’s a another way to ask the question:

    What other bid placements have you tried other than Libya?

    That isn’t another way to ask the question.  That, sir, is threadjacking.  Which as I am sure you know is a proud tradition here.

    But by all means, let us call a spade a spade!

    Baltic transport, Mediterranean transport, French Indochina infantry, Manchurian infantry, Japanese transport.  All bids worthy of consideration, I think.  Not to say that Ukraine infantry doesn’t have its charm, but I’ve tried that variation enough to believe that I wouldn’t go for it unless I can put at least 2 infantry there.


  • @newpaintbrush:

    That isn’t another way to ask the question. That, sir, is threadjacking. Which as I am sure you know is a proud tradition here.

    But by all means, let us call a spade a spade!

    Baltic transport, Mediterranean transport, French Indochina infantry, Manchurian infantry, Japanese transport. All bids worthy of consideration, I think. Not to say that Ukraine infantry doesn’t have its charm, but I’ve tried that variation enough to believe that I wouldn’t go for it unless I can put at least 2 infantry there.

    OK, it’s a spade.  Just trying to keep the thread going… the masses have spoken:  13-0 against 2inf in WRus.  :lol:

    So it begs the question, what other moves do you like.  Yeah, those sound like good ideas.  Funny, I hear so little about bid units for J.  Inf in FIC seems very helpful.


  • @goldenbearflyer:

    @newpaintbrush:

    That isn’t another way to ask the question. That, sir, is threadjacking. Which as I am sure you know is a proud tradition here.

    But by all means, let us call a spade a spade!

    Baltic transport, Mediterranean transport, French Indochina infantry, Manchurian infantry, Japanese transport. All bids worthy of consideration, I think. Not to say that Ukraine infantry doesn’t have its charm, but I’ve tried that variation enough to believe that I wouldn’t go for it unless I can put at least 2 infantry there.

    OK, it’s a spade.  Just trying to keep the thread going… the masses have spoken:  13-0 against 2inf in WRus.  :lol:

    So it begs the question, what other moves do you like.  Yeah, those sound like good ideas.  Funny, I hear so little about bid units for J.  Inf in FIC seems very helpful.

    …make it 14.

    My limited experience with bidding is that I like to put bid units where I can attack with them.


  • The question was if you should place 2 inf in west russia… if not in west russia i think the idea was where else in russia would you place them… 99% of people allready know/do the Lybia thing.

  • 2007 AAR League

    Well the only thing the 2 Inf would do is maybe kill an extra Inf or 2 because no one would not attack W Rus as Russia because of 2 more Inf


  • I wouldn’t do it.  Actually it seems like a waste of the bid.  Every German  in West Russia dies.  It may make WR the only territory that Russia takes but that alone is not reason enough to place your entire bid in a death trap.


  • West Russia is a going to get globbered and the more conservative the player the harder it is going to get clobbered. While the 2 bid INF might get some more dead russkies they won’t change the shape of the board as much as putting them elsewhere.


  • OK, here is the thing with the WR Bid…

    It spooks the Russians, so they only attack ONE territory, West Russia.  Germany saves not only the FIG in Ukraine, but the 3 INF, the ART, and the ARM as well.

    So, at a cost of only a 6 IPC bid, Germany saves 18 IPC of units that normally would have died on R1.  Good trade in my book.


  • And of course on average, the 2 INF also means 1 extra dead Russian in the actual WR attack.  And Germany preserves payment for Ukraine and prevents Russia from getting paid for Ukraine.  Call it a net +21 IPC on average for Germany.

  • 2007 AAR League

    Poor analysis Switch.

    The Ukraine units may or may not have been attacked without the bid.  If they would have been, then Russia would have also sacrificed units to take Ukraine, and those units would probably be lost in the counterattack.  No way I’m giving you a net +18 IPC on that unit trade, maybe a net +8.  Plus quite possibly Germany may have retaken Ukraine (to kill russian arm) so they would have gotten paid for that territory on G1 anyway.

    Then there is the opportunity cost of NOT placing your units somewhere else (Like LIB, for example).  Potentially losing more units at EGY than you would have with a LIB bid, and possibly not even closing the suez (even more costly).

    +21 net IPC gain for Germany is not even close.  Maybe GER is up 3 IPC at the most, or more likely GER is down IPC with this bid.  Hence the 0 YAY - 16 NAY votes on this topic.  Don’t you think if GER was up +21 IPC there would be more people using it and more people (more than none that is) at least voting for it as a viable strat?


  • Here is the thing…

    With the Bid in WR, yes, you can still lose both WR AND Ukraine.  But with typical dice, if Russia attempts both, they will be thin to the point of transparent on the German front.  And then Germany coun counter-attack possibly BOTH WR and Ukraine without significant opposition.

    But you don;t WANT to have to re-take territory as Germany on G1.  Your AF is needed for other areas of security (the BB off Gibraltar and the DST off Egypt most notably), so you don;t have AF to use for your counters, you have to comit land forces.  And if WR is stacked, as it normally is post R1, whatever forces you put in Ukraine are likely to die on R2.  And since you AF are tied up, that means German ARM dead in Ukraine in exchange for Russian INF, a BAD trade.

    But if you sucker Russia into only attackign West Russia, then you don;t have to re-take Ukraine.  That means extra German ARM alive while Germany builds up their INF to start their eastward drive.  And of course Germany maintains 6 FIGs, isntead of having only 5… a point that is always worth remembering.

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