After what has been (for us) a fairly long, conservatively played game, Germany seems on the brink of finishing Britain, having just launched an amphibious assault of 8 infantry and 2 armor backed up by 3 bombers (the Axis has more armor but it is tied up in Egypt preventing an American landing in North Africa from breaching the Middle East).
This is Hitler’s second attempt at “Operation Sea Lion;” the first such assault failed miserably, being undermanned in both land and air. Britain still has a good number of pieces, but not enough that it should make a difference (the A&A calculator shows a 98% chance of success). Even if by some miracle the UK survives the invasion, it’s clear England’s days are numbered, as their island is their sole remaining territory at this point (Australia having recently fallen to Japan), and the Americans have lost almost the entirety of their navy in a series of disastrous engagements.
My question is this: in situations like this, is it usual for people to “play out the string?” Is it usual for one side to concede when all hope seems lost? Or are folks more inclined to fight till the bitter end?
Things look pretty darn hopeless for the Allies at this point: the Americans are down to holding North America (Quebec was lost to invasion, but no Axis forces remain in Canada and it would be easy to reclaim). Russia has been removed from the board. And Japan is pulling down 17 IPCs per turn now, and already has three battleships roaming the Pacific. It’s really just a matter of time.
Here’s the thing: just a few turns earlier, things didn’t look nearly so bleak: Japan was the country that was reeling (with almost all its Navy destroyed), and Russia had built up huge forces in all its starting territories (with the exception of the Caucasus), approaching double digits in tanks and infantry. Germany still had a navy, but it was a small one, and (as mentioned) had already launched one disastrous attempt at Sea Lion, costing them their final transport. At that point, it looked like the numbered days were those of the Axis!
[[i]the reversal of fortunes was due to a couple incredibly successful submarine strikes from the IJN, and the nickel-and-diming of Ally territories for IPCs. Japan brought a couple tanks across Asia to bolster the Caucasus, allowing Germany to finally bring crushing forces against the Soviets; it’s been all downhill for the Allies since then]
At what point do folks usually “throw in the towel,” if ever? I find it hard to believe the Allies can come back at this point, being so far behind, but I’m curious to know how people usually end their games. Do people mostly fight to the death?