Re: UK Strategy -"Middle Earth"
I’ve been thinking for years to counter Middle Earth as I refused to believe it was unbeatable. I have no one to play with so no ability to try them out.
So I set up the board solo and working out my strategies for beating Middle Earth.
@GeneralHandGrenade I followed your tactics for UK. Here is a pic of the end of Italy Turn one. Do you still buy the factory and naval base turn two? What is your reaction to this Italian group right on your doorstep?
Germany Turn 2 completely altered this area. I lost two strategic bombers to clear out the Cruiser off Malta, and the planes in Trans Jordan - I need the fighters to reinforce Syria, and the planes need something to do, and most importantly I killed those planes before they could fly back to India as I’m sacking it turn 4.
Russia turn now. Japan is going to do something crazy next turn. I’ll come back with picture of Japan Turn 2 to get your answer on the factory and naval base in Persia
@dazedwit Oh, and do you attack Syria with planes and couple guys?
Do you send the plains back to England or send them to Iraq for defense if not attacking with them?
@dazedwit
Just finished Russia Turn 2. They are slugging it out hard with Germany and stalemate seems to be settling in around Ukraine. I feel good about Russia so time to get frisky. Bought a strategic bomber, and an airbase I dropped in Caucasus. Never see Russia buy an AB but this location opens up so many possibilities as you reach so many spots with the extra space. It can reach Calcutta, Germany and Egypt in 4 moves.
@dazedwit there is nothing wrong about waiting until turn G12-G15 to take Moscow, especially if you can prevent strong Allied positions in W Europe and/or have success with Japan. If you can narrow the income gap with the Allies to less than 20 PUs per turn by the end of turn 8, you can usually grind out an eventual win as you don’t need to waste as much income on fleets.
Axis airplanes are almost like cheating as they can simultaneously project power in so many directions. Bombing raids of Moscow are game changes as it can stop additional infantry building.
If the Russians, are buying an airbase, it should be possible to capture Moscow soon, or push down to the Middle East if he becomes very defensive.
@dazedwit Japan Turn 2. My long planned out strategy for Japan 2 was to capture Ceylon, bomb the factory and convoy Calcutta and Singapore so no units would be appearing in UK Pacific ever again (I bought the Hainan naval base on initial buy so I could reach India in two turns - and went J1 to make sure the battleship won’t add a turn to my strategy… and to strip 8 IPC’s off UK Pacific immediately). But once I moved the air craft carriers there along with the rest of the fleet I realized I can now send two Tacs and two fighters legally, and with 3 offshore bombardments, this battle is now in my favor so I went for J2 Calcutta Crush and it was surprisingly easy. Lost 3 ground units and two planes.
If UK bought nothing but infantry turn one, instead of fighter + infantry, I may not have went for it.
@GeneralHandGrenade How does Middle Earth look at end of Japan Turn 2. Would you still buy naval base and complex turn two for UK? Japan lacking in ground forces but they now have a factory
@dazedwit should be an easy Axis win since India fell on J2. Hold the money islands, and force the Allies to decide whether to spend all of the money in the Pacific to counter Japan, or keep supporting Russia.
Eventually you will overcome all resistance as you soon will be at economic parity but have superior mobility with the shorter supply lines.
@Arthur-Bomber-Harris I just bought a major for Korea. Going to pump out ten tanks a turn and crush both Russia and China. I have $57 for Japan Turn 3 after sacking Calcutta. Depending on what UK does in Middle East I could have all 4 of money islands end of turn 3. I’m hoping GHG will tell me what he would do so I can do it. This is an effort to beat his Middle Earth strategy afterall.
@Arthur-Bomber-Harris I play every country aggressively - hyper aggressively. It’s more fun that way.
@dazedwit you also play against inexperienced opponents. India should not fall until J4 at the absolute earliest if the UK Pacific is stacking the Capitol with infantry and reinforcing with a few planes.
The level of gameplay is so much higher in the League matches here. Much better way to build up your skills and test out strategies as almost anything works when the other side has huge blunders.
@Arthur-Bomber-Harris well, I’m playing against myself.
I bought a fighter and infantry for India on first buy which is pretty standard I believe. I was following GHG’s Middle Earth strategy so the boats and planes went to conquer the middle east turn one.
that left India so vulnerable. I think in a real game J2 would surprise everyone. I bought the Hainan Naval Base turn one, which no one ever does. That really opened up so many opportunities that I think I’ll buy air base turn one now forever.
If no Middle Earth I would have went with my J4 plan to sack it because odds would shift to India with those two extra planes in India. It was J4 so I could sack Persia Turn 3 and then turn back. Beginning Turn 2 India will not have a factory, and next to no money when I convoy 6 IPC’s off them. So they would sit their turn after turn not being able to add a single unit. I think that would be both cruel and hilarious.
@dazedwit use battlecalculators to make sure India survives turn 2.
The UK Pacific needs ground units, not fighters. If absolutely necessary, you can block with ships, but that usually isn’t necessarily if Japan takes a more normal set of opening moves.
@Arthur-Bomber-Harris My Japan strategy was initially a J2. But that was assuming Battleship at Singapore got retreated to India or wherever as it usually is. If it doesn’t move then I waste a turn clearing the BB. I decided J1 and take the battleship out completely so I can do J2.
I might mess around in future with J2, as I will have 3 AC’s off Calcutta so additional Tac and Ftr which will really increase my odds. Declaring war at start of turn means I can’t get the Carolina AC and planes through Philapines to Hainan.
I’m experimenting with getting at capitals as quickly as possible before they can stack on them. After this game I’m going to work on G1, G2 Sea Lion to see if it’s doable, before England really stacks up. G1 would take incredibly lucky rolls. G2, I can leave behind multiple subs in convoy zones to limit their stack turn one.
My plan this game was to hit the West Coast of Australia next, but Anzac went all infantry and both main territories pretty stacked now. I’ll have to figure out and decide whether to nickle and dime Anzac or go help take Egypt. My brand new India factory going to be churning out 3 tanks a turn to hit Russia and China from the rear.
@Arthur-Bomber-Harris I"m all set with calculators. I know people on here talk about not attacking unless you have 95% odds… pfft, I go at 45% odds. I like to gamble.
@dazedwit you want to go at 45%, sure try it, it is after all a game.
However, the reason people stress 90-95%+ attacks is that the game is not decided in one battle. There are many battles over the course the game. If you go all out on a bunch of 50-50 battles, you will lose in the long run 100% of the time.
Cheers,
Surfer
@surfer no, not usually. If I have a few big hitters and one more unit than my enemy, that’s enough for me
@dazedwit said in Middle Earth Counter:
@surfer no, not usually. If I have a few big hitters and one more unit than my enemy, that’s enough for me
That’s Gold Jerry ! Gold !
@dazedwit A typical J2 attack on India would look like the following setup. With a bit less optimal gameplay for the UK Pacific, I could see a 45% odds.
Keep in mind that a failed J2 attack on India essentially is game-over for the Axis as half of the Japenese air power will be lost and the economy is set so far back that no USA spending is required in the Pacific for many, many turns. The Axis should be winning 90+% of the time for an OOB game so there is no reason to take such ridiculous gambles on the second turn unless something happened unexpectedly on G1 such as getting diced in Paris.
@Arthur-Bomber-Harris GHG removed his planes and boats to attack Middle East - thinking he had at least a turn or two to rearm India.
India has almost nothing on it after turn one following this strategy aside from infantry, AA, and a fighter you might have bought turn one - or 3 extra guys. I wasn’t planning on J2 Calcutta Crush - I just noticed how week India was and how many pieces I could legally send in. Odds way more in my favor than what you are showing.
IIRC:
India: 7 INF, 2 FTR, 2 AA
Me: 2 SB, 2 Boosted Tacs, 2 FTR, 1 ART, 1 Tank, 2 INF, 2 BB shore bombardment, 1 CR shore bombardment - if I didn’t go J1 and UK moved BB from Singapore, I would have additional boosted tac and ftr for J2 sack.
2 hits on bombardment removing AA’s
3 out of 4 hits on the 4’s
2 out of 3 hits on the 3’s
2 hits on the 2’s and 1
(not exactly sure which hits, just that all 7 inf were taken out on this batch after bombardment)
That left India with 2 ftr after their return hits.
India had a good roll, maybe five hits so lost 3 ground and 2 planes
So round two: 3 - 4’s, 2 - 3’s. Got 3 hits and it was over pretty easily.
I would never had done this if the Middle Earth Strategy wasn’t in play. It would have been J3 or J4 otherwise.
Be aggressive. Go after capitals before they can stack.
@dazedwit if Japan has positioned the troops on J1 to hit India, all it takes to delay the assault is one UK destroyer in SZ37 and no transports can reach on J2.
Planes can usually get back to India for defense on UK2, making it difficult to contemplate a Japanese attack until at least the fourth turn in most normal matches.
@Arthur-Bomber-Harris
Well, for one, they have to suspect that J2 is even possible.
and more importantly, that’s not Middle Earth. According to GHG’s video which I just rewatched for the 50th time you are basically abandoning India to move as many troops from India to Middle East - including guys moving to West India, planes attacking Iraq. If India had more transports India would be empty playing Middle Earth,
Pretty much every game that’s not an issue. I decided to buy the naval base on turn one instead of turn two. That made this possible.
Maybe Japan’s turn one moves would have made him abandon ME immediately but who knows since I’m not actually playing him, just trying to beat his strategy. Sacking J2 was way out of what I was planning, I just saw an opportunity. I was planning to sack Persia J3, and India J4 originally. With the turn one Naval Base, India not going to be placing units ever again as I bomb factory with both SB, and convoy the F out of Singapore and Calcutta for up to 6 per turn
