How is the balance with the new Alpha 2 changes? Please give your view.

[cts17]

@Cmdr:

SZ 106: Submarine
SZ 91: 2 Submarines
SZ 111: A bunch of planes, some submarines
SZ 112: warships and a plane
SZ 110: A bunch of planes, some submarines.

For the record:  I use no planes in France, only ground units.  When I am done with England, there is no fleet left in the Atlantic with the possible exception of SZ 106.

You say here you hit SZ91, SZ106, SZ111 and SZ110 with submarines. Yet you only have 5 subs. That means only one of those locations gets 2 subs, the rest only get 1. Since you’re hitting SZ91 with only subs, then that must be where 2 subs are going, and in that case there are no subs that are in reach of SZ110. Your numbers don’t add up.

Looking at your most recent game against Krychek, using low luck I might add, you didn’t hit 91, so we’ll go with what you have there. What’s keeping me from building a tactical bomber and 4 infantry, saving 5 IPC? Moving my units from Canada to London, I can attack SZ110 with my DD and fighters, moving 1 infantry from London to Holland with fighter support and the infantry from Normandy. Those air units in Germany can no longer attack London. The destroyer in SZ110 keeps bombardment from happening. I can place my Mediterranean fleet off of Gibraltar, fly my airforce to London and collect my money, bringing me to a total of 48 IPC…. which is just enough for 2 carriers and 2 destroyers.

The fact that I have 6 fighters and a tactical sitting on London at the same time? Crazy stuff. On my 2nd turn, I shift my Gibraltar fleet up into SZ110, place my 2 carriers and 2 destroyers down while my planes from London land and I have a navy to counter yours.

RE:
3 CV @ 2
3 DD @ 2
2 CA @ 3
2 TAC @ 3
7 FIG @ 4
TOTAL: 6@2 4@3 7@4
8.666 hits

You can attack me with everything for:
TOTAL: 6@3 7@4
7.666 hits

I get 1 extra hit, but you can absorb double hit with attacking carrier and an extra hit with an attacking battleship.
I can absorb 3 hits with my 3 carriers. After that, I’m losing hitters at 2 to your hitters at 3. I will win this battle, hands down.

OPERATION SEALION: HALTED

Take your 68 IPC and blow it on a navy. I have to buy a bunch of destroyers. After that, the Americans have intervened. Oh wait, you’ve already spent your 68 IPC before I made my navy!

[Jennifer]

I use 2 submarines in each SZ 111 and SZ 110 and 1 submarine in SZ 106.

[cts17]

@Cmdr:

I use 2 submarines in each SZ 111 and SZ 110 and 1 submarine in SZ 106.

I noticed that :) It was in your opening moves in the example I used, I assumed it was your standard opening.

[Jennifer]

@cts17:

@Cmdr:

I use 2 submarines in each SZ 111 and SZ 110 and 1 submarine in SZ 106.

I noticed that :) It was in your opening moves in the example I used, I assumed it was your standard opening.

No.  Because scrambled fighters might end up taking some of my aircraft with them.  It’s my standard open if I go KBF, not if I go KRF.

[JamesAleman]

@jim010:

You can just do as Cmdr Jen suggested, but land in Scotland on turn 3 instead and then hit turn 4.  The odds are very good, but you have emptied Europe to do it.

The only option for UK is to hit Scotland for 2 turns and retreat, and hopefully the odds will have dropped for Germany.

Just out of curiosity, the UKs I play against usually have 4-5 air units, even with 6 I have the same question:

If I land 5 inf and 1 aagun in scotland turn 2(my standard sealion), or 17 inf and 1 aagun in Scotland on turn 3, would you attack these stacks, and would you use planes?

Typically you risk only losing one plane (however it feels like you either miss with everything or you hit twice), I like 5 units on turn 2 because its real easy to over hit and get stuck there. I generally build 2 carriers with Germany, and always favor a turn 4 capture, because I lose fewer men.

Your fear about Moscow taking Warsaw on turn  4 is less if you have 9-10 transports in sz 110 that can can bring land units to match your built land units on G4, this should give you enough to crack the Russian force unless it exceeds 50 units, at which case, you build 10 units in Berlin, drop off 18-20 along with the previous 10 units and your air force, this should drive Moscow back, and Lenningrad is easy pickings for you tranny fleet if he has a stack in Warsaw on turn 6.

Edit: If I’m going sea lion G4 and Russia is stacking my border, I also have 8-12 Italian land units in Berlin with 2-3 planes to calm my tummy down. That typically gives me 50+ land units with air to hold the Reich-stag. You ain’t blowing up my eagle that soon in the game.

[JamesAleman]

@Cmdr:

@Zallomallo:

@Cmdr:

Carpet/Fire bombing with the Americans

?? Explain please

9 or 10 Strategic Bombers hitting Germany, W. Germany each round capping damage as they go.

• 2 Bombers for France
• 3 or 4 Bombers for N. Italy
• 2 Bombers for S. Italy

As you gain more territories against the Axis and have landing zones.

Here is a question. I have not faced sustained bombing. If I saw it coming (bomber builds), would it be cheaper (2 more ipcs) to build a minor factory instead of repair majors? Then you opponent is capped at costing you 6, 12, or 18 dollars a turn, and you will still get to build units, all be it, out of position perhaps.

I am thinking: Denmark or Holland replaces W.Germany, Greater southern Germany could replace Germany or W.Germany. I’ll assume you have France and London as other minor factory sites, so to build 9 units, it would cost you 18 IPCs in the rear, and 1 turn of movement. (I suspect if they have many bombers, there is less threat from invasions early on, so your men can march that extra turn into position. They are trading 1 bomber for every 18 IPCs raided, if we assume 2 bomber for each of the 3 factories; 6 anti-air rolls nets one hit on average. I realize you would cost me 24 ipcs to build 2 minors, but I would actually be using the money that would be spent repairing W. Germany twice, so in essence, its 4 ipcs to replace Germany and West Germany. I also have the choice of building forward minor factories in Russia (as I like the south route for this purpose) and so I might survive only building 3 or 6 units a turn in my rear…again that is 6 or 12 ipcs spent at my discretion.

If I do not repair the factories, the bombers just sit there, right?

[suprise attack]

Two Axis victories. The first was Barbarossa on G2. Germ. couln’t take France on 1 which gave Italy the extra money they need. Germ. dice were better against Russia. Japan kept the U.S.A. out till the fourth round and crushed China and Russia on 1 and 2. Then set themselves up for a massive stike against U.K. and the U.S.A.  It was to little too late, Russia didn’t have the pieces to stop Germ. and the economics of loosing money territories they couln’t compete, and then it was a matter of time.
The second was Sea Lion on 3 and Barbarossa on 4. The Italian fleet was sparied when the U.K. took every thing to S.Fra. to take it away from Germ. they did and Italy retook it and sunk the combined fleet, Italy was able to take Egypt with force and when London fell that made real easy to take over Afr. The U.S.A. didn’t build well enough to liberate London. He came after the Germ. Navy but didn’t have the resorces to eliminate them and that left a bunch of ducks only being protected by a dd and the Germ. navy sunk them. The U.S.A. landed their Inf. ,Art. and tanks in Afr. and Italy was stong enough to stop them. Japan kept the U.S.A. out as long as possible and concentrated on China and Russia on 1 and 2 and set themselves up to hit the Islands for the big money and slam the U.K. and the U.S.A. When Germ turned It’s force against Russia along with the Italian’s backing them up It turned out to be too much and after a few rounds It was over.
I was the U.S.A. in the first one and Germ in the second one

[Jennifer]

No, the bombers can seak out other targets.  It is probably cheaper to buy fighters to intercept.

If you do not repair the factories, then the bombers have no risk from your AA Guns either.  However, they do have threat over a very large area of the game board. (Not as much as LRA Bombers from Classic that could hit the entire game board almost, but still very significant!)

You also find the need to collect useless islands in the Med to prevent these bombers from raining havoc on the Italians.

[JimmyHat]

@suprise:

Two Axis victories. The first was Barbarossa on G2. Germ. couln’t take France on 1 which gave Italy the extra money they need. Germ. dice were better against Russia. Japan kept the U.S.A. out till the fourth round and crushed China and Russia on 1 and 2. Then set themselves up for a massive stike against U.K. and the U.S.A.  It was to little too late, Russia didn’t have the pieces to stop Germ. and the economics of loosing money territories they couln’t compete, and then it was a matter of time.
The second was Sea Lion on 3 and Barbarossa on 4. The Italian fleet was sparied when the U.K. took every thing to S.Fra. to take it away from Germ. they did and Italy retook it and sunk the combined fleet, Italy was able to take Egypt with force and when London fell that made real easy to take over Afr. The U.S.A. didn’t build well enough to liberate London. He came after the Germ. Navy but didn’t have the resorces to eliminate them and that left a bunch of ducks only being protected by a dd and the Germ. navy sunk them. The U.S.A. landed their Inf. ,Art. and tanks in Afr. and Italy was stong enough to stop them. Japan kept the U.S.A. out as long as possible and concentrated on China and Russia on 1 and 2 and set themselves up to hit the Islands for the big money and slam the U.K. and the U.S.A. When Germ turned It’s force against Russia along with the Italian’s backing them up It turned out to be too much and after a few rounds It was over.

So 2 axis victories eh, strange that people still think its slanted towards the alllies.  I also fell once to a G1 assault on Russia.  All 3 Axis dropped their other commitments and went straight to Moscow.  Russia was doomed but I think had I known better then what I was doing I could have made major landings in Europe and turned the tide.
I was the U.S.A. in the first one and Germ in the second one

[suprise attack]

Another Axis victory this weekend it was a good game. Team work, patience and some luckier rolls is what made the difference.  It was 2 on 2

[AllyAxis]

Had have only 2 global games so far…  but both have been Allied victories.  I have yet to play the Axis as of yet.  both times Berlin fell because A. Demark was lightly defended once the Americans and British had fleets.    and B.  Berlin was lightly defended because all resources Axis resources were in Belgium, Normandy ,  and the eastern front.

When I play the Axis I think I need to make sure I can counter any land invasion in force rather than straight coastal defend.

I think that a Good Soviet Player will definitely defend through turn 4 when the US is in the war in Europe or at least has a fleet in SZ 109 or SZ 110.  I’m not sure that the balance with Japan is all that good since an experienced player can do so much damage with 19 planes in Alpha 2.  But since Japan is so far away from the Soviet union and the axis players waited till turn 4 or later to attack the soviet union,  my view of balance with the Japanese is tainted.

Seems extremely hard to get the Axis to defeat the allies unless they roll extremley well whereas the Allies can roll badly again and again and still pull it out.  This could also be the relationship between IPC’s as the Allies definitely can waste units and rebuild especially the Americans.

I really don’t like the NO’s for America so much.  its just too many NO’s for the US that are very difficult for the Axis to hit.  Maybe remove the Central /Western/Eastern 5 IPC NO .

Again we’ve only done 2 Global games so far.