Russia Round One–How to justify anything but inf?


  • @Speusippus:

    Thanks for the advice so far.

    I always play low-luck. Does this affect your Russia strategy?

    Does low luck simulate the average normal dice roll pretty well? Or does it tend to skew in a particular direction relative to the average dice roll?

    You might have bothered to mention that.  Low luck completely changes the game.

    As far as large battles being pretty well predicted by Low Luck, that’s completely not true.  Dice and low luck are completely different.

  • '12

    Large battle imply many dice, many dice tend to smooth out the averages.  I bet if you did a 300 Inf versus 300 Inf, after 1 round, the offense is going to be dang close to 50 hits and the defense pretty close to 100 hits.  Don’t let anyone tell you that large numbers of trials don’t smooth out deviations of dice.  You are NEVER going to miss when you attack with 100 units.  When you attack with 1 unit, even a tank, you will miss completely 50% of the time.  Basic statistic facts.


  • It isn’t a question of letting anyone tell anyone anything.

    Set up a simple dummy battle of 64 tanks battling 64 tanks.  Under Low Luck, the attacker wins 25% of the time, everything’s destroyed 50% of the time, and defender wins 25% of the time, because second round is 16 vs 16, then 8 vs 8, 4 vs 4, 2 vs 2, then 1 vs 1.

    Now try 64 tanks vs 64 tanks in dice and come back and tell me how low luck is a great predictor for dice, and how low luck is a great predictor for dice battles when large numbers of dice are involved on both sides.

    I have a funny hat I wear for just such occasions.  :lol:


  • @MrMalachiCrunch:

    Large battle imply many dice, many dice tend to smooth out the averages.  I bet if you did a 300 Inf versus 300 Inf, after 1 round, the offense is going to be dang close to 50 hits and the defense pretty close to 100 hits.  Don’t let anyone tell you that large numbers of trials don’t smooth out deviations of dice.  You are NEVER going to miss when you attack with 100 units.  When you attack with 1 unit, even a tank, you will miss completely 50% of the time.  Basic statistic facts.

    The key word is tend. Or how it may not. Because dice have no memory of previous throws.

    Statistics should be considered like meteorology: climate is what you expect, weather is what you get.

  • '12

    I bet in a battle of 1000 tanks versus 1000 tanks, you probably won’t win with more than 25% of your forces in a pure dice game.

    I bet in a battle of 2 tanks versus 2 tanks you will win with 100% of your forces often enough to be statistically relevant.

    Low luck is probably going to imitate that 1000 tank dice battle more accurately than it would a 2 tanks versus 2 tank dice battle game was my point.


  • Instead of 8 inf, I prefer 5 inf, art, arm. Having a few artillery pieces around really helps out in some occasions, and it is not THAT expesive.
    IMHO, the typical trading territories assault package is 2 inf 1 ftr vs 1 inf. If I want to trade a territory but have no ftr to spare though, I would either have to dedicate 3 inf (and risk utter failure), or 1 inf 1 (precious) arm to the attack. Not to mention that trying to trade vs 2 inf gets even more complicated and risky. Artillery solves the problem. If no ftr is available (p.e. if a ftr has to be lost to a Norwegian Gambit, or dedicated to an attack against some Japanese frontmen in Novosibirsk) an art can fill the gap just fine. 1 inf 1 art vs 1 inf is good odds and the cost is minimally higher. When trying to trade vs 2 inf, a 1 inf 1 art 1 ftr assault package is way better than 2 inf 1 ftr and less expensive than 3 inf 1 ftr.
    So imho some art pieces must lay around in order to get the russians out of a low-chances trading scenario.
    As for the armor, I agree that it is better for the russians to try and do more than wait for death.
    So, I go for a 5 inf, art arm R1 buy.


  • I usually do buy all infantry for the whole game, but reading this topic and through past defeats, I believe I will change this practice!


  • R1 I purchase 1 bomber and 4 infantry.


  • @Coldwarrior1984:

    R1 I purchase 1 bomber and 4 infantry.

    Yeah me too: sometimes a bomber, sometimes a fighter.

    Some air force is perfect, no need to sacrifice tanks and you got strength + distance (and great defence later in the game in case of fighters), and turn 1 is ideal for this since after R1 there shouldn’t be any threat.

    Only reason i would buy a few tanks with Russia is to have units that can drive into India and China fast. If USA buys an IC in China they need Russian support.

    Edit: and now and then an ART of course


  • @Coldwarrior1984:

    R1 I purchase 1 bomber and 4 infantry.

    G1 Buy 5 inf, 5 arm. Take Karelia with 9 inf, 5 arm (if Ukraine was attacked on R1)


  • I like 3tank 3inf Build
    better attack,defend early


  • @Hobbes:

    @Coldwarrior1984:

    R1 I purchase 1 bomber and 4 infantry.

    G1 Buy 5 inf, 5 arm. Take Karelia with 9 inf, 5 arm (if Ukraine was attacked on R1)

    Ideally (for me), Ukraine should be taken with not too many land units (using the existing fighters, because tanks will die there anyway), while everything else slaughters West-Russia (and should be a stack that is too strong for Germany to take out unless the Ukraine attack fails miserably), fighters land in Caucasus to discourage amphibious assaults. next turn the W.Russia stack should retreat, no matter what Germany does (but yes, Karelia is about their best choice).

    In case of a US IC in Sinkiang, 4 russian INF should have walked in turn 1 and in turn 2 they can do an attack on China, joined by the fighters (and bomber if you bought one) since the air force won’t be needed against Germany that turn. Landing in Sinkiang they are within reach to hit Ukraine / W.Russia again if desired.
    (tanks retreating from W.Russia to Kazakh can reach both fronts (but still face certain death after they have actually attacked…) and india).

    Edit: a bomber is useful, but a fighter is usually enough since it is a small map and with careful positioning they can reach most fronts (and are great defence for when things get hot). Also buying a fighter instead of a bomber allows to buy some ART instead of INF, which is useful for  small counter attacks as well.
    if germany slacks, then a bomber later on is still an option ;)


  • @special:

    next turn the W.Russia stack should retreat, no matter what Germany does (but yes, Karelia is about their best choice).

    As long as Germany controls Eastern Europe, Russia should keep a stack on West Russia as long as possible. With it, it can trade 7 IPC worth of territories with the Germans and keep their advance in check. If it pulls out the stack then Russia is effectively allowing a ton of IPCs to the Germans: Karelia, Belorussia, Ukraine, West Russia.


  • @Hobbes:

    @special:

    next turn the W.Russia stack should retreat, no matter what Germany does (but yes, Karelia is about their best choice).

    As long as Germany controls Eastern Europe, Russia should keep a stack on West Russia as long as possible. With it, it can trade 7 IPC worth of territories with the Germans and keep their advance in check. If it pulls out the stack then Russia is effectively allowing a ton of IPCs to the Germans: Karelia, Belorussia, Ukraine, West Russia.

    true, but if Germany puts enough troops in position to defeat the W.Russian army (like in your example, + air force + units from other territories that probably can reach W.Russia), i am inklined to pull back (or turn south, depending on the situation).
    Against a German player that will take W.Russia with the minimal amount of units, i will take W.Russia back the next turn with some inf + fighters. I know that is a game that won’t last long in Spring 42.
    Call me a semi-agressive Russian ;)

    that said, consulting the map i notice that i usually take Belarus and ukraine while keeping a stack in W.Russia, backed up by Caucasus and Russia. Clearly i don’t know this map by heart (yet). So i guess i was  agreeing with you, heh. :D sorry for that
    Keeping W.Russia (and trade Ukraine, Belarus or even Karelia when possible).

    edit: i do usually retreat my tanks, though

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