American Pac-Strat: Why Alpha +2 is not a balanced game!


  • Whether you like sea-lion or not Germany has to focus on england for the first 2-3 turns at the very least. Germany has to eliminate most of the British navy the very first turn. If you keep the threat of a strong sea-lion you can force England into putting most of their cash for the first couple turns into defending their capitol. If you dont do sea lion you can then build a sub or two a turn combined with half of the German airforce and you can keep the British from invading Europe and possible damage Englands economy with convoy warefare. While you are keeping England from gaining any real strength you have a major land war going with the Soviets.


  • @Cmdr:

    Russia is plenty strong enough to prevent the fall of Moscow.

    I disagree.

    @Cmdr:

    i) Russia cannot beat Germany without America!
    So what? Russia does not have to BEAT anything, it only has to survive!

    True. So statement should be : Russia won’t survive if left be himself.

    @Cmdr:

    ii) But won’t Germany get too strong if England falls?
    Not really. Just because Germany and Italy have 120 IPC combined and a foot hold on England, Europe and Africa does not mean they will win!

    True… but it’s a heck of an edge for it.

    @Cmdr:

    For one, India is collecting 30 IPC and headed into the Middle East.

    Really?? If Calcutta is at 30IPC, then Axis lost the game already. I never let Calcutta earn that much when I play Axis. In any case, stating “With 30IPC…” is a false start, you end up with 30IPC at the end of a win for Allies, or perhaps 1 turn if Japan didn’t attack in first 3 turns.

    @Cmdr:

    America has a warfleet of surface ships they dont need in the Pacific that will be quickly headed towards the Atlantic

    Here again I disagree. Have USA clean Pacific and end up in Atlantic? That will never happen before turn 6-7… which is plenty time for Axis to take over England, have Russia invasion going and strongly hold Gibraltar.

    @Cmdr:

    to retake Africa and, worst of all, there will only be income for the NO of London for Germany, after the convoys.

    So useless to retake Africa. Actually, as Axis player, I would so be pleased to see USA spend time/ressources for Africe. No IC site (but the too far south Africa). I didn’t understand the second part of this statement.

    @Cmdr:

    Essentials: Germany must reinforce against Russia, or retreat. Germany must defend France or lose it. Germany must defend England, or face liberation by the Americans. Italy must defend Africa. Italy must defend the Middle East.

    Of course German must reinforce against Russia… they are the wining objective (once Sea Lion accomplished). I don’t have the same reading as you regarding Europe. If USA as 100% Pac-Strat… where’s the threat against France and London?? Italy will surely easily defend Middle East against Calcutta, no issue there… that and Gibraltar, nothing else to do at this point of the game.

    @Cmdr:

    So what can we do about it?

    Nothing. Up to now I feel Alpha 2 balanced. I don’t say I will surely win against you… but I’m positive that your strat is not a sure win with Allies. Actually, I feel you have less chance to win with a 100% Pac-Strat… and I challenge you! I’m confident I’ll win a majority of games against that strat (like at least 3 out of 5).


  • @BigBadBruce,

    Maybe I just need to learn better tactics but I am finding that if the Allies do an Italy Stomp first while reinforcing Hawaii that Allied victory is probable.  It have used it to great success as the Allies and I have lost a couple of games to the Allies as the Axis due to this tactic.

    It seems to me that the USA with the help of the UK can ruin Italy’s economy fairly quickly.  By smashing the Italian Navy on the UK’s first turn and then sending the American’s roaring to Gilbraltar Italy watches it’s economy quickly dissolve. When this happens I have not been able to recover since I am now facing all the Allied Countries with just Germany and Japan.

    By flying fighters to Hawaii and using the transports it starts with the US can reinforce Hawaii also.  At this point Japan could take Hawaii if it wanted to but it would have to expend too many resources to do so.  The problem with Japan not taking Hawaii though is it leaves the USA enough time (imho) to wreck Europe enough that Russia/UK can stand on their own 2 feet. When the USA does have to spend heavily in the Pacific to stop Japan from winning the game they no longer have to worry about the Axis winning in Europe.

    If I could find a way to win the game quicker as Japan before USA gets back to the Pacific then that would obviously be an effective counter.  Yet to date my Allied opponents have had a pretty good handle of when to stop smashing Europe and turn their attention to defense in the Pacific.

    I am not going to say the Italy stomp can’t be countered but I will say that I am struggling against it and I have tried a variety of tactics to counter it that have not succeeded.

    It just seems to me if Italy was slightly stronger or Russia was a tad weaker then the game would be more balanced.

    Yet maybe I just need better tactics :P


  • I don’t have absolut strategy with Axe. I won my 4 games with Axe with different players and, therefore, different alliance strategy that I had to deal with.

    Reading you, it seems Japan always attack early in your games. What I do with Japan is wait until a killing shot to attack… and if none occurs, then I attack Allies on J3, perhaps even J4 since Japan is before USA. But sure thing is, if USA reinforce Hawai on USA1, Japan completly destroy all navy there. A real Pearl Harbor occurs with a devastating 52/22 against a max possibly of 41/16 for USA (Combat value/hit point). z26 would most likely be clear in 2 waves…

    As Japan, I also attack Russia on the very first turn, no matter what Russia does at R1.

    Usually USA will avoid that sure lost battle. Therefore they just can’t go to Gibraltar before USA4… by that time, Gibraltar is well defended, either by Germany or Italy, depending on the game.

    IF UK attacks Italy, then UK will also loose all navy… in that trade I find Italy winner.

    That being said, I would enjoy testing my axis tactic, I invite you in a game. As I said, perhaps elsewhere, without playing at least 10 games, no one (including me) can state the game unbalanced. I played over 15 games of OOB Global40 (on boardgame, not here)before saying there’s absolutly noway that Axis can win, no matter waht. I challenge any game tester to state otherwise.


  • @BigBadBruce:

    I don’t have absolut strategy with Axe. I won my 4 games with Axe with different players and, therefore, different alliance strategy that I had to deal with.

    Reading you, it seems Japan always attack early in your games. What I do with Japan is wait until a killing shot to attack… and if none occurs, then I attack Allies on J3, perhaps even J4 since Japan is before USA. But sure thing is, if USA reinforce Hawai on USA1, Japan completly destroy all navy there. A real Pearl Harbor occurs with a devastating 52/22 against a max possibly of 41/16 for USA (Combat value/hit point). z26 would most likely be clear in 2 waves…

    As Japan, I also attack Russia on the very first turn, no matter what Russia does at R1.

    Usually USA will avoid that sure lost battle. Therefore they just can’t go to Gibraltar before USA4… by that time, Gibraltar is well defended, either by Germany or Italy, depending on the game.

    IF UK attacks Italy, then UK will also loose all navy… in that trade I find Italy winner.

    That being said, I would enjoy testing my axis tactic, I invite you in a game. As I said, perhaps elsewhere, without playing at least 10 games, no one (including me) can state the game unbalanced. I played over 15 games of OOB Global40 (on boardgame, not here)before saying there’s absolutly noway that Axis can win, no matter waht. I challenge any game tester to state otherwise.

    Okay I have played all my games in person and never played online.  If you can give me a little help with how to play online I would enjoy playing you.

    I think you have a lot of good ideas to counter an Italy Stomp and I might be able to learn from playing you in a game.  That said I think I have some ideas how to counter your counter :)

  • '18 '17 '16 '11 Moderator

    BigBadBruce:

    Many of your statements are highly accurate for Round 6 or 7, but I am talking rounds 10-13.  England is in German hands, but it’s not relevant as I can still keep them out of Russia’s juicy targets and stop a VC win.  Japan’s fleet is gone, India and Australia combined are earning 60 IPC, Japan is earning 0-6 IPC (depending on what they have in Russia, all other money is taken by CRD.)


  • @Cmdr:

    BigBadBruce:

    Many of your statements are highly accurate for Round 6 or 7, but I am talking rounds 10-13.  England is in German hands, but it’s not relevant as I can still keep them out of Russia’s juicy targets and stop a VC win.  Japan’s fleet is gone, India and Australia combined are earning 60 IPC, Japan is earning 0-6 IPC (depending on what they have in Russia, all other money is taken by CRD.)

    Oh! Ok then. By turn 10, most of my games are done, or just about to be. I don’t think I ever complete a turn 13.
    So I have no experience to comment a 12+ turns game. Sorry, I should have clarified.

  • '18 '17 '16 '11 Moderator

    I think you, or your opponents, give up too easy.  This game is very fault tolerant!  You can easily go 15-17 rounds even with one of your nations completely neutralized.


  • @Cmdr:

    I think you, or your opponents, give up too easy.  This game is very fault tolerant!  You can easily go 15-17 rounds even with one of your nations completely neutralized.

    I look forward for a match with you. We clearly have different experience and it would be great to share it. Whenever you can afford a new 1vs1 game, please consider me.

  • '18 '17 '16 '11 Moderator

    I assume you want the axis?  Any optional rules, technologies, LL, anything?

    Just start a thread, post your start and send me a link, I’ll determine any scrambles then, okay/?


  • Will do, in next 5-6 hours or so.
    I never buy thech, but feel free to do so if you want.
    As for optionnal rule, anything in the rulebook or official Alpha 2 I’m ok with, besides that I rather not since the purpose of the game is to see your 100% Pacific Strat with Alpha2 rules.

    LL? I don’t know that.

  • '18 '17 '16 '11 Moderator

    No optionals, no tech, actual dice server (rolling for each unit instead of rolling for remainder after all punch is added up and divided by 6 to determine number of hits = Low Luck, which we are not using.)

    Whenever.  I am leaving anyway, and I don’t have time to do any of my games atm…I only did Defin and Bo because the rounds were already worked out in my head.


  • @BigBadBruce:

    Reading you, it seems Japan always attack early in your games. What I do with Japan is wait until a killing shot to attack… and if none occurs, then I attack Allies on J3, perhaps even J4 since Japan is before USA. But sure thing is, if USA reinforce Hawai on USA1, Japan completly destroy all navy there. A real Pearl Harbor occurs with a devastating 52/22 against a max possibly of 41/16 for USA (Combat value/hit point). z26 would most likely be clear in 2 waves…
    As Japan, I also attack Russia on the very first turn, no matter what Russia does at R1.

    Usually USA will avoid that sure lost battle. Therefore they just can’t go to Gibraltar before USA4… by that time, Gibraltar is well defended, either by Germany or Italy, depending on the game.

    IF UK attacks Italy, then UK will also loose all navy… in that trade I find Italy winner.

    I few things I have encountered is that America leaves a blocker between sea zone 6 and Hawaii on it’s first turn and reinforces the island with infantry and fighters.  The only way to really avoid that is a J1 but I don’t believe that is worth it.  Therefore with the blocker in place on US1 that means Japan can attack Hawaii J3 at earliest.  The USA does not reinforce Sea Zone 26 with Navy just the island with fighters and infantry.  That leaves the US free to pull most of it’s starting Pacific fleet into the Alantic to get a big head up on crushing Gilbraltar.

    Now with the blocker in place Japan has to wait till it’s third turn at earliest to hit Hawaii and take it.  At that point there are about  6 inf and 6 fighters sitting in Hawaii.  Everything else is prepared by the USA to smash whatever resistance the Italians and Germans have put up at Gilbraltar.  For Japan to take Hawaii with that many Americans sitting in it they will surely have to forgo getting the money islands.  Yet if they do that UK Pacific and Australia will grow to be quite large.  Now if they don’t pressure the USA at Hawaii and go for the money islands that means the US will smash through Gilbraltar and ruin the Italian economy with ease.  Not to mention they can hurt Germany as well.

    I also think killing India should be high on the hit list of Japan.  If Japan can sack Calcutta then America must pay attention to them because they are now a threat to win the game.  If Japan focuses on Russia then the USA is free to spend more time in the Atlantic because Japan is not a threat to win the game.

    Also I have tried late attacks with Japan to keep the Allies off of Europe as long as possible but I have found it is just not enough to stop the Italy Stomp.

    Also if I am the UK and I know that the USA is on it’s way to stomp Italy first then I will trade my Med Carrier fleet to sink the half of the Italian Navy with 2 transorts/2 German Fighters.  Yes I may have lost a lot of my starting fleet but now Italy will not be able to get resources to Africa/Gilbraltar fast enough and the German Air Force is less of threat to the incoming American fleet.


  • @Cmdr:

    No optionals, no tech, actual dice server (rolling for each unit instead of rolling for remainder after all punch is added up and divided by 6 to determine number of hits = Low Luck, which we are not using.)

    Done, I sent you the link.


  • @Frank:

    I few things I have encountered is that America leaves a blocker between sea zone 6 and Hawaii on it’s first turn and reinforces the island with infantry and fighters.

    Which is why I don’t attack from z6!  8-)


  • @BigBadBruce:

    @Frank:

    I few things I have encountered is that America leaves a blocker between sea zone 6 and Hawaii on it’s first turn and reinforces the island with infantry and fighters.

    Which is why I don’t attack from z6!  8-)

    Okay point taken yet America can still block Japan USA1 regardless of where they go unless they move their fleet right next to Sea Zone 26.  Yes Japan can do that but it leaves their fleet way out of position to do everything else it is needed to do.

  • '18 '17 '16 '11 Moderator

    @Frank:

    @BigBadBruce:

    @Frank:

    I few things I have encountered is that America leaves a blocker between sea zone 6 and Hawaii on it’s first turn and reinforces the island with infantry and fighters.

    Which is why I don’t attack from z6!  8-)

    Okay point taken yet America can still block Japan USA1 regardless of where they go unless they move their fleet right next to Sea Zone 26.  Yes Japan can do that but it leaves their fleet way out of position to do everything else it is needed to do.

    Agreed, as America earns more than double what most nations make, they can easily toss a few destroyers in the water to block avenues of attack on SZ 26.

    However, a Naval Base in Midway with a large fleet there is better than Hawaii (for America) as it gives me multiple options if I attack SZ 6. (Which I generally do early, in hopes of suckering Japan into blowing their Kamikazees.)


  • J1 build 3 trans., 1 Infantry.  Take the 4 Chinese territories. Turn 2 6 transports.  Fight to keep China off of their bonus.  Declare war on J3, taking alaska, the aluetians, solomans, guam, the Philippines, kwangtung, and as many of the DEI you can.  Build more transports and loads at Japan.  You collect roughly 50 IPCs.  Would the US have built enough transports to retake both of their bonuses?  Sure they can hit a lot of your fleet, but you can be really obnoxious with fifteen transports running around the pacific stealing all of the allied bonus islands.  You’re not going to win as Japan, but it sure as hell makes 100% pacific difficult.  Japan won’t be completely neutralized for a long time….

    You guys all claim that sea lion is necessary and hands down the best move.  Im not completely sold on that. I attack Yugoslavia G1 with the intention to retreat towards Russia.  You can potentially do it twice if you’re lucky to jump stacks of Infantry to the eastern front.  Attacking Russia G2 keeps them off balance and in doing so I get leningrad and Ukraine by G4.  At that point you are able to defend Normandy from the british and keep enough pressure on Russia.  I send a smallish stack of Italians up to Russia as well to help defend German advances and to can opener a timely tank blitz if the opportunity presents itself.


  • 6 Transports on Turn 2? Are you not building NB’s & AB’s in key area’s to help your units reach key areas?

  • '18 '17 '16 '11 Moderator

    @Commando:

    6 Transports on Turn 2? Are you not building NB’s & AB’s in key area’s to help your units reach key areas?

    Probably not.  The only nation that I routinely build a naval or airbase with is America and that’s a naval base in Midway (gives me the range I need to hit what I want from multiple angles, forcing Japan to spread itself out to defend against it.)

    That’s not to say I never buy them.  I have purchased airbases for Korea, W. France, Holland, Hong Kong, a naval base in Hainan and W. Australia, etc.  It’s just not a standard thing I purchase, except the Naval Base in Midway. (Even as Japan, I put one there.)

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