On the issue of the Pacific. It has been my experience that Japan tends to concentrate its efforts on the far East, leaving what resources it started with just “floating around” the Pacific. While it is understandable why Japan must commit to the far east in order to put pressure on Russia, it has been my practice to use the USA and it’s economic power to create and deploy a Pacific fleet in order to put enormous pressure on Japan by first conquering all the lightly defended islands and then assembling a huge landing party for the Japanese mainland. The Japanese are forced to pay attention and allocate resources in their defence. This will inevitably stall their far east efforts. If Japan ignores the USA buildup for too long, they will be in big trouble. If they commit naval resources, they will not have full force in their eastern operations. In any case, the USA will be effective in tying up the Japanese thus relieving the Russians from fighting a two war front, which they simply cannot afford.
…in summation, I always have lots of action in the Pacific when playing the USA. It works more often then not…with any luck. Like any “plan”, not always perfect.
I dont, building a pacific fleet takes at least 3 or 4 turns, these turns can be used by both axis to cripple russia. So a pacific fleet only relieves the russians after they have been crippled far enough by the axis.
It sounds like your UK player is asleep on the job! He/she is having absolutely NO impact on either Asia OR Europe theaters and should be relegated to banker duty or whatever. Your USSR player isn’t much better, if he is being “crippled” in 3(!) turns by even a combined assault. They should both be fired immediately.
Seriously, though I appreciate what you are saying: if USA is spending all their resources on slow attack in the Pacific it makes the Allies jobs a lot tougher. But USA can HURT Japan in the Pacific without breaking the bank. I had 1 game where Japan destroyed most of the USA fleet T1 as usual. USA responded by building a MONSTROUS fleet of subs that in very little time (and at relatively little cost) were prowling the Pacific sinking every TR in their path! Japan wa forced to rely on air power and 1 IC in Manchuria and were pretty quickly bottled up. At the same time USA was able to build a sizeable D-Day force as well.
My point isn’t that the Pacific is always THE decisive theater. I’m only saying that every game is different and if you make a pat rule like “I always ignore the Pacific…” sooner or later your buddies are gonna get wise and take advantage–as Axis OR Allies…
Ozone27
the problem for the allies when japan relies on air power is that japan starts out with (and usually doesn’t lose) like 5 fighters and a bomber…does it seem to you that they just might be able to hold off the US subs, who by the way, can’t retaliate against airborne units.
I always thought Japan was the best country since everybody always seems to neglect the South Pacific. Plus Japan is capable of accomplishing all sorts of feats: conquering Africa, taking Moscow, blitzing London, and crossing into the Atlantic. In no way could it have happened in real life but here it does.
I like playing with US the most
I must agree completly with Ozone 27. You, my friend, have a firm grasp on what this game is all about.
UK is my favorite country right now. It is fun and challenging to oust Germany from Africa and then cross the Suez into Asia or the Meditteranean into Europe and kick some Axis ass. America is also fun because you get to decide when and where to drop the hammer. I usually reteat the remnants of my crushed Pacific fleet to the Atlantic and then funnel troops into Africa, ignoring the Japs in the Pacific because, lets face it, what exactly are they going to do. I’ve seen a lot of people have a naval arms race in the Pacific that only serves to drain the resources of both Japan and America. There can be no decisive naval victory in the Pacific if you stick around. Germany is fun to try to knock UK out of Africa, and today I played UK and conceded defeat when Germany attacked Great Britain on the first turn and won. I had tried this in a previous game in which that player was playing, and it worked pretty well then, but this guy was lucky as hell with his dice and won an impossible victory before I was even able to move. Bastard. But it was fun. I have never played Japan because the guy that I always play with is Japanese and damn proud of it. Russia I have never wanted to play that badly because they never seem to go anywhere and always end up just cranking out infantry defense and slowly dying. I have only lost once, and that was playing America with a static Russian ally and a very stupid UK that didn’t even make a bid for Africa and just sat there on Britain. My record is probably due to the level of competition and stategies that I picked up from here. Before each game, I set goals for myself to achieve victory. Whether playing US, UK, or Germany, my major goal is to dominate the Atlantic. If you can do that, your enemies are flat out screwed.
Whoa, how did you manage to lose in the first turn? I mean there’s only 1 transport in the Northern Atlantic that probably gets taken out by USSR on the first turn? Plus, who did he/she manage to wipe out the entire UK fleet and land 2 inf against planes, bombers, inf., and tanks?
Landbridging is one of our house rules. If a transport occupies the only sea zone between two countries, you can ferry as many troops as you want between the two locations. Russia tried to take out the German transport but rolled horribly and lost their whole fleet with the exception of the transport while scoring absolutely no hits. The mighty German armada raped UK’s pitiful fleet, taking the battleship out with subs so it couldn’t fired back. The rest of it was just incredibly lucky dice on his part and incredibly poor on mine.
Well maybe landbriding isn’t the best answer.
My favorite is Japan because I find it the easiest, though I must say, UK and Russia are very fun as well.
The war is either won or lost if Germany takes Africa and then Russia. As Russia, you get a lot of action, and as long as you can split german offensive forces, the americans and british will be sending wave after wave of men into western Europe by turn two.
Now Japan is fun, because short term, it is pretty untouchable. I don’t want to sound ignorant, but the truth is if you let the US fleet alone, and you concentrate on east europe, taking india in the first turn, the US can only have a pissing contest.
If they build a fleet to start Island hopping, use your fleet to cripple them, and it would take more than one turn just to reinforce their fleet. By the time they can even THINK of harming japan, japan will have so many IPCs, japan will be able to outbuild america.
America could not match the jap fleet in time. Remember, the alliance is won or lost depending on if russia falls. after that, it is a free for all, usually japan turning on Germany.
Japan can buy cheap subs to hold off any American attack in the first 4 turns, and with their aircraft and men, they can take East Asia.
Japan is pretty intact. It has the advantage of being an island nation, with immense land power.
I always thought that taking out the American fleet at Pearl Harbor was a must.
The key for Japan is to do everything cheaply:
cheap transports, infantry, subs
the only expensive things required are fighters and they pay off in the long run.
The key for Japan is to do everything cheaply:
cheap transports, infantry, subs
the only expensive things required are fighters and they pay off in the long run.
sorry about the 2x post
I also love the U.K. cause u have da challange of controling differant parts of the world. So you must adapt differant weapons to differant areas.
I just want to agree with ozone. how can anyone say attacking the pacific with the us is stupid. typically i find the US gets run poorly because they go last- they are usually bored or asleep-
the US can play a pivotal role early in the game. they need only help keep germany from blitzing africa- russia and UK can wear down and defeat germany alone.
the us can speed the demise of germany in turn 2-3 but in turn 2-3 they can be pumping troops into the soviet far east 4-6 inf per turn, while simultaneously robbing the japs of those 1-3 ipc islands in the pacific that are neglected as japan pushes west.
I will not believe that without an arse load of lucky rolls germany can wipe out russia and UK by turn 3, because by then the writings on the wall.
My fav is germany, but agianst a well organized enemy germany can’t win 30 +24= 54 germany starts with 32, - finland - lybia- algeria = 28 vs 58 two to one. only poor planning will squander this advantage. leaving the us free to blast japan.
im sorry when i said i won’t believe germany can beat UK and Russia, stragety makes a difference. but if the combattants are equal germany is doomed
My Favorite is the USA
It’s diffiucult to build and invade Europe in exactly the right way. I find that it, like Japan and UK has the most interesting strategic options.
I agree with the comment that japan should build cheap, and should target Asia, not some stupid Islands.
