Stalingradski (Allies) vs. Fortress (Axis) - G40

[Fortress]

Here are the G1 combat moves. Scramble orders, please, sir.

G1_scramble_orders.tsvg

[Stalingradski]

No scramble in SZ110.

Hurricanes scramble in SZ111!

[Fortress]

Since we haven’t played together, I’m assuming just the 2 British fighters and not the French one, then?

[Stalingradski]

Sorry, Fortress - only the fighter in Scotland scrambles, into SZ111.

No scramble from London into 110.

[Fortress]

I guess looking at a map would’ve answered that question…  :roll: Face, meet palm. Palm, face.

[Stalingradski]

:-)

[Fortress]

Your destroyer, transport survived and sunk my sub in z106. You inflicted zero (ZERO?) hits in z110. I hit 4 times in round 1 in z110 – what is order of loss? I can see one very remote scenario and one slightly less remote scenario where it would matter. But I thought I’d ask.

[Fortress]

Your destroyer, transport survived and sunk my sub in z106. You inflicted zero (ZERO?) hits in z110. I hit 4 times in round 1 in z111 – what is order of loss? I can see one very remote scenario and one slightly less remote scenario where it would matter. But I thought I’d ask.

[Stalingradski]

SZ111 for the OOL question, right? If so, I’ll keep my fighter, sir. I like those!

[Fortress]

Ignore the post from “6:57p”. Sigh… Apparently spending all day with children has rotted my ability to receive and transmit thoughts… z111. I hit 4 times in z111, and would like an order of loss. If you sink the BB and leave the F, and you only hit once in the 1st round, the F might be able to destroy a plane in the 2nd round whereas the BB would only sink a sub. But if my goal was to sink the navy, I might just retreat if you did that rather than risk a 66% chance at losing a plane. So it’s not insignificant (again, only on the off chance that you hit 0-1 times in the 1st combat round with the naval pieces)…

[Fortress]

Right-o. Got it. I’ll sink the BB for you.

[Stalingradski]

Right on with your math - and I agree - a fighter, combined with you continuing on the attack, equals a chance to remove an important fang from the German maw.

I’ve come to regard aircraft as being as important in this game as capital ships, and I treat them accordingly…

I also see the sero hits in SZ110, and the survival of my UK navy off Canada as being acceptable from a luck perspective.

[Fortress]

TripleA Turn Summary for game: World War II Global 1940 Alpha 3 Final, version: 3.3

Game History

Round :1

Politics - Germans

Purchase Units - Germans
            Germans buy 1 carrier and 2 transports; Remaining resources: 0 PUs;

Combat Move - Germans
            3 armour, 2 artilleries and 4 infantry moved from Holland Belgium to France
            3 mech_infantrys moved from Western Germany to Southern France
            1 armour moved from Greater Southern Germany to Southern France
            1 fighter moved from Slovakia Hungary to Southern France
            1 armour and 1 tactical_bomber moved from Poland to Yugoslavia
            2 artilleries and 6 infantry moved from Greater Southern Germany to Yugoslavia
            1 artillery, 3 infantry and 1 mech_infantry moved from Western Germany to France
            1 battleship moved from 113 Sea Zone to 110 Sea Zone
            1 submarine moved from 108 Sea Zone to 110 Sea Zone
            1 submarine moved from 103 Sea Zone to 110 Sea Zone
            1 submarine moved from 117 Sea Zone to 106 Sea Zone
            1 submarine moved from 118 Sea Zone to 111 Sea Zone
            1 submarine moved from 124 Sea Zone to 111 Sea Zone
            1 fighter moved from Norway to 111 Sea Zone
            2 bombers and 1 tactical_bomber moved from Germany to 111 Sea Zone
            2 fighters and 3 tactical_bombers moved from Western Germany to 110 Sea Zone
            1 fighter moved from Holland Belgium to 110 Sea Zone
            1 armour moved from Slovakia Hungary to Yugoslavia
            1 armour moved from Romania to Yugoslavia
            2 armour moved from Greater Southern Germany to France

Combat - Germans
            British scrambles 1 units out of Scotland to defend against the attack in 111 Sea Zone
            Battle in 106 Sea Zone
                Germans attack with 1 submarine
                British defend with 1 destroyer and 1 transport
                    Germans roll dice for 1 submarine in 106 Sea Zone, round 1 :  0/1 hits
                    British roll dice for 1 destroyer and 1 transport in 106 Sea Zone, round 1 :  1/1 hits
                    1 submarine owned by the Germans lost in 106 Sea Zone
                British win with 1 destroyer and 1 transport remaining. Battle score for attacker is -6
                Casualties for Germans: 1 submarine
            Battle in France
                Germans attack with 5 armour, 3 artilleries, 7 infantry and 1 mech_infantry
                French defend with 1 aaGun, 1 airfield, 1 armour, 1 artillery, 1 factory_major, 1 fighter and 6 infantry; British defend with 1 armour and 1 artillery
                    Germans roll dice for 5 armour, 3 artilleries, 7 infantry and 1 mech_infantry in France, round 1 :  8/16 hits
                    French roll dice for 1 aaGun, 2 armour, 2 artilleries, 1 fighter and 6 infantry in France, round 1 :  4/11 hits
                    6 infantry owned by the French , 4 infantry owned by the Germans , 1 artillery owned by the British and 1 aaGun owned by the French lost in France
                    Germans roll dice for 5 armour, 3 artilleries, 3 infantry and 1 mech_infantry in France, round 2 :  5/12 hits
                    French roll dice for 2 armour, 1 artillery and 1 fighter in France, round 2 :  2/4 hits
                    1 armour owned by the French , 1 armour owned by the British , 2 infantry owned by the Germans , 1 artillery owned by the French and 1 fighter owned by the French lost in France
                Germans captures 19PUs while taking French capital
                Germans converts factory_major into different units
                Germans win, taking France from French with 5 armour, 3 artilleries, 1 infantry and 1 mech_infantry remaining. Battle score for attacker is 35
                Casualties for Germans: 6 infantry
                Casualties for French: 1 aaGun, 1 armour, 1 artillery, 1 fighter and 6 infantry
                Casualties for British: 1 armour and 1 artillery
            Battle in Southern France
                Germans attack with 1 armour, 1 fighter and 3 mech_infantrys
                French defend with 1 artillery, 1 factory_minor, 1 harbour and 1 infantry
                    Germans roll dice for 1 armour, 1 fighter and 3 mech_infantrys in Southern France, round 1 :  2/5 hits
                    French roll dice for 1 artillery and 1 infantry in Southern France, round 1 :  2/2 hits
                    1 infantry owned by the French , 1 artillery owned by the French and 2 mech_infantrys owned by the Germans lost in Southern France
                Germans win, taking Southern France from French with 1 armour, 1 fighter and 1 mech_infantry remaining. Battle score for attacker is -1
                Casualties for Germans: 2 mech_infantrys
                Casualties for French: 1 artillery and 1 infantry
            Battle in Yugoslavia
                Germans attack with 3 armour, 2 artilleries, 6 infantry and 1 tactical_bomber
                Neutral_Allies defend with 5 infantry
                    Germans roll dice for 3 armour, 2 artilleries, 6 infantry and 1 tactical_bomber in Yugoslavia, round 1 :  5/12 hits
                    Neutral_Allies roll dice for 5 infantry in Yugoslavia, round 1 :  2/5 hits
                    2 infantry owned by the Germans and 5 infantry owned by the Neutral_Allies lost in Yugoslavia
                Germans win, taking Yugoslavia from Neutral_Allies with 3 armour, 2 artilleries, 4 infantry and 1 tactical_bomber remaining. Battle score for attacker is 9
                Casualties for Neutral_Allies: 5 infantry
                Casualties for Germans: 2 infantry
            Battle in 110 Sea Zone
                Germans attack with 1 battleship, 3 fighters, 2 submarines and 3 tactical_bombers
                French defend with 1 cruiser; British defend with 1 battleship and 1 cruiser
                    Germans roll dice for 2 submarines in 110 Sea Zone, round 1 :  1/2 hits
                Units damaged: 1 battleship owned by the British
                    Germans roll dice for 1 battleship, 3 fighters and 3 tactical_bombers in 110 Sea Zone, round 1 :  5/7 hits
                    British roll dice for 1 battleship and 2 cruisers in 110 Sea Zone, round 1 :  0/3 hits
                    1 cruiser owned by the French , 1 cruiser owned by the British and 1 battleship owned by the British lost in 110 Sea Zone
                Germans win with 1 battleship, 3 fighters, 2 submarines and 3 tactical_bombers remaining. Battle score for attacker is 44
                Casualties for French: 1 cruiser
                Casualties for British: 1 battleship and 1 cruiser
            Battle in 111 Sea Zone
                Germans attack with 2 bombers, 1 fighter, 2 submarines and 1 tactical_bomber
                British defend with 1 battleship, 1 cruiser, 1 destroyer and 1 fighter
                    Germans roll dice for 2 submarines in 111 Sea Zone, round 1 :  0/2 hits
                    Germans roll dice for 2 bombers, 1 fighter and 1 tactical_bomber in 111 Sea Zone, round 1 :  4/4 hits
                    British roll dice for 1 battleship, 1 cruiser, 1 destroyer and 1 fighter in 111 Sea Zone, round 1 :  1/4 hits
                    1 cruiser owned by the British , 1 battleship owned by the British , 1 destroyer owned by the British and 1 submarine owned by the Germans lost in 111 Sea Zone
                1 submarine owned by the Germans Submerged
                    Germans roll dice for 2 bombers, 1 fighter and 1 tactical_bomber in 111 Sea Zone, round 2 :  3/4 hits
                    British roll dice for 1 fighter in 111 Sea Zone, round 2 :  1/1 hits
                    1 fighter owned by the British and 1 fighter owned by the Germans lost in 111 Sea Zone
                Germans win with 2 bombers and 1 tactical_bomber remaining. Battle score for attacker is 34
                Casualties for Germans: 1 fighter and 1 submarine
                Casualties for British: 1 battleship, 1 cruiser, 1 destroyer and 1 fighter
            Trigger Germans Conquer France: Setting switch to true for conditionAttachment_French_1_Liberation_Switch attached to French

Non Combat Move - Germans
            1 fighter moved from Southern France to Northern Italy
            1 tactical_bomber moved from Yugoslavia to Southern Italy
            1 cruiser moved from 114 Sea Zone to 112 Sea Zone
            1 transport moved from 114 Sea Zone to 112 Sea Zone
            2 infantry moved from Denmark to 112 Sea Zone
            2 infantry moved from 112 Sea Zone to Norway
            1 infantry moved from Norway to Finland
                  Germans take Finland from Neutral_Axis
            2 aaGuns moved from Western Germany to France
            1 aaGun and 2 infantry moved from Germany to Western Germany
            1 tactical_bomber moved from 111 Sea Zone to 112 Sea Zone
            2 bombers moved from 111 Sea Zone to Western Germany
            1 fighter moved from 110 Sea Zone to 112 Sea Zone
            2 fighters and 3 tactical_bombers moved from 110 Sea Zone to Western Germany
            1 infantry moved from Romania to Bulgaria
                  Germans take Bulgaria from Neutral_Axis
            1 artillery moved from Germany to Western Germany
            2 aaGuns, 2 artilleries and 9 infantry moved from Germany to Poland
            2 infantry moved from Slovakia Hungary to Romania

Place Units - Germans
            1 carrier and 2 transports placed in 112 Sea Zone

Turn Complete - Germans
            Total Cost from Convoy Blockades: 3
                Rolling for Convoy Blockade Damage in 93 Sea Zone. Rolls: 2,2
            Germans collect 39 PUs (3 lost to blockades); end with 58 PUs total
            Trigger Germans 5 Swedish Iron Ore: Germans met a national objective for an additional 5 PUs; end with 63 PUs
            Objective Germans 1 Trade with Russia: Germans met a national objective for an additional 5 PUs; end with 68 PUs

Territory Summary for Germans :

Southern France : 1 flag, 1 armour, 1 factory_minor, 1 harbour and 1 mech_infantry
    France : 1 flag, 2 aaGuns, 1 airfield, 5 armour, 3 artilleries, 1 factory_minor, 1 infantry and 1 mech_infantry
    Western Germany : 1 flag, 2 aaGuns, 1 airfield, 1 artillery, 2 bombers, 1 factory_major, 2 fighters, 1 harbour, 2 infantry and 3 tactical_bombers
    Romania : 1 flag, 3 infantry
    Poland : 1 flag, 2 aaGuns, 2 artilleries and 12 infantry
    Germany : 1 flag, 1 factory_major
    Norway : 1 flag, 4 infantry
    Northern Italy : 1 flag, 1 fighter
    Southern Italy : 1 flag, 1 tactical_bomber
    112 Sea Zone : 1 flag, 1 carrier, 1 cruiser, 1 fighter, 1 tactical_bomber and 3 transports
    Bulgaria : 1 flag, 5 infantry
    Yugoslavia : 1 flag, 3 armour, 2 artilleries and 4 infantry
    Finland : 1 flag, 5 infantry
    110 Sea Zone : 1 flag, 1 battleship and 2 submarines
    111 Sea Zone : 1 flag, 1 submarine

Production/PUs Summary :

Germans : 42 / 68
    Russians : 37 / 37
    Japanese : 26 / 26
    Americans : 52 / 52
    Chinese : 12 / 12
    British : 28 / 28
    UK_Pacific : 17 / 17
    Italians : 10 / 10
    ANZAC : 10 / 10
    French : 12 / 0
    Dutch : 11 / 0
    Mongolians : 0 / 0
    Neutral_Axis : 2 / 0
    Neutral_Allies : 6 / 0
    Neutral_True : 18 / 0

Dice Statistics:

Total
            1 was rolled 25 times
            2 was rolled 18 times
            3 was rolled 20 times
            4 was rolled 23 times
            5 was rolled 20 times
            6 was rolled 11 times
        Average roll : 3.239
        Median : 3.000
        Variance : 1.026
        Standard Deviation : 1.013
        Total rolls : 117

Null / Other
            1 was rolled 5 times
            2 was rolled 4 times
            3 was rolled 2 times
            4 was rolled 4 times
            5 was rolled 3 times
            6 was rolled 1 times
        Average roll : 2.947
        Median : 3.000
        Variance : 0.611
        Standard Deviation : 0.782
        Total rolls : 19

Neutral_Allies Combat
            1 was rolled 1 times
            2 was rolled 1 times
            4 was rolled 1 times
            5 was rolled 2 times
        Average roll : 3.400
        Median : 4.000
        Variance : 1.750
        Standard Deviation : 1.323
        Total rolls : 5

Germans Combat
            1 was rolled 13 times
            2 was rolled 9 times
            3 was rolled 15 times
            4 was rolled 12 times
            5 was rolled 8 times
            6 was rolled 8 times
        Average roll : 3.262
        Median : 3.000
        Variance : 0.734
        Standard Deviation : 0.857
        Total rolls : 65

French Combat
            1 was rolled 5 times
            2 was rolled 4 times
            3 was rolled 2 times
            4 was rolled 4 times
            5 was rolled 3 times
            6 was rolled 1 times
        Average roll : 2.947
        Median : 3.000
        Variance : 0.611
        Standard Deviation : 0.782
        Total rolls : 19

British Combat
            1 was rolled 1 times
            3 was rolled 1 times
            4 was rolled 2 times
            5 was rolled 4 times
            6 was rolled 1 times
        Average roll : 4.222
        Median : 5.000
        Variance : 1.375
        Standard Deviation : 1.173
        Total rolls : 9

[Fortress]

Yeah, I got tired of getting diced in 110/111 - normally I only bring 3 subs and send 2 to canada. I brought the extra sub (and risked 106) with the intention of getting screwed on the dice again but having an extra piece of fodder for that almost certainty. I guess I don’t get to gripe now about the extra mech I lost in southern france, eh?

I’d normally say that these things even out, but parking an undamaged BB and 2 subs in the channel on turn 1 certainly changes what you might feel comfortable doing on UK1. I’ve been thinking about a modified LL system that guarantees a hit for 12 pips in case you come up empty. You basically get to roll dice as normal, but if you fail each round to reach 50% of your expected casualties inflicted, you get to round up to that number… Evens out the “you gotta be kidding me - I have 38 infantry defending and I got 2 effing hits!” factor without making it too predictable.

[Stalingradski]

TripleA Turn Summary for game: World War II Global 1940 Alpha 3 Final, version: 3.3

Game History

Round :1

Purchase Units - Russians
            Russians buy 1 artillery and 11 infantry; Remaining resources: 0 PUs;

Combat Move - Russians

Combat - Russians

Non Combat Move - Russians
            1 artillery and 6 infantry moved from Novgorod to Baltic States
            2 infantry moved from Eastern Poland to Baltic States
            2 infantry moved from Bessarabia to Eastern Poland
            1 infantry moved from Western Ukraine to Eastern Poland
            1 artillery moved from Western Ukraine to Eastern Poland
            1 infantry moved from Ukraine to Bessarabia
            2 infantry moved from Ukraine to Western Ukraine
            1 armour and 1 mech_infantry moved from Volgograd to Bryansk
            1 armour and 1 mech_infantry moved from Russia to Belarus
            1 infantry moved from Belarus to Baltic States
            2 aaGuns moved from Novgorod to Baltic States
            1 fighter and 1 tactical_bomber moved from Russia to Novgorod
            1 infantry moved from Archangel to Novgorod
            2 infantry moved from Karelia to Novgorod
            3 infantry moved from Vyborg to Novgorod
            1 artillery and 1 infantry moved from Russia to Bryansk
            2 infantry moved from Caucasus to Kazakhstan
            1 aaGun moved from Russia to Samara
            1 aaGun moved from Russia to Bryansk
            3 infantry moved from Sakha to Buryatia
            1 aaGun moved from Sakha to Buryatia
            6 infantry moved from Amur to Sakha
            1 submarine moved from 127 Sea Zone to 111 Sea Zone
            1 cruiser moved from 115 Sea Zone to 114 Sea Zone

Place Units - Russians
            1 artillery and 2 infantry placed in Novgorod
            3 infantry placed in Ukraine
            2 infantry placed in Volgograd
            4 infantry placed in Russia

Turn Complete - Russians
            Russians collect 37 PUs; end with 37 PUs total

[Stalingradski]

My long time A&A gaming partner - Infrastructure - and I developed a LL system that was nice, and worked for face to face games, and ABattlemap.

Basically, added up the pips, and a certain number would trigger an automatic hit, with the remainder of the dice being rolled. We generally set it up so that every 8 pips = a hit… so say you had five infantry and a fighter (8 pips on offense), you’d get a hit and a roll of 2. If you had 16 pips, you get two hits plus whatever dice were leftover. 24 pips = 3, 30 pips = 4, etc. The number of dice you roll in this system grows as you have bigger battles, which allows dice to stay a part of the game… but not too much.

As I’ve said in many places here… A&A is a strategy game with dice, not a dice game with strategy. To me, the difference is huge. We’re mot playing Risk, here. Strategy, logistics, purchases, etc. should be the #1 indicator of success. There’s nothing worse than putting 20 hours into a game, just to get effed by dice in the most important battle. I think this gets more and more important to me as I get older and raise a kid… time is precious.

So I pray, in every game, for even luck for both myself and my opponent. I don’t mind losing to superior play! But I hate losing to dice, especially if I’m playing a great game otherwise.

[Stalingradski]

And yes, I’ll have some interesting decisions with UK in the Atlantic…  :-D

[Fortress]

TripleA Turn Summary for game: World War II Global 1940 Alpha 3 Final, version: 3.3

Game History

Round :1

Purchase Units - Japanese
            Japanese buy 1 armour, 1 factory_minor and 1 transport; Remaining resources: 1 PUs;

Combat Move - Japanese
            1 infantry moved from Jehol to Chahar
                  Japanese take Chahar from Chinese
            1 infantry moved from Shantung to Anhwe
                  Japanese take Anhwe from Chinese
            1 artillery and 3 infantry moved from Kwangsi to Yunnan
            1 artillery and 3 infantry moved from Kiangsi to Hunan
            1 fighter and 1 tactical_bomber moved from Kiangsu to Yunnan
            2 fighters and 2 tactical_bombers moved from Manchuria to Hunan
            1 fighter moved from Formosa to Hunan
            2 bombers moved from Japan to Yunnan

Combat - Japanese
            Battle in Yunnan
                Japanese attack with 1 artillery, 2 bombers, 1 fighter, 3 infantry and 1 tactical_bomber
                Chinese defend with 4 infantry
                    Japanese roll dice for 1 artillery, 2 bombers, 1 fighter, 3 infantry and 1 tactical_bomber in Yunnan, round 1 :  2/8 hits
                    Chinese roll dice for 4 infantry in Yunnan, round 1 :  1/4 hits
                    1 infantry owned by the Japanese and 2 infantry owned by the Chinese lost in Yunnan
                    Japanese roll dice for 1 artillery, 2 bombers, 1 fighter, 2 infantry and 1 tactical_bomber in Yunnan, round 2 :  5/7 hits
                    Chinese roll dice for 2 infantry in Yunnan, round 2 :  1/2 hits
                    1 infantry owned by the Japanese and 2 infantry owned by the Chinese lost in Yunnan
                Japanese win, taking Yunnan from Chinese with 1 artillery, 2 bombers, 1 fighter, 1 infantry and 1 tactical_bomber remaining. Battle score for attacker is 6
                Casualties for Japanese: 2 infantry
                Casualties for Chinese: 4 infantry
            Battle in Hunan
                Japanese attack with 1 artillery, 3 fighters, 3 infantry and 2 tactical_bombers
                Chinese defend with 2 infantry
                    Japanese roll dice for 1 artillery, 3 fighters, 3 infantry and 2 tactical_bombers in Hunan, round 1 :  4/9 hits
                    Chinese roll dice for 2 infantry in Hunan, round 1 :  1/2 hits
                    1 infantry owned by the Japanese and 2 infantry owned by the Chinese lost in Hunan
                Japanese win, taking Hunan from Chinese with 1 artillery, 3 fighters, 2 infantry and 2 tactical_bombers remaining. Battle score for attacker is 3
                Casualties for Japanese: 1 infantry
                Casualties for Chinese: 2 infantry

Non Combat Move - Japanese
            1 artillery moved from Shantung to 19 Sea Zone
            1 infantry moved from Okinawa to 19 Sea Zone
            1 artillery, 1 infantry and 1 transport moved from 19 Sea Zone to 36 Sea Zone
            1 transport moved from 20 Sea Zone to 19 Sea Zone
            1 artillery and 1 infantry moved from Manchuria to 19 Sea Zone
            1 artillery, 1 infantry and 1 transport moved from 19 Sea Zone to 20 Sea Zone
            1 armour and 1 infantry moved from Japan to 6 Sea Zone
            1 armour, 1 infantry and 1 transport moved from 6 Sea Zone to 36 Sea Zone
            1 armour, 1 artillery and 2 infantry moved from 36 Sea Zone to Kwangsi
            2 bombers, 1 fighter and 1 tactical_bomber moved from Yunnan to Kwangsi
            3 fighters and 2 tactical_bombers moved from Hunan to Kwangsi
            1 artillery and 1 infantry moved from 20 Sea Zone to Kiangsi
            1 infantry moved from Kiangsu to Kiangsi
            1 artillery and 2 infantry moved from Kiangsu to Anhwe
            2 infantry moved from Shantung to Anhwe
            1 mech_infantry moved from Manchuria to Anhwe
            1 artillery and 1 infantry moved from Jehol to Chahar
            1 aaGun and 5 infantry moved from Manchuria to Jehol
            1 fighter moved from Korea to Jehol
            4 infantry moved from Korea to Manchuria
            2 fighters and 2 tactical_bombers moved from Japan to Jehol
            1 carrier, 1 fighter and 1 tactical_bomber moved from 33 Sea Zone to 36 Sea Zone
            1 cruiser moved from 20 Sea Zone to 36 Sea Zone
            1 battleship, 1 destroyer and 1 submarine moved from 19 Sea Zone to 36 Sea Zone
            1 battleship, 2 carriers, 1 cruiser, 1 destroyer, 2 fighters, 1 submarine and 2 tactical_bombers moved from 6 Sea Zone to 20 Sea Zone
            1 fighter moved from Okinawa to Kwangsi

Place Units - Japanese
            1 factory_minor placed in Kiangsu
            1 transport placed in 6 Sea Zone
            1 armour placed in Japan

Turn Complete - Japanese
            Japanese collect 30 PUs; end with 31 PUs total
            Objective Japanese 1 Trade With America: Japanese met a national objective for an additional 10 PUs; end with 41 PUs

Territory Summary for Japanese :

Caroline Islands : 1 flag, 1 aaGun, 1 airfield, 1 harbour and 2 infantry
    Iwo Jima : 1 flag, 1 infantry
    Paulau Island : 1 flag, 1 infantry
    Kwangsi : 1 flag, 1 armour, 1 artillery, 2 bombers, 5 fighters, 2 infantry and 3 tactical_bombers
    Kiangsu : 1 flag, 1 factory_minor
    Kiangsi : 1 flag, 1 artillery and 2 infantry
    Japan : 1 flag, 3 aaGuns, 1 airfield, 1 armour, 2 artilleries, 1 factory_major, 1 harbour and 5 infantry
    Jehol : 1 flag, 1 aaGun, 3 fighters, 5 infantry and 2 tactical_bombers
    Siam : 1 flag, 2 infantry
    Manchuria : 1 flag, 4 infantry
    Yunnan : 1 flag, 1 artillery and 1 infantry
    Hunan : 1 flag, 1 artillery and 2 infantry
    Chahar : 1 flag, 1 artillery and 2 infantry
    Anhwe : 1 flag, 1 artillery, 5 infantry and 1 mech_infantry
    33 Sea Zone : 1 flag, 1 destroyer
    36 Sea Zone : 1 flag, 1 battleship, 1 carrier, 1 cruiser, 1 destroyer, 1 fighter, 1 submarine, 1 tactical_bomber and 2 transports
    20 Sea Zone : 1 flag, 1 battleship, 2 carriers, 1 cruiser, 1 destroyer, 2 fighters, 1 submarine, 2 tactical_bombers and 1 transport
    6 Sea Zone : 1 flag, 1 destroyer and 1 transport

Production/PUs Summary :

Germans : 42 / 68
    Russians : 37 / 37
    Japanese : 30 / 41
    Americans : 52 / 52
    Chinese : 8 / 12
    British : 28 / 28
    UK_Pacific : 17 / 17
    Italians : 10 / 10
    ANZAC : 10 / 10
    French : 12 / 0
    Dutch : 11 / 0
    Mongolians : 0 / 0
    Neutral_Axis : 2 / 0
    Neutral_Allies : 6 / 0
    Neutral_True : 18 / 0

Dice Statistics:

Total
            1 was rolled 5 times
            2 was rolled 4 times
            3 was rolled 6 times
            4 was rolled 6 times
            5 was rolled 7 times
            6 was rolled 4 times
        Average roll : 3.562
        Median : 4.000
        Variance : 0.258
        Standard Deviation : 0.508
        Total rolls : 32

Japanese Combat
            1 was rolled 3 times
            2 was rolled 3 times
            3 was rolled 4 times
            4 was rolled 5 times
            5 was rolled 6 times
            6 was rolled 3 times
        Average roll : 3.708
        Median : 4.000
        Variance : 0.348
        Standard Deviation : 0.590
        Total rolls : 24

Chinese Combat
            1 was rolled 2 times
            2 was rolled 1 times
            3 was rolled 2 times
            4 was rolled 1 times
            5 was rolled 1 times
            6 was rolled 1 times
        Average roll : 3.125
        Median : 3.000
        Variance : 0.286
        Standard Deviation : 0.535
        Total rolls : 8

[Fortress]

I totally agree on several fronts.

I’ve been wanting to get back into A&A for a couple years now, but I just haven’t had the time. I only got on the boards (visiting) last October because I spent the previous year training for the Chicago Marathon in all (hahahaha) of my free time as a single dad. So a game that gets weird results because of crazy dice isn’t great - if I’m doing something stupid, I don’t want dice to save me. I want to know that I’m doing something stupid so that I don’t do it again.

I’m grateful for the randomness of the dice, though, too. I’ve noticed that straight LL (6 pips and roll the remainder) leads to exactly the same 2-3 opening rounds every time. And the Axis gets a bigger advantage because they don’t have to risk unneccessary pieces to counter-attacks to avoid getting diced when they’re attacking. Knowing how many units to commit also allows them to spread their advantage over a greater area. And since they move before their opponent (in the case of Germany and Japan) and they’re assured of not having to fight the USSR or USA until turn 4 unless they want to (and get to dictate the who, what, where, and when of that engagement). So it’s nice that, even if it’s just a unit her and a couple units there, the game is different every time and you HAVE to be able to critically think about cost-benefit and to think like your opponent in order to have any shot at success (or having fun, for that matter).

BTW, I like your R1 move to meet the Germans. Most people assume the AC/2TR buy is just a feint and drop back, fearing a G2 Barb. Your stance is saying that you expect a Sealion and you’re ready to counter - and that if I’m going to G2 Barb, you’re fully prepared to send handfuls after handfuls of units on both sides right back into the box we took them out of. I’m not sure if it makes me more or less likely do any of 3-4 different strategies (I still have no idea what I’m going to do, LOL), but you’re certainly taking the initiative with the Soviets – something they don’t do frequently, what with the whole “not being at war” thing. LOL.

[Stalingradski]

I like the conversation -

Firstly - nice work with the training! I was in great shape right before I got together with my wife, and had a kid… it’s been downhill since then…  :-)

I agree that some element of dice is very important - it takes into account stuff we don’t have to include in a game with such a vast scale - weather, logistics, supply, talent of leaders, morale of troops, etc., and does it quite well. I like the safety net of a revised low luck, so you make sure you get something… but straight dice does the trick, and like you said, forces us to adapt. Seeing a different game every time has a great deal to do with dice as well… absolutely, and it makes the game much less rote.

As to your German direction… agreed! I always have a sort of rough outline in my head about some directions things could go, but I’ve found that if I’m too rigid to a set plan, I end up losing. I’ve learned the hard way to maintain the ability to shift on the fly, even if the big picture goals remain the same.

Yes to Russian posturing! I do it for two big-picture reasons:

• As you said, Russia has to be able to grab extra IPCs if Germany does go Sealion. I believe it’s important to draw a line beyond which “You shall not pass!” Of course, Germany will eventually pass… they are too strong not to in the hands of a moderately capable operator. But the key is for Russia to kill Germans on the German side of the border for as long as possible.

• The second and more overarching is that I believe A&A is a game of initiative. I’ve written this several times, emphatically, in several places… but I never really get any kind of response to it. In my experience, even if you are the militarily weaker player, you can still sometimes summon up the ability to force your opponent to deal with you, rather than vice-versa. It’s a critical part of the game. Whenever possible, I try not to let my opponent feel comfortable, or give a breathing space. Make them do something each turn they’s rather not have to. That might take the form, for example, of needling attacks on the perimeter, or of taking seemingly insignificant islands like Formosa… that extra IPC for the Allies and one less for Japan adds up, and pays for the transport and infantry you used, in a long game.

Anyhow! My wife is pretty sick today, so I don’t have much time right now to play. I’ll be getting around to it later tonight, as I can -