Global 1942 Scenario by Larry Harris

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    @taamvan:

    You could also use YG victory conditions. �

    After just one game, I can see that the Allies would take their Africa token very easily (perhaps I add no Axis surface warships in the Med to that). It all depends if there is an Axis token that becomes just as easy for them, perhaps the 7 cities on the Europe side is easier in the G42 scenario .

  • '21 '20 '18 '17

    The cities VC continues to confound even in G42;  many attempts by the Allies to defeat the Axis on one side of the board led to severe setbacks on the other side.  Several games ended with a major capital lost by the winning side.  Germany is under so much pressure in the G42 version it is hard to see how it could clench the necessary cities without losing Rome, Paris or a recaptured Egypt, and taking 2-3 Russian VCs isn’t nearly as easy as in G40.

    The economic victory still leads to a binary outcome (Axis win if they rage and lose if they are contained), and a more certain one.  However, it still doesn’t state what turn that has to happen by, and as long as the Axis had any chance of reaching it, they could insist on playing another turn.  Its not hard to do, and 125 is constantly within reach.


  • This 1942 is pretty well balanced and fun to play.  However, it is historically inaccurate.  The United Kingdom should have control of Iraq and Syria since these two nations were invaded in 1941.  Japan should have control of Burma, the Aleutian Islands, the Gilbert Islands, the Solomon Islands, and Celebes.  I could list more problems with Larry Harris’s G42 scenario but I think these issues will suffice.  It is disappointing to see that Larry Harris didn’t do his homework when creating this setup.


  • @HeinzGuderian:

    This 1942 is pretty well balanced and fun to play.  However, it is historically inaccurate.  The United Kingdom should have control of Iraq and Syria since these two nations were invaded in 1941.  Japan should have control of Burma, the Aleutian Islands, the Gilbert Islands, the Solomon Islands, and Celebes.  I could list more problems with Larry Harris’s G42 scenario but I think these issues will suffice.  It is disappointing to see that Larry Harris didn’t do his homework when creating this setup.

    I must agree.  If you want a real deal 1942 try the one by Oztea. Larry’s is really a gem if you want a quick game, but it removes just a little too much in an attempt to make things streamlined and “fair.” Yes, it is balanced as a whole, but the theaters are not balanced.  I still love it :)

  • '21 '20 '18 '17

    Next you will be saying that the territories in Risk aren’t historically accurate either–I just visited the famous Irkutsk Province and found that it had been taken over by Green blocks of wood.


  • Risk? That’s only for Larry haters.

  • '17

    What is a good purchase order for Germany, to really stabilize the Russian front, and then to really dominate the drive into Russia where they have to pull back? There is no Italian can opener option in this turn order. Do you do 2 turns of slow walkers…art/inf mix, and then mech/armor, or 1 turn of slow walkers then fast movers. Which is a good route, north to Leningrad or the G40 style drive south of the Prippet Marshes?  In G40 with a G3 declaration of war a more experienced player than me can hit Moscow G6 or G7 usually no problem. But this game is much more difficult. Anyone develop a strategy for G42 Germany? I’m almost at the point of thinking that the Axis side should get a small bid.


  • Germany can conquer Russia, but it is not easy.
    You need to build ground only. Japan will cone up the rear for you. The US will have problems spending too much in Europe, for fear of a Japanese  victory win. This will help you.
    But remember that this is tournament game set up. Time is a factor here. A winner is decided differently than normal. (I imagine.)
    I agree that more German units and fewer Japanese ones, might have worked better, but this is what we have to work with.


  • @wittmann:

    But remember that this is tournament game set up. Time is a factor here. A winner is decided differently than normal. (I imagine.)

    Could you tell me what these tournament rules are? Because the setup Young Grasshopper refers to in the 1st post has the same (awful) victory conditions the original 1940 setup has. I’m willing to take any alternative to that.

    I played my first 1942 a week ago, and liked it. Quicker, and more agressive. Can’t really comment on good strategies since I’ve played so little.

  • '21 '20 '18 '17

    Smorey Swamp Origins/Gencon/Tennessee Tournament Rules for G42:

    Event Sponsor determines which teams will play which teams based on who your team has already played this tournament.
    Roll for first bidder
    Bid for teams
    Place Bid units 1 per territory where you already have like units.  No cash kept, any IPCs left are lost.

    Agree on Time to play/Number of turns.    This can be based on agreement at the beginning of the game, or based on the time when all the games must end per event rules.  All Players are free to agree that the game will go until a stipulated time/turn at any time.  Most of us were quite tired after 8-10 hours of daily play so we typically agreed on T6 to end the game on either T7 or T8.  The Allies wont have time to win the game if you play only until T6, or 6-7 hours.  On days 1-2, there was essentially no time limit but we still ended most games by capitulation or stipulation.  On days 3 and esp. 4, there was a 10 hour and 9 hour time limit based on the event closing time.

    At the agreed upon end of the game, or when time expires, count all of the territories held by the Axis.  No NOs or bonuses will be considered, only points printed on the board.  If the Axis have a total of 125IPCs or more at the end of the final turn, they win.  Otherwise, the Allies win.

    This is not that difficult for the Axis to accomplish in a no-bid game.  Even if the allies lose London/Moscow etc the allies can still win,  if the Axis lose Japan/Rome the Axis can still win.  Knowing when the game will end is critical to all players because your strategy has to culminate in an epic confrontation on T7 or so in order to deny/grab all of the required money, but as long as everyone is playing with the same game end in mind, it makes for a great, “short” game.


  • Great, thank you for the comprehensive reply!


  • My group tried the G42 setup this past weekend and all agreed it was more fun that G40. The slow buildup before all out war never was fun for us. The German player had difficulty pushing back against the Soviets while holding off the UK, I played Japan and had a strong hold of the Pacific board. The US built a factory in Alaska and ferried troops into Asia with ease while bombing Tokyo, this was hard to keep in check while taking the rest of Pacific board. This game ended up being called after 6 hours and an Allie victory.


  • In the event anyone would like to see it, I was inspired by the great guru Young Grasshopper and shot a video looking at the setup for my youtube channel.

    Hopefully, I’ll get to try this with a real life opponent sometime!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7vD8J4rQ_0

  • '18 '17 '16

    Great job on the video, ChromiumAgeCollector! I like how you included your ammo box and all of the other player aides that you have accumulated over the years. I have been picking up some camera equipment this week and was going to make a video as well. Maybe I should display my equipment too.

    The game itself looks interesting. I had downloaded and printed setup cards for 1942 but I haven’t tried it out yet.

  • TripleA

    Have not lost as axis yet, been giving allies 12 bid to Russia to smooth out their first attack.

    How are you guys losing?

  • TripleA

    Okay, right off the bat I give you Germany guys a big hint, mechanized infantry, instead of focusing on taking Russia go for the money, Caucasus etc. The minors you take along the way make artillery, you get a very cost effective army that can move around and not get trapped. Also you have superior air so many small battles will statistically yield better results for germany and if you do invest in more air, bombers are great, you can always bomb the Russians if there aren’t many skirmishes.

  • TripleA

    So…. Who wants a J1 opening guide? And Germany guide? The Germany guide will probably consist of Germany losing the 3 or 4 spots to Russia off the bat in order to have something that makes sense.

  • '17

    @Cow:

    Okay, right off the bat I give you Germany guys a big hint, mechanized infantry, instead of focusing on taking Russia go for the money, Caucasus etc. The minors you take along the way make artillery, you get a very cost effective army that can move around and not get trapped. Also you have superior air so many small battles will statistically yield better results for germany and if you do invest in more air, bombers are great, you can always bomb the Russians if there aren’t many skirmishes.

    What do you mean by “the minors you take along the way make artillery?” I think in the G42 setup, Germany starts with all of the minors (Greece, Yugo, Bulgaria, Finland).

    One table top playing this game, I attacked the neutrals on G7/I7 to collect the remaining IPCs due to the tournament rules; Sweden, Spain, and Turkey were all taken no sweat…sadly we still came short due to my Japanese player losing high 4 IPC islands on rounds 6/7. I told to land all of his air on the islands, doesn’t matter if they die in place as long as 1 remains holding the island.

  • TripleA

    Minor industrial complexes. Karelia and Ukraine.


  • I would love to hear some G42 opening strategies.  This is my set up of choice.

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