ANZAC Strategy

[taamvan]

Building a 2nd MiC is a waste of money.   Cash is not the big limiter with ANZAC its that you only get to produce 3 units, which is fine as long as you take timing into account. Â

ANZAC cannot either win or lose the game for you, they are mostly a sideshow.   However, that sideshow does come down to helping at two/three crucial junctures

1. you can try to shuttle your planes early game to India to avert disaster, but this may cause a disaster rather than avert one if Japan amphibs your LZ
2. you can build a fleet slow and steady while you build income, until you have a fleet about the size of the 2-3 japan will have.  You can either use this fleet to sacrifice on your turn to soften up japan navy (but then they consolidate before US can go).  You can also use some of your smaller ships to screen out key invasions or attacks on American fleet since Axis only has 1 team on the eastern board (unless they shuttle over bombers from Romania to china).
3. you can build a ton of planes, keep the ones you have, and then have the US player overbuild carriers and give you plenty of places to land them.   Wherever America is sitting, blank carrier spaces/airbase spaces can be filled in a rush by ANZAC fighters.  This is a good move but you cant really go on the offensive with either team very well its more of a proactive defense.

You should also consider that if you either save your money on t1/t2, or fail to buy any infantry or armor and the rest of your guys depart for the DEI, you are very easy to defeat on land and once Japan sees this may change their plans to go after you. They can only do this if they control phillipines or carolines en masse.  Only building 3 units you can’t really change directions and you sure cant ward off an invasion without America to help (remember America cannot hang out in your territory until war is declared, even the sea).

Good Luck.

[taamvan]

Right, I was going to add that to point 2, but editing my comments puts a bunch of fun characters in there…so I didn’t bother.

[Arthur Bomber Harris]

I love the annoyance of retaking islands.  Every time you grab one, you force Japan to spend 14 PUs to get it back, and you gain 4 PUs for that round yourself.  Furthermore, there quickly becomes a time when Japan cannot safely produce more transports back in the homeland because they are too vulnerable to American attacks.  At that point, it becomes too tough to refill the fleet with units for island campaigns.  This is the situation where the Japanese economy goes to hell.  They aren’t dying quickly, but they lose the ability to dominate the Pacific if the US has built up a good fleet, the Chinese are finding weak spots to attack, and India is still alive and gaining two units a round.  The final straw is American convoy raiding with submarines.  Japan cannot build more destroyers in safe areas, and trading a destroyer for a sub becomes a losing proposition.

This doesn’t mean that Japan is easy to contain.  It requires quite a bit of early USA money.  Otherwise the whole strategy falls apart because Japan can protect their transports when retaking the islands, can threaten to grab Australia or India, and can smash the Allied fleet if it comes in range.  The tricky part is for the Allies to spend just enough money in the Pacific and then start transitioning to Europe.  One round too late and Germany is an unstoppable beast.

[gamerman01]

Something missing, unless I overlooked it in the thread.

I often build bombers or send fighters away from the Pacific.  I can move a bomber from NSW to Brazil in one move.  ANZAC goes between Italy and Germany, so use that fact.  ANZAC is the Italy killer.  Take out the forward Italian can opening units with ANZAC air.  Sometimes players get Persia or Iraq with ANZAC, or Saudi Arabia, and build an IC.

ANZAC air can also take out an Italian destroyer blocker in the Mediterranean, and then the USA/UK can wreak havoc.  Can open the can opener (Italy)

[gamerman01]

But to answer the original question, at least partially,

build an infantry and a transport on round 1.  After that, try to build 3 units every single time you can, and yes buy a minor for Queensland if the opportunity presents itself.

ANZAC is not just a side show, they are the Allies’ Italy.  ANZAC can be crucial to your success.

The 3 fighters you start with can be sent to India ASAP, from where they could stay there or go harass Italy.  Or they can stay in Australia and wait for the USA to take a critical island group (especially Carolines) thereby adding 3 fighters to the defense IMMEDIATELY, that the USA cannot possibly do herself.  ANZ destroyers can save the USA buying those destroyers.  ANZ subs can invite yellow subs to venture out to kill them, and then you can kill the Japanese destroyers.  Japan has limited production capacity too, and destroyers are very expensive.

There’s even more that ANZAC can do (IC on Brazil?), but I’ve revealed enough valuable intelligence for one day

[teslas]

@Gamerman01:

ANZAC air can also take out an Italian destroyer blocker in the Mediterranean, and then the USA/UK can wreak havoc.  Can open the can opener (Italy)

Holy crap. This is not a half bad idea, if the timing works out right and ANZAC isn’t forced by Japan to go 100% turtle.

AZ 1: Build it.
AZ 2: New South Wales -> Central US/SE.Mexico.
AZ 3: On the next turn it can hit SZ 92.

You likely won’t ever play a game where buying it turn 1 is necessary, but the above illustrates how “quickly” it could get there. If you have it in mind when America begins to gear up for an Atlantic entry, you’ll probably be able to get there in time.

[cyanight]

@teslas:

@Gamerman01:

ANZAC air can also take out an Italian destroyer blocker in the Mediterranean, and then the USA/UK can wreak havoc.  Can open the can opener (Italy)

Holy crap. This is not a half bad idea, if the timing works out right and ANZAC isn’t forced by Japan to go 100% turtle.

AZ 1: Build it.
AZ 2: New South Wales -> Central US/SE.Mexico.
AZ 3: On the next turn it can hit SZ 92.

You likely won’t ever play a game where buying it turn 1 is necessary, but the above illustrates how “quickly” it could get there. If you have it in mind when America begins to gear up for an Atlantic entry, you’ll probably be able to get there in time.

You likely won’t ever play a game where buying it turn 1 is Possible, ANZAC starts with 10 so unless you have bid money you wont be able to build it on turn 1

[gamerman01]

Like I said, you can fly it to Brazil after you buy it.  From Brazil I believe it can hit 92

It doesn’t have to be aircraft.  You can get a sub there pretty quickly too

Of course it’s not a bad idea.  I win 9 out of 10 games I play, dude, I know what I’m doing.  You’re welcome  :-)

[teslas]

@cyanight:

You likely won’t ever play a game where buying it turn 1 is Possible, ANZAC starts with 10 so unless you have bid money you wont be able to build it on turn 1

Snarky git :p

edit-
Brazil seems inferior to Central US/SE.Mexico? Both are 4 away from SZ 92. Both are 6 away from London.

The Central US territories additionally also allow it to get back to Hawaii. Brazil does not. Any reason why you prefer Brazil?

[Nippon-koku]

How about loading the Anzac troops in Egypt on a UK transport, dropping them in Persia round 2, then buying a factory and landing the 3 fighters there round 3?  Starting in round 4 Anzac would have 4 inf, 3 fighters and be producing units.

[gamerman01]

@teslas:

edit-
Brazil seems inferior to Central US/SE.Mexico? Both are 4 away from SZ 92. Both are 6 away from London.

The Central US territories additionally also allow it to get back to Hawaii. Brazil does not. Any reason why you prefer Brazil?

You’re probably right.  Two things for you to consider, though.

One is, maybe USA is not at war yet so you can’t land on Central USA.  Maybe ANZ or UK has taken Brazil.

Second is, you do have more options to get deeper into Africa.  But you’re probably right - Central America would be better in many cases.