• If you take out the reason that Alpha helps to minimize a J1 attack on all of the Allies, what are some of the reasons Alpha is better for gamplay?  I am curious to see why people believe that Alpha makes the game more fun/balanced after the first round.


  • If I were playing just Pacific I would play Alpha for sure.  Now playing Global I just started using it and I am undecided so far.

    Benefits for Axis
    -America loses 3 planes it will probably have to spend points on and build and this can buy Europe time.

    -Pacific Brittan loses 2 planes that in my games normally end up in Africa and makes things harder for Italy.

    -Austrialia loses 2 planes that can be a problem for the axis at times.

    Benefits for Allies
    -I believe with Japan down 7 planes it makes more sense for US to spend some points in Pacific and venture past Hawaii.

    -I believe the loss of seven planes slows Japan down and they have a harder time getting there economy going especially if US spends some points in Pacific.

    Final Thoughts

    My gaming group has played about 20 game so far with the allies winning around 80%, 10% draws and 10% axis wins in Global.  Either we are just  too dumb to play axis and can’t figure out how to save Europe or Pressure US enough or maybe the global favors the allies.  I believe that to be true whether using Alpha or OBB.


  • have to agree.  they want to make a pac40 alpha setup, great.  But it has no place in global.  the game already favors the allies oob.


  • @MaherC:

    have to agree.  they want to make a pac40 alpha setup, great.  But it has no place in global.  the game already favors the allies oob.

    Even if it does, alpha doesn’t make it worse since both sides lose 7 planes and a transport.


  • having less units to project power with quickly for japan is bad.  Let me try it this way.  Wipe all the units off the board for everyone.  Keep the same starting IPCs/Territories.  Who wins?    Allies.

    Taking off US planes that aren’t going to DO anything DIRECTLY to Japan for 3 turns has 0 impact on the battles in China/India/Russia.    Removing Zeros, does.


  • @MaherC:

    having less units to project power with quickly for japan is bad.  Let me try it this way.  Wipe all the units off the board for everyone.  Keep the same starting IPCs/Territories.  Who wins?    Allies.

    Taking off US planes that aren’t going to DO anything DIRECTLY to Japan for 3 turns has 0 impact on the battles in China/India/Russia.    Removing Zeros, does.

    Yes, but OOB is at best axis favored.  Additionally, removing all units doesn’t equate since axis have more units. If you remove all allied units usually left after turn 1 and corresponding axis units, axis will win


  • @MaherC:

    a true J1 attack takes the Phils.  PLEASE do that against me.  PLEASE give me the US and 80 IPCs on turn 2.

    Sure. I’ll also give the UK loss of any Indian Ocean transports, the UK BB, Hong Kong and the UK NO, I’ll do the J3 India Crush and use India IC to invade Russia.


  • And you’ll be done by turn 6. GG.


  • Is the J1 attack/J3 India crush worthwhile in your opinions if it also results in the US killing Italy turn 4 or 5?  Or if it decides to go mass @ Honolulu after your J1 how do you manage to hold it off if all your air force is in FIC getting ready?


  • @chompers:

    Is the J1 attack/J3 India crush worthwhile in your opinions if it also results in the US killing Italy turn 4 or 5?  Or if it decides to go mass @ Honolulu after your J1 how do you manage to hold it off if all your air force is in FIC getting ready?

    DD block. Anyway, US only has 1 transport to mass at Hawaii. Not too threatening to japan


  • @MaherC:

    And you’ll be done by turn 6. GG.

    Who is going to kill me by G6? US? I dare you to build all Atlantic.

    Also, combine J3 India Crush with g3 Sealion


  • A smart US player will have more than 1 transport ready by US 3.  So you block w/ the DD for a turn, Us fleet moves forward (it can use the aussie fighters in OOB to kill DD blocks too btw) , but the India crush requires your air force to be out of position for 2 turns.  How do you hold the 2nd turn?

  • '20 '18 '16 '13 '12

    To get back on point…

    I think Alpha is better gameplay in both versions. It doesnt really hurt Japan (if you know how to play as Japan) it only hurts their J1 attack, which was overpowered anyway. I just finshed a global gae where Axis won after a J3 attack.


  • @chompers:

    A smart US player will have more than 1 transport ready by US 3.  So you block w/ the DD for a turn, Us fleet moves forward (it can use the aussie fighters in OOB to kill DD blocks too btw) , but the India crush requires your air force to be out of position for 2 turns.  How do you hold the 2nd turn?

    Oh, you mean US3. Well, then J4 builds 10 inf in the Capital and upgrades the India IC and builds 3 tanks India.

    US2 can only hit Japan with 1 transport, so no US2 invasion of Japan


  • Oh yeah, sorry I didn’t state that better.  I meant US3 and 4 pressure.  So you let the US move into SZ 6 and then hope to kill them with your returning airforce?  They can do some serious harass if you let them get in that far.


  • @chompers:

    Oh yeah, sorry I didn’t state that better.  I meant US3 and 4 pressure.  So you let the US move into SZ 6 and then hope to kill them with your returning airforce?  They can do some serious harass if you let them get in that far.

    Well, I can counter with most of my navy. J4, I can move all my non CV planes from Yunnan to Manchuria to kill the fleet in Z6

  • '20 '18 '16 '13 '12

    Why don’t you guys play by forum and settle this properly?


  • IMHO by the way, I enjoy the aesthetic of Alpha better as all those Jap planes looked a little ridiculous.  Initial impressions of the game play were that it slows down Japan a tiny bit too much, but I’ll have to play a few more games before I can say that with some degree of certainty.


  • I prefer my games face to face.  What’s wrong with a little theory-crafting, eh?  :-P


  • Ok settle down please. Its just a game right?

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