Changes still needed to the game, IMHO


  • Is japan sitting at home the whole time waiting for this to happen, or are they on a scenic cruise?


  • @Cmdr:

    @ghr2:

    Jen, when i play a game where japan is routed so fast, ill support your view.

    Sorry to hear your skills need refining in naval combat.  I’d be glad to give you some tips.  After all, life is more than destroyers and submarines!

    Sry to hear that the skills of your japans need refining in naval combat.


  • There is one of your problems you can’t let Anzac collect that much if you take the solomans it stops 
    2 bonuses for Anzac and leaves one more island(like Guam) for you to take for a 5 no, add philipeens and that’s another 5 off USA.  Without any British or DEI that’s a 22 dollar swing.

    +5 NO japan
    -10 anzac NOs
    -7 phil USA

  • '10

    Have to agree Jen,  Japan is hamstrung in alpha 2.  No way it can compete with the US fleet , hold the money islands, and make good gains in SE asia(especially without a Major IC). Having the US in this version is like being a kid in a candy store.

  • '10

    @Peck:

    There is one of your problems you can’t let Anzac collect that much if you take the solomans it stops 
    2 bonuses for Anzac and leaves one more island(like Guam) for you to take for a 5 no, add philipeens and that’s another 5 off USA.  Without any British or DEI that’s a 22 dollar swing.

    +5 NO japan
    -10 anzac NOs
    -7 phil USA

    Taking the Solomons is one thing….holding it is another.


  • @Battling:

    Taking the Solomons is one thing….holding it is another.

    Hum kind of like the real war


  • @Cmdr:

    Question:

    How is Japan going to survive 70 IPC a round from America, 20 IPC a round from Australia_(15 at most)_ and 15 IPC a round from England_(should be down to 6 at most)_ (feel free to move some Australian money to England depending which way you go) when it collects 50 IPC **(should have between 60-70)**a round?

    By round 5, America will have 120% the naval pressence of Japan_[b(]japan can stall them none the less), England will have whatever it did not lose on Round 1(he should be confined to india/burma), and Australia will have another 40ish IPC in naval equipment backing up America**(true, but not as serious as u think if u keep him isolated)_**. (3 fighters landing on islands to assist in American fleet defense.)

    There’s nothing Japan can do about it!(japan can survive for a while even when america is going 100% pacific, if america is foolish enough to do that, italy will be able to hold off uk long enough for germ to smash russia).

    America should be going 70%-30% or 80%-20% pacific-europe for maximum effect.  Though when he does this, japan will have np being a big threat till round 8-9 unless he suicides his fleet in a giant attack, or moves it all to india for a crush(alllowing america to take and sit in phil messing up ur monies).

  • Liaison TripleA '11 '10

    LOL @ 5 turns.

    What if the US isn’t in the war until turn 3?

    That’s 2 combat movements for US to “ROUT” the entire pacific.  I mean, a destroyer could block a movement for a turn at that point,  and your whole plan would be hooped.

    And yet somehow by your OWN suggesstions Jen, a few infantry or a complex will fix all of Japans problems and balance the game.

  • '18 '17 '16 '11 Moderator

    America can liberate the Solomons before Australia’s turn.  Collecting the NOs shouldn’t be too much of a problem really.  However, I can see the situation where Australia may be down both NOs for a turn, however, that alone won’t make much of a difference.

    Gargantua:

    I’ve since changed my mind.  Japan needs naval power and more income to balance the game.

    GHR:

    I’m pretty extreme.  Who else would attack Norway, E. Europe and Ukraine in AAR on Russia 1?  Sure, there was talk, but AFAIK I was the only one to make it a regular open, followed with a British complex in India and an American Pacific strategy.  But that’s not the point of the discussion, the point is, Japan is in dire straights.  A wild and heavily focused Allied incursion in the Pacific will see Japan crushed.  It really does not matter of England falls to Germany and Italy owns the Med. (keeping them from all of their NOs isn’t overly difficult for 5, 7 rounds)


  • Just Ive played at least a dozen alpha 2 games, and none of them turned out they way u say.

  • '18 '17 '16 '11 Moderator

    Extreme case, but it should never be allowed in a game this massive.  It’s like fool’s mate in chess.  Only I don’t think it’s as easy to block due to the dynamic effect given by the dice.


  • I’m still in favor of some small tweaks to balance the game out. I’d be willing to give Questioneers recomendations a try on the hope that Japan could focus more on naval builds those first three rounds if they had a small boost to their land units. Though I also agree that the Axis need to force the US to commit to Europe.

  • '18 '17 '16 '11 Moderator

    Not force them to commit to Europe, they can still commit to the Pacific.  What I think needs to be done is to force America to invest in Europe to prevent a loss.

    Here’s an idea, why not reduce the required number of VCs for Germany/Italy to win from 8 to 7?


  • I /guess/ I agree that Japan specifically needs an adjustment.  Italy does as well, but their fix is simple, Italy isn’t at war until their turn.

    For Japan, I think all that is needed is 1 trn.  They have enough troops on the mainland to shove China back, that is enough I think.  They have enough aircraft and combat ships, but what they need is 1 more trn so they can take all the DEI J2.  Those islands are a 20ipc swing, best to give it to Japan as soon as possible to counter the 25-30 US is getting.


  • @Geist:

    I’m still in favor of some small tweaks to balance the game out. I’d be willing to give Questioneers recomendations a try on the hope that Japan could focus more on naval builds those first three rounds if they had a small boost to their land units. Though I also agree that the Axis need to force the US to commit to Europe.

    Right, that’s the idea of just adding approx 4inf, 1art (16 IPC) to Japan island.  Then Japan can focus on naval builds or IC/bases or whatever.  Giving them the bases/IC/ships/ or aircraft right from the beginning is a big mistake as it will tip the scales too much the other way.  Its real touchy to balance with so many key regions adjusted already.

    VC’s in Europe down to 7 may help also but would that be a little too easy for Axis???  Imagine Japan flying a bunch of planes over to Europe to help sack the 7th VC in Russia.  I’d have to play it out- that may be a big change- maybe too much.

    I think the easiest and safest way to balance right now is adding infantry to the Axis capitals in Japan and maybe Italy.  It doesn’t mess up the balance of key battles we have now in the opening and it helps the Axis in the long-term weather the storm of eventual Allied economic pressure.

    Possible Adjustment:

    Add 1inf, 2art in SIta (Rome)
    Add 4inf, 1art in Japan (Tokyo)

    It doesn’t seems like much, but I’m confident it will do what we want which is tweek the Axis so they can focus on other builds of choice to help balance things long-term.  Whadda think??  Can we try it and come to a concensus???


  • I wouldn’t want to lower the VC in Europe down to 7 that would almost seem to demand a Russia crush.

  • '10

    @JimmyHat:

    I /guess/ I agree that Japan specifically needs an adjustment.  Italy does as well, but their fix is simple, Italy isn’t at war until their turn.

    For Japan, I think all that is needed is 1 trn.  They have enough troops on the mainland to shove China back, that is enough I think.  They have enough aircraft and combat ships, but what they need is 1 more trn so they can take all the DEI J2.   Those islands are a 20ipc swing, best to give it to Japan as soon as possible to counter the 25-30 US is getting.

    I think more than that. While the initial forces can probably push China back they are insufficient to do that and seriously threaten Calcutta especially without a major IC on the mainland. Once japan takes the money islands their available transports all but vanish. It is almost impossible to replace them in sufficient number as Japan has to contend with countering US naval builds and hold off the British in India. The game has been tweaked so much that I’m not sure how anything other than a historical outcome is possible. Perhaps the US can be weakened by reducing/eliminating the value of their NOs as the 20 IPCs for the continental US, inner Pacific ring and Pan America are a joke. Possibly the continental NO can be eliminated and the others reduced to 3.


  • Japan by J2 can get a major swing in economy……Ill lay it all out

    J1 purchace 3 transports
    Japan makes the standard China moves  
    all navy save a Carrier from seazone 6 to carolines including transport and one inf
    transport from SZ 19 inf and art from manchuria to SZ 36 (kwangsi) with remander of navy
    transport from SZ20 moves to sz19 picks 2 inf from manchuria back to sz20 unloads Kangsi

    now your set up for J2  
    make a navel purchace

    If USA stayed in Hawaii you can smack them hard from Carolines  or you can smack Anzac if USA retreated, the transport can take solomans, transport in SZ20 can grab the inf from Okinawa place in guam(5 or 7 NO), transport in SZ36 takes Borneo, Inf from Kangsi and some planes take HongKong. Inf in Siam take FIC, Navy in SZ 36 moves to Phi with 3 transports. You should still have enough ground and air around to kill china and close the burma road.  You should have enough ground and transports to take the DEI or most of it next turn.  So…

    In the least Japan has made gains on China, stopped 4 allied NOs gained one themselfs, destroyed at least one navy and is set up for DEI.  And really hampered  Anzac and UK Economy all with at least 2 turns before USA can get anywhere.  Japan should be making close to 50IPC a turn.

  • '10

    @Peck:

    destroyed at least one navy

    I agree with everything you wrote except this. Why would the allies be dumb enough to get one of their “mini” fleet destroyed ?


  • I also agree with Peck, which is why I think Japan should be given 1 more trn.  They cannot, as it sits now, take the DEI completely on J2.  I think they should be able to.  After the first round of war(j2) you’re still only going to be making about 40ipcs, you won’t be making 50 until J3 or more likely J4.

    I think Japan needs that income boost to keep up with the Americans who will be making much more….albeit a few turns away.

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