Should Cow Make a Strategy Guide for 1914?

  • TripleA

    So I made some playbooks for global. I been too lazy to update them, they are a good reference. I still do J1 DOW, just slightly different, all naval at Phil nothing off of FIC, 2 dd 1 sub and 3 figs on japan to defend it, small things. The point is, after I posted J1 DOW, it became normal, and people got much better at playing Japan. This made the axis a strong favorite.

    Anyway, would you like strategy guides for 1914?

    Are you guys ready? I mean I like figuring stuff out myself too. I like seeing and trying new things too. Are you ready for Cow to end that?

    I am still not sure which side wins most of your games. I got some tricks up my sleeve :)


  • i would be interested in a axis strategy….most of our games excluding the very first game…the allies have won.

  • TripleA

    Right now I find it really difficult to lose as the central powers.  I also have two different strategies that are really effective.

    One is an Italy first approach and the other involves ganging up Russia.

    ~

    I really do not see how you can win as the allies other than go all out on the Ottos, BRING EVERYBODY. To at least get one country out of the game.

    Russia is pretty much done for by round 5 or 6. Italy is next up on the hit list. Germany and France are doing their thing, if France gets no help, it is going to fall to Germany.

    If you take the Turks out before France or Italy falls, you got a pretty good chance at winning. Otherwise the axis income will be too high.

    If you have to start helping France early, that is it, you never going to get Turkey, Russia is going to lose. Then Italy. It is all going to hell anyway. America is worthless, does nothing for the longest freaking time.
    ~

    My other thought for the allies was abusing the Russian optional rule… to do something crazy to knock out Turkey before giving up.

  • TripleA

    This game is similar to Global 1940 in that it is super hard to lose as the Axis.

    I just have a hard time seeing it happen.

  • Customizer

    What is the UK doing in your games - this is the whole key to Allied victory, as the other Allies basically are holding against the Axis onslaught.

    Have you tried shipping UK units to Russia, or sending them through India?

    Are your Allies always throwing themselves against German positions when they should be reinforcing their defences?

    In my games Germany usually runs out of steam before it can take Paris, which is in effect game over.


  • As a very experienced A&A gamer who has played 1914 once here are some of my questions:
    1. Optimal purchases by country on the early rounds.
    2. What are the stronger (my guess inf, art, fig, trans) and weaker (my guess tank, naval) purchases? Do tanks have a niche role or are they overpriced?
    3. What are the main considerations for axis to pressure france, Italy, or Russia?
    4. UK allocation between atlantic and ottoman
    5. Important contested territories.

    Regarding balance: I’m a little surprised that experienced players haven’t come to a consensus on which side has the advantage. Establishing an exact bid is harder, but at least deciding the stronger side seems easier. On second thought, maybe this isn’t surprising considering this game is new. Revised has an 8-9 bid given to axis and 1942 2nd edition is between 8-11 given to allies. The balance issue isn’t necessarily germane to a strategy guide though, and I don’t think it’s important to dwell on it.


  • Ok, makes sense that Paris is an unattractive target for Germany.

    It seems pretty clear from your comments that you believe Russia falls quickly against optimal play. By my evaluation, Russia should be able to stack Ukraine for a while, despite heavy Aus & Ger pressure.

    Overall, I don’t see the immediate pressure to force an early Russia collapse.
    1. Russia starts with ~48 land units, Aus with 60, and Germany with ~88.
    2a. Russia doesn’t have any external obligations and can commit everything to defense.
    2b. Austria needs to commit 15-25 units to balkans and italy. I can see substituting germany for some Aus units in holding off italy.
    2c. Germany needs to commit 20-40 units (wide range reflects my uncertainty) holding vs France.

    What I see is Russia, Austria, and Germany with comparable sized uncommitted armies at the start. Axis produces more than Russia, so I expect the Russia position deteriorates over time. Russia’s supply line is 1 space while Aus and Ger is 2-3 spaces. Ukraine is the main contested territory. I can see a Russia collapse if one Axis power is able to catch a portion of the Russia army and the other Axis power follows through; however, I don’t think this would be easy against an experienced allied player.

    I’d appreciate more specifics on how optimal play for Austria, Germany, and Russia looks like with Axis commitment to pressure Russia. Again, my views are from one actual game and deep experience with general A&A mechanics. I’m sure someone with more specific map experience can add something.


  • Here is my recommendation for opening with each country:

    AH:
    Buy 4inf, 2 art and 1 plan
    Attack: Serbia with 6 inf and 2 art from Trieste plus 2 inf from Budapest
    Attack: Romania with 6 inf and 2 art from Galicia plus 10 inf and 2 art from Romania
    Move: 10 inf and 2 art from Vienna to Galicia
    Move: 6 inf and 2 art from Bohemia to Galicia
    Move: 2 inf from Vienna to Tyrol
    Move 6 inf and 2 art from Tyrol to Trieste

    Russia:
    Buy 8 inf, Save 1 IPC
    Attack: Seazone 20 with Seazone 21
    Move: 6 inf and 2 art from Ukraine to Moscow
    Move: 1 inf from Finland to Karelia
    Move: 1 inf from Karelia to Moscow
    Move: 3 inf and 1 art from Tatarstan to Moscow
    Move: 1 inf from Kazakhstan to Tatarstan
    Move: 3 inf and 2 art from Livonia to Poland
    Move: 6 inf and 2 art from Belarus to Poland

    Germany:
    Buy: 9 inf and 2 art
    Attack: Seazone 9 with Seazone 5,7 and 10
    Attack Belgium with 7 inf and 3 art from Ruhr and 7 inf and 3 art from Alsace
    Attack: Belgium Congo with 2 inf German East Africa+ Kamerun
    Attack: Nigeria with 1 inf from Togo
    Move: 8 inf and 3 art from Munich to Alsace
    Move: 3 inf from Munich to Tyrole
    Move: 3 inf and 4 art to Ruhr from Kiel
    Move: 13 inf, 3 art and 1 plan from Berlin to Prussia
    Move: 6 inf from Hanover to Silicia

    France
    Buy: 4 inf and 3 art
    Move: 6 inf, 2 art and 1 plan from Paris to Picardy
    Move 6 inf and 2art from Burgundy to Lorraine
    Move: 1 inf from Brest to Picardy
    Move 1 inf from Bordeaux to Paris
    Move: 6 inf from Hanover to Silesia
    Move: 1 inf from French West Africa to Gold Coast
    Move: 1 inf from Marocco to French West Africa
    Move: 2 inf from Tunisia+Algeria with Tranports in seazone 16 to seazone 14, activating Portogal
    Move BS+ Cruiser from seazone 16 to seazone 14
    Move BS+Transport from seazone 15 to seazone 14

    British Empire
    Buy: 6 inf and 3 art (all in India)
    Attack: Persia with 6 inf and 2 art from India
    Attack: Transjordan with 6 inf and 2 art from Eqypt
    Move: 1 Battleship, 1 Cruiser, 1 Transport from seazone 29 to seazone 28
    Move: 1 inf from Anglo-Egyptian Sudan to Arabia, activating it.
    Move: 1 Cruiser, from seazone 19 to seazone 17
    Move: 1 Transport, from seazone 19 to seazone 28
    Move : 1 inf from Rhodesia to Union of South Africa
    Move: 1 inf from British East Africa to Anglo-Egyptian Sudan

    Ottoman Empire
    Buy: 5 inf and save 1 IPC
    Attack: Arabia with 1 inf from Syrian Desert and 3 inf and 1 art from Mesopotamia
    Move: 1 inf from Constantinople to Bulgaria, activating it
    Move: 6 inf and 1 art from Ankara to Mesopotamia
    Move: 5 inf and 2 art from Constantinople to Smyrna

    Italy
    Buy: 3 inf, save 2 IPC
    Move: 6 inf and 2 art from Piedmont to Venice
    Move: 1 inf from Tuscany to Venice
    Move: 6 inf and 2 art from Rome to Tuscany
    Move: 1 inf from Naples to Rome
    Move: 1 inf from Somaliland to British East Africa
    Move: 1 inf and 1 art from Libya to Albania (Transport)

    United States (Turn 1-3)
    Buy: 8 Tranports, 2 plans
    Turn 4:
    Move: 1 BS, 1 Cruiser and 8 transports from seazone 1 to seazone 2
    Move: 6 inf, 2 plans from United States of America to Canada

    What do you think?

    A


  • what do you do with America?  I know in my game when I was the allies I would buy transports and build planes every turn and ship them over too the uk.  By the end of it any airforce Germany could build I would send in my American planes to wipe them out….or at least weaken it then have france or uk finish them off.  In the game it is a huge advantage having that air superiority and the artillery rolling stacks at 4.  This is were I found it hard with Germany I could never get air superiority and get those artilleries to 4


  • In round 5 America can land 5 inf and 1 art(British on the British R5) and 6 inf, 2 art and 2 plans in
    A: Northern France
    B: Italy(Piemonte)

    A or B depends on the situation. B is nice since you can invade Smyrna or Trans-Jordan R6. A is nice since its easier to set up a route b

  • TripleA

    @_@ Romania is overkill. How do you kick the Russians out of Polen @_@?

    I understand you want the 3 from the port place. Polen gives you access to more stuff. Plus if you have enough to woop him out of it, you get Germany moving up with you. So Germany goes into polen, then your mucho big stack goes in, then you go ukraine with mucho big stack of germany + hungary.

    berlin will be on polen, he cannot attack that without getting his capital smacked. Then you get all the moneys and soon Russia!

  • TripleA

    If you are having problems getting the AH players to get on the ball with you…

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrTsuvykUZk&feature=kp

    Tell him to send everyone


  • Romania accually needs to be taken r1 as AH, so overkill is good. The overall strat for the axis is to maximize number of territories they can take from russia before revolution and if possible take Sevastopol as it is the best link between east and south where you need to send remaining eastern troops to prolong the ottoman collaps.


  • I might as well continue with round 2-5 that concerns the eastern front.

    AH2:
    Buy: Only units for the Italien front
    Attack: Sevastopol with Romania with 13 inf, 4 art plus plane (bought r1) from Vienna (lets say you lost 3 inf taking Romania r1), Assume you lose 2 inf taking Sevastopol
    Attack: Ukraine with 1 Inf (Do not comit everything from Galica since it will be counter-attacked from Polen and Moscow if you do)
    Move: 4 inf and 2 art from Vienna to Galicia (the units you bought r1)

    R2(25 IPC+1):
    Buy: 8 inf, save 2 IPC
    Move: 15 inf and 6 art from Polen to Belarus
    Move: 1 inf from Tatarstan to Moscow
    Move: 1 inf from Karelia to Moscow
    (Total in Moscow: 34 inf and 5 art)

    G2:
    Buy: Inf and art, everything towards the western front,
    Move: 31 inf,d 9 art,1 plane from Silicia and Prussia into Polen

    AH3:
    Attack: 1 inf from Ukraine to Tatarstan
    Move: 9 inf and 4 art from Sevastopol to Ukraine (Leave 2 inf in defence from Britain so they cant just take it with 1 unti)
    Move: 18 inf and 6 art from Galicia to Ukraine (28 inf and 10 art + 1 plane total in Ukraine)

    R3(15+2 IPC):
    Buy: 5 inf
    Attack: Ukraine with 15 inf and 6 art from Belarus and 34 inf and 5 art from Moscow; Kills appr. 24 units and loss: 18 units. AH: 4 inf, 10 art and 1 plane left, Russia: 31 inf and 11 art left
    Total in Moscow: 5 inf

    G3:
    Attack: Livonia with 2 inf from Polen
    Attack: Belarus with 29 inf, 9 art and 1 plane from Polen

    AH4:
    Nothing on the eastern front

    R4(11 IPC):
    Buy: 3 inf
    Move: 30 inf and 11 art from Ukraine to Moscow (leave 1 unit in Ukraine so AH cant reinforce Moscow)
    Total in Moscow: 38 inf and 11 art

    G4:
    Attack: Moscow with 31 inf, 9 art and 1 plane (You will lose appr. 25 units and kill 18), Germany: 7 inf, 9 art and 1 plane left, Russia: 20 inf and 11 art left

    AH5:
    Attack: Ukraine from Ukraine

    R5:
    Counterattack Moscow: Kill appr.: 14 units (Axis total: 17 Units), not enough to clear. Russian Revolution!

    This is very tight though, and with some luck RR wont happen!
    Britain would liberate atleast Sevastopol R3/R4, which means the way south will be goon for the Axis.


  • No you cant strafe in A&A1914.


  • Nope, not as far as I understand the rules


  • Can you please be specific in what you do, how many units from where to what. Your analysis is very hard to follow. For instance attack Polen r1, means 6 inf and 2 art from Galicia against 6 inf and 2 art in Polen (very much not in your favor).

    So please descibe in detail your round1 with AH, then I can go with Russia =)


  • I dont play with any restrictions, just according to the rulebook. But I cant comment anymore without specifics or arguments about my specifics. I kinda showed that its not so simple as to “send everthing east, dont worry”, clever counterattacks from Russia can more or less end it.


  • I wonder how is it even possible to kill Russia R5 or 6 ? Even if i send everything east as Germany except Munich, Alsace, Ruhr and Kiel and all my builds from turn 1-3 i get not even close to the russian monsterstack sitting in moscow. I would really appreciate a more detailed explanation here. (Russia always plays carefully and retreats everything to moscow in the long run.)

  • Customizer

    Buy a large stack of artillery and a couple of planes and move them into Belarus with all the inf you can get there. Not so easy for the Germans to break through.

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