I haven’t seen much discussion about the Global 1942 scenario going on, so I figured I would share my opinions on solid openings for the major powers. Feel free to comment on these and present any of your own.
RUSSIA
Purchase
1 inf, 2 art, 3 mech, 1 tank
Combat
4 inf 1 art Rostov > Ukraine
2 inf Bryansk > Ukraine
1 mech 1 tank Volgograd > Ukraine
1 mech 2 tank Russia > Ukraine
1 inf 1 art Bryansk > Western Ukraine
4 inf 1 art Russia > Smolensk
3 tank Urals > Smolensk
1 tank Archangel > Smolensk
1 inf Bryansk > Belarus
3 inf Archangel > Belarus
1 fig 1 tac Russia > Belarus
1 fig Urals > Belarus
3 inf 1 fig Novgorod > Baltic States
Noncombat
1 inf Karelia > Novgorod
1 inf Vyborg > Novgorod
1 inf Archangel > Novgorod
2 fig 1 tac Belarus > Novgorod
1 fig Baltic States > Novgorod
1 inf Causasus > Rostov
1 AAA Volgograd > Rostov
1 inf Kazakhstan > Volgograd
1 AAA Russia > Bryansk
1 inf Novosibirsk > Vologda
2 inf Evenkiyskiy > Urals
1 inf Yakut S.S.R. > Yenisey
2 inf Buryatia > Yakut S.S.R.
2 inf Siberia > Sakha
1 sub SZ 127 > SZ 125
Placement
Novgorod: 1 inf, 2 art
Russia: 3 mech, 1 tank
Collect 41 IPCs, end with 41
This is an aggressive Russian opener that kills as much German material as possible while leaving little on the front lines in range of a counter. You can’t hold Belarus and Ukraine without taking bad losses in Smolensk and Ukraine, so you build fast in Russia to let you hold Belarus R2. Ukraine can be held easily because the new turn order takes away Germany’s Italian can openers, so you can safely trade Western Ukraine and Bessarabia if Ukraine itself can’t hold against threat from German mech/tank.
JAPAN
Purchase
2 subs, 1 destroyer, 1 minor IC, 1 airbase, save 1 IPC
Combat
1 inf Jehol > Chahar
1 inf 1 art Shantung > Anwhe
4 inf 1 art 1 fig Kiangsu > Anwhe
1 inf Kiangsi > Hunan
3 inf 1 art Kwangsi > Yunnan
2 inf 1 art 1 fig French Indo China > Yunnan
1 tac Kiangsu > Yunnan
1 inf Siam > Shan State
1 sub SZ 49 > SZ 63
1 sub 1 destroyer 1 cruiser SZ 47 > SZ 49
1 fig SZ 33 > SZ 49
2 fig SZ 42 > SZ 49
Noncombat
1 battleship 1 carrier SZ 42 > SZ 46
3 fig SZ 49 > SZ 46
1 tac Japan > SZ 46
1 cruiser 1 carrier SZ 33 > SZ 46
1 fig 1 tac Yunnan > French Indo China
1 fig Anwhe > French Indo China
1 fig 1 tac Manchuria > French Indo China
1 fig Formosa > French Indo China
1 fig 1 bomber Japan > French Indo China
1 inf Okinawa > SZ 19
1 art Manchuria > SZ 19
1 destroyer 1 transport SZ 19 > SZ 36
1 inf 1 tank Japan > SZ 6
1 destroyer 1 transport SZ 6 > SZ 36
2 inf 1 art 1 tank SZ 36 > French Indo China
1 inf 1 art Kwangtung > Kwangsi
3 inf Manchuria > Jehol
1 inf Korea > Manchuria
Placement
French Indo China: 1 minor IC, 1 airbase
SZ 6: 2 sub, 1 destroyer
Collect 53 IPCs, end with 54
Push as hard as you can toward China and India. The airbase keeps India from sinking your transports with their navy, as well as increasing the pressure on China and threat on Allied navy when it gets that close. You can also send the SZ 49 sub at SZ 62 for more potential damage (destroyer, transport, and unavoidable convoy disruption), but a slightly smaller chance of success.
USA
Purchase
2 carriers, 2 destroyers, save 2 IPCs
Combat
1 destroyer SZ 101 > SZ 107
1 fig 1 bomber Eastern United States > SZ 107
1 bomber Western United States > SZ 107
1 sub, some air units > SZ 49
If Japanese sub won in SZ 63, you have the option of attacking it with 1 destroyer from SZ 26 and air in the Solomons. Or you can let ANZAC finish it.
Noncombat
2 inf 1 mech 1 tank Eastern United States > SZ 101
2 transports SZ 101 > SZ 91
1 inf 1 tank SZ 91 > Morocco
1 inf 1 mech SZ 91 > Gibraltar
2 bomber SZ 107 > Gibraltar
1 fig SZ 107 > Quebec
1 inf 1 tank Western United States > SZ 10
1 sub 1 destroyer 1 cruiser 1 battleship 1 transport SZ 10 > SZ 26
1 inf 1 tank SZ 26 > Hawaii
2 fig 1 tac Western United States > Hawaii
If all ANZAC ships survived, you have the option of sending all US & ANZAC ships to SZ 54 and at least 3 fighters to Queensland. If Japan sends enough to kill it all even with a scramble, just withhold the scramble and blast the ships that are left in the SZ with your next wave of ships & air. This will probably require the SZ 10 destroyer to go to SZ 25 instead, since the navy at SZ 26 will be much weaker.
Placement
SZ 10: 2 carriers, 2 destroyers
Collect 72 IPCs, end with 74
Securing Gibraltar and Morocco is crucial and well worth passing up Brazil for a round or two. It’s probably better for the UK anyway, since they will be the only power active in breaking Italy & Germany. Japan is so strong in this scenario, I don’t see any option for US builds other than 100% Pacific.
CHINA
Move everything to Shensi, and place all built units there. You’re gonna die eventually, just make your final stack as big as you can.
GERMANY
Purchase
1 carrier, 1 destroyer, 6 mech, 1 tank
Combat
1 sub 1 cruiser SZ 113 > SZ 119
1 fig 1 tac Western Germany > SZ 119
If Gibraltar or Morocco isn’t available, take Cyprus with 1 inf from Southern France to deny UK their NO for a couple rounds.
Trade Western Ukraine and Baltic states.
1 inf Finland > Karelia if it’s empty.
Noncombat
1 art Normandy > France
1 inf Romania > Bessarabia
All ground in range of Eastern Poland > Eastern Poland
Enough air to Eastern Poland to hold it.
1 sub SZ 113 > SZ 125
1 fig 1 tac SZ 119 > SZ 112
1 transport SZ 113 picks moves inf from Normandy and Belgium to Norway
Move every ground unit in Western Germany & eastward towards Russia, as well as all tanks west of that.
Have at least 1 fig in Western Germany for scrambling to defend SZ 112.
Placement
SZ 112: 1 carrier, 1 destroyer
Germany: 6 mech, 1 tank
Collect ~54 IPCs (Norway blockaded for 2 on average), end with 54
Build a carrier so you can virtually guarantee taking out the British battleship/transport, and block the Soviet NO for R2. Destroyer so you can stop the pesky Soviet sub from blockading you. Also, you absolutely must, must build fast against Russia or you will lose. You may have taken a huge hit in the initial attacks, but the extra turns that inf/art take to get to the front cost you more than their efficiency saves. Plus, since you’re never going to be building slow units against Russia until you take Leningrad or Ukraine, you will have a huge mobility advantage over Russia. Build mostly mech in the early rounds, since you already have a ton of tanks for punch.
UK General Strategy
Build an Egypt IC Round 1.
Retreat India navy to the Mediterranean unless there is a significant amount of fleet they can kill.
Try to get 4+ subs into SZ 97 to max the convoy damage there.
Build up D-Day threat to consume German resources and allow Russia to hold its own.
Defend India for as long as you can. Retreat the round it will fall. If you can, fly air from the Middle East to Persia so Japan can’t hold India the turn they would take it. Don’t try to use UK Europe’s resources to slow Japan down after India; the Middle East isn’t worth a ton to them anyway and it’s better if UK can help Russia get its legs back by distracting Germany. Taking and holding Norway from Germany is a huge blow to them.
So yeah, I’m interested in hearing everyone’s thoughts on this.
