• Hi a&a forums!

    Im new to posting so I apologize in advance if I go against any policies, rules or ediquite. Anyways, I have only played 2 games with a&a 1942 second edition; both of which I played the axis and have grown to love them. I’ve never finished a game due to time and things seemed pretty balanced at the end of turn 7 which we’ve ended on both times. I play with my friend and he is completely new to a&a like I am so it gives us both room to improve and grow.

    Im not here to talk about strategies him or I have, or want to discuss, but Id like some insight on ‘dead zoning’ and ‘light trading’. I have a rough idea about what they are but Id like a more detailed explanation on it because those two tactics seem to very strong and advantageous. Like how much of your force to commit to a dead zone and how much you should leave, there if any. This goes for land and navy too as both are just as important.

    Thanks in advance.


  • Hi Horus40K. Welcome to the forum.

    A dead zone is a territory or sz sandwiched between opposing forces. Neither sides wishes to place his “stack” of units into that dead zone given the risk of being blown away by his opponent.

    Nevertheless both sides perceive an advantage to at least temporary ownership of the dead zone, perhaps because it acts as a barrier to the opponent’s movement, or to deny use of a factory, or to draw opponent’s forces from elsewhere, or sometimes to gain the economic value of the territory.

    Given that the dead zone is captured merely to be lost again the minimal force is best. However, judging that minimal force can be nuanced.

    For example, a 1 fighter + 1 infantry attack on 1 infantry, or 1 fighter + 1 destroyer attack on 1 destroyer, has a c. 90% chance of success according to the triple a battle calculator. Success means killing the enemy whie having at least one unit left yourself. So if that success includes losing your own infantry or destroyer, you do not gain ownership of the dead zone at the end of combat.

    This is less of a problem at sea because an empty sz can be occupied during non-combat if you wish to place a barrier to opponent movement.

    On land, however, you cannot occupy a hostile albeit empty territory during non-combat and so have allowed your opponent use of the factory, retention of the territory’s economic value, the opportunity to move tanks through to a territory beyond, or land air power there on his next turn. The importance of these things will determine what you consider to be the minimal force you allocate to the attack. (NB The ability to land air power may be enough to turn the territory into one that can be defended on the next turn, given the defence power of fighters, resulting in the whole front moving)

    One thing you will have noted from the above is the importance of air, given that it does not land in the captured and threatened dead zone, but retreats to safety. Only air can do this.

    I do hope this all made sense. I have no doubt that others will add to this explanation and correct any errors I may have made.


  • @Horus40k:

    Hi a&a forums!
         
          Im new to posting so I apologize in advance if I go against any policies, rules or ediquite. Anyways, I have only played 2 games with a&a 1942 second edition; both of which I played the axis and have grown to love them. I’ve never finished a game due to time and things seemed pretty balanced at the end of turn 7 which we’ve ended on both times. I play with my friend and he is completely new to a&a like I am so it gives us both room to improve and grow.
         
          Im not here to talk about strategies him or I have, or want to discuss, but Id like some insight on ‘dead zoning’ and ‘light trading’. I have a rough idea about what they are but Id like a more detailed explanation on it because those two tactics seem to very strong and advantageous. Like how much of your force to commit to a dead zone and how much you should leave, there if any. This goes for land and navy too as both are just as important.

    Thanks in advance.

    Horus, you’re asking a fantastic question. By understanding the fundamental mechanics, you’re setting yourself up for success.

    Terminology
    Deadzone: a territory that the opponent can attack for a profit
    Stack: a big pile of units
    Stacking: moving a the stack of units into a new territory
    Trading: The act of exchanging a territory back and forth in the same turn. Each player attacks with just enough land units (plus fighters)
    to take the territory.
    IPC: the “money” in Axis and Allies
    Strafing: attacking and retreating. The attacker has the option of retreating at the end of every round of battle.

    Over thousands of games played, top players in Axis and Allies have noticed consistent battle patterns emerge.

    1. One very common pattern is two opposing stacks separated by deadzone territories. The classic position is Germany in Eastern Europe, and Russia in West Russia. The deadzones are Karelia, Belorussia, and Ukraine. As Private Panic mentioned, neither side has the defensive strength to move forward without placing that stack in a deadzone (i.e. the opponent could attack for a big profit).

    2. Eventually, the side with more income or more efficient trading will accumulate units at a faster rate. At this point, that person’s stack can move forward. The opponent can not attack that stack for a profit.

    2a. Scenario one is that the stack advancing forward doesn’t have the OFFENSIVE power to force the opponent’s stack back. In this case, both stacks are in adjacent territories.
    2b. Scenario two is that the advancing stack has sufficient offensive power, and forces the opponent’s stack to retreat. If the opponent’s stack stay’s, it is in a deadzone.

    3. The player who advances forward gains additional income.

    It is very common for newer players not to recognize deadzones. These players retreat when not necessary, or fail to retreat when a stack is threatened. These result in short, bloodbath type games.


  • Thanks for the responses so far! These replies on dead zoning and light trading really helped to better grasp the tactic of it. I plan to try and use what you guys said in my next games.

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