Am I doing something wrong?

The correct ratio for art/inf and what other units you might need/want is tricky because it actually depends on the opponents stack and 1) how many hits you can expect to take over 2) the number of rounds of combat.

So a much larger stack of attacking ‘1s’ (inf/mech) are cheap hit absorbers, but not much good for ending the battle sooner.

A more even stack of 1s (cheap losses) and 2s (more expensive, slower moving, but more hits) and 3s (tanks defend and attack better, but are more expensive, but obviously much cheaper than planes) can end the battle sooner.

Its why the battle calculator can shift so quickly… a few extra early hits can swing things in a battle that will last 4-6 rounds.

70 ipcs spent on G2 spent on 17 mechs is very useful for how quickly they move, but only worth 2-4 hits a round in an attack and 6-7 hits on defense.  70 ipcs also buys 10 art and 6 tanks are slower but worth 6-7 hits a round on their own, but really worth 9-10 hits in an attack because they also elevate 10 inf to hit at 2.  Slower, but more powerful… as long as you have another 10 inf in front of them to take hits.

Germany starts with 30-35 inf (depending on Yugoslavia attack) and only 5 art for the Eastern front, and start with 9 tanks.  An art buy on G2 slows you down a round (Bryansk on G6 at the earliest) but the biggest punch.

If Russia buys tanks for a hard counter attack, you’ve got some options.  Sometimes let Italy take Eastern Poland so Germany can occupy it with their full stack including planes.  The game I’m playing now, I went ahead and “over extended” Germany into Belarus on G3 so Russia hit it with everything he could, leaving 6 tanks there to be blitzed by 3 German tanks and a LOT of planes from 2 squares away because Italy cleared the blocker out of the way.

There is no reason Germany needs more tanks than mechs in the early rounds.

Even if you buy a bunch of art G2 make sure you can still reach Bryansk G5. That way you can build in in Ukraine G6 for the Moscow assault G7.

Some of you on this discussion post continue to beat me. But could anyone explain to me the value of the E. Poland stack? I still don’t get it. But I see the “pros” bring it up. And yes, I got it, I’m still not that good at this game.

Assuming the Allies are going primarily against Japan…

My preferred drive into Russia, consists of at least a G1 buy of 6 art / 1 tank…G2/G3 combo of tanks/mechs, planes G4/3 tanks on Leningrad and then bombers G5 or some defense if the Allies are bringing over some transports.

Why drive into E. Poland? Isn’t Baltic G2, than fully stack on Leningrad G3 the most optimal? Italian can openers catch up of course.

G4 the stack fully combines on Belarus with your 3 tank build right behind it on Leningrad. Than step into Bryansk on G5. Obviously the Smolensk thing is only if something goes amiss.

My ultimate goal is for Italy to can open Tambov and never capture Rostov. Rostov is where Germany builds a forward factory and Tambov is where I want to park my German stack.

It would be really helpful to know what the Allies are doing in order to assess your strategy…if the Allies are focusing on killing Germany, then getting to Smolensk and threatening Stalingrad while not losing Paris or Rome is an acceptable outcome. Meanwhile, if Japan is relatively unopposed, then they should be able to wipe out at least two of China, India, and Australia. If the Allies went KGF or even used a balanced strategy, then your problem here is your Japanese play.

On the other hand, if the Allies are focused on killing Japan, then holding the money islands and the chinese coast is about all you can hope to do anyway, and the problem here is your German play.

Either way, I think there are some improvements to be made in your Italian play. Taking a transport to northwest Africa to fight the French is a pretty unorthodox move. The French are a strictly defensive force; they don’t have any ability to deploy reinforcements, and they’re heavy on infantry – they’re very unlikely to be able to take Libya from you. Even if they do take Libya, so what? You lose 1 IPC and they gain nothing, because they have no economy. This is not a big deal, and not worth using a precious transport to prevent. The three main targets in the Mediterranean for Italy should be Gibraltar (cuts off a British national objective, sets you up for the New Roman Empire national objective, and denies the Allies the use of Gibraltar as a naval base), Egypt (cuts off the British national objective, part of your national objective, useful factory site, and closes the Suez canal), and Syria (gets you set up for the Persian oil national objective, and threatens to activate the friendly troops in Iraq).

In terms of Italian can-opening, you need to think about what territories you’re threatening to open up, and what German force would penetrate through the resulting gaps. Like, sure, building 4 extra Italian mechs and sending them east can be a reasonable choice, but only if you’re stacking up quite heavily on German mechs and tanks. I haven’t seen your games; maybe you’re already taking care of that kind of thing. But it’s not good enough to just threaten to put holes in the Russian front lines; you need a strike force of German fast-movers that can threaten to take Kiev, Stalingrad, Moscow, etc. from two spaces away unless Russia preemptively retreats its entire army one turn earlier than usual. If you can’t afford that German strike force, then there’s not much point in having extra Italian can-openers.

@Ichabod:

Some of you on this discussion post continue to beat me. But could anyone explain to me the value of the E. Poland stack? I still don’t get it. But I see the “pros” bring it up. And yes, I got it, I’m still not that good at this game.

If you are talking about an I2/G3 DOW on USSR, E Poland allows the forces from Bulgaria to reach and both allow Leningrad to be held turn 4 normally. Baltic states offers nothing that E Poland doesn’t if German troops move into Vyborg/Karelia G3. Even if the Karelia peninsula is stacked with Soviet troops, to block Germany out of Leningrad would cost a lot of troops.

Looks like you’re talking about a G2 DOW though. I’m not completely sure about how or why that would be done.

@simon33:

@Ichabod:

Some of you on this discussion post continue to beat me. But could anyone explain to me the value of the E. Poland stack? I still don’t get it. But I see the “pros” bring it up. And yes, I got it, I’m still not that good at this game.

If you are talking about an I2/G3 DOW on USSR, E Poland allows the forces from Bulgaria to reach and both allow Leningrad to be held turn 4 normally. Baltic states offers nothing that E Poland doesn’t if German troops move into Vyborg/Karelia G3. Even if the Karelia peninsula is stacked with Soviet troops, to block Germany out of Leningrad would cost a lot of troops.

Looks like you’re talking about a G2 DOW though. I’m not completely sure about how or why that would be done.

Yes, G2 DOW. I didn’t come up with this myself. I learned it from Arthur Bomber Harris. You secure and hold Leningrad on G3…1st build is G4.

I don’t know how to do the G3 DOW very well. G3 DOW I run into trouble and often don’t make it to Bryansk on G5. I see people on triplea live do the E. Poland thing with a G3 DOW, go south of the Prippet Marshes and often than get stuck at Ukraine or W. Ukraine for at least 1 turn. UK fighters land on the Russian stack at Bryansk.

G2 DOW. Stack Poland G1 with everything from Berlin. Sometimes I bring the 2 infantry from Denmark and use 1 less mech going into Paris. The 3 tanks in the east don’t hit Yugo (they go to Poland). If you purchase 6 art / 1 tank G1, even easier (because that tank helps with the stack at Baltic on G2). The slow walkers hit Yugo, plus 2 planes, no tanks. G2 stack Baltic. G3, walk into Leningrad with your Finnish troops. Often you have enough stuff (if German planes are in range to force the Russian Stack to back off Belarus). This means your slow movers from G1 / G2 mech/tank purchase / Paris tanks/mechs can all get to E. Poland (or Baltic) and Leningrad on G3. G4 the entire stack is together at Belarus. G4 you can now purchase on Leningrad. You know by G4 if you want to do max Moscow effort purchases or not. By being able to build 3 tanks on Leningrad on Turn 4, it helps you get to Tambov. I don’t get to Tambov every game, but it’s always my goal. Way easier to take hold of Stalingrad and Caucasus.

No reason you have to go south with the G3 DOW.

Not quite sure why you’ve got a thing about getting to Tambov. Bryansk is where you want to go. It blocks the Soviets out from Ukraine so you can build there. Tambov doesn’t achieve anything I can see. Perhaps you meant Bryansk?

Yes, G2 DOW. I didn’t come up with this myself. I learned it from Arthur Bomber Harris. You secure and hold Leningrad on G3…1st build is G4.

Unless your doing a G1 attack on Russia you should not be able to produce in Lenegrad on G4.  The Russian player should be able to counter it.

G1 is my favorite because if you can beat the Allied planes from reaching Moscow its over.

Try buying more Bombers ;)

Maybe a step by step of your moves would help?

A rough outline of what I do, which is slower and less aggressive than several other players:
G1 buy 2 bombers, sink UK fleet sz 110 and sz 111, take Paris and either Normandy (I like Normandy over S. Europe so French can’t attack German planes in Holland/Belgium their turn). Hit Yugoslavia, Finland, Bulgaria
G2 (if UK did NOT buy 6 inf and a fighter for London and did do Taranto raid, skip to below to do Sea Lion) I buy 1 destroyer, 10 artillery (in Germany), rest on tanks; bomb London, I attack E. Poland, park a sub in sz 125
G3 buy mechs, sink Russian Baltic Fleet, head towards Novgorod (usually.  Some people prefer south route, I like North, its easier to link up with inf in Finland), land bombers in E. Poland if they’ll be safe
G4 buy more mechs/tanks*, Take Novgorod, if possible, bomb Moscow with bombers from E. Poland.  Use your destroyer as a blocker against U.S. fleet to keep them away from Norway/Denmark if needed and buy another one at start of round
G5 and later varies a lot depending on losses and what he’s got, but you keep bombing him, keep your stack together, and buy fast movers - if you’re going to attack Moscow next turn you buy 3 tacticals for Novgorod and then nothing but bombers so they can reach.  If its Moscow on G7, then you buy only tacticals this round then bombers the next (as long as the tacticals will pair with a tank to attack at 4)

/why not attack Russia G1?  Usually so UK has to spend to defend London in case you do Sea Lion, Germany gets an extra 5 ipcs bonus, and its difficult to do any real damage to Russia on G1, so an extra turn to consolidate means you don’t lose tanks

Sea Lion
G1 is the same, but if UK spends money on anything other than defending London AND sends most of its planes south for the Taranto raid, then…
G2 buy as many transports as you can afford, move enough infantry art/tanks to the shore so they can be picked up by transports on G3 (I use 6 inf from Norway/Finland, 2 from Denmark, then whatever I need from anywhere else).   Bomb London.  All planes gather in W. Germany.  All other units gather in Romania.  Maybe send original German transport with 1 inf 1art to take Scotland if its worthwhile to get rid of landing spot for U.S./UK planes
G3 IF U.S. fleet that can sink all your transports is in Gibraltor, buy 3 ships for Normandy to put in SZ 110 (carriers are good options because you can land your fighters on it and it takes 2 hits and costs the same as 2 destroyers) and, if needed, use German cruiser in sz 104 as a blocker.  You can also buy a few inf for W. Germany that your transports can pick up and bring back to London if you like, maybe 4 or 6.  Rest of buys are a destroyer and then mechs for Germany to go to RUssia.  All transports and planes take London.  Move Germans and Italians to Romania to try and keep Russians out of Eastern and Southern Europe.  Let them have Poland, Finland, etc,  Should Be 20+ German inf and whatever Italy can spare.
G4 Buy inf/art to fill transports again, 3 inf for London, rest on mechs/tanks (Mostly mechs as infantry substitutes if your planes are still alive and available for attacks),  stack Germany to keep Russia out, especially if they’re in Poland.  Move transports to sz113 except maybe use 2-3 of them to bring more guys to London to keep it.  Sink Russian cruiser.   Move Germans and Italians to try and keep Russians out of Eastern and Southern Europe. Let them have Poland, Finland, etc, because…
G5 your buy is 3 inf in London if the U.S. is threatening, plus ships to keep your transports afloat if needed and inf/art in Germany to fill the transports and dump them in Novgorod every turn -  all those Sea Lion transports can now hit Norway, FInland, Poland, Baltics, and Novgorod all at once.  Hopefully Romania is still blocking Russia down south.  Congrats.  You now hold London and Leningrad and wiped out the Russian gains and the UK’s money and can dump 10 inf and 10 art in Novgorod every turn plus build there, and make +13 for England/Scotland.  If you did a J1 and take London for 3+ turns while getting rid of Russian gains the game should be over because the U.S. can’t do everything by themselves.  Italy should focus 100% on Russia until I5 (or whenever Russia taking Romania, etc is no longer a threat) and then try to take Cairo.
G6 you should be back to original borders plus Novgorod and be earning about 60ipcs a turn while UK is at zero and Russia is back at or under 30 ipcs

J4 or J5 is when Japan usually invades Russia from the East because Japan is strong enough to handle extra Mongolian infantry and I really want to steal those Russian ipcs

@cyanight:

Yes, G2 DOW. I didn’t come up with this myself. I learned it from Arthur Bomber Harris. You secure and hold Leningrad on G3…1st build is G4.

Unless your doing a G1 attack on Russia you should not be able to produce in Lenegrad on G4.  The Russian player should be able to counter it.

G1 is my favorite because if you can beat the Allied planes from reaching Moscow its over.

Try buying more Bombers ;)

I do not know if you were referring to me or not. I produce 3 tanks on Leningrad nearly every game on G4 with a G2 DOW. Of I do not it is due to some bad dice the UK maybe got and a chance to make a play for Cairo or something. You are probably a better player than me. But I’m sure of my above statements.