Allied response if Taranto goes sideways & Ger threatens Sea Lion


  • Playing a solo game. UK lost Taranto with very bad rolls–the BB survived. G1 bought CV & TRs threatening Sea Lion. JP gunning hard for Calcutta. The Axis didn’t bring in either US or RU until round 4. Ended up winning Sea Lion in G4, dominating Africa/Middle East & winning the Atlantic while holding Russia off. US retook London but will fall again to German counterattack since they can’t fight through the combined German Channel fleet & escaped Italian Mediterranean fleet.

    What was the best route here? I’m a weak Allied player & this solo game made it obvious.

  • '20

    What was the UK1 purchase?


  • @colt45554 Think it was 1 Fg rest Inf


  • I don’t know how Germany was able to both hold off Russia after giving them 3 turns of buildup and have enough of a fleet to not only successfully defeat London (which sounds like it had built up) and challenge the Americans. Without seeing the game, it sounds to me like Russia needed to poke Germany a little harder (maybe build up along the front to draw more German units and thus IPCs) and the British needed to build up more in London. A prepared UK player shouldn’t lose London on turn 4, IMHO. A stack of 20+ infantry and several fighters (keep the French one there especially if Sealion seems like a threat) should be enough to make Germany suffer. Even if London falls, the German navy shouldn’t be able to outlast the Americans if the German player has put any thought into the Eastern Front. Germany starts the game with a lot of power and potential directions it could go, but to have that kind of stomping sounds more like Allied mistakes than Axis success.

  • '21 '20 '19 '18 '17 '16

    Well, it sounds like Russia was spending a lot of time and energy fighting in China and mainland Asia as well as occupying the Middle East. That could have detracted seriously from the ability to press Germany.

    Marsh


  • IIRC it went something like this (lesson learned–log your solo games!):

    G1 is a very good round. Takes all of France, kills the SZ97 Cruiser, kills 110 & 111, wins the dice flip with Nova Scotia. Loses basically the entire air force but takes out the full scrambles on the UK’s part.

    UK1 buys Inf & a Fg, loses Taranto badly.

    I1 lands in Syria, buys ground troops. I2 takes Egypt, buys transports. Japan’s just doing its think, about to go money islands.

    R2 declares on Japan, takes Manchuria.

    J3 money islands simultaneously, wipes Russia out of Manchaku. I3 clears North Africa & Malta, buys CV & fleet elements.

    G4 attempts a Dover landing, fails. Knocks those Inf numbers down, kills a Fg or two. UK rebuys Inf but can’t rebuy Fg. Successfully lands Scotland. Takes first line of Russian territories, stacks up in E Poland.

    I4 takes Gibraltar with overwhelming force, leaves a tall stack of Inf & a few AAA there, moves entire fleet off the Iberian coast.

    J4 is completely focused on Calcutta & continues to be for the rest of the game.

    R4 has massive stacks in Ukraine, Novograd, each independently weaker than the slowly massing Ger stack but together far stronger. Retakes everything but E Poland.

    US buys Tr, an Atlantic fleet, etc. US4 stages in 103 for a London landing if Sea Lion works & Normandy if it doesn’t. (France is completely undefended). Takes Caroline Islands.

    G5 lands London, takes E Ukraine with big stack. Goes 50/50 on the deadzone skirmishes.

    I5 suicides into the American fleet in the Atlantic. Doesn’t kill it but does knock a destroyer or two off, kills the fighters, tips the BBs.

    R5 cuts off the German stack. US5 retakes London.

    G6 kills the US fleet (another one is building in Norfolk), falls back to E Poland.

    I6 is a full fleet buy. J6 takes India.

    By round 7, Ger is uncontested in W Europe & is maneuvering/stalling around the swamps to keep russia’s deathstacks from merging. The Soviets have Norway & the second largest airforce after Japan around Russia/Novograd. They’re skirmishing with Italy in the middle east & Japan in China. The Atlantic is virtually under Axis control. Japan is in India but is losing China. The US is marching around the pacific but isn’t strong enough to really contest a Japan without any major fleet losses.

    The UK isn’t going to make it when Ger lands a third time & there’s no American fleet poised to save them a second time. Italy is all through Africa–the Allied african forces haven’t died yet but keep falling back. Italy’s got Gibraltar on lockdown & is starting a shuck shuck to the Middle East. They built an airbase in Albania last round & are working on a bomber fleet.

    I called it in favor of the Axis, although I suppose with really good US/Ru plays it might resolve the other way in 6-8 more rounds.

    I’m guessing if I had a failure it was playing too passively as Russia. I had a deadzone along the front the whole time & was not in a position to fight in Germany’s home territory (although I had a tank in position to blitz through an undefended Romania/Slovakia, it was killed by a ballsy Italian air attack. Germany would be able to build up & take Russia eventually if it wasn’t having to spend resources holding off the Americans in the Atlantic, but the US really needed to start spending in the Pacific with Japan knocking out the Commonwealth (3G40 rules). I might try running this one again but playing much more aggressively as Russia.


  • @tamer-of-beasts UK was castrated the entire game–they lost their full airforce on G1 scrambles & then Italy played a very agressivel African/Middle Eastern game after being handed the Mediterranean by a bad Taranto. Ger was convoying them the whole time & was StrB’ing them until they lost both StrBs. They were only buying defensive UK units, but it wasn’t enough with consistently mediocre to poor rolls in critical battles.


  • Gotcha. That is a rough Allies game. When you say a solo game, do you mean you played both sides, or that you played Allies against TripleA AI? Just curious. Also, upon rereading what I said earlier, I didn’t mean for my thoughts to come across as harsh, so my apologies. :)


  • @tamer-of-beasts No worries at all; I know I’m a weak Allied player: that’s why I’m posting here hoping to learn!

    I played both sides, TripleA AI just isn’t cutting it for me any more.

  • 2023 '22 '21 '20 '19 '18

    @hengst yea the AI can’t really play Global yet. Hopefully it gets there someday. I usually play solo as well.

    Have you looked at any past league games ? You can get some good ideas by going through them.

    I’m a low to intermediate player myself, so my advice should be taken as such. Not that I really have any :) but losing the Luftwaffe G1 is hard to overcome. Not much you can do if he scrambles and the dice go hard.

    At least Italy should be able to expand some with no Taranto.

    Edit
    Ahh…I really need to pay closer attention before replying. I’m thinking you don’t wanna do Taranto if you lose the RAF G1

  • 2023 '22 '21 '20 '19 '18

    @hengst Also what did the USA do on turn 3 ? Were they not able to reinforce GIB after the JPN attack ?


  • @hengst just re-read this reply, and I should have known better.
    It looks like you have a good start, and I’m sure you will get better with time. It’s a tough game to learn, but a rewarding one.
    Thanks for taking it on. As a long time player, I love watching people learn the game.


  • @hengst

    Awesome that the Axis won! I have np advice, but I always love seeing game reports! Keep up the good work!

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