Critique this Russian first move…

Nope, both IC and AA stop a blitz, just like any other enemy unit.

Ah.  TripleA won’t make you stop for an IC. :P

Really, I thought TripleA did stop it.

Current version, anyways.

To be honest…

As Germany, I’ll amphib it with 2 INF and a BB shot.  Gain the 4 IPC, limit Russia to 8 units, all of them in Russia, and perhaps kill a unit or 2 as Russia liberates it.

I call that a good trade for Germany.

@ncscswitch:

To be honest…

As Germany, I’ll amphib it with 2 INF and a BB shot.  Gain the 4 IPC, limit Russia to 8 units, all of them in Russia, and perhaps kill a unit or 2 as Russia liberates it.

I call that a good trade for Germany.

But you won’t gain 4 IPC because England’s going to SBR the naked IC on their turn.  Odds are you MIGHT get 1 IPC for it, but probably none. (result 4, 5 or 6 is no income for that land, means you have at least a 50% chance of not gaining anything for it.)  Meanwhile, most Russian players are not building more then 8 units on Russia 2, more likely is 6 or 7 units because they’ll want some artillery or armor to supplement their infantry.

Fine, I tied up the UK BOM over Caucuses, instead of it being used elsewhwere against my forces.  Again, good trade since I can lose no more than I already gained, and have a 50% chance of STILL being positive on the exchange.

I STILL also get the benefit of limiting Russia to a maximum of 8 units, AND the benefit of them being built one move farther away from Germany.

AND Russia STILL has to dedicate forces to countering Caucuses (they can NOT risk Germany building there) rather than drivign back against Japan’s forces in the East, or having a higher force level for counters in Belo or Ukraine or Karelia.

Finally, it also removes the Russian reinforcement of Persia on R2, allowign Japan to surge forward past India (or to obliterate defenders in India on J2, with no Russians poised in Persia to block subsequent forward progress).

Sorry, with 1 INF in Caucuses, and with a German Med Fleet intact… hell YES I am taking Caucuses, even if only for 1 turn…
AND I’ll SBR it on the way in, since there is no AA there… so Germany DEFINITELY ends up ahead in the trade.

1.  Russia has a build limit
2.  Russia builds fartehr from the front
3.  Russia loses an average of 4 IPC form SBR with no risk to Germany
4.  Japan faces fewer forces in the Middle East
5.  Russian Forces are diverted to re-taking Caucuses instead of attacking elswhere
6.  Germany has a 50% chance of being net positive revenue from taking it
7.  Germany has a good chance of killing AT LEAST 1 Russian INF in the re-take
8.  Russia can;t land FIGs there, so Germany has an increased chance to take it AGAIN on their next turn.
9.  Russia has to bleed off the West Russia Stack for both karelia and Ukraine counters (ending the WRS)
10.  Germany is now fighting and trading adjacent to Moscow, instead of in Central Europe… the war is in now in allied territory, not axis territory (always a bad sign for the Allies).

You most certainly go into CAU if you can do it with a pair of INF and some FTRs. You do not if taking it means using all your ARM. If your goal is to draw in the Germans you can’t leave it with only 1 INF.

@ncscswitch:

1.  Russia has a build limit
2.  Russia builds fartehr from the front
3.  Russia loses an average of 4 IPC form SBR with no risk to Germany
4.  Japan faces fewer forces in the Middle East
5.  Russian Forces are diverted to re-taking Caucuses instead of attacking elswhere
6.  Germany has a 50% chance of being net positive revenue from taking it
7.  Germany has a good chance of killing AT LEAST 1 Russian INF in the re-take
8.  Russia can;t land FIGs there, so Germany has an increased chance to take it AGAIN on their next turn.
9.  Russia has to bleed off the West Russia Stack for both karelia and Ukraine counters (ending the WRS)
10.  Germany is now fighting and trading adjacent to Moscow, instead of in Central Europe… the war is in now in allied territory, not axis territory (always a bad sign for the Allies).

1.  Russia already had a build limit because they cannot afford more then 8 units anyway, not and get a good spread like they’ll need.  So this is a null point.
2.  Russia builds 1 space farther from the front, not a significant change.  Not like if Germany suddenly went from building in Caucasus to having to build in Germany.
3.  This is the only real draw back to this manuever.  Germany can tie up her own bomber hitting Caucasus instead of going with it to Egypt or the British fleet.
4.  Are you not the one who constantly bickers that Russia’s going to die if she sends even 1 infantry towards teh middle east?  Now you’re saying it’s easier for Japan because she isnt?  Could you please stick to one line of reasoning instead of being so wishy-washy?  Yes.  There is nothing headed to India…there never is for me ANYWAY, but now there definately is not.
5.  Russia diverts next to nothing retaking Cuacaus unless Germany over commits in which case now Russia has Caucasus, Belorussia, Karelia and Ukraine on Russia 2.
6.  Yea, but you’ll definately not have more then 3 IPC for the land and you’re going to loose anything you put on it anyway, so odds are you’re out 3 or 4 IPC on the SBR and at least 3 IPC for the infantry used to take it.
7.  Yup.  You’ll probably get 1 infantry, unless you only had 1 there to take it.  In which case, Russia has a good chance of getting 2 or 3 German infantry and maybe even a tank or two in retaking it.  net gain Russia
8.  Yup, if Germany has anything to take it with.  Of course, there’s nothing saying that England can’t have 3 infantry moving in to retake Caucasus and then have Russia land fighters there.  Anyone who hits Borneo and New Guinea will have 3 infantry and an AA gun poised in Persia anyway, specifically to move into Caucasus or retake India if lightly invaded.
9.  The WRS is a waste of resources anyway.  You want to have a couple of stacks in Archangel and Caucasus not in W. Russia.  That way Germany has to stack E. Europe not Belorussia or Ukraine cause Russia can just move around you then.
10.  Germany is not trading adjacent to Moscow, unless you think the initial loss of W. Russia is also germany trading adjacent to moscow.  1 Turn of trading near Moscow does not mean the focus shifts there.

Common Switch.  You’re smarter then this.  You know for a fact that there’s a zero percent chance of Germany taking Caucasus a second time and very good odds that Germany will be over extended in an effort to COST Russia for retaking it.  A Russian sack of German forces in Caucasus will cost Germany much more then Russia.  You loose all you gain for the land to SBR, you loose at least 1 infantry for 3 more.  So Germany’s down 4-7, Russia’s down 0-4.

That’s a bonus for Russia anyway you slice the cake.  Especially if you’re stupid enough to try and take it in force.  (BTW, if you do take with one infantry, then England pays the 3 IPC and Russia doesn’t even loose a single infantryman in the retake.)

And the frosting?  Russia’s WRS is even larger then normal since he probably only lost 1 or 2 infantry and had 12 inf, 2 art, 3 arm, 2 figs to start with.

If Russia puts 4 INF on Caucuses in R1, and amphib is out.

What I wrote abvoe was for a single INF left in Caucuses.

Also, that does NOT preclude an Egypt attack, expecially with ANY bid to Africa.  Skip the DD in SZ15 and jsut use Balkans FIG, 2 INF and 1 ARM from Libya.  Still a 70% clear and 60% win.  And if the Ukraine FIG is still alive for the battle it is an 89% win.