• 5.  Generally, I try to avoid complicated instructions, or even any instructions at all, when showing new players the game.  It’s too confusing, and players feel like they HAVE to do certain things, and then they feel that they aren’t doing those things they have to do effectively, then they feel like maybe you’re not telling them what they need to know no matter how much you’re saying, then they feel overrun by all the stuff you’re telling them.  That’s why I just give them a fat chunk of infantry.  Let that infantry absorb the brunt of their mistakes.  In the meantime, just answer the questions they ask, but keep it as short as you can so they’re not overwhelmed.

    6.  Sometimes, a player will take that big fat chunk of infantry and ram it right down your throat.  That’s okay.  People like winning.  How better to lure them in introduce them to the game?

    7.  Giving your opponent a few ends and odds of units isn’t going to make a big impact on the game.  I can give a Russian player four infantry, and he can go and buy a bomber and a sub on R1.  Just give 'em a god-awful chunk of infantry, I say.

    8.  Don’t be afraid to CALL THE GAME.  A sixteen hour game doesn’t necessarily appeal.

    Intro games are a lot like sex, it isn’t about winning or losing, it’s about having a good time.

    Of course, that usually means letting the other player win, which contradicts what I just said.

    But you can look at it like having a one night stand, or an extended relationship.  Even if the extended relationship is just a series of one night stands, it’s still more fun than just a single one night stand.  Now, if there were infinite horny monkeys out there, you could have infinite one night stands.  But there aren’t that many horny monkeys, so you have to show the monkeys a good time if you want them to play with you.

    Likewise, there aren’t all that many players that can sit down for a long period of time and play a board game.

    (snif) it’s so beautiful, all about love and trust and Meaningful Relationships . . . I think that’s why I really play A&A.

    .
    .
    .

    Lol, not rly, it’s about seeing them cry.  CRY, I SAY!  Man, I don’t care if I put someone off the game, so long as I can get sweet, sweet victory.  I say, the less scrubs out there, the better.  That way I won’t waste my time!

    Ah, sweet crack pipe.  How I love thee.


  • @mjkusn01:

    Logistics are always a big problem when my my newbie friends play.

    As far as calculators go, I think it takes away from the spirit of the game. I know everything is just statistics and you should have some general hueristics to decide whether its a good attack or not, but I dont like the idea of having an actual calculator on hand.

    Well, some people can do the quick math in their head, figure out the Punch, etc., but others cannot.  Everyone does the math, it’s just a question of where.  Some do it in their head, others on paper….the calculator speeds this process up for some.  It allows them to focus on the game better and perhaps have more fun.


  • I just cant imagine Rommel with a calculator at his command center trying to figure out whether or not risking a bomber in Egypt is worth the 20% better chance of victory… plus a calculator slows down the nature of the game.

    This brings up another topic … turn length… how long do you typically give your opponent to move? Are there tournament rules for this? For my friends who are just learning to play, I give them as much time as they need. However, when I play more seasoned players I start to hackle them (or they start to hackle me) if too much time to taken.

    Quick calculations are ok … “im sending in 10inf and 4 tanks against his 8 inf… thats 10+12 punch against 16 punch … i should win!”

    But using a program to dictate your moves is lame in my opinion (im not trying to offend anyone).

    Sometimes, (for big battles only) we will write down the opposing forces… then (AFTER THE GAME) we might go online and see what should have happened and compared it to what actually happened…

  • '18 '17 '16 '11 Moderator

    Giving them anything is going to make it harder for them to learn the game.  The least damaging is to give them actual start units, as was mentioned before.

    However, I’d just double the starting units on Tokyo and Berlin.

    (+3 Infantry, 2 Armor, Fighter for Germany; +4 Infantry, Artillery, Armor, Fighter for Japan)

    Notice I did not double their bomber fleets.

    Or, if you want, determine what the average bid is, (7 I believe) and give them twice that in extra units.  14 IPC.  That would be +3 Infantry +1 Armor.  And let them know these are extra units and not part of the normal rules, so they don’t expect it next game.

    Anyway, the best method would be to give them nothing.  Take the allies, but don’t use a normal strategy.  Try KJF.  Or maybe try to set up a shuck-shuck to Caucasus instead of Norway.  These ways don’t give them weird advantages to expect later, but definitely cripple a veteran’s game style lowering his or her proficiency to something closer to a rookies.

  • 2007 AAR League

    I have yet to see the so called “SJF” work


  • You may want to check out a few of my Allied wins.  That is a common element of nearly all of them.

  • '18 '17 '16 '11 Moderator

    Same here.  I don’t do so well with the KGF unless I have succeeded in SJF.  Same with games I lose.  Almost every game I have lost from 1/1/2007 to 4/1/2007 (havnt lost any games since) was because Japan was hounded leaving Germany solo against England and Russia.


  • @mjkusn01:

    I just cant imagine Rommel with a calculator at his command center trying to figure out whether or not risking a bomber in Egypt is worth the 20% better chance of victory… plus a calculator slows down the nature of the game.

    Quick calculations are ok … “im sending in 10inf and 4 tanks against his 8 inf… thats 10+12 punch against 16 punch … i should win!”

    But using a program to dictate your moves is lame in my opinion (im not trying to offend anyone).

    Rommel had intelligence information at his disposal.  You better believe he was doing calculations, of a kind, when making battle plans.  And if he had a battle simulator, he would have used it.  :-D

    I was not referring to a battle simulator, but a calculator to help with making quick addition and subtraction.  I usually use paper myself. (I keep a notepad in the game box.  Which I also use to keep track of IPC’s, much faster than the play money and the markers.)  I don’t see a slow down in the game when I use it.  It can also speed up purchasing, too.  You have to remember, there are lots of people out there that are not good at math.


  • I guess different strokes for different folks !

    And with regards to Rommel … I think his calculator must have been broken because he made some crazy attacks (and won most of them too !)

    Where do you guys play AAR online?


Suggested Topics

Axis & Allies Boardgaming Custom Painted Miniatures

21

Online

17.0k

Users

39.3k

Topics

1.7m

Posts