End of Round Victory

I agree with Jen that the ability to have the US sneak in and grab a territory with no response afforded to the Axis

Defend better? It’s not like you can’t see where the Americans will attack. I find it difficult to believe that the Americans can be operating strongly in both theaters to the point where the Axis can’t defend a VC, yet the Axis are winning.

@Craig:

The Victory Territory (VT) system that I use in the tournament that I run has a stipulation that is similar to what Jen is talking about.

Adjudication System-
The determination of who wins a tournament game will be based upon the control of Victory Territories (VTs).  The Victory City method of determining a winner will NOT be used.  Each side controls 12 Victory Territories at the beginning of the game.  The Victory Territories are listed below.

AXIS POWERS

GERMANY
Germany
Western Europe
Southern Europe
Eastern Europe
Ukraine SSR
Norway

JAPAN
Japan
Manchuria
French Indochina
Philippine Islands
East Indies
Borneo

ALLIED POWERS

USSR
Russia
Caucasus
Archangel
Novosibirsk

UK
United Kingdom
India
Anglo-Egypt
Australia

USA
Eastern US
Western US
Hawaiian Islands
Sinkiang

If a player holds 18 (or more) VTs for a full round of game play (From the end of a country’s turn to the beginning of that same country’s next turn.), then that player automatically wins the game.

In the event of a VT tie at the end of the game, whichever side increased its IPC total is the winner.  If the game is still tied after reviewing the IPC totals, then the GM will make a determination of the winner based on upon the game situation at the time the game ended.

If a player chooses to concede a game before it has reached the 18 VT automatic win threshold or the game time limit (4.5 hrs), a default score of 19 VTs and +30 IPCs will be awarded to the winner.

I agree with Jen that the ability to have the US sneak in and grab a territory with no response afforded to the Axis is a crappy way to judge a game.

The use of the OotB VCs is another subject entirely!

This is an interesting system to manage the victory condition. It should also allow battle in almost all parts of the board allowing for more dynamic games.

However, I do not see such a big problem with VC (OOB or LHTR, we play with the latter) the objective of the game is fixed before the start and is not difficult to see where the enemy may strike, it is a necessary skill of an A&A player.
Moreover the system of VT multiply the objectives and is useful for a tournament. In our face2face game we have no problem of time, we usually interrupt the game and we “save” the position to continue the next time.

The scenarios considered here are hypothetical situation in wich the Axis tries with a last ditch offensife to grab the victory. Consequently also Allies have the opportunity to strike for a last ditch offensive, because the Axis allow that.
So the situation we are considering is: Axis is losing, then tries to grab the victory, in the attempt Allies have als othe opportunity to sneak in for the victory. Where is the problem? It is a conscious choice of the Axis player, that also know the rules. It is not a fault in the rules it is a result of the Axis player choice.
Is like in chess: an all out attack to the enemy king may fail leaving the opening for a counterstrike of the opponent that achieves a victory with a checkmate. There are more situation in chess when, after a series of forced moves for example or with a combo, a player manage to win having less pieces of the oppoennt. There is nothing of strange. There is no one law that states that the one who is winning have to win.

Said this if an house rules that states that for winning a game is necessary to “mantain” the VC for an entire turn may also be introduced. Only I doubt of the utility of its application in the greater part of the games played.

I have no objection to someone beating a dead horse.

Someone beating a dead horse on my time, though, is a different matter.

Hence, why I would rather that an extra turn not be required.  They’ve already lost; why prolong the game another 30-45 minutes?

There is no problem with domination if players have common sense.
As I said in another thread, if you lose a capital and can’t take it back, and if you can’t take the opponents
capital, then the game is lost.
In few cases, allies may take Berlin 2-3 rnds after Moscow has fallen to Jap, but everyone can see if that is likely, or
possible. When players don’t get it even when the map has changed colour radically to their disadvantage,
and income is much higher for the other side, then it’s bad sportsmanship not to concede.
Decent players know when they can’t win.

Robbery chess? Never heard of it.  Honestly.  If it’s your strategy to take pieces with total abandon towards things like value, position, and momentum, go right on ahead. I will play you any day of the week. You are going to lose.  It is a losing strategy.

It is also a losing strategy in A&A, so go on ahead… And although the physical idea is somewhat similiar, your analogy is misleading, as you are talking about an end-game scenario in A&A, not the overall strategy over the course of an entire game. You said it yourself, people shouldn’t deserve to ‘win’ that way…

Or should they?  A much better analogy is the no-move stalemate in chess.  Sure, you might have overwhelming pieces, position, and strategy, but if you are dumb enough to push the king into a corner which denies your opponent any moves, you force a draw.  You don’t lose, but you don’t win, either.  Any player worth his salt is careful not to do this, and an experienced player will even use this strategy to escape defeat in the face of a more skilled opponent.  At least, he can try…

The strategy just adds a whole new level to the endgame approach… It is something you have to keep an eye out for, and I wouldn’t want to get rid of the possibility.  It adds challenge, it adds fun.  Don’t want to fall victim to this? Then why are you using such a poor strategy that your enemy can blitz thru your lines in one round in the first place? My advice to you is, you had better keep a closer eye on both the points and your frontlines, dear.

Domination could possibly take a long time, but in the lobby I have only once seen a game played with the 9 vc rule.
Most games do not exceed 10 rnds, maybe 30%-40% go 10-15 rnds.
Often players concede even before a single capital is lost. That’s because most players don’t screw up their
game once they got a clear advantage. And they keep gaining TUV and keeping production level above opponent
rnd by rnd, most ppl don’t play it out.
Even if domination rules states all capitals must be captured, or all units killed, you never play until the very end.
I never met someone who wanted to play out, and if I did, I wouldn’t play him/she again,
I wonder how someone can be good players and not see when a game cannot be won.

At this point we may do a distinction. In on line play or pbem games it may be a house rule introduced on wich both teams agree.
However at this point I agree with Lucifer: at this point is better to play dominance.

For face2face play, to which I am interested, I found this rule a problem. It may prolong the game for much turn that are almost useless. So I see no needs for its introductin.

About the scenario discussed I have answered in the preceding posts. They are impossible or higly improbable or unrealistic.

This conversation is crazy.  Not that we are for trying to better the game, but I have yet to find anyone who really plays to a set number of VC’s.  I always play till someone sues for peace, which is the way it should be and saves long hours of playing when everyone with any experiance can see what is going to happen.  Just my opinion.  I can always tell who is going to win without the city thing.  Sometimes, 9VC doesn’t do it.  I kind of depends on what cities and the looks of the board as a whole.  We don’t have set conditions we just know when it’s over.

@Cmdr:

I’m not asking for domination.

I’m the one who’s asking for domination….  :wink:

@triforce:

This conversation is crazy.  Not that we are for trying to better the game, but I have yet to find anyone who really plays to a set number of VC’s.  I always play till someone sues for peace, which is the way it should be and saves long hours of playing when everyone with any experiance can see what is going to happen.  Just my opinion.  I can always tell who is going to win without the city thing.  Sometimes, 9VC doesn’t do it.  I kind of depends on what cities and the looks of the board as a whole.  We don’t have set conditions we just know when it’s over.

“If at first, the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it” – Albert Einstein

Discussing do not cost nothing and helps in sharing the knowledge between us.

Having a vistory condition of 9VC is a aimed at having a shorter game and a game that
may ends without the needing of a victory “assigned”.

Having time, playing for dominance is better. We usually do so when play face2face games, because we “save” the game and continue the next time.

@Romulus:

@triforce:

This conversation is crazy.  Not that we are for trying to better the game, but I have yet to find anyone who really plays to a set number of VC’s.  I always play till someone sues for peace, which is the way it should be and saves long hours of playing when everyone with any experiance can see what is going to happen.  Just my opinion.  I can always tell who is going to win without the city thing.  Sometimes, 9VC doesn’t do it.  I kind of depends on what cities and the looks of the board as a whole.  We don’t have set conditions we just know when it’s over.

“If at first, the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it” – Albert Einstein

Discussing do not cost nothing and helps in sharing the knowledge between us.

Having a vistory condition of 9VC is a aimed at having a shorter game and a game that
may ends without the needing of a victory “assigned”.

Having time, playing for dominance is better. We usually do so when play face2face games, because we “save” the game and continue the next time.

also VCs allow you to have a sort of poltical objectives. like the Philippines were a political target and would cause the US to have great desire to attack it. THe VCs basically create targets that were not economically significant in the real war. such as the Philippines.

allow me to clarify.  i was not saying that this should not be discussed.  There is always value in discussion, but lets be fair VC or no does the US EVER go after the Phillipines? No. I’ve never even seen the US go Island Hopping.  So why bother.  I understand that it gives some histoical credibility to the game but we all know how history turned out and we all realize (i think) that this is only a loose intrpretation of history.  SO, play untill someone wants to admit defeat (which is how the war was determaned in all reality) and set up for the next game. It just make the game simpler and answers Jens question.

Defend better is a strawman argument.

One attacking infantry has a possibility to kill 100 defending infantry without being killed.  Probability is very low, but possible, this allows any ridiculous hail Mary attack to successfully win the game despite bad strategy.

I don’t understand. Any hail Mary attack can end the game. It doesn’t have to be on a victory city. Any time that a ridiculous hail Mary attack succeeds, you can win the game despite bad strategy. So why pick on the victory city system?

Why make such a big change for such an inconsequential happening? You want to extend every game by one turn so that in the 1/5000 games are “fair”? There’s nothing “fair” about bad dice, regardless of victory city conditions.

There is nothing fair about war either, which is why I like the dice element in this game.  The best laid plans often go astray.

@trihero:

Defend better is a strawman argument.

One attacking infantry has a possibility to kill 100 defending infantry without being killed.  Probability is very low, but possible, this allows any ridiculous hail Mary attack to successfully win the game despite bad strategy.

I don’t understand. Any hail Mary attack can end the game. It doesn’t have to be on a victory city. Any time that a ridiculous hail Mary attack succeeds, you can win the game despite bad strategy. So why pick on the victory city system?

Why make such a big change for such an inconsequential happening? You want to extend every game by one turn so that in the 1/5000 games are “fair”? There’s nothing “fair” about bad dice, regardless of victory city conditions.

Really I think that the extension may be more than one turn. If the “winner” has not success in defending the 9 VC then games continues.

9 VC is a victory condition to have games end in shorter time than player surrendering.
So the game is flawless in that. We play 9 VC games when we want a shorter game. Otherwise we play dominance, that have not to be finished because sooner or later one side surrenders.

My interpretation of 9 VC is like a chekmate in chess. Your king is in chekmate, you lose. No matter how many pieces you have or what they are doing. Opponents has been quicker than you, or has applied a more efficient strategies etc.
I have to admit that in A&A there is another point: dice. So it could be possible to lose a game for unlucky results. But this may happen in every phase not only in the final turn. I have lost games that began bad and became worst cause unlucky dice rolling.

I prefer VC. It forces you focus in some cities you would not defend in total conquest. And it’s good have a sudden death effect in game, because it forces you keep an eye on all the table. Anyway, you can say: “let’s play 9 VC, but you can surrender before if you think you lost”.

I have seen USA goning for island hoping more than once. I even seen UK. Manila is an example of good choosed VC, as Leningrad.

Only trouble is i would like more VC, so they would have greater effect in the game. Example:

USSR: Moscow, Stalingrad, Leningrad, Vladivostok
Germany: Berlin, Rome, Paris, Helsinki, Varsovia, Tripoli
UK: London, Calcutta, Canberra, Alexandria
Japan: Tokio, Nankin, Manila, Singapur, Seoul, Port Moresby
USA: Whasington, Los Angeles, Chongquin, Honolulu

So each side begins with 12. Fight for 18!  :mrgreen:

I will be honest…

A 9 VC game usually comes down to the defeat of Russia.  There are other ways to play it, but knocking out one of the Allies completely (Moscow and Leningrad) as well as securing Calcutta, without the Axis losing Paris, Berlin, Rome, Shanghai, Manila or Tokyo; is a pretty impressive situation.  The Allies pretty much have no choice but to surrender at that point.  IPC’s from JUST the VC’s totals $49.  Add in all the territories that it took to get there….

And for the Allies, it means either wiping out Germany completely to get 9, or Japan completely, or having both so severely wounded that that Allies are into their “core territories” and the Axis is seriously reduced in income.

8 VC is not a win.
9 VC is game over.