What do you do with the Americans in your "standard game?

+NO’s and I usually go almost exclusively in the Pacific because it’s worth as much as Europe is.

Without NOs and no tech.  Heavy Europe.

I play with NO’s.

I am beginning to lean toward splitting between ground units to Africa and a small number of ground units to Europe OR ground units to Africa and bombers for raids to Europe. Just make sure you adequately protect yourself from the Polar express.

Problem is, if America abandons the Pacific, there is a great chance that Japan will take W. USA for keeps without a significant (read 2 or 3 rounds of dedicated investment) investment into preventing it.  And with a Japan bored out of their mind from inactivity, they have the time and resources to blow on trying for it, or at the least, threatening it with all their extra equipment.  America just doesn’t have the extra equipment that Japan does. (3 Carriers, Battleship, Cruiser, they probably put some more units in the water as well to prepare for the American attack that never came.)

@Cmdr:

Problem is, if America abandons the Pacific, there is a great chance that Japan will take W. USA for keeps without a significant (read 2 or 3 rounds of dedicated investment) investment into preventing it.  And with a Japan bored out of their mind from inactivity, they have the time and resources to blow on trying for it, or at the least, threatening it with all their extra equipment.  America just doesn’t have the extra equipment that Japan does. (3 Carriers, Battleship, Cruiser, they probably put some more units in the water as well to prepare for the American attack that never came.)

That is why I said to protect yourself from the Polar express. If you aren’t building a godawful amount of naval units in the first few rounds, then you can afford to make a rapid ground unit buildup to prevent Japan from getting any ideas and have your troop train set up for the move into Africa and Europe.

with NO’s I usually send 2trannies 2inf 1arm and 1art to Africa turn 1.  Unless thing go horribly wrong after that, I go full out on the pacific

I go exclusively Pacific in either '41 or '42.  Always play with NOs.

Playing with NO’s, I usually go with 80-90% builds in the Pacific.

NOs on in most of my games.

America sits so deep in the turn que that which direction they go is determined by the Japanese play out.

Usually play with NO’s and put more than 50% of the U.S. into the Pacific.  How much depends on Japan successes and their builds.

With NOs -

I try to always start with a European focus.  If it is safe I may move my Pac AC/dd to Sz 56 with ftr cover.  If not they’ll head to Sz 20 or protect the UK trn/dd in the South Pacific.

I try to buy heavy air and inf early.  I may wait on a trn buy until US 2, but I always set up my shuck from Wus.  Early air also can help deter some J Pac moves and quickly get to Afr or Europe.

I play with tech and NOs and I go pacific all the way with the fighter or bomber to the UK every so often.

With NOs: 50-75 % spent on Europe, depending on how aggressive Japan is moving navy against the West Coast. I try to keep a West Coast fleet afloat, and also as a threat to move towards the Phillippines and East Indies if the Japanese fleet sails west. The point is to keep Japan tied up in the Pacific in order to be able to keep Africa from being lost to invasions and all fighters sent vs. the Russians, rather than an all-out offensive vs. the Japs.

I try to spend 70 % in the Europe Theater and 30 % in the Pacific Theater. This is my strategy for the total game. Turn 1 is a different matter, and this first spending depends on the situation on the map. Usually I would spend all money on ships in the Pacific Theater, or all money on bombers to SBR Germany, for Turn 1 only. Then continue with the 70/30.

Historically USA did spend 90 % in Europe and only 10 % in Pacific. But the cost of a real army seem to be higher than the cost of a real battleship. In the A&A games, its opposite. Infantry cost 3 IPC and battleship cost 20 IPC, so its different.

But the point is, the East coast factory is closer to the action, so it is rational to let the main shuck of forces move from here, against the main theater in Europe. But it is also a must to threaten Japan.

A strategy I am trying out now, is to buy all bombers turn 1 and 2, and let them either kill the german and italian navies, or SBR germany and italy. Then from turn 3 establish the usual shuck with inf/trannies against Africa or France or Norway.

everything to pacific, except the  EUS coast DD to kill off german subs / reinforce sz12… but the tranny flushes through panama :D, heck even the AA gun EUS goes to pacific ;)

@Cmdr:

Problem is, if America abandons the Pacific, there is a great chance that Japan will take W. USA for keeps without a significant (read 2 or 3 rounds of dedicated investment) investment into preventing it.  And with a Japan bored out of their mind from inactivity, they have the time and resources to blow on trying for it, or at the least, threatening it with all their extra equipment.  America just doesn’t have the extra equipment that Japan does. (3 Carriers, Battleship, Cruiser, they probably put some more units in the water as well to prepare for the American attack that never came.)

but i wonder
can’t US just drop 10 inf on west us, problem solved?

in my last game as the allies, i bought units for europe and abandoned the pacific to try to “trick” the japanese player.  then on J2 he moved his navy further away and i moved mine back to WUS SZ and spent almost every penny there for 2 rounds, building quite a formidable fleet.

i think it put a major kink in japan’s overall strategy. he seemed a little flustered for the next couple turns and eventually overlooked uk’s clearing of persia, followed by the blitzing russian tanks to take his newly constructed IC in india lol

but i def think the US has to keep japan honest, otherwise their navy and production can be quite overwhelming