• You’re the US, and Japan takes his four transports and drops an eight stack not in Asia but on Alaska.  He then proceeds to put an IC there.  What do you do?


  • This just seems like a bad idea for Japan (unless they’re setting up for a Canadian Shield).

    Unfortunately, there’s not much choice for the counter. With 4trn in range of WUS, you pretty much have to do a full buy there. And I’d run over some armor from WCan/EUS (this is assuming you don’t already have a nifty setup where units are going WUS>WCan>ECan – in that case you might not have to do anything at all).

    With an IC in Alaska, Japan must be intending to base out of there, but that is almost completely useless. The US will just buy units in WUS and/or run them over from ECan/EUS. I’d keep an eye out for a Canadian Shield, but just make sure there aren’t 4ish German transports in the Atlantic and you’re OK.

    Perhaps Japan is forcing the WUS build and then will swing the units away from Alaska the following turn and will buy bombers instead of land units that turn? Or is trying to make sure US has to shift its rear troops west to respond to Japan?

    I’d just resolve that Japan is being silly and make nice, strong WUS builds (maybe try to keep up 1inf/1arm – or whatever it is you’re shipping – so you can quickly and easily resume shucking) to counter Japan for as long as he decides to…camp Alaska?

    Oh, and see if you can’t outbuild him. If Japan doesn’t have units set up in Buryatia or Soviet Far East or have another transport fleet, it will be two turns before the 8 units in Alaska are reinforced. Try to build up in WCan (but remember if his 4trn come back that 8 units can hit WUS) and wipe out his Alaska stack with overwhelming numbers.


  • If you built USA’s Pacific fleet, smash the invading fleet!  :-D

    If not, congrats: you are facing a Polar Express (also called KAF). If Japan has a shuck of 4x4, builds ala IC and has another trannie to annoy Africa, you have two troubles: the first is defending Africa, because you cannot send more USA’s reinforcements until you repel the japanese invasion. You have two bad options here: left Karelia at german mercy (it can cause soviets colapse) or continue shucking guys to Karelia and ignore Africa (it can lead to axis economic advantage, not a good idea). You cannot spare even a single USA unit to Africa, because Japan will send 10 guys each round against them and have 1 bomber that can do annoying SBRs (with a income of 35, USA will struggle even to equal Japan, and WUSA has built limit of 10 anyway)

    But that’s not your biggest trouble. If Japan stacks Wcan with a solid force (one you cannot attack without being whiped on the proccess), Japan not only can trade Cusa and Ecan. As you’ll buy units in WUSA, EUSA will be empty, so there’s a great chance of the full Japan’s stack in WCan advancing to Ecan next round (supported by tanks built in ala). You’ll have not enough income to defend EUSA unless you have plenty of tanks in WUSA, and even then, you’ll be forced to not buy in WUSA one round. Then, ECan stack will go back to Wcan and now menace taking that IC! The idea here is that you simply cannot defend both ICs at the same time. If you lose one, even for one round, you are toasted

    I have seen fall WUSA (without possible retaking) before Moscow with that strat. In a game, I even managed take Whasington. Some times axis reaches so big income (because fall of Africa) that allies concede.

    The only real good chance for allies in case of Polar Express is killing a big stack of germans in Eeu or Karelia, leaving them with so few forces that Germany can fall at the same time than any USA’s IC. But it’s not easy

    The other choice, of course, is fighting for Pacific Ocean from the very begining (USA1). That makes you inmune to Polar Express and puts some IPC rich islands at your reach, as well of preventing the lost of Hawaii, Nzel and probably also Australia

  • '16 '15 '10

    I’ve never faced this strategy as a full-blown offensive…but assuming the Allies are going with a KGF strategy, my instinct is just build a bunch of inf in Western and keep moving infantry into Eastern Canada (ie for the Atlantic shuck) while building a healthy amount of tanks.  At the same time fight back on the mainland with the Russians as much as possible.  I would think you would be able to hold off the Japs and still shuck 4 inf or more land units to Africa or Europe every turn.

    There’s just not a whole lot of IPCs in Alaska and Western Canada–as long as you can deadzone Western Canada and protect WUSA Allies should be ok.

Suggested Topics

Axis & Allies Boardgaming Custom Painted Miniatures

35

Online

17.0k

Users

39.3k

Topics

1.7m

Posts