Posts made by madscientist

Since the game is slanted in favor of the Axis, what are the best things to do as USA? Here are my suggestions:

US1

Purchase: 2 battleships and 1 cruiser

These are to go on the Pacific coast. I have done the math, and if Anzac builds a destroyer 1st round, and Anzac takes Java and builds an aircraft carrier 2nd round, then the allies will have a sizable navy in the Pacific, leaving USA to concentrate on Europe for 2-4 turns.

Note that if there is a J1 DOW, USA will have  a major factory on the west coast, so you could build more than 3 units. If that’s the case, then I would recommend 2 des 1 AC and 2 ftr.

Combat: usually no combat unless axis have declared war. If that’s the case, take over Brazil with 1 trn from East US.

Non-combat:

Move 2 inf from Western US to Central US. transport 1 art from Western US to Hawaii.
Move transport from Hawaii to west coast. Note that you should still have a mech inf there. Move both airplanes from AC on west coast to Eastern US. Move AC from west coast to Hawaii, land 2 Hawaiian ftrs on it.

On the east coast (including central USA), you should have enough land units to fill 4 transports.

Place 2 BB and des on west coast (sz 10).

US2

Purchase:

6 des, save 4 IPC’s.

Non-combat: move all ships on west coast to Hawaii, including those built on US1. transport 1 mech inf from west coast to Hawaii. You should have a sizable fleet there now. Don’t forget, Anzac builds an AC this turn. Anzac needs to save its fleet including 2 ftrs (but you can waste the transport taking Java).

Place all 6 des on east coast.

US3

Now in games I play, there is usually a J3 DOW by this point. I will plan for either.

Purchase: 2 AC, 1 ftr, 1 cru (2 IPC’s left) You c should have 3 planes in east US to fill the 2 AC’s.

Combat: watch to see if Tokyo is vulnerable. This doesn’t always happen, but it does sometimes.

Move entire Hawaii fleet including all land units to sz 54. Have Anzac move their fleet there too on their turn.

Place all units in East US.

If there was a J2 DOW, US will have 20-30 IPC’s more, which I would spend all on trn for the east coast.

US4

Purchase: 5 trn, 1 AC with 2 ftrs, 1 cru.

Combat: attack dutch east indies with fleet off Australia. Try to keep the fleet together. Have the Anzac fleet reinforce the US fleet.

Non-combat: move entire east coast fleet to Morocco, including as many land units as you can, including units from Brazil. Now you have a fleet off Morocco that will be difficult for Germany to deal with, even if they are using the “build mainly bombers” strategy.

If axis try to block your fleets with destroyers, then take out the destroyers with planes and non-combat the fleet past that sz on the same turn!

In my gaming group, we play with a house rule: The only national objective used is USA getting the extra 30 IPC’s. I think it makes the game more realistic. The axis win about 30% of the time in our group.

If you divide the IPC cost by the attack or defense number of the unit, you can get some idea of the cost effectiveness of the unit.

Battleships 20 IPC’s/4 attack = 5 IPC’s per attack
Cruisers 12 IPC’s/3 attack = 4 IPC’s per attack
Destroyers 8 IPC’s/2 attack = 4 IPC’s per attack
AC with 2 fighters on it 36 IPC’s/10 defense = 3.6 IPC’s per defense
subs 6 IPC’s/2 attack = 3 IPC’s per attack

Thus we see that the sub is the most cost effective unit, followed by the AC with 2ftrs.

You can also look at how many hits each unit takes:

Battleships 20 IPC’s/2 hits = 10 IPC’s per hit
Cruisers 12 IPC’s/1 hit = 12 IPC’s per hit
Destroyers 8 IPC’s/1 hit = 8 IPC’s per hit
AC with 2 ftrs 36 IPC’s/4 hits = 9 IPC’s per hit
subs 6 IPC’s/1 hit = 6 IPC’s per hit

Thus we see that subs are the cheapest unit to lose, followed by destroyers.

However, this analysis does not take into account special abilities like shore bombardment and sub sneak attacks and destroyers negating sub sneak attacks. Also, if you can repair a capital ship it makes big difference.

I’m just wondering what you guys think about Southern France. It can pay off for Italy as a National Objective, and Italy has enough units in Northern Italy to take it right away. Germany could also take it on turn 1 by sending say 2 mech inf from Western Germany and a tank from Greater Southern Germany and the fighter from Slovakia/Hungary.

From page 37 of the second edition manual:

“While not at war with Germany or Italy, the United States may end the movement of its sea units on the Europe map only in sea zones that are adjacent to U.S. territories, with one exception: U.S. warships (not transports) may also conduct long-range patrols into sea zone 102.”

Thus, yes you may drop off US units there and have US ships in sz 121 while not at war.

edit: also from page 15:

“A neutral power can’t move land or air units into or through neutral territories. It can’t move units into or through territories or onto ships belonging to another power”

I just played a game where Germany had landed all their fighters and bombers in Holland at G1, then UK did Taranto and had an AC with 2 planes and a cru left in sz 97 (they rolled well). Germany simply attacked the sz 97 fleet with all their planes and took them out and only lost 1 ftr (Germany rolled well).

If Japan isn’t going to help you, what about building 1 bmb, 1 sub and the rest inf every turn for the whole game? Use bombers and subs to slow down allied navy and inf to hold off and maybe take some of Russia.

What about Japan taking Iraq and Sikang and building an airbase in both and sending fighters to Germany if USA is going Europe heavy?

OK so what if Japan does something like this:

J1

Build 1 minor IC, 1 tank, 1 inf and 1 mech inf.

use sz 6 transport to drop off 2 inf in Siberia. drops Russia’s economy by 1. May help Germany in turn 3.
take Chahar with 2 inf and 1 art from Jehol. Important: also move in mech inf from Manchuria to Chahar!

Attack China wherever else. Don’t attack UK or US or Anzac!

use sz 19 trn to non-combat 1 inf and 1 tank to Jehol.

Place minor IC in Manchuria. Place everything else in Tokyo.

J2

Build 3 tanks, maybe another trn and maybe a minor IC for Shanghai.

Attack Suiyuyan with units from Chahar and tank from Jehol. If China placed 4 inf there, use as many planes as you need to take it with minimal losses.

Attack China elsewhere, take Soviet Far East with 1 inf from Siberia.

Non-combat 2 inf and 1 mech inf and 1 tank to Jehol.

Place 3 tanks in Manchuria.

J3

Attack Kansu with units from Suiyuyan and as many planes as necessary. Japan is now on Russia’s border on J3.

Attack China with whatever else.

Non-combat 1 mech inf and 1 tank from Jehol to Suiyuyan.

Non-combat 3 tanks from Manchuria to Chahar.

Position Japan to take money islands and attack UK.

J4

Units from Kansu and Suiyuyan attack Novosibirsk. Is Russia going to do anything about this?

J5

Units from Novosibirsk attack Samara. Is Russia going to do anything about this?

Can Germany hang on till turn 5?

So I’m just wondering what you guys think about any possible ways that Japan can help if Germany does Sealion. I have heard it said that even if Germany is successful with Sealion, Russia is so strong by then that they can overwhelm Germany.

So can Japan help by say building a minor factory in Manchuria and sending in 3 tanks per turn against Russia? Or hurry up and get through China to start attacking Russia? Will either of these things make Russia divert units east?

I played against someone once who did this, and he took Moscow, but he was so focused on building units in his Romanian factory that one round he forgot to place any units in Berlin. Guess who had a UK transport with one inf within reach of Berlin…

I suppose the best way to do Sealion is if it’s a surprise. i.e. buy 2 bombers and 2 inf on G1 and move land units east to make it look like you’re going after Russia, so the UK player spends their first round money on sea units, then on G2 spend all your France loot on transports and attack London in G3.

Of course, the second time you do this your opponent will see it and build 9 inf in London on UK1. But then you just go after Russia!

@calvinhobbesliker:

You forgot the 5 British AAA, which reduce your chances to 1.5%.

Are you sure? According to the 2nd edition rules, you don’t roll more AAA dice than the number of aircraft. page 29.

@innocentbystander:

@dondoolee:

Germany buys 1 AC and all transports (total of 12).

12 transports on G3.  All that economy (11 transports purchased) over two turns almost guarantees a successful sea lion.  And it almost guarantees you will lose the war.  Sure you’ll get all that money from the UK, but it cost you 88 IPCs to do it.

I am just a newbie but I don’t think you are asking the right question.  The question you should be asking is this: what is the minimum amount of Germany transport navy purchased that is needed to get a 51% success rate of sea lion on G3?  That is the question.  I think spending 88 IPCs on helpless US bomber targets as the Soviets roll over your entirely depleted Eastern front, isn’t worth taking the UK out for two turns.

According to my calculations, Germany can just barely pull off a G2 Sealion, which would be more ideal.

Ger starts with 5 ftrs and 5 tac bombers and 2 bombers. Assuming Ger only loses 2 ftrs and the rest subs on G1, they will be in a good position on G2.

G1 purchase: 4 trn (28 IPC’s).

When taking out the Royal Navy, they may scramble fighters. But this isn’t so bad, because the fighters may then be lost in the naval battle. If UK scrambles fighters, then lose ftr for ftr. Then there will be less defending London. Save the battleship!

Use subs in sz 117 and sz 118 to take out the Canadian des and trn so UK can’t reinforce with Canadian troops.

Place all 4 trn with 1 trn that you start with in sz 113 with the cru and battleship you start with. You need the battleship there to protect the trn from the UK bmb. Position troops and tanks to load onto trns next turn.

UK1: UK builds 9 inf, moves ftr from Gibraltar to London, moves Scotland units to London.

If UK blocks the Ger navy with the cru from sz 91, take it out with Italian ftrs and bmb.

Thus, on G2, attack!

UK should have in London (if they didn’t scramble ftrs)
15 inf, 1 mech inf
1 bmb
5 ftrs
for a total defense of 53

Ger should be attacking with (if they only lost 1 ftr to AAA)
5 inf
5 tanks
2 ftrs
5 tac bombers
2 bmb
for a total attack of 54
plus Ger gets a cru and battleship bombardment.

Thus Ger should barely win a G2 Sealion.

Don’t forget, the French fighter in London can be sent to help defend Moscow. Also, the French destroyer off Madagascar can be sent East or West to help. If the Madagascar destroyer is sent to Europe, it can be combined with the French fighter in London.

Just as a rules clarification for this, if Germany does Sealion, Russia’s not allowed to attack unless Germany is successful at taking London, right? Otherwise Russia isn’t allowed to attack until round 4?

thx

If you have two empty enemy territories in front of a tank, the tank can blitz them. If you have a mechanized infantry with the tank, the mechanized infantry can blitz with the tank. What if you had more than one mechanized infantry with the tank? Can they blitz to the second territory as well?

I just wanted to point out, that if you divide the IPC value of a bomber by the attack value, you get the same effectiveness as infantry attacking.

bomber: 12 IPC’s/attack at 4 = 3 IPC’s per attack
infantry: 3 IPC’s/attack at 1 = 3 IPC’s per attack

This, combined with bombers’ much greater range, shows why this strategy is so effective.

If you look at other units,

artillery 4 IPC’s/2 per attack = 2 IPC’s per attack
tank 6 IPC’s/3 per attack = 2 IPC’s per attack

but these land units move slow compared to a bomber

sub 6 IPC’s/2 per attack  = 3 IPC’s per attack
destroyer 8 IPC’s/2 attack = 4 IPC’s per attack
cruiser 12 IPC’s/3 attack = 4 IPC’s per attack
battleship 20 IPC’s/4 attack = 5 IPC’s per attack

fighter 10 IPC’s/3 attack = 3.3 IPC’s per attack
tac bomber 11 IPC’s/3 attack = 3.7 IPC’s per attack

back in the original Axis & Allies, infantry was the most effective unit on the board because of this (and that it was cheap cannon fodder) and the fact that the territories were much bigger proportionately so infantry moving only 1 did not make much difference.

I’m with Nippon. The axis have only won 2 out of 8 games my group has played. Of course, we are still using version 3.9 where planes can only scramble from islands so the UK can’t defend its ships as much in turn 1.

The axis have no recourse but to attack to gain more territory, and defending is easier than attacking (allies just need to build mostly inf).