Sadly my regular partner is not available most the time so I find myself playing against myself. Usually in order to make it interesting you have to make a plan with each nation or you are going to be biased. It is very hard to not be biased in this game especially if one nation is doing exceptionally well. I find that the first 2 rounds are super boring because of how scripted it is. I’d imagine playing risk with yourself would be hard, and usually if I am playing by myself I an driven insane after about 6 rounds.

Hey everyone

I have played G40 but am interested in 1914 what are some reasons you like it more than other AA?

Sadly my regular partner is not available most the time so I find myself playing against myself. Usually in order to make it interesting you have to make a plan with each nation or you are going to be biased. It is very hard to not be biased in this game especially if one nation is doing exceptionally well. I find that the first 2 rounds are super boring because of how scripted it is. I’d imagine playing risk with yourself would be hard, and usually if I am playing by myself I an driven insane after about 6 rounds.

@Cmdr:

Italy needs a transport to take Malta, true.  However, you should have 1 or 2 transports left anyway, more than enough.  So you don’t hit N. Africa that round…you pull 5 IPC away from England for virtually the entire game and make the entire sea safer for your fleet (no LZ in Malta for British/American aircraft.)

The opportunity cost is worth it, in my opinion.  Survivors from there can be offloaded into Africa round 2 anyway.  (odds are good you only have 1 transport Round 1 anyway, right?  So INF + ARM + Bombard should win in Malta)

Don’t forget, you cost the British a transport to retake it, and they have to be able to get a transport in there (in which case, again, I humbly suggest Italy is no longer a threat at that point anyway!)

Usually I do the Taranto Raid so it would have to work with 1 transporr and malta is where you land your Airforce after taranto. The only way you could take Malta on turn one is if you scrambled against taranto leaving Britain with a bomber in malta. Then I guess you could take it if you brought in your bomber and was able to get a bombardment with the cruiser.

@WILD:

@RougeOne:

@WILD:

Agreed (see edit).

Again you can make lone SBR runs on W Germany and Paris from London, and return to London (w/o going to Malta). The problem is to bomb W Germany you generally need ftr escorts.

Were are you planning on landing the escorts?
If you have enough bombers escorts are just a luxury.
Example if you have 11-12 bombers bombing western germany, intercepting with 3-4 German fighters that usually sit on western for 2-3 rounds isn’t worth it. You would probably just hope the AA guns would work

Ok, I thought you were talking about UK/US both having like 3-4 bmrs each, and SBRs on West Germany would be pretty risky w/o escorts (because of interceptors). I didn’t realize you were talking about a 10 bmr force for each of the allies. With 10 bmrs they are basically escorting themselves, so there isn’t much need for additional ftr escorts. Especially now that interceptors were also reduced to rolling at 1 in the dog fight (I liked it better when interceptors fired at 2).

Don’t get me wrong I like to project air power in the Med, and I think that smacking W Germany with 10 bmrs would be pretty awesome. Just don’t know if I would spend the IPCs for an air base on Malta to fly back-n-forth. There still isn’t a need to risk bmrs at Malta, because you can SBR from London and return.

Great though about overwhelming the Luftwaffe keeping them grounded with a huge bmr force (i like it).

Yeah maybe Malta isn’t worth it but it is cool to have a stack of bombers flying back and forth. And it is a huge investment so maybe this would be a late game strategy after a KJF once the USA can focus large amounts of money on Germany alone and when the UK has more money.

@Cmdr:

Note:  Having Italy take Malta also pretty much ends the British chances of getting that NO in the Atlantic.  If they do manage to get it back, the game’s probably lost for the Axis anyway, IMHO.

Always try for Malta with Italy in my games.  Lightly defended, easy to take, really hard to get back (and if England does, they are using a turn for it instead of using troops elsewhere.)

The only problem is that you need a transport. Have a stack of bombers within range makes that hard.

@WILD:

Agreed (see edit).

Again you can make lone SBR runs on W Germany and Paris from London, and return to London (w/o going to Malta). The problem is to bomb W Germany you generally need ftr escorts.

Were are you planning on landing the escorts?
If you have enough bombers escorts are just a luxury.
Example if you have 11-12 bombers bombing western germany, intercepting with 3-4 German fighters that usually sit on western for 2-3 rounds isn’t worth it. You would probably just hope the AA guns would work

@WILD:

First you can make lone bombing runs on both W Germany and Paris from London, then return to London (hitting N Italy doesn’t get you much IMO). So there isn’t a need to fly to Malta and spend income on an air base for a return flight unless you have another motive.

Lone bmr runs on Paris (or N Italy) might be possible w/o escorts, but SBR on W Germany w/o ftr escorts probably isn’t happening too many times as the Germans generally have some ftrs there. I could see a one time shot with both US and UK bombing W Germany if the Luftwaffe is out on a mission, but probably not multiple hits over 2-3 turns (Germans will wise up fast). You need to have have ftrs join your SBR in most cases which is difficult. You need to have already made a landing in Europe/Norway giving you landing places or use a carrier(s) to get ftr and tacs into SBR runs on W Germany.

Hitting Paris and maxing it multiple times with bomers only might be possible because of lack of German air power there. It could be worth it just before a Euro landing to force the Germans to spend some income when setting up defense. SBR on N Italy wouldn’t get you much IMO because the Italians don’t really need that major anyway, they will just produce their 3 units in Rome lol.

On a side note often times the Italians will leave N Italy weak to max def Rome against invasion allowing the UK to easily land in N Italy. But again even if Italy gets it back dropping it to a minor really doesn’t effect Italy much because I’ve never seen the Italians build more then 2-3 units up there lol.

Yeah north Italy isn’t the best target but sometimes they will build mech or tanks to get in to Russia.

@Hunter:

Try to at the minimum tactical bomb the air base on Malta. If you can, have Italy take Malta. In my experience, Malta is important and which side controls it has control of the med. You are right about the bombers retreating to the UK. Also sea-lion is a good idea if all they are doing is building Strategic Bombers and Infantry. Just make sure you can hold London. Just take Malta and your problem is solved(Except for France, can still be hit if Air Base is in Gibralter.

A UK factory in Egypt is probably essential to this plan to hold Malta.
And I actually did not mention what the UK would buy I was thinking that the US save US1 and then drop down a large bomber buy turn 2. The UK would be responsible for holding Malta, making sure London is safe, contributing 1 or 2 bombers per turn. Also if the UK can afford it maybe a sub or two to convoy Italy.

I was thinking of ways to utilize US and UK bombers in the Atlantic when I noticed that you could bomb Western Germany, Northern Italy and France by taking off from UK and landing in Malta. You would have the UK build an Airbase on Malta, and then you could have bombers bombing back and forth from UK to Malta and back bombing three important factories along the way. And it’s not just factories you could hit, any Italian Fleet in 96, or strafe any weak territory making sure that the Axis have to be honest with their defense. If the Germans try to pin you down you just fly back to London where you have a nice infantry shield. You could also target large stacks of German bombers if they are not careful.
Please reply with comments

@MeinHerr:

@RougeOne:

@MeinHerr:

And I did forget one last - but not the least - crucial point , that all the veterens of Axis and Allies Global can attest to……
**Egypt is a victory city!

European victory for Axis hinges on getting London or Egypt  - before  OR after Moscow falls.**

Lots of mediocre players focus on getting to Moscow early…. and they may end up getting it…  but the game is lost by the time they get Egypt…

If Axis bags Egypt early enough, obliterating the standing Allied army there… and getting a mIC in the bargain… even at the cost of 8 planes… they have a high probability of winning the game.

The pressure will be on the US and UK to play very accurately.

Too much US in the Atlantic… Japan could win.

The fall of Egypt , puts inordinate pressure on India and Middle East… that is the unique point of this play.

Every play has its counter… there is no single " silver bullet "  solution…  and iam sure RamRod will also have its counter.

Its a play that , IMHO is still worth playing as it forces Allies to play with little room for error.

Hope folks try it out.

• Ramdas Vaidyanathan  aka Mein Herr

Sorry but I have heard enough of this garbage. Marsh has already proven that you cannot take Egypt without sacrificing all of the German Airforce. And any sane person would choose to have the airforce rather than Egypt. I would gratefully trade Egypt for the luftwaffa and I am sure most people would. You have been proven wrong so at this point the only resin I read this thread is because of your outrageous posts. This debate has already been won by Marsh.

As previously mentioned, planes lost were 3-4. Not all of Luftwaffe.  There is a difference.  A loss of 8 planes is an even trade.

The Option to either go for Egypt or Not , depending on how well it is defended on UK1 , is upto the Axis players.  This should be decided on Italy Turn 1.

If Taranto is not done, as this would have to be the case for the best defense of Egypt, there are lots of things Italy can do…as mentioned in my previous posts… as it has a combined navy to work with… with 2 TRs… that it otherwise would not have.

If Taranto is done, Egypt is in the hands of Axis.

As Italy,  having to choose between having a navy, or having Egypt with a freebie mIC on I-2… the latter is always the better choice.

I thank you for your compliment.  You have seen 2 months of action having joined may 2016.  Do hope in the future you do present your mainstream-acceptable novel ideas to help add new twists to this nice game.

I may have joined in may but even with my limited experience I don’t agree with your strategy. And the strange thing is I actually do enjoy radical strategy’s but your strategy is just a glorified Egypt strafe which has been discussed before. And I have shared my ideas but the only reason there not as popular is because it’s not controversial, most people think it’s ok. You can check out my Allied Strategy thread. Its just basic effective strategy’s that have worked for me.