Messages

1

After action reports from first edition / Re: Another Europe only '39 game

« on: February 11, 2013, 05:45:46 AM »

we have incorporated your 'abort' shots to our game as well.  Only Battleships may provide the abort shots.  In order to make the med playable with airbase rules we place an airbase '3' on all territories that touch the med, which would otherwise give maximum air capacity.  Examples: Sicily, Merseille.  Otherwise the Allies would NEVER be able to enter the western med.

It is so important for the axis to get off to a strong start.  Factory purchases hinder that.  I suppose if France makes a tactical mistake and Germany takes her out with little casualties one could make room for factory purchases. 

2

After action reports from first edition / Re: Another Europe only '39 game

« on: February 10, 2013, 01:53:34 PM »

I just never felt factories were worth it.  It takes 5 turns after it is built to break even cost-wise.   And you don't have the benefit of using the pieces you would have purchased in that time.  By the time that factory has paid for itself the allies will start bombing it as well.  Of coarse you can defend it with ftrs, but thats ftrs that could be stationed elsewhere. 

Anyways, thats my take. 

My gaming partner never builds them either.  I for one would rather he built a factory than those damn italian fts.  The allies cannot effectively go on the offensive until they have air superiority.  Or at least reached parity.  Without those Italian ftrs the allies can make their move a turn or two sooner.  Thats big, IMO.

I'll give you credit though, you would be a much more 'fun' axis opponent than scott.  His gameplan is to go balls-out at Russia, little or no pressure on Africa.  Once he pushes Russia back to the Volga he begins a slow withdrawl and bunkers down in Europe.  He gets a dozen inf to Libya and forts them down, forts Norway and builds a ton of 88's.  Japan doesn't get aggressive in the pacific at all.  He puts the pressure on India and sometimes Perth.  The 'Perth manuever' is a nasty one.  Its almost impossible to crack japan's defenses if they have preserved their airfoce late in the game.  You can never get enough carriers to get close to Manila.  Or Tokyo.  He plays for the win in 1944/45.  Until recently he has been very successful.

3

After action reports from first edition / Re: Another Europe only '39 game

« on: February 07, 2013, 06:59:54 AM »

You seem to be really factory-happy.  It may help you later in the game so lets hope you survive until later in the game.  The Italian factory seems overly ambitious.   Pre-war Italy only spends 7 PP's a turn.  If you are building a factory you aren't building any fts.  Maxing your ftr purchases always seemed to be paramount in our games.

4

Rules questions from first edition / Re: New Airbases

« on: December 05, 2012, 02:45:30 AM »

Its a big rulebook.  Couldn't remember if we made a house rule to allow the placement of airbases on newly captured territories.  Thanks.

5

Rules questions from first edition / New Airbases

« on: December 04, 2012, 08:28:13 AM »

Since a new airbase is placed AFTER all aircraft have completed their movement, is it safe to assume that you can not place any aircraft on the airbase until AFTER your turn?

Which would then mean that displaced aircraft COULD land there on your opponents turn, but before your next turn.

May a new airbase be placed on a newly captured territory?

6

After action reports from first edition / Re: Europe only '39 game

« on: December 03, 2012, 09:49:50 AM »

Scott doesn't put much effort into offensives vs the UK or in the med.  Full throttle vs Russia.    The airforce will usually stay in one big hulk.   If it looks like the allies could potentally land in France , he'll send it there.  He'll put appropriate amounts of aircraft in the med when required.   Otherwise he'll put it in Russia.  This works well into 1943 when he loses air superiority.  Then he begins a slow withdraw.   His army is usually so large from 6-8 turns of collecting close to 100 PP's that he can stand his ground in most places.  He'll never try to make a push toward egypt, instead he forts down a bunch of infantry in Tripoli and you can either send a ton of troops to Africa to weed them out or just let Italy fight on into 1944 or 1945. 

7

After action reports from first edition / Re: Europe only '39 game

« on: December 02, 2012, 11:07:31 AM »

so aircraft 'abort' an opposing aircraft on a roll of '1'  and kill them on a roll of '2' or'3'?    That would make even more aircraft left as the game moves on.   

With your airbase rules have you found it next to impossible to root the Italians out of the med?  Allies could never build enough airbases, it doesn't matter how cheap you make them.  Can you keep increasing them past a '5'?

We tinkered a little with the AA rules but in the end we settled with the standard rules.  We do give 'abort' shots to Battleships if there are more AA rolls than aircraft attacking. 

We are currently testing out a rule with paratroopers.  Rule is that para units may not attack any territory without being accompanied by attacking ground units.  The one exception is if the para units cross a body of water.  Makes the eastern front actually playable.  Germany still is able force a Russian retreat, but it is slower and has not gotten as deep into russia.  Lenningrad helf for a few more turns and Moscow didn't fall until spring 1943.  And even then the Germans couldn't hold it.  I think I like this one.  If the axis find themselves hurt too much by this rule we may balance it in other areas as its nice to finally have a fair fight in Russia.

8

After action reports from first edition / Re: Europe only '39 game

« on: November 29, 2012, 09:23:50 AM »

sorry for hijaking your thread. 

9

After action reports from first edition / Re: Europe only '39 game

« on: November 29, 2012, 09:23:00 AM »

we require an airbase for every territory bordering the med in our house rules.  The airbase rules work perfectly in the Pacific.  The med needed a little tweaking.

One idea I had been toying around with was making a country be able to 'rebuild' fighter aircraft lost in combat.  That way air superiority could always follow the desired trajectory regaurdless of bad dice.  You still take the loss economically for your bad luck, and it takes 3 turns or more for those aircraft to get back into the game so there still exists a tactical penalty as well.  This would theoretically encourage more air combat.

10

After action reports from first edition / Re: Europe only '39 game

« on: November 29, 2012, 09:09:25 AM »

as long as you can at least threaten to defeat him you will keep him on his toes and keep him interested. 

The biggest "flaw" in this game is how the mechanics of aircraft work in this game.  I like a lot of how aircraft works, but here is what i see as the "flaw":

Air superiority by means of fighters is what dictates the innitiative throughout the game.  Usually the allies can achieve parity by late 1942 or early 1943 in the west.  So what happens is that both sides avoid any air combat that is not at least 50/50.  You can't risk losing fighters.  So its a chess match from begining until the end.

In the west Germany uses their air power to push the Russians to the Urals and the Volga.  If the allies threaten France or the Med, Germany just redeploys appropriate ftr cover to said front.  Allied offensive curbed.   Once the allies have air superiority in the west, Germany sends all aircraft BACK against the Reds to slow down any advances they begin to make. 

It is useless to buy Russian air units.

Japan protects their aircraft as well and its virtually inmpossible to crack that nut as the USA cannot build enough CV's during the coarse of the game to achieve parity anywhere the japs can muster their aircraft in one concentrated airwing.  (we use airbase rules)

I love the airbase rules and we have implemented some house rules to make it playable in the med.  Otherwise the allies would NEVER be able to take on Italy.  EVER.  30 axis ftrs based in Sicily is a strategy that can not be countered.

11

After action reports from first edition / Re: Europe only '39 game

« on: November 27, 2012, 08:00:13 AM »

The layers needed in defense of Russia..... its overwhelming.  Its crazy how russia HAS to fall back without as much as a single battle.  Stand your ground and get cut off, then straeffed be 30+ aircraft trying to get out.  ugh.   

You are lucky to have a player like this Eric fella to play.  A quality opponent makes all the difference.  Its why I've kept an interest over the years.  Never gets old when your opponent is top shelf.  The guys who don't have good local opponents wind up painting their pieces to artistic perfection with all their spare time, lol.

12

After action reports from first edition / Re: Europe only '39 game

« on: November 20, 2012, 05:42:11 AM »

You can't rely on an incompetent opponent to pave your way to victory.  Playing vs the best is the only way to devise a winning strategy.  All other wins are hollow victories IMO.   I have the honor of playing Scott, known as WASP in the Axis and Allies world.  I will tell you Russia just can't cut it.  But to keep the damage to a minimum one must do the following...

1  Keep the Black Sea!  You cannot allow Turkey to join the Axis.  We play the double trigger rule, so Greece falling is not enough to lose Turkey.  UK must do their part and the Russians need to keep their garrison on the Turkish Border.  Keeps the Crimea in supply which is critcal to number 2....

2  Hold The Crimea!  If Germany wants it, they will take it.  But make em pay for it! 

3  don't waste money on aircraft until late in the game.  Preserve what air you do have in order to defend your factories from un-escorted bombing attacks.

4  you don't need 20 AA guns.  in territories you have 4-5 forts it will do him no good to straeff you.  Your AA guns belong with the mobile part of your army.  That means the one that is constantly falling back, haha.

5 you will need armor units late in the game to take back territory lost in the fastest manor possible.  It will likely be late 1943 or 1944 until you can seize the innitiative.  So start piling them up and protect them.   Stuka straeffs are your biggest enemy.   ATG's can be purchased to protect you from armored attacks. 

6  you want the whermacht to attack you!   If Germany succeeds at pushing you to the Urals without a fight, you are in trouble.  When he begins his withdraw in late 1943 or 1944 he'll have huge amounts of troops to defend his objectives.  Tactically the terrain favors the Germans substantially.  I try to leave my army in harms way with a little less than 50/50 odds just to try and whittle him down.  The more mechanized components you can eliminate the better!

7  don't get cut off!  those paratroopers are his best weapon.  They can hurt you in so many ways!   I've even had Scott use them to straeff an army in the rear, then hit me again on the mech phase!  ugh!

8  finally, the more aircraft the western allies can draw away from the Eastern front the better.  There are many ways to do that.  Psycological warfare- Its the game within the game.

13

After action reports from first edition / Re: Europe only '39 game

« on: November 19, 2012, 07:23:20 AM »

a good axis player will put Russia in this position almost every time.  You are not alone Yoper. 

In our last game Germany took heavy casualties in the lead up to Barbarossa.  I kept count.  40 units were destroyed in all.  It did not matter.  Russia was pushed back to the Urals anyways.  The problem is that the Germans DO NOT have to attack in order to force a Russian withdraw.  Their mechanized divisions can go around.  The Red Army must withdraw or be cut off.  Its that simple.   

To top it all off, once the Red Army is able to start pushing back they will face a 30-40 aircraft (sometimes more!) straeff by the luftwaffe, which yield a 6-1 loss and sometimes greater. 

Russia doesn't begin to take back ground until the Germans decide to start giving it back, settling for defensive positions behind the Dnieper.  Good luck cracking that nut!

14

After action reports from first edition / Re: basic game results

« on: October 02, 2012, 02:23:49 PM »

one rule change we agreed is necessary is making it harder for the Axis to get Turkey and Sweden.  Getting those two cheaply just ruins the game.  In our games, in order for Turkey to join the Axis Baku or Cairo must fall or reduce the Soviet forces on the border.  Otherwise a "1" roll only yields the economic PP points but not the armies or terrirory control.  A "1" for Sweden yields the other two PP's.  To aquire their armies London must fall.

15

After action reports from first edition / Re: basic game results

« on: October 01, 2012, 05:11:46 AM »

I hat that phrase.  "break the game".   Its such a harsh indictment.  Even if the russia crush proves unstopable, we can always make house rules to make the game playable.  We like this game a lot.