Well, it sounds like things are shaping up for a good game.
John
I wouldn't go that far.
As of the end of the second session, the European Axis have taken control of most of the Middle East.
I set up the UK at the end of the first session to start working two transport full of equipment to Cairo each turn. Unfortunately, I was no longer in charge of them during the second session. Martin choose some interesting tactics with the UK.
There was also a point (I think that it was the Allied portion of turn five) in which Martin had moved the UK carriers to the Red Sea to cover the imminent attack on Cairo and then he choose to make an all out sortie away from covering the Atlantic Convoy to attack the German U-boats.
This is a very risky strategy, one that would help relieve pressure on his income. But, if unsuccessful, it would then leave him open to a large convoy loss that would have no defense.
Now we know that the loss of the PPs from the convoys was going to happen anyway, but having the UK fleet in those convoy zones was going to give him a better chance to kill some of those U-boats. A better chance than he would have when attacking them outright.
Well, long story short- He lost Cairo, lost his carrier planes, didn't hit the German U-boats at all, and then took a huge PP loss from convoy and strategic bombing attacks.
To be fair, I did advise him to lose the carrier planes in the air to air combat in Egypt. But I did so since I was of the opinion that what was the point of not losing them. He put them there to try to hold Cairo. If you are going to lose your better fighters instead of the carrier planes, then what was the point of have them down there?
I personally wouldn't have sent them down there in the first place. But it wasn't my country to run at that point. He has to learn somehow.
As for the optional entry rules, I turned in the first set of cards for the USSR in Spring '41.
The US was on a fast track for its first set of cards. I turned in that first set in either the Summer of 1940 or Fall 1940. I can't remember exactly but I feel that it was Summer since I think that the US was able to be sending 10 PPs lend lease for three turns.
That works out as: Turn in 50 points of cards in the Declare War phase of the Spring '40 turn and then the US can start sending the 10 PPs for the next three turns we played.
As the USSR, I met my garrison requirements long before I raised myself to tension level 1 by getting five infantry and one early war fighter into the three border territories. I then was just pushing factories, the medium armor, and the regular fighters that would give me the extra cards towrds declaring war.
While I was looking to build up a hardpoint defense in Kiev by the time the Germans attacked, I have since bailed back from that. I will not have the proper amount of units built up (even with the new conscripts) to comfortably defend forward.
I am not as gifted as Dan is in my use of the Soviet forces. I am much more a numbers guy and will look to trade space for time.
I know that pictures would paint a better picture but I am tired of doing all that work. I have a hard enough time actually playing well, I don't need the added distraction.
Craig
