Slitherine

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ORIGINAL: Orm

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ORIGINAL: Shannon V. OKeets

To clarify:

The danger of immediately DOW'ing Persia is that the Japanese can then DOW the USSR while some of the best of the very few units the USSR has are far away in Persia. Even if the USSR can counter the first attacks, the Japanese will be able to make good progress in killing and tying up Soviet units. And then the Germans have a much easier time of it in 1941.

Waiting a turn enables the USSR to see what the Japanese build program is. If it is light on infantry units, then there is less danger from a Japanese attack in the far east.

Myself, I always build a lot of land units for the Japanese at the start of the war. The early year air units have awful numbers on them and the most important naval units (AMPH and TRS) can wait several turns. The only real loss is that the new carriers may get started late.

I think most Japanese players build a lot of land units the first turn, exactly as Steve does, so usually USSR gets no additional clue from this. That is in my humble opinion anyway.

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ORIGINAL: brian brian

If I was Churchill and my Foreign Minister or First Sea Lord or Chief of the Imperial General Staff said to me that we might as well sign off on the Russians going into Persia (and thus handing the good parts off to the Japanese) because the Italians are just going to take Iraq anyway, well, that person would be sacked on the spot.

For the Italians to align Iraq (and they already blew their chance for surprise impulse landings in Syria), they have to go through the Royal Navy. The Royal Navy is a powerful instrument of war. Use it. Playing the CW like a turtle curled up into a ball while you wait for Uncle Sam is just not the way to do it, nor is the way the real English ever ran a military campaign for that matter. The Allies being afraid of casualties is probably the number two way for the Allies to lose the game. (No BEF? Really.)

The number one way for the Allies to lose the game is probably for the Russians to get deeply entangled in Manchuria in 1940, before knowing whether the Euro-Axis can or might launch a full-on Barbarossa in 1941. I have seen that over and over again...Uncle Joe gets bored and ends up throwing the whole game. My thoughts on that are in the Russian AI thread, we have talked that to death over the years.

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ORIGINAL: brian brian

ahh, it is hard to keep in perspective how much you are re-building a game and how much you are interested in playing a new one

but once the first die is rolled, no two games of World in Flames are ever the same, and that's what makes the game so great.

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I plan to play agressively as the Axis:

• Germany will once again run things in the Balkans so that Rumania becomes a full ally
  
• Italy will be trying to close the Med in the Middle-East once more
  
• Germany and/or Italy will be trying to take Gibraltar (and Tangier -- I'm convinced now)
  
• I may or may not conquer France, depending on how the game goes
  
• Sea Lion is probably out
  
• Barbarossa '41 is prefered, but not necessary
  
• I'd still like to try to sneak the Germans over the Persian border to activate Turkey

Any or all of this is subjet to change, based on your thoughts. Primarily, I'd like to hear about build strategies, since I really screwed that up last time. Additionally, the choice of US Entry options has received some debate. I'll try to keep track of the actual values this time around, so you can make your suggestions there, too.

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ORIGINAL: composer99

For Belgium given you expect Germany to hold Rotterdam I suggest two units in Antwerp and 1 in Liege.

Really, as long as Germany has the strength to secure Antwerp on the surprise impulse and has units in place to secure the Belgian resource hex, there is no real chance of stopping the Germans from getting across the Maas & the Dyle rivers.

But the above set-up at least slows down the seizure of Brussels. And if they flub the Antwerp attack, then the other Allies can even still get in there and slow them up even further.

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ORIGINAL: Orm

I would consider to move this infantry like this. It depends a bit on the amount of ground strike factors and land units that Japan can get to attack that hex. If they have to much that can reach that hex I would pick alternative number 4 instead. The one you already favor.


Edit: When I think about it is not the weather rain here?

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ORIGINAL: Orm

I ment for a next impulse attack. I can't see what is in Canton because of all the navy. If Japan brings units from over seas then Japan must pick a combined or naval and that is good for China. China needs to gain time to repair the front.

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ORIGINAL: Red Prince

The USSR took over Eastern-Poland, and was lucky by a single digit; USE-8 (no chit).

That leaves the other 4 moves available to lay the groundwork for a quick elimination of Persia.
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Edit: In retrospect, I realize I should have used my LND for the Ground Strike this impulse because of the extra die for Surprise, but I was thinking I might want him for help with Ground Support when the actual attack took place. But that was foolish. It's going to be a 5:1 attack, and adding 4 factors gives me little extra help, even if I am luck on the Fractional Odds roll to make it a 7:1 attack. Small oops here.

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ORIGINAL: Orm

I think this is played with railway movement option and if it is so then the Cav Div can reach to Teheran in one impulse from the east. Forcing the Persian to set up in Teheran.

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ORIGINAL: Centuur

It's raining indeed, so things in Southern China are going to be very slow there. Perfect time to disembark Yamamoto and his marines on the Chinese shores?
However, there's still the Persian attack to take into account...
I know, you don't want to go into war with the USSR... Well, I would punish the USSR. It's WAR, because I want the Persian OIL. I don't have to get it to Japan to use it for reorganisation time after time again and I'm going to build oil depots with the NEI oil I'm getting. The USA oil I'm going to use for... production! 7 OIL every turn until the USA is going to limit things for me. I'm going to bath in it and I don't have to worry about not using planes, HQ's or ships at all for a long, long time.
Lets build all MIL/TERR units I'm able to build the first turn and see how many USSR corps I can kill, isolate or simply keep busy for about 18 months on the Manchurian-USSR border, weakening his precious border garrison with the Germans.
So let's sail Yamamoto and friends into the Indian ocean as close to the oil fields possible. Attack the USSR and make a conference in Berlin to stresse the importance of a Barbarossa directly after the creation of Vichy... Axis win is now a very good possibility...
Yes, I know I'm very insistent (is that the right word written here?). However, I'm convinced that this is the only right decision to be made by the Japanese and Euroaxis at this turn of events. Screw all other plans, uncle Joe just changed them and given me the first crack towards Victory...

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ORIGINAL: Centuur

Well, there goes your first opportunity to win the game...

Do you play chess? In that game, the opening moves are most important. There are a lot of moves you can make, but only a few of those are good ones. You're opponent has to react to you're moves, or you might get into trouble...
Before you can make you're grand strategy in Chess, you're probably five or six moves in the game. Of course there are small differences in those opening moves, but that's all there is...
The first turn of WiF is like chess. Opening moves are followed by certain expected counter moves and so on and on. There's only one difference: in chess you'll don't lose many pieces during those opening moves. In WiF you might lose very important units, without being able to do anything about it...

I see the first action stage in WiF as a game of chess. The Axis make the opening moves, usually attacking Poland (eliminating it the first impulse, if playing with surprised ZOC) and trying to draw first blood in China...
Than the Allies come into play. Will the French cruisers sail into the Baltic? Will they Strat bomb the German factories? Is the CW going to port-attack the German Fleet (if he can do so). All kinds of really predictable events, however, not all of them might be possible. Is the CW moving a lot of CV's to put a knife at the throat of the Italian Fleet and Sea lift? Are the Italian TRS survivors of the first turn, or are they out of play (not unheard of...) damaged or even eliminated! If the CW rolls good and the Italians bad, the Axis can't do anything about that happening to them, with good allied play...
So it goes on an on. Attacking Yugoslavia or Hungary? Capture Denmark! Is the USSR patient enought to leave Persia alone in the first turn? How is the US entry reacting to all things happening on the board?
Netherlands invaded (or not, if going for a Sealion before France?). Belgium? How's the weather?
What are the Italian options? DOW France or CW? Or am I going for Greece with only combined impulses (difficult, since the fleet cannot sail all ships in a combined impulse, if Italy is neutral...). Is the CW going to DOW me? Where are the CW carriers? Are they in the Med? Are the Italian TRS save, or am I going to get into a surprise port attack and lose them?

These are all opening moves and decisions, which haven't got to do with grand strategy at all (except when playing a Sealion before France, since that means you don't want the CW getting the Netherlands Convoys and ships). They all have to do with the opportunities which present themselves and getting things done, to make sure things are going you're way in general.

The outcome of the first action stage can mean that you have to be able to admit that you're first plans aren't going to be possible at all. Losing the Italian TRS is a possibility. This then means you're not going to get into Syria at all. Not very nice, but it can happen, even if the Italians aren't surprised...

As the Allies, my USSR is only going to capture Eastern Poland and (if US entry is high enough) Bessarabia. However: an DOW with a surprise on the Italian fleet has to be made by the CW and is more important than Bessarabia or Persia, if US entry permits this! Untill this, the USSR has to stay low and the CW and the French have to be aggressive agains the Euroaxis... Japan? Japan simply does his thing in China and keeps Yamamoto with the Marines in Canton/Hainan on his ships, to prevent fancy USSR play... Of course, don't forget to align Siam, since you don't want a CW DOW happening on that country if US entry gets high enough.

And believe me, I've never seen an Italian player not DOW'ing the CW, if the possibility exists that his precious TRS will be surprised by a whole bunch of CW CV planes...

So I'll make my grand strategy plans as the Axis at the end of the Action segment and before production. Than I'm committed...

Oh, by the way: I hate chess...

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ORIGINAL: Centuur

Nice, a French BB captured by the Italians in an invasion of Malta, and another one destroyed. I think that a French Admiral is now going to be sacked...