A&A Revised Edition - Game 1 Intro

Axis & Allies - Revised Edition
Game 1

Pregame Thoughts

Game: Axis & Allies (2004 – Revised 20^th anniversary edition)

Introductory Notes:

The Axis & Allies Anniversary Edition represents a version that I have probably played the least. Not only that, but it’s also been the longest since I’ve played it or even looked at the board. For many reasons, this is a good thing for the purposes of running this playthrough. I don’t remember the exact rules for this edition. I have no preconceived strategies that I will be bound to follow. So while I know the basic game mechanics, I should be able to come to this game with fairly fresh eyes. I want to try some wild ideas and will probably screw a few things up along the way. Hopefully I won’t make a killer error early in the game that makes the whole thing totally unwinnable for one side.

I will document and photograph most of the major moves early on, to try to illustrate my learning curve for the game and reveal my thought process and the decision making process each country is faced with while either winning or losing. I will abbreviate later rounds so that this doesn’t take too many posts to cover, but will still include major thoughts when certain strategies succeed or fail.

Victory Conditions:

Major Victory – either side must control 10 Victory Cities at the end of USA’s turn.

I chose a Major Victory instead of a Minor Victory because I wanted a longer game where I could try more ideas out without totally screwing up and losing the game because of one or two bad decisions.

Opening Strategy:

USSR:

1. Defense vs. Germany is priority number one, but we have to divert some funds to prop up some sort of defense against Japan and possibly Germany coming through the Middle East.

2. Get something into China / Middle East / India. 1 Infantry per space? That’s 9 IPCs that won’t go to stop Germany? Can we afford that? Too many IPCs going the wrong way?

3. Moscow as the key hub – can we create a back and forth of attacks and retreats? Build up a large tank brigade and fighters so we can strike and destroy German infantry, but keep falling back as necessary. This way Germany can’t invade Moscow. But will Germany slowly grow too strong to keep this up? They earn more IPCs and this strategy does nothing to counteract that.

Germany:

1. Invasion of USSR. Taking two capital cities means minor victory achieved.

2. Secure the Mediterranean Sea and invade the Middle East. Puts pressure on UK there and takes away their flexibility of strategies. If we can make UK one sided in their actions, then at least they will be predictable to defend against.

3. Must send something to Africa to chip away at UK there as well. South Africa is many rounds away, but we can pick up vital IPCs along the way.

4. There is just about no way Operation Sea Lion will work early on. We must cripple the UK economy to ever have a chance at this. Bombers for Strategic Bombing Raids. Or possibly Rockets Weapons Development.

5. Defense vs. US / UK. Build submarines to chip away at their navy. Build infantry to guard France.

6. Low priority idea / Goals for later rounds. Operation Sea Lion or reaching India, but a lot of this will depend on if UK fails in rolls or falls apart somehow.

Victory Conditions

Minor Victory, need 2 Victory Cities.

Major Victory, need 4 VCs.

VCs 1-2: USSR

VC 3: Calcutta (Japan’s responsibility)

VC 4: What will it take to win this game? London seems more likely than taking part of USA. (Is the USA an impossibility?)

Biggest problem is how to win. Is it even possible to win when you have to do something historically impossible (or best case scenario highly improbable).

Historical / “What if” fiction Lessons

I wanted to base German strategies off of things I have read from history books as well as Alternative History fiction. Some of this is impossible to use within the setup and gameplay of this edition, but I wanted to at least think about it.

1. Operation Sea Lion is considered to have been basically impossible to pull off. It just was never going to happen with Germany’s resources and the basically trouble of getting troops across the Channel.

This edition of the game starts in 1942, at a point past when Sea Lion was even considered. So one winning condition isn’t even historically possible.

2. Germany shouldn’t have fought USA (but again, you can’t not declare war in this game). Maybe the best strategy is to try and win quickly and ignore USA. Is this possible in this game? It will take 2-3 rounds at least to have a shot at taking USSR out. How many more rounds to take UK? How powerful will USA be by then if completely ignored?

3. Germany should have focused more on Africa and the Middle East to apply pressure on UK to surrender. Technically there is no surrender in this game, but if things are going poorly enough, UK might concede.

UK:

1. Capital cities must be protected – cannot allow Operation Sea Lion to occur.

2. Bombers for industrial raids on Germany. Cripple their economy, cripple their ability to invade USSR or UK island.

3. Factory options: we must build more units on the mainland so we don’t have to build  transports to ship them from the mainland. South Africa vs. India vs. Australia. Depending on what Japan does, some of this choice might be made for us. South Africa is good to help secure our IPCs. India is good to help fight Japan. Australia is interesting because we can build naval unites to partner up with USA.

Japan:

1. First goal is China.

2. Second goal is India.

3. Must plan on a defense vs. USA. Can we build enough submarines? Can we send our navy to threaten India or Australia? Will that draw the USA into fighting us there, so we can secure Asia? Or if we spread out, will the USA simply concentrate on Japan.

4. Long term goal is to pressure UK everywhere we can. This will help Germany, pick up extra IPCs and it will be hard for UK to reinforce Australia.

5. If things go well, South Africa could be a goal.

USA:

1. Goal 1 is simple -- 50 / 50 IPC split between the Pacific / Atlantic. This way we can help in both areas and can be flexible with goals depending on what happens with other countries.

2. Drop men into Russia if possible. Does this mean a large navy in the pacific and landing in Soviet Far East? Or maybe transporting men to UK and then on to Norway?

3. Island hopping in the Pacific. Take away Japan’s IPCs.