Oak

So ... if Germans are in the front line against Russia and Italians in the rear it won't hurt the supply levels of the German front line units but could mean that Germany is unable to build in conquered Russian cities because the direct link to the German capital has been cut by Italian-owned hexes. Is that correct?

I have a question for the experts. If units from different countries but the same side (for example, Germany + Italy in Russia or USA + UK in France) are attacking together is there any negative impact on supply? For example, can Italian units cut or reduce supply lines for the Germans if both are attacking together in the USSR?

So, AA tech does NOT apply to Minors but DOES apply to conquered countries. Correct? For example, if the UK conquers Ireland or Iraq then AA tech would apply to Dublin and Bagdad. Is that correct?

I have a question about Anti-Aircraft tech. Does it applies to minors as well. For example, the UK starts off with level 1 AA. If a Canadian city is attacked does that city also have level 1 AA? What about Gibraltar, Malta and Alexandria?

It is certainly not poor sportsmanship. This is a war and each side is looking to win. The Allies need to defend themselves. If they don't, then the Axis are certainly within their right to take it. Why should the USA be any different from any other Allied territory that the Axis is attacking?? If it is sporting to attack Egypt, Gibralter, Malta, the USSR and the UK then why shouldn't the USA be fair game?

To me it is simple. If you think someone is a cheater, don't play with that person. There are lots of players out there (most, in fact) that play for the enjoyment of the game and don't cheat. I am sure there are tools that help a person to cheat and people who will use those tools. If you encounter someone that you think is cheating or using such tools, then "Just say 'No'" and don't play with them.

Before you can attack a country you need to declare war on it. You declare war on a country by clicking on "War Map". You then click on the country that you want to declare war against and click on "Declare War" in the lower right hand corner.

Most players use the same basic strategy and follow the same basic steps when playing Axis ... hence the reference to the "cookie cutter" strategy when playing Axis. With a cookie cutter, all the cookies have the same shape; with the 'cookie cutter Axis strategy' the order that countries are conquered and the basic approach taken is the same.

I figured out the difference between the Italian Gambit and Rome Invasion Gambit from another thread.

As a comment: The Rambo Rome Invasion has little or no risk, but offers a high reward. There is also no real defense. So, it should be banned. With all the other moves or actions there are disadvantages to potential counter-balance any advantages. I think it is important for players to be able to be innovative and creative in their strategies so as to make the game more interesting and challenging. There are clear risks or disadvantages (eg., increased USA or USSR readiness) associated with the Spanish Gambit, LC Gambit (especially on turn 1) and the Italian Gambit. That is why they are called 'Gambits'. If a player wants to take such a risk as part of their strategy then I think they should be allowed to do so. I think Hubert has done an excellent job of creating a balanced game that allows for creative strategies. A decision by the Allies to declare war on the Low Countries, Spain or Italy has to be weighed against the delayed entry of the USA and/or USSR, and the risk that the attack will not go as hoped or planned. Let's encourage -- rather than discourage --creativity and imagination.

1. Yes 2. No 3. No 4. No 5. No 6. No 7. No 99. No. If particular players want particular additional house rules, let them agree before the start of the game. Oak (Reid in Z-ladder and in real life)

Pardon my ignorance, but can someone explain the difference between the "Italian Gambit" and the "Rome Gambit"? I know the Gambit (a.k.a. the Rambo Rome Invasion) where Italy surrenders on the 5th or 6th turn of the Allies. From the discussions, it appears that this is the "Rome Gambit" and that there is another "Italian Gambit". What does the "Italian Gambit" involve. Oak

There is no real defense for the Italian/Rome Gambit. As a result, it is widely accepted that the Italian Gambit is not allowed. Basically, it is an illegal move by the Allies. Players that want to include the Italian/Rome Gambit as an option will have a hard time finding opponents.

RACK = Rambo Attack Carrier Kracker (or something very close to that). It is a strategy that involves the Axis building lots of carriers that roam the seas wrecking havoc on the Allies.

The game has come to an end. The Allies have conceded defeat. The USSR is spending all its MPP on reinforcements, giving the Axis a large MPP advantage that is allowing it to build carriers and rockets in the east while also engaging in air battles in the west. We are going to play another game without an AAR and without air limits.

November 1 Key events in recent moves: - the USA declares war on Ireland. The corps in Dublin is killed by US and UK air in England, and a US corps moves into Dublin - 3 German air in France attack a US air in England (all are at jet level 4). The US air is killed, but so is one of the attacking German air (which is immediately replaced so that Germany stays at its limit of 6 air) - Germany builds a 2nd carrier in the Baltic, which joins in the attack on the northern part of the Russian line. - through a combination of breakthroughs by the Germans and strategic retreats by the Russians, the German line in the north reaches the gates of Leningrad - a German bomber in Athens attacks a Free French cruiser sitting near Crete, and is intercepted by the UK carrier in Alexandria port - a German corps transports across the Black Sea and unloads near Tiflis. Another transport gets ready to unload near Rostov. - Axis subs continue to raid in the Atlantic

August 23 Summary of recent moves: In the west ... - the Allies stopped their air attacks in France and pulled back their air. - Axis subs continue to raid in the Atlantic In the east ... - the Russian cruiser in the Baltic was killed and a German carrier then appeared in the Baltic to assist in attacking the northern part of the Russian line. Two German rocket detachments are also involved in the attacks, but not inflicting much damage. - German continues attacking across the Russian line, occasionally killing a corps or 2, and the USSR reinforces. - USSR is now at anti-tank level 2; Italy is now at jet level 1. In the Med ... all remains quiet after the surrender of Greece.

Maintaining this AAR has proved to be somewhat tedious for both Amona and myself. So, instead of each of us posting a description of the move every turn, every few turns I will post a brief summary of the previous turns.

Hubert, The problem started to appear only when I played SC ... hence my enquiry. However, it quickly started getting worse and reached the point where the PC would even hang in the middle of booting up. I sent the PC into the shop and it turned out to be a faulty system board, which they replaced. So, it was a hardware problem rather than a problem with SC. Reid

July 12 The game is entering a stage where economics matters most. With the high cost of reinforcing level 4 air, the results of the air war in the west will tax the resources of Germany, the UK and the USA. Apparently, the Allies are looking to bring relief to the USSR by using air attacks to drain the resources of the Axis. One important move this turn helped to increase the coffers of Germany so that the air war in the west can be sustained. In the Med ... the Axis declare war on Greece. 4 Axis armies (3 Italian + 1 Romanian) land and take Athens (occupied by the Romanian army so that the plunder and MPP go to Germany) while the 2 Greek armies are attacked by Axis corps in the north. Greece surrenders. In the east ... there is another small breakthrough. - the Russian corps east of Riga is killed and 2 German corps move through the gap. - one of the 2 Free French corps guarding the southern approach to Rostov is killed by Italian air and German bombers. - there are continued attacks across the Russian front, with heavy damage to a couple of Russian corps - the Oktyabrskaya cruiser is attacked by the Gneisenau cruiser, the Russian cruiser losing 4 (down to 6) and the German cruiser losing 2 (down to 9) In the Atlantic ... the UK loses 27 to raiding subs. In the west ...

June 28 In the east ... - Riga is taken with attacks by air, sea, rockets and an army. - continued attacks, with some reinforcing, across the Russian front. - mine is bombed to 0, costing the USSR 12 MPP. In the west ... the UK loses 24 MPP to Axis subs raiding. In the Med ... nothing.

June 14 In the east ... attacks across the Russian line cause relatively little damage and no corps are killed. The corps in Riga is knocked down to 5, with the rocket detachment coming into action. A stalemate position in the east is developing, which is bad news for the Axis. This game is showing that the combination of air limits + lots of extra MPPs for the Allies makes the likelihood of an Axis victory slim indeed. In the west ... UK loses 29 MPP to Axis subs raiding in the Atlantic.

I've got an IBM Thinkpad running Windows XP. Over the past few days my system has started hanging everytime I run SC. Sometimes it happens quickly, sometimes it takes longer. But, it is happening more frequently. In the middle of a move or attack, the system will freeze. The only option is to turn the computer off and restart. Any idea as to what is causing this? Reid (a.k.a. Oak)

May 17 In the east ... - the southern end of the Russian line is hit but the Russian corps 2 hexe northwest of Rostov survives at 1 and there is no breakthrough. - Riga is attacked and reduced to 4. A German cruiser joined the battle by bombarding Riga. - a German rocket detachment moves into position to help the assault on Riga - Leningrad is attacked by a German army in Finland In the west ... - it seems that we are set for a war of attrition among air fleets. The German air has the advantage of experience, and the UK air must have taken heavy hits in their last attacks. - the German subs stop raiding in the Atlantic

April 19 In the east ... Sevastopol is taken with some help from Italian air. Attacks are made across the Russian line but only 1 corps (south of Riga) is killed. More Axis troops are moved into Finland and those troops begin moving toward Leningrad. In the west ... repairs are made to the German corps that was attacked (damage done was light since Allied air fleets have no experience) and German subs raid in the Atlantic but only cost the UK 7 MPP. In the Med ... all is quiet.