On SC strategy and tactics - essays :)

hellraiser · June 1, 2005

I thought of opening this thread so all of us can exchange ideeas regarding strategies and tactics used in our nice game. I hope this thread will provide valuable tips for every player whether he is a rookie, intermediate or battle hardened veteran.

I invite players to post their preffered strategic and tactical tips so we can have a constructive discussion: pros and cons, whys and whats, etc.

When posting a strategy please split it in 3 parts: early game, mid game, end game, along with your notes regarding the expected effects in each game period.

hellraiser · June 1, 2005

I thought of opening this thread so all of us can exchange ideeas regarding strategies and tactics used in our nice game. I hope this thread will provide valuable tips for every player whether he is a rookie, intermediate or battle hardened veteran.

I invite players to post their preffered strategic and tactical tips so we can have a constructive discussion: pros and cons, whys and whats, etc.

When posting a strategy please split it in 3 parts: early game, mid game, end game, along with your notes regarding the expected effects in each game period.

hellraiser · June 1, 2005

Example:

Allied early defensive strategies:

Corps dumping, RAI, 2 UK army opening, ZAS, fr HQ defence, etc

Allied mid game strategies: Algiers naval battle, carrier training program, Battle for mid east

Allied end game strategies: D-Day, skandinavian option

Axis: Cookie cutter, north atlantic naval option, RACK, limited DOW strategies, how to wage war in russia (best options for a decisive thrust - north, south ?) - early, mid, end .

You get the point

hellraiser · June 1, 2005

Example:

Allied early defensive strategies:

Corps dumping, RAI, 2 UK army opening, ZAS, fr HQ defence, etc

Allied mid game strategies: Algiers naval battle, carrier training program, Battle for mid east

Allied end game strategies: D-Day, skandinavian option

Axis: Cookie cutter, north atlantic naval option, RACK, limited DOW strategies, how to wage war in russia (best options for a decisive thrust - north, south ?) - early, mid, end .

You get the point

hellraiser · June 1, 2005

I will break the ice and post a first mini essay

Corps dumping

Type: allied 'passive' defence of France

Game period: early

The preffered strategy of the undisputed master of SC, the 800 year old green guy by the name of Yoda-Terif, the corps dumping strategy uses french and uk corps to fill all the hexes from Low Countries to Paris, in an attempt to delay as long as possible the capture of Paris AND save, before Paris falls, the uk troops and possibly some french ones too. It is a passive strategy, delaying axis and rescuing units being the major words here. France falls between June and August 1940. If it falls earlier or later, usually either allies made mistakes (misplaced troops, removed entrenched troops) or axis player attacked chaotically. Bad combat rolls may lead to a capture of Paris earlier or later than the indicated timeframe.

The rare counterattacks made by allies under this strategy are usually done by french armies stationed near high readiness Paris area if axis player breakthru and his unit can be attacked from 4 hexes (3 if the unit is low strength).

Other offensive actions are performed via landings in the Elbow hex, naval shore bombardment in the english channel, allied DOW of Ireland (and beggining of the carrier training program) or, rarely seen, spanish gambit.

Tactical tips:

- french air fleet is disbanded first turn;

- french fleet is used in the channel or to launch together with the RN an attack in the baltic;

-UK sends around 6-8 corps + canadian army and corps into France, placing them usually in areas less exposed to a major axis thrust;

- every failed counter will lead to a loss of 2-3 allied units the following turn - so allies have to assess very accurately the combat odds and not do any risky counters;

- 2-4 turns before France falls, allies must begin Dunkerque -> op-moving UK units to brest/bordeaux ports and ,if possible, some french units;

Pros:

- UK assets are preserved; a lot of troops will be rescued for later use;

- because UK limits its direct involvement in France, they will probably have 3-4 tech chits already invested by the time France falls;

- UK won't fear an early Sealion - after rescuing so many units, it is virtually impossible for Axis to conquer UK early on;

Cons:

- being a quantitative rather than qualitative defence, a cautios axis player will have almost no losses against a pure corps defence;

- because axis troops can attack and rarely take significant damage back, axis troops/HQs collect a lot of experience;

Conclusion:

When an allied player goes for the Corps Defence of France, he obviously aims for a long game. Not deciding the fate of the war early on will lead to a huge build up by both sides and usually the game ends in a climactic battle fought either in west or east or, rarely seen, on both fronts at the same time.

[ June 01, 2005, 10:33 AM: Message edited by: hellraiser ]

hellraiser · June 1, 2005

I will break the ice and post a first mini essay

Corps dumping

Type: allied 'passive' defence of France

Game period: early

The preffered strategy of the undisputed master of SC, the 800 year old green guy by the name of Yoda-Terif, the corps dumping strategy uses french and uk corps to fill all the hexes from Low Countries to Paris, in an attempt to delay as long as possible the capture of Paris AND save, before Paris falls, the uk troops and possibly some french ones too. It is a passive strategy, delaying axis and rescuing units being the major words here. France falls between June and August 1940. If it falls earlier or later, usually either allies made mistakes (misplaced troops, removed entrenched troops) or axis player attacked chaotically. Bad combat rolls may lead to a capture of Paris earlier or later than the indicated timeframe.

The rare counterattacks made by allies under this strategy are usually done by french armies stationed near high readiness Paris area if axis player breakthru and his unit can be attacked from 4 hexes (3 if the unit is low strength).

Other offensive actions are performed via landings in the Elbow hex, naval shore bombardment in the english channel, allied DOW of Ireland (and beggining of the carrier training program) or, rarely seen, spanish gambit.

Tactical tips:

- french air fleet is disbanded first turn;

- french fleet is used in the channel or to launch together with the RN an attack in the baltic;

-UK sends around 6-8 corps + canadian army and corps into France, placing them usually in areas less exposed to a major axis thrust;

- every failed counter will lead to a loss of 2-3 allied units the following turn - so allies have to assess very accurately the combat odds and not do any risky counters;

- 2-4 turns before France falls, allies must begin Dunkerque -> op-moving UK units to brest/bordeaux ports and ,if possible, some french units;

Pros:

- UK assets are preserved; a lot of troops will be rescued for later use;

- because UK limits its direct involvement in France, they will probably have 3-4 tech chits already invested by the time France falls;

- UK won't fear an early Sealion - after rescuing so many units, it is virtually impossible for Axis to conquer UK early on;

Cons:

- being a quantitative rather than qualitative defence, a cautios axis player will have almost no losses against a pure corps defence;

- because axis troops can attack and rarely take significant damage back, axis troops/HQs collect a lot of experience;

Conclusion:

When an allied player goes for the Corps Defence of France, he obviously aims for a long game. Not deciding the fate of the war early on will lead to a huge build up by both sides and usually the game ends in a climactic battle fought either in west or east or, rarely seen, on both fronts at the same time.

[ June 01, 2005, 10:33 AM: Message edited by: hellraiser ]

hellraiser · June 1, 2005

French HQ defence

Type: allied defence of France; moderate aggressivity;

Game period: early

The use of a french HQ will allow allies to pose a significant threat to axis spearheads, the use of hq supported french heavy pieces being able to effectively kill or badly cripple axis units.

Allies will assume a defensive stance, making counters more often than under a corps defence strategy, having increased chance of killing axis exposed units. UK will most likely dump more corps to fill the gaps, because the cost of 410 MPPs for buying the french HQ will greatly diminish frenchs’ possiblity of commissioning new units. The largest part of French MPPs will be spend on refitting damaged frontline units and once in a while to build a new unit.

Timeframe for France fall should be June-July but it can easily transform into an april-may (if the allies go berzerk, counterattacking recklessly) or august – september , if axis lose too many units to allied counters.

Tactical tips:

- FAF and the 2 French Battleships will be sold in order to buy HQ in turn 1;

- keep an eye of how the HQ supports your units: you have to make sure the HQ supports all the 5 french armies not i don’t know what other corps instead;

- keep the HQ outside of Luftwaffe’s striking range; HQs can support units from max 5 hexes away, so make sure no one can spot your HQ’s location;

- do not make risky counters -> using the HQ means the defence lines are thinner than under a corps defence and if a counter gets bad rolls, axis have the possibility to breakthru and conquer France very early;

Pros:

- allies can engage in limited offensive actions and even score several kills;

- French HQ will be shipped to UK prior to the fall of France and will get disbanded after the fall of France on for a hefty 200 UK MPPs (offsetting the potential higher losses sustained by UK corps in France);

- allies can keep some axis units’ experience from going too high – losses means axis have to refit some troops thus losing some experience;

Cons:

- the disbanding of Brest French Battleship means the sub hunt in North Atlantic will miss a ship - losses for the Royal Navy can be higher or subs may be not get sunk so soon;

- for the same reason, a naval attack in the Baltic would be too risky without the support of french ships;

- the defence lines are thinner initially and an early axis breakthru can be fatal, leading to an april-may fall of France;

- UK assets will be probably committed more thus losses for uk ground troops may be higher; nevertheless UK will have time to invest in techs before France falls;

Conclusion:

The proper use of the French HQ defence is a viable defensive option: it bears a moderate risk but can pay off big time if allies manage to destroy some valuable axis units.

If axis manage to conquer poland/denmark in turn 2, this defence may be very risky because UK doesn’t have time to land enough corps to fill the hexes. Axis will buy air fleets fast and operate troops in west fast – french troops can be attacked in turn 4 and a breakthru is more than likely.

When axis fail to breakthru in Poland during the first turn, this strategy can be employed with quite some success.

[ June 01, 2005, 05:11 AM: Message edited by: hellraiser ]

hellraiser · June 1, 2005

French HQ defence

Type: allied defence of France; moderate aggressivity;

Game period: early

The use of a french HQ will allow allies to pose a significant threat to axis spearheads, the use of hq supported french heavy pieces being able to effectively kill or badly cripple axis units.

Allies will assume a defensive stance, making counters more often than under a corps defence strategy, having increased chance of killing axis exposed units. UK will most likely dump more corps to fill the gaps, because the cost of 410 MPPs for buying the french HQ will greatly diminish frenchs’ possiblity of commissioning new units. The largest part of French MPPs will be spend on refitting damaged frontline units and once in a while to build a new unit.

Timeframe for France fall should be June-July but it can easily transform into an april-may (if the allies go berzerk, counterattacking recklessly) or august – september , if axis lose too many units to allied counters.

Tactical tips:

- FAF and the 2 French Battleships will be sold in order to buy HQ in turn 1;

- keep an eye of how the HQ supports your units: you have to make sure the HQ supports all the 5 french armies not i don’t know what other corps instead;

- keep the HQ outside of Luftwaffe’s striking range; HQs can support units from max 5 hexes away, so make sure no one can spot your HQ’s location;

- do not make risky counters -> using the HQ means the defence lines are thinner than under a corps defence and if a counter gets bad rolls, axis have the possibility to breakthru and conquer France very early;

Pros:

- allies can engage in limited offensive actions and even score several kills;

- French HQ will be shipped to UK prior to the fall of France and will get disbanded after the fall of France on for a hefty 200 UK MPPs (offsetting the potential higher losses sustained by UK corps in France);

- allies can keep some axis units’ experience from going too high – losses means axis have to refit some troops thus losing some experience;

Cons:

- the disbanding of Brest French Battleship means the sub hunt in North Atlantic will miss a ship - losses for the Royal Navy can be higher or subs may be not get sunk so soon;

- for the same reason, a naval attack in the Baltic would be too risky without the support of french ships;

- the defence lines are thinner initially and an early axis breakthru can be fatal, leading to an april-may fall of France;

- UK assets will be probably committed more thus losses for uk ground troops may be higher; nevertheless UK will have time to invest in techs before France falls;

Conclusion:

The proper use of the French HQ defence is a viable defensive option: it bears a moderate risk but can pay off big time if allies manage to destroy some valuable axis units.

If axis manage to conquer poland/denmark in turn 2, this defence may be very risky because UK doesn’t have time to land enough corps to fill the hexes. Axis will buy air fleets fast and operate troops in west fast – french troops can be attacked in turn 4 and a breakthru is more than likely.

When axis fail to breakthru in Poland during the first turn, this strategy can be employed with quite some success.

[ June 01, 2005, 05:11 AM: Message edited by: hellraiser ]

hellraiser · June 1, 2005

UK early air strategy

Type: aggressive allied defence of France

Game period: early

The UK air strategy focuses on using the 2 initial RAFs (coastal and Malta) in southern England, under the leadership of Montgomery, to inflict severe losses to Luftwaffe and/or pick off damaged axis units fighting in France. The strategy revolves around using the Anti Aircraft bonus of London – RAF placed there will force LW to intercept, causing great damage due to the AA bug (you can often see 4 damage done per intercept or even 5). The carriers can be used in the channel to attack axis units not under air cover.

This strategy is extremely costly for both sides and often will stall beginner /intermediate axis players or allow France to survive till very late. An experienced player will find a way around it nevertheless and in the long run, Axis may be at a significant advantage.

Tactical tips:

- UK buys Montgomery first turn and places RAF coastal air fleet in London;

- Malta RAF is op-moved to southern England as soon as the cash allows it (sometimes in turn 1, depends on the bid); allies have to replace Malta RAF with a french corps, as soon as possible –max 3 turns, to keep Italy’s readiness down;

- UK forces intercepts, causing damage to Luftwaffe;

- UK must refit its air and if any cash is left, send corps to aid the ground defence of France;

- do not overuse air and be careful if Axis places LFs in striking range of your RAFs;

- London RAF should attack Antwerp port after LC is captured by Axis (low chance to lose strength points when attacking the port) and force LF to intercept;

- UK air should refrain from attacking high strength axis units (high losses for RAF);

- use the carriers outside LFs interception range – alternatively you can force Ireland’s surrender and get cash for a third RAF;

- French have to choose between corps spamming OR buying HQ early on to force the odds and kill axis units rapidly;

- kill the NA subs quickly – they drain cash and you need all available cash to refit RAFs

Pros:

- a true MPP drain for Axis – if Axis player don’t prioritize correctly, he can lose the game in France;

- keeps Luftwaffe’s experience rather low due to constant refitting;

- with a little luck, RAFs and Montgomery can get 1-2 xp bars fast, making them real tough;

Cons:

- a real MPP drain for UK as well; UK has a lower MPP base but have to reinforce only 2 RAFs and send once in a while corps into France;

- very risky because there will be very few uk ground troops in France and the defence lines are thin – an early axis breakthru in France could mean game over for allies;

- very debatable if allies would do well in the long run – due to the MPP costs to refit RAFs they will invest late in techs and have very few ground troops to fend off a possible Sealion;

Conclusion:

One of the best ways to kill an Axis newbie/intermediate player in France but rarely having a decisive result early on vs an experienced player. Long term wise , the allies maybe in a clear disadvantage if France falls in a normal timeframe.

hellraiser · June 1, 2005

UK early air strategy

Type: aggressive allied defence of France

Game period: early

The UK air strategy focuses on using the 2 initial RAFs (coastal and Malta) in southern England, under the leadership of Montgomery, to inflict severe losses to Luftwaffe and/or pick off damaged axis units fighting in France. The strategy revolves around using the Anti Aircraft bonus of London – RAF placed there will force LW to intercept, causing great damage due to the AA bug (you can often see 4 damage done per intercept or even 5). The carriers can be used in the channel to attack axis units not under air cover.

This strategy is extremely costly for both sides and often will stall beginner /intermediate axis players or allow France to survive till very late. An experienced player will find a way around it nevertheless and in the long run, Axis may be at a significant advantage.

Tactical tips:

- UK buys Montgomery first turn and places RAF coastal air fleet in London;

- Malta RAF is op-moved to southern England as soon as the cash allows it (sometimes in turn 1, depends on the bid); allies have to replace Malta RAF with a french corps, as soon as possible –max 3 turns, to keep Italy’s readiness down;

- UK forces intercepts, causing damage to Luftwaffe;

- UK must refit its air and if any cash is left, send corps to aid the ground defence of France;

- do not overuse air and be careful if Axis places LFs in striking range of your RAFs;

- London RAF should attack Antwerp port after LC is captured by Axis (low chance to lose strength points when attacking the port) and force LF to intercept;

- UK air should refrain from attacking high strength axis units (high losses for RAF);

- use the carriers outside LFs interception range – alternatively you can force Ireland’s surrender and get cash for a third RAF;

- French have to choose between corps spamming OR buying HQ early on to force the odds and kill axis units rapidly;

- kill the NA subs quickly – they drain cash and you need all available cash to refit RAFs

Pros:

- a true MPP drain for Axis – if Axis player don’t prioritize correctly, he can lose the game in France;

- keeps Luftwaffe’s experience rather low due to constant refitting;

- with a little luck, RAFs and Montgomery can get 1-2 xp bars fast, making them real tough;

Cons:

- a real MPP drain for UK as well; UK has a lower MPP base but have to reinforce only 2 RAFs and send once in a while corps into France;

- very risky because there will be very few uk ground troops in France and the defence lines are thin – an early axis breakthru in France could mean game over for allies;

- very debatable if allies would do well in the long run – due to the MPP costs to refit RAFs they will invest late in techs and have very few ground troops to fend off a possible Sealion;

Conclusion:

One of the best ways to kill an Axis newbie/intermediate player in France but rarely having a decisive result early on vs an experienced player. Long term wise , the allies maybe in a clear disadvantage if France falls in a normal timeframe.

hellraiser · June 1, 2005

Double HQ defence

Type: very aggressive allied defence of France

Game period: early

A combo of the last 2 mentioned strategies, the double HQ defence is considered by many players more of a gamble rather than a strategy. Allies assume an aggressive stance from the beggining trying to effectively kill Axis in France. The offensive power of this strategy is great but it's main drawback are the ridiculously thin defence lines. It transforms the game into an early shootout and it is very dependant on the combat rolls. It can be a game killer for most of the players who never encountered it before BUT if Axis achieve an early breakthru in France (only luck would prevent Axis from achieving that) it means usually instant game over for allies. If the lines hold...well

I would call it the 'If' strategy

Tactical tips can be read from the above mentioned posts.

Conclusion: if you love short games, go for it

[ June 01, 2005, 06:57 AM: Message edited by: hellraiser ]

hellraiser · June 1, 2005

Double HQ defence

Type: very aggressive allied defence of France

Game period: early

A combo of the last 2 mentioned strategies, the double HQ defence is considered by many players more of a gamble rather than a strategy. Allies assume an aggressive stance from the beggining trying to effectively kill Axis in France. The offensive power of this strategy is great but it's main drawback are the ridiculously thin defence lines. It transforms the game into an early shootout and it is very dependant on the combat rolls. It can be a game killer for most of the players who never encountered it before BUT if Axis achieve an early breakthru in France (only luck would prevent Axis from achieving that) it means usually instant game over for allies. If the lines hold...well

I would call it the 'If' strategy

Tactical tips can be read from the above mentioned posts.

Conclusion: if you love short games, go for it

[ June 01, 2005, 06:57 AM: Message edited by: hellraiser ]

hellraiser · June 1, 2005

The two UK armies opening

Type: aggressive allied defence of France

Game period: early

A strategy focused on fighting mainly on ground with the support of a single RAF unit (without HQ) , the 2 carriers around England and UK Battleships.

Two british armies are bought in turn 1 (if the bid allows) and in turn 2 will land in the elbow hex killing the axis unit near the landing site. French armies will attack the unit (tank usually) southwest of Brussels and with the aid of Coastal air fleet and the 2 carriers (who sailed towards the channel during first turn) will attempt to finish it off. Very aggressive opening, transforming after that into a more passive defence with limited counters.

Tactical tips;

- french build HQ in turn 1 by disbanding FAF and 2 fr. BB, to support the french armies;

- place RAF outside of Brussels interception range so it can't interfere with Axis turn 2 attack of LC (it is unsupported and can suffer great losses);

- you have 2 additional armies (UK) in France which can be used for more tough counter than under a corps defence strategy - do not overuse or expose them to sure death - you will try hard to keep them alive and ship them out of France when Paris is about to fall;

- do not make risky counters, your lines are somewhat thinner and you can get overrun easily;

Pros:

- very powerful opening with very high chances to kill 2 axis units very early in the game - which will buy time for allies to place more pieces in France (Axis cannot breakthru arly on because they miss 2 units);

- it can kill unexperienced Axis players in France (sometimes even veterans if they screw around) because allies can counter with 7 heavy pieces;

Cons:

- 2 armies means you spent cash used for buying 4 corps thus your defence lines will be thinner but not very thin;

- RAF/carriers can get intercepted during allied opening move, leading to potential high replacement costs for UK.

Conclusion:

Interesting and powerful aggressive strategy with less risk to get rolled on early in France. Unforunately Axis can avoid/forget to place a corps near elbow hex after they capture LC, rendering the landing bonus of the 2 UK armies useless Consolation in this case - axis will lose the tank in LC nonetheless

[ June 05, 2005, 04:09 AM: Message edited by: hellraiser ]

hellraiser · June 1, 2005

The two UK armies opening

Type: aggressive allied defence of France

Game period: early

A strategy focused on fighting mainly on ground with the support of a single RAF unit (without HQ) , the 2 carriers around England and UK Battleships.

Two british armies are bought in turn 1 (if the bid allows) and in turn 2 will land in the elbow hex killing the axis unit near the landing site. French armies will attack the unit (tank usually) southwest of Brussels and with the aid of Coastal air fleet and the 2 carriers (who sailed towards the channel during first turn) will attempt to finish it off. Very aggressive opening, transforming after that into a more passive defence with limited counters.

Tactical tips;

- french build HQ in turn 1 by disbanding FAF and 2 fr. BB, to support the french armies;

- place RAF outside of Brussels interception range so it can't interfere with Axis turn 2 attack of LC (it is unsupported and can suffer great losses);

- you have 2 additional armies (UK) in France which can be used for more tough counter than under a corps defence strategy - do not overuse or expose them to sure death - you will try hard to keep them alive and ship them out of France when Paris is about to fall;

- do not make risky counters, your lines are somewhat thinner and you can get overrun easily;

Pros:

- very powerful opening with very high chances to kill 2 axis units very early in the game - which will buy time for allies to place more pieces in France (Axis cannot breakthru arly on because they miss 2 units);

- it can kill unexperienced Axis players in France (sometimes even veterans if they screw around) because allies can counter with 7 heavy pieces;

Cons:

- 2 armies means you spent cash used for buying 4 corps thus your defence lines will be thinner but not very thin;

- RAF/carriers can get intercepted during allied opening move, leading to potential high replacement costs for UK.

Conclusion:

Interesting and powerful aggressive strategy with less risk to get rolled on early in France. Unforunately Axis can avoid/forget to place a corps near elbow hex after they capture LC, rendering the landing bonus of the 2 UK armies useless Consolation in this case - axis will lose the tank in LC nonetheless

[ June 05, 2005, 04:09 AM: Message edited by: hellraiser ]

hellraiser · June 1, 2005

R.A.I. (Rambo's All-In)- arguably the most refined aggressive defence of France

Type: very aggressive allied defence of France

Game period: early

The new kid on the block of allied aggro defences of France, the RAI is a strategy that can reap great rewards early on BUT bears the risks of any other aggressive defence of France.

It is a combo of a simple UK early air strategy, regular corps defence for France and a powerful naval attack aimed at the destruction of the german baltic fleet.

The name of this strategy shouldn't mislead you - not only Rambo used it but also Avatar and it got further analysed and even improved a bit (i would say) by Zappsweden and myself.

Basically allies assume an offensive stance from the beggining, going all-in in an attempt to distract axis and to force its mpps to be spent mainly on reinforcing air (and less probably) naval units.

Tactical tips:

Malta RAF is opped 1st turn in england (if the bid allows), monty is bought, french disband marseilles BB and buy a corps in marseilles to be sent to Malta.

All allied ships sail to denmark/LC; usually sub hunt is ignored (After using it for a while Zapp pointed out the need to kill the subs ASAP - so 3 allied ships will leave the subs to go out of supply and force surprise hits afterwards).

Uk corps loaded in transport, sniffing around danish shores to force axis to operate troops to protect kiel port, towns or AFs in the open (used for axis invasion of LC) - corps can disembark and advance towards denmark.

Ships will force 'surprise' attacks from baltic sub and together with uk corps will try to capture the danish straits, to prevent denmark from falling for several turns. The rest of the ships will bombard the coast and some of them will go to denmark to aid in finishing off axis navy.

After LC falls, FAF and the 2 RAFs (after hopefully intercepting all 3 LFs during LC attack) will hit brussels port/HQ if spotted, in order to further force intercepts from LFs.

LFs will be badly damaged and one shouldn't be surprised that the LFs will score zero hits sometimes on danish capitol.

This will allow carriers to take free practice lessons hitting the troops in LC, or even kill something in conjunction with naval attacks and french armies.

From now on, UK will try to keep its RAFs operational and to force intercepts/kill off weakened troops and buy corps from time to time to send it into france; frenchies will spam corps or if axis is really slow they can buy HQ (later when defence lines are not thin anymore); French vessels will get disbanded later on to get cash for ground troops; FAF will be disbanded later on when its strength goes down too much (it is not to be reinforced).

Note: Do not forget the sub hunt - wait for the subs to get zero suply and force surprise hits; the sooner you disable the subs, the better(Zappsweden's contribution, contrary to All - In concept initially used by Rambo) - the subs will provide a great deal of cash drain for UK.

Now, I would not recommend this strategy against a polish breakthru. BUT if axis gets bogged down in Poland (4-5 turns) and maybe a bit in denmark the game can turn into a very, very ugly affair for axis.

If you use this strategy against a polish breakthru, axis operate west very fast, get cash very fast and have huge chances to capture Paris very early.

Pros:

- keep axis cash low;

- allies can score kills early on;

- used in conjunction with a prolonged battle in poland/denmark and some average-to-good odds for allies, it can win games in france or it can delay very very much the capture of Paris and cripple badly the axis army.

-if axis player misplace some pieces early on, the consequences can be catastrophic;

-if Axis manage to advance into France (most probably it will), the game turns into a regular Uk early air strategy for allies but with more chances to succeed due to early axis losses;

-high chances to destroy the axis baltic fleet with certain long term bad consequences for axis (difficulties to protect sweden/finland against russia, allies can interfere with the invasion of norway, etc);

- RAFs+Monty, if played properly, can reach 1-2 xp bars very fast, making them tougher and less vulnerable to damage;

- highly experienced RAFs/Monty can provide powerful air cover to the Carrier Training Program taking place near Brest/Brussels;

- due to 3 allied air intercepts, Axis have a higher chance to fail the invasion of LC in turn 2, especially if they use von Bock HQ.

- though a bit dependant on dice rolls, it is not as dependant as let's say the double HQ defence - RAI can be played under normal odds IMHO.

Cons:

- not recommended against a polish breakthru (or 3 turns poland/denmark)- allies will always hope to delay axis mpps a few turns so they can build up; If performed when axis get poland in turn 2, there are very high chances that the french frontline will collapse in turns 5-6;

- bad rolls exist for allies as well - if allies get bad rolls, well ... axis reaches New York in april

- you need a very calm and experienced allied player - the whole ideea is to not overuse air and not to counterattack on ground just for the sake of counterattacking;

-if Axis get Paris, long term wise the UK may not be very strong - due to continuous air battles they will use most of the cash to reinforce and the tech investment would get postponed;

-UK will most likely suffer some great ships losses;

Conclusion:

IMHO the most powerful and refined aggressive defence of France. Never to be played under a turn 2-3 Poland/Denmark situation, otherwise it provides the allied player with a great tool of defending France for a longer period and (rarely, though) even stop Axis in France.

[ June 02, 2005, 12:31 AM: Message edited by: hellraiser ]

hellraiser · June 1, 2005