AAR: Jollyguy (Allies) vs. Rambo (Axis)

[Jollyguy]

Well, this board needs an AAR, and I have one with Rambo.

Rambo is Axis, a side I know he prefers, while I like the Allies. And other than his penchant for the naval war I think the most telling aspect of his gameplay is his unpredictability. He is the only I’ve played so far that effectively deployed rockets (as the Axis). So you never know what he'll try or when or how.

Well, we started this game weeks ago and I can’t remember all the details. I think the early game was fairly routine, I took Norway, got lucky with the Iraqi convoys, and I totally abandoned the Med after my desert airfleet showed up, yada, yada, yada. The middle game was extremely quite; My Malta corp never got attacked or bombarded (Rambo has taken Malta from me before), and I kept Brest for a prolonged period,flanking it with waiting battleships that I kept shuttling in for maximum supply, which can be risky as Rambo will hit ships with air, be he didn’t this time and things were quite until the fall of 1940, when the English, who were really getting to like the French women and the wine and good cooking and all that, looked up to see the skies blackened by the Luftwaffe. He then started a concerted campaign of bombing, but left my ships alone, and alas, eventually took that final French city, but only after my flanking ships exacted a toll with accurate and deadly shore bombardment, who then moved back, to be replaced by two more BB’s (a trick I learned from Teif). The RAF joined in, and I believe I took out a corp and damaged another unit. Those ships hung around the Home Islands for awhile, but then flanked by cruisers to protect against roving U-boats, they headed for the Rock, where there was a good chance they would eventually get more practice with shore bombardment again. BTW, the Home Islands were safe, as Churchill long ago learned from many battles of the aggressive reputation and unpredictability of General Rambo, so the Royal Army requested an engineer, who got to work on “The Tea and Crumpets Line,” which would eventually stretch from the mountains in front of Manchester to the east coast. (After completion, the corps who inhabit it say it’s peaceful duty, albeit somewhat dull.)

Along the way he hit Tunisia and then Vichy Algeria, with the Tommies anticipating the latter of the two DOW’s and amhibing the Gibraltar corp, which was greeted in Casablanca with open arms. But at the same time Rambo was raiding in the Atlantic with a very capable and clever U-boat campaigh, who kept popping in and popping out, and I couldn’t find the bugger(s). And with subs back there, and who knows with Rambo, perhaps German naval units placed at the Marseilles port, the only unit I could spare for now vacant Gibraltar was my bomber, so my flyboys bundled-up for the long mission to the Rock. Turn after turn passed and no German units approached Casablanca, and the Brits, just like their mates in Brest, were getting to like the local females underneath those chadores and the local cuisine, but down there instead of wine it was hashish, but the Tommies got to like the stuff just fine.

When the English were about 2/3’s done with their Tea and Crumpets Line they put more effort into sub hunting, even though none of the three chits they reflexively put into anti-sub warfare had hit yet (remember, we’re playing Rambo here, who loves subs). And surprise of surprises, I bumped into two level 1 U-boat squadrons halfway out in the Atlantic, and sank them both with the aid of my carriers. This put me in a quandary, as Rambo usually has level 2 or better subs at this point in a war, but it was a good indication that he must have ignored his admirals and the Kreigsmarine this time, so I pulled all three chits at ½ value and redirected them, and also pulled two US chits that I had working anti-sub too.

Then he got one of those 30%+ bumps for Franco, up to 84% I believe, and my bomber at the rock started to get nervous and said they were competent pilots but weren’t combat infantrymen, and requested relief. So, with the Atlantic relatively clear I dispatched a convoy including a corp from the Rock and other units on a wide route around Brest to swap places with my anxious flyboys. Casablanca was still undisturbed. But then the peace was shattered when the Axis DOW’ed the peaceful French Vichy’s, with a level 4 panzer in the vanguard. So, now I knew where Rambo’s scientific concentration was. Franco was offended and said so, but even more offended when more tanks just like the first one showed up at his border, proudly sporting level two motorization, and kept charging right towards Madrid. The poor Spaniards didn’t stand a chance, I think Spain fell in two turns, as what can you do against level 4 tanks with level two engines under the hood. They must have practiced on the Autobahn, because they move fast! The flyboys at the Rock were happy to get relieved, replaced by a corp, with the RN of course willing to assist, but only on the western side of the port, as who knew what Duce’s navy was up to on the east side.

Around the same time Barbarossa came, early to mid-summer of 1941, with my level 3 AT and level 3 IW Russians comfortably esconced behind the Dnieper River, where my engineer had had the time to build a couple of fortifications. Action was limited there except for me taking out one scouting Axis corp (and I still hold that city near Rumania.) So the Axis concentrated on the center and north, finding Riga and the two other cities empty. He pushed forward with those beefed up monster tanks and engulfed Leningrad and took Moscow, which is when shortly after that the first real Russian battle took place. By now the Siberians had arrived, and Stalin ordered an attack for the honor of the Fatherland or Motherland or whatever they call their national pride in Russia. The Axis lost at least a couple corps and an army I believe in the counterstroke. My level 2 fighters led the attack, as I knew all the Luftwaffe was engaged in Spain (where the rain stays mainly in the plain). The flyboys were followed by corps, then level 2 tanks to mop up. And, seeing the hordes of fresh Russians remaining to enter the fray, the Axis retreated toward Leningrad, which eventually fell to the combined German/Finnish assault.

At the same time the Axis kept heading toward the Rock, now with a corp up to 7 entrenchment. But before I could upgrade my corp to AT 2, which my British scientists had just discovered, German units bound them to their fortifications. Casablanca, had now been fully reinforced, including two level 2 RAF units with level two long range air. The Royal Navy went into action and let loose salvo after salvo. The next turn Rambo hit the Rock with everything he had…and for some reason my RAF didn’t rise to greet them, they never got out of their bunks! On my subsequent turn I discovered why my brave RAF pilots didn’t rise to greet Goring’s flyboys…In the previous turn, when I operated my airfleets to Africa, my RAF generals forgot to remove the longstanding “Ground” orders. So, after sacking a few officers, the RAF switched to “Auto” mode and went into action and drew Luftwaffe interceptions, but alas, too late, as the Rock, proud defender of the Empire and corporate logo of at least one insurance company, had fallen. But by now the Yanks had arrived, and with both RAF fighters now aforementioned action, joined by one US fighter, they engaged the Luftwaffe, who had numbered three airfleets during the Spanish campaign. With the skies cleared of enemy fighters my USAF and RAF bombers went into action and sank an Italian BB on the east side of the port with the the help of one damaged RN cruiser stubbornly in Gibralter's port, held for one extra turn against the attacks of a panzer, as remember, Rambo likes his navy, and I wanted to keep those Italians at bay one more turn. To end the Spanish campaign (for now) one of Rambo’s subs surprised a lightly escorted English army that I thought was far enough west of the Iberian peninsula, and those poor lads went to the bottom after a German cruiser homeported at Marseille finished them off. But then a fairly large sized naval engagement ensued in which I lost a ship or two, including one BB sank by a now four sized Luftwaffe. But with the aid of my carriers and the US fleet, reinforced by the US Pacific Fleet, I sank two German cruisers, the remaining (and I hope last) German sub, and a German BB.

Iraq is Axis but Iran has not been attacked, so all is quite on the Caucuss front. My Dnieper line is unscathed, I have Moscow back and retook the city below it, which I abandoned though rather quickly, as I couldn’t defend it well. My Russians have researched long range air and advanced air, as a potential counter to Rambo’s heavy tanks. Urals industry also kicked in about ten turns ago, so Uncle Joe feels flush enough to regularly issue extra vodka and borscht rations.

So, heading into the fall of 1942, that’s where we sit.

Bob

[TaoJah]

Out of curiosity : did he move the two u-boats from the Baltic to the Atlantic too ? I don't know if there is a safe way to do that against a human opponent...

Also : did he attack Vichy and Spain after or before Russia joined ? I am thinking about a strategy where I really don't do ANYTHING until Russia joins except Poland, Denmark, LC and France.

Problem is that the readiness ofRussia rises when you take Egypt... Perhaps I shouldn't even take Egypt until Russia joins, to keep them out of the war for 3 more months. Is that worth it ? What is the usual time for Barbarossa HvH ?

By the way, they call it "mother Russia"

[Jollyguy]

Like I said, it's been awhile since we started the game and I can't remember all the details, but whenever it was that he attacked Vichy and Spain it was around Barbarossa, and now as I write thius I believe it was about the same time or shortly thereafter, as he just finished up Spain.

My guess is the two U-boats I sank in the Atlantic came from the Baltic, and the one sunk later near Spain was the original Atlantic one, and if I'd checked their profile at the time I could have confirmed that, but I was too busy dodging torpedoes.

I think subs could actually be moved to the Atlantic with a fair degree of success if one were so inclined and counted the RN ships operating elsewhere. Rambo could obviously see that I was shuttling ships to-and-from Brest as I lay in wait for him, and also surmise that I would have the RAF near Brest too, as it is a good place to exact some damage on the Axis. He might also have rightly concluded that I would have some cruisers to guard the flanks of my BBs around Brest from sub attack, and also rightly conclude that I wouldn't be expecting him to move his Baltic subs to the Atlantic. However Rambo did it, he did, and I was none the wiser at the time, and like I said, he is always willing to try new things. The thing that surprised me when it happened was that there wasn't a counterstroke from his surface ships, as he also has a reputation for moving his German navy around the Atlantic, to try to join up with the Italian fleet moving through a recently captured Gibrlater port.

As to hitting Egypt or not, Terif has a post in which he said one stategy is not to hit Egypt and go all Russia. However, I've played the Allies probably five times against him now, and have never seen him employ this strategy, so my guess is that it's lesser used. The advantage would seem to be a stronger Barbarossa, but one disadvantage could be that the Russians might take Iraq, which could be an mpp shot in the arm, and then be able to move all units toward the center of the board. When the Axis are at the border of the Caucusses the Russians need to keep a garrison there, which they wouldn't have to do...atleast initially, if Egypt was still alive. Also keep in mind the Allied readiness boost for taking Egypt is not all that much, and Iraq and Syria is what, 40 points per turn? That's a decent decent chunk of mpps for the Axis.

Playing the Allies I've yet to have a competent Axis opponent leave Egypt for later, so I'm not sure exactly how it would play out. Like Terif, says, though, you have to be adaptable.

Bob

[Jollyguy]

Okay, this one ended in an Allied victory. In a nutshell, Rambo DOW'ed Turkey. Having had prior experience with such aggression, I didn't reinforce the Turkish capital, and started stringing Russian units back toward Russia, as once Turkey surrenders all the hexes turn Axis and wreaks havoc with supply and the ability to operate units, which you need to do to start entrenching, and upon surrender it cuts the cities your garrisoning down to 5.

I think we fought in Turkey for over a year, trading units back and forth. Rambo had his entire air contingent there, consisting of 4 German; two minors I believe, an Italian, and also an Italian bomber. I had four level 3 fighters with level 2 long range air. We both kept feeding units in, and at one time I had six HQ's there and probably 80% of my Russian forces, and he took out two HQs with concentrated air, and Sivas changed hands a couple times, but over time I wore him down, plus I took the Iraq oilfield and Syria and Amman.

Meanwhile out west the Allies feinted toward Algeria, but landed in Portugal, where we exchanged units again, but I was able to hold my line.

We called the game once the Allies got up to 1000 mpps per turn and were able to repair everything and start buying new units.

Rambo's level 5 tanks were monsters, but concerted attacks by level 3 AT corps and armies and air took them out regularly. And supply in Turkey is a bear. It's hard to come into Turkey from Europe, you probably need to do it in conjunction with a pincers from the Middle East.

Anyway, good game, soemthing Rambo always delivers.

Bob

[jon_j_rambo]

I spent a ton of money on those Tanks+5 !!! I also had mobility+2, which is very expensive. I was tired of the weather in Russia, so I tried my Turkish gambit, but JollyGuy played in well. He gave me enough space, yet prevent the connection point to the Middle East.

Tanks+5, +2 movement aren't squat in Turkey. Bad move by the Legend

Good game to Jollytime, I will have to take him serious & go with some different moves. Each game I focus on a strategy... this game was tanks...last time subs, I like to mix it up.