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May/June 1940. Japan.

30. Though neutral, USA production includes trade to the CW (3 oil) and China (1 non-oil). While Japan is in no position to do anything about the USA trade to Great Britain, they can do something about US aid to China. Japan elects to close the Burma road thus blocking the flow of the USA trade to China. The USA has no reaction to this.

31. In northern China, the Japanese successfully retake the communist held city of Kaifeng and destroys a communist 3-5 cavalry unit.

May/June 1940. Axis #3. The Western Front. Land Combat. France [53,30].

32. Well, the Germans roll a 3 and another decent odds Blitzkrieg attack is frustrated. Really, there's not much more to say about the attack.

Reorg.

33. A German Ju-52 air unit reorganizes a 7-5 armor corp, von Bock reorganizes 3 more ground units and von Leeb 2 more. Maybe, just maybe something of the German offensive in France can be salvage this turn.

May/June 1940. Allied #5 & Axis #7 Impulse Pulse. Weather.

34. You got to be kidding me!!! A weather roll of 1. If I didn't know better I'd say the German roller made that roll. Well, this weather pretty much shuts down combat operations across the globe this impulse pair.

35. Really, there's nothing of consequence to report this pulse pair. Well, with the exception that the weather put a halt to axis ground movement in the mountains of Greece. And, for the axis to capture the undefended port city of Patras in the Peloponnesos would require that they disorganize the captors (i.e., the unit(s) who would move across the straights to capture the city). The axis decide to wait until their next impulse to capture the city and resume their offensive in Greece when the weather (hopefully) clears.

May/June 1940. Allied # 9 & Axis #10 Impulse Pair.

36. Well maybe things are looking up after all for the axis. The weather changes to fine across the globe. All German land units in France are organized and ready to make one more, hopefully, good attack on the French lines. The Italians and Germans in Greece are ready to renew their invasion. But first the allies have to take their move.

37. The allied players take notice of all this and of the end of turn probabilities of 30/40/50%. That is, 50% if all the allies pass, 40% if all but one pass and 30% if two or more don't. The allied players are all tempted to pass, but the CW really has some business that it needs to take care of. So, in a compromise, all allies players but the CW pass. This means that the end of turn chance is 40%.

38. Well, you've probably guessed it. The turn ends with a roll of 3. Well played by the allies.

May/June 1940. US Entry Options.

39. The USA choose entry option 16, Gift of destroyers to the CW. What they're really focused on is gear up production. This reduces and entry level of 22 and tension level of 11 in both pools. They're close now, but at best 2 turns away and at worse maybe 3.

May/June 1940. Country Economic Reports.

July/August 1940. Country Trade Reports.

40. Because of the closing of the Burma road, the US cancelled its trade agreement with China.

41. The US will send the Philippine non-oil resource intended for China to the US to replace one of its oil resources currently being used for production. This oil resource will then be added to the three currently being sent to the CW and stored in Canada. So the USA modified its trade agreement with the CW from sending 3 to sending 4 oil resources.

42. Note that the German trade agreement with Italy is unchanged from last turn.

I like the economic reports, rkr.
After some recent comments by others about the axis suffering the most from the oil rule, I started to wonder how much oil the CW and USA really should be saving and the economic reports make it easier to determine that.

The period I am most interested in, is when the USA and USSR are both in the war.
I want to know if the allies can keep their max production, aid Russia AND save enough oil for fuel.

What a turn!

If the dice cooperate in July/August, the Axis should be able to clear up France. Greece will be trickier what with the mountains, but they should both be cleared up this summer/fall unless the Germans remain snake bitten and the Allies can keep ending the turn.

ORIGINAL: TeaLeaf

I like the economic reports, rkr.
After some recent comments by others about the axis suffering the most from the oil rule, I started to wonder how much oil the CW and USA really should be saving and the economic reports make it easier to determine that.

The period I am most interested in, is when the USA and USSR are both in the war.
I want to know if the allies can keep their max production, aid Russia AND save enough oil for fuel.

Thanks. I find that the economic reports help me gauge production versus saving oil. For example, this turn German had to back off production and save an additional 3 oil points. However, the loss of the 3 oil points from production cost the Germans only 2 BP's because of the 0.75 multiplier and rounding.

ORIGINAL: composer99

What a turn!

If the dice cooperate in July/August, the Axis should be able to clear up France. Greece will be trickier what with the mountains, but they should both be cleared up this summer/fall unless the Germans remain snake bitten and the Allies can keep ending the turn.

I haven't played the turn yet but I've determined the initiative. The axis lost another two rolls in a row. Since the allies moved first last turn, the axis would win ties. This time the chance of the axis losing both rolls and not moving first was 16%, or about 1 out of 6 (or 5 out of 6 they'd win one of the two rolls). That's four initiative rolls in a row that the axis have lost! So prior to the rolls, the odds of losing these four rolls in a row were about 1 in 24 (or about 4%). [:@]

May/June 1940. Destroyed and Repair Pools.

May/June 1940. Scrapped Pool. All Units Scrapped to Date.

May/June 1940. 6 Month (3 turns) Production Queue.

ORIGINAL: rkr1958

ORIGINAL: TeaLeaf

I like the economic reports, rkr.
After some recent comments by others about the axis suffering the most from the oil rule, I started to wonder how much oil the CW and USA really should be saving and the economic reports make it easier to determine that.

The period I am most interested in, is when the USA and USSR are both in the war.
I want to know if the allies can keep their max production, aid Russia AND save enough oil for fuel.

Thanks. I find that the economic reports help me gauge production versus saving oil. For example, this turn German had to back off production and save an additional 3 oil points. However, the loss of the 3 oil points from production cost the Germans only 2 BP's because of the 0.75 multiplier and rounding.

ORIGINAL: composer99

What a turn!

If the dice cooperate in July/August, the Axis should be able to clear up France. Greece will be trickier what with the mountains, but they should both be cleared up this summer/fall unless the Germans remain snake bitten and the Allies can keep ending the turn.

I haven't played the turn yet but I've determined the initiative. The axis lost another two rolls in a row. Since the allies moved first last turn, the axis would win ties. This time the chance of the axis losing both rolls and not moving first was 16%, or about 1 out of 6 (or 5 out of 6 they'd win one of the two rolls). That's four initiative rolls in a row that the axis have lost! So prior to the rolls, the odds of losing these four rolls in a row were about 1 in 24 (or about 4%). [:@]

Initiative isn't that important. Sure, it is a little better to move first, but if the other side wins initiative, let them decide if they like to move first. Every reroll deminishes the chances for the Axis to be able to make that decision.

If it is a winter turn, why not let the Allies go first in early war even if the Axis did win the initiative? If in a summer turn in 1940, the Allies win the initiative: let them go first if they want to. You might gain an initiative modifier back if you do so...

What's more shocking for the Axis is the way the dice ended up during land combat. You made reasonable attacks and you've got nothing in return... That's "ouch". Losing the initiative is a minor inconvenience compared to this...

I quite agree with Centuur - Initiative is good to have when you badly need it, like if you end previous turn and want to move first the next turn, in Russia or so.
Or other situations offering an exploitable situation. At worst to have some meager chances to have the odd, extra impulse in a summer turn.

The low rolls in France are something I tend to dread - simply because they're game ruiners in my eyes. If France lives through or Germany is too weakened / slowed down, it's pratically game over already unless you want what people seems to call "Sitzkrieg".
That's one of the reason for which me and my friend sort of ditched Axis Empires. IF during the campaign of France for "the attack" you roll 6 (on a dice of 6), you're screwed and it turns into a WW1 environment.

ORIGINAL: Centuur

Initiative isn't that important. Sure, it is a little better to move first, but if the other side wins initiative, let them decide if they like to move first. Every reroll deminishes the chances for the Axis to be able to make that decision.

If it is a winter turn, why not let the Allies go first in early war even if the Axis did win the initiative? If in a summer turn in 1940, the Allies win the initiative: let them go first if they want to. You might gain an initiative modifier back if you do so...

What's more shocking for the Axis is the way the dice ended up during land combat. You made reasonable attacks and you've got nothing in return... That's "ouch". Losing the initiative is a minor inconvenience compared to this...

I certainly understand during poor weather that even not going first could be best.

My concern, as the German player, with the upcoming turn was the risk of seeming "my" spearheads disorganized by allied ground strikes even before I started my turn. Did I over react, as the German player, to that risk by wanting the initiative?

ORIGINAL: Cohen

I quite agree with Centuur - Initiative is good to have when you badly need it, like if you end previous turn and want to move first the next turn, in Russia or so.
Or other situations offering an exploitable situation. At worst to have some meager chances to have the odd, extra impulse in a summer turn.

The low rolls in France are something I tend to dread - simply because they're game ruiners in my eyes. If France lives through or Germany is too weakened / slowed down, it's pratically game over already unless you want what people seems to call "Sitzkrieg".
That's one of the reason for which me and my friend sort of ditched Axis Empires. IF during the campaign of France for "the attack" you roll 6 (on a dice of 6), you're screwed and it turns into a WW1 environment.

The low rolls by the Germans are definitively giving me, as the CW player, something to think about. Specifically, does the CW go all in, or almost all in, in France to try to stop the Germans from taking France this year? Or, is that even possible? I have to tell you that I'm having a blast managing all sides and all their options. This game plays remarkably well solitaire and is a heck of a lot of fun. Though playing against a worthy AIO would be fun too. Maybe in a few years? [;)]

Jul/Aug 1940. Initiative.

1. The German player wants the initiative to move first this turn very badly. Whether or not he should want it that badly or not I guess is debatable. The German player is worried that if the allies move first then a series of successful ground strikes by them could disorganize units in their front stacks, or even disorganize HQ units and, in effect, throw one or more monkey wrenches into their offensive plans. So in the frame of mind the roll(s) for the initiative are made. Since the allies moved last last turn, the axis would win ties. And since the axis have a +1 modified then they get the initiative if they win the first, or if necessary, second roll.

2. First Roll. The axis roll a 7, which is modified by +1, to an 8. The allies beat them with a 10. Not again!

3. Second Roll. The axis roll a 5, which is not modified. The allies, again, beat the axis with a roll of 10. The allied player rolled two 10's in a row! It's hard to beat that. The allies, delighting too much in the frustration of the German player, choose to move first. By the way, this is the 4th initiative roll in a row that the German player has lost.

Jul/Aug 1940. Allied #1.

4. Except for a band of rain across the equator in the North Monsoon weather zone, the weather is fine worldwide.

5. As I've gained experience in this game I've grow to try to avoid combined actions for a nation at war unless I just have to. I feel that this is one of those times that one should, so the CW takes a combined. France and China take a land. And the USSR and USA, both of which are still neutral, take a combined.

6. The RAF and French airforces throw everything they have available on the Western Front into Ground strikes against lead German stacks and HQ units.

7. 6 of 7 available Luftwaffe fighter units scramble to meet this threat. A massive air battle in the skies over France and Belgium ensues.

Jul/Aug 1940. Allied #1. RAF and French Air Force Ground Strikes.

8. Luftwaffe fighters backed by AA divisions do well to neutralize the allied ground strikes. Only one German unit out of 16 at risk was disorganized. The RAF lost two bomber units along with their pilots and the Germans lost two fighter units (pilots survived).

Jul/Aug 1940. Allied #1. Greece.

9. The reason for CW taking a combined was to get CW grounds units into Greece, which they did. Also, a Greek corps is railed to defend the port of Patras and one of two gateways into the Peloponnesos.

Jul/Aug 1940. Axis #2. Ground Strikes.

10. With the RAF and French air forces used up, Luftwaffe bombers ground strike targets with impunity except for French AA fire. The Germans ground strike two French stacks that will be the targets of land combat. The Luftwaffe achieve respectable results disorganizing 3 of the 5 French units at risk.

11. The Italians ground strike the Greek mountain corps but the ground strike is ineffective.