Bob Flemin's MWIF AARse V - Fat AARse

[warspite1]

Right then, time to start another game. I am sorry that I could not continue with my Nice AARse but there was simply no way back for the Allies due to some fundamental build program issues. I will seek to rectify that for this game and continue to (hopefully) incorporate the lessons I am learning from previous AARses.

Here is the US Entry.

[warspite1]

Optionals

I am sticking with the rule set used previously - with the exception of the Blitz bonus which is being raved about. Who am I to argue [:)].

[warspite1]

Scrapping

As before my scrapping policy is quite severe, but in accordance with advice from brian brian I have not scrapped the TRS and AMPH.

US

[brian brian]

I never scrap any US lift, in particular. Each lift unit also is a re-org point…

I do scrap any land unit I can for them though.

[brian brian]

oh and the old, slow lift units … are the cheapest

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: brian brian

oh and the old, slow lift units … are the cheapest

warspite1

But at 2 range aren't they also pretty useless?

How many TRS and AMPH would you look to build with the Japanese, US and CW (I am using the AMPH rules)?

[warspite1]

I am a little more circumspect in what I scrap with the USSR. I scrap the worst fighter and TRS unit and that is all.

[brian brian]

I guess I like the 2 range US TRS because of my friend Bob, who always built out the US lift pool and called that one the "Magic Transport" that would never sink. It can take a unit to England every other turn, early on, and later it can stay in England where it can land a British unit on the continent every single turn. Or once the seas are safe for Allied shipping, it can sit in the North Sea and be a re-org point for a US bomber during an air impulse or a Super-Combined, or a land unit on the coast, or even a longer range TRS or AMPH in a naval.

The USA can afford to build out it's lift pool. I build an AMPH early and make progress on additional TRS as well. I think the USA should gear their builds towards two things - a good defense of the Pearl Harbor hex, and having a force that can do something on the European map immediately when they enter the war, in case Russia is in trouble. That means some tactical air, and ground units. A deep supply of Convoy Points to help Russia and the other Allies is also good. The USN needs to build up some of course, but I don't believe in laying down 5 Essex class carriers the first turn they enter the force pool, just because they can. Many an Allied player has lost the game in Russia while the most impressive fleet build points can buy rides around on the Production Spiral. Japan is not that hard to crack, but a Germany rich on Asian resources is frequently impossible to beat, particularly if they add the Middle East to their dominions.


For the CW, perhaps not every single lift unit can be built. And it helps them to have 4 range TRS early, so I scrap some of theirs. Don't forget to add the Queens this game, it is a huge help. I start an AMPH on the first turn as the CW, maybe start another one on the second, and start a new TRS early on as well, expecting some losses in 1940 and 41. They have a lot of hard build decisions to make though.


For Japan, basically the same calculus, but then I like to send the Japanese off on adventures in the Middle East (at least until the new US Entry costs for this kick in when the newest rules come out), so I scrap most of theirs I can as well to get a pair of 4 range at least.

But Japan operates on tight budgets so it is a hard decision for them, and short range lift is OK for most of their operations. Normally I add one AMPH and one TRS to their inventory before war with the Allies, and might keep another TRS around at least in the construction pool in the event of losses. They are cheap to start and expensive to finish as the force pool additions move along. So I don't scrap the Japanese AMPH in hopes of drawing the expensive one to start on the map. It is nice to have their 1940 2/5 AMPH available for counter-attacks in the middle of the game though.


You can always scrap units after drawing from the pools and setting up as well, in hopes of drawing the more expensive ones for the map and leaving cheap ones to build.

My favorite country to start an AMPH with is definitely Germany however. 3 Build Points that can make the other player go crazy…unless of course that other player is yourself.

[composer99]

For Japan, you should look at whether you are going to undertake a "big offensive" (i.e. a super-combined impulse in late 1941-early 1942) against the CW (and possibly also US) to invade Malaya, NEI, Rabaul, and other areas (possibly Philippines & Hawai'i).

If so, you should decide how many targets you want to invade on the surprise impulse, and how many of those require corps-sized unit invasions. Then plan out your sealift builds to match.

You really don't need new sealift after that point; whatever you have by then should suffice for your needs going forward (shuttling units to Australia or India, reinforcing overseas objectives, returning units to Japan).

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For the Commonwealth, you probably need 2-4 AMPH (depending on how ambitious your invasion plans, independent of the US, are). I'm not actually sure how much TRS you need, because they get a bit intertwined with US ones, at least in Europe. You start with 4, and usually get the Dutch one early on as well. I would think about 6-8.

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The US can never have enough sealift (although I also don't keep the 2-range ones). You probably want the ability to invade 2-3 hexes per theatre by 1943, and should build AMPH accordingly. TRS in excess of the amount required to shuttle reinforcements/Marines can be used for reorganisation, so building out the entire pool is probably a good plan.

[brian brian]

I love how the decisions start immediately in World in Flames. I keep the 2-1 GARR. It holds Lvov for one impulse and then gets scrapped. Any unit or stack you put there will be crushed, so you might as well use the cheapest one possible.

I do scrap the two weakest Russian MOT though, and I believe every FTR not given to you at set-up. Starting in 1941 I try and build one FTR-2 per turn for the Russians as their aircraft designers take a long time to catch up to the bad guys, but eventually they get pretty good.

[Courtenay]

ORIGINAL: warspite1

Optionals

I am sticking with the rule set used previously.

If one is using the 1d10 CRT and divisions, one really should use the Blitz bonus, otherwise land combat can turn into WW I much more than WW II.

If I don't use the oil rules, I would use Food in Flames. In my opinion, these rules are complementary -- both help the Allies. FiF is much simpler than oil. If one does not use one, then one should use the other for play balance purposes. (One should not use both.)

This game I am sure you won't forget to use place the Queens on the map!

[warspite1]

Too late to change the optionals but yes, I will definitely be adding the Queens [:)]

[warspite1]

Thanks all for your input re the TRS.

Before I set up the Soviets, what is considered best in terms of set-up? I am not going to get involved in a war in the Far East, but would like to know peoples opinion re the merits of Persia and/or Finland please.

With the lack of units at the Soviet Union's disposal, the latter just looks too difficult??

[brian brian]

Those are deep grand strategy questions really, though you are on the right track as it is best to make those decisions at set-up. There is plenty about them in the AI thread for Russia and other related threads. I would say that Russian and Japanese policy in the Far East is the most difficult part of playing World in Flames solitaire. Everything else flows as reactive decisions to the other side, but deciding on what Russia will do before war with Germany and Japan with the USA requires a major pro-active decision for each. You somewhat have to simply decide to explore what happens if Power A does this and Power B does that ahead of time.

This is also true of Russian decisions in the Balkans; some players feel the basic decision on Bessarabia is cut-and-dried 100% of the time (the same every game), but I find it has plenty of nuance as well.

[composer99]

Persia's not hard, although you either have to strip your Pacific garrison or build fast units to do it (you want 4-moving INF, cavalry, and 6-moving ARM/MECH to get through the mountains).

You of course have to be aware of the possibility/threat of a Japanese intervention, although you should have some warning if the Japanese set up fast transports in Canton with the ability to intervene. If they want to intervene, the Japanese will declare war; while they only need to reinforce the oil to keep it out of your hands, they then have the opportunity to campaign in the Far East.

The upshot if that happens is that you're active, and can build MIL units, and move the Communists around freely. But it's always perilous to get into an Asian adventure with Barbarossa looming, so it's better to try and time a Persian campaign for when Japanese resistance is unlikely, or hope that the new map scale means they're too enmeshed in China to care/dare to intervene.

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As far as Finland goes, the key is that you have to present a credible threat to both get around the borderlands (thus keeping Germany/Finland from lapsing the war) and to conquer Helsinki. That probably means building a PARA, setting up the TRS in Leningrad, and having the means to land a stack in the back (i.e. around the minor ports west of Helsinki) as well as pressure up north and around Leningrad.

You would probably aim for a summer 1940 demand, when (hopefully) the Germans are deeply enmeshed in France and resolving the Balkan question, which would hopefully reduce Germany's willingness to fight. If you can credibly conquer Finland over the summer, it removes an entire sector from the theatre when war with Germany comes: you get Helsinki as an objective, you don't have to garrison along the Murmansk railway to move your factories or ship Allied lending, the Allies can rail resources through Narvik and Trondheim, and railing resources and build points to Leningrad is feasible.

(Finally, the Allies don't need foreign troop commitment to base forces in Finland, which means they could, say, send over Gort, some cheap INF to guard the ports along the northern Baltic, and some air units to fight in the Baltic or even bomb Germany.)

Of course, the point of all this is to get Germany thinking that this is what would happen - and therefore encouraging them to allow the claim.

[Centuur]

I would set up the USSR with the whole European Army and the airforce around Bessarabia, to make sure the claim for Bessarabia will be granted.

The Siberian Army, I usually split in two. I like to setup Zhukov with a Siberian and a division in the Marshes bordering Persia and the Kaspian Sea. Another two Siberians I put on the border with Persia on the other end. The rest goes into position around Manchuria.

This gives the Japanese a choice to make. Will I keep TRS and Yamamoto with his Marines in reserve, to be able to react on a possible (not the word possible) DoW from the USSR on Persia or will I send them to China to join the fight there.

You don't want to DoW Persian with the USSR if those units are in position to be sailed to Persia as peacekeepers. Let the Japanese commit the units first. If he doesn't commit his units, you are quite happy with the USSR, because those units are not fighting the Chinese...

[Omnius]

warspite1,
Man you really do go crazy with the scrapping of units at the beginning. Since you're not using the oil rules and thus will have increased build power you should be wary of extreme scrapping. Especially those 4 point infantry. I keep them to use for breakdowns for that slightly cheaper set of 2 infantry divisions for cannon fodder losses.

I also learned the hard way to be careful about scrapping too many light blue carrier air. I overdid it as the Japanese for the Brute Force scenario and it took a long time before I had enough of them to fill all those little carriers already built.

I also find your use of the 1d10 CRT interesting. However I can see that with your penchant for low odds attacks it's certainly less bloody for you. I like the 2d20 table because it allows for more variation in combat results.

I am amazed at the level of detail you provide in your AAR's. You spend so much time making screenshots and writing up so many actions that it's a wonder you get as far into the game as you do. It will be interesting to see if you maintain better focus playing the game so that you don't miss tricks like doing Denmark on the 2nd impulse after leaving the Polish fleet alone in Danzig. Plus I hope you do more with subs as it's really a kiddy game on the high seas without them. I found them a lot of fun in version 1.207.

Omnius

[Orm]

ORIGINAL: warspite1

Too late to change the optionals but yes, I will definitely be adding the Queens [:)]

Indeed to late to change them now. But I do hope that you will consider the blitz optional rule before your next game.

[WarHunter]

ORIGINAL: Orm

ORIGINAL: warspite1
Too late to change the optionals but yes, I will definitely be adding the Queens [:)]

Indeed to late to change them now. But I do hope that you will consider the blitz optional rule before your next game.

+1 for the Blitz option.

[warspite1]

Italy

With the Italians I scrap just the two worst aircraft and the worst submarine.