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Hopefully after two years owning this game I'm learning. I would like you to rate my CW CP setup. First let me explain ...

In this setup I have full production and I'm saving 4 oil points per turn. But given a production multiplier of 0.5 (for the next two turns) and 22 factories, I would idle one factory in England, which would still round to full production of 11 BPs and result in 5, instead of 4 saved, oil points. Though I have 4 idle resources (2 in Australia and 2 in Malaya), this setup affords me 15 CPs in reserve.

Now, in the past, I would have tried to "over" optimized my routes by routing 2 of the four idle RPs to England and saving an additional two oil points. Getting these 2 RPs to England requires 16 CPs which is one more than the 15 unused CPs I have now. So, instead of sending (saving) one oil point in England I would have to save it in Canada, which frees up 3 more CPs which after using 16 CPs to route 2 of the 4 idle RPs to England, leaves 2 spare ones. So in the past, my CW CP setup would get full production and save 6 oil points (or 7 oil points w/0.5 multiplier) but with only 2 spare CPs. On paper this setup looks superior to my current one, however, I've believe having 15 CPs in reserve is much better and entails less risk than having only 2. What do you think?

I think I 'd start with 2 CW and 1 Fr CP in each of the East and West Med and put 2 more CW CP in the Bay of Bengal and then I can switch hit between bringing in French oil/resources or the 2 from Malaya. Of course if fetching CW stuff through the Med, then you need to also increase the CPs in Cape St Vincent and the Bay of Biscay. If Italy plays around with DoWing only France or only the UK, then you can run with the other Ally's CPs in the Med. Plus always avoid more than 10 in a sea zone, especially the Bay of Biscay - they give an extra search bonus to German and Italian subs. Put 5 or 7 of those in the Faroes.

I also don't like storing the oil form NEI in Malaya and not being able to trace to it for re-org, as it can then get eventually captured by Japan or even destroyed by partisans.

Finally I like using 6 French and 4 CW CPs to bring the extra two resources to Canada from Australia and suggest making the South China Sea CPs French. In the first two turns, one more CW CP from the Gulf of Panama through to the Bay of Biscay allows you to switch hit the New Caledonia resource to France when the CW only needs 21 factories producing.

If France looks about to be Vichied, you RTB the French 8 CPs mentioned to new Caledonia where chances are very good they'll stay Allied. You lose 2 resources off that route for a turn, but the next turn the 4 CW CPs plus the one from the Gulf of Panama re-establish the route for one resource plus put the 8 - now Free French - CPs in New Caledonia - back in supply.

On the off chance there's no Free France, the Axis and Vichy will never, ever see those CPs again if playing LOS supply.

The CW and French don't start the game being able to haul each others resources, but after Impulse 2 they certainly can, so set them up to work together.

ORIGINAL: paulderynck
Plus always avoid more than 10 in a sea zone, especially the Bay of Biscay - they give an extra search bonus to German and Italian subs. Put 5 or 7 of those in the Faroes.

Good tip. I need to remember that ...

ORIGINAL: paulderynck

I also don't like storing the oil form NEI in Malaya and not being able to trace to it for re-org, as it can then get eventually captured by Japan or even destroyed by partisans.

I setup a CW artillery division in Singapore so the oil should be safe from partisans. The French are also routing the RP in Hanoi through the South China Sea, Bay of Bengal, Arabian Sea, Red, E. Med, W. Med to France. I thought since this convoy route ran adjacent to Singapore that the two save CW oil points there would be available to the CW for reorg? Or am I wrong about this?

ORIGINAL: paulderynck

Finally I like using 6 French and 4 CW CPs to bring the extra two resources to Canada from Australia and suggest making the South China Sea CPs French. In the first two turns, one more CW CP from the Gulf of Panama through to the Bay of Biscay allows you to switch hit the New Caledonia resource to France when the CW only needs 21 factories producing.

Then you must send to the 2 Canadian non-oil RPs to factories in England to free up the two factories in Canada for these? That second part is really slick (i.e., running the New Caledonia RP to France through Panama Canal). The New Caledonia RP is one that I don't think I've ever gotten to a factory.

ORIGINAL: paulderynck
If France looks about to be Vichied, you RTB the French 8 CPs mentioned to new Caledonia where chances are very good they'll stay Allied. You lose 2 resources off that route for a turn, but the next turn the 4 CW CPs plus the one from the Gulf of Panama re-establish the route for one resource plus put the 8 - now Free French - CPs in New Caledonia - back in supply.

On the off chance there's no Free France, the Axis and Vichy will never, ever see those CPs again if playing LOS supply.

Slick!

ORIGINAL: paulderynck
The CW and French don't start the game being able to haul each others resources, but after Impulse 2 they certainly can, so set them up to work together.

Very good tip!

Yes it is true the French CPs can provide a link for the CW tracing to the oil it stored in Singapore.

When all is said and done, I think I end up with either 3 or 6 spare CW CPs, depending on how many I want to risk through the Med.

If you get an Italy that only wants to DoW France to begin with, the CW can happily keep the French resources going through the Med, especially since Search and Seizure isn't coded into MWiF yet. [;)]

It depends on the optional rules you are or are not using. This set up looks like you are not using Food In Flames and the overseas supply rule (the one that requires a CP in a sea zone to move supply through it. For that set of rules, this looks like a pretty good set up. I would put 3CP in the Bay of Bengal to move the Indonesian and Burmese oil to India. The other thing I like to do is put the North Atlantic route through the Faroes so it's farther away from German predators. It also ensures supply to Scapa if you are using the overseas supply rule.