USA

[IBender]

I am wondering if anyone has thoughts / ideas for me regarding USA. I would think that in a Global game with all options being used, that USA would be an easier country to play. It is in most other games. However, in WIF, the added layers of 'realism and logistics' for USA seem to make playing it hard for me at least. It is difficult when I expect it to be easy.

Examples my difficulties:

1. Just visualizing the Pacific and trying to figure out a plan that might work there seems borderline impossible.
2. Difficult to know what ships and units to build - 2 front war.
3. Easy to find that I placed transports on the wrong coast and fixing it later is very time consuming
4. Just moving the right troops and ships to the right locations across the atlantic and pacific is not easy at all.
5. America (for me at least) involves lots of naval invasions pacific and atlantic...I find nothing about invasions to be easy, and America seem to do more than any other country.
6. You would think choosing entry options is a no brainer but that doesnt seem to be the case.

My list can go on a long ways. What if anything, have people found to help themselves get good with USA.

[paulderynck]

Experience is the best teacher. About the only general advice I could give would be try not to have the Allies do things that cause the US to lose chits. Some cannot be helped, like East Poland, but overly aggressive allies usually cause US Entry to be delayed.

[Shannon V. OKeets]

Have the US build long term units first. Those are carriers, amphibious units, and naval transports. The US isn't going to be in the war for a couple of years so there is no rush on build land and air units.

Stock up on carrier air units for the carriers well in advance of when the carriers arrive. And of course you will need pilots to go with them. Gearing limits play an important role for these unit types. It doesn't hurt to build a convoy fro time to time if you have an extra build point to spend.

Get the marines and para units built for the inevitable invasions. The paras will need air transports. ATRs are also really good to have for reorganizing units in Europe, so a couple extra of those hanging around are always useful. As the same for all the major powers, build all the HQs.

Then decide how you are going to go after the Axis. For Europe you'll need to do invasions, but you don't necessarily need marines for that. Coming out of England the naval units just go into the North Sea so they will be in higher section boxes. They should also get a lot of air and shore bombardment support.

In the Pacific, the transports will often have to sail an extra sea area for their invasions, which means the marines need to go in. Assign a naval transport for each marine and its personal 'ride'. Only once the marine is ashore and fighting inland can its transport take on different duties. In general, the marines should be withdrawn once they have successfully invaded so they can go on to new adventures. Their place ashore can be taken by Infantry.

If it looks like you need to do a lot of strategic bombing in Europe, then build the strategic bombers - which needs a long lead time. Naval air units are crucial in the Pacific as are long range fighters. The long range fighters are also invaluable in Europe supporting strategic bombing missions.

In summary, plan what forces you want in Europe and the Pacific, time the builds so they will be on the map in late 1941/early 1942, and deploy them to the east and west coast of the USA according to your plan.

Do not do the US builds "off the top of your head".[:-]

[Joseignacio]

Most of the time it is the easier to play, you have very few to do until you are at war, production is low, draw chits, and select actions...

But afterwards it's very very difficult. Not only because they have two fronts, but because they are so separate, plus the type of action you may want for Europe may be opposite to what you want in Asia.

You need to squeeze your brain. And this is part of the fun.

[Courtenay]

Find a copy of the 98 WiF Annual and read that. There is one posted to the forum somewhere. Pay particular attention to the prewar build schedule, and the use of saved build points to get 5 CV's built J/F 41.

[brian brian]

The USA player has to know the game system better than any other player. Eventually it will be operating globally, across different campaign seasons (weather) structures and also across all phases of combat - air, land, and sea.

As their economy ramps up it helps tremendously to use one Offensive Chit for a Super-Combined Impulse per turn, at least.

In the Pacific, don't just skip playing the Guadalcanal scenario and dive into Global War. Play it through several times.

For strategy in the Pacific, consider that historically, the USA tried a "2 Prong" approach - Nimitz across the Central Pacific, MacArthur up from the South Pacific.

But in World in Flames and it's rather generous Logistics system, one is free to try only a single prong, or add a third prong not tried historically, which can quickly devastate the Japanese Empire. Hint: there are two Christmas Islands in the Pacific.

For Grand Strategy,. you again have many options to pick from. History featured a "Europe First". But many WiF players, enamored with all those sexy cutting-edge USN ship designs, forget this. So many an Allied team loses as Russia succumbs to the Nazi jackboots while the greatest Fleet the world has ever seen rides the Production Spiral, never to be deployed as the Allies quit in 1943 with Russia conquered as a truly menacing Atlantic Wall appears in front of them and the UK starts fighting a re-newed Blitz.

So, in short, I build a strong air/land defense of Pearl Harbor and then I build a ground force that can intervene in Europe quickly, from the perimeter. It is unlikely that the CW will lose every possible point for the Yankees to come ashore in Africa and start pushing the Axis back towards whence they came - i.e., without an extensive amphibious operation, at least to start. And remember that Operation Torch wasn't exactly all that challenging for the historical Allies.

Also keep in mind that the naval combat system is not all that bloody - boots on the ground take the Objective hexes that win you the game, and you don't get any points for having the biggest Fleet at the end. Fight the Axis, fight them; fight them early, and fight them on the ground. Don't just build ships. Except, well, Convoy Points are a key component towards bleeding the Wehrmacht - let those poor conscripts from north-Central Asia do the brutally ugly stuff. It worked in History.

[Centuur]

I usually use all build points in 1939 and 1940 for US ship building (I build all CV's and BB's together with the TRS and AMPH). From 1941 onwards, I build 3 and 2 of the Essex Class CV's and start on CVP's, pilots, HQ's, PARA (with ATR's), MAR and ARM/MECH units. Later during 1941 I shift to the GAR/INF units and some MOT with the US. A STRAT bomber gets build every turn from 1942 onwards, together with the long range FTR's, which are the best planes the US has IMHO.

That usually gives the US a small but nice army to work with in 1942, which should keep the Japanese honest regarding Pearl, Pago Pago and Australia. It also frees up units to use in Europe. I like to try to get Italy out of the war first, since that really is a blow to the Germans.
US units on mainland Europe (be it Spain or Italy) are really needed to force the Euroaxis to withdraw units out of the Soviet Union. It is as Brian Brian said: if you focus on the Japanese and build out the US fleet too much, you really are making a mistake and will probably lose the game.

But one thing is very important: keep building TRS and AMPH. It's really unbelievable to see how many players have a lot of US land and air units on the map, and lack the necessary sea lift to transport them to where the action is...

Offensive chits? I start building those in 1943, not sooner since without the units to use them, they are worthless...

[Courtenay]

ORIGINAL: Centuur

I usually use all build points in 1939 and 1940 for US ship building (I build all CV's and BB's together with the TRS and AMPH). From 1941 onwards, I build 3 and 2 of the Essex Class CV's and start on CVP's, pilots, HQ's, PARA (with ATR's), MAR and ARM/MECH units. Later during 1941 I shift to the GAR/INF units and some MOT with the US. A STRAT bomber gets build every turn from 1942 onwards, together with the long range FTR's, which are the best planes the US has IMHO.

That usually gives the US a small but nice army to work with in 1942, which should keep the Japanese honest regarding Pearl, Pago Pago and Australia. It also frees up units to use in Europe. I like to try to get Italy out of the war first, since that really is a blow to the Germans.
US units on mainland Europe (be it Spain or Italy) are really needed to force the Euroaxis to withdraw units out of the Soviet Union. It is as Brian Brian said: if you focus on the Japanese and build out the US fleet too much, you really are making a mistake and will probably lose the game.

But one thing is very important: keep building TRS and AMPH. It's really unbelievable to see how many players have a lot of US land and air units on the map, and lack the necessary sea lift to transport them to where the action is...

Offensive chits? I start building those in 1943, not sooner since without the units to use them, they are worthless...

I like to have one O-chit early, (after war is declared) because its existence provides a threat that the Axis has to respect. (Or, if the Axis doesn't respect it, you can an early blow in that Axis was not defending against.)

I agree that the most important units the Americans have are their transport ships.

[Centuur]

Interesting idea, to build an offensive chit early as a "trick in the bag". Never thought about that one...

[Courtenay]

ORIGINAL: Centuur

Interesting idea, to build an offensive chit early as a "trick in the bag". Never thought about that one...

I generally don't use it, but it means that the Americans are threatening all kinds of nefarious deeds. At the very least, it makes the Axis worry about what can be done with it.

You of course have to have some units, but you're the Americans; you will have some units, just not enough. Adding 15 build points of units to "not enough" will generally result in "still not enough". An O-chit, though, can turn what units the Americans have into a threat that will usually be respected. This will often force a diversion of Axis strength to defensive garrisons earlier than the Axis wants to, with no effort on the Allied part. The O-chit isn't anywhere; it just hovers ominously over the whole map.

To attack, the Americans will have to have a bunch of units and O-chits. Building one of the O-chits early can pay dividends, even (or even especially) if it not used early.

[IBender]

This discussion has helped me a great deal thank you.