Axis & Allies [Now with discussion of the online game]

[stessier]

I think it best if I sit out this first game and see how things go.

[chonpokguy]

OH OH OH ME ME ME??

(fyi i only played the pc board game version)

BUT I always always wanted to play the board game.

its taken me years to get them to play settlers LOL dunno if i will live long enough for A&A

[LordMortis]

Sounds good. If we agree to no special rules we just need to draw up sides.

[Redfive]

No special rules for me. I'll play anyone though I prefer not to be the UK.

[El Guapo]

Yeah, I'd vote for no special rules as well. I'll play as anyone, but I would prefer to play as Japan.

[Bakhtosh]

So what's our roster?

[LordMortis]

Roster currently:

Bakhtosh
El Guapo - Japan
Redfive - not UK
chonpokguy
Screwtape

Unless there are any objections.

No special rules. 2nd edition (which is the way the video game plays for those whose primary experience is with the video game)

We are registered at http://aamcbunker.net/other/login.html to roll dice. I'll PM the game number and ask for email addresses to forward to when the game starts. You will use email addresses I have set up as if they were yours when the game commences.

I will keep two maps posted.

One will be the commonly used abbreviations map, the other will be a graphic representation of the world:





I'll also keep a written version of this visual posted.

If you want to keep track individually feel free to keep track as well.

[Screwtape]

Roster currently:

Bakhtosh
El Guapo - Japan
Redfive - not UK
chonpokguy
Screwtape

since japan is taken i'll go with germany

No special rules. 2nd edition (which is the way the video game plays for those whose primary experience is with the video game)

just so that i'm clear... USSR *can* attack on turn 1, no german super subs, battleships die with one hit.

i played the board game in the early 90s, IIRC that was 2nd edition rules.

thanks for doing this LM! it should be a blast!

[LordMortis]

just so that i'm clear... USSR *can* attack on turn 1, no german super subs, battleships die with one hit.

i played the board game in the early 90s, IIRC that was 2nd edition rules.

thanks for doing this LM! it should be a blast!

correct on all counts with not special rules.

Screwtape is now Germany unless there are any objections.

Bakhtosh
El Guapo - Japan
Redfive - not UK
chonpokguy
Screwtape - Germany

[LordMortis]

BTW the dicey server needs no registration to use. You can experiment with it now by not entering email addresses and a game number.

The premise something comes up to roll on you go there and the server sends out results. You keep rolling until you resolve what you are doing... tech rolls, combat, withdraw, etc...

It will be up to the player rolling to determine if he has to fly over AA guns, etc as they will be able to pretty much take their entire turn without interaction.

[Austin]

If LM is running this should he start a new thread for updating the Title/first post with rules and such?

[Redfive]

Since things are starting to come together and the Axis have been taken I'll go ahead and claim Russia since I can attack 1st turn

[El Guapo]

Since things are starting to come together and the Axis have been taken I'll go ahead and claim Russia since I can attack 1st turn

You are Redfive

[chonpokguy]

i'll play either one that is left.

which would be better for a noob?

[LordMortis]

i'll play either one that is left.

which would be better for a noob?

The UK and and the US are the two hardest nations to play IMO. (But then I am one of the few players who believes the Axis powers are advantaged in the game) The UK has be malleable and change their game plan a lot depending on the luck of the turn and the US has to plan their mobilization out two turns in advance and coordinate with both her allies, sometimes giving up control of troops (which the don't have rules for in the computer game, do they?) and sacrificing personal momentum to do air raids.

I'll post the shell of the game later today in a new thread. The setup is already in the first image I took of the board (short of the starting IPCs)

I'll post a turn order and a link to the starting cards of each player in the new thread.

[Redfive]

i'll play either one that is left.

which would be better for a noob?

The UK and and the US are the two hardest nations to play IMO. (But then I am one of the few players who believes the Axis powers are advantaged in the game) The UK has be malleable and change their game plan a lot depending on the luck of the turn and the US has to plan their mobilization out two turns in advance and coordinate with both her allies, sometimes giving up control of troops (which the don't have rules for in the computer game, do they?) and sacrificing personal momentum to do air raids.

I'll post the shell of the game later today in a new thread. The setup is already in the first image I took of the board (short of the starting IPCs)

I'll post a turn order and a link to the starting cards of each player in the new thread.

I tend to agree with LM's take except I think the allies w/ 1st turn Russian attack have the advantage.

[Bakhtosh]

I'll take US

[Bakhtosh]

i'll play either one that is left.

which would be better for a noob?

I think with 2 vets on your team, we can give you some good advice about how to play the UK.

[El Guapo]

i'll play either one that is left.

which would be better for a noob?

The UK and and the US are the two hardest nations to play IMO. (But then I am one of the few players who believes the Axis powers are advantaged in the game) The UK has be malleable and change their game plan a lot depending on the luck of the turn and the US has to plan their mobilization out two turns in advance and coordinate with both her allies, sometimes giving up control of troops (which the don't have rules for in the computer game, do they?) and sacrificing personal momentum to do air raids.

I'll post the shell of the game later today in a new thread. The setup is already in the first image I took of the board (short of the starting IPCs)

I'll post a turn order and a link to the starting cards of each player in the new thread.

I tend to agree with LM's take except I think the allies w/ 1st turn Russian attack have the advantage.

I don't think are really that hard - the U.S. has to have more patience than the others and plan ahead, simply because they're much farther away from everyone.

The U.K's a bit more complicated in that they can have three fronts (Europe, Africa, and to a lesser extent east asia, depending on how the U.K. wants to play it).

Either way, it's not something a newbie can't handle, especially with veteran advice here and there.

I agree with Redfive that the allies are definitely advantaged under the basic (1st turn Ruskie attack) rules, but not drastically so - I've certainly seen the Axis win in several games.

[LordMortis]

Teams are set then. I'll get things up and going when I get home.

Good luck everyone.

[chonpokguy]

Teams are set then. I'll get things up and going when I get home.

Good luck everyone.

Sounds good!

While a noob on A&A, i have played many other strat/board games like Twilight Imperium, Risk, Setters etc.

Now looking into Starcraft.

[LordMortis]

Now looking into Starcraft.

And you need to post a review after you've played. We went to a con and looked at the box and bits but decided we didn't want to give it the time to learn how to play at the time.

[Redfive]

Nice. Looking forward to getting started.

[Redfive]

LM stills needs email addresses from a couple of people..let's get them to him so we can get started!

[chonpokguy]

LM - Just sent mines!

My email was never setup for i never got the PM email.

[LordMortis]

Autoforwards are set up (I hope. woway's webclient is a bit goofy). I'll see if I can start the new thread today while at work with initial setup stuffs.

The diceyserver is simple but not intuitive. I suggest faking a turn to get the feel for things. There are help links on each page as well.

The beauty of this will be that the only thing I'll be needed for after we get started is to update the the general look of the game (Map, IPCs, pointes, etc...) You will be able to feel free to take turns without me.

[Bakhtosh]

I thought I'd put discussion of the GamesByEmail website here.

There are a few quirks with the tool.

One that may be unresolved is extending the range of your fighters by moving a carrier that has fighters on it that have already landed. This hasn't been tested and confirmed as a problem, but can be addressed.

Almost all of them have been addressed in the FAQ:

Take your time!
W.W.II is a big game, and it's play was designed to be unforgiving of mistakes and inattention (as a war game should be!). You have all the time in the world to make your moves, so be sure you use a good portion of it!

Read the prompts.
Until you get used to the interface, read each prompt carefully. Pay particular attention to the prompts that follow the mouse around. They let you know what phase of your turn you are in and what you need to do to progress.

General notes on moving.
The interface for this game is target-centric, not unit-centric. If you want to move a unit somewhere, do not click on the territory with the unit, click on the territory where you want the unit to go. Amphibious transport units should be brought to the sea zone first, and then unloaded (if desired) into an adjacent territory.

How can I go back to a previous screen?
Back buttons are available throughout the interface. However, if you are in such a state that you want to start all over, simply press the refresh button in your browser. As long as you have not completed your turn, that will take you as far back as possible, either to the start of your turn or to the last dice roll. You can then start over from that point.

How can I see the map behind a box?
Any time there is an unmovable box over the map, you can hold down a CTRL key to temporarily hide the box and use the mouse to see units in territories. When the CTRL key is released, the box will reappear in its same state. This is easier than undoing moves!

How do I attack?
Click the territory you want to attack. All units in range and not committed elsewhere will show up in the list, and you move the number you want with the and buttons. Use the "Preview Battle Board" link often (at bottom right of combat moves box), which is handy to see how your units will stack up against the defender.

How do I amphibious assault?
First, your transports must be loaded and moved to the adjacent sea zones. To do this, click on the sea zone adjacent to the territory you are going to attack and you will see a list of transports within range. For each one, click the "Load & Move" button. This will show you which unit combinations are available for loading to the transport. Choose the one you want. Repeat this for each transport you wish to amphibious assault with. Second, move your battleships into the same sea zone for their one shot support attack. Repeat the first and second steps for each adjacent sea zone you will mount attacks from. When you have all your sea units loaded and in place, click each territory you want to amphibious assault. Do not forget to do this part! You will see the transports in the list, with the units available for unloading. For each, choose the number you want to assault with. Although the units are marked for the assault, they will not actually move into the territory until the "Resolve Combat" phase. The game does not assume an amphibious assault simply because a transport was moved adjacently, you must remember the previous step for each territory! When you click on the territory to resolve combat, you will be prompted to resolve any sea battles with amphibious assault units first. Then you will be prompted to unload your units and commit to the assault, and available battleships can be committed for their one shot support attack. After the units are unloaded and the first dice are thrown, any units not committed cannot participate or be reallocated.

How do I blitz?
To blitz an enemy territory, click the enemy or neutral territory you want your tanks to end up at. Tanks that can blitz an intermediate territory will show an option to do so. Choose at least one from that option when moving the units.

How do I blitz and return to a friendly territory?
To blitz an enemy territory and move to a friendly territory, click the friendly territory you want your tanks to end up at (even if it's the same one they are starting from). Tanks within range and the territories they can blitz are shown, choose at least one from the desired options.

How do I conduct a strategic bombing raid?
To bomb an industrial complex, click the enemy territory. Bomber units within range will show options to conduct regular attacks and strategic bombing raids. There may be more than one strategic bombing raid option per unit depending on range and number of antiaircraft guns along the route. Move the number of bombers from each option that you want to participate.

How do I coordinate a fighter with a carrier?
The important part to remember here is to move the carrier first. Before you move your fighter to its combat zone or destination, first move the carrier it will land on to the sea zone where you plan on picking up the fighter. This allows moves that might not be available otherwise due to the "no kamikaze" rule.

How do I transport units?
First, your transports must be loaded and moved to the sea zones. To do this, click on the sea zone where you want the transport to end up at and you will see a list of transports within range. For each one, click the "Load & Move" button. This will show you which unit combinations are available for loading to the transport. Choose the one you want. Repeat this for each transport you wish to move. If you wish to then unload into an adjacent territory, click the territory you want to unload to. You will see the transports in the list, with the units available for unloading. For each, choose the number you want to unload. Although the units are marked for unloading, they will not actually move into the territory until the "Non-Combat Movement" phase is complete.

When and to where do defending submarines retreat?
Defending submarines will automatically retreat if all the following conditions are met:
• The sea zone is being attacked by air units only.
• The submarine is not absorbing hits for any other unit.
• An adjacent sea zone is uncontested.
If all conditions are met, the defending submarine will retreat to the adjacent uncontested sea zone that has the most friendly units. If more than one sea zone has this number of units, the submarine will retreat to the one that brings it geographically closer to it's capitol.

How do I choose the aircraft with the least range to be hit?
When you choose an aircraft to be hit when resolving combat, the aircraft of that type with the least range is removed first. For example, if you have a fighter with a remaining range of 3 and a fighter with a remaining range of 1 in a battle, and you select one fighter as hit, the fighter with the range of 1 is removed, regardless of which of the two fighter icons was selected. This does not apply when resolving antiaircraft gun casualties, where each aircraft rolls its own fate.

How do I retreat my units during an amphibious assault?
You can not retreat any units from an amphibious assault. All units, including air units and land units not brought by transport, must fight to the death.

How do I know what technologies a player has developed?
If a player has developed a technology, a unit representing that technology will appear under their title at the top of the board. In addition, the improved units will look different on the board.

Pay particular interest to Blitzing and Amphibious Assaults.

The link to the FAQ is in the top left corner of the web page.

Another important tool is a summary of what happened since your last turn. This is in the top right corner of the page. It opens another window and you can either step through them using the interface, wich advances the map, or you can read the text in the bottom frame (I find this to be more informative).

One thing I want to discuss: do we want to keep the game status on the forums? If we do, then we'll want to screen capture the game board and post the image here, along with the text summary. Maybe we let one person do this once per turn, so if the person playing UK is selected as the game's information officer, before his turn, he posts the map as it stands before he takes his move, and the text from the previous moves. It would look something like this:

58. BEGINNING OF TURN for United Kingdom.
Did not research developments.
Purchased the following units for 24 I.P.C.s: 3 Infantry, 1 Bomber.
Moved transport 1 space from Eastern Canada Sea Zone to United Kingdom Sea Zone, picking up 2 Infantry from United Kingdom.
Assigned 2 Infantry units from United Kingdom Sea Zone to amphibious assault Western Europe.
Moved 1 Bomber unit 2 spaces from United Kingdom to Western Europe, over 1 antiaircraft gun.
Moved 2 Fighter units 2 spaces from Gibraltar to Western Europe, over 1 antiaircraft gun.
Moved 1 Fighter unit 2 spaces from Karelia S.S.R. to Western Europe, over 1 antiaircraft gun.
Moved 1 Fighter unit 2 spaces from United Kingdom to Western Europe, over 1 antiaircraft gun.
Moved 1 Bomber unit 2 spaces from Karelia S.S.R. to Germany for a strategic bombing raid, over 1 antiaircraft gun.
1 air unit flew over 1 antiaircraft gun on their way to Germany, resulting in 0 hits with the following rolls: 2

59. 1 bomber dropped 1 bomb on the industrial complex in Germany, resulting in 1 damage, and Germany surrendered 1 I.P.C. to the bank. Bomb rolls: 1

60. 5 air units flew over 5 antiaircraft guns on their way to Western Europe, resulting in 0 hits with the following rolls: 2,3,3,2,3

61. Resolving combat in Western Europe.
Unloaded 2 Infantry units from United Kingdom Sea Zone for amphibious assault to Western Europe.
Attacker with 7 units got 3 hits with the following rolls: 6,4,2,5,1,6,1
Defender with 2 units got 0 hits with the following rolls: 4,6

62. Defender removes 2 units from Western Europe.
Western Europe captured.

63. Landed 1 combat bomber (range 4) from Germany 2 spaces to Karelia S.S.R..
Landed 1 combat bomber (range 4) from Western Europe 2 spaces to Karelia S.S.R..
Landed 4 combat fighters (range 2) from Western Europe 2 spaces to Karelia S.S.R..
Moved transport 2 spaces from India Sea Zone to Mozambique Sea Zone.
Moved 1 Armor unit 2 spaces from Eastern Canada to Alaska.
Moved 1 Infantry unit 1 space from Western Canada to Alaska.
Placed 3 new Infantry units in United Kingdom.
Placed 1 new Bomber unit in United Kingdom.
Ended turn with an N.P.L. of 27 and collected 27 I.P.C.s from the bank.
END OF TURN for United Kingdom.

64. BEGINNING OF TURN for Japan.
Did not research developments.
Purchased the following units for 31 I.P.C.s: 2 Submarine, 1 Industrial Complex.
Moved transport 0 spaces from Japan Sea Zone to Japan Sea Zone, picking up 2 Infantry from Japan.
Moved transport 0 spaces from Japan Sea Zone to Japan Sea Zone, picking up 2 Infantry from Japan.
Moved 1 Fighter unit 1 space from French Indo-China/Burma to Sinkiang.
Moved 1 Infantry unit 1 space from China to Sinkiang.
Moved 1 Infantry unit 1 space from India to Persia.
Moved 1 Bomber unit 1 space from Kwangtung to Manchuria.
Assigned 2 Infantry units from Japan Sea Zone to amphibious assault Manchuria.
Assigned 2 Infantry units from Japan Sea Zone to amphibious assault Manchuria.
Persia captured.

65. Resolving combat in Sinkiang.
Attacker with 2 units got 1 hit with the following rolls: 3,1
Defender with 1 unit got 0 hits with the following rolls: 6

66. Defender removes 1 unit from Sinkiang.
Sinkiang captured.

67. Resolving combat in Manchuria.
Committed 1 battleship from Japan Sea Zone for one shot support attacks on Manchuria.
Unloaded 2 Infantry units from Japan Sea Zone for amphibious assault to Manchuria.
Unloaded 2 Infantry units from Japan Sea Zone for amphibious assault to Manchuria.
Attacker with 6 units got 0 hits with the following rolls: 5,5,6,5,5,5
Defender with 3 units got 0 hits with the following rolls: 4,4,5

68. Attacker with 5 units got 2 hits with the following rolls: 5,2,3,1,1
Defender with 3 units got 0 hits with the following rolls: 5,6,4

69. Defender removes 2 units from Manchuria.
Attacker with 5 units got 1 hit with the following rolls: 2,3,3,5,1
Defender with 1 unit got 0 hits with the following rolls: 5

70. Defender removes 1 unit from Manchuria.
Manchuria liberated, returning to Japan's control.

71. Landed 1 combat bomber (range 5) from Manchuria 2 spaces to Japan.
Landed 1 combat fighter (range 3) from Sinkiang 1 space to India.
Placed 2 new Submarine units in Japan Sea Zone.
Placed 1 new Industrial Complex unit in India.
Ended turn with an N.P.L. of 33 and collected 33 I.P.C.s from the bank.
END OF TURN for Japan.

72. BEGINNING OF TURN for United States.
Did not research developments.
Purchased the following units for 35 I.P.C.s: 2 Infantry, 1 Armor, 3 Transport.
Moved 1 Battleship unit 2 spaces from Eastern U.S.A. Sea Zone to United Kingdom Sea Zone.
Moved transport 2 spaces from Eastern U.S.A. Sea Zone to United Kingdom Sea Zone, picking up 2 Infantry from Eastern U.S.A..
Moved transport 2 spaces from Eastern U.S.A. Sea Zone to United Kingdom Sea Zone, picking up 1 Armor from Eastern U.S.A..
Moved 1 Fighter unit 4 spaces from Western U.S.A. to Western Europe.
Landed 1 Armor unit from United Kingdom Sea Zone to Western Europe.
Landed 2 Infantry units from United Kingdom Sea Zone to Western Europe.
Moved 1 Bomber unit 4 spaces from Eastern U.S.A. to United Kingdom.
Moved 1 Infantry unit 1 space from Western Canada to Alaska.
Placed 2 new Infantry units in Eastern U.S.A..
Placed 1 new Armor unit in Eastern U.S.A..
Placed 3 new Transport units in Eastern U.S.A. Sea Zone.
Ended turn with an N.P.L. of 32 and collected 32 I.P.C.s from the bank.
END OF TURN for United States.

73. BEGINNING OF TURN for U.S.S.R..
Did not research developments.
Purchased the following units for 30 I.P.C.s: 5 Infantry, 3 Armor.
Moved 2 Fighter units 1 space from Karelia S.S.R. to Eastern Europe, over 1 antiaircraft gun.
Moved 3 Armor units 1 space from Karelia S.S.R. to Eastern Europe.
Moved 1 Armor unit 2 spaces from Caucasus to Eastern Europe.
Moved 2 Armor units 1 space from Ukraine S.S.R. to Eastern Europe.
Moved 2 Infantry units 1 space from Ukraine S.S.R. to Eastern Europe.
2 air units flew over 2 antiaircraft guns on their way to Eastern Europe, resulting in 1 hit with the following rolls: 4,1

74. Attacker removes 1 unit from Eastern Europe.

75. Resolving combat in Eastern Europe.
Attacker with 9 units got 4 hits with the following rolls: 5,4,4,5,1,1,1,4,2
Defender with 9 units got 2 hits with the following rolls: 2,4,6,6,4,5,2,5,5

76. Defender removes 4 units from Eastern Europe.
Attacker removes 2 units from Eastern Europe.
Attacker with 7 units got 4 hits with the following rolls: 2,2,5,4,3,3,6
Defender with 5 units got 1 hit with the following rolls: 6,3,5,6,1

77. Defender removes 4 units from Eastern Europe.
Attacker removes 1 unit from Eastern Europe.
Attacker with 6 units got 1 hit with the following rolls: 4,4,4,4,6,3
Defender with 1 unit got 1 hit with the following rolls: 2

78. Defender removes 1 unit from Eastern Europe.
Attacker removes 1 unit from Eastern Europe.
Eastern Europe captured.

79. Landed 1 combat fighter (range 3) from Eastern Europe 1 space to Karelia S.S.R..
Moved 1 Infantry unit 1 space from Soviet Far East to Yakut S.S.R..
Moved 1 Infantry unit 1 space from Caucasus to Russia.
Placed 2 new Infantry units in Karelia S.S.R..
Placed 3 new Infantry units in Russia.
Placed 3 new Armor units in Karelia S.S.R..
Ended turn with an N.P.L. of 30 and collected 30 I.P.C.s from the bank.
END OF TURN for U.S.S.R..

80. BEGINNING OF TURN for Germany.
Did not research developments.
Purchased the following units for 33 I.P.C.s: 11 Infantry.
Moved 3 Bomber units 1 space from Germany to Western Europe, over 1 antiaircraft gun.
Moved 3 Infantry units 1 space from Germany to Western Europe.
Moved 1 Armor unit 2 spaces from Kenya/Rhodesia to Kenya/Rhodesia, blitzing Union of South Africa.
Union of South Africa captured.
3 air units flew over 3 antiaircraft guns on their way to Western Europe, resulting in 0 hits with the following rolls: 4,3,6

81. Resolving combat in Western Europe.
Attacker with 6 units got 8 hits with the following rolls: 3,1,1,3,2,2,6,3,3,6,2,6
Defender with 6 units got 3 hits with the following rolls: 2,2,5,3,6,4

82. Defender removes 6 units from Western Europe.
Attacker removes 3 units from Western Europe.
United Kingdom retains control of Western Europe.

83. Landed 3 combat bombers (range 5) from Western Europe 1 space to Germany.
Moved 1 Fighter unit 4 spaces from Anglo-Egypt/Sudan to Germany.
Placed 11 new Infantry units in Germany.
Ended turn with an N.P.L. of 28 and collected 28 I.P.C.s from the bank.
END OF TURN for Germany.

[chonpokguy]

Maybe who ever is free around their turn who do not mind posting updates can post?

(At night i have more time then during the day)

A Before and After of their turn? and whatever else? heh

[Bakhtosh]

The only real reason to post anything on the forums is to keep non-participants updated on the progress of the game, should they want to follow along.

[Remus West]

The only real reason to post anything on the forums is to keep non-participants updated on the progress of the game, should they want to follow along.

You are more likely to get new players if they can follow the action of this game.

[El Guapo]

U.S.'s turn.

Maybe we post a screenshot at the end of each round (all players having gone) and people can post thoughts/impressions on the game so far, as we go along.

[Remus West]

Bump