Axis and Allies 1940 Combined Game
Sept 7, 2015 20:22:10 GMT -5
Post by captainecho on Sept 7, 2015 20:22:10 GMT -5
3 years ago, I asked for Axis and Allies Pacific 1940 for Christmas, and the year after that, I asked for Axis and Allies Europe 1940....and in all that time, no one would play it with me. In fairness, it is an all day or multi-day commitment. And it when I finally started to put it together, it took me nearly 2 hours.
My moment came this August when Rod agreed to take the reigns for the Axis, and allow us to refight the 2nd world war on a massive scale.
The board took up my entire dining room. And thanks to an understanding wife, I was able to leave it on pause after our first 5 hour session. Today we finished. and the pictures I show below are the final results in the many theaters of war that we fought over. I'll let Rod speak to his strategy and what he learned as we played, and I'll speak to mine.
My main focus was the United States. I hoped to build a base in the Phillipines, and use that as an operational platform to launch assaults on Rods island strongholds, until I was in a position to take Japan itself. I knew if I held CHina and denied him points, coupled with a land offensive east along the Burma/Indochina front with the British, I would be able to slowly crush him in the Pacific. Rod's massive early advantage in fleets finally culminated in a Turn 3 surprise attack and declaration of War on the US. My counterattack was swift, and my planes from Midway and Hawaii managed to destroy most of his surface fleet. But his 3 aircraft carriers, loaded with bombers and fighters were another story. had Rod brought along some landing craft with troops, he had a chance of seizing Hawaii or Midway, but without the means to control the islands, he was isolated, and strategically marooned in the eastern Pacific. We staged one final batter for the islands as we ended our third turn, just to see the carnage, and his 3 wounded aircraft carriers meant that no planes could be landed, destroying Japanese naval power in the pacific. To be fair to Rod, he never would have done that if we had planned to continue the game, but after 4 turns and around 8 hours of play, we needed to clean my dining room. So we called it quits.
Long term, I think British superiority in the Pacific combined with American industry could have ground down Japan.....but on other Fronts, Rod was on the verge of winning the game (shortened or not)
In North Africa, and the MEd, the Italians were triumphant, and thanks to some smart manuevers, good dice, and my stupidity, Rod's Italians made short work of the British 8th Army, capturing the Suez Canal, and leaving the door open to the domination of all of Africa. This sideshow of sorts, drained British resources, and kept them distracted while Germany did the majority of its dirty work in Europe
France Fell quickly, and no amount of reinforcements could save Stalin's belegured and purged army from the onslaught of hordes of huns.
By the beginning of turn 4, Leningrad and Moscow were open to invasion, and The Germans stood poised to gain the 6 cities they needed for victory.
Warsaw, Berlin, Paris, Cairo, Rome, Leningrad, Moscow.
In the atlantic, the US was making its way across, and the British and Soviet fleets had gained an advantage in ships over the Germans. But after examining the board, I'm convinced, given a few more turns, Rod would have had the cities he needed.
A great game, we hope to play Pacific on its own next time, and hopefully more will play with us!
My moment came this August when Rod agreed to take the reigns for the Axis, and allow us to refight the 2nd world war on a massive scale.
The board took up my entire dining room. And thanks to an understanding wife, I was able to leave it on pause after our first 5 hour session. Today we finished. and the pictures I show below are the final results in the many theaters of war that we fought over. I'll let Rod speak to his strategy and what he learned as we played, and I'll speak to mine.
My main focus was the United States. I hoped to build a base in the Phillipines, and use that as an operational platform to launch assaults on Rods island strongholds, until I was in a position to take Japan itself. I knew if I held CHina and denied him points, coupled with a land offensive east along the Burma/Indochina front with the British, I would be able to slowly crush him in the Pacific. Rod's massive early advantage in fleets finally culminated in a Turn 3 surprise attack and declaration of War on the US. My counterattack was swift, and my planes from Midway and Hawaii managed to destroy most of his surface fleet. But his 3 aircraft carriers, loaded with bombers and fighters were another story. had Rod brought along some landing craft with troops, he had a chance of seizing Hawaii or Midway, but without the means to control the islands, he was isolated, and strategically marooned in the eastern Pacific. We staged one final batter for the islands as we ended our third turn, just to see the carnage, and his 3 wounded aircraft carriers meant that no planes could be landed, destroying Japanese naval power in the pacific. To be fair to Rod, he never would have done that if we had planned to continue the game, but after 4 turns and around 8 hours of play, we needed to clean my dining room. So we called it quits.
Long term, I think British superiority in the Pacific combined with American industry could have ground down Japan.....but on other Fronts, Rod was on the verge of winning the game (shortened or not)
In North Africa, and the MEd, the Italians were triumphant, and thanks to some smart manuevers, good dice, and my stupidity, Rod's Italians made short work of the British 8th Army, capturing the Suez Canal, and leaving the door open to the domination of all of Africa. This sideshow of sorts, drained British resources, and kept them distracted while Germany did the majority of its dirty work in Europe
France Fell quickly, and no amount of reinforcements could save Stalin's belegured and purged army from the onslaught of hordes of huns.
By the beginning of turn 4, Leningrad and Moscow were open to invasion, and The Germans stood poised to gain the 6 cities they needed for victory.
Warsaw, Berlin, Paris, Cairo, Rome, Leningrad, Moscow.
In the atlantic, the US was making its way across, and the British and Soviet fleets had gained an advantage in ships over the Germans. But after examining the board, I'm convinced, given a few more turns, Rod would have had the cities he needed.
A great game, we hope to play Pacific on its own next time, and hopefully more will play with us!