From: rpc@moscom.com (Robert Colbey)
Newsgroups: rec.games.board
Subject: Re: A&A Game Balance
Date: 23 Jan 93 14:25:31 GMT
Organization: Moscom Corp., E. Rochester, NY
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.3 beta PL7]

Student Class Account (f12008ad@triton.unm.edu) wrote:
:    What does Russia do when you choose not to attack.  It seems as though Russia is
: voluntarily surrendering an advantage.  Karelia will be vulnerable on turn 2 when
: Russia doesn't attack on turn 1.

On the opening move, Russia buys all infantry (no big surprise here, i trust),
and goes straight to non-combat movement.

On the Asian front, Russia combines all its forces into Yakut. Since infantry
are stronger on defense than offense, let the Japanese come to you. Yakut is
the best place to do this, because you can combine all available ground forces
there, and it's not on the coast, so the Japanese can't use amphibious assault.
The ground forces available to the Japanese in Manchuria are insufficient to
knock you out on the 1st round, unless Japan is willing to commit substantial
air power, which may result in the loss of Japanese planes, and precludes any
other offensive 1st round moves for Japan. Several different strategies for
Britain and the US work well in cooperation with this strategy to slow Japanese
expansion considerably.

On the European front, the Russian navy sails to Great Britain to add to
the defense of the British navy. All the forces in Russia and Caucasus,
except 1 infantry in each territory, are moved to Karelia. All the new
infantry are also placed on Karelia. Karelia is now strong enough that,
at the very least, Germany will need to throw all available resources
against Karelia to stand any chance of conquering it. If Germany follows
this course, it has committed itself to a European war whose only chance
of success is a quick knock-out of Russia, and is immediately caught in
the two-front war, since it will likely be unable to destroy the British
navy with ships alone. Even should Karelia fall to this 1st round assault,
Germany will likely not have many ground troops left, and Russia will be
able to place 8 infantry on Russia before Germany goes again. And Britain
may even be able to make an amphibious assault on Karelia to liberate it.
If Germany elects not to attack Karelia, it is constrained to commit a
substantial portion of its resources to defending its European territories
against the huge force massing in Karelia. Finland-Norway is cut off, and
should be taken over by amphibious assault by Britain or the US. Attacking
Russia through the Caucasus is also not an option, since Germany's forces
will have an extended line of supply vulnerable to attack from Karelia.

Admittedly, if 1st round attack attack by Russia is allowed, using the
sub and transport offensively in conjunction with the fighters against
the German Baltic fleet is better odds than defending Britain against
a German naval and air assault, but this assumes that Germany will commit
planes to the war at sea, which would take them away from the land war.
And, in my experience, the battle for Karelia is so close that I sometimes
send one of the Russian fighters to Yakut instead of Karelia. 

I play this strategy whether I am playing my house rules or the standard
rules. I have sometimes caused Axis players to crash and burn quickly
because they don't expect Russia to be so strong, and stay that way.
If playing the standard rules, I will build an American IC in Finland-Norway,
protecting Russia, and spelling big trouble for Germany.

Under the standard rules, Russia can, except with exception luck for the Axis,
always survive long enough for the other Allies to really get into the war.
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