Newsgroups: rec.games.board
Date: Tue, 10 Nov 1992 01:57:25 -0500 
From: "Timothy C. Worsley" <tw1r+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Re: A&A - Can Allies ever win (IIa)
Distribution: world

Excerpts from netnews.rec.games.board: 9-Nov-92 A&A - Can Allies ever
win (.. Ingolf Markhof@ls12r.inf (4021)


> 2) If you attack with infantry only, your attacking power will decrease
>    each round of attack. If you are attacking by a force of fighters and
>    infantry, a major part of your attacking power will come from the fighters.
>    But for casualities, you'll remove some infantry, of course. So, you're
>    attacking power will not decrease so much.


	Compare an attack with equal cost of each.  If you attack with 8 Inf,
and lose 4, you still have 4, and average 1.33 hits.  If you attack with
the fighter and 4 Inf, and lose 4, you only have the fighter left, and
average 1.16 hits.  Clearly, the Inf is better for attacking than the
fighters are.
	What makes fighters better is their versitility (They move faster and
can fight at sea.).  In the case of a Russian defense, Inf. are MUCH
better, because you're fighting a land war, and only moving one space. 
Do not waste Russian money on fighters.  


> 3) If you attack with infantry only, you'll need a lot of them. Let's say
>    gemany has 3 infantry in the Caucasus, and you're going to attack these.
>    The defending infantry will hit in average 3*(2/6)=1 of your units. If
>    you want to do this, you need 6 infantry: 6*(1/6)=1. But due to the 
>    variance (see 1), you might better send 8 or 9 infantry. This is more
>    than Russia can build in a turn! And this infantry will not defend
>    the Caucasus. Let's say you'll eliminate the 3 german units and there
>    are 5 of your units left. Germany will kill them by a combined infantry
>    and fighter attack! You have lost all 8 or 9 infantry to stop germany!

	You're pointedly ignoring 4 things.
1) If you each take one loss, then the defenders have lost 1/3 of thier
force, while you have lost only 1/6 or yours.  On each succesive roll,
you are doing better.
2) The importance of any move by Russia is to slow Germany by a turn. 
Even if you only have one Inf in a space, they can not blitz through,
and so you've delayed them.  In the meantime, your allies are gaining
more and more advantage over Germany.
3) Russia starts with tanks.  These can be used to strengthen an attack
and then retreated.
4) The troops in the Caucasus are not an immedeate threat.  The
important thing is to keep Germany from holding Eastern Europe.  He's
not going to mount any kind of attack with three Inf.


> 4) Fighters are double effective: You can use them to attack one area and
>    send them back to defend another. So, Russia can destroy german forces
>    in the Caucasus and defend Karelia with its fighters!


	Fighters are good units, but they just aren't what Russia is looking
for.  Russia's main stance should be defensive.  They need to hold
Eastern Europe long enough to build a deterent force of Inf in Karelia. 
Then they let British and American forces clean Germany's clock. 
Remember, the allies have more income than the axis.  If you can just
hold off the axis long enough to use it, you will win.  There is no more
cost effecive defense than Inf, so buy Inf.
	If, for some reason, you feel compelled to attack, at least buy tanks. 
They're a lot more cost effecive than fighters.  I'd still go with Inf
for Russia, though.

ZZnew guy