Axis & Allies FAQ for PC Copyright Hasbro Interactive Inc. 1998 Written By Brian P. Sulpher E-mail: briansulpher@hotmail.com Version 2.7 Dates Written: June 6th to June 8th, 2003 I dedicate this to Mr. Dave Rowat. if not for him taking the time to burn this CD for me, I would never get to have all this "NERDY" fun in this game for "NERDS ONLY"! Also, for Cougar, Howler, and Koonce. I miss you, and I hope you are living it up in the afterlife as you did in this world. You will always be in my memories, and you will never be forgotten. ----------- Version 1.0 ----------- -Submitted guide on June 8th ----------- Version 1.5 ----------- -Submitted guide on November 12th, 2003 -Added some information -Altered format -Corrected spelling ----------- Version 2.0 ----------- -Submitted guide on January 27th, 2004 -Added in some human strategies -Thanks to Michael Goettsche for the great strategies and views ----------- Version 2.5 ----------- -Submitted guide on April 13th, 2004 -Updated Japanese strategy (thanks to RJ PETERS for the contribution) -Altered format ----------- Version 2.6 ----------- -Submitted guide on March 5th, 2005 -I added in Honestgamers as a site allowed to use my FAQs -Also made some reformats and corrections ----------- Version 2.7 ----------- -Submitted guide on January 14th, 2006 -Performing some format alterations and doing some cleaning up within the text of the FAQ itself ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------Table Of Contents------------------------------ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) Introduction 2) Rules 3) Units 4) Weapons Development 5) Strategies 6) Final Word ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------Introduction--------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) War began in the fall of 1939, and Germany quickly rolled to victory after victory on continental Europe. They were allied with Japan and had a non-aggression pact with Russia as they fought Britain in the Battle of Britain. As the Battle of Britain swung to city bombing, Japan snuck attack Pearl Harbour on December 7, 1941 to bring the United States of America into the war with their full economy backing it. You enter the war in the spring of 1942 with Germany and Russia battling over the eastern front, Germany and Britain battling over the western front, Japan and the United States battling in the Pacific, and Japan and Russia beginning to skirmish across Asia. You are now in command of some (or all) members of either the Axis (Germany and Japan) or the Allies (Russia, Britain, and United States). Lead your side to victory or feel the shame of defeat as the opposing Generals gain control of your territories! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------Rules------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) This section will look at the default rules settings as well as the variations that can be put onto those rules. Thanks to www.axisandallies.net for the official rules. o------------------o | Balance of Power | o------------------o Many players have written to us about how the game seems slanted in favor of the Allies. Our best advice is the following: Very experienced Axis players have their best chance for victory if they play aggressively in the first few turns. The Axis powers, especially Germany, must attack swiftly before the Allies can use their strong economic backing to buy land and sea forces. Defensive play cannot be the watchword for the Axis powers if victory is to be theirs! o------------------------------o | More About the Gameboard Map | o------------------------------o The following clarifies some of the adjacency questions about land territories and sea zones. - The large Hudson Bay sea zone on the top left side of the board is adjacent to the Western Canada land territory on the top right side of the board. - The two Gulf of Mexico sea zones on the left side of the board are adjacent to the one sea zone surrounding the Mexico land territory on the right side of the board. [Clarification: This should read, The two Gulf of Mexico sea zones on the left side of the board are adjacent to the one sea zone surrounded by the Mexico land territory on the right side of the board (the Texas sea zone).] - The Japanese Kwangtung land territory is NOT adjacent to the sea zone surrounding Japan and Manchuria. - Unnamed islands like Sicily cannot be landed on. - Because the water surrounding Panama is two sea zones, it takes 1 movement to pass through the canal. - The blow-up boxes on the lower right side of the gameboard cannot be moved on or off from adjacent sea zones. For example, the sea zone surrounding New Zealand is adjacent to the two sea zones surrounding Peru and Argentian/Chile on the lower left side of the board - not to the blow-up boxes! o---------------------o | Weapons Development | o---------------------o Here are five important considerations: 01. To develop weapons, pay all the "research" money you wish to spend to the bank, then roll the dice you bought all at once. Do not roll one die at a time until you get a "6" and then pocket any of the leftover research money. 02. When you get a new weapon development, all of your present units of that type are immediately improved, not just the new ones you may purchase. 03. The industrial technology development does NOT reduce the cost of future development dice rolls from 5 IPC to 4 IPC. 04. Heavy Bomber development allows each bomber to attack with three dice instead of one die, either in a regular combat situation or in a strategic bombing raid against an industrial complexes; each heavy bomber continues to defend with one die. Jet power development allows each fighter plane to defend by rolling a "5" or less on the die instead of a "4" or less; each fighter continues to attack by rolling a "3" or less on the die. Super Submarine development allows each sub to attack by rolling a "3" or less on the die instead of a "2" or less; each sub continues to defend by rolling a "2" or less on the die. 05. Rocket development gives one of your antiaircraft guns rocket power once per turn. Unlike an antiaircraft gun, a rocket can move before combat and fire during combat. A rocket can also move during non-combat, if it has not just been captured, or if it has not fired. Rockets, like anti-aircraft guns, cannot fire while on a transport and they are destroyed only when they are sunk on a transport. If you capture an enemy rocket, you cannot move it on the turn you capture it; also, if you do not own rocket technology yourself, then the captured rocket is considered just a regular antiaircraft gun. o--------------------o | Anti-Aircraft Guns | o--------------------o Six important AA gun facts are: 01. If you capture an enemy AA gun during your combat movement, you cannot move that AA gun during the non-combat phase of the same turn. 02. If you move an AA gun into an ally's territory, it is still your AA gun to fire and move. If your AA gun is in an ally's territory, and that territory is attacked , you defend with your AA gun. If you liberate an ally's territory that has an AA gun and an industrial complex, the gun, the complex, and the territory all revert back to the ally's control. 03. Only one AA gun is allowed per territory. 04. You cannot place a newly purchased AA gun directly on a transport... it must be placed in a territory that you owned since the beginning of your turn. 05. An AA gun can be destroyed only if it is on a transport that is sunk. You cannot voluntarily destroy one of your AA guns... or any other unity you own. 06. Your AA gun fires only during an enemy's combat movement phase, when an enemy plane either flies to or flies over the territory where your gun is. An AA gun cannot fire at a plane during an enemy's non-combat movement phase (that's when a plane returns from combat). An AA gun, like a rocket, cannot fire while on a transport. o----------o | Retreats | o----------o There are four big things to remember: 01. Only an attacker can retreat. 02. A retreat can be made only after a defender defends after ANY round of combat. 03. An attacker cannot retreat from NOTHING... that is, if all the defending units are destroyed in the embattled territory or sea zone, then the attacking forces are stuck there, with no retreating allowed. 04. Partial retreats are never allowed except for subs. All attacking units must retreat together BACK to one adjacent friendly territory from which any one of the attacking units came. What follows are special retreating issues with submarines and air units. Submarine Withdrawing Subs may retreat as above, or they could "withdraw", which allows for some exceptions to the normal retreating rules. Sub withdrawal rules are: A. In combat, both attacking and defending subs can withdraw. B. Attacking subs can withdraw after any round of combat, and they do not have to retreat with other naval units. C. If an attacking sub destroys the enemy in a sea zone, it cannot retreat or withdraw. It is stuck in that zone. D. Partial retreats are allowed for attacking subs, because they do not have to retreat at the same time as other naval units nor to the same space. Here are more details: If retreating with other naval units, the attacking sub must withdraw BACK to one adjacent friendly sea zone from which any of the attacking units came. It does not have to retreat to the same sea zone as the other naval units. If there are several attacking subs in the force, they don not all have to withdraw at the same time on the same round. However, if several attacking subs do withdraw on the same round, they must all withdraw to the same sea zone. If several defending subs withdraw on the same round, they must also withdraw to the same sea zone BACK to one adjacent friendly or unoccupied sea zone. (Note: At the beginning of the game, the German sub in the Baltic Sea is trapped and has nowhere to retreat or withdraw). Subs cannot retreat or withdraw to a sea zone that is or was a battle site on the same turn! o-----------o | Air Units | o-----------o Retreating Bombers and fighters follow almost all of the standard rules of retreating. Some interesting cases follow: A. Attacking air units can retreat only after a defender defends. However, if an air unit attacks a sub, the sub cannot fire back. If the defending sub survives the first attack, it should withdraw. If it has nowhere to withdraw to, it will eventually be destroyed because it can never counter attack the air unit's attacks. B. Partial retreats are not allowed for air units. If other units in their attacking force retreat, they must also retreat. They do not, however, have to retreat BACK to one adjacent friendly territory, nor do they retreat at the same time as the other units! Retreating air units retreat only as many spaces as left in their flight range movement. Their retreat is considered the landing phase of their movement and must only be done in the non-combat move phase of their turn. Also, retreating air units can NEVER land in a territory that has just been captured. This includes "blitzed" territories. Additional Notes on Air Units: -As a defending unit, if a fighter plane is on a carrier that is attacked by an enemy sub, any hits made by the sub must be taken by the carrier. -Since the sub cannot fire at any air unit. The "hit" carrier cannot fire back because of the sub's special first shot attack , but the fighter does get to counter attack. The sub should then withdraw. After the battle, if the carrier is sunk, the fighter must then try to land somewhere in the same sea zone. -Either on another carrier or on a friendly island there. If it can't, the fighter is considered lost at sea. -The Suez Canal rule, which allows sea unit to move freely through the canal only if friendly, does not apply to air units flying over or through the canal. -If a fighter lands on a carrier, the carrier cannot move after the plane lands because this would extend the plane's movement. o------------o | Transports | o------------o Here are two important things about transports: 01. Transports are the only ships that can "bridge". 02. Transports are the only ships that cannot attack. o----------o | Bridging | o----------o If a transport is in a sea zone adjacent to two coastal territories, it can transport land units from one territory to another without moving. This is called "bridging". The maximum number of units that a transport can bridge in one turn is 1 tank or 2 infantry. You can bridge with a transport after it move; once a transport bridges, however, it cannot move again on that turn. You cannot use an ally's transport to bridge your own units in just one turn! Your units can, with permission, board an ally's transport on your turn. Then, on your ally's turn, the units are considered "carried across the water". ON your next turn, the units may be unloaded. Just remember, your cargo on board an ally's transport is always "moved" on your ally's turn, not on your turn. o--------------o | No Attacking | o--------------o Even though transports cannot attack, they can be moved into an attacking situation with other friendly attacking ships in order to take hits. Transports should not be moved into enemy sea zones by themselves, they have no attack capability and would be wiped out. o---------------------o | Amphibious Assaults | o---------------------o The only time a naval unit can fire at coastal land units is when a battleship takes part in an amphibious assault. The battleship must be in the same sea zone as the assault force to do so! Several battleships can be in the same assault and each one will have a special firing privilege called a one shot support attack. This means that each participating battleship gets one and only one shot (not one shot at each defender, and not one shot on each combat round). Once a battleship fires its one shot, it cannot be counter attacked by the defending land units! A battleship can be part of the assault force, be legally moved into the sea zone adjacent to the embattled coastal territory along with the accompanying transport(s) and land unit(s) and NOT be able to exercise its one shot privilege. This will happen if there are enemy naval units in the sea zone adjacent to the coastal territory. All attacking naval units in the assault force must first battle the enemy units in the sea and defeat them before the transports can unload the land units for the land battle. Once any battleship in the assault team is involved in a sea battle before the land battle, it gives up its one shot privilege (Note: You cannot willingly keep a battleship out of the sea battle so it can take part in the amphibious assault)! o-----------------------------------------------o | Can You Retreat During An Amphibious Assault? | o-----------------------------------------------o No! There is no retreating for the amphibious assault force. It is a fight to the death. This is an exception to the normal retreating rules. Any air or adjacent land units supporting the amphibious assault cannot retreat either. If your battleship fires and misses in a one shot support, you cannot abort your assault because your land units are already considered "landed" before your battleship fires! o-----------------------o | Carriers and Fighters | o-----------------------o Four important considerations: 01. If an ally's carrier is attacked when your fighter is on board, you defend with your plane on the carrier. In a multi-force defense, each defending player always rolls for his own defending unit(s). 02. If you have a fighter on one of your own carriers and it is flying out to attack, you must launch it before your carrier moves. Otherwise, if the carrier moved first with fighter on board and then the fighter moved, the plane's range would be extended illegally; the same rule applies during the non-combat phase. A carrier cannot move after a plane has landed on it, for it would extend a plane's range illegally. 03. You can land a fighter on an ally's carrier. To do so, you must land there on your turn, and you can take off on your next turn. While on the carrier, the carrier with the fighter can be moved by your ally on his turn. This does not illegally extend your plane's range, because the carrier is being moved on your ally's turn. 04. Kamikaze attacks by planes are NOT legal. The rule to remember is that you can always launch a plane if there is ANY legal possibility that it can return to a safe landing place by the end of its turn. Here's an interesting situation of a landing plan gone awry: You plan to move a carrier in your non-combat move into landing range for one of your attacking fighters. During battle, your fighter is destroyed. In this case, you do NOT have to move the carrier to the intended rendezvous zone. o-------------------o | Captured Capitals | o-------------------o If your capital is captured by the enemy, remember the following: -You lose all your IPCs. you must surrender them to the capturing player. -Any territories that you still own do not produce any IPCs for you until your capital is liberated by you or an ally. -When your capital is liberated, you do NOT get back the IPCs you originally surrendered. - and you cannot immediately collect income, either. After your capital is liberated, either of the following will happen: -Most likely, you will have no IPCs on your post liberation turn, so you can not purchase units now! You may, however, collect IPCs at the end of this turn, and then on your next turn purchase new units. -In the rare case that you captured an enemy capital while your capital was under enemy control, you would collect all the captured enemy's IPCs. This is the only way you could have any IPCs on your post liberation turn (since you surrendered your IPCs when your capital was taken). With the IPCs you could purchase new units on this turn, if you wish. o---------------------------------------o | You And Your Allies... Who Owns What? | o---------------------------------------o Situation: Your ally captures an enemy territory or a neutral territory and then the territory is recaptured by the enemy. If you recapture the territory, you control the territory, not your ally who first captured it! You cannot capture a neutral territory or an enemy territory that is now controlled by an ally. You can never give an ally anything: units, territories, or IPCs. o---------------o | Miscellaneous | o---------------o You can attack the same territory with bombers making both a strategic bombing raid and a normal air strike. You cannot, however, use the same bombers to do both attacks! Of course, you would conduct the strategic bomber raid first. A tank can blitz through a territory with an enemy AA gun and or industrial complex on it. Such a territory is not considered enemy occupied. Submarine's first shot attack: By following the naval sequence listed on your country's Reference Card, you will see that subs get the "first strike" attack at the beginning of EACH round of combat, not just the first. A captured enemy territory with an industrial complexes will give you limited unit placement capacity on your next turn. It will be equal to the territory's IPC value. This rule apples even if the complex was an original one (that is, one the enemy started the game with). You can put an industrial complexes in a neutral territory on a subsequent turn, and it can produce 1 units on the following turn. You can move no air units into a just captured territory during the non combat phase of the same turn, provided that these units did not engage in combat on that turn. Note the number of units per group. (Note: This rule is not applied to games played in the AOL A&A club). You may have as many of any type of unit in any number of groups that you wish. Varying units? Yes! There is some slight variance to the number of infantry units per country found in each game. Those are the regular rules. The following rules are specific parts of the game that can be altered to change the gameplay to what style you desire to play. o-------------o | Preferences | o-------------o These will not directly effect your gameplay, but they can add to your gaming experience or just tailor it to your liking. ======== Quick AI ======== This option begins as tagged OFF. When toggled, this option will cause the computer to make their unit purchase and combat moves immediately, followed by going right into the battles. If it remains off, turns will last much longer as you will see EVERY move the computer makes (which is useful). ========== Cinematics ========== This option begins as tagged OFF. When toggled, this option will cause the various cinematics within the game at certain points to play (they will match the various actions you are undertaking). This option will make the game longer. ========= Newspaper ========= This option begins as tagged ON. When toggled, this option will cause the game to generate a headline based on the country that has been making the biggest gains. The game stats will then follow this, showing various stats. A useful option to have ON as it allows study of the game's path. =========== Text On Map =========== This option begins as tagged OFF. When toggled, this option will cause the territories to have their names labeled on it as well as the IPC value of each territory (if applicable). An useful option, it will make your early games easier for yourself to understand as it makes gaining familiarity with the territories easier. ========================== Standard Roll & Quick Roll ========================== The Standard Roll is the preset choice, and it shows ALL of the dice being rolled in a battle as they tumble into place. The Quick Roll rapidly flashes the dice up on the screen. Both will get you through the battle, but Quick Roll will work MUCH faster, especially in the later battles with a large amount of units. o------------------o | Rules/Variations | o------------------o =============== Paratroop Units =============== This option begins as tagged OFF. When toggled, this option will allow the use a Bomber to drop ONE Infantry from the plane into an allies territory within range of the Bomber. The Bomber will not be allowed to be used in any attacks for the remainder of that turn. ============== Scorched Earth ============== This option begins as tagged OFF. When toggled, this option will allow the losers of a territory with an AA Gun and/or an Industrial Complex in them to purposely destroy these installations before the enemy gains full control of the area. Useful and quite frustrating, you will suffer as much as you will benefit from this rule. ====================== No Weapons Development ====================== This option begins as tagged OFF. When toggled, this option will allow the Weapon Development phase of a turn to be disabled. This means that NONE of the countries can gain the advantages these units offer. =========================== No New Industrial Complexes =========================== This option begins as tagged OFF. When toggled, this option will not allow the construction of ANY new Industrial Complexes. It is a harsher term for the Axis (especially Japan) than the Allies (only Britain suffers a little). ========= Kamikazes ========= This option begins as tagged OFF. When toggled, this option will allow the Fighters and Bombers to fly as far as they possibly can without worry of being able to return home (hence the name). This is useful to get that extra Bomber into a battle to shift the balance of power to the favour of your side. =================== One Panama Sea Zone =================== This option begins as tagged OFF. When toggled, this option will allow the melding of the two Panama Sea Zones into one. This will mean that it will require ONE movement point to pass through this area instead of the normal TWO movements points required. ============== Axis Advantage ============== This option begins as tagged OFF. When toggled, this option will allow the Axis to have some extra technology that the Allies do not start with. Germany will have Jet Power (Fighters gain an extra defensive point) and Japan will have Super Subs (their Submarines will gain an extra offensive point). This will make it tougher for the Allied troops to take down Germany AND withstand Japan Super Subs. =============== USSR Restricted =============== This option begins as tagged OFF. When toggled, this option will allow the Germans to not fear an attack from Russia on the Russians first turn. The Russians can not launch a shell against the Germans, allowing Germany the luxury of attacking first in the match-up (a definite advantage for either side in the conflict). ===================== Always Active AA Guns ===================== This option begins as tagged OFF. When toggled, this option will allow the AA Guns in a territory to be active when a plane flies into the territory (a battle), through the territory to a target, or coming back through to a friendly territory. A rule that really makes it tough to fly bombing missions on IPC's since your Bomber will often have to evade multiple AA guns (all of which have a 16% of shooting the Bomber down). =================== Two Hit Battleships =================== This option begins as tagged OFF. When toggled, this option will allow the Battleships that are patrolling the seas to be the only units in the game to be blessed with two hits instead of the usual one. This rule is often used as the Battleship is powerful and expensive unit that deserves an advantage for the large amount of IPC's that go into (24 IPC's!). o--------------------o | Victory Conditions | o--------------------o ======================== Capture 2 Capital Cities ======================== This option begins as tagged ON. When toggled, this option will allow the Axis or Allies to win, PROVIDED they capture two capital cities of their opponent's (at the same time they have two in their possession). This rule would seem to favour the Axis as they have three capitals to get two from, but that third capital means one viable force will always exist to stop the Axis. ============= Total Victory ============= This option begins as tagged OFF. When toggled, this option will allow the Axis or Allies to win, PROVIDED they capture two capital cities of their opponent's (at the same time they have two in their possession) AND their opponent is NOT occupying one of their capital cities at the same time. This rule would seem to favour the Axis as they have three capitals to get two from, but that third capital means one viable force will always exist to stop the Axis. ================ World Domination ================ This option begins as tagged OFF. When toggled, this option will allow the Axis or Allies to win, PROVIDED they capture ALL territories that their opposition own are liberated. This does not really favour either side, except that the Allies do have an extra capital to be captured (so they might have a slight advantage). ==================== ICP Victory (Allies) ==================== This option begins as tagged OFF. When toggled, this option will allow the Allies to win based on their economic conquests. They will need a set amount of IPC's (totaled from your territory holdings and NOT your bankroll) to be declared the victor here (110 is the default amount), but due to their excessive access to IPC's this is not an automatically used condition for victory. Please note that IPC totals can be adjusted to make the challenge easier or harder. ================== ICP Victory (Axis) ================== This option begins as tagged ON. When toggled, this option will allow the Axis to win based on their economic conquests. They will need a set amount of IPC's (totaled from your territory holdings and NOT your bankroll) to be declared the victor here (84 is the default amount), but due to their lack of ready access to IPC's this is an automatically used condition for victory. Please note that IPC totals can be adjusted to make the challenge easier or harder. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------Units------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) This section will cover all of the information prevalent to each unit. Keep in mind that the Attack and Defense ratings are based on the highest dice roll they can have and still inflict damage. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~ Land Units ~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ o----------o | Infantry | o----------o Cost : 3 Movement: 1 Attack : 1 Defense : 2 The base unit of any military force, these guys are cheap defenders that will keep your unit count high. They also make excellent cannon fodder for attacks so you do not have to sacrifice your more expensive (effective) units quickly. They are the poorest attacker in the game (with the exception of Transports), so do not expect them to carry your battle (they only have 1/6 of a chance each to land a killing roll). However, their cheap cost can allow massing of them that can cover their poor stats. o-------o | Armor | o-------o Cost : 5 Movement: 2 Attack : 3 Defense : 2 These rolling steel beasts are an upgrade on the Infantry in more than a few areas. Although they cost an extra 2 IPC's, they have an upgraded attack power that is THREE times that of Infantry (they have 1/2 of a chance each to land a killing roll). Their defense is equal to that of an Infantry, so try to avoid buying them in defensive situations where an Infantry would be better suited. They also have an extra movement point on Infantry so they can travel through two territories instead of one. This can be used in a combat situation where an enemy territory is undefended, and the tank can roll into the territory (called "blitzing"), followed by continuing to roll onwards (this will liberate the territory from the enemy to make it go to your side). the best land based attackers. o-------------------o | Anti-Aircraft Gun | o-------------------o Cost : 5 Movement: 1 Attack : 1 Defense : - A unit that can only be placed one in each territory, it will automatically fire at any enemy aircraft that fly through that territories airspace. Although it only has a 1/6 chance of destroying the enemy aircraft, the mere annoyance and loss of a powerful and expensive unit for the enemy makes these things extremely useful. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~ Sea Units ~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ o-----------o | Transport | o-----------o Cost : 8 Movement: 2 Attack : 0 Defense : 1 The workhorse of the sea, these units are of designed with defensive features only. They have no attack power, but they can carry 2 Infantry or 1 Tank for attacking the shores of enemy territory of reinforcing coastal territories held by your country or your allies. They also can be used quite effectively for taking hits for more expensive sea-going vessels like the Aircraft Carrier of the Battleship. Really useful for countries like Japan, Britain of the United States of America. o-----------o | Submarine | o-----------o Cost : 8 Movement: 2 Attack : 2 Defense : 2 These torpedoing ships can make for some deadly forces in the sea. They have the advantage of being able to strike a blow against an enemy ship without the enemy ship being able to retaliate. However, this advantage is off-set by their inability to attack airbourne craft like Fighters and Bombers (which can shoot the Submarines up with ease). To counteract this, after one round of a battle, your Submarines will have the option of Submerging (remaining in the current sea territory but leaving the battle), Retreating (they can escape to an adjoining territory), or remain (they will use their attack as usual). Submarines work well in packs, and they are really useful for aiding more powerful sea vessels like the Aircraft Carrier and the Battleship in defense and offense. o------------------o | Aircraft Carrier | o------------------o Cost : 15 Movement: 2 Attack : 1 Defense : 3 This elongated craft with the flattened surface is a terrible attacker with some good defensive capabilities. However, the real power in this vessel is it's ability to carry up to 2 Fighters on board it's deck, which can be scrambled to attack or defend along with the Aircraft Carrier! They do suffer while attacking (only 1/6 of a chance of landing a killing shot), the Fighters it can carry into a battle will make this a great unit to use. If you need to hold a sea territory, a fully loaded Aircraft Carrier will give you three units that have at least 1/2 of a chance of landing a kill shot (making for some heavy damage to your opponent's units). Definitely not a unit that should be sent along on attacks, it is an awesome support vessel fro both sea and air. o------------o | Battleship | o------------o Cost : 24 Movement: 2 Attack : 4 Defense : 4 The ultimate sea vessel, this behemoth costs the most of any unit in the game at a whopping 24 IPC's! However, with each one of these that your country has in the sea, you gain that much more defensive and offensive firepower (2/3 of a chance of a kill shot every time!). It is best to have one or two of these within a fleet of ships to blow away any attackers as well as leading the charge into the destruction of enemy fleets. They most definitely need to have Submarines or Transports around to serve as cannon fodder to protect your large economic investment. Very useful, very costly, and most importantly it is a very scary unit to have in any fleet on the sea. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~ Air Units ~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ o---------o | Fighter | o---------o Cost : 12 Movement: 4 Attack : 3 Defense : 4 These dog fighting specialists are a powerful tool in the war against your enemy. Whether on the attack (1/2 chance of a kill shot) or on defense (2/3 chance of a kill shot), this unit will knock a lot of enemy units out of the game. However, these units are somewhat expensive, so they are best used in situations where they can be protected by more expendable units like Infantry, Armor, Submarines, and Transports (not as a big of waste of IPC’s). Also remember that Anti-Aircraft Guns get first shot in a battle at these units without any fear for reprisal (against ANY unit of the enemy). o--------o | Bomber | o--------o Cost : 15 Movement: 5 Attack : 4 Defense : 1 This heavy ordinance airplane has a top attack power of 2/3 chance of a kill shot, making them a perfect support unit for an offensive attack. However, with their brutal defensive capabilities (rightly so as they are designed for attacking), you would be ill-advised to include this unit in a front line defensive. They also have a special use that can help your army, which is they can bomb for Ground Support (attack troops in a territory) OR they can bomb for Strategic Bombing (anywhere from 1 to 6 IPC’s can be removed from an enemy by bombing there capital). Also remember that Anti-Aircraft Guns get first shot in a battle at these units without any fear for reprisal (against ANY unit of the enemy). o----------o | Industry | o----------o Cost : 15 Movement: - Attack : - Defense : - This installation may seem to be of little use since it contributes nothing directly to battle, but it is in fact a very useful tool when properly used. When you buy one of these units, it has to be placed in a territory that your country controls that DOES NOT have an Industry to begin with (the only unit that can do this). Once you have placed this unit, you will be able to place units on the following turn within that territory, but only AS MANY AS the amount of IPC’s the territory produces. Japan and Britain benefit the most from doing this as they have island territories only to produce units in. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------Weapons Development------------------------------ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) This section will cover all aspects of the Weapon Developments, including the advantages of each. o-------------o | What is it? | o-------------o Right at the beginning of a turn, you will be offered the chance to roll some dice (up to six in one round) to roll a six. For every six you roll, your "research and development" teams will discover a new technology (the one that is unlocked is randomly determined). These technologies will often give your side an extra advantage that can swing battles in your favour. o-----------o | Jet Power | o-----------o When this technology is unlocked, Fighters will have their Defense upped to a rating of 5 (meaning that they will deliver a kill shot 5/6 of the time!). The extra maneuverability that the jet engines supply will account for their added defensive bonus. o------------o | Super Subs | o------------o When this technology is unlocked, Submarines will become more powerful attackers. They will go up one attack to a rating of three (they will now deliver a kill shot 1/2 of the time). A good way to make Subs a little more appealing to use and more effective as well in their killing. This can make a pack of Submarines an excellent fleet/invasion destroyer without them having to ever face a shot. o-----------------------o | Industrial Technology | o-----------------------o When this technology is unlocked, your units will cost one IPC less each. This means you can buy more units for the same price, allowing your country to get more units into the field. This also means that your enemies will be at a disadvantage as they pay full price for units while you do not. o---------o | Rockets | o---------o When this technology is unlocked, your country will gain a chance to deliver a Strategic Bombing attack once per turn without the worry of being shot down. You will be able to remove anywhere from 1 to 6 IPC's from an enemy by blasting them with Rockets. Please note that their capital must be in range of your rocket attacks to work. o---------------------o | Long Range Aircraft | o---------------------o When this Technology is unlocked, both Fighters and Bombers will get a more stream-lined design, allowing for further travel in a turn than the normal. Fighters will gain an extra territory worth of travel (upping them to five territories move per turn) and Bombers will gain an extra two territories worth of travel (upping them to seven territories per turn). This will also make your enemy have to fear extra attackers when a territory attack goes on. o---------------o | Heavy Bombers | o---------------o When this Technology is unlocked, Bombers will gain the ability to have four attacks in one round instead of a single one! With this great upgrade, a fleet of Bombers can wipe out a large number of units in a hurry. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------Strategies---------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) This section will cover strategies for each country. Any thoughts from the readers out there are welcomed at briansulpher@hotmail.com (I really need vs. HUMAN strategies, so those are especially welcomed). Keep in mind these strategies will be labeled CPU or HUMAN, as they apply. o-------------------------o | VS. Computer Strategies | o-------------------------o ====== Russia ====== 01. Russia (provided the restriction from attacking is not in place) should take over Eastern Europe on the first turn. 02. Russia should also consider retreating their forces in Asia as the Japanese forces tend to be too powerful. 03. The Russians have no need of their Submarine or Transport, so those two should be added to the British Fleet to bolster the strength of the fleet (as well as keeping the British's ability to land forces on continental Europe whenever they please). 04. Early on all the Russians need to do is buy Infantry and play defense while they slowly build their numbers. However, it is permissible to buy a few Fighters if Germany/Japan are not in the area threatening. 05. Once the Germans have been taken care of (your main drive as Russia), they should then begin to do Weapons Development as they sweep east towards Japan. 06. Russia can also send some troops (not too many to spare though) down into places like India or Africa to help out the Allied forces there. 07. If Germany and Russia are stale mating each other, Russia may wish to turn their attention towards the rest of Asia against Japan (especially if Japan is concentrating more on the Pacific front). ======= Germany ======= 01. Control the ocean territories around Britain. This will allow Germany to put less forces in Western Europe so they can concentrate more on Russia (the bigger threat). 02. Make use of your Fighters, Bombers, and Submarines to sink as many transports as possible when they near your territory. Keeping the Allies off of your territories will allow a faster expansion with minimal losses to you. 03. Africa begins the game under British control, but you can easily circumvent this with your troops that are there as well as bringing some units from Southern Europe. Africa allows Germany the IPC's needed to overwhelm Russia. 04. Peru is usually ignored by the United States, so take it with a few Infantry for some easy IPC's. 05. After crushing Russia, set your aim on getting into Eastern Canada with a significant force. The British will be too concerned about there home capital that you can keep them penned in while striking a SEVERE blow to the United States at the same time. 06. Mexico and Panama are also vulnerable to easy take over as the United States tends to keep them sparsely garrisoned. Only bring over significant forces if you believe they can stand up to the full brunt of the United States two Industrial Complex territories. 07. Remember that Western Canada can be landed in from the Atlantic Ocean thanks to 3rd edition rules. This means that a less garrisoned Western Canada could give Germany the foothold they need to start their conquest of North America. ======= Britain ======= 01. Africa is under their control to start, but they are under manned. Gain control of the seas and land forces there. After gaining a foothold, destroy the German units that populate the continent while garrisoning the northern shore of Africa to prevent easy entry onto the continent for the Germans. 02. If Britain's forces are being wiped out, make a fleet of Bombers to take away the IPC’s of Germany. This will lessen the amount of units that Germany can create, making it easier to weaken them for Britain and Russia. 03. Britain should be trying to break into Western Europe as it is usually the least garrisoned territory held by the Nazis. A viable alternative is to take Finland/Norway so the Russians can receive some land support from Britain. 04. If Russia needs it, re-enforce the Russian lines with Fighters and Infantry to stop or slow the German advance. 05. Australia has two Infantry resting upon it, and they are quite isolated from the rest of the forces of Britain. You may wish to sacrifice this territory by using the Transport near Africa to bring them to India or somewhere in Africa to be better used there (they will either be overwhelmed or do nothing in Australia). 06. A large set of Bombers/Fighters are especially useful for picking off
    stray Transports and Submarines that belong to Germany.  This will stop
    or slow their efforts of trying to get to the island in the North Sea.

07. Take control of the North Sea as soon as possible.  When you have your
    defenses set up to keep the Germans from the area, start producing your
    Infantry and Armors to use the Transports to land in Western Europe
    (Germany usually ignores this territory too much, leaving few units to
    garrison it).  This can also be altered to go through Finland/Norway,
    but try to do it with Western Europe for maximum disruption to the
    Germans power.


                                  =====
                                  Japan
                                  =====

01. Japan should use their first turn to sink as much of the American
    Pacific fleet as possible.  By dominating the Pacific, they can move
    across the Pacific to attack North America OR they can concentrate on
    taking Asia as they march to the eastern front of Russia.  Just note
    that land forces should also be moving into Asia during this turn,
    setting in motion the destruction of Russia.

02. Provided the above holds true, Japan can pressure Russia enough that it
    can take large areas of Asia from Russia.  This will make Russia lose
    troops as well as weaken their ICP base so they will fall easier to
    Germany.

03. A large supply of Submarines and Battleships with some Transports along
    as cannon fodder would be excellent for parking off the Pacific coast of
    the Western united States to stop them from getting a navy in the
    Pacific Ocean.  You can also block the Panama Sea Zone as well to
    further annoy there attempts at having a fleet in the Pacific Ocean.

04. Japan also does well to try and send some forces into Africa if they
    have Russia contained to help out the Germans with the weakening of the
    IPC situation of Britain.

05. Lot of Infantry and Transports can make Japan prosper quite nicely in
    the Pacific.  With so many units, it will not matter they have poor
    attack power with which to hurt enemies.  Numbers will win the fights
    and they just need to get a foothold in north america to launch an
    attack from.

06. Also note that Australia and New Zealand are easy pickings because the
    British will either remove the troops stationed there or not reinforce
    them in any way.

07. If you have the American fleet destroyed and their Pacific shipyards
    hemmed in, you can send a portion of your fleet into the Atlantic Ocean
    to annoy and harass the British fleet.  This will help to weaken British
    pressure on Germany as well as open more attack lanes on Britain for
    Germany.


                              =============
                              United States
                              =============

01. Taking control of the Pacific Ocean is a must for the United States.
    How easy that is to accomplish is based on the success/failure of the
    Japans fleet's attack on their first turn.  You should go with
    Transports and Submarines first to build your number of ships in the
    water (since they are the cheapest), and then add in a Carrier with
    Fighters and Battleships.

02. The American Transport on the Atlantic Ocean can be used to transport
    troops into Africa to support the British troops against the Germans.
    Just be aware that you will lose this Transport to some Fighter/Bomber
    attacks most likely.

03. The American Transport on the Atlantic Ocean can be used to transport
    troops to Britain or Russia.  If you can get them to Russia, it will
    help the fortifications against both Germany and Japan.

04. Having the most powerful economy (starts at 36 IPC's), the United States
    can really take off in the economic department by liberating the islands
    in the Pacific, Algeria and Lybia in Africa, and even Finland/Norway and
    Western Europe.

05. Try to keep the pressure on one opponent.  Pick between either helping
    Britain and Russia triple team Germany OR go after Japan alone.  Please
    note that the first option may lead to a quick defeat of Germany, it also
    has the potential of letting Japan take significant territories from the
    United States and Russia due to minimal resistance they would face.

06. If the United States gains a foothold in Asia, a good idea is to set up
    a couple Industrial Complexes there in Manchuria, Kwang Tung, and/or
    French/Indo China.

07. If the United States wishes to bypass the quagmire of Africa (thusly not
    assisting Britain’s IPC situation), they can take their transport right
    into Southern Europe as most of the time it does not have a fleet
    guarding it OR a decent garrison within the territory itself.  Just an
    advantage that can be taken by a heads up general (it is situational).


                       o----------------------o
                       | Vs. Human Strategies |
                       o----------------------o

                                  ======
                                  Russia
                                  ======

01. They must hold Karelia in force to protect against a German invasion of
    Russia (spelling disaster for the Allies).  They should only lose
    Karelia if: a) German offensive firepower was destroyed in the attack
                b) Russia can counterattack next turn and regain control in
                   force (5-7 Infantry remaining).

02. The above strategy should present a strong deterrant to Japanese
    invasion in Novosibirsk.

03. As always, Russia depends on quantity of their troops, not quality, so
    Infantry are all they need to buy.


                                  =======
                                  Germany
                                  =======

01. use the German airforce to keep the shipping lanes of the Atlantic free
    of the Allies transports.  If this is successful, then the Allies will
    not get the support from the United States that will allow Germany to
    dominate continental Europe.

02. Taking and holding Karelia will allow Germany to set up for the final
    push into a weakened Russia.

03. Buy about 2/3 Infantry, 1/3 Amors.  This will allow for any Russian
    attacks (Infantry taking the losses), while the Armors will build in
    numbers to help prepare for the invasions of Karelia/Russia.

04. If your above strategy is going really well, spend a turn on getting
    some Fighters/Bombers to help out the shipping lane massacres outlined
    in point 01.

                                  =======
                                  England
                                  =======

01. Buy a Carrier to hold US Planes to help get your Transports into the
    water in the Atlantic, allowing Britain to get soe pressure onto the
    Germans or to reinforce Karelia for the Russians.

02. India is the key to the British really helping to beat the Axis.  On the
    first turn purchase a Factory to put on India, all the while diverting
    Fighters through Russia to India.  Provided this works, you will be able
    to start placing three Armors in India per turn, allowing England to
    fight Japan for the Russians, lessening the dire straights that they
    face early on in the game.

                                  =====
                                  Japan
                                  =====

01. ALWAYS destroy the American Fleet in the Pacific Ocean.  This needs to
    be done so the United States can not start making gains in the Pacific.

02. Concentrate on taking out China (USA) and India (Britain) in your first
    two turns, elminating the support that can come from there for Russia.

03. Build a couple factories in Aisa, choosing a couple 3 IPC territories to
    allow Japan to make tons of Armors to take out Africa as well as harass
    Russia in an attempt to help out Germany.

04. Concentrate on Asia mainly, as the Axis taking Russia will ultimately
    lead to the defeat of the Allies.  Without Russia to pressure Germany,
    Germany can conentrate on Britain while Japan turns their sites towards
    toppling the U.S.A.

                              =============
                              United States
                              =============

01. Controlling the Atlantic will allow the United States to reinforce
    Africa as well as possibly buulding an invasion of Infantry to enter
    Westeren Europe.

02. Keep a decent sized fleet in the Pacific, remembering that the Japanese
    could invade your main source of IPC's in the Western/Eastern United
    States.

03. Help out the British by donating Fighters to their carriers (plan this
    out in advance), as it will allow the British to get their invasion
    fleet ready.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------Final Word----------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

6) As is the usual, this walkthrough is copyright property of Brian P.
   Sulpher, 2005.  The only website, group, person, etc. to have access to
   post it is www.gamefaqs.com, www.ign.com, and www.honestgamers.com.  You
   must ask for permission before posting this, as doing so without consent
   is a violation of international copyright law.

   If you liked it, hated it, have anything to add, then please E-mail me at
   briansulpher@hotmail.com.  You can also contact me through MSN messenger
   through the same E-mail address.

   A superbly great translation from the board game into a game that
   actually plays better/easier than on the board game.  Add in some great
   video, sound bytes, and stats reporting round by round attacks, and you
   have a great game that will rarely play the same way twice (even when it
   goes similar, the demise of a group of units can alter the outcome of
   turns to come)!