L' Axis & Allies (Turn 5 Continued)

Coming back to the game after the night, we return to Japan's turn. If you're just arriving, click back through the blog until you get to a post not instructing you to click back through the blog.

The main news of the day is the reentry of Zerg_Rush on the allied side.

Japan

Japan has a Korean invasion to take care of, and various fleets. And plenty of ground forces in china to pick off.

Japan sends it's land units to hit the remaining Chinese forces. This leaves Japan (after a successful battle) with two tanks on the border with Russia, opening up some traditional Russia ganking for next turn. Doesn't work nearly as well this game since Siberia just doesn't have the IPCs it used to. Even so, the allies on the mainland are merely treading water until Japan finishes them off. Japan still has a stream of tanks being produced on the mainland, while Britain East can manage three infantry every two turns.

In the sea, the Japanese fleet by the Phillipines swings down and hits the ANZAC submarines. This will force the American fleet down to Australian waters or the allies will sacrifice the ANZAC transports.

The Japanese fleet retakes the sea of Japan and Korea with very few casualties. If the game lasts another turn things will happen, interesting things in this game.

Britain (West)

In Africa, the Sudanese army attacks Cairo. The Italians mount a successful defense, surviving with only one fighter.

Britain launched simultaneous sea assaults on Normandy, Denmark and Holland. The assaults are successful.

Britain (East)

Purchases a transport. Moves it's ground units into the Shen state.

ANZAC

ANZAC does a fighters sweep on the Japanese fleet; loses four fighters, kills a destroyer and a submarine.

Italy

Italy gets one hit, the American infantry hit twice. The Axis is unable to retake the Italian capital in anything like a reasonable time. Next turn America can upgrade the factory and build three tanks. The turn after that it's ten tanks, and continuously until Germany is utterly boned as well.

At this point, with the axis powers unable to shut off a stream of American tanks in Europe, the Axis concedes.

Japan is in a very good position; it's able to keep America at a standstill while finishing off it's other enemies. It's in position to take Hawaii, or land a tank in Alaska, or so forth. Britain built a transport outside India, but Japan would be able to wipe out any British units they could put on it. Japan has a couple tanks which can start ganking Russian back country. It can ignore the Russian troops retaking China for a turn or two; Russia isn't getting any IPCs from it and chinese infantry aren't much of a threat.

ANZAC still gets it's 15 IPCs a turn, but ANZAC has been spectacularly unsuccessful at turning those IPCs into a meaningful contribution to the war effort. The subs were unsuccessful, the transports were going to sink easy, and then it'd still be two turns before they could do anything. again.

Russia remains a tough nut to crack. Failing a Japanese ganking of Siberia, it'll take about eight turns for Germany to crack Moscow, which is entirely too long.

The British invasion of Holland, Denmark and Norway would refocus some German resources on the atlantic wall, but ultimately wouldn't be enough without the Yanks taking out Italy. The Africa campaign was stalling, which is about where they wanted it to be.

In the end, the gamestate devolved into several hold the line operations. Russia attempts to hold the line until Germany gets hit at Normandy. Germany attempts to hold the line at Normandy until it can take out Russia. Britain holds the line in Africa until the Americans can launch the operation Torch. Japan was trying to hold the line until it could gank the rest of the pacific countries. It looked like it the Axis were in a winning position, seeing as the Japanese ganking was the most successful on the board, as well as one of the better line holdings.

The axis was winning until the US got lucky with two attacking infantry killing two defending infantry. "I approve of dramatic reversals, but when a single lucky roll wins you the game from a generally losing position it makes for a bad day."