Summary
Grand strategy games are a go-to fortabletop gamers. Wargames especially are a thriving genre on the tabletop scene, with many a night spent inside game stores, basements, and on kitchen tables devoted to beating your friends in a simulated military engagement. While there have been plenty of games in the genre over the decades, Axis & Allies is perhaps the most well-known.
First released in the 80s, changes have been made to streamline the game, and allow for more historical accuracy, but much of the game is still the same as it has always been. With people of all ages having tried their hand rolling the dice, one begins to wonder what the go-to strategies to win this World War Twogame of tacticsis?
7Long Game
Patience Is Key
A generic strategy, but one that can be helpful if you have multiple players at the table. Playing the long-game and focusing not on aggression, but survival, can see you lasting into much later rounds than more aggressive players.
This works best for smaller countries (power-wise), like China, India, or Italy. By biding your time and letting more heavy-hitting countries take an aggressive stance, you may build up your troops and maybe even make a decisive blow late in the game. All it takes is for one combat round to really take a turn, or an enemy to get side-tracked with one of your allies, and you have an opening late in the game to strike.
Examples of this are attacking the Japanese mainland as they focus on the U.S., or even going for a land-grab in Italy as tensions rise to the northwest.
6Blitz
Fast & Deadly
The Axis powers, most notably Germany, start the game in a more powerful position. Their economy and military size are already pretty well in full swing, so it’s best to strike early, and strike heavy-handed if you want to thin out your enemies and last into the mid-to-late game.
A blitzkrieg strategy is not only historically accurate, but it makes good use of the Germans' armored units. By backing them up with a handful of fighters, and some infantry to boost numbers and hold space, you’re able to cut a swath to the heart of many Allied countries, gathering more resources, and using them to bolster any lost units as you go.
Striking into the heart of Russia to try and overpower the Russians early (i.e. Operation Barbarossa), or south into the Middle East and Africa are the main directions to start pushing land units.
5Aid The U.S. & Russia
Lend & Lease
Allied strategy is a bit different than the Axis. Depending on the number of players, you may have the entirety of Allied countries under your control, or just one. Regardless, focusing your strategy for the Allies into the U.S. and Russia is key to surviving the early rounds of Axis onslaught.
Russia has the most land and miliary might early on in the game, Allied-wise. This means they are going to be one of, if not the main issue in Germany’s plans for the early game. Other European countries should do what they can to hamper and draw German attention, and overall communicate with their Russian allies.
The U.S. doesn’tstart off in wartime, but they have a powerful economy, and lend/lease capabilities. Allowing them to build up their forces and build up their tech tree and economy will allow them to enter the game later as a powerhouse in both theaters of war. Other Allied countries, China especially, should attempt to hold out and maintain control of key locations until the U.S. enters the game proper at the start of turn four.
4Operation Bagration
Fight Back
The actual name of Russia’s counter-offensive into Germany late in the war. Operation Bagration can be planned out with a fair amount of success, and with or without historical accuracy too.
The main idea is simple: a land-assault into the heart of Germany, straight for Berlin. Something that will probably be harder to accomplish early in the game as the bulk of the German military will be focused there. To have an easier time with Operation Bagration, and to make it more historically accurate, wait until the U.S. enters the war and then hit Germany from both sides. Once the Allies get a solid foothold in France, it should be much easier to split Axis attention between the two fronts.
This also assumes the Russian player can hold enough land, and maintain a strong amount of armored and infantry units.
3Japan’s Land-Grab
Land, Sea, & Air
Playing as Japan can be a difficult experience due to the U.S. and their delayed involvement, and the lack of locales that the island nation starts off with. With a little bit of aggression, and some smart economic choices, you can go far with Japan.
A more aggressive, albeit tempered, approach early on can help alot. With Japan’s already strong navy, and a couple of transports, you can quickly rush into India and China, taking some of the easier locations and placing infantry there for placeholders. Round two should be focused on building another airbase and a naval base somewhere in East Asia.
Assuming Russia doesn’t begin giving you a hard time and taking China goes easy enough, you should be able to quickly manufacture a sizable amount of air and naval power to confront the U.S. and their island hopping by round four.
2American Land Bridge
All Across Europe
Once America enters the fight, the Allied counter-attack really picks up speed, but as the U.S., it can be hard to figure out where to aim your troops. While Japan’s navy will take up a lot of your time, aiding the Europeans should also be a priority.
While sending troops up to Britain and France is one way, taking a longer route can also be helpful. Finding areas where you’re able to get a footing on land and then building bases to pump out more troops can be a viable strategy. Norway, the Mediterranean, and Africa are all solid places to funnel troops into. All depending on where the largest amount of German and Italian resistance is.
This could also cause any Axis troops to quickly pivot away from other key locations that the Russians or British could then exploit.
1Sea Lion
Historical Accuracy
A tactic that many players in the past few decades have become fond of when playing as the Axis forces. Operation Sea Lion is a tactic named after the real-life idea the Axis high command had in the Second World War.
The basis of which is a rush to the English Channel by Germany, which is then followed by a full-scale invasion of Britain. It can be a tough one to achieve, as you have to balance keeping the Eastern front stable, while also buying naval and aerial forces to move troops across the channel. If done right though, you can take out one of the major allied forces in just a few rounds. Leaving Russia and inevitably the U.S. without a major ally.
