I look at a few different things before I commit to a KJF game as the US player.
First thing I need to see is if my allies are leaning that direction and how heavy. It’s one thing to say it and it’s another to commit to it.
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I would like to see Russia do something besides consolidate forces close to Moscow and write off the Far East as a loss. Maybe send 1-2 INF to Sinkiang and mass the Far East units in Yakut. Granted that’s not much but it may be all Russia can do.
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I would like to see the UK player attempt to disrupt Japans flow of traffic. I would like to see the Japanese transport in SZ 59 gone. (Limiting Japan to only sending two units to the mainland on the first turn.) I also want to see where they send the Indian and Australian Navies.
If I don’t get a warm fuzzy from my allies the deal’s off and I’m heading to Berlin.
Next thing I look at is what Japan does.
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Japan should no matter what do the pearl attack and invade China. I’m not saying they are limited to those moves but those are the basics. If Japan doesn’t do that he/she isn’t an experienced player and now I stand a better chance in the Pacific.
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The China invasion is more important then some might think. If Japan is moving heavy into Asia that means the US may have an opportunity (maybe just for a few rounds) to have an upper hand in the pacific.
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I would love to see Japan build an IC on their first turn. Japan should always wait at a minimum for the second round (preferably the third or fourth) before making this purchase. One reason is they may not have to buy one at all if they could take the UK’s in India. Second they don’t know how the first round is going to play out yet. Watching the allies will help Japan decide to go on the offensive (and build one further away from home) of brace for impact (Build one closer to home if at all).
I think that the Axis always have the upper hand in the Pacific the same way the Allies have the upper hand in Europe. It’s all based on you ability to get boots on the ground. In Europe Russia and the UK are right there. In the Pacific the allies have to import every thing until they can secure an area to build an IC.
Another point worth mentioning is that the US player is the most powerful in the game. It doesn’t make sense to let the superpower turn into a mega-superpower with two crippled allies. Case and point reference topics about what allied player should take Norway when playing a KGF game.
Here’s the nutshell version. I never sit down to a game as the US player before Russia rolls his/her first dice and say to my self I’m going for Japan first. Taking Japan first is very difficult since the US is basically on their own since it will take every thing the UK and Russia can muster to marginalize the losses to Germany until the US gets into theater.
Any player in the game needs to attack like water. Take the path of least resistance.
LT