@joephillips There is no provision in the rules of the game for “annexing” territories. If you want to create house rules for this, it’s up to you what happens; however, when it comes to a hostile power, “annex” is just a diplomatic word for “attack”.
Carolines
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I’ve decided that from an allied standpoint attempting to pry the carolines from the Japanese is a waste of time. Infact I think that the Japanese player should hope that the allies, the US truly, will focus on taking the carolines. With an airbase, naval base, and superior Japanese income (inevitable unless the japaneses player is dumb) the US can never take the carolines no matter how hard they try. I have played many a game in which the Allies have lost because the US player wasted his time trying without success to take the carolines. That being said I haven’t been able to forge a successful alternative strategy for the US and am looking for ideas.
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As the US, I look at it as a target of opportunity. If Japan leaves it open, I’ll take it. If not, I’ll bypass it and use Australia.
The thing about the Carolines is that it isnt a whole lot of use to Japan early on, but it is serious pain if the US has it. It allows 1-turn access to many critical locations and that alone makes it worth defending with Japan. But it’s a convenience for the US, not a necessity so it’s not worth taking heavy losses over. I just count it as one more place that Japan has to keep a decent force to discourage the attack which further spreads Japan out.
So in short, the Carolines are not a vital strategic target, but they are a gateway for other critical targets. Take it if you can, but keep in mind that there are other ways to those same targets if it’s too well defended.
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