End Run Around?

[cystic crypt]

Wouldn't you think it would panic the US more to threaten Brazil and set up an IC in South Africa?

i was looking to panic the US a little.
Also i was not sure what to do at that point - i seriously considered taking out TM's merchandise, however that depended on other factors at the time.
ah well, thanks for the critique.

[Xi]

Good exploration of the options.

T_6,
I like your scare tactic and will try it the next time
I play Japan(and later a few more times to get an
average on military and wmotional response. )
=========================================================
"Put simply, conservatives highlight the government’s role in
promoting individual virtue but downplay the government’s responsi-
bility to create a society in which virtue can flourish. Liberals are
wary of regulating personal behavior, but would give government a
powerful say over the shape of social and economic life. In essence,
liberals and conservatives disagree over what are the most important
sins. For conservatives, the sins that matter are personal irrespon-
sibility, the flight from family life, sexual permissiveness, the
failure of individuals to work hard. For liberals, the gravest sins
are intolerance, a lack of generosity toward the needy,
narrow-mindedness toward social and racial minorities."
 - E.J. Dionne, Jr., journalist. The War Against Public Life:
    Why Americans Hate Politics, ch. 12, Simon & Schuster (1991).
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Those EVIL conservatives. - Xi

[Ansbach]

Wouldn't you think it would panic the US more to threaten Brazil and set up an IC in South Africa?

I definitely agree, and what's so great about the move is that 95% of the time the US is totally out of position to help with Brazil after US1, so they have to backtrack to defend or counter, then you just pop over to South Africa. You make the US defend Western US and Panama on US1, then defend Brazil on US2 - that's the last thing the US wanted to be doing on their first two turns!  Then on J3 you move completely out of their theatre of operations and are over securing Africa for the Axis!  

If you ignore the overall strategy and just analyze this tactic on it's own, it is awesome - a virtual no-lose tactic for Japan that gives the US all kinds of problems early.  The problems with this tactic are the negative consequences that manifest in the overall strategy later in the game, and those problems tend to outweigh the early benefit you get from this Japan opening.  Nothing beats an immediate concentration of Japanese infantry rushing towards Moscow.

But it's excellent to use for a quick Axis win against a poor Allied opponent.

[Yanny]

Not only that, but it gives Germany 2-3 more turns to secure Africa, AND it puts Japaneese troops in Africa by turn 4.

However, at least with my buys, I am in position turn 2 to cover such attack (building 3 transports 4 infantry in EUS) However, I lose two turns by defending Brazil, since my transports are ultimately destined for Finland.

[TG Moses VI]

T_6,
I like your scare tactic and will try it the next time

Just remember, that US Pacific Fleet must be destroyed at all cost!

But it's excellent to use for a quick Axis win against a poor Allied opponent.

That's exactly what a good Allied player would do - ignore you and continue pounding on Germany.  Game over by T6.  

Nothing beats an immediate concentration of Japanese infantry rushing towards Moscow.

Exactly.  That 1-2 transport(s) out in nowhere will significantly slow you down in your drive against Russia - the main concern.  

IC in South Africa

IC's in SA are a bad idea.

[Xi]

Yassa, massa.   That's one place I'd better not go! Unless
I can get my Irish slave ancestory to count for Reparations.
==========================================================
"The wisest conservatism is that of the Hindus. “Immemorial custom
is transcendental law,” says Menu. That is, it was the custom of the
gods before men used it. The fault of our New England custom is that
it is memorial. What is morality but immemorial custom? Conscience is
the chief of conservatives."
 - Henry David Thoreau, author.
    A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers (1849),
    in The Writings of Henry David Thoreau,
    vol. 1, p. 140, Houghton Mifflin (1906).

Count me as a conservative communist. Did I say that? - Xi

[TG Moses VI]

The Partite has ended!

[Yanny]

TG, your correct, you slow down your advance east considerably. However, if I'm planning to do this, it will only be if the UK has evacuated India on Uk1. I then build 3 transports in the first turn to make up for the lack of 2 transports.

[Ansbach]

Usually Japan will take South Africa on J3 - the threat to Brazil forces the US to come back and lose two turns in Europe, so Brazil is not really an option unless the US ignores Japan.  I am a HUGE advocate of ignoring Japan as much as possible, but this is one of the only situations where ignoring Japan is probably a bad move - they can really start causing the US some headaches because they will have the rest of the fleet coming around to back up the carrier and transports.  The real threat to the Allied game with this end around is the large Japanese navy cruising the Atlantic very early in the game.

As the Allies, you counter this end around by making Japan pay - slow down their mainland offensive enough and you will win.  That's why you don't want to try this end around if the UK is trenched in India.

On a grand strategy level, the whole purpose of this move is to slow down the US for a few turns at the expense of slowing down Japan for a few turns.  So what can you do with the extra time you bought Germany to make it worthwhile?  That is the whole 'balancing act' you must pull of in order to make this strategy effective.    The primary benefit to the Axis boils down to significantly less Allied troops in Karelia in the early part of the game.  There are two ways to take advantage of this:  use the 'freed up' German resources to take Africa more convincingly, or to put extreme pressure on Karelia (or a mixture of both.)

I think one of the reasons this strategy isn't used more often (besides the popularity of Indian factories) is not because of its ineffectiveness, but because of the level of difficulty in pulling it off.  That is kind of contradiction too - if it's more difficult to implement, then it's less effective - right?

[TG Moses VI]

The best strategy is usually the one that is the simplest and most conservative one.  

[Yanny]

Well, thats why I only do this plan if I see no activity in Asian on turn 1.

To counter this? Indian and Sinkang IC..