Hello, I play pacific 1940 a lot. I have also played global a few times. Pacific 1940 second edition is a great game but I can almost easily win every time if I’m Japan and I attack on the third turn. A new rule was passed around late 2014 to allow the USA to receive a 30 IPC bonus if Japan attacks or declares war on them before turn 4. This seems to balance the game a little but I can still always win with Japan. The strategy for Japan is pretty much the same. Take the money islands, build a minor in French Indo China and Kwangtung and knock out China and India. Post in the Philippines with your huge navy and three fighters that can scramble and those six deadly kamikizes. Let Anzac and USA come to you so you can use the fighters to defend at 4 when the big navy battle happens. Eventually you will be making more than the allies with the money islands NO and the India NO. You should be around the 70-75 mark. Then when the time is right strike at Sydney or Hawaii and hold it and you should win as it will be six victory cities. For the allies, man this can be tuff lol. You better hope Japan attacks you on turn 1 or turn 4 because turn 2 and especially 3 it’s going to be difficult.
1: China: buy men and hit and run and fall back to the north west of China. You will be lucky if the Burma road is open more than two turns. Pull back and make Japan come to you.
2: UK: pull everyone back to India and just buy men!!! Try to bring your navy down to Australia and unite them with Anzac and hopefully later USA. If it looks like India is going to fall then pull your airforce out and send them to Australia to hopefully land on a Anzac or American carrier. If Japan hasn’t declared war early then take as many islands in the south as possible .
3: Anzac: small ships and transports are good. if it looks like Japan is going to invade then pull your forces to south Australia because from there you can hit any territory. Use your small ships to convoy raid or unite with the main USA fleet. Queensland is a great staging area for the allied navy early in the game. Also since there’s a airbase there fighters don’t hurt also since they can scramble.
4:USA: the big boy lol. The problem is when USA is neutral she only makes a freaking 17 ipcs a turn. While Japan is around the 40 mark and Japan has soooooooo many aircraft at its disposal. USA I say aircraft carrier early then mainly subs, destroyers, and a transport every turn with land units. A few rounds into the game get a navy base on the Johnson islands and start combining your fleet with the Anzac fleet and hopefully a small UK fleet. try to take the money islands by sacrificing transports because Japan will have a bigger navy early in the game. When the time is right move to Dutch New Guinea with your fleet and prepare for the big battle. Sometimes it’s better if Japan attacks you and sometimes it’s better if you attsck them. Hopefully you will have a lot of subs at your disposal. If you win the navy battle then Japan is pretty much toast even if they have India and China. Good luck and let me know how the war goes lol. I am playing anniversary edition on Saturday 😜
Kill USA First
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Nice discussion going on! Thanks for the interesting input.
Vareel;
If you move your destroyer to seazone 7 (or 4) I would go for Aleutian J2 and kill the destroyer too. Further more in J2 Japan has not 4 but 12 landing units (6 transports; 3 at the start of the game, 3 bought in J1). I know USA is worth 10 IPC’s and not 50. I also do believe that if Japan fails to take US, it’s a lost game. Controlling seazone 1 and BC in turn 3 are crucial to gain succes. It’s true Japan much watch it’s back door, that’s why I dont’s buy 5 transports in J2, but 4 and 3 inf to stay in the homeland. Still the UK is no threat I believe. To confuse the US player, in J turn 1-non combat fase I place all (except AC placed planes) my fighters and tactical bombers in China (the land north of kwantung, max. 4 flyzones from Japan! important that is!). In J2 all these planes are heading for Japan.But no, I didn’t play out my strategy to the end. Meaning, I strongly believe that when US is taken Japan will win.
Other thoughts?
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Just found the first solution for the US, :cry:. If the US buys 2 destroyers the first turn they have enuff surface ships to built an effective block in turn 1 and 2. Blockade first turn seazone 4,7,15. If J wants to continue in turn 2, they -of course- kill all blocking ships and have to go for Hawaii. Then US blocks seazone 11,12,13. Not happy yellow peoples!
If that’s the only solution…J could check what US buys first turn. I’ll keep on searching for other solutions.
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@KH:
Nice discussion going on! Thanks for the interesting input.
Vareel;
If you move your destroyer to seazone 7 (or 4) I would go for Aleutian J2 and kill the destroyer too. Further more in J2 Japan has not 4 but 12 landing units (6 transports; 3 at the start of the game, 3 bought in J1). I know USA is worth 10 IPC’s and not 50. I also do believe that if Japan fails to take US, it’s a lost game. Controlling seazone 1 and BC in turn 3 are crucial to gain succes. It’s true Japan much watch it’s back door, that’s why I dont’s buy 5 transports in J2, but 4 and 3 inf to stay in the homeland. Still the UK is no threat I believe. To confuse the US player, in J turn 1-non combat fase I place all (except AC placed planes) my fighters and tactical bombers in China (the land north of kwantung, max. 4 flyzones from Japan! important that is!). In J2 all these planes are heading for Japan.But no, I didn’t play out my strategy to the end. Meaning, I strongly believe that when US is taken Japan will win.
Other thoughts?
With you holding the Aleutian islands you still need to hold British Colombia for the planes to have a landing zone. That is why on US3 in my plan, I kill your ground units that landed in British Colombia.
As far as your proposed counter, Japan can just send there starting SZ 6 boats to SZ 2 on turn 1 and still take Alaska, then just NCM the other troops in, it will not work. Re-read my plan, it works.
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Really dont see how this could be considered a reasonable strategy.
It can certainly work if you are playing newbies and you want to crush them.
Otherwise, it is easily countered and when it fails Japan will lose the game. Japan gets themselves completely out of position by trying this and if Wus doesnt fall, which it wont if the US player knows what they are doing. It takes too many turns unlike the surprise assaults that could be launched in AA50 41’. And at the end US still has a 50 dollar territory and will be making just as much as Japan except the enemy is on the doorstep and it doesnt have to go across the pacific to get to them.
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With you holding the Aleutian islands you still need to hold British Colombia for the planes to have a landing zone. That is why on US3 in my plan, I kill your ground units that landed in British Colombia.
As far as your proposed counter, Japan can just send there starting SZ 6 boats to SZ 2 on turn 1 and still take Alaska, then just NCM the other troops in, it will not work. Re-read my plan, it works.
I meant z1, to land in Bco J2. J2 would also kill the blocking surface ships in z8/z7 w/ a million planes (max of 10 planes, 7 bmr can reach z8, all can reach z7 if planes are left on Jap J1), and possibly take Hawaii. then ncm all z6 ships and land units to z1/Bco. I guess US would be able to take Bco back before J3? but it would be expensive for US, so would they have enough to defend against the 4-5 new Jap transports coming in? I think so, but there are several options for Jap depending on what US does, that it is worth playing to try out. Perhaps the people who are saying only an idiot US player would fall to this strat should be the test defenders!
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A J2 hit on BCO would leave a max of 12 ground units.
With my plan, US has 4 inf in Alaska, 4 more ground units in WUS from starting, plus the 3 Inf, 2 Art purchase turn 1, and, lastly, 8 planes.
Your 12 dudes that landed would get smashed, easily. Now yes, you have say 4 more transports with 8 more units comming in with 6 carrier planes on J3. They would go up against the 6 inf/1 art purchased, along with the aagun and all those planes, not counting anything held back from the US attack on BCO.
This would be much easier to show in a game Stoney :-D
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Perhaps the people who are saying only an idiot US player would fall to this strat should be the test defenders!
I am game.
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This would be much easier to show in a game Stoney :-D
yeah… about that… sorry I haven’t started another one. I’m trying to be responsible and finish up a few things before starting another game, but as it is I can’t peel myself away from the forums to do the work I need to do!! :-o
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Welp someone send me a message i’ll take allies against that strat.
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Well Vareel, you mentioned some good points. I’m not saying the game is broken, because a blockade is possible (not likely though). So if we would play a game announcing this is the Jap strat, for sure you’ll win as allies. Now I’m practicing the same strategy with more camouflage in it. Meaning; it’s not clear Japan turn 1 goes straight for KUF. That includes, Japan could decide to act different in turn 2 and also has the opportunities to do so (position of units, planes and ships). I earlier stated in turn 1, I land all my tac bombers, bombers and fighters (except those on the AC’s) in the coastal landzone north of Kwantung. This does not look as a KUF strategy, correct? All planes are in reach of Japan turn 2, Alaska turn 3, US turn 4. My main problem to hide my KUF-plans for turn 2 are the J-1 movements of ships and units at Caroline Islands. If I’d move them to Japanese waters directly, the US gets really suspicious, if I don’t I could head for great difficulties in turn 2 and 3.
That said, it’s absolutely not completely idiot and it’s not a trap only newbies would fall in to. It’s just a nice puzzle.
Greets!
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Eh, if your transports are north its pretty obvious your going to try and kill the US.
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Yep, it is. That shouldn’t be a problem if there is no possible defense for the US. Now there is only a valid defense if the US act 100% right in buying and moving in their first turn. Meaning; if Japan pulls up a smoke curtain…moves planes out of KUF-position to Asia turn 1, moves some ships out of KUF position…it is very likely the US doesn’t see it coming.
Still no karma? :oops:
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If your transports are not right next to the coast a simple SZ 7 block stalls your plan. I only think this will work once, after that your enemy should see it coming, I’m sorry mate. Its like sea lion.
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@KH:
Well Vareel, you mentioned some good points. I’m not saying the game is broken, because a blockade is possible (not likely though). So if we would play a game announcing this is the Jap strat, for sure you’ll win as allies. Now I’m practicing the same strategy with more camouflage in it. Meaning; it’s not clear Japan turn 1 goes straight for KUF. That includes, Japan could decide to act different in turn 2 and also has the opportunities to do so (position of units, planes and ships). I earlier stated in turn 1, I land all my tac bombers, bombers and fighters (except those on the AC’s) in the coastal landzone north of Kwantung. This does not look as a KUF strategy, correct? All planes are in reach of Japan turn 2, Alaska turn 3, US turn 4. My main problem to hide my KUF-plans for turn 2 are the J-1 movements of ships and units at Caroline Islands. If I’d move them to Japanese waters directly, the US gets really suspicious, if I don’t I could head for great difficulties in turn 2 and 3.
That said, it’s absolutely not completely idiot and it’s not a trap only newbies would fall in to. It’s just a nice puzzle.
Greets!
Personally, I think that the Allies can stop Japan from taking WUSA even if they don’t use their fleet to block Japan from taking Alaska on turn 2. The Allies start off with 20 planes (19 if you don’t count China’s since it can’t leave China). Of those 19 planes, the Allies can get up to 16 of them on WUSA by turn 3 (10 USA, 4 ANZAC, and 2 UK fighters (UK lands them in Northern Territories turn 1, then the USA carrier off of Johnson Island on turn 2, then WUSA on turn 3). The USA transport moves to the ANZAC naval base turn 1, and can reach WUSA with two infantry on turn 3 since they gain access to ANZAC’S naval base on turn 2 after Japan attacks Alaska. UK could even build a bomber on turn 1 and get it to WUSA turn 3 to use as cannon fodder. Turn 3, USA builds 9 tanks and 1 fighter. I just don’t see how WUSA is going to fall. Even if they somehow do manage to take it, Japan’s economy probably won’t even be 40 due to their loses elsewhere. UK’s economy alone will probably actually be greater than Japan’s (Dutch East Indies, Siam, French-Indo China, both National Objectives, plus any 1 IPC islands they manage to take). It would certainly make for a different and interesting game, but still a Japanese loss.
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@KH:
Well Vareel, you mentioned some good points. I’m not saying the game is broken, because a blockade is possible (not likely though). So if we would play a game announcing this is the Jap strat, for sure you’ll win as allies. Now I’m practicing the same strategy with more camouflage in it. Meaning; it’s not clear Japan turn 1 goes straight for KUF. That includes, Japan could decide to act different in turn 2 and also has the opportunities to do so (position of units, planes and ships). I earlier stated in turn 1, I land all my tac bombers, bombers and fighters (except those on the AC’s) in the coastal landzone north of Kwantung. This does not look as a KUF strategy, correct? All planes are in reach of Japan turn 2, Alaska turn 3, US turn 4. My main problem to hide my KUF-plans for turn 2 are the J-1 movements of ships and units at Caroline Islands. If I’d move them to Japanese waters directly, the US gets really suspicious, if I don’t I could head for great difficulties in turn 2 and 3.
That said, it’s absolutely not completely idiot and it’s not a trap only newbies would fall in to. It’s just a nice puzzle.
Greets!
Personally, I think that the Allies can stop Japan from taking WUSA even if they don’t use their fleet to block Japan from taking Alaska on turn 2. The Allies start off with 20 planes (19 if you don’t count China’s since it can’t leave China). Of those 19 planes, the Allies can get up to 16 of them on WUSA by turn 3 (10 USA, 4 ANZAC, and 2 UK fighters (UK lands them in Northern Territories turn 1, then the USA carrier off of Johnson Island on turn 2, then WUSA on turn 3). The USA transport moves to the ANZAC naval base turn 1, and can reach WUSA with two infantry on turn 3 since they gain access to ANZAC’S naval base on turn 2 after Japan attacks Alaska. UK could even build a bomber on turn 1 and get it to WUSA turn 3 to use as cannon fodder. Turn 3, USA builds 9 tanks and 1 fighter. I just don’t see how WUSA is going to fall. Even if they somehow do manage to take it, Japan’s economy probably won’t even be 40 due to their loses elsewhere. UK’s economy alone will probably actually be greater than Japan’s (Dutch East Indies, Siam, French-Indo China, both National Objectives, plus any 1 IPC islands they manage to take). It would certainly make for a different and interesting game, but still a Japanese loss.
Now Jap says “fake out!”, and takes hawaii, Philipines, Ind, and Nsw, and NZealand which are now all ripe for the picking! If the allies respond to a KUF in such a way that they lose if Japan decides not to go through with it, then it’s still a working strategy :wink:
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Now Jap says “fake out!”, and takes hawaii, Philipines, Ind, and Nsw, and NZealand which are now all ripe for the picking! If the allies respond to a KUF in such a way that they lose if Japan decides not to go through with it, then it’s still a working strategy :wink:
I agree that the Japanese player should try to set up situations where they leave the Allies guessing. But moving the entire fleet to Japanese waters on turn 1 means that the entire Allied fleet will survive. The Allied starting surface fleet isn’t that much smaller than Japan’s (and the 3 extra transports they start off with largely offsets any Japanese advantage in my opinion).
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I’m with Stoney. Mike, will the UK really fly it’s planes in US direction starting turn 1? Agreed, it’s theoretically possible they arrive in time in the US, but they would only make it if it’s 100% clear what the Japanese plans are in turn 1. If not, I take UK easy.
I do like the pro’s and cons of this strategy, and I’m not saying this is the ultimate thing. Crap neither. I’m totally sure this will work as a strategy now and then against any player.
What a game…
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Vareel, karma to you, most points you mentioned are valid / very interesting. I test-played many suggested defense/attack options. The only thing what could work against a competent player, is the smoke curtain. One question; are you saying your standard US first move is, destroyer to seazone 7? If not, at what point would you be alarmed?
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The moment there are more than 3 transports in SZ 6 I would be alarmed. A standard J1 moves the fleet south to take DEI, if there were a decent amount of warships in SZ6, as in more than I could sink with my starting fleet, I would do the block.
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@KH:
I’m with Stoney. Mike, will the UK really fly it’s planes in US direction starting turn 1? Agreed, it’s theoretically possible they arrive in time in the US, but they would only make it if it’s 100% clear what the Japanese plans are in turn 1. If not, I take UK easy.
I do like the pro’s and cons of this strategy, and I’m not saying this is the ultimate thing. Crap neither. I’m totally sure this will work as a strategy now and then against any player.
What a game…
I agree that India can be taken if you build so many transports; but I disagree about it being easy. Just as so many planes can reach WUSA by turn 3, a lot of planes can reach India by turn 3 if ANZAC builds an airbase in Northern Territories on turn 2 (save 5 IPC’s on turn 1). ANZAC won’t have to do this unless you start moving all your fleet towards India so they won’t be wasting their money. However, it does give Japan the advantage of forcing ANZAC not to build any fleet on turn 1.
Also, USA can move their entire air force to Johnson Island or the carrier off of Johnson Island, threatening to get their ENTIRE air force to India by turn 4 (depending on where Japan’s bombers are, UK may be able to block the Japanese navy enough to delay an attack until turn 5). These planes in Johnson Island can make it back to WUSA by turn 3 if Japan decides to go with the Alaskan attack on turn 2. Admittedly, the Japanese player would probably take India on turn 4 but their situation would actually be worse than had they taken WUSA on turn 4: they get less money from taking India and the USA are still in the game.
Interestingly, I actually set up the game last night and allowed the Japanese forces to attack WUSA on turn 4. I did not make any strafe attack on Canada on turn 3 with the USA. Also, I decided to use the ANZAC transport to take out Dutch East Indies instead of moving infantry to WUSA. All four ANZAC fighters and two UK fighters landed on WUSA for defense. Under those circumstances, the Japanese actually had a slight advantage on round 1 of combat (I did not actually carry out the entire attack but assuming low luck dice their advantage would increase on round 2). So yeah, they probably would have taken out the USA and then taken Mexico and Hawaii the following turn. The problem is, UK was almost at 40 income (Japan got lucky on UK’s turn 3 and held a couple of Asian territories, China was at about 20 income and ANZAC was at 15. Japan was at around 40. The entire USA navy (minus 1 destroyer to prevent Japan bombarding WUSA on turn 4 and 1 transport from Phillipines that landed 2 infantry in WUSA on turn 3) was actually still alive since it retreated turn 3 to Hawaii. Even with Japan taking USA’s money, I don’t see how they could overcome the IPC disparity as well as the fact that UK and ANZAC were building nothing but naval units.
Of course, all of the above is only viable assuming that Japan does not attack turn 1 AND that they move most of their fleet off of Japan on turn 1. I would actually hope that Japan took USA on turn 4 since it would still likely lead to Allied victory.
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