Japanese Strategies

Howdy!
Japan:  Japan has a lot of potential in this game.  They start off with a massive air force and solid navy.  I usually like to attack turn 3 which allows me to have the transports to hit all my objectives.  Turn two is not bad also and turn one can work but I feel three is the best.  Turn four is to long of a wait and by then India has lots of men defending Calcutta.  Two minor IC on the Asian mainland will put China and India out of business.  I like them on Hong Kong and French Indo China.  Until China and India fall, I get two tanks and a mech for both factories.  I also like to add a aircraft carrier a turn for my remaining fighters and I usually post in the Philippines so I get the six kamikiezes and three fighters can also scramble.  Don’t forget to also have a destroyer next to Hawaii! That way USA doesn’t sneak in and surpise you in Japan! I caught my opponent sleeping one time and took Korea with the USA. Subs and destroyers are also good for cannon fotter when you eventually have the big navy clash with the allies.  You will needs transports also because the allies will try to take some of those money islands back to stop your objectives.  When you have only one more VC to go hit Australia.  Establish a beach head and keep the supply line coming and then strike at Sydney! If you played your cards right your navy should still be stronger than the allies and it should be game over for them.

UK:  UK is limited in this game.  I like to buy men and if I’m lucky a mech or artillery.  If Japan hasnt attacked you early then take the money islands.  If Japan hasn’t attacked by round 3, then declare war and get the NO. A AA is also not a bad buy.  Maybe you will get lucky and shoot a few fighters down during the Calcutta battle.  That itself will benefit the other allies, especially the navy.  Anyways, have fun! This is a great game and I still enjoy playing it by itself

For India : The Big Hurt is coming for India, no question, every game. So how best to defend from it? ? ? ? I like to add one more AAA Gun for starters, and then add men. If you lose your airplanes in some foolhardy attack then the India defense will be a lot tougher, keep those planes alive!! There’s not to much navy that I personally would purchase, it always seems like a waste of money. If on the off chance Japan isn’t going to India (Don’t fall for a feint) then I slap on a few tanks and start rolling up the Burma Road. If somehow things are going really really well a Hong Kong factory isn’t out of the question. But for UK, capturable, valuable territories are hard to come by.

For Australia : If you can obtain your objectives early, you’ll have enough dollars to buy planes for the India Defense. A carrier in SZ57 can help this happen. You’ll be helping out the US who may come in with a swift strike force via Sydney. Don’t group your ground forces in the Capital. Your homeland defense force can hit all Australian zones from “South Australia”. Safe, Effective, Transportable.

For U.S. Northern Strategy : Alaska Factory is a must for the northern strategy to work. Your goal is going to be Korea and the destruction of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Get your objectives and deny your enemy his at the same time. Free naval/air bases are available in Caroline Islands. I use Manila as a point to cut off Japans Navy and lasso your pacific fleet up to SZ6 for the final series of battles.

For U.S. Southern Strategy : A Naval base in either Line or Johnston Islands is key. This’ll help you leap frog to Sydney and on to the D.E.I. and/or India. This is a slower stretegy but lets you get a lot more ships on the board before the battles start. An Australian naval base in West Australia or your own Naval base in Java does just as well. You can also halt at Line/Johnson Ils. and head West to take out Caroline and Keep your Phillipines army alive and ready for combat.

Cheers,
Starlight Sniper

If the Japan player does J1 and pulls it off then by J4 they out spend the allies combined…after that its all down hill for the allies. The allies have no stratgies that work at this point and America can’t build a fleet that can’t be beaten sorry.

I’m not saying that attacking later is the way to go (I think capturing India on turn 3 is unstoppable and the way to win), just saying that it was the intention.

With a bid, I would likely attack later.

The global game it would probably be an issue as well.  I would think the intention was to get rid of blockers.

@Funcioneta:

Siam is original Japanese (it has a japanese simbol). Manchuria should be as well because historically it was from 1931, but that’s not the case in our game

Yeah, but Manchuria is a Chinese place. Like the Soviets took it, but it’s not like okay this place is Japanese let’s keep it. They are just adding realism to the game. at least i think :|

The fllet goes to Pearl, but not the planes.  The rest of teh planes & bombers on Kwangtung on an airbase gives the dual adjantage of hitting yunnan with all airpower and hitting an allied fleet if it ventures in range.

It seems no one else is playing this way.  I am curious to see how this would play out against the strategies being used out there right now (with no bid).  Someone play against me PBEM?

PS - I find it amusing that someone is giving me -1 karma every time I post.  It is good to see that even without trying I can deeply affect someone’s psyche.  I really can make a difference  :-D!

It might help to clear up some of the confusion by stepping though an example.

Assume Japan meets the requirements on a previous turn to allow Kamikaze attacks.

Assume sz17 has 1destroyer and Iwo Jima has 1inf.

Lets say the US attacks sz17 with 1CRZ, 2AC (1AC has an ANZAC 1fighter on it as cargo because nations may NOT attack together, only defend together.) and 1trn with units for the Iwo Jima assault.

Lets say the US declares an amphibious assault on Iwo Jima with 1 transport w/2inf, 3ftr which all have 1 movement point left to move in noncombat and land on 2AC in sz17 during Mobilize New Units Phase.

In phase 2 (Combat Movement) of the US turn, the US moves his units and declares his amphibious assault.

When phase 2 is done, and before phase 3 starts, Japan announces 2 Kamikaze attacks on 1Ac, 2 Kamikaze attacks on the other 1Ac with ANZAC 1ftr as cargo on it.

Phase 2 for the US is done, over with; the US player may NOT change their moves.

Japan must declare how many Kamikaze attacks they will roll for. They can’t roll, then check for hits, and roll some more.

Fighters are already flying at the start of Combat Movement, they do not move with the AC, they move separately, and land on the AC at the end of noncombat.

Before phase3 for the US starts, the 4 Kamikaze attacks are rolled.

Let’s say Japan gets 1 hit on each AC. (if there were 2 hits on 1 AC, then the AC would be removed at this time.)

Now start phase 3…Conduct Combat!

US attacker rolls for 1CRZ @3,2 damaged AC @0, 1 loaded trn @0
US gets 1 hit.

Japan chooses 1DD as a casualty, and rolls @2 for a miss.

With the sz17 now clear, it is now amphibious assault time and the US wins that battle and takes control of Iwo Jima.

Phase 4 Noncombat.

Oh no! The US has nowhere to land 3ftrs, the 2AC are damaged, and the fighters are lost to the sea and removed from play.

On the ANZAC turn, his 1ftr may not leave the damaged AC.

On Japan’s turn, aircraft are sent to easily destroy the stuff in sz17 (1Crz@3, 2damagedAC with a fighter that is stuck below deck @2, 1trn @0), the 3ftrs from before are no longer there and 1 is stuck below deck.

Conclusion, the only planes involved with Kamikaze attacks are planes from other Allies below deck as cargo. The rest of the planes have to deal with whatever happened.

Japan would have loved to Kamikaze attack the transport, but the rules do not allow that.

Japan could have Kamikaze attacked the 1CRZ and, if successful, prevented the amphibious assault because there would be no way to clear the seazone (AC attack @0, transports attack @0).

Why did the US bring in the 2AC, when it could have moved them there during noncombat? I don’t know.  Rules do not prevent bad play. This was an example of what happens, not how one should play.

I guess Manchuria will be also an option in global game if non-agression pact is not the game