The Japan Playbook

[WindowWasher]

For example, instead of buying an american navy in the Atlantic (carriers, subs), purchase only transports, maybe a destroyer and some fighters. Use the British to buy some (1-3) carriers to compliment the navy they have already, this allows the US to get a landing without spending a full turn of money on navy to protect their transports.

Also, India doesn’t have to fall if you just buy men for the first few rounds, put pressure with the US and ANZAC right off the bat, and japan will not be able to move their navy and air force off of the Philippines or java. They will get India later on though if they are allowed to build up complexes and infantry.

For china, ive got no clue how to play it in OOB, but i dont think it is stacking burma.

[simon33]

J1 DOW and J3 DOW are very different beasts. In the latter, India can live on until round 8 or so. In the former, it should fall round 3-5 barring a mishap for Japan.

[Stough]

@WindowWasher Again, I am very new and uninformed. How does one use China to delay India falling? Or are they just there to harass and delay the backdoor to Russia?? Does anyone use those 16 Russians to mess with Japan?

[WindowWasher]

I personally use china to stall japan taking yunnan as long as possible, then i retreat west to be as far away as possible from japanese factories/troops/airforce so im as annoying as possible to take out. For the russian men… It is up to you how to play them, they can make holding moscow 10x easier, or they can safeguard your siberian money, or you can grab korea and be annoying.

From your games/strategies you described in previous posts, it seems as if you arent focusing on Japan with the US, which will cause china and india to fall quickly and cheaply. Try building an american navy to force the japanese to spend money on theirs, which will allow china, India, and those north Russian men more flexibility and longevity

[Stough]

@WindowWasher Great advice.

I’m on my 3rd play test; each one using a Sea Lion feint and a J-1.

Ignoring the litany of tactical errors I am making… in my second game I did indeed force Japan to build a Navy, but it didn’t matter. It was a great game though- lasted forever. It ended up with Armageddon in the Oil States- the 3rd battle of Megido with Liepzig thrown in to boot. ( The Axis could have won it earlier but wanted to see what would happen f I retreated with Russia all the way to the ME).

For game three, I tried an iterating Tactic in the Pac. I bought 2 planes a round for the US and flew them down to Queensland. ANZAC played possum bough a few men and a fighter and saved some money. Meanwhile hovering with the 16 Russians in Amur. After Japan took the Money islands in J2, I attacked Korea/Manchuria in R3. Japan devastated those Russians in J3, but it pulled enough of their resources to allow ANZAC to build an airbase in Western Australia and have enough stuff their to hold it AND Queensland. Next turn, there will be 5 more fighters in India.
So those Russians delayed India for a turn and in so doing may have secured it for a long while.

The bad news is that Alexandira has been a disaster for the Allies, so it looks like they will lose anyhow. (the Germans are just rolling like gods in the Sea every game- they are 3 for 3 in taking out SZ 101 and 96; Taranto was a disaster for the UK and the Italians took Alex on I3; I’m waiting for R4 for Germany-Russia to start scrapping.- it’s an interesting game)

Anyhow, my point is, it seems if one can get Jpan to ping pong a bit, you can secure Australia and get a strong force in India to boot, just buying fighters and 2 inf (for Hawaii), and timing the R attack with the Air base in W. Australia.

In other words, I’m starting to learn how important the mobility of an Air Force is. I’m still so used to just buying a crap ton of infantry.

[Afrikakorps]

In my next game I want to do an India push as effective as possible with JDOW1, with winning city Sydney. How would you do it?

[Afrikakorps]

J1 : 3 transports, 1 inf

Philipinnes
• 1 fighter, 1 tactical (33) land in 35 carrier
• 1 inf 1 tank japan + transport
• 1 inf Okinawa, 1 art Manchuria, transport

S35
• 1 fighter (korea) land on 35 carier
• 1 tactical fighter (6) land on 35 carier
• 2 carrier, 2 bship (6)
• Destroyer, bship, sub (19)

S37
• Formasa fighter (land 43)
• 2 bombers (land kwangsi)
• Cruiser (s20)

Borneo
• 1 inf, 1 art (kiangsi)
• Transport (20)

S62
• 1 destroyer (33)

French Indo China
• 2 inf siam

Yunnan
• 3 inf 1 art
• 1 fighter 1 tactical kiangsu (land on kwangsi)

Kwangtung
• 1 inf – kiangsu
• 1 okinawa fighter (land on kwangsi)
• 1 tactical 2 fighter (6) (land on kwangsi)

Hunnan
• 1 inf kiangsi
• 2 fighter 2 tactical manchuria (land on kwangsi)

Chahar
• 2 inf 1 art jehol
• 1 mech inf manchuria

Anhwe
• 3 inf, 1 art shangtung

Non-combat

SZ43
• 1 tactical (japan) (2 if Formosa fighter died)
• 1 carrier (33)

Manchuria
• 4 inf korea

Jehol
• 6 inf, 1 aa gun Manchuria

Kiangsi
• 3 inf 1 art kiangsu

SZ 6
• Keep 1 sub, 2 dd, 1 cruiser, 2 fighters, 6 kamizake (defence of Japan)

[simon33]

I prefer to leave CVs in 36, 35 and 43. Protect all your transports.

[simon33]

Although given you don’t have any transports in 36 I guess you are protecting that, but you still need your Cruiser to survive in 37 to block the amphib on FIC.

Don’t love the 37 attack - it is basically guaranteed to cost at least the cruiser and probably the fighter too and the UK BB doesn’t achieve much. Worse is thinning the Yunnan attack.

[Afrikakorps]

It is basically copy of Cow updated J1 from 2018, but nicer visual overview.

I like taking the battleship, I see it as one of strongest elements of J1. I am OK with UK fighting back there, this helps Italy in Africa where I aim to take Egypt I3 (even after Taranto) with help of Luftwaffe.

[Afrikakorps]

It worked, Axis victory in Pacific.
Calcutta fell J3 in J7 Hawaii was taken.

[Cornwallis]

@cow how would you react to a J1 as an Allied player?

[taamvan]

@cornwallis @cow

Take tokyo

[simon33]

@cornwallis said in The Japan Playbook:

@cow how would you react to a J1 as an Allied player?

I would say be sure to hold Hawaii and Sydney while using the options opened up to weaken Germany and Italy.

So don’t build too many ships as ANZAC and keep the ANZAC planes alive and in reach of it. I am a fan of attacking the infantry in FIC with air UK1 (survivors land in Szechwan) but this is only worthwhile if there is no other Japanese land units within reach of Yunnan. 1 free round of holding Yunnan and building artillery is worth a fair bit to my way of thinking. Try not to lose a bunch of British land units in Burma also.

All of this can be changed if you have good odds to do something else.

[colonel ace]

Hey so my friend I play with loves to do the middle-earth strategy so I have been looking for a way to counter it so I came up with a Japan strategy to counter it and I need some opinions

[mainah]

@colonel-ace
Share. We are listening (reading?)

[colonel ace]

So I don’t have a exact idea of what units to bring where but the general idea is to do a J1 attack and take out Malaya turn one or two in order to put a factory there and bring down my navy so that turn three or four I have some transports, carriers, battleships and cruisers in sea zone 75 in order to either attack Persia or South Africa and kick the British out of the Indian Ocean what are all your thoughts

[mainah]

@colonel-ace
Hard pressed to take Malaya on J1. Can take on J2, but don’t forget to prioritize the money islands for the money.

Malaya factory can be difficult to hold. FIC is usually built first. From there, with the right NCM, you can go on to take Calcutta round 4-5.

Have you looked up the Calcutta crush? General hangrenade and young grasshopper have some YouTube videos that might help. Not saying follow them exactly, but it’s a start.

I lean towards fic J1, factory J2, and an overland push with an airfield in fic to help. Nabbing Calcutta j4-5 can mess with middle earth well

[colonel ace]

Ill look into a Calcutta crush but by then it might be too late due to British fighters coming down I want to try this strategy because a factory in Malaya can provide a ton of strategic options especially when attacking Sydney and holding the money islands also what do you mean hard to hold?

[mainah]

@colonel-ace
Well - harder to keep from being captured by the allies. Harder than FIC. Building an IC can be done, but timing and allies moves is what would dictate when/if I would put a IC I Malaya. I do it sometimes, but not a ton. Its far away from Japan, so takes a bit to get the forces to capture and keep it; keep in mind it’s 3 SZ spaces from Queensland, 2 from india. As far as land spaces to India, it’s just as far as FIC.

If the goal is to get pressure on Calcutta early, you can capture FIC on J1 with a single inf, IC on J2, plus reinforcements from Japan (one turn away, for transports or planes), and on turn J2,3, or 4 build an airfield.

Malaya is 2 turns from Japan with a TT or plane, has one land territory connection so that can be used to block, deadzone, etc. Malaya also has 4 inf on it at start, with a BB off shore, while all Japan can reach it with is a inf and art from the one transport that can reach on J1.