Playing as Japan

[Zhukov44]

Going Pacific with the USA is an atypical tactic…much of the advice here was based on the opposite premise (that they are coming from the Atlantic).  It should be very hard for the USA to do–namely it should be so expensive to defend a fleet of transports dropping in Asia (I’m assuming in Bury or Far East) that it won’t be possible to do this without spending USA’s income on carriers and fighters for several turns.

If faced with this sort of strategy…I would buy up to 4 or 5 transports.  No mainland factories.  Then my buying strategy would be to buy several planes per round (both figs and bombers) that will be used to attack the American fleet, plus maybe 1 armor per round, and the rest infantry (always buy 8 units total that you will place in Japan).  Keep your fleet clustered near Japan and make sure it can defend against Ami air attack.  If the Americans attempt to land, crush their fleet with your superior fleet and air force.

Generally, with Germany getting rich on Africa, UK and Russia shouldn’t be able to stop Germany from advancing on Moscow, while the USA shouldn’t be able to make any headway in the Pacific.  Japan should keep buying enough air that it is impossible for the USA to land in Asia without losing their fleet to a combined naval/air attack.  Japan continues to land units onto Asia each turn, which should slowly push towards Moscow.

If you decide not to buy transports, one alternative would be to buy a factory in French Indochina to get units into that area without having to divert ships to protect transports there.  But in that case I’d still be buying up to 3-4 transports so I can use the Japan factory as well.

[Dago]

Rd1 I always build a complex in French Indo China. I get really nutty with complexes, so long as I can afford them. I usually have at least 4 transports and I cycle 2 each way to amphibious assault and speed up movement. And I always try and grab the spare men off of the islands. My buy on the mainland is almost always inf art tank in each area. I try to take Persia quick so I can build a complex in India asap. Moving into Russia from Persia and Sinkiang is the most cost effective route. I take the Russian NE as well but I dont contribute a lot of force in doing so.

[iker300]

I like the IC on the mainland, specifically French IndoChina, with India there worth 3 IPC’s it is hard to pass up. As far as attacking AUS and NewZ, I think it would work if you find yourself with extra transports and a cruiser you can use. However it should be a secondary attack depending what is going on the rest of the map. In the current game I am playing, the allies are focused on the atlantic fleets and UK built a IC in India which is drawing all of the UK resources to protect. Since we(the Axis) built an IC in French IndoChina, we are focusing on taking over India which should just about seal the Allies death warrant.

[Zhukov44]

Ok so after a few games I find Japan in 42 is much different than Revised.  Japan has no destroyers and J1 can easily go bad, especially if UK puts some pressure on them in the Pacific….  They can easily get 3-4 good units in range of SZ 60 which complicates an attack on Pearl Harbor.

So I’m thinking 2 factories as Japan’s opening needs to be revisited as a possibility.  A tank rush strategy aimed at Russia is more promising in AA42, as it takes Allies longer to build up enough fleet to protect transports.  Buying either 1 factory 1 plane (bomb or fig) or 2 factories J1 gets tempting as it allows Japan to go after 52 with everything, without having to worry about protecting new transports.  I suppose the exception would be if Japan wants to attack Bury…then you’ll need protective fleet in 60 anyway so it would be wise to add transports when you can.

The drawback to mainland factories is they can be bombed for up to 6 hit points, which is significant.  Fico and India will always be vulnerable, and Kwang also (from Novo or Kazach).

[Derek77]

I too am thinking that two factories might be needed on the mainland to get enough material to Russia in a timely manner.  I have played AA42 twice as the Axis.  When I finished tonight’s game, I was having trouble getting enough material to challenge the massed armies in Russia with only one mainland factory, and I didn’t have to worry about the British in Asia.  My factory was in Indo-China.  It just seems like it takes too long to get there from Japan.  Maybe if I would’ve had one in Kwangtung as well then I could’ve massed infantry from both places to China and bought/brought tanks from Japan which could meet up with the infantry when they step into Sinkaing.

[Mannstein]

Me and my friends played aa42 for the first time last friday. We weren’t really that much into the tactics when we started, as none of us have played revised more than one or two times (even though its another game, I guess being a pro in revised will help you in the new aa42?).

In the game the british fleet destroyed the japanese off the coast of Borneo in british turn 1.
The brits were really lucky wich the dice and killed the japanese taking only a single hit, but anyway it seemed like a wise move, since it left the southern Pacific wide open. The brits placed a complex in India and some units in the Atlantic.

The japanese decided to stick to the plan and go for the american fleet off the hawaiian coast. That naturally succeded. They purchased a complex for Kwangtun, a transport and a destroyer.

The Americans then destroyed the japanese fleet at hawaii and put a new carrier and figthers along the American western coast.

That left the japanese with almost no fleet already after turn one and more than enough to do just protecting transports around Japan. After turn 1, there was no question about the result of the game, even though the axis managed to hold out for hours of playing.

I just wonder what the japanese fleet should do in turn 1? Is it a typical move in B1 to take the japanese southern fleet? It certainly was a good move for the british in this game…

[Derek77]

I don’t mess with the American fleet by Hawaii unless they start making a nuisance of themselves.  If the Brits had the guts to attack you in Borneo, I would counterattack with your navy and your planes from Japan and Indo-China.  You could land the fighter and bomber in Borneo or the bomber elsewhere.  The last games I played, I consolidated my navy and finished off the Brits and Americans with that.  Unless the Americans start building ships on the Pacific side, you should be able to hold them off.  Any units they build to counter you in the Pacific helps Germany, so that’s good for you.

[77stranger77]

@Mannstein:

I just wonder what the japanese fleet should do in turn 1? Is it a typical move in B1 to take the japanese southern fleet? It certainly was a good move for the british in this game…

Nope, that’s not a typical move. Really low odds attack, never seen it even attempted. Succeeding in that means the Allies just won. More typical British moves would be counterattacking Egypt, killing the Kwangtung transport, or attacking French Indochina(65% odds with cruiser bombard).

Japan’s usual first turn attacks for me are:
1. China
2. Hawaiian boats
3. British boats
4. Buryatia(if stacked it can be ignored or blasted, if empty take it for sure)
5. India(if defended I ignore it, if empty take it)

In Revised, I would get up to 6 transports by J2 and then on J3 buy a complex assuming the Pacific isn’t contested. That’s what I’m trying now in my first game of AA42 and I’ll have to see how it goes. The double complex start isn’t something I expect to use, but what do I know? Never played this edition. Unless you buy a lot of tanks right away, transports will get units to Russia faster.

[WTFchris]

As I mentioned in the Axis thread I tried something a little different last time and it worked great.  I used the Asia fighter to help sink the Indian fleet (with the East Indies fleet).  Use the Bomber if needed too.  Sink Hawaii fleet with remaining boats and the fighter on Japan (can land on carrier).  Don’t attack on Asian mainland on turn 1.  Ferry all Japan troops in and expand on turn two (buying transports to a total of 4 and troops to ferry).  Send East Indies fleet through Suez to meet with German Battleship at Gibralter and shut down that corridor.  US won’t bother in Pacific anyway, and if they do you can build a fleet when they are half way out.  The extra boats at Gibralter allow Germany to decimate UK builds with air and ignore US mid Atlantic activity.  This buys a couple extra turns for Japan troops to reach Russia.

[WTFchris]

Why do you guys put factories on Asia?  Seems like a waste to me.  Japan only has enough income to buy 8 units for transporting anyway (can increase to tanks and inf later with more income).

If you spend 15 on IC, then you put 3 units there a turn, but you aren’t using Japan IC fully because money shortage.  You gain no movement either (except through China corridor, which will be almost defenseless in a turn or two).  You can drop from Japan to Buryatia which is just as close to Russia as any mainland IC.  why waste 15 IPCs?  I also build no ships until I see US pacific fleet amassed (which rarely happens).  Since you took out Hawaii fleet (doesn’t matter what you lost as long as their’s is gone), they are not within reach for 2 turns.  Only build boats in response to US massing.

I have made India IC though as income increases and you can’t spend all your money at Japan IC.  This allows for pressure on Caucus at same time as northern pressure.  Then I just mass at Yakut and India until I have enough to hit either Russia IC.

[Col.Stauffenberg]

Sounds like you’re playing passive Allied forces WTFchris, or ones that always do heavy KGF.

[Zhukov44]

@WTFchris:

Why do you guys put factories on Asia?  Seems like a waste to me.  Japan only has enough income to buy 8 units for transporting anyway (can increase to tanks and inf later with more income).

If you spend 15 on IC, then you put 3 units there a turn, but you aren’t using Japan IC fully because money shortage.  You gain no movement either (except through China corridor, which will be almost defenseless in a turn or two).  You can drop from Japan to Buryatia which is just as close to Russia as any mainland IC.  why waste 15 IPCs?  I also build no ships until I see US pacific fleet amassed (which rarely happens).  Since you took out Hawaii fleet (doesn’t matter what you lost as long as their’s is gone), they are not within reach for 2 turns.  Only build boats in response to US massing.

I have made India IC though as income increases and you can’t spend all your money at Japan IC.  This allows for pressure on Caucus at same time as northern pressure.  Then I just mass at Yakut and India until I have enough to hit either Russia IC.

I think your reasoning applies very well to Revised…but I’m not so sure about this game.  It may well be that transport tactics that work well in Revised will apply here (for instance I think popular Germany tactics like the Lurch are still applicable here), but there are a couple problems…

1. It’s hard to buy transports if UK is applying pressure.  If UK has a bomber, sub and possibly a fig in range of 62, Japan can’t drop any new transports w/o keeping a bb and a loaded carrier in 62 or buying some surface navy.  Going with a factory (or 2) on J1 allows Japan to go after the Allied navies without having to worry about protecting convoys.  The alternative is staying in 62 and going after Pearl with air/subs only…I’m not crazy about that option but it is an option.

2. The one area where factories are superior to transports in terms of mobility is being able to drop 3 tanks at a time that are already situated on the mainland.  My impression so far is that tank heavy strategies are more tempting for Axis since Germany is frequently defeated quickly in Africa…giving Allies the advantage in the long game.  Meanwhile, it takes longer for the Allies to set up an Atlantic shuck than in Revised…so Russia is more vulnerable to being tag-teamed by the Axis.