Japan strategy please

[Young Grasshopper]

@Daedelus:

@Trisdin:

this month I am playing Japan against a very good UK player and a Pacific aggressive American player. I need help because I have only played Japan once and I was completely lost. We play Alfa +2.

Kiss your a** good bye.  Hold on long enough for Germany and Italy to Kill Russia.

as long as I’m giving up before I even roll my first dice, the least I could do is help hit Russia from the east.(I mean while I’m kissing my a** goodbye).

[SgtBlitz]

Don’t attack Russia from the east.  You’ll dilute your forces out and the territories aren’t worth it.  “That’s Stalin’s territory!  You want your armies over HERE.”  Use your time in the game keeping the US bogged down the Pacific, so they can’t send forces into Europe.

Concentrate on taking the DEI first before any of the other Allies in the Pacific get a chance, preferably on J2.  Build transports on J1 so you’ll have greater spread throughout the Pacific in taking the DEI oil islands.  On J2 launch a monster attack with most of your fleet to capture them all.  Leave enough boats to protect your transports so you can use them later to reinforce everywhere.  After that, try to match the US boat for boat, bring back your airplanes from the mainland gradually to land on carriers, and generally maintain a stalemate with the US while sending enough troops into Asia to knockout India.  Attack the US fleets once you have numerical superiority if they start ignoring you and sending more stuff into Europe.

Make sure you take as much of the DEI as you can on J2, and don’t let the Allies get a foothold on them or both India and Australia will be impossible.  Try to keep China mowed down every turn if you can, but you can afford to lose territory in China compared to the amount of money available in the Pacific.  Minor ICs in FIC and Malaya work wonders in keeping the troops coming for the final push too.

[Young Grasshopper]

This is great stuff. Anyone playing japan should read this thread.

[Idi Amin]

When Japan attacks on J2 US takes Gibraltar US2

[Young Grasshopper]

I would never attack the states before turn 4, the only exception is if sealion was successful.

[eudemonist]

I’ve had success pressuring ANZAC.  A few subs down that way can work wonders.

[MightyPol]

@Trisdin:

I would never attack the states before turn 4, the only exception is if sealion was successful.

Correct me if I am wrong, but, by attacking the Dutch/ANZAC/UK, the US can simply enter the War, no?

By taking the Islands, this is seen as a provocation to the UK and with that the US can now declares to any Axis forces, no?

[JimmyHat]

Yes, and so in this strategy the US is able to go to war with German on US2.  Better get ready.  This really ends up putting the crunch on Italy, who now has to worry about 2 powers in the med.

[suprise attack]

America comes in the war in the third round so I believe that Japan should hit in the second round stay powerful in the Caroline islands move to anzac like your going to land there, also hit China hard use your air force to eliminate units ,also hit Russia and think about getting a major factory take N.O.from USA and try to take as many Islands as possible Germany and Japan Need to work together to take out Russia.    The group I game with dont play the victory cities.

[MightyPol]

@suprise:

America comes in the war in the third round so I believe that Japan should hit in the second round stay powerful in the Caroline islands move to anzac like your going to land there, also hit China hard use your air force to eliminate units ,also hit Russia and think about getting a major factory take N.O.from USA and try to take as many Islands as possible Germany and Japan Need to work together to take out Russia.    The group I game with dont play the victory cities.

American comes at the end of their third turn, they can’t make any combat movement before the fourth if Japan didn’t declared on Allies.

[Chesty Wilmot]

One thing that worked for me against china in the game I m playing now is that i attacked  a stack of mixed brit & china units 5 inf and 2 art plus a chinese plane and brit palne in his first effort to form a front in yunnan. He felt pretty confident about holding, as all i could get in where two Mec inf but I could send in 17 planes all up (As we are playing OOB still) What ended up happening is he got four hits so i took the loss of the two fights but new that it was worth the risk as I had eliminated China’s main form of attack for future rounds. This has handicaped the chinese and is working great.If your playing alpha 2 ithink you dont have so many jap planes but I think if you thought about positioing yourself to do it early with the planes you do have it could be worth the risk. Also I send my Jap bombers over to help the  germans early in the game to bomb moscow it sounds way out but all it takes is an airbase in suiyuyan. If done early in the game along with german bombing this can realy stuff moscow. The russians have a tendency to fly out and do attacks with planes so they cant get back to moscow Maybe 1-2 rounds Bombing runs maybe able to be made without the worry of interceptors. I brave the interceptors with my bombers as it’s only one roll of 2 or less for each fighter for 1 round of combat . you need Luck.

[Young Grasshopper]

Japan begins alfa+2 with 21 aircraft total. Not sure how your strategy would work if the Brits and china don’t stack in one territory that can be reached. As for bombing Russia you would need to pay the soviets $12 when declaring war, plus lose another $12 for the bomber you will lose to interceptors and you have spent $24 trying to give Moscow an average 4 damage to it’s IC. I wouldn’t do it.

[gamerman01]

@Trisdin:

Japan begins alfa+2 with 21 aircraft total. Not sure how your strategy would work if the Brits and china don’t stack in one territory that can be reached. As for bombing Russia you would need to pay the soviets $12 when declaring war, plus lose another $12 for the bomber you will lose to interceptors and you have spent $24 trying to give Moscow an average 4 damage to it’s IC. I wouldn’t do it.

Japan doesn’t pay Russia 12, Russia just collects an additional 12.  It’s like any other NO.  Maybe that’s what you meant, but it’s not what you said?

[Young Grasshopper]

@suprise:

America comes in the war in the third round so I believe that Japan should hit in the second round stay powerful in the Caroline islands move to anzac like your going to land there, also hit China hard use your air force to eliminate units ,also hit Russia and think about getting a major factory take N.O.from USA and try to take as many Islands as possible Germany and Japan Need to work together to take out Russia.    The group I game with dont play the victory cities.

While their at it, why not land in Egypt or even Brazil.

[Young Grasshopper]

@gamerman01:

@Trisdin:

Japan begins alfa+2 with 21 aircraft total. Not sure how your strategy would work if the Brits and china don’t stack in one territory that can be reached. As for bombing Russia you would need to pay the soviets $12 when declaring war, plus lose another $12 for the bomber you will lose to interceptors and you have spent $24 trying to give Moscow an average 4 damage to it’s IC. I wouldn’t do it.

Japan doesn’t pay Russia 12, Russia just collects an additional 12.  It’s like any other NO.  Maybe that’s what you meant, but it’s not what you said?

Really? Well we have been playing that one wrong. Is it still a one time payment or is it payed every time Russia collects income after being attacked?

[gamerman01]

One time collection.

[suprise attack]

Thanks for the response. Twice I was Japan, the first game I tried Pearl Harbor in 41 (second round) it didnt work for me. I had some real bad rolls.  The second game I had better rolls and the USA made some poor purchases.When USA came out to sink my fleet the dice were in my favor and I still had my fleet it kept USA at bay. I added to my fleet, then I built a factoy.  I was also blessed with a powerful German ally who went all out push on Russia once France fell.In the 8 games of Alpha +2 Japan was able to hold their own in 3 of those games

[Young Grasshopper]

I am seriously considering attacking all the reachable US ships on J1. If I don’t, I feel I will be giving the US time (to build up) money (NOs) and position (consolidated fleet).

[Peck]

Japan by J2 can get a major swing in economy……Ill lay it all out

J1 purchace 3 transports
Japan makes the standard China moves  
all navy save a Carrier from seazone 6 to carolines including transport and one inf
transport from SZ 19 inf and art from manchuria to SZ 36 (kwangsi) with remander of navy
transport from SZ20 moves to sz19 picks 2 inf from manchuria back to sz20 unloads Kangsi

now your set up for J2  
make a navel purchace

If USA stayed in Hawaii you can smack them hard from Carolines  or you can smack Anzac if USA retreated, the transport can take solomans, transport in SZ20 can grab the inf from Okinawa place in guam(5 or 7 NO), transport in SZ36 takes Borneo, Inf from Kangsi and some planes take HongKong. Inf in Siam take FIC, Navy in SZ 36 moves to Phi with 3 transports. You should still have enough ground and air around to kill china and close the burma road.  You should have enough ground and transports to take the DEI or most of it next turn.  So…

In the least Japan has made gains on China, stopped 4 allied NOs gained one themselfs, destroyed at least one navy and is set up for DEI.  And really hampered  Anzac and UK Economy all with at least 2 turns before USA can get anywhere.  Japan should be making close to 50IPC a turn.

[Young Grasshopper]

Excelent work Peck. This is the kind of stuff I was looking for when I started this thread. I will be starring at my board for hours now thinking about your strategy. Very helpful. Check back here after the weekend and I will tell you how it went.