The Japan Playbook

[internationalaw]

@Cow:

It is hard to say without seeing the board.

minor factory is nice. more boats with men. fighters. Can never go wrong buying more fighters. airbase or naval base if you need the extra movement to do a big attack.

So we just finished J2 and UK2 so I can line up my nexy move for Japan.

I have 6 TT with 7 available troops in range of Calcutta,  3 fully loaded AC and the rest of my planes ( 5figt, 6tac, 2SBomb)in FIC where I just placed an AB, Iac and shipyard. I own Shan State. I know usually this is where u hit Calcutta EXCEPT he evacuated most his troops to western India.

Western India: 7in 2art 2figt 1tbomb
India: 1inf 2art 2aa

I have an idea what im gonna do but have you ever dealt with this before?

[Cow]

Yes, when this happens usually you drop a few units and attack India with air. Then when he liberates it you take it back…

If he does not liberate it, just spam 3 infantry there a round and eventually it is yours forever.

[internationalaw]

Thinking about purchasing a IC in Malaya next turn…

Also, RUssia initially moved back from Amur but now they have several units in Korea and the rest in Amur…Trying to figure out how to stop this one

[oysteilo]

I think J1 DOW is probably a solid move. But what is the best way of dealing with the chinese? Especially in the rounds before India falls? If you leave them alone a couple of rounds they are all over the place. If you fight them it tends to slow down the campaign against India. I do not see any clear strategies for this here. what do people do?

[Cow]

I usually deal with it later. More conservative players deal with it sooner. It is preference.

I like to take out India as soon as I can, usually round 4-6 depending on what the allies do (if they give me juicy battles to do instead).

I really like India out of the game, because say things go awry for you in the pacific like a pacific vc is not going to happen…. once Germany takes Russia the allies struggle to defend Egypt. Ideally the allies want India alive because that is their second Russia.

[internationalaw]

What’s the pros/cons against DOWJ1 everywhere but the Phil’s?

[internationalaw]

Current state in the Pacific. It’s US4 turn.

[internationalaw]

Russia just built a complex.

[internationalaw]

ANZAC/US with build up in AUS

[Arthur Bomber Harris]

What a fantastic strategy for J1!  I did this plan along with G2 push into Russia.  America threatened the Japanese fleet until they finally needed to produce units in the Atlantic to control Germany.  I had India contained to just a couple of territories, and a sub was taking away a fair bit of their limited production.  If the Indian units stepped too far away from the capitol, I could send transports and planes to cheaply grab it.  Hence, they turtled down and waited for my onslaught.

My question is why attack India until it is your final victory city?  Why not bottle them up down there and convey raid their money down to nothing.  Perhaps a J1 or J2 build with a sub or two to head down to the Indian Ocean would hasten the total economic collapse of India without need for an actual invasion.  That would free up additional money to spend on the Japanese navy instead of a land army.  America could obviously counter in this theater with a heavy navy spend, but with the cost of handing Europe to Germany.  Thoughts?

[ChocolatePancake]

There’s a few reasons why you want to capture India. First, it’s a 5 IPC bonus every round, which is very nice. Second, it threatens the middle east, which can force the UK to respond and possibly take away some resources which would otherwise be defending Moscow.
Finally, and most importantly I think, it allows you to move all of your air and naval assets east to immediately start threatening a win by capturing Sydney or Hawaii. It allows you to build almost exclusively with this goal in mind as well. Thus, either the USA will spend a large amount of resources stopping you, and hopefully allowing Germany to get the win, or Japan will just win outright.

[Cow]

moo

[Young Grasshopper]

@Cow:

moo

Hey Cow, good to see you back.

[Bung]

My apologies if this is already posted,

I’m not completely convinced one should do either of these:

15. 1 korea fighter -> sz 35
16. 1 mech inf manchuria -> chahar

Re 15: By sending the korea fighter to sz35 you actually are putting 3 air that have to land in sz35: the two that attacked manila and this one. Which means how can the carrier from Carolinas go to sz43? There should be enough ships without needing the fighter in sz35 in combat?

Re 21: If/When china/UK counters yunnan, you have little (hunnan inf maybe) to no ground left to attack, it might be nice to have a piece of fodder. If you leave the mech inf move till noncom, then if Hunnan inf attack survives, or they fail to recapture the territory, you might move the mech inf to anhwe, that way there is a glimmer of hope you have a unit for casualty rolls when countering Yunnan in J2.

[Bung]

You also have two fleets going to sz35 listed, was one supposed to say sz36?

[Cow]

The Korea fighter should go to Japan, Japan fighter used to battle.

These days I do things a little different. Overall it is basically the same thing. I used to flip out everytime FIC gets attacked by uk and the 2 inf go down, combined with the whole anzac 2 inf 3 fighter on java. I do not worry about it so much anymore.

[Black_Elk]

I think some of this stuff should be scripted for the hardAI.  :-D

Or at least, give the broad strokes for it, so the JapanAI can have some early teeth on occasion.
Right now a discussion of how to handle DoW stuff going down…

http://tripleadev.1671093.n2.nabble.com/AI-Development-Discussion-tp7585227p7588842.html

[creeping-deth87]

Hi there, I’ve been using a J2 DOW for quite some time now and would like some feedback before a game next weekend. Here are my J1 moves:

PURCHASE: 2 transports, 1 bomber

Combat Moves
1 infantry, Jehol -> hahar
1 Infantry, 1 Artillery, Jehol -> Anwhe
3 Infantry, Shangtung -> Anwhe
2 Infantry, Kiangsu -> Anwhe
1 Mech, Manhcuria -> Anwhe
3 Infantry, 1 Artillery, Kiangsi -> Hunan
2 Fighters, 2 Tacs, Manchuria-> Hunan
3 Infantry, 1 Artillery, Kwangsi-> Yunnan
2 Bombers, Japan-> Yunnan
1 Fighter, 1 Tac, Kiangsu-> Yunnan

Non-combat moves:
2 Fighters, 2 Tacs, Hunan -> Kwangsi
2 Fighters, 2 Tacs, Japan -> Kwangsi
1 Fighter, 1 Tac, 2 Bombers, Yunnan-> Kwangsi
1 AC, 1 fighter, 1 tac, 1 sub, 1 transport (JPN: inf + tank) SZ6 -> SZ37
1 BB, 1 destroyer, 1 sub, 1 transport (inf + art) SZ19 -> SZ37
1 AC,  1 fighter, 1 tac, 1 destroyer, SZ33 -> SZ37
1 cruiser, 1 transport, 1 transport (inf + art) SZ20 -> SZ20
4 infantry, Korea -> Manchuria

I believe this sets up for a nice J2 DOW, though I know some people won’t like splitting the fleet in 2. In my experience, even with less ships sailing south, the UK and ANZAC aren’t willing to engage you at sea and you have the advantage of protecting the waters around Japan. My group likes to park huge Allied fleets in SZ6 if it is left undefended, as it invariably is when you put every boat south.

J2 buy: 1 carrier, 1 tank, 1 artillery, 2 transports

On J2, I like to use the transports in 37 and 20 to grab Malaya (with 2 transports) and Borneo (with 1 transport). I also like to grab Kwangtung with both the transports in SZ6 bought on J1, which puts India down -10. I also like to start bombing raids on Calcutta J2 to really cripple their ability to build stuff. For the Yunnan counterattack you should have what’s leftover in Hunan, plus the mech infantry in Anwhe and all the aircraft in Kwangsi parked there on J1. J3 you should be able to land all your planes on Yunnan, with a J4 takeover by sea with 5 transports.

I don’t usually take the Philippines with this opener, nor do I typically grab all the money islands before taking over India, as I like to focus 100% on obliterating UK pacific. I would like to know what the community thinks of this strategy though.

[Young Grasshopper]

This is a great post creeping-deth87, I look forward to going over it in detail after work. After a quick skim through I see that there are no IC purchases in the first 2 rounds, but rather lots of transports… I assume that you plan on supplying the mainland with mostly naval landings, not sure if this is wise, but I look forward to learning more and studying your blue print

[creeping-deth87]

Thanks for the enthusiasm Young Grasshopper! You are correct that there are no complex purchases in the first 2 rounds. I have never, in any version of Axis and Allies, thought that buying factories was worth it except for REALLY late game, play-to-world-conquest scenarios. I am much more a fan of transports for getting my units around, another reason why I split off into distinct North and South Pacific fleets with my Japan play.