The Japan Playbook

[baron Münchhausen]

@Tirano:

@Cow:

Sure have. I am still a proud axis player and a proud Trump supporter.

Make America great again.

I hope for you he is not just a successful autoritative business owner running USA like his own business.

[Neptunes_Advocate]

You really have to worry about China. I mean that they can build a lot of infantry, and seriously hamper plans. I would try to kill china fully by J5-6 just to get that of your plate. Japan has so many countries to worry about, and they can all hurt Japan. You need to try to watch ANZAC and US, they will KILL you later. Take China, and aim for these VCs. Tokyo, Shanghi, Hong Kong, Manilia, Honolulu, and your choice of New South Wales, or Calcutta.
Trust me, it works.

[WinterAdler]

Production: 2x transports, 1x minor industrial complex (factory for Kiangsu)

Declare War on US, France, British, Anzac

Combat Movement:

Chahar

• 2x Infantery (Jehol)
• 1x Artillery (Jehol)
• 1x Mechanized Infantery (Manchuria)

Anhwe

• 6x Infatery (3x Shantung, 3x Kiangsu)
• 2x Artillery (1x Shantung, 1x Kiangsu)

Hunan

• 2x Infantery (1x Kiangsi, 1x Kwangsi)
• 2x Fighters (Manchuria)
• 2x Tactical Bombers (Manchuria)

Yunnan

• 1x Infantery (Kwangsi)
• 1x Artillery (Kwangsi)
• 1x Fighter (Kiangsu)
• 1x Tactical Bomber (Kiangsu)
• 1x Strategical Bomber (Japan)

Kwangtun

• 2x Infantery (1x Kwangsi, 1x Kiangsi)
• 1x Artillery (Kiangsi)
• 3x Fighter (1x Okinawa, 2x Japan)
• 2x Tactical Bomber (Japan)

French Indo China

• 1x Infatery (Siam)

Shan Stat

• 1x Infantery (Siam)

Sea Zone 43

• 1x Transport (carrying 1x infantery)

Borneo

• 1x Infantery (Sea Zone 20 / Kiangsi)

Sea Zone 37

• 1x Cruiser (Sea Zone 20
• 1x Fighter (Formosa)
• 1x Strategical Bomber (Japan)

Sea Zone 35

• 2x Transport carrying 2x Infantery, 1x tank and 1x artillery (Sea Zon 19 / Okinawa / Manchuria, Sea Zone 6 / Japan)
• 2x Submarines (Sea Zone 19, Sea Zone 6)
• 1x Destroyer (Sea Zone 19)
• 1x Battleship (Sea Zone 19)

Philippines

• 2x Infantery (Sea Zone 19 / Okinawa, Sea Zone 6 / Japan)
• 1x Artillery (Sea Zone 19 / Manchuria)
• 1x Tank (Sea Zone 6 / Japan)

Sea Zone 62

• 1x Destroyer (Sea Zone 33)
• 1x Fighter (Sea Zone 33)
• 1x Tactical Bomber (Sea Zone 33)

Sea Zone 26

• 2x Fighters (Sea Zone 6)
• 2x Tactical Bombers (Sea Zone 6)
• 1x Battleship (Sea Zone 6)
• 1x Cruiser (Sea Zone 6)
• 1x Destroyer (Sea Zone 6)

==========================================================================================================

Non Combat Movement:

Sea Zone 26
-2x Aircraft Carriers (Sea Zone 6)
-1x Destroyer (Sea Zone 6)

Sea Zone 62

• 1x Aircraft Carrier (Sea Zone 33)

Siam

• 1x Fighter (Sea Zone 37)

Kwangsi

• 2x Strategical Bombers (1x Sea Zone 37, 1x Yunnan)
• 5x Fighters (3x Kwangtung, 2x Hunan)
• 4x Tactical Bombers (2x Kwangtung, 2x Hunan)

Japan

• 1x Fighter (Korea)

==========================================================================================================

Place:

Kiangsu

• 1x minor industiral complex (factory)

Sea Zone 6

• 2x transports

==========================================================================================================

New IPC Income:

26 Start Income

• 16 conquered territories

---

= Total 42

Next seocond round:

Get “the money islands” (Sumatra, Java, Celebes).
Use submarines for convoy and strategical bombardements against the british.
Push against China, defend the fleet for the american and anzac.

–----------------

Hope, you enjoy.

[Cow]

I still prefer the 3 transport buy, opens up J3 takedown of India as an option.

Kiangsu move 1 inf down down to kiangsi (phil you probably lose 2 inf on J1 so this allows you to pick up and drop malaya from phil with 2 guys).

Kwangsi I always adored 3 inf 1 arty 1 fight 1 tactical, low luck I sometimes do 2 inf 1 arty 1 fight 1 tact. I don’t like to go light on the battleship in sz37, I use cruiser fighter 2 bomber.

Bombers are bombers. Tactical fighters are tactical fighters. :P Not m fault LH had bad luck when it came to naming. I don’t see how tacticals are more like bombers than they are like fighters, only fighters land on carriers in this game, move 4, attack 3 (except when paired with tank or fighter), and yeah they can’t bomb ICs so they are not real bombers.

If you do the attack in sz62, use a destroyer only, it is better than having to put a carrier someplace silly.

[Young Grasshopper]

I just uploaded a video about the J1 attack, hopefully it proves useful for those interested in this strategy…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIYYoj1IadM

[Cow]

^^ I commented. :) moo

[Fatespinner]

In out current game I plan to take India on turn 3.

J1: Build transports and troops. Get FIC
J2: Build Airbase in FIC and also build a port in SZ36. Move planes to FIC, Move 12 troop adjacent to sz36
J3: Attack India
J4: Get money islands

Is this a good plan? Germany (played by another player) will try a Sealion on G3. Has anyone tried to do this before? How would you handle China since a lot ground troops are moved to India and probably lost.

[Young Grasshopper]

@Fatespinner:

In out current game I plan to take India on turn 3.

J1: Build transports and troops. Get FIC
J2: Build Airbase in FIC and also build a port in SZ36. Move planes to FIC, Move 12 troop adjacent to sz36
J3: Attack India
J4: Get money islands

Is this a good plan? Germany (played by another player) will try a Sealion on G3. Has anyone tried to do this before? How would you handle China since a lot ground troops are moved to India and probably lost.

I personally prefer to get the money Islands first before sacking Calcutta… you can suppress India with bombing and convoy raiding while you get the Islands, and than go back for Calcutta.

[Fatespinner]

Taking the money islands as soon as possible is a good option. UK has moved nearly all troops to Burma (8 inf). So I will attack Malaysia and FIC J2 and take two money islands. This allows me to decide on J3 if I want to take India without Shan State and thus only six fighters or take the remaining islands and attack Yuannan with all forces and kill the UK and Chinese ground forces. It all depends on the enemy move in UK2.

The good thing with Japan is that you can be really flexible and fast, if you take care where you place your units, but at the same time it is possible to make deadly errors in the early turns. Chinese+UK can overrun you if have spread your forces. Japan does have only few ground forces and so many fronts. You should be prepared to leave one front undefended to handle one front/problem per time. If the US fleet convoys Japan then you have to spent at least one turn to handle the problem and /or build minor IC on the main land.

You have to spread you fleet to protect your transports from US/Anzac planes and naval attacks and this can prove to be really difficult.

[Cow]

Page 12, Europe rulebook, in the Declaring War box:
“During your Combat Move phase in which you entered into a state of war, your transports that are already in sea zones that have just become hostile may be loaded in those sea zones (but not in other hostile sea zones). In effect, transports may be loaded in their initial sea zones for amphibious assaults before war is declared, while the sea zone is still friendly.”

This is for my personal reference for future games.

[GeneralHandGrenade]

You should throw the sneaky ANZAC DOW against Japan in your playbook too for future reference.

[Ichabod]

@Fatespinner:

In out current game I plan to take India on turn 3.

J1: Build transports and troops. Get FIC
J2: Build Airbase in FIC and also build a port in SZ36. Move planes to FIC, Move 12 troop adjacent to sz36
J3: Attack India
J4: Get money islands

Is this a good plan? Germany (played by another player) will try a Sealion on G3. Has anyone tried to do this before? How would you handle China since a lot ground troops are moved to India and probably lost.

This would be a great strategy if it really takes out India on Turn 3. I think a lot of things have to go right (meaning Allies’ mistakes) for it to work. For an adjustment to the plan, 3 transports and 1 artillery (not troops) should be your J1 build. Also, in this plan do you DOW on the Western Allies on J2 in order to clear Allies’ blockers? Just one destroyer in SZ37 would critically hurt Japan as you just spent lots of money on Naval and Air Base (30 IPCs for bases. There will be no other money because you lost the 10 IPCs for not being at war with the US)

Also, how or when are you capturing a landing place for your planes from FIC? When I play the Axis, the Allies’ shove everything. Yunnan is stacked every round so that’s not a landing place. The only other landing places besides your 3 carriers (6 planes + 2 bombers = Maybe not enough planes) for your Airbase planes on FIC to land is Burma or Shan State. Again, I see a smart UK player denying both spots for planes to land.

[Fatespinner]

@Ichabod:

This would be a great strategy if it really takes out India on Turn 3. I think a lot of things have to go right (meaning Allies’ mistakes) for it to work. For an adjustment to the plan, 3 transports and 1 artillery (not troops) should be your J1 build. Also, in this plan do you DOW on the Western Allies on J2 in order to clear Allies’ blockers? Just one destroyer in SZ37 would critically hurt Japan as you just spent lots of money on Naval and Air Base (30 IPCs for bases. There will be no other money because you lost the 10 IPCs for not being at war with the US)

Also, how or when are you capturing a landing place for your planes from FIC? When I play the Axis, the Allies’ shove everything. Yunnan is stacked every round so that’s not a landing place. The only other landing places besides your 3 carriers (6 planes + 2 bombers = Maybe not enough planes) for your Airbase planes on FIC to land is Burma or Shan State. Again, I see a smart UK player denying both spots for planes to land.

Exactly that happened. Burma and yuanan were stacked. Blocking all landing points for me. I was also blocked.

Now China and the us have the North and I am toast.

[Cow]

Take and hold Shan state. You can accomplish this by all air hitting Burma j2.  Honestly just taking UK pacific out is all Japan really needs to do. UK pacific makes winning by vc in Europe hard.

[Cow]

The g1 2 Bomber 1 sub buy can force pressure on the middle East by simply attacking with air units against ground so italy can waltz in. So UK can’t have it all, can’t have middle East and uk Pacific, has to give up one. You can hold India from a j3 in theory, assuming UK pacific stays on India and has Russia air fly in, India transport maybe drops in persia and drops back in India round 2. Anzac fly 3 air to Java and then India. Can be done.

If you see this well your goal is simply make money as long as you can. Be aggressive. You can take out Anzac if USA is at Japan waters. Take west Australia fly air there next round then you can blow Anzac away.  You keep making money and hang in there. Malaya and fic minors.

[simon33]

I’ll have to think about the merit of buying the 2 extra bombers G1 rather than G2 outside of a G1 DOW context. What do you see it as?

[Ichabod]

@Fatespinner:

In out current game I plan to take India on turn 3.

J1: Build transports and troops. Get FIC
J2: Build Airbase in FIC and also build a port in SZ36. Move planes to FIC, Move 12 troop adjacent to sz36
J3: Attack India
J4: Get money islands

Is this a good plan? Germany (played by another player) will try a Sealion on G3. Has anyone tried to do this before? How would you handle China since a lot ground troops are moved to India and probably lost.

How does this work when UK Pac puts a blocker next to Malaya?

[Cow]

If you have your navy sitting below burma and malaya… there is no block.  naval base FIC and slam. You can block the blocker you know, UKP has diddly squat to sink Japan’s massive navy.

[larrymarx]

@simon33:

I’ll have to think about the merit of buying the 2 extra bombers G1 rather than G2 outside of a G1 DOW context. What do you see it as?

I actually think it’s the opposite - G1 is the only play that renders the two extra bombers questionable.

As Germany you have the choice of going after Britain or Russia. If you do a G1 you have made your choice. Yes, you can still do Sealion while at war with Russia but I just don’t think it’s a good idea.

If you don’t do a G1, you are giving your play a certain ambiguity that forces the Allies to contend with your potential to go for either. To play up the dual threat, you should buy units on G1 that will help you no matter which way you decide to go. This points towards air and fleet purchases, since more land units won’t help you fight Britain.

Now the only question is which air and fleet units to go with. Bombers, fighters and destroyers are obvious choices, but a sub will work too because you can use it to help blow up the remainder of the British fleet in the Atlantic on G2. A bomber is a unit that will definitely not sit idle since you can stratbomb no matter how the Allies react, so it’s a good choice.

[Cow]

Lately for my J1 Dow I been keeping 2 figs on Japan only and 3 or 4 naval units.

So far better because more air to attack round 2 with. Bships and carriers have to move down because it makes j3 India easier if they do Burma stack.

You can position carriers below Burma to slam India with 14 air without an airbase buy. Good stuff