Well, I’m hopeful in seeing the poll results here, 63% percent think that a J1 attack does not break the game. The problem is, I’ve seen absolutely no strategies outlined that subscribe a US course of action or strategy to follow.
Take Korea is the only strategy I’ve seen mentioned, but that’s easier said than done.
I went out to Dayton last week, and a good friend of mine and myself logged our 110th hour of playing AAP:40.
We started out using Van Trumps Japan takes Midway then builds a naval base there J1 strategy, and the Allies won both of those games quite easily. We switched sides, so that we could both take a crack at it. Niether one of us liked that strategy for Japan. It took too many of Japan’s resources straight at the US, who have the means to defeat it, with the help of ANZAC forces.
So we were kinda hopeful about the whole game and the J1 attack after that. Those were the first two Allied wins we’d seen in quite awhile!
Then we played two more game using the J1 attack, but this time we decided to use good ole’ common sense with the Japanese, and attacked into the DEI and toward India, the same strategy that had worked so well in all the other numerous Japanese wins we’ve seen, in J2 and a few J3 attacks.
Holy smokes, the Japanese just go through the Allies like a hot knife through butter! I’m not saying Van Trumps strategy won’t work, it’s just not nearly as effective as going after the DEI first though. Japan’s IPC level skyrockets with the DEI first strategy; Singapore gets a major IC extremely fast; and that all spells trouble for Australia after India bites the dust.
I think my friend, who just joined the boards here as Buckeyeboy (BB), as well as myself are leaning heavily toward the opinion that the game is not just slanted toward the Japanese, but possibly broken in their favor.
Before we make our final opinion up on the matter though, I think both of us are extremely interested in hearing from those people who feel that the game is not broken and feel that it is a balanced enough game that the Allies ought to be able to win their fair share of games.
The problem here again is, that we see people express their opinion that the Allies can win, that Japan is not so super unbeatable, but we see absolutely no strategies discussed beyond the vague. It’s like there are a lot of folks saying the Japanese are beatable, but nobody really has any idea how to do it!
With Japan being declared an island for the scramble rule purpose, and it’s having a huge advantage in air units, even a novice player Japanese player is going to be able to hold Korea and Japan from direct attack.
My own thoughts for the general Allied strategy are along these lines. If Japan wants India, then Japan is going to eventually take India, and there is nothing the Allies can do to prevent this. The British should make every attempt to make this as slow and as costly a proposition as possible for the Japanese player.
Australia should begin building for it’s defense from the onset, but the Allies should strive to control the Solomons to gain Australia the bonus IPCs.
The US should move toward securing one of the following islands as a base to move against SZ19 with the aim of getting at Korea through the backdoor route via Manchuria. Iwo Jima, Guam or the Marshalls will work, but an airbase is going to be needed regardless.
Once India falls, the Japanese most likely are going to turn on Australia. So I think the Allies should choose one of the above bases as a potential threat to the PI as well. With the Japanese needing 6 VCs to win, the Allies are going to need to make the Japanese protect the PI as well as Japan & Korea as they move toward Australia.
The game at that point should be fairly even, at least in theory here. IPC levels should be very close with Japan trying to gain Australia as it’s 6th VC while trying to hold Japan & the PI.
One problem we’ve encountered as the Allies is selling out on Allied builds in an all out attempt at saving India. Nothing we’ve been able to do has stopped India from falling. So I believe in our games that we will try a switch in Allied thinking to one of thinking about making the final stand in Australia instead of trying to hold the line in India.
The main point for the Allies here is going to be deciding on what island base it’s going to go after to make its forward operating base.
Guam comes ready loaded with an airbase. It is also just far enough out of the way that fighters & dive bombers coming from Truk can’t overfly and land in Japan, and vice versa. It also doesn’t incure the wrath of the Kamikazies. It requires a naval base on Wake to operate effectively, but this is my favorite choice. It also threatens more of the board without the need for a naval base. Plus, with the airbase already there, the Allies have the chance to grab it, then fly in ANZAC air to reinforce and immediately scramble to protect the ships that brought the invasion troops.
Iwo is just far north enough that IMHO, it would need a naval base as well as an airbase to enable it to threaten the PI. Being adjacent to Japan, it’s also likely to see heavy air attacks against any ships there. I like this as my last choice.
The Marshalls are my in between choice. The Allies can move to this location from Pearl, but it is adjacent to Truk, and so is in a flyover route from Truk to Japan & vice versa.
So here is the strategy I will follow in our next series of games when BB & I get together again in Dayton, hopefully on 4/20-21. We usually get in at least 15 solid hours of game play, and sometimes as much as 18. Lots of beer drinking the first night too! :-D
My overall strategy for the Allies will be:
1.) Make India as slow and as costly as possible
2.) Build to defend Australia as best as possible
3.) Secure a forward base for the US, hopefully Guam, or the Marshalls with the goal of getting at Korea via Manchuria or to take back Manilla
4.) Force Japan to defend SZ 6, SZ19, Truk, the PI & the DEI
I calculate that for Japan, with all of Britians holdings, minus Canadian BC; with all of China; with all of the DEI+ bonus, Vietnam & the PI…Japan should top out at 73 IPC. 72 if the US takes away Iwo.
The US & ANZAC can be at 70, 71 with Iwo & the Solomons bonus.
In theory, it should be a game still, but BB and I will have to try it out. Van Trumps J1 attack centered on a naval base for the Japanese at Midway sounded like a pretty solid theory too, but that wasn’t the case in actual play.
I’m just hoping that the Allies have a course of action open to them that will make AAP:40 a game, I sure want it to be a good game to play on it’s own, but so far we have our doubts.
BB and I have 110 hours in playing this game, and there have been precious few Allied wins. We’ll see if this general Allied strategy at least gives the Allies half a chance in a few weeks, back in Dayton. :-)
