The Japan Playbook

In games with big bids for the Allies (35+ PUs), it is possible to hold Yunnan by adding in an additional Chinese art plus flying in an additional two or three Russian planes that were bought before the game started.  If Japan pushes all of their units to Kwangsi on J1, the Allies will have to vacate Yunnan before J2 or face annihilation.  However the Chinese can counterattack or strafe Yunnan on Ch2 since the Japanese air force can’t land in that territory, seriously harming Japan’s ground strength in Mainland Asia.

Russia will have to methodically retreat back towards Moscow for the first three rounds with this plan.  The upside in Europe is that the US can execute a KGF plan since there is less urgency in the Pacific theater.

@Young:

@Nippon-koku:

Japan has to almost have a perfect game to take India round 4 by not losing any land units on the islands and taking out ANZAC’s DD + TT round 1.�  There are no guarantees in a dice game.

Exactly.�  On top of that, even if Japan does take India round 4, how does it look on the rest of the board?�  Japan can’t take India round 4 AND dominate the waters AND completely wipe out China AND take care of the Siberian troops (most games I’m using those units to attack Manchuria or Korea) AND completely control the money islands.�

If Japan goes all out to get India by round 4 the Allies can cause them a lot of headaches elsewhere.�

I think new players favor the Calcutta crush, while experienced players understand other priorities.

And I’ll fully admit that Calcutta crush can appear unstoppable to new players who find themselves on the receiving end

Thanks for the recap on the stages of the Alpha’s. I do like the newer rules I think compared to the OOB rules. Just gatta break the group on the next new game.

BH

Quote from: PeterPaaPan on June 13, 2012, 04:06:22 pm
And what happens if Japan attacks Amur and Mongolia in the same turn ? Or are they “speciel” neutral ?

All of the other strict neutrals will become pro-Allies, and the remaining Mongolian territories will become controlled by the USSR.

This sums it up.

Japan is m fav country to play and like many other players I try not to get into static purchaces,  as its easy to counter.  I employ this strat to quickly balance the navy between the US and Japan, forcing US to build more on the pacific side.  Generally the first 2 or 3 turns i play with japan I purchace transports and ground units, I try to get as many troops to the main land so by turn 3  you have so many troops you can afford to slowly filter planes off the mainland to newly bought carriers.  I also load the land up because I find when I go to take the DEI this usually weakens my mainland leaving openings for China an UK.

Strategy Summary:
Using 7 starting pieces and 5 purchased pieces on turn 1 assemble a Far East Task Force
Prepare a Russian turn 2 Declaration Of War against Japan.
or
Bait Japan(surprise them once per player) into a J1 DOW.
Use Far East Task Force to secure Burma road turn 3, India turn 4, and redeploy air to USSR by turn 6 or 7 for defense of Russia. 5 Russian air units are a nice scramble/carrier cargo in India on turn 3.

Note: The India DOW against Japan turn 1 discussed below is designed for the surrender London Strategy I have proposed elsewhere, simply ignore to evaluate this proposal independently.

Strategy Details:
Turn 1:
Purchase 2 fighters, 3 Mechanized Infantry.
Deploy 17 infantry, 1 AA gun to Amur as bait(above Manchuria+Korea).
Deploy 1 infantry to Yakut S.S.R. to redeploy against a blitzing tank later.
Deploy 1 armor, 1 Mechanized Infantry to Volgograd(Southern Victory City/Factory).
Deploy 2 fighters, 1 Tactical Bomber to Russia(non-surprise/feint option) or Caucasus(feint).
Deploy 1 Armor, 1 Mechanized Infantry to Caucasus(feign a Middle-East staging, prevent a German 5 turn assault on Moscow).

At this point, few Japanese players are expecting Russia to deploy 7 land units and 5 air units in China, so they may choose to seize Amur. This is a critical blunder and should be avoided as you consume 10-11 land units in Asia plus 2-3 air units to destroy that force, without pulling your entire fleet out of position. These 11 land units are needed in China. In my opinion.

China turn 1:
Build 4 Infantry
Deploy 12 infantry to Szechwan, 1 Fighter
Alternative: Attack and kill 1-2 Japanese land units(if 3-4 are present, soften up for India) with 3 infantry and 1 Fighter leaving 9 units plus fighter in Szechwan turn 2.
Collect 8-9 IPCs

_India turn 1: (hinges on if US enters the war turn 2 by surrendering London, disregard this section for independent review of USSR tactic)
Purchase 1 air craft carrier. Save 1 IPC.
Declare war on Japan
Deploy 6 infantry and 1 Artillery to Burma
Capture(preferred) or Clear Yunnan with 2 infantry and 3 planes, land 3 planes in India.
Deploy 1 DD to sz 37 block Jap Navy
Deploy 1 Transport to Sumatra, secure 4 IPCS with 2 Infantry from Malaya.
Deploy 1 Infantry from Malaya to Shan State
Deploy 1 BB, 1 CA to sz39 to protect carrier build.
note Deploy 1 DD french sz72 and 1 DD UKsz71 to sz 75 (in range of sz 39,76,80,41,57,60 as needed)
Collect 21 plus, 5 IPC NO, plus 1 saved for 27 IPCs.

Anzac turn 1: Build 3 infantry save 1 IPC
Deploy 1 fighter to UK carrier
Deploy 2 fighters all land to Queensland to secure landing for US planes on turn 2.
Deploy 1 transport and 2 Infantry to Java_

Russia turn 2
Deploy 2 armor, 5 Mechanized units to Sikiang, China via Kazakhstan (DOW on Japan if needed)
Deploy 4 fighters, 1 tactical bomber to Szechwan to protect 10-13 Chinese units from Jap air attack.
Deploy Amur forces if alive to capture or clear Manchuria and Korea(lower priority)

Now Japan turn 2 must use caution if they hit Amur. They have too few units(11-12) to stack in Kweichow as Russia can hit those units with 7 land and 5 air, clearing that stack.
If they stack in Hunan 12 units (assumes fleet elsewhere unless Amur is ignored), then China moves into Yunnan with 10-12 land units builds 2 more, 7 UK units merge in, along with 7 USSR units on turn 3 prior to J3 assault, plus as many air units as desired up to the allied total of 5 USSR+ 3 UK + 1 Anzac = 9 by turn 3, 11 by turn 4 or later when other 2 anzac land on carriers. US planes to follow as an option from Australia.
These leave china with 26-28 land units plus 9 planes in Yunnan(1 more land if Shan state infantry is alive to move in), vs Japanese 12 land units and typically 12-14 air units even if all 20 air units can hit, its not pretty.

Japans land movements get tricky if they can not land air units to protect them, this keeps China in the game multiple rounds, and using can opener maneuvers, you can drive Japan back since 12 units from Russia are a size-able threat.

If India goes fleet with heavy air support, then Japan must choose whether to sink it since that raises the potency of the US fleet off Australia. See actual play test description below for large naval battle composition.

Unless Japan stays focused like a laser this situation creates opportunities for China/and its allies.

I welcome your comments upon any of the merits or lack there of, of these proposals and plans.

(Sorry for my absence, I have begun to focus on Allied strategies now.)
Maroon text is background information, skip if you just wanted strategy details
Recently, I began to seek ways to address my biased perceived weighting of Alpha2 towards the axis.

Summary: Germany takes UK by turn 3 or 4, Russia can move into Germany on turn 4 but is often driven back. Japan destroys China by turn 3 or 4. US spins its wheels staging in the Pacific to keep a powerful Japan from ending the game, Europe grows into a forest fire that the US struggles with after the focus lifts from Japan. <biased view=“” based=“” on=“” my=“” observations,=“” feel=“” free=“” to=“” disagree=“”>While testing a failed Russian navy concept(I had to try it once before I rule it out), I took two things out of this:
1st: A Russian navy was ineffective, but a one destroyer build with a starting sub and scramble from sz 127 shows promise of keeping the sz125 Russian Objective 2-3 rounds without a moderate German naval/air effort that could draw assets away from the US on those critical turn 4-6 maneuvers.
2nd: Russia’s first turn build is expendable in a 10+ turn game with a SeaLion Threat.

Summary: Having concluded(perhaps shortsightedly) that Russian offensives against Germany are ill-advised, and that having Russia sit and build up while doing nothing until turn 4 is also ill-advised, the logical focus of early efforts is in Asia.

Note: The below strategy was play tested 12 turns in combination with a surrender London, and Turn 1 DOW against Japan by India and Anzac after a Japan DOW turn 1 on Russia’s bait.
Japan had 2-3 critical choices to make, all of them could have changed the outcome which was: Japan was brought to her knees, with no American builds in the Pacific until turn 5, and 1 UK carrier built in S. Africa on turn 1.
Starting US Navy was forward deployed and used in Pacific when it entered the war on turn 2. Japanese navy was stacked off of French Indo China to threaten an India first campaign.
India and Anzac collected at war NO’s on turn 1 (Anzac did not have the island NO)
(all Mediterranean forces were stacked in sz92 Gibraltar turn1. 2 Land units(London/Scotland) and 3 planes were landed on Algeria(sz109 transport was critical) to prevent an Italian landing site for a German air assault against the UK sz92 force G2, (1 DD was left to block Italian bombardments/naval assault in sz 94) Turn 2, UK Navy Reinforced US navy in sz91 Gibraltar.
Buy turn 3, India was able to stack:
3 carriers, 1 BB, 1 Cruiser, 2 DD(French/UK), 9 fighters(3 Anzac,2 UK, 4 USSR fighters-3 scrambled
vs. the Japanese fleet able to hit it by turn J4:
3 Carriers, 2 BB, 2 CA, 4 DD, 2 subs (Japan had moved fleet to Philippines turn 2, as one transport was  used turn 1 against Amur, 1 was in Japan, and with only 1 transport, India first was not viable.) This was the second critical choice that failed to see the potential of the Indian navy on one side, the US navy off of Australia, and the cost of the first critical decision to hit Amur depleting Asian land units and pulling 1 transport out of range.
Egypt did not fall in 12 turns stacking 5 UK fighters (2London,Scotland,Gibraltar,Malta) plus 1 Tactical on Egypt turn 2 as US planes landed on UK/US fleet, causing Italy to drive through Middle-east to grab Volgograd rather then engage 15 land units, 6 air in Egypt. Italy was not safe to move away from scramble air cover for first 3 turns, as a 6 UK air force would scuttle 1 BB, 2 CA, and 2 DDs in 3 combat rounds. (3 hits round 1, 2 round 2, 1 round 3 vs. Italy 2 hits round 1, 2 round 2, 1 round 1 leaving 1 French fighter to sink unescorted transports if all UK air lost) this forced an Italian carrier build on turn 3, and fleet was able to move out turn 4….by then 5 US air offered a one , two punch threat.
In fact, the axis were forced to use a turn 2 neutral crush on Sweden, Spain, and Turkey just so Italian units could be transported to turkey when fleet was able to deploy on turn 3, this also permitted the axis to stack 30+ units on Gibraltar by turn 5 as Germany went navy for first 4 turns to drive the US away from Gibraltar since Germany was out producing the US due to capital plunder early on.</biased>

@ghr2:

US can DOW on the axis after Londong falls?
After US declares war collect income turn 3, it gets the bonus income from the NOs right?

Yes, the US can declare war on any or all Axis if London or any territory in North America is captured.  This is in the Alpha+2 rules, not OOB.
Yes, assuming the US hasn’t been brought into the war before round 3, they can declare war on any or all Axis on the collect income phase and immediately goes to a war footing which enables all the US national objectives.
@Piet:

Ok thanks alot.
So just for my understanding:  without any Japanese DOW to UK, ANZAC or US, the US may declare war in the collect income phase of US3.
With such a declaration, or if London/a North American territory is captured, the US may declare war on the combat move phase of the US turn following a Japanese DOW.
And an attack on Russia by any of  Japan/Germany/italy does not influence the US DOW right ?

Yes.
Yes.
Correct.  Any action against Russia does not affect the US and visa versa.

A month or two ago I posted this strategy for Japan in AAR about taking the heat of Germany and taking the Mnr US VC in Nth America

@The:

A strategy employed to annoy the USA is to land units in Alaska and take the pressure of Germany so they can take Moscow. But why not take this one step further and focus on taking LA/San Fran?

This is an alternate Japanese strategy to that of the Moscow/Berlin race that is seen in most games. This could be taken over to global '40 but it would be a lot harder to preform. Also could be used for spring '42.

For this strategy to be implemented you will need to following things to have happened:

Allies play the standard KGF

No UK factory in india

No US factory in China/Sinkijiang

Here is the standard move for J1 on this strategy:

India capture with inf in FIC and Shanghai transport used to move inf from Shanghai to FIC and air support.
Move 2 inf from Japan to Shanghai with sz60 tran.
Build:
2 inf 6 Ipc
2 Art 8 ipc
2 Tran 16 ipc
total 30 ipc

Earned 33 Ipc

J2

Shanghai tran that will be close to FIC moved to sz 61 and move 2inf from Japan to Manchuria and move them into Shanghai.

You will have in:
Shanghai: 5 inf
Japan: 2inf, 3art,1 arm, 1 Bmr and maybe 1 fighter
India, FIC, Manchuria 2-3 inf and maybe 1 fighter in each

Build:
same as J1

Ipc earned 33 left over from buy 3 total 36

J3
Take china with air support 2-3 fighters and 5 inf in Shanghai
Only if no SU forces in it and 2-3 inf plus fighter in it.

Build
Same as J1

at the end of this turn you should have:
Japan: 4inf, 5art, 1arm
SZ60: 1bb, 6 tran

J4 this is the important turn

Invade Alaska with 3 tran carrying 1 inf + 1art each. Use your BB bombardment to kill the inf. If Alaska has to large a force in it use all 6 tran and take all units out of Japan or use your trans to shuck units onto the mainland and push for Moscow. You shoudn’t have to do this as Britain and the USA will be focussed on taking Berlin and preforming D-DAY.

After you have taken Alaska you will be earning 37 IPC per turn.
You have 36 IPC to spend

Buy
3 inf 9
2 art 8
2 tran 16
total 33

end turn IPC total 40

Japan: 4 INF, 4 ART, 1 ARM
SZ60: 5 tran
Alaska: 3 INF, 3 ART
SZ 63: 1 BB, 3 TRAN

J5

4 TRANS shuck 4 inf + art to Alaska
3 trans in sz63 return to sz 60

Build
4INF, 4 ART

12 ipc to do what you want with

earn the 37 plus what you didn’t spend

J6

same as J5 build and move 4art+inf to Alaska
Move 4 tran back to sz60 from 63

J7…
same as J6

when you have a big enough force probably J6 move units into Western Canada. Every NCM move units that landed in Alaska to WC and strike at LA and place build units into there and try and hold from the American counter. If succesful build up your force and strike at Washington. Even without taking Washington you will win as the US forces will be trying to take LA back from you and with Calcutta and LA under your control if you and Germany have lost no VC’s you have 8 if Germany take Lenningrad or Moscow you win if Playing LHTR. If not and going for 10 vc’s Germany should be able to take Moscow and win. If playing 12 you will attack Washington and Germany will attack London. You should still win with both of you sending forces through the former SU and through Africa to collect IPC for yourselves and take them from UK.

This seems easy in concept but is hard to pull off but if successful you will win easily. Because of its diffuclty to be successful players usually stay in Alaska/WC and threaten LA rather than attempt to take it.

I tried it in revised and pulled of the capture of LA but not Washington as Moscow had been weakened by a huge German force about 6 ing, 6 art, 30 arm against about 45 SU inf We also had leningrad and calcutta so we won with one to many VC’s (We played LHTR)The Uk and US 1-2 punch in France failed as the US had to try and retake two VC’s in one turn

I’m now going to try and attempt to convert this into a G40 strat while still taking China and Far eastern Russia.

We assume that Russia moves 18 inf into Bry

Also will only see pacific side of the board as what happens in Europe doesn’t affect it much except if US starts spending Money in the Pacific

J1 build
Mnr
2 tran
save 0

Attack
Hun and Yun with normal forces

Take Amu with forces in Korea and Man

Take Cha and Anh with forces in Jeh and Sha

Take FIC with forces in siam
Hun and Yun loses may be different to what I show. But thats ok as it doesn’t majorly affect the strat.

NCM
Fig For-Japan
Fig Okin-Japan
Inf Okin v/ tran Z20-19-20 -Ksi
DD,CV,Tact,Fig Z33-36
CC,DD,BB,SS Z19-36

Place
Mnr in Shanghai
2 tran Z6

Collect
33

Now some assumptions to be made
US retreats from Phil with fig to guam
2 inf v/tran to Z23
DD - Z23

It doesnt matter if US doesn’t retreat from Phil it will mean you will occur some loses though
Lets assume China takes back Yun and strengths its position

I have entered in some standard Brit and ANZAC moves.

J1 complete J2 coming soon
Jap KAF J1.AAM