The Japan Playbook

I always find whatever I do as Japan the Allies are at my heels at the other flank. Cannot be everywhere. I hate going south for the income and for  India leaving China to slowly, but surely regain Asia and I really hate leaving those 18 Russians on my northern border. Attacking them now means I have to kill 24 of them, but leaving them means they will attack when I am stretched everywhere else ( maybe around T4)losing  me 6 IPCs and then facing enemies on 2 fronts and a probable minor US factory. I have never won Global as Japan and am resigning myself to being Germany’ s holding partner. but is just so hard not being aggressive and enjoying Japan’ s very strong set up.

You suggest throwing everything at India, so there is one fewer enemy to worry about? Will try next time, but my Allied opponent always finds a way to demoralise me, then my original plan flies out the window!

I have found in a couple of games recently that Japan going hard for India can end up being kind of a trap, especially when USA goes hard in the Pacific.
Most times I have found that Japan just can not get to India before USA gets into the war. Then Japan ends up taking India, which seems good because you not only knock out one enemy in UK, but you also somewhat weaken China’s income since the Burma Road is pretty much permanently closed.
Problem is that in the mean time, USA comes over with a strong navy and sinks what navy Japan has around it’s capital, which is usually somewhat small because most of Japan’s navy is down by India and the DEI and it is kind of spread out down there to protect it’s holdings. So, the US Navy kind of stations itself in SZ 6 and starts convoy raiding Japan, hurting their income and really not allowing any new ships to be built there. What’s more, USA often takes Korea in the process giving them a nice place to stage bombers to SBR Japan.
This can go on for a couple of rounds before Japan can get the bulk of it’s navy up to challenge the US Navy, which will continue to get more ships coming over from W US so they will keep getting bigger.
Also, even if Japan is able to successfully attack the US Navy and clear SZ 6, they have left all their holdings in the DEI open for ANZAC to sneak in and take, which not only costs Japan the money from the expensive islands themselves, but also that important DEI NO. There’s even the possibility that ANZAC could slip over and liberate India.
Along with this, with Japan having to concentrate on the naval battle, China will keep buying more men and exhaust Japan’s already limited land forces. Then China will be retaking territory, costing Japan further.
So, while I agree that Japan taking India is a good plan for them, they need to find a way to do it that doesn’t require so much commitment. So they can better deal with the US Navy and not leave their capital so vulnerable.

Also, don’t feel you have to hold all of the DEI against all comers. You collect income at the end of your turn, not the beginning so I just designate a splinter fleet to follow the Allies around re-re-capturing what they re-captured the turn before.

I’d also say that the most important island of the DEI is Java as, if you station a small fleet here, you can use the island and surrounding sea zone as a shield against the ANZACs while still threatening India, Malaya and the Phillipines.

I had a lot of fun with Japan - although (and I’m aware that Cow will want my blood for saying this) I played to maximise Germany’s chances of winning so generally sailed around making a complete pest of myself to distract America and UK from the war that they should have been fighting  :-D

You evil man! Must have been fun and annoying as hell for the other side. Did you win?I agree about Java.

Yeah, the Axis won - it was a great game!

Never thought of that. If Japan take and hold India, then load  Japan with Inf and some Fighters so as not to lose the little revenue they will have after the loss of 11 IPC from SZ6, they then turn West when necessary to help clear Egypt. Axis win with the fall of Moscow. Unfortunately, can only dream of when I will get to play Global again and try out Plan Supersecret!  Is hard enough finding time and opportunity to play one half of the map.

In fairness I should say that Italy had supreme good luck during our game (and a devestating strategy which I managed to shove Italy into (although he did certainly make my abstract theory work in practice so kudos!)

The UK fleet fled out into the Indian Ocean in UK1 (it had been sunk by J3 together with the UK§ and ANZAC fleets) then Italy launched a joint amphibious and land assault on Egypt after blitzing the Middle East and setting up a minor IC in Iraq.

From about I5 onwards the whole north coast was in Italian hands with a heavy Italian garisson (being reinforced each turn) in Morocco and Italy & USA were trading Gibraltar every turn and so stopping the USA and Britain breaking open the Med.

Nice. I was born in Florence, Italy, so that sounds good. Unfortunately my main opponent might have  been Lee in a former life, to my Burnside, so I do not get the luxury of Italian help for long in any game I play. I do believe the Med and a throttled italy is the key to a successful Allied victory.

Look at this opener from a game I played last year. This was Alhpa +2…

http://www.axisandallies.org/forums/index.php?topic=23778.30