The Japan Playbook

Have you played balanced Mod, Cow?

@Cow:

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

Make America great again.

this is helpfull

I would love to see this strategy updated for the BM 2.0 ruleset. With the Allies often going Atlantic-heavy to start with, how does this change the opening J1 gambit, or even J2?

I’ve had varying degrees of success as Japan in BM 2.0, and I’m still developing solid strategies that take advantage of US “pivots to the West.”

Anyone else?

So has it been determined whether J1 DOW or J2 DOW is better? I’ve seen a lot of stuff for a good J1 DOW, but very little for how to set up for a J2 DOW.

Ah you mean that playbook where you do not leave a Battleship or even 1 extra plane in Japan so that you can drive all over Australia and India every 8 games but ragequit ever 2 games? Cute.

(And that’s a ragequit where he didn’t lose a single sub south of the UK vs an Allied 13 bid, roflmao!)

Cow, I have used some of your Japan strategies in my latest game and won after knocking out India, Australia and China in succession, then rolling up Russia from the east bailing out the Euro-Axis who were feeling pressure from Anglo-US forces stacked in France (though Italy did control the Middle East and most of Africa). Thank you for making the Axis powers great again!

@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.

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.

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.

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

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.

@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.

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.

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