The Japan Playbook

@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?

@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.

Today I decided to try a VERY aggressive J1 attack (and aggressively play the Axis in general, for instance, Germany used its bombers on London instead of SZ 110/111 and everything succeeded anyway) so, along with most of the moves you’re used to, I attacked the Hawaiian fleet, too, and went for ANZAC’s destroyer/transport (50/50 shot!).  It went OK, maybe well, only more time will tell (we’re starting J2 on Monday)

Result was all the usual Japan attacks succeeding, making 40 ipc at the end of its turn (no national objectives), UK-Pacific is making 10 ipc after losing Hong Kong and Borneo, and, after its counter attack, the U.S. has zero planes and its only ships are the ones it bought on US1 and its transport in the Atlantic.

I’m not so sure about taking the 50/50 shot at ANZAC’s destroyer/transport instead of sending it to Hawaii.  I missed and was sank, but more importantly think the extra hit to take on the U.S.’ counter attack on Hawaii would be more worthwhile.  The U.S. lost everything on its counter (including his bomber and fighter from Central and East) but that was bad luck and should have been more successful.  Japan has a wounded battleship left.  Interestingly, I couldn’t take hits on my carrier’s lightly because if I did, my opponent would have retreated and I would lose my planes anyway.

Purchase: 2 transports, 1 minor industrial complex for Kiangsu
J2 plan is to take Malaya, hit China, send new transports south, buy tanks and a bomber(s), and J3 gets me the money islands and a factory on Malaya, buy more tanks and some fleet(?), J4 is Calcutta and buy fleet cause the U.S. is showing up.

Sea attacks:
SZ 37 (UK battleship) cruiser and two bombers
SZ 35 (Phillipines) carrier from Caroline Islands, and SZ19’s battleship, sub, and destroyer
SZ 62 (ANZAC) 1 destroyer from Caroline Islands
SZ 26 (Hawaii) all of SZ 6’s non-transport fleet

Land:
Borneo (1 inf)
Phillipines (2 inf, 2 art, 1 fighter)
Hong Kong (2 inf, 1 art, planes)
French Indo-China (2 inf)
Yunnan (2 inf, 1 art, planes)
Hunan (2 inf, planes)
Anhwe
Chahar

What did Russia do with Amur?

@KGrimB:

What did Russia do with Amur?

No idea how I missed this question… Russia had already moved 6 west towards Moscow and the other 12 holding one back.  I seem to recall trying to bait him into attacking Manchuria or Korea but he didn’t go for it.

As for Hawaii, I’ve tried it a few times and have cooled on it.  Its viable but I simply prefer not to.

My first choice is most all the same choices I usually make with a J1 (Hong Kong, Borneo, Philippines) with an eye to turtling Calcutta (bomb J2/J3, convoy with subs J3/J4+), and worrying about taking it J6 or later so I can focus on keeping the money islands, closing the Burma road and gobbling up China so I have the option to help take Moscow, and making sure ANZAC doesn’t grow.

This means Japan’s fleet can mostly hang out on the Philippines for J4-J6 once the U.S./ANZAC fleet becomes a threat.

These days, Japan’s buy is fast movers for the mainland factories and carriers for the fleet, since Japan already has plenty of planes to land on them.

Doing this, the past few games, Japan ends up making over 60 a turn by end of J3 and the U.S. has a hard time threatening since I make up the difference in income via using the huge advantage in existing planes to build up my fleet or to threaten his.

Example: last game Japan’s fleet was at Philippines, with some more planes on Japan.  U.S./ANZAC parked at Caroline.  Both huge fleets (all of Japan’s original ships, and a total of 6 or 7 carriers).  But the advantage in planes/carriers meant Japan sank everything they had with carrier planes landing on Paulau and Japan Island planes landing on carriers.  He lost around 200 ipcs of ships.

I am sure it has been done by others, but no way am I reading 20 pages worth of stuff.  I actually have just started experimenting with a J1 that includes Hawaii like you weddingslinger, the way I did mine was to send all SZ6 planes plus the 2 dd and sub from 6 along with other usual J1 attacks.  I would noncom carriers off of wake and land planes there, the key for me is that I would leave a dd alive in Hawaii even at the cost of my planes so as to stop the San Fran fleet from coming for my carriers.  It seems to work fine but your fleet is just so poorly positioned on J2 it seems awkward.  Im not sure if this will be included in my standard J1, but I like the ability to kill an American cruiser while I can and would love to trade planes if he is willing to scramble.

This might be somewhere in the previous 23 pages of discussion….but…can Japan build a 10 IPC factory in Kiangsu?  It has 3 IPC but it is technically a captured Chinese territory and not a Japanese home territory.

TY…

Hi Moffett

No. Only a minor. Korea is the only place Japan can build a major

How does Japan modify its attack on J-2 after it has launched J-1 DOW ….  when there are 2 Anzac Inf + 3 FTR in Java on Anzac1…?

Or is it better to take Java on J1 (rather than Borneo), to prevent Anzac from getting the free landing spot for its 3 planes that eventually go to India and/or Moscow?

@MeinHerr:

Or is it better to take Java on J1 (rather than Borneo), to prevent Anzac from getting the free landing spot for its 3 planes that eventually go to India and/or Moscow?

Japan can’t reach Java J1.

@MeinHerr:

How does Japan modify its attack on J-2 after it has launched J-1 DOW ….  when there are 2 Anzac Inf + 3 FTR in Java on Anzac1…?

instead of taking the Money Islands, take Java with 2 transports and destroy ANZAC’s air force and transport.  Your planes on your ships from Philippines/Borneo should be in easy range (don’t use your bombers - you need them to bomb Calcutta).  ANZAC losing all that this early in the game is worth you missing out on 12 ipcs (9 this round and 3 the next from missed opportunity)

Your 3rd transport can take Celebes still or bring the extra guy to Java to give you more insurance to take it.  If ANZAC got lucky and hit 4, as long as I wiped them out round 1, I’d lose a plane and take the island.

Just make sure your J1 purchase transports make their way down the coast safely.

@MeinHerr:

How does Japan modify its attack on J-2 after it has launched J-1 DOW ….  when there are 2 Anzac Inf + 3 FTR in Java on Anzac1…?

Usually the J1 prevents this.  You should have the surviving units at Phi, 1 inf at Bor, and 4-6 fighters (as well as 2bb1cru) in range of Java.  And you might be able to pick up 2 more inf at FIC.  It’s a big risk for Anzac to go up against that with just the 5 units.

This scenario presents a good argument for sending the 3rd carrier south (rather than keeping the 3rd ac in 6).  But I also want as many figs as possible in Kwangsi so they’res a tradeoff.

If Java seems like too big a risk on J2, go for Malaya and 1-2 money islands, then get the NO on J3.

The 3rd Carrier makes a lot of difference.  And killing the 3 ANZAC FTRs is very important if India has to fall Fast on J-3.
  Otherwise, with even 1 extra Bid unit in India and  $3 extra Bid money, (India builds 6 Inf on UKI-1, then 4 Inf on UKI-1) …it becomes very very very expensive for Japan to take it on J-3… potentially losing half or its Airforce or more.

@Cow:

I am not a big fan of the sink hawaii fleet. I know people who like to do it. It does work and it is viable.

The j1 dow is modified to do it. The reason I dislike it so much is because I like to attack any burma stack that the allies may attempt with all my air. Makes for an easy J3 India without the need to purchase an airbase (just naval). Saves Japan 15 ipc to make up for any tuv disadvantage it may cause.

But If I were planning for a more conservative approach. I like it. If USA responds with some sort of full pacific go after Japan strategy you can spam carriers and effectively turtle for such a long time that Germany will take Russia.

It doesn’t work so well in the 1942 version either.  We got paired with a random player at GENCON who played Japan and attacked USA round 1. Needless to say on Turn 7 I took Russia but Japan lost their capital as well.  Taking Hawaii is always and endgame move not a starting move IMO.