The Japan Playbook

Alright I tried a G1 Barbarossa combined with a J1 DOW twice this past Saturday, winning one and losing the other. The game I lost was when I partnered up with a player I’d never played with or against. The player that I wanted to partner with had to help his in-laws move on Saturday and he couldn’t make it. Someone else in the group said they would do a J1 DOW while I handled Germany & Italy.

I ended up getting crushed in that first game . .  . but the G1 Barbarossa portion went very well. My Japanese partner failed horribly though . . . like I don’t know how you do worse unless you’re intentionally trying to fail. He did a J1, but he didn’t take the phillipines(ever), he sent his carriers to sz26 on J1 were they got killed by the US counter, and US was then able to spend everything in the atlantic after turn 1. First turn US dropped most of it’s money into the pacific, but after that he only bought 2 subs with US every turn for the rest of the game AND he was still crushing Japan. Japan was mostly pushed off the mainland by turn 7, never took the DEI, and never took the Phillipines, he lost all of his trans without sending any escort turn 1 taking Guam, Wake, and Borneo, he didn’t start building navy again until the allies had 3-4 subs in sz6 with 6 more coming every turn from US, Anzac, & UK pac!

I took USSR R6 with only 6 arm + air . . .  I really wanted to wait another turn or two while more stuff came up. But I couldn’t afford to wait with US/UK landings happening. So I stopped sending troops to Moscow and hit him while I could. My Japanese partner decided he hadn’t failed me enough and took Volgo with an inf against my very vocal opposition that same turn. So UK took it right back with the troops coming up from his Persia IC and blocked me from taking it. Now he had 2 ICs and 18 angry Russian inf threatening Moscow. This is when my axis partner said he had to leave . . . pansy.

Had US been forced to spend in the Pacific, having UK produce in Volgo for a turn or two would’ve been ok . .  but I didn’t have enough money to keep both Moscow and Berlin. I tried pulling out of Moscow and setting up a counter for when USSR was liberated, because he had 4-5 axis terr and would’ve collected a buttload of money … . but I had too little to get good odds and it failed miserably. Meanwhile US had liberated S and W france and was threatening w. germany/france while trading n. italy with the Axis. I surrendered after the bid to retake Moscow failed.

The second game was a 1vs1 and that went much better . . . The axis advance went pretty good aside from Italy getting trounced in the med early due to no Sealion threat. After that initial trouncing, Italy was able to eventually start asserting itself in the Med again due to axis pressure elsewhere. Odds are I would’ve taken both Moscow and Calcutta Rd7. On round 6, the Axis outproduced the allies 160ish-130ish The Allies saw the writing on the wall and surrendered since it was 4am anyway.

@Cow:

haha sounds like you had a guy who was just doin it wrong lol

Very . . . he was taking other ships as hits instead of one hit on his BBs. In one battle he had 2 loaded cvs without a landing spot for his air. US hit that strong and got 4 hits the first round. Instead of killing one cv and it’s air like me and even one of the allied players suggested, he killed all 4 air and any chance of maybe winning that battle. And of course US continued the battle and took light losses. He even blamed me for us losing. So yeah . . .  never playing on his team again.

yea, that 1st game didnt go well for seth.  his germans did thier job VERY well, his italians did ok, i wouldnt call them a flop but no great success either……but his Jap partner FLOPPED on him…BAD.

i didnt see any of the 2nd game he played, but i understand his Japs won the day for him and his germans and his italians made good but didnt do as well as they did in the 1st game.

i’m still on the ropes about a J1 DOW, but i am VERY VERY much becoming a G2  MAYBE a G1 Dow verse russia after having seen what seth pulled off with them and a few game days agao, i had two losses (back to back) against eh same egrman player that did a G2 DOW on russia!  very good for Germany to open up war ASAP…but again…japan? maybe.

The Germans & Italians did about the same, the difference was due to playstyle. Dave dropped in on our game after his was over and helped Andrew turtle Moscow effectively. I judged that I’d take too many losses and held off a turn for more reinforcements, a luxury I didn’t have the game prior. I had a chance to take Moscow Rd6, same as I pulled off in our first game, I just had no reason to risk it.  :-D

Hey Cow,

I am really excited reading about this J1 DOW. However, I’ve seen several posts in other topics where you recommend a J2 DOW. Is there any chance you might be putting the outline for that in this playbook anytime soon? I am really interested in trying it out.

Thanks

I am also doing a game with Cow’s J1 combined with a G1.

My first thoughts, I don’t think this will lead to a win, but he is right about one thing, it is much more fun to play.

I think in another game I’m doing a G2/J2 which I think is the best choice for Axis out of these gambits.

Playing 8 games right now, testing a lot of different looks and such.

yea…i still have mixed thoughts about it, but it is WAY fun…and WAY WAY freaking hard to counter as the Allies.  i am in one game right now against Seth (a very pro G1 J1 DOW player) and and its a stronger stratagy than i would have guessed from the last face to face game it was tried; that game was a total flop…because his jap partner shot him self in the foot on round one and cut his own throught every round after that…his germans and italians were winning the day in europe but than with japn so weak the US made up the differnace in europe.

with out a doubt though…its way fun getting right into the mess round 1!

j1 dow is really fun and more optimal than a j2 dow regarding india. only downside on pac is a strong china which can lead to a usa fac in korea backd up by mass ussr n china infs.

but the reason I wont ever do it in a competitive game is cause it messes up with africa n med.

Yeah, trying the J1 in one of my games- its fun til round 4-5…weee I’m powerful…uh, wait a second…I’m not anymore.

@Cow:

Seth is a cool player. I admire the full on balls to the wall rush.

yea, he is a very challanging fun player…even better in face to face games!

As a note, I thoroughly enjoyed my sole game of J1 DOW.  Almost won the pacific and I do agree it makes you a better Japan player in general. I learned a ton about Japan with the J1 DOW.