I’m currently experimenting with different Japanese strategies, and am finding that cracking the Asian mainland with only one IC is proving difficult - especially against a US IC in Sinkiang.
I am considering trying the following in my next game:
Round 1:
Round 2:
Round 3:
Rounds 4 onwards:
I realise this strategy has weaknesses, and how it plays out depends largely on Allied strategies. However, I think this strategy should work fairly well against both a KGF and a KJF approaches - in the first case, it effectively puts massive pressure on Russia quite early. In the second case, it should enable Japan to offer serious resistance in Asia, without having to rely on trns. This in turn allows its fleet to remain united, and to flexibly counter US advances.
I’m thinking building no new units on turn one (2 ICs instead) might be risky, but then again, if you don’t over-extend your existing forces, it allows you to attack en force from round four on, with a combination of inf from the islands with newly built art and arm that should prove very difficult to halt for the Allies.
Any thought on or experiences with this strategy?
I don’t like the 2 IC’s on J1 b/c it locks you in to a strat without knowing the results of J1 and you don’t know what the US will do.
I perfer the flexability of trns for J1 and even possibly J2.
For example, if you buy 2 IC and the US decides to go Pac (which I think I would), now you are in a bit of a jam, b/c you are potentially giving the US two rds to put ships in the water while you don’t do anything navy wise.
And if you end up buy ships (probably trns for fodder) on J2, why not just buy them on J1 instead of the ICs.
You are going to quickly have trouble filling both IC’s and protecting Sz 60 in anticipation of a US move to the Sol islands.
I think Japan needs 2 IC’s but I don’t like to commit unitl J2 or 3.
If I earn 36 on J1 I’ll go IC on J2, if I earn less than 36 then I may wait until J3. Then I’ll buy the second IC once my income hits 40 and I have secured Sin with no chance of Allied counter attack.
I like the Man/Sin IC combo if possible.
Hmm, I don’t know. My impression is that if Japan keeps its initial navy together (2 BB, 2 AC with ftrs, 1 des…), it really doesn’t need to buy any new ships until round 3 or 4. With the ICs, by then you hopefully have a strong enough presence in Asia to be able to add a couple of subs, a des or replace lost ftrs.
I don’t think the US will be able to assemble a fleet at the Solomons that is sufficiently large to actually have a realistic chance of attacking Japan’s initial fleet until the end of its turn 3 at the earliest. So no need to hurry with naval buys…
As the US, you don’t need to attack the Japan fleet, just force them back to Sz 60.
You’re right Japan can buy minimal ships and hold Sz 60, the problem is, they are going to lose EI, then Bor, then Phil. While trying to maintain the FIC and Man ICs and protect it’s navy in Sz 60.
Conservative play by Russia against Japan means that just as Japan hits Nov/Kaz with any force, they start losing their big Islands. The loss of the Island IPCs can be quite costly to Japan in trying to maintain a successful push on Moscow and puts that Fic IC in jeopardy of becoming a US IC.
Why would you want to retreat to sz 60?
I’d try to deploy the Jap fleet around the Philippines. If the US comes close, at least strafe them to make them lose their trns.
I guess if you want to be able to present a certain threat to them for at least the first 4 rounds, you would have to hit Pearl Harbour hard on turn 1. With smart UK play, this might of course cost you a fighter or two, which you would have to replace… which you could do on turn 2: With 32 IPCs (assuming only China was taken), you can build 4 art 2 inf at your new ICs, and add a fighter.
Has anyone ever actually tried building 2 ICs in Japan’s first turn? I’d be interested to know how it went…
Has anyone ever actually tried building 2 ICs in Japan’s first turn? I’d be interested to know how it went…
I have. And I lost to a US Pac strat. :-D
If you let a defensive US fleet take SZ60, Japan will only be able to move 6 units to asia every turn (built from their 2 ICs). Â Plus the US can reinforce their fleet every turn from Alaska SZ. Â Eventually as Japan you will have to attack the US fleet just to allow your transports to shuck more troops to asia than 6 per turn.
The principal idea behind building 2 ICs early on is that I would not need to shuck any additional troops to Asia from Japan. With 6 land units (mostly tanks) built in my ICs each turn, the extra IPCs would be spent on planes, subs or destroyers.
The principal idea behind building 2 ICs early on is that I would not need to shuck any additional troops to Asia from Japan. With 6 land units (mostly tanks) built in my ICs each turn, the extra IPCs would be spent on planes, subs or destroyers.
that’s 30 that’s almost the equivilant of 4 transports. 4 transports move 8 units, IC’s drop only 6 (albeit, could be 6 tanks, where 4 transports could only move 4 tanks)
I guess if the allies are not pressuring Japan with USSR/UK, this might not be a bad play.
IC’s are fixed, whihc commits Japan to defending certain territories, which can be determinental.
I think it would be very difficult for USSR and UK to effectively pressure Japan if the latter is pumping out 6 tanks per round directly on the continent.
As for the previous points: I guess the viability of this strategy depends primarily on how quickly the US is willing / able to build up a fleet that is large enough so that it can’t be attacked by Japan. My guess is it would take at least 4 turns for such a fleet to be in a position to threaten Japan or the money islands, by which time Japan should be ready for a decisive push towards Moscow (having built 12 arm, 4 art and 2 inf in its Asian ICs, and added at least 6 inf from Japan and the islands).
I think it would be very difficult for USSR and UK to effectively pressure Japan if the latter is pumping out 6 tanks per round directly on the continent.
As for the previous points: I guess the viability of this strategy depends primarily on how quickly the US is willing / able to build up a fleet that is large enough so that it can’t be attacked by Japan. My guess is it would take at least 4 turns for such a fleet to be in a position to threaten Japan or the money islands, by which time Japan should be ready for a decisive push towards Moscow (having built 12 arm, 4 art and 2 inf in its Asian ICs, and added at least 6 inf from Japan and the islands).
If the US is building up a pacific fleet Japan won’t be able to pump out 6 tanks and build ships to counter the US build up.
What I am trying to say is that even with minimal or no additional Japanese navy builds in the early rounds, it won’t be before turn 4 that the U.S. will have a fleet that is big enough and in a position to really worry Japan.
Think about it: Suppose the U.S. produces all fleet in rounds 1 to 32, and when strong enough moves them towards the Solomons. At the beginning of its turn 4, it will have its initial fleet plus the builds of turns 1 and 2 sitting in sz 46 ready to strike. In the most extreme case, that will be 82 IPCs worth of ships - e.g. 1 BB, 1 AC, 2 ftr, 1 des, 1 sub.
Assuming the initial fleet off Pearl Harbour was destroyed, that is still not enough to dare to venture into Japanese waters, unless they want to risk being wiped out by the Japs at an unfavourable loss rate, and having to waste another couple of turns rebuilding while most of Japan’s capital ships will have survived.
Anyway, this is turning into a discussion of who achieves naval superiority and when. That’s interesting, but to me the key question is: Am I better off spending the 30 IPCs and being able to produce 6 land units in Asia from turn 2 on (meaning I don’t have to rely on transports, and therefore do not have to worry that much about the US fleet), or spending the money on transports instead (which need to be guarded and may be sunk)?
I already mentioned in another thread why I think ICs for Japan are bad for J1. Sorry, I would normally rewrite, but am at work, so can’t take the time XD
Anyways - basically, you sink a lotta IPCs into factories that can’t fight. You need those IPCs for fighters to fight off the US.
My standard is - NO ICs in Asia on J1, MAYBE 1 IC on J2. Beef up infantry and tanks. If the Allies concentrate at Ssinkiang, blow through India. If the Allies concentrate at Ssinkiang, defend at Frindochina and blow through Ssinkiang.
It is so horribly expensive for the Allies to defend both. If the Allies try to defend both, Germany should hand them their asses.
You use infantry and tanks, because tanks can redirect from Ssinkiang to India (vice versa)
If you use infantry and artillery, you risk getting your infantry taken out on a hit and run, and you can’t change the direction of your major attack. You also don’t have IPCs because you spent so much on factories.
The 6 units from 2 IC’s won’t be enough.
Russia starts with 2 inf each on Yak, SFE, and Bury with more in Eve, Novo, Kaz. Â I’ll typically retreat one ter each turn to end up with around 8 inf in Novo. Â Now add in the 2 US inf in Sin and you are already at 10 inf without adding anything from purchases.
UK also has inf in Trj, Per, and Ind that can also be retreated to Cauc/Kaz if need be.
The earliest those 2 IC’s can get tanks into the range of Kaz/Novo is rd 4.
Rd 1 - buy IC
Rd 2 - place arm
Rd 3 - get arm to Sin
This gives the Russia 4 turns to prepare and they’ll most likely be earning ~26 for the first 4 turns, that is 4 arm and 28 inf of their own just through purchases. Â Throw in the 10 inf on Novo plus possible UK ftrs and it is going to take much more then 6 arm a turn to get Russia to flinch.
If you go inf/rt on J2 that means Russia has until rd 5 before worrying about a serious threat on Kaz/Novo.
I like the flexibility of trns b/c from Fic you can not only always threaten a landing in Afr, but jump inf from Fic to Per, while my IC on Man builds tanks and then a later IC on Sin can build tanks directly in range of Mos.
I find to take down Russia you need to be getting about 12-14 units to Asia a turn (for a good 3-4 rds in a row, at least).
Think about it: Suppose the U.S. produces all fleet in rounds 1 to 32, and when strong enough moves them towards the Solomons. At the beginning of its turn 4, it will have its initial fleet plus the builds of turns 1 and 2 sitting in sz 46 ready to strike. In the most extreme case, that will be 82 IPCs worth of ships - e.g. 1 BB, 1 AC, 2 ftr, 1 des, 1 sub.
Your assumption about turn 4 is where the problem lies.
USA has BB, DD and transport, plus 2 AC + Fighter USA 1.
USA moves to solomons USA2. UK3 adds at solomons with UK India fleet.
Japan has (with transport buy and no losses), 2BB, 2 AC, 6 fighters, Bomber, sub, DD 4 transports. O=37.
USA/UK has BB, 3 carriers, 4-5 fighters, 2DD, 1-2 subs, 2-4 transports. D = 40-46
USA can attack DEI, Borneo, Phils USA 3.
Squirecam
Quijote-
The problem with your strategy is that you assume the US is going for Naval Superiority in order to destroy the Japanese fleet. The US need only build a fleet strong enough to deter a direct attack by Japan while they move to secure the IPC rich Islands in the South Pacific. Remember fleets are much stronger on defense. Without additional naval builds by Japan, a Japanese attack on the US fleet will result in Heavy losses. The US can afford to rebuild, Japan can’t. It also ignores the UK Indian Ocean and Australian fleets, and all the ground forces the allies have in Asia.
Yeah, yeah, KJF is very scary… :roll:
Ok, so the US doesn’t have to build a fleet strong enough to take out the jap fleet. Then why would Japan bother to bolster their fleet? US takes some islands, so what? What stops Japan from taking the islands back as the US hops around? Ok, so they pop an IC. What now, 4 units a turn? Scary.
Meanwhile Germany should have cut off any allied supplies to Russia using the atlantic. Japan will be able to prevent any reinforcements through the pacific. That means Russia is left alone trading territories with Germany and Japan both while Germany gathers strength for the final blow.
Any great strat always come with a drawback.
@Sankt:
Yeah, yeah, KJF is very scary…Â :roll:
Ok, so the US doesn’t have to build a fleet strong enough to take out the jap fleet. Then why would Japan bother to bolster their fleet? US takes some islands, so what? What stops Japan from taking the islands back as the US hops around? Ok, so they pop an IC. What now, 4 units a turn? Scary.
Meanwhile Germany should have cut off any allied supplies to Russia using the atlantic. Japan will be able to prevent any reinforcements through the pacific. That means Russia is left alone trading territories with Germany and Japan both while Germany gathers strength for the final blow.
Any great strat always come with a drawback.
What makes you think USSR is left alone?
UK still helps through Norway. UK can have an India complex, and USSR/UK can gain mainland manchuria/FIC income.
DEI, Borneo and Phils = 11 IPC
Mainland = 9
Japan cannot just easily afford to lose those islands and maintain an attack on Russia.
Squirecam
@Sankt:
Yeah, yeah, KJF is very scary…Â :roll:
Ok, so the US doesn’t have to build a fleet strong enough to take out the jap fleet. Then why would Japan bother to bolster their fleet? US takes some islands, so what? What stops Japan from taking the islands back as the US hops around? Ok, so they pop an IC. What now, 4 units a turn? Scary.
Meanwhile Germany should have cut off any allied supplies to Russia using the atlantic. Japan will be able to prevent any reinforcements through the pacific. That means Russia is left alone trading territories with Germany and Japan both while Germany gathers strength for the final blow.
Any great strat always come with a drawback.
So now you advocate a third IC, that’s a lot of ducats on industrial capacity, where are your fighting forces? In order for Japan to concentrate on a push towards Moscow, their rear areas must be secure, if they have to battle in the pacific they can’t concentrate their forces in Asia. Remember, Japan MUST expand in Asia to grow their Income, they can’t if they’re bogged down in the Pacific. The bulk of Russian income is far from the Japanese front lines, if Japan can’t pressure Russia early on Germany is doomed.
What makes you think USSR is left alone?
UK still helps through Norway. UK can have an India complex, and USSR/UK can gain mainland manchuria/FIC income.
DEI, Borneo and Phils = 11 IPC
Mainland = 9Japan cannot just easily afford to lose those islands and maintain an attack on Russia.
Squirecam
You’re doing something wrong if Japan is down 9 on mainland and 11 on islands. With an indian complex UK will not be sending troops through norway, landing there but not sending anything past. If you add russian forces to the assault then certainly Japan will have a tough time but so will Russia when Germany comes knocking.
How many have you actually been successful with a KJF strategy? Try not to count times against poorly skilled opponents or the times you got hot dice.
