N00b school: Pearl Heavy v. Pearl Light

Nice Jap summary Bean.

+1 to you.

Thanks  :-)

For me, Pearl Light is:
1SS sz45
1dd, 1fgt sz50
1bmb Japan

This usally results in destroying the US fleet with the fighter and bomber intact, often the DD survives also.

I like this because I’m not risking any of my capital ships and the sub and DD are really expendable.

When deciding on whether to go PL\PH, I like to see what’s going on in Bury, if they’ve stacked there the US bomber and Hawaii fighter can hit sz60 (where i usually place my transport build) landing in Bury, also watch out for the UK bomber moving to Novo, it can hit sz61 my alternate for transport builds.

I don’t like commiting my Capital ships to Pearl, the US can hit there with some decent firepower and i’ve lost a carrier and bb to counter attacks.

The goal for attacking Pearl Harbor is to destroy the fleet.  Having some of your capital ships there serves no purpose.

@Emperor:

The goal for attacking Pearl Harbor is to destroy the fleet.  Having some of your capital ships there serves no purpose.

Imo the goal for attacking Pearl is to make an obvious TUV trade,
not big but any good combat helps. It takes 4 rnds to move the AC+sub to the med or sz5, and my experience is
that US only builds in sz 55 in 1 out of 20-30 games. Jennifer (the KJF artist :P) said that she wouldn’t do KJF if
Jap skips Pearl, so I think PL is the best option if Russia didn’t stack Bury.

For me, Pearl Light is:
1SS sz45
1dd, 1fgt sz50
1bmb Japan

This usally results in destroying the US fleet with the fighter and bomber intact, often the DD survives also.

That’s more like ultra light. That also leaves me very queesy, frood shows a 36% of having a bomber or less if you proceed with that attack.

I like this because I’m not risking any of my capital ships and the sub and DD are really expendable.

How do you account for the 33% of the time when you don’t have the solomons sub? A lot of players see nothing better to do with their Aus sub than to suicide it against Solomons.

I don’t like commiting my Capital ships to Pearl, the US can hit there with some decent firepower and i’ve lost a carrier and bb to counter attacks.

Which is why you do Pearl Heavy to make sure you have 1 car 1 btl 2 fig and 1 other ship.

The goal for attacking Pearl Harbor is to destroy the fleet.  Having some of your capital ships there serves no purpose.

You have to admit there are circumstances in which they are also serving no purpose by staying where they are. If Bury is empty for instance and nothing pressing is threatening SZ60, your btl has absolutely nothing to do so why not have it participate to provide the equivalent of a bomber’s attack and also absorb a free hit?

I agree however that there are some circumstances in which you do want to do Pearl light or maybe even ultra light due to needing to have your capital ships in SZ60.

Actually Frood shows I have an 83.3% chance of killing that fleet with the bomber or better surviving…I consider that acceptable.  The sub and dd were consider lost before the battle even began, a fighter is easily replaced.

If the sub isn’t available, that’s not a big concern to me, I will take the fighter and bomber as losses before I expose my Capital ships.

Bottom line, Japan can’t affored to replace a battleship or carrier, it’s too much strain on cash flow.

Actually Frood shows I have an 83.3% chance of killing that fleet with the bomber or better surviving…I consider that acceptable.

That’s not in contradiction to what I said. I simply didn’t see losing a fighter as acceptable, while you do, which makes the chances higher for you. That I can accept, maybe you don’t really need that fighter anyways.

If the sub isn’t available, that’s not a big concern to me, I will take the fighter and bomber as losses before I expose my Capital ships.

But why not do Pearl Heavy? There must be something else you’re not telling us like there’s other threats immediately at hand, because if you do Pearl Heavy, not only will you lose less, but the Americans still will  not counterattack. If you have a btl 2 fig 1 car 1 dest in SZ52, the Americans would lose badly and your bb would repair itself.

My pearl lights are generally 4 fighters, bomber, destroyer, submarine.

My pearl heavies are generally, 2 fighters, bomber, destroyer, submarine, battleship, carrier.

Funny thing is, in BOTH I have about the same firepower!  What makes it “heavy” is the exposure of the capitols to american firepower.

Backpedaling, both I and Tim asked how it allows you to have more fighters available on land to “blitz Russia faster”, and it doesn’t.

Because you are sending the fighters closer to land when you land them on the carriers then if they sit in SZ 52.

Whenever possible I’ll always do Pearl Heavy, even ultra heavy.   :-D

Assuming my sub is alive (wasn’t attacked or it submerged), I’ll go sub, dd, 3 ftrs, ac, bb, bom.  I’ll clear in one shot and if the US happens to get 3 hits, I’ll lose the ftr instead of the DD, leaving me with 1 dd, 1 ac, 2 ftrs, 1 bb.  I can’t see the US hitting that and they are more than welcome to try.

I actually have no problem buying an AC (or DD) on J1 if I really need to.  It depends on the Allied units and where they have their planes (or the UK sub) but I’ve found a third AC pretty helpful in games where I chose to buy one.

I think anytime you can use a BB to take one of your opponents hits you should try and find a way to make it work, and having that BB take either the AC or Ftr hit means you can probably get out of there with just losing the sub.

If I did go Pearl Lite I’d use as many planes as possible and probably the DD.  So what is that 4 ftrs, 1 bom, 1 dd?  I think 4 ftrs can reach.  If not then 1 dd, 3 ftrs, 1 bom or something along those lines (and sub if it is alive) or if I really need another ftr elsewhere.

imo, pearl heavy is the way to go.

Nothing makes me happier than seeing an opponent TRY the lite version. A bad roll here and there and J is in TROUBLE.

It’s about risk vs. reward. The risk of an unsuccessful Pearl lite strat isn’t worth the benefits J receives by being successful w/pearl lite.

Lastly, sending the sz60 BB into the fray is a MUST!

Nothing like a bad Japanese attack with Pearl Heavy and stellar defense leaving Japan with the choice between leaving the Carrier/Fighter alive or risking their Carrier/Battleship to a counter attack either, JWW.

Dice luck works both ways.  I’ve seen many games where over whelming firepower gets one hit while pitiful defenders score 100%. Why risk a battleship when you don’t have too?

Err, but Pearl Heavy lands 2 fighters already on land, not 2 more fighters closer to land.

Dice luck works both ways.  I’ve seen many games where over whelming firepower gets one hit while pitiful defenders score 100%. Why risk a battleship when you don’t have too?

Gee I know, we should never send any valuable units out ever because there’s the risk of losing them. Why use figs or bombs in battles anyways, they could die. I guess I’ll just wait for the enemy to give up by conserving my valuable units.

To be serious however, the battleship isn’t exactly a risky proposition. It always gives you a free hit to absorb and attacks like a bomber. For every Pearl Heavy that goes bad, you could be losing 3-4 fighters in Light Pearl which is really bad.

I recall a 2v2 recently in the play-by-forum section.

Japan performed pearl harbour light on J1.
US counterattacked on US1.
Japan gave up J2 or J3.

:cry:
I’ll bet that he forgot to take out the trash before he left home, and his wife called and, well ,quiting the game was the least of his worries at that point……Ah, yes dear, I was just coming to bed, ya I’m done. :-o

@Bean:

Dice luck works both ways.  I’ve seen many games where over whelming firepower gets one hit while pitiful defenders score 100%. Why risk a battleship when you don’t have too?

Gee I know, we should never send any valuable units out ever because there’s the risk of losing them. Why use figs or bombs in battles anyways, they could die. I guess I’ll just wait for the enemy to give up by conserving my valuable units.

Yea, but we’re not talking a bomber (which you would never leave undefended in a forward territory if you could avoid it.)  We’re talking a 24 IPC Battleship AND a 16 IPC Carrier.

2 Fighters, Carrier, Battleship dies to 2 Fighters, Bomber, Battleship, Transport.

I’m assuming everyone here knows J Pearl Heavy must lose the Bomber before the Destroyer ? or you talk about such bad J luck to lose both ?
J 2 Fighters, Carrier, Destroyer, Battleship hold quite well to US Transport, Battleship, 2 Fighters, Bomber.

With a Japanese transport bid they can do the Doubly-Heavy Pearl: while a ‘normally-lightly heavy’ Pearl sinks the fleet, 2 tra (3inf 1art) with 1 ftr take the island itself. 1 IPC, counterattack down 1 more ftr, good position to continue earlier the usual NZ offensive or even towards Brazil.

NOW… if Britain sinks the J Solomons sub and lands on US carrier at Pearl: would you prefer it Light or Heavy ?

Wow, so now I have to lose a Bomber in Pearl Heavy….all the more reason NOT to go Pearl Heavy. :P

And how many n00b’s are going to realize they need a destroyer, 2 fighters, carrier and battleship to survive in SZ 52?

NOW… if Britain sinks the J Solomons sub and lands on US carrier at Pearl: would you prefer it Light or Heavy ?

Ultra heavy. 4 figs 1 bom 1 btl 1 dest 1 car. Light at that point has simply too much variance, as does the normal heavy. It’s either go all out, or do not go at all. You might lose a fighter more than normal, but that’s nothing surprising since an extra fighter is present on defense.