@Aretaku:
I’ve been playing AARe face to face with some friends for a while now, and I’m starting to think Japan is too weak.
It isn’t Japan that is weak, but the Axis as a whole. Japan by itself isn’t horrible. Yes, u heard me.
In AAR, Japans strength lies in it’s ability to expand quickly and get up to an income level high enough to match US Pacific fleet purchases. If the US spends all it’s money countering Japan, then Germany has much less to worry about, and with luck can hold Africa for an extended period of time.
Oh yeah, that fast expansion and a high income level. The fact that Japan starts with 2 battleships 2 carriers 1 destroyer 1 transport (assume UK attacks on UK1) 6 fighters 1 bomber is really no big deal, especially when matched against the AWESEOME US starting 1 battleship 1 transport 3 fighter 1 bomber. CLEARLY, Japan is suxx0rz.
No, okay, in all seriousness - No. A great deal of Japan’s strength is in the units it starts with. Japan has to make the most of its starting units and not blow a lot of IPCs on stupid things like industrial complexes. Seriously.
In AARe, a select few movements by Russia and Britain (Stack Bury, inf to Sink, Kwan tranny, possibly Sol Sub and Borneo), coupled with the Non-Agression treaty, and solid naval NAs for America, pretty much ensure that Japan has no chance for early expansion, and thus cannot stop the US from gaining a naval advantage and taking the Island territories.
Well excuse me, but if you are playing NAs then the whole game is a frickin wash because of no-brainer Superfortresses. Well shoot, Superfortresses and Colonial Garrison/Radar and that god-frickin awful Lend-Lease Act, and . . . well, it’s pretty disgusting. Just dump the NAs already for god’s sake. Panzerblitz is good, Banzai is tolerable, but honestly . . . just dump the frickin NAs for god’s sake. If you MUST have NAs, figure out how to balance it with a hella fat bid or maybe use nerfed Larry Harris NAs.
Yeah, if you’re using NAs, then Japan isn’t great, but it still isn’t bad. Build 3 transports 1 tank on J1 standard, and wait to see where the US puts its buy. If it’s in the Pacific, then start buying a few fighters. You can still expand in Asia, frankly. You have a buttload of air, use it until you have to pull it west. You don’t have to do much until the US starts messing with the 4 IPC islands.
Of the last four games played, three have been Allied victories where Japan had lost all it’s Island income. Japan is usually outnumbered navally by round 4.
Look, if you’re seeing a train coming at you, step off the tracks. Same thing - if you see the US coming at you with a big naval hard-on, you should have started buying fighters on J2. There is NO WAY Japan’s navy and air force should go down by round 4. By round 4, US might have more units on the board, but US has to move those units west before they can do anything useful - by which time Japan should have even more fighters.
The US can throw it’s fleet away in a suicidal attack and still win the game, since the US can afford to replace it’s fleet losses while the Japanese cannot. This is especially true if Britain built an India or Australia IC, since Britain can then follow up with attacks on Japanese islands before Japan even gets a chance to respond to the US attack the previous round.
If Britain started with Colonial Garrison, it is hella hard to crack India. So start with a nice big fat bid.
I’m almost of the opinon that the Non-Aggression treaty should be revised or eliminated. I think it hamstrings the Japanese so much that not only is it extremely difficult to win, but it is also not much fun to play…I know my friends and I have been dreading being stuck with Japan when we bid, and bids have been edging upwards over these last few games.
Thoughts?
Non-Aggression treaty is almost the LEAST broken of the Allied NAs. Honestly, you let me have Out of the Box Superfortresses, I will make you cry. If you give me Lend-Lease, I will actually make you throw up. Yes, I am a cruel, cruel owl.
Basically, you want whatever bid that will allow you to get India on J3. J1 build transports and do Pearl, J2 drop units off in French Indochina and fly all air there, J3 hit with everything. US can hit some low IPC islands by there, but you can move east on J4.
The tricky thing is that the Allies can pull out of India before J3, let Japan take on J3, then counter, since Japan’s fighters can’t land in India on J3. If the Allies DO recapture India right before J4, then Japan’s screwed, because it’s just about that time that Japan has to pull the fighters off to start help defending the islands. So you need a LOT OF GROUND in India to hold it. A LOT. Keep this in mind when you bid.
It wouldn’t hurt to give Japan Long Range Aircraft to start with either. Frankly, I would insist on it.