Mixed attack against subs and retire's rule question

[b]New York ‘lone wolf’ was one hour away from finishing his bomb[/b]
She also praised the New York Police Department, saying, “I think they handled it well.”
Officials with the NYPD, which conducted the undercover investigation using a confidential informant and a bugged apartment, said the department had to move quickly because Pimentel was about to test a pipe bomb made out of match heads, nails and other ingredients bought at neighborhood hardware and discount stores.
Two law enforcement officials said Monday that the NYPD’s Intelligence Division had sought to get the FBI involved at least twice as the investigation unfolded. Both times, the FBI concluded that Pimentel lacked the mental capacity to act on his own, they said.
The FBI thought Pimentel “didn’t have the predisposition or the ability to do anything on his own,” one of the officials said.
The officials were not authorized to speak about the case and spoke on condition of anonymity. The FBI’s New York office and the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan both declined to comment on Monday.
Pimentel’s lawyer, Joseph Zablocki, said his client was never a true threat.
“If the goal here is to be stopping terror … I’m not sure that this is where we should be spending our resources,” he said.
Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly defended the handling of the case Monday, saying the NYPD kept federal authorities in the loop “all along” before circumstances forced investigators to take swift measures using state charges.
“No question in my mind that we had to take this case down,” Kelly said. “There was an imminent threat.”
Added Kelly: “This is a classic case of what we’ve been talking about �� the lone wolf, an individual, self-radicalized. This is the needle in the haystack problem we face as a country and as a city.”
Authorities described Pimentel as an unemployed U.S. citizen and “al-Qaida sympathizer” who was born in the Dominican Republic. He had lived most of his life in Manhattan, aside from about five years in the upstate city of Schenectady, where authorities say he had an arrested for credit card fraud.
His mother said he was raised Roman Catholic. But he converted to Islam in 2004 and went by the name Muhammad Yusuf, authorities said.
Using a tip from police in Albany, the NYPD had been watching Pimentel using a confidential informant for the past year. Investigators learned that he was energized and motivated to carry out his plan by the Sept. 30 killing of al-Qaida’s U.S.-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, police said.
Pimentel was under constant surveillance as he shopped for the pipe bombmaterials. He also was overheard talking about attacking police patrol cars and postal facilities, killing soldiers returning home from abroad andbombing a police station in Bayonne, N.J., authorizes said.

Ah, thanks. Didn’t know that FAQ existed.

Nice chart Krieghund.  :-)

Thank you

“And if you screw up just this much, you’ll be flying a cargo plane full of rubber dog [crap] out of Hong Kong!”

James Tolkan, “Captain Stinger” to Tom Cruise, “Maverick” in Top Gun (1986)

Effective Use of CAP

Don’t worry.  While Maverick’s captain may have threatened him with cargo plane duty, no such penalty awaits you if you make a mistake while using CAP and by the time you’ve finished this essay you should be well on your way to using CAP as one of the tools for victory in AAPacific.

Combat Air Patrol (CAP) is a special feature of AAPacific that is not present in any of the other versions of Axis & Allies.  As such, for new players of AAPacific, CAP can cause some anxiety due to uncertainty with how to properly implement CAP for maximum advantage.Â

Let me start by saying that you can very easily play an entire AAPacific game and never use CAP.  In fact, you could probably play several games and never have ocassion to use CAP.  In most cases, you won’t suffer any adverse consequences from not taking advantage fo the CAP rules, but there are circumstances where carefully planned use of CAP can help either Japan or the Allies hold an advance position on the game board that would be a dead zone without the extra fighters that can be put in the air by the use of CAP.

Basic Rules of CAP

First, let’s talk about some of the basic features of CAP.  In order to effectively use CAP, it is important to know how it works.

-  CAP is launched during the Non-Combat Movement Phase using fighters from land territories.  CAP fighters cannot have moved or attacked during the Combat Movement phase.

-  CAP cannot be launched from Aircraft Carriers.

-  CAP cannot be launched into a sea zone where the presence of enemy units would result in combat (note: submerged submarines don’t count)

-  CAP fighters prevent enemy surface vessels from passing through the sea zone that they occupy.

-  CAP fighters must land during Phase 2 of your next turn.  They can land on any land territory adjacent to or within the sea zone they are occupying or on an Aircraft Carrier in the same sea zone.  Once the fighter lands, it can move as normal.

-  Airbases do not extend the range of CAP fighters.  The can only be launched into a sea zone that is adjacent to or surrounding the territory from which they start.  For example, a fighter on Formosa cannot fly CAP in sz38.  It can only fly CAP in sz45.

Sea Zones where CAP is most effective

Now that you understand how CAP works, we can discuss where CAP can be most effective.

For Japan, CAP will be most useful in sz45 or 46 early in the game and in sz38 late in the game.

For the Allies, CAP is most effective in szs29, 32, and sometimes 28.

Use of CAP by Japan

In a VP game, by J2, Japan is usually busy capturing the last of the Pacific Islands and moving as many ground units as possible to reinforce French IndoChina.  At the same time, it is important for Japan to have a strong presence in sz28 to discourage the Allies from advancing too quickly into the Central Pacific and taking away the IPCs Japan needs to maintain 4 VPs per turn until at least J4.  This means that Japan will often have to split its forces, with most of the fighting ships needed in sz28 and most of the transports needed to ferry ground units to FIC.  While the sz28 force is usually strong enough to withstand any Allied attack, how can you protect those lonely transports in sz45 or sz46.  The answer is CAP.

On J2 (and J3) combat movement phases, make sure that you have at least one fighter on J2 and preferably two fighters on J3 in FIC that you will not use during Combat.  During J2 or J3 NCM, move all of your transports that are ferrying troops to FIC into either sz45 or sz46 and launch the fighter(s) from FIC into that sea zone.  On J2, the US can attack with, at most 1 Ftr and 2 Bmrs.  With 5 or 6 transports, 1 DD and 1 Ftr, the odds of the US killing all your transports is not good.  Likewise, on J3, with 2 ftrs in the sea zone, the US would likely use up all of its airforce killing transports and leave the Japanese fighters untouched while greatly reducing its own offensive punch.  In most cases, the US player will not take the risk.  CAP fighters have permitted you to accomplish two things at once, namely, have a strong presence in sz28 while still effectively transferring ground units to FIC without exposing your transports to excessive risk.

Later in the game, Japan will be forced back to sz38 and must hold there as long as possible to ensure that it maintains 3 and then 2 VPs for as many turns as it can.  With only 4 ACs at its disposal, a maximum of 8 fighters can defend in the sea zone without using CAP.  To hold off the Allies (and the US in particular), CAP launched from the Philippines can be a particularly effective tactic.Â

By J4 and J5, Japan is running out of targets that it can safely attack with its air force.  By this time a direct assault on the combined Allied fleet is usually not favourable to Japan.  Often, Japan is left with picking off single allied ships (usually transports or subs) that are floating around in front of the main body of the Allied fleet.  As such, there are plenty of fighters that can be held back from combat in the Philippines.  On NCM, Japan can launch these fighters into sz38 and greatly enhance the defensive power of the sz38 fleet.  I once had 5 CAP fighters in sz38 along with 8 on ACs for a total of 13 defending fighters, along with 4 ACs, 3 BBs, a few transports, a DD and a couple of subs.  The Allies couldn’t touch that fleet all because the defensive strength was enhanced with CAP fighters.

Use of CAP by Allies

The Allies can also make good use of CAP to push their fleet forward in the face of what would otherwise be overwhelming Japanese strength.  As the game starts, the US has 2 ACs and 7 fighters on the east side of the map.  The UK adds a further three fighters and no ACs.  Usually, the Midway fighter will die in the J1 assault leaving the Allies with 9 fighters and only 2 ACs.  Sometimes the UK will purchase an AC but not always.  With this relative abundance of fighters and a shortage of flattops, how are the Allies supposed to accumulate sufficient defensive strength to discourage a Japanese attack on the Allied fleet early in the game?

Essentially, there are two options.  First, the Allies can hang back and build up enough strength in ACs and Destroyers to counter the Japanese force.  Unfortunately, this is a losing strategy because all Japan needs to do to win is buy time.  If the Allies don’t press forward as soon as possible, Japan wins be default.  Second, (and not surprisingly, given the topic of this essay), the Allies can use CAP fighters.

At the end of Allies 1, if all has gone well, the US and UK will have a fleet in sz14 that includes most of the starting naval units from the east half of the board.  In addition, the Allies will have dumped at least 3 UK and probably 2 US fighters into Queensland.  This defends against a Japanese attack of Australia and positions the Allied forces for early movement into the Central Pacific.  Here’s where the CAP comes in.

If the Japanese fleet can be forced out of sz28 for fear of an attack by the US on US2, the combined Allied fleet can be moved to sz32 or sz29 and the five fighters from Queensland can be launched into that sea zone as CAP.  In conjunction with 4 US fighters on the 2 US ACs and with blocking units to prevent a direct assault by the mass of the IJN, the Allied fleet is able to push forward where it could not go if the CAP fighters were not available.

Another possible location for CAP is in sz28.  If Japan has not positioned itself to take Papua with sufficient strength on J2 (sometimes because of a failure to take Midway or New Britain), the Allies can move fighter reinforcements to Papua on Allies 1.  Combined with a 9 Sub buy on US1, the Allies can make sz28 an impregnable maritime fortress on Allies 2 by moving its entire fleet, including the 9 new US subs to sz28 and by lauching up to five CAP fighters from Papua.  This will result in a defensive force that either cannot be safely attacked by Japan or will cause so much damage to the IJN that Japan will not be able to recover for the rest of the game.

In summary, CAP is not a game breaking strategy but it can be an effective part of a player’s arsenal in AAPacific.

Saburo Sakai

A defensive war is apt to betray us into too frequent detachment. Those generals who have had but little experience attempt to protect every point, while those who are better acquainted with their profession, having only the capital object in view, guard against a decisive blow, and acquiesce in small misfortunes to avoid greater.

Frederick the Great

The Most Important Territories and Sea Zones for AAPacific Victory

In any battle, there are only a few key points that must be protected or that must be attacked.  Likewise, in AAPacific, there are certain territories and sea zones that are the keys to victory or defeat.  This essay will discuss some, but not necessarily all, of the key sea zones and territories.

Key Territories

French Indo-China/Yunnan

With the possible exception of the capital territories (whose capture will result in the end of the game), FIC and Yunnan are the most important territories to both Japan and the Allies.  This is where the Allies and Japan will face each other toe to toe in the hopes of dislodging the other.  If Japan is able to take and hold Yunnan, it has effectively split the the Allied forces in two.  Chinese infantry mobilizing in Szechwan cannot hook up with Indian ground units moving forward through Burma while Japan is able to feed reinforcements into Yunnan through FIC or push its ground forces into Burma for an attack on India.  Fighters based in Yunnan will be able to reach India to support any attack.  Therefore, if Japan is able to take and hold Yunnan, the Allied position is greatly weakened.

Conversely, once the Allies are able to capture FIC, the Japanese position in Asia is often untenable, not to mention that it is likely no longer possible for Japan to collect 40 IPCs and the 4 VPs that go along with it.  US bombers based in FIC can reach sz36 to kill any newly launched Japanese surface vessels and are in position to join an attack on the main Japanese Fleet wherever it is situated in the Pacific.  If the Allies continue to push units forward and are able to bring US bombers to bear, Japan will eventually be dislodged from FIC.  The key for Japanese victory is to hold FIC until at least J4.  By doing so, Japan is well on its way to a VP victory.  If Japan can hold FIC until J5, victory is almost assured, whereas if Japan loses FIC after J3, a VP win will be a challenge.

Philippines

The Philippines is undoubtedly the single most important island in AAPacific.  Japan must take it on J1 and must prevent its recapture by the Allies for as long as possible.  If Japan fails to take Philippines on J1, the US is able to build an IC there and the Philippines will then act either as an SBR base for attacking Japan (if it is not retaken by Japan on a subsequent turn) or it will be an SBR target from New Britain once that is captured by the Allies on Allies 3 or 4.  In either case, Japan will not be able to win a VP game if it does not take Philippines on J1.

Similarly, Philippines is key to success throughout the game.  Due to its central location in the Pacific, the Philippines harbor is not particularly important but its airbase is critical.  Fighters and bombers based in the Philippines can reach every sea zone that matters and can reach the key territories of Yunnan and FIC.  From the Philippines and sz38, Japan is able to hold the territories and sea zones it needs to ensure a steady flow of VPs until late in the game.  If the Allies are able to push Japan out of the Philippines, Japan had better hope that it is only 1 VP away from victory or the game is surely lost.

The East Pacific Ports

These are Caroline Islands, New Britain and Papua.  They are important because they are three sea zones from Hawaii and if they are held by the Allies, US naval reinforcements can move forward quickly and can usually be in position to hit the IJN one turn after they are built.  If Japan keep the Allies from using these ports any naval units built in Hawaii will take 2 turns to be in position to attack the IJN in sz38.  This one turn delay is often the key to victory.  The Allies will be best served to have captured at least one of the East Pacific Ports by no later than Allies 3.  Failure to do so will likely mean that US reinforcements will not be able to move forward fast enough to prevent a Japanese VP victory.  Likewise, Japan cannot afford to let those ports stay in Allied hands on A2.  If the Allied fleet is able to move that far forward on A2, Japan is in grave danger.

Papua is doubly significant for the Allies because land units there can move forward and take DNG with the likelihood that Japan will not be able to get to 4 VPs on the next Japanese turn.

The SBR bases

Often, the only way for the Allies to prevent a Japanese VP victory is to set up an SBR attack by no later then J6 or J7.  Each of Shantung, Manchuria, Korea, Bonin Is, Ryukyo Island, Philippines and Mariana Is are in range of Japan for the purpose of an SBR attack.  Many of these are unlikely to be captured until much later in the game but it is feasible to attempt a capture of Mariana Islands as early as Allies 3.  If the Allies are able to take and hold Marianas as early as that, a VP victory is almost out of the question for Japan unless the AA guns and SBR defenders are especially effective (in other words, you have to get lucky).  Therefore, Japan should do all it can to prevent the Allies from taking and holding Mariana Islands.  This means using available Kamikazes to kill Allied transports and placing units in such a position that Japan will be able to at least attempt to recapture Marianas the turn after it is taken by the Allies.

Key Sea Zones

Arguments can be made that there are many key sea zones.  Certainly, sz27, 43 and 47 are important sea zones if you are attempting an India Crush.  Sz36 is critical if the Allies are attempting an invasion of Japan.  And sea zones 32 and 14 can sometimes be the scene of large battles.  In my view, however, there are two sea zones that are more important than the rest, sz28 and sz38.

Sea Zone 28

For Japan to win a VP game, it will want to hold sz28 until at least J3 and to J4 if it can.  Sea Zone 28 is the key to preventing the Allies from moving past the IJN and beginning to take away convoy routes and islands thus depriving Japan of the IPCs and VPs it needs for victory.  From sz28, Japan can attack the Allies in sz14, sz27 or sz32.  With an overwhelming presence in sz28, Japan prevents a landing in Papua or DNG and can recapture New Britain if it is taken by the Allies.  This prevents the Allies from making use of two of the three Eastern Pacific Ports that were discussed above.  The Allies usually aren’t in position to take Caroline Islands for at least one more turn, so holding sz28 delays the Allied advance into the Pacific.

Conversely, if the Allies can force an early retreat by Japan from sz28, Allied reinforcement will be able to move forward faster and Allied subs can retake convoy routes and pressure the Japanese to split up the fleet to deal with the subs.

Early in the game, sz28 is the most important sea zone.

Sea Zone 38

In the second half of the game, sz38 is key.  Japan must hold sz38 likely until J7 if it hopes to win the game.  On the other hand, if the Allies are able to destroy the IJN in sz38 or keep Japan from getting back to sz38 before J7, the game will likely go in favour of the Allies.  As discussed above regarding the Philippines, sz38 is centrally located, allowing the player who controls it to strike in any direction and control or threaten virtually all of the surrounding territories and sea zones.

These then are the key territories and sea zones you need to dominate if you are to win.  While other battles will be fought, the battles for control of these spots on the map will be the most important.

Saburo Sakai

:cry: No

On your turn you can do CAP in that zone instead.

I don’t believe it is implicitly stated that you can’t land planes in newly conquered territories. Is this assumed to be true just like in the original? also the manual says that a transport engaging in combat can only load or unload, is this true for the original A&A?