Avoid China

China can attack and conquer Manchuria and Kiangsu, so as Japan I would want to get rid of China asap. China seems fair game.

It also depends on what the real setup actually is like…
We’ve had it confirmed that the BGG pictures are wrong.
I sure as hell hope that china gets more inf , than the pics on BGG. If china starts w/only 4 inf + 1 ftr, I’d say Japan should ALWAY kill China. It is IPCs very easily gained…

There are actually two Victory Cities within the territories Chinese forces are allowed to occupy - Shanghai and Hong Kong.

If you avoid China is seems like a virus left unchecked causing cancer in your position. 2 VC cant be passed up for the token of killing a few measly infantry. Its cheapest investment and the best pay off on average.

Lets see the 1941 set up, because if you go by BGG pics, China loses 4 territories on J1 and probably 2 more on J2.

I would make a strategy of Avoid Russia for Japan because all these worthless Soviet back country spots is a total waste.

I would go after UK IPC all the way.

If Japan can avoid China then the design of the game failed.

yep

Then, the game design is flawed, even before knowing the true setup. China not allowed go out of China (and the whole minor popping inf status) is bugged. Minor popping inf status leads to some minor bugs involving conquered ICs and aa guns (but at least it will happen few times)

China not allowed attack Japaneses leads to avoid China strat. What if Chineses conquer both Manchuria and Kwantung? OK, it’s 11 IPCs less (6 for lovers of only-mandatory-stuff) , but you would need about the same amount to fight the chineses with uncertain result. Now you can focus in any IC UK could buy (Australia or mainly India) without caring about Chineses. Evacuate both territories J1 and aim for USA or Moscow (your choice, if allies try ignore Japan strat) or simply Moscow if allies go global war strat. What about VCs? Well, allies need more than 2 vcs to win and anyway you have India and Australia at your reach. Simply conquer Moscow or California and it’s game won for axis anyway, you don’t have to care of china in all the very game

Only Hong Kong could do anything, but it would need a IC  :-o, a succesfull tech roll on improved industry and then start building ships there  :-P. But many will not allow tech  :-P and still the deploy of this strat (another bug, by the way) would cost at the very least 20 ipcs and any costly ships you could buy (ships that can be destroyed easily by Japan’s navy unless they are beaten anyway)

The best and simpler is mod that buggy rule: change “China cannot go out China” for “China cannot enter allied territories but they can attack axis territories at pleasure”. Or, of course, make China a normal playable country with normal IC and such, as should.

I think at least some players will try avoid China, think how many players ignore Japan now (and Japan can go out Japan, opposite to China  :-D ). Modding is needed I fear.

@ShredZ:

The one thing Im thinking, can China take back HongKong and it will revert to UK control? If that is the case, I suppose the UK could buy a factory there after china has reinforced it with a dumpload of inf. making it a pretty nice fortress…

It all depends on the starting setup, if china is too well fortified, the ‘avoid china’ strat will be more likely, if they are weak like you guys have seen with the unofficial setup, then taking them out asap will be the better way to go. Its all speculation at this point…

Yea, Hong Kong reverts to UK, so a IC built there could pop guys there, but probably they would not affect much unless they had improved industry tech. It could disrupt japanese Indian IC race to Moscow or Africa, but I wonder if UK can afford the cost.

Better don’t talk about a China controled former japanese IC in Manchuria, that’s another different bug. Even if soviets or USA conquer it, reverts to China and becomes useless after a long and hard fight  :-P

I think you said is true, if China is too strong, players will ignore it. If too weak, will toast it.

¡¡ China true playable power now!!  :-D :mrgreen:

After taking the islands to get some IPC, Japan could completely ignore China for a rush India strategy.  Once India falls, on to Russia/Africa through the south, ignoring the chinese territories completely, maybe sending a token force to Northeast Russia to weaken the Russian economy.  Screw hong kong when you can have Moscow  :-D

Investing troops (and therefore cash) into China would result in a more powerful Japan once China has been pacified, but at that point the Allies will likely have gained the momentum they need.  The Axis strategy should be to hit em fast and hard, and wasting funds on a power that cannot attack you on the basis of being stronger LATER is contrary to basic Axis strategy.

Ignoring China to dominate mid-east, pacific, and the caucus region = KUSPL Kill US Player Last  :-D

Hongkong is a 1 ipc territory. Not a very good spot to locate an IC for UK, imho.

Welll many of you i am guessing want china to be a playabe player right!

Well look at The war game: world war two

I do not have it, but i have thought about it!  A&A anniversary or world war 2 hm……

Well a&a anniversary i can count on and is new i have the game figured out in soewhat or        a france, china, italy, germany, gb russia, and usa game man france! 1939 yes this would be pro and lybia= 5ipc wonder if africa important!

Well, it’s too early I think to say how China works out. No-one has played with the correct set-up. We know China has more than those measly 1 infantry per front territory, and if they have enough of a starting army I think they will be a viable defensive power.

I’m with you Funcioneta on the problem with ICs on Chinese soil, but if China is strong enough in defense I really don’t care if they will get to use a Japanese IC since they will have fulfilled their purpose. And it is historically correct in a way, the Allies never could supply China with any industrial materials since the Japs had taken all the ports and railways.

The probable two Japanese options will be to contain or destroy. Losing Manchuria and Kiangsu when they are so easily defended is a bad idea. Contain means you keep the coast of China and keep the army build up down with some attacks (the historical strategy more or less). Destroy means you commit tanks and fighters enough to conquer China and then maybe attack towards Russia, obviously an IC in Manchuria is a great thing for this strategy. The game is OK if these two strategies are the choices to make and Japan has to sacrifice significant forces from other fronts to do the “destroy” strat!

1st round means a lot and to me and so i have to think about will usa attack me more, split, germany  if split or germany i can see china dieing but i beleive a usa all on japan smeels trouble for japan since japanese woudlnt be a strong continder in asia (chinese win yes)

@Lynxes:

I’m with you Funcioneta on the problem with ICs on Chinese soil, but if China is strong enough in defense I really don’t care if they will get to use a Japanese IC since they will have fulfilled their purpose.

The problem is not China needing build something there. The problem is other allies cannot use the IC. Per example, soviets would not use Manchuria IC, even if in real war they occupied Manchuria. Not that soviets need it in game, sure, but think USA: in revised, a Pacific strat was aiming for Borneo or East Indies and then build a IC there to finally kill jap’s fleet. Now both territories revert to UK and mainland China reverts to China. USA’s fleet will suffer from logistics unless they take Philippines (now 2 IPCs worth  :-P  and too near from Japan), oki (1 IPC) or FIC, and FIC usually cannot be taken and hold. If bad logistics were planed to counter new China status, OK, but I fear Dutch East Indies being UK controled and Chinese territories reverting to China both were for historical reasons, not balancing. Only time will tell us (because WOTC are marketing geniuses, 2 weeks from release and still no news  :-P)

However, agreed with the other items

Probably the rule says if China captures an enemy IC that IC is destroyed. This would make it simple. AA guns would be captured.

What messing around I have done with the battlemap module leads me to the completely opposite opinion. Now granted we know the set up is incorrect but I think the map is presumed to be accurate.

China and all those new Russian territories are an absolute boon to Japan. While none of them are worth much individually IPC wise there are many of them. They are also quite removed from the Allies. This equates to a bunch of money for Japan that is safe. Yes the national objectives in the Pacific are nice but those many safe territories in my opinion are even nicer.

@Flying:

Probably the rule says if China captures an enemy IC that IC is destroyed. This would make it simple. AA guns would be captured.

That would be odd. I hate China having so much non normal rules.