@Zhukov44:

Not sure what you mean here…are your opponents approaching Asia from the Pacific?

In most games, it is a good idea to capture Aussie, NZ, and HW asap.  If possible, you can harass the Americans in Alaska (typically after these islands are captured).  But in reality there are far more IPCs in Africa, so if USA is going whole hog for Germany, you can turn the tables my using mobile transports to get troops to Africa.

Meanwhile, your primary focus (ie 95% of your resources) should be aimed towards Russia.  Buy up to at least 6 (up to 8) transports…4 for unloading troops off Japan, and 2 more for capturing islands and Africa.  If the game is a KGF (ie the Allies are fixated on Germany), I wouldn’t recommend a mainland factory until the 3rd Japan turn.

But bear in mind that strategy depends on what your opponents do.  You may want to put down mainland factories sooner if Russia is weak because that will enable you to put tanks on the ground faster.  And if you cannot protect new transports (say, usa air is threatening), obviously you have to hesitate before buying them.

Yes, US are approaching Asia from the Pacific. Because of that, it is also impossible to harass Alaska. This usually leaves Africa vulnerable which of course is a great boost to Germany but the problem is that US reach the Asian mainland around the 3rd of 4th round. Now Japan must protect their conquered areas against an often larger force while still putting pressure on Russia. On what turn do you usually reach Moscow with Japan? Also, why would you not buy a IC before 3rd round in a KGF game?

Veqryn: An additional IC in India sounds clever. I’m going to try that!

@Lozmoid:

Hello Gn0m,

I normally go for an IC on the mainland, as well as a Transport, on Japan’s first turn. I think it’s important for Japan to start producing units on the Asian continent as soon as possible. And yes, I think it’s worthwhile to try and get some of those Japanese Infantry over to the mainland too. You’ll need them to help take India. I try tend to send Japan out in all directions at once but this is not always an easy task!

Thanks for the reply!
I definitely agree that an IC on the first round sounds like is a good idea but attacking in all directions at once seems risky since you should stack your units as much as you can. If you are spread to thin, you are often forced to trade your expensive units for infantry imo. You should also reach the heart of Russia faster if you focus on one or two of the routes.

Another question; is it worth it to spend resources on an attack on Australia/New Zealand as Japan?

Hello everyone!

I’m pretty new to A&A and have only played a couple of games (Spring 1942 ed.) While I think that me and my fellow players have got a grasp on German, UK and Russian gameplay, we are pretty clueless when it comes to Japan and US. Usually in our games, Japan and US do not participate in the combat for a long time (besides in the Pacific and sometimes Africa) which results in Germany being unsupported and in the end crumbling against the combined forces of UK and Russia. What I’m looking for in this thread is tips on how to support Germany with Japan.

In my experience, US can enter Asia almost at the same time as Japan if no pressure is put upon the US. Is this true or can Japan focus on Eurasia and still delay the US, and if so how? Should Japan build an IC on the mainland and if so, during what circumstances? From which direction should Japan go when invading the mainland, through Russia, India or China? And a bonus question; is it worth the time/transports to get the Japanese infantry that are spread out among the islands and transport them to the mainland?

I hope you veterans can shed some light on this matter, thank you for you time!  :-)

@HolKann:

Welcome gn0me!

Thank you!  :wink:

@gn0m:

I have another question regarding naval battles; offshore bombardment can only occur in combination with amphibeus assaults, right? Also, can cruisers/battle ships offshore bombard each round in the battle or only the first round?

Thanks in advance

@HolKann:

Offshore bombardment only occurs in combination with amphibeous assault. The bombardments occur only in the first round. The amount of bombardments is the lesser of 1. the amount of land units engaging “amphibeously” (= moving from a transport ship into a hostile territory) or 2. the amount of ships able to do a bombardment (= cruisers and battleships engaging in the amphibeous assault). Enemy units hit by an offshore bombardment are allowed to return fire.

Note that it is not possible to take any hits dealt by the defending player onto your ships during an amphibeous assault. The assaulting ships do not engage in the combat directly, but are only allowed a first round die roll to deal some extra damage to the defending player’s units in the assaulted territory.

Alright, that was what I thought. Thanks for the quick answer!

I have another question regarding naval battles; offshore bombardment can only occur in combination with amphibeus assaults, right? Also, can cruisers/battle ships offshore bombard each round in the battle or only the first round?

Thanks in advance