Slitherine

quote:

ORIGINAL: Miller

"...I got a message from someone on the Matrix forums a while back saying you were concerned I was stripping China of units and sending them elsewhere......."

quote:

quote:

ORIGINAL: Miller

"...I got a message from someone on the Matrix forums a while back saying you were concerned I was stripping China of units and sending them elsewhere......."



Hmm, this worries me a bit. For Miller to receive info from a reader about my thoughts is a bit troubling. I am sure it was an innocent comment not made to provide "intel," but Miller could have deduced from that my concerns that he was stripping China and, ergo, that I intended to go on the offensive.

quote:

ORIGINAL: JohnDillworth

What keeps your opponent from reading the after action reports himself?

quote:

ORIGINAL: witpqs
Integrity.

quote:

quote:

ORIGINAL: witpqs
Integrity.



...and what a lovely word and characteristic it is! Very common amongst the AE community, but increasingly rare in the world today.

P.S. I've known my opponent a long time and have complete faith in his integrity, which is why I post in detail in an AAR and didn't even ask him not to read it when we started. I just knew he wouldn't.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Miller has requested a three-day period to organize his troops in China.  He thought there was a ceasefire in effect.  I didn't think there was a ceasefire in effect.  In fact, I had told him when he stood down operations that I would go back on the offensive if I could.  But since he was under that impression, I understand how the sudden Allied attack wouldn't seem kosher.  So instead of three days I'm going to give him...two weeks?  Does that seem fair?  Or should I make it three?  Or four?

quote:

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Thanks, gents, as it helps to get some feedback from "neutral" folks.  I'm leaning toward giving Miller two weeks, but I won't finish the turn for several hours in case anybody else has an opinion.  I'd especially appreciate hearing from anybody who thinks that two weeks isn't enough.

I can see this from my point of view and I can see it from Miller's point of view so I want to err on the side not taking unfair advantage.

With that in mind, I may need to reconsider how and even if the Chinese will attack.  I would still like to move toward the coast, but it may be better to do so further south, from the Nanning area.  Don't know what I'll do yet.

quote:

4. While the DEI can be a tough route to take, I am more convinced than ever that it offers the best way for the Allied player to close with the enemy and engage in hand-to-hand fighting. By mid-43 and and later, attrition is a great thing and benefits the Allies. It's like Grant vs. Lee in the Wilderness and at Spotsylvania. Even if Grant takes more casualties, he can afford them; Lee can't. And, if you get a big jump on the Japanese player (ala Q-Ball) it's even more decisive. Either way, though, the Allied player is advancing right into the vitals and then can swing north for the Philippines, which in some ways is even more vital to Japan than is Java and Borneo.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Much has been said in other threads dedicated to the DEI.  As one who has assaulted through the DEI in both WitP and in AE, a few words now that I'm this deeply into the game:

1.  One disadvantage to a major Allied concentration on the DEI is the distance to the big West Coast and Pearl Harbor shipyards.  Sydney can handle everything up through CA, CVL, and CVE, but the CV and BB have to make the very long journey home.  For instance, Prince of Wales, Indiana, and Washington took light to moderate damage, but they'll be absent from theater for about four or five months.  That's not a decisive factor, in my opinion, but you need to bear it in mind.

2.  A major advantage to a DEI concentration is, as everybody knows, the abundance of bases and potential bases.  This can mutually benefit both sides many ways, but the Allies have one advantage in the ability to employ massed 4EB against a wide selection of important targets.  This is of considerable benefit and can really drive a Japanese player nuts.

3.  On the flip side, the Japanese Netty can be a real pain in the neck, though my experience is that bombers don't "like" to bypass forward bases strongly protected by CAP to strike at distant targets, so there is some freedom and security in ships moving along interior channels.  A good for instance is the Torres Strait between Oz and New Guinea.  I took and built up Merauke (NG's south coast) into a stout base with three or four fighters squadrons providing CAP.  I did the same thing at Horn Island, Portland Roads, and Coen.  As a result, Japanese bombers at places like Rabaul, Lae, and Port Moresby never flew a single mission against the vast amount of Allied shipping that transited the Straits.

4.  While the DEI can be a tough route to take, I am more convinced than ever that it offers the best way for the Allied player to close with the enemy and engage in hand-to-hand fighting.  By mid-43 and and later, attrition is a great thing and benefits the Allies.  It's like Grant vs. Lee in the Wilderness and at Spotsylvania.  Even if Grant takes more casualties, he can afford them; Lee can't.  And, if you get a big jump on the Japanese player (ala Q-Ball) it's even more decisive.  Either way, though, the Allied player is advancing right into the vitals and then can swing north for the Philippines, which in some ways is even more vital to Japan than is Java and Borneo.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Miller has requested a three-day period to organize his troops in China.  He thought there was a ceasefire in effect.  I didn't think there was a ceasefire in effect.  In fact, I had told him when he stood down operations that I would go back on the offensive if I could.  But since he was under that impression, I understand how the sudden Allied attack wouldn't seem kosher.  So instead of three days I'm going to give him...two weeks?  Does that seem fair?  Or should I make it three?  Or four?

There are problems for the Chinese in this.  I was counting on the element of surprise to really hammer the Japanese, but now he knows where the attacks are coming.  In fact, he may well be able to go on the offensive almost immediately.  But I prefer that to doing something unfair.

Miller's other concern is Allied 4EB.  I don't think he knows just how "tired" my units are, how many planes are out of service, and how high my ops losses are.  Also, my 4EB are not very effective when facing decent CAP.  Also, the fact that we're fighting in the DEI where there are so many bases is an advantage because I can put so many aircraft into the air (he can too).  If we were fighting in CenPac this would be the case.

So, I'm not positive at this point whether Allied 4EB are non-historic in AE.  Perhaps had the Allies focused on the DEI, as I've done, they would have been similarly employed.  I don't know that, but I'm just wondering.  If, indeed, 4EB are too common and too durable, a few tweaks to the system could address that.

I think the Allied onslaught of late has Miller a bit shell-shocked and demoralized, just as I have been at different points in the game.  But he's probably stronger than he realizes, and I'm probably weaker than he realizes.  As for points, he's up by 11,000, so I've still got a long way to go.

quote:

ORIGINAL: crsutton

I am playing scen #2 as well. It is almost Sept 42 in my game. I have no fighters, no medium bombers (and it does not look like I ever will), my P38s look pretty average and I don't get any anyways. My opponent has total air superiorty when he wants it and is pushing me around OZ. He is building tojos like there is no tomorrow and has a monsterous pilot pool and can train up more pilots than I can ever hope.

Now, the one bright silver lining is my heavy bombers are fairly immune from fighters and doing a good job. Somehow, I just can't get myself to feel guilty about that......

quote:

ORIGINAL: Nemo121
I think that if he gave a ceasefire when he didn't have to and truly thought there was a ceasefire then he should get as long as he needs to re-adjust... I know that if I offered an opponent a ceasefire and then found them "violating" it I'd be probably just concede the game at that point and leave.

With that said I don't think any of this was intentional in this game but since he stopped his assaults when he had every opportunity to push your forces in China into extinction then I think he deserves some allowances in return.