Slitherine

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ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

CaptHarlock:  There's alot of merit to what you say.  I would have seriously contemplated taking that position, but I know that Brad has really been under the gun lately at work. I truly believe this oversight was purely a result of unusual pressures he's facing in real life.  (I do wish, however, that he had made the same offer to me on the game's first turn.  I was incorrectly under the impression that House Rules prohibited me from issuing orders to Force Z.  So I didn't issue any and lost both the BC and BB.  Had Brad offered a re-do just to correct that oversight, I would have accepted.)

Vettim: Early in the game I made the strategic decisions to send all troops to the Aleutians, Hawaii, Oz, and India.  NZ was to be left expendable.  I also knew that the further we went into the game, the more likely it would seem to Brad that NZ had been reinforced, thus dissuading him from attacking.  Thus, from day one, NZ has been left to fend for itself.  I haven't sent patrol aircraft there because I need them more other places.  Even if I detected an approaching invasion, there's nothing I would or could do in reaction.  Nevertheless, there's no sense in not having any Hudsons set to naval search, so I've made that change.

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ORIGINAL: Mike Solli

I understand what he means. I think that Allied 4E bombers are practically impossible to bring down and that they kill lots of unarmored, poor Japanese fighters. Not complaining, mind you. I'd rather take on Allied fighters than 4E bombers. Then there's the fact that whatever is below the bomber is obliterated too.....

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ORIGINAL: Mike Solli

I understand what he means.

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ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

We've all been over this before, but the air war is really skewed terribly.  In my game with Miller, I had to assume that my failure to train pilots skewed things, so I just didn't say much about that aspect of the game.  But now that I'm training pilots religiously, I still have problems out the wazzoo.  Even though the air war has not been particularly hot in our game, there are no RAF fighters or bombers in the pools, no USAAF fighters or bombers, and a dearth of RAF pilots and USAAF bomber pilots.

That seems badly skewed, and all the more when Japan can put Tojos in the air in big numbers early, and has no problem in mid-1942 filling the air with scads of Helens, Sallies, Zeroes, Oscars, and Tojos that have decent pilots.

The Allies do get the 4EB, which are terrific at downing enemy CAP, and which can inflict big damage.  But, unlike the observations made by several IJ players, I can't keep mine in the air and I have limited numbers as of September 1942.

Despite what one poster said, I think Allied 4EB are more than offset by IJ Netties. They pack a powerful punch that the Allied player has to seriously respect out to a range of 10 or 15 hexes. The Allies have nothing like that.

There are other things, too, like flak.

In this game, the Allied "soft defense" strategy has minimized the impact of many of these problems. In fact, only in India, where I don't have enough planes or good pilots, am I even being pressed at the moment. But I can sure see why this state of affairs would be a real problem in games following a more historical pattern.

Finally, I need to point out that I requested Scenario Two and thus have to take what perks it provides Japanese players.  As far as I know, my mutterings are limited to things outside of Scenario Two (i.e., things that apply in every scenario) that don't seem consistent with reality.

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ORIGINAL: crsutton

1. Massive Japanese prodution. He can lose more planes than you and it won't hurt him. In fact I think that the main Japanese aim in 42 should be to attack the Allied airforce at any point on the map that you can. The Allied player simply does not get enough replacments and there is no way to compensate.

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ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58

CR is engaging in an air war around Bombay that looks in this AAR to be about 1:1 in late 1942, and what's it doing for him except pull down Bombay's supply stocks? What strategic end is being achieved? CAS/interdiction missions aren't powerful enough in the game to justify burning scarce supplies. But Q is smart enough to fight the air war if CR serves up his planes. Why wouldn't he? He has open supply lines, lots of aircraft production, and a tight VP schedule.

Just say no. Don't fight. Run away, hunker down, take the LCU battering, use your AA, and wait it out. It's the only way to turn the tables on Scenario 2.

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ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

(2) I'm estimating that the Allies have lost 500 aircraft over Bombay and Japan 750. If so, that represents a net gain to the Allies of (500 x 4) = 2,000 VP less the 750 VP for Japan = 1,250 VP. From an auto victory standpoint, this is significant at this point in the game.

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Your US/Australian supply lines definitely look like the target - that move would also eliminate (or greatly lessen) your ability to move against Noumea (VPs) anytime soon as well.

I imagine he's trying to determine where he can get enough VPs for autovictory - but at this point, I don't think base-grabbing is going to be enough. He needs to force you to commit your carriers, otherwise, he's just going to be grabbing bases that you can just take back later (or isolate).

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ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Oops, I switched the numbers around during my calculations of the net effect on auto victory of the air war in and around Bombay. The correct calculations:

I'm estimating that the Allies have lost 500 aircraft over Bombay and Japan 750. If so, for auto victory purposes that represents a net gain to the Allies of (750 points x 4) = 3,000 VP less the 500 VP for Japan = 2,500 VP.

Thus, from an auto victory standpoint, the Allies are plus 2,500 VP due to the air war in India. Since the total spread is Allies plus 5,000 at the moment, half of that is due to the air war in India.

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ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Oops, I switched the numbers around during my calculations of the net effect on auto victory of the air war in and around Bombay. The correct calculations:

I'm estimating that the Allies have lost 500 aircraft over Bombay and Japan 750. If so, for auto victory purposes that represents a net gain to the Allies of (750 points x 4) = 3,000 VP less the 500 VP for Japan = 2,500 VP.

Thus, from an auto victory standpoint, the Allies are plus 2,500 VP due to the air war in India. Since the total spread is Allies plus 5,000 at the moment, half of that is due to the air war in India.

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ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58

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ORIGINAL: crsutton

1. Massive Japanese prodution. He can lose more planes than you and it won't hurt him. In fact I think that the main Japanese aim in 42 should be to attack the Allied airforce at any point on the map that you can. The Allied player simply does not get enough replacments and there is no way to compensate.

I somewhat agree with your symptoms, but you don't mention the "solution" proposed by Nemo and others--just don't fight him in the air in 1942. Instead of fighting the production system hard-wired in, don't play its game. Play rope-a-dope in 1942. Pull your aircraft back and train with them, and rely on AA to hold static defenses in India, northern Oz (better yet, just let northern Oz fend for itself), and key islands. Don't serve up your Hurricanes and early Spits for nothing but lost VPs. Let him use precious HI to build all the Tojos he wants. He can't eat them in 1944 when you have planes that can spank them.

And bombing in 1942? Please. Why?

CR is engaging in an air war around Bombay that looks in this AAR to be about 1:1 in late 1942, and what's it doing for him except pull down Bombay's supply stocks? What strategic end is being achieved? CAS/interdiction missions aren't powerful enough in the game to justify burning scarce supplies. But Q is smart enough to fight the air war if CR serves up his planes. Why wouldn't he? He has open supply lines, lots of aircraft production, and a tight VP schedule.

Just say no. Don't fight. Run away, hunker down, take the LCU battering, use your AA, and wait it out. It's the only way to turn the tables on Scenario 2.

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ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

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ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58

CR is engaging in an air war around Bombay that looks in this AAR to be about 1:1 in late 1942, and what's it doing for him except pull down Bombay's supply stocks? What strategic end is being achieved? CAS/interdiction missions aren't powerful enough in the game to justify burning scarce supplies. But Q is smart enough to fight the air war if CR serves up his planes. Why wouldn't he? He has open supply lines, lots of aircraft production, and a tight VP schedule.

Just say no. Don't fight. Run away, hunker down, take the LCU battering, use your AA, and wait it out. It's the only way to turn the tables on Scenario 2.

There has been a surprisingly non-major air battle going on over Bombay for months now. The Allies have committed two P-38 squadrons consistently, with occasional efforts by British Hurricanes and American P-40s and P-39s.

This campaign is critical for two reasons: (1) without the effective CAP, Bombay long since would be out of supplies; and (2) I'm estimating that the Allies have lost 500 aircraft over Bombay and Japan 750. If so, that represents a net gain to the Allies of (500 x 4) = 2,000 VP less the 750 VP for Japan = 1,250 VP. From an auto victory standpoint, this is significant at this point in the game.

The Battle of Bombay has been the equivalent of the Battle of Britain. Like the real war, the Allies are winning this crucial battle.

John III: I've only played Scenario Two, which gives Japan a big boost in ground units, plus some helpful destroyers, and a helpful boost in pilot experience early in the game. But I *think* the annoying (to me) lack of RAF, USN and USAAF air frames, the paucity of decent pilots for some types of aircraft (USAAF bombers in particular), and the corresponding plenty of Japanese air frames (especially the Tojo and land-based bombers) and pilots is the same in Scenarios Two and One. At least, I don't know why they would be different.

I shudder at the thought of playing another Scenario Two against an experienced, aggressive opponent. It's not India that worries me as much as it is Australia. If an IJN player wants to force the Allies to commit carriers, then invade Oz with ten or fifteen divisions and use the KB to impose a blockade along the southern coast from Perth to Sydney. Done early enough, the Allies might only have the at-start Oz defenders plus perhaps one of the Aussie divisions that arrive at Aden early in the game. The IJ player might be able to halt any reinforcements from the USA. Against 10 or 15 IJ divisions, the equivalent of perhaps three or four divsisions in Oz won't be sufficient to hold the continent. The Allies could well find themselves in a desperate fix. They would almost have to commit the Allied carriers to escort in reinforcements from the USA and/or Capetown (including the reinforcements triggered by IJ moves into SE Oz).

Of course, the Allies might win the resulting carrier battle or otherwise thwart the Japanese, but the odds favor Japan. That's the strategy that most worries me.

In contrast to Oz, India has a larger garrison and reinforcements come from closeby via short hop to Karachi from Aden or Abadan. A Japanese conquest of Socatra and Karachi would probably be lethal to the Allies. Short of Karachi, the conquest of Bombay or Surat might allow Japan to impose a blockade on Karachi, which would almost be as effective as a conquest.

Member: Treaty, Reluctant Admiral and Between the Storms Mod Team.

Reluctant Admiral Mod:
https://sites.google.com/site/reluctantadmiral/

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The much larger IJA would scare me too. I wonder if plane production for the Allies will ever truly be addressed within AE? A good Japanese player can really ramp-up production beyond anything the Japanese were able to do in real life. Seems only fair for the Allies to have at least an 'enhanced' production ability to counter the Japanese in Scenario Two at least...

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ORIGINAL: crsutton

Well, vs an aggressive Japanese opponent there just comes a point where you have to fight and use your air force. Not fighting just conceeds too much. If I am playing Japan and my opponnent does a total Robin then I will strive to take more from him than normal. Sooner or later he is going to have to fight. Australia, Hawaii, Kodiak, Noumea, push him until he fights. Dont get me wrong. I am a big proponent of the rope a dope but the dope has it's counters just as well.