Slitherine

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ORIGINAL: Miller

US TBF torpedo accuracy is horrific throughout most of the game against fast moving targets. I tend to set them to use bombs unless I expect them to attack BBs.

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ORIGINAL: crsutton

260 total torpedo bomber attacks and not one hit on a fairly slow TF. (Slower, with the three hits on a DD.) That may be the most pitiful display of Allied torpedo marksmanship that I have ever seen. Someone needs to lose his job over this one....Preferably "not" sent back to the States to help with training.

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ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

My TBF pilots are high quality and have low fatigue, so those weren't the issues. I don't know about weather yet.

John is communicating again, but he's clearly suffering from morale problems. I don't know if he realizes it or if it's subconcious. He says he hasn't looked at the combat report yet, but I suspect he has.

This is inevitable in most games. But in a game with John III, even more likely. As we've discussed before, he's a navy guy. His navy has been hit hard and he's just losing his thrill for the game.

I know we Allied players don't like it when we've paid our dues only to have the IJ player suffer a sudden case of "real life is getting in my way." I know that feeling, but I also understand the nature of my opponent. I do not have high hopes for us getting much further into the game.

The last turn we played was Tuesday, July 5. I'm not convinced that John is having computer issues (just being candid here - I have no way of actually knowing; I may be completely wrong; but the between the lines things I'm seeing from him are consistent with him just doing everything he can to avoid playing the game).

The irony is that this is the sweetest victory of all.

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ORIGINAL: Wargmr

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ORIGINAL: Miller

US TBF torpedo accuracy is horrific throughout most of the game against fast moving targets. I tend to set them to use bombs unless I expect them to attack BBs.

Wouldnt that mean the pilots were using NavB instead of NavT?

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ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

John was still excited two weeks ago as the "herd" was steaming west through the Carolines. At that point, I think he had visions of knocking out the coming invasions with good defensive prep and then pouncing with his carriers. As the herd closed on New Guinea, you might recall his "Sumatra '43" posts, suggesting he thought he could hem in and then destroy the Allies. And there were his his emails (and AAR predictions) that I'd be landing at Biak and Manikwari and "perhaps" Sorong.

I think Big Tent exceeded anything he envisioned. He didn't see it coming and it's rattled his world. Then the Great Moluccas Turkey Shoot of November 20, in which he lost all those KB Judys, really seemed to get under his skin, judging by his emails. That was the last turn we played...although I think he's played and seen the turn of the 21st, when his BBs get hit at Sorong. He says he hasn't, but I think that was the final straw that sucked all the wind out of his sails. Since I delivered that turn, he just hasn't been the same guy in emails, on the forums (judging by AAR activity and non-activity) and in playing the game.

Big Tent has been successful, though it's still in risky territory so that the wheels can come off in startling ways. What I think John's conduct is proving is that it could be successful beyond any objective things I can see. His defenses must have gaping holes. His navy must be in disarray. And perhaps he has huge supply and fuel problems.

As for the possiblity that his sudden morale problems coincide with real life, I know there's always that possibility. But I don't think that's the case.

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ORIGINAL: Miller

US TBF torpedo accuracy is horrific throughout most of the game against fast moving targets. I tend to set them to use bombs unless I expect them to attack BBs.

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ORIGINAL: Miller

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ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

John was still excited two weeks ago as the "herd" was steaming west through the Carolines. At that point, I think he had visions of knocking out the coming invasions with good defensive prep and then pouncing with his carriers. As the herd closed on New Guinea, you might recall his "Sumatra '43" posts, suggesting he thought he could hem in and then destroy the Allies. And there were his his emails (and AAR predictions) that I'd be landing at Biak and Manikwari and "perhaps" Sorong.

I think Big Tent exceeded anything he envisioned. He didn't see it coming and it's rattled his world. Then the Great Moluccas Turkey Shoot of November 20, in which he lost all those KB Judys, really seemed to get under his skin, judging by his emails. That was the last turn we played...although I think he's played and seen the turn of the 21st, when his BBs get hit at Sorong. He says he hasn't, but I think that was the final straw that sucked all the wind out of his sails. Since I delivered that turn, he just hasn't been the same guy in emails, on the forums (judging by AAR activity and non-activity) and in playing the game.

Big Tent has been successful, though it's still in risky territory so that the wheels can come off in startling ways. What I think John's conduct is proving is that it could be successful beyond any objective things I can see. His defenses must have gaping holes. His navy must be in disarray. And perhaps he has huge supply and fuel problems.

As for the possiblity that his sudden morale problems coincide with real life, I know there's always that possibility. But I don't think that's the case.

He can still get big licks in if he co-ordinates his LBA and CV forces correctly in future, but that usually involves lots and lots of logistical work which his heart is simply not into doing at the moment.

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ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Oh, I've played Miller in this exact environment. He is a tenacious defender.

But I'm not giving up on John yet. He may rally. He's a good guy under pressure and probably feels a bit harried at the moment.

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ORIGINAL: Wargmr

I for one am glad you have come back to this addiction ;]

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ORIGINAL: Lecivius

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ORIGINAL: Wargmr

I for one am glad you have come back to this addiction ;]

And shared your game with the rest of us

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ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

But I wonder if he is making his mark as a wildly aggressive player who often throws his opponents into consternation early on at the expense of his ability to sustain the war effort. If so, then his ability as a player is justifiably called into question. If his early successes are at the expense of the ships, supply, and fuel necessary to successfully defend the Empire in '44 and '45, then the kudos he gets and the Banzais! he yells in May '42 may not be justified.

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Second, there's been the interesting discussion in here about the impact Sumatra had in this game. Here's how it had the greatest impact. When I realized that the jig was up in Sumatra in January '43, I cast about for some way to take advantage of John's need to focus there. I found the gaping hole in his defenses in NoPac. Because I had played John before, and because I knew he was involved in three games with precious little time to do his homework and attend to messy details like defense in depth, I knew it was almost certain that the holes were genuine. So I spent four months of game time shifting the entire Allied army and navy from the Indian Ocean to San Francisco and Seattle. And I felt pretty sure that the Allied suprise attack in NoPac would prompt a frantic response by John that would allow me to then invade in CenPac. Beyond that, I couldn't see for certain. If you remember, I figured the next invasion would be Amchitka. 5th Indian was in Prince Rupert for many months fully prepped for that op, but it ended up in Morotai 56% prepped.

Had I been playing certain other players - hypothetically, let's say it was Nemo and that somehow I managed to configure that massed landing in Sumatra - the situation would have been totally differnt. When I realized that Sumatra was a losing battle and cast around for some other place to invade, one of two things would have happened: (1) I would have found obvious indications that NoPac was defended in depth, or (2) NoPac would have been clearly undefended but I would have figured that Nemo had orchestrated just such a deception to suck me in.

So what happened in this game happened precisely because John and I have been frequent opponents. I knew there was a good chance that Sumatra would work out in favor of the Allies. I wouldn't have known that against many other players.

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ORIGINAL: BillBrown

How can you not play this game?

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Bill sent the combat report, which has an interesting battle between Death Star strike aircraft and an IJ bombardment TF at Sorong near the end.