China?

[WILD BILL]

Tolstoj, reading through your posts it sounds like you see a lot of J3 attacks. In that situation Japan is pounding China because they don’t have much else to do except getting their navy into position to make a splash on their 3rd turn. In games like this if Japan still doesn’t attack J2 you should defiantly consider attacking Japan on UK2, especially if Japan has ground units with-in your reach. UK and Anz will get their war time bonuses (be sure to take NG w/Anz), plus it allows you to pull back your transports to safety if you want to. Might get a chance to block part of the Japanese navy w/dd somewhere too. You can make China a meat grinder for Japanese ground units if things fall into place. Again it may only be worth it if you can kill a bunch of Japanese ground units at the front between China (who goes first) and UK Pac on the 2nd turn.

It will probably keep the US out of the war until they can DOW at the end of their 3rd turn, but they still get their war time bonus. In this case it would be US4 before they could make attacks or move the Atlantic fleet, but their is still a chance (rare) that Japan will attack on J3 anyway and release the USA?

You only think the Japanese have an advantage, wait until you start seeing J1attacks on a normal bases LOL

[Tolstoj]

I am now playing a game in which Japan is DOW in J2.

Again only Russia or the UK can help China, because the initial Japanese units are used to kill off the Chinese. We’re now trying to spread out, but I don’t see that helping the Chinese. And Russia is now threatening to take Manchuria (with 18 infantry), but that also doesn’t help much.

Landing 5 or 6 planes (UK/Russian) doesn’t help much either. Japan is happy to destroy those to in R4!

Look in R4 Japan has so much more fleet and air units that the ANZAC/US fleet is behind 5-6 units. India cannot step forward. You are right that Japan has much to do in J3, and maybe they prevent Japan from taking all the treasure islands in R4, but after that Japan is master of both sea and land!

I’m really interested to know what it is we’re doing wrong, what can ANZAC do? What can the US do? If Japan builds 1 carrier in R3 and R4, with some destroyers and subs, the allies never have enough to counter that.

[Tolstoj]

I’m playing a gam right now where my opponent is somewhat struggling with Japan, finally! Unfortunately it is because he made a few mistakes, but still.

The main reason is that I could place 18 Russian infantry in Manchuria in R3. The Chinese forces will be destroyed though, one way or the other. The Chinese fighter is going to escape to Manchuria…

Stil a bit of hope for China!

[SubmersedElk]

I have to wonder, is having the UK stack Burma and declaring war on Japan on UK2 (presuming J is setting up for J3 DOW) a reasonable way to go? What’s the downside to UK (and ANZAC) unprovoked declarations against Japan?

[Tolstoj]

That Japan can take the Dutch Indies without being at war with the US…

[SubmersedElk]

never mind, question answered while I was posting

So the price of UK2 DOW on Japan is the US entering the war one turn later. I guess the next question is, is the potential to contest Yunnan before Japan can consolidate there worth the trade-off?

[Nippon-koku]

@SubmersedElk:

But the US enters the war on their next turn… isn’t Japan typically going for those islands on their next move anyway? How does J3 and US3 change in practice with a UK2 DOW?

Now that I’m thinking it through the whole way, is there a good reason UK and ANZAC shouldn’t DOW Japan on their 2nd turns every game?

Funny you should mention this because I had the exact same revelation yesterday.  The only thing I can come up with is that if the US is planning heavy Atlantic activity and really wants to get to Gibraltar on turn 3.  Otherwise, there is no reason not to do this.

[SubmersedElk]

@Nippon-koku:

@SubmersedElk:

But the US enters the war on their next turn… isn’t Japan typically going for those islands on their next move anyway? How does J3 and US3 change in practice with a UK2 DOW?

Now that I’m thinking it through the whole way, is there a good reason UK and ANZAC shouldn’t DOW Japan on their 2nd turns every game?

Funny you should mention this because I had the exact same revelation yesterday.  The only thing I can come up with is that if the US is planning heavy Atlantic activity and really wants to get to Gibraltar on turn 3.  Otherwise, there is no reason not to do this.

OK good to know I’m not totally crazy… so unless there’s some huge benefit to having US units in Gibraltar in turn 3 rather than turn 4, it sounds like a good idea for UK/ANZAC to take the initiative instead of waiting for Japan to maneuver at its leisure. Whatever Japan’s plan was for J3 then gets disrupted at least a little bit, and that seems to give China a much better chance to survive.

[Nippon-koku]

@SubmersedElk:

@Nippon-koku:

@SubmersedElk:

But the US enters the war on their next turn… isn’t Japan typically going for those islands on their next move anyway? How does J3 and US3 change in practice with a UK2 DOW?

Now that I’m thinking it through the whole way, is there a good reason UK and ANZAC shouldn’t DOW Japan on their 2nd turns every game?

Funny you should mention this because I had the exact same revelation yesterday.  The only thing I can come up with is that if the US is planning heavy Atlantic activity and really wants to get to Gibraltar on turn 3.  Otherwise, there is no reason not to do this.

OK good to know I’m not totally crazy… so unless there’s some huge benefit to having US units in Gibraltar in turn 3 rather than turn 4, it sounds like a good idea for UK/ANZAC to take the initiative instead of waiting for Japan to maneuver at its leisure. Whatever Japan’s plan was for J3 then gets disrupted at least a little bit, and that seems to give China a much better chance to survive.

Exactly.  I’m resuming a game tonight (about to start turn 3) where I did just that and the result is that between the Chinese units, Indian units, Russian units (got 2 tanks, 2 mechs and a fighter there just for this turn) and Anzac planes, Yunan will be held J3.

[Tolstoj]

Well the result is that when Japans DOW in J3 the US is NOT yet at war until the end of her turn. So Japan can do what it wants until US4…