Problems with playing Japan

The 3 inf & 2 trn buy is my first buy as JApan in a standard or RR game.
After that, buy 1 trn each turn untill you have 6-7 trns.

You should be shipping a minimum of 6 inf and 1 arm to Man by J2 each turn. This ratio of 6:1 is good for infantry as fodder and arm to aid the ftr attack #s(ftrs are extra mobile tanks.) This is enough to chew off most of Asia unless UK/US reinforce or build an IC. Even with UK/US reinforcements you are helping Germany.

Follow DM & MB’s idea for Haw sz.

After Pearl you can move the Japanese fleet toward India(if not taken early due to Brit retreat) and/or Africa to support Germany’s holding it and to link up for mutual support. Don’t forget to send a trn or two with inf aboard along.

You may find the Japanese IC in Asia unnecessary. I often do. Sometimes I take those IPCs and build a trn and 2 inf to sail to Brazil. Maybe Hawaii or Alaska with additional support(bb or another trn and arm.)

If i may . . .
I agree w/ MB, DM, and EJ. Sometimes i do not like to bring the trn “as cannon fodder” as it were, to Pearl Harbor. The reason for this is to get more troops onto the mainland, to take SFE, or to help out in other places. Mabye even to get into position to take NZ/Aus. For me getting a force onto Asia is the most important thing, and having a couple of extra BB’s wont help you do that if you played your first few turns properly.
The thing is, usaully i see the US player bring its trn and bb down south to get the BB to the Atlantic. IF the US attacks my Pearl fleet, then i’m generaly prety happy about that. On the occassional chance that they actually do win, they’ve exhausted their airforce. This is a bit of a setback for the liberation of Europe, and it gives Germany a little more breathing room and attacking space.

Don’t buy an IC!!! buy Trans.

The IC horse has been badly beaten, but another thing to think about is that Britain might build an India IC, in which case you get it for free when you take over India. As for Hawaii, either take it over on the first turn in a massive assault using everyting you have if Britain has abandoned Asia, or if there’s a threat from Asia send just enough to destroy the US carrier (1-2 BB, 1 Ftr, 1 sub, 1 Bmr) and save your carrier for the mainland. The US will probably just retreat their west coast BB to the atlantic to use it in Europe.

Daggum! This is going to my head with people agreeing with me.

It sure as H-E-C-K don’t happen here(my physical locale!)

Daggum! This is going to my head with people agreeing with me.
It sure as H-E-C-K don’t happen here(my physical locale!)

Ever consider moving? :D

My suggestion is that you never ever build any kind of ship except for transport with japan. Japan should put 100% into taking Asian asap. And with a IC on land to produce inf in and with as many transports as you can buy to transport tanks with, you will have whole asia in turn 3 and after that, Russian can start their judgementday countdown.

Each transport can only transport 2 infantry or 1 armor. So buy as many as you can – making sure that you have the proper amount of infantry as well. Buy mainly infantry for the transports … until you’ve amassed a large Japanese force in Asia. I think LJ pointed out that a ratio of 6:1 (infantry:armor/airforce) is a good idea to allow you to have both a maximum attacking threat and still maintian the survival of your armor/airforce (by only using the infantry as cannon fodder).

Once ANY transport unloads – it’s turn is OVER.

If you are playing Japan and see the US player spending his/her time/money trying to launch an offensive in the Pacific then so much the better for you and Germany. An American offensive in the Pacific = a) loss of the shuck to Europe b) not taking back Africa which means Germany is $$$$$$ and the UK is not $$$$$$

Pearl Harbour isn’t even needed really but can be executed in order to help keep that US fleet out of the Atlantic. But really taking the BBs over to Asia to help with an offensive is clutch, especially on J2 going after India possibly.

Otherwise, everything said above my post is all good advice. Good luck with Japan in the future! :D

r u kidding me japan is like the best country at the beginning since its surrounded by china which u could easily take and the east part of russia. also the hawaian islands which is also easy to beat

i like a man who grins when he fights
-winston churchill

I think it’s critical to capture the Hawaiian Islands in the first round of play. Occupying Hawaii is important because it reduces by 1 fighter any US counterattack (the Eastern US fighter will have nowhere to land). This may sound trivial, but it’s actually a great deterrent because it practically guarantees that the Americans will lose EVERYTHING after just one pass, should they counterattack. Compare the odds: Japan 4 d 4s (2 BS, 2 Fig), 1 d 3 (AC), and 1 d 1 (Trn) vs US 2 d 4 (BS, Bomber), 1 d 3 (Fig), and 1 Trn fodder. In the average game, the Japanese will suffer 2 losses while America will be eliminated from the Pacific entirely. In this scenario America has little choice but to cut and run with its paltry West Coast fleet.

S_U_D, I have to disagree with you about the necessity of destroying the Hawaiian fleet. A savvy American player will wreak havoc in the Pacific if he is allowed to unite and enhance his two original Pacific fleets (i.e. the West Coast BB/Tr and the Hawaiian AC/sub). This combined US fleet will be unassailable after the first turn, and will become an increasingly large thorn in the side of the Japanese for the remainder of the game. I reckon that the only way to give the Japs the unchecked economic growth they need to win is to eliminate a strong US presence in the Pacific. The only way to eliminate the US presence thoroughly is to kick the bollocks off the Hawaiians.

@Guderian:

S_U_D, I have to disagree with you about the necessity of destroying the Hawaiian fleet. A savvy American player will wreak havoc in the Pacific if he is allowed to unite and enhance his two original Pacific fleets (i.e. the West Coast BB/Tr and the Hawaiian AC/sub). This combined US fleet will be unassailable after the first turn, and will become an increasingly large thorn in the side of the Japanese for the remainder of the game. I reckon that the only way to give the Japs the unchecked economic growth they need to win is to eliminate a strong US presence in the Pacific. The only way to eliminate the US presence thoroughly is to kick the bollocks off the Hawaiians.

I think soon you die is saying nt sending the whole of your force is necessary to remove the threat…

and if you like double hit BB then just send in the 2 BB and the sub and your fine…

re: Pearl lite. . .

S_U_D, assuming you don’t use the ‘2 hit’ BB rule, what kind of force do you send into Hawaii when you execute ‘Pearl lite’? Surely whatever units survive the initial assualt get knocked into oblivion by the US counter, no?