I’M quite sure there will be Air bases in USSR. In Ukraine, the territory in which Stalingrad will be placed (Volga?), probably Karelia/Leningrad. And Naval bases in Archangelsk, Karelia and Ukraine (looks like Crimea is in Ukraine on the map).
I don’t think there will be any Air base in France, besides the one in Paris of course. Most certainly a naval base in Britanny. And another one in Senegal/Dakar, on the Atlantic face of Africa.
It is not the place to discuss about how to play AAP40. But if you really need to:
I still think J1 attack is the best strategy. But you do not always win the game by doing it.
I personaly do not attack Philippines on the first turn.
After a few turns, Japan simply cannot continue to protect both Philippines, DEIs, Japan and Carolines, and at the same time continue to push hard on India. Some transport with 1 inf grabbing 1 island and disrupting your NO will pass, you’ll lose time and energy, you’ll make mistakes because you’re alone and they have so many less things to think than you. Of course, if you stp playing on turn 5, then Japan will always win. But aroudn turn 8, when Japan is about to conquer India but has problems keeping America’s pace, then, the game is not broken.
Back on topic:
These politic rules are, IMO, a really great idea. Imagine what could happen if Uk decide to bring its indian planes in Egypt to destroy the Italian army while Japan do not attack them cause Germany really needs the US neutrality. There will be all new mind-games and probably a lot more possibilities than before.
From what I’ve read on Larry’s site and on the Europe Fact Sheet, the usual and powerful J1 attack will probably be a ‘think about twice’ in Global.
For now, if you attack on J1, it’s all good for you (even if I do not think that ‘the game in broken’ or that the Allies cannot do anything to win). But in a global game in which your german allies have many other problems than being at war with the USA, Japan may have to reconsider it’s usual strategy and attack later. But I still think that they will have to go for the money islands to hope fighting the Allies in the long run.
And maybe will there be less of you to say that the game is awful.
I must say, this seems a good strategy for Japan. I think that, with Japan, you only need to keep USA at bay. And with such a strategy, you have the upper hand and could force them to defend themselves while you destroy their allies in Asia.
But I don’t understand your last post: why do you want to have dive bombers on your ACs? To attack with more firepower? Don’t you think that 3 loaded transports with bbs et cruiser and fighter in support are quite enough to break any sizable opposition. Not a complete defense, but how could the USA defend themselves in both Hawaï and San Francisco against such a force?
They could, with the help of the Anzac fighters. The same fighters that UK and China will desperatly need to defend themselves. The same fighters the Anzac will need to defend itself if you go after him.
I don’t think you even need to attack, unless you take Pearl. Your powerful force is enough to force the USA to defend themselves in 2 key positions, which will take their full ressources for quite a time. In time, you could send dive bombers to your fleet to overcome their efforts for another turn or two, but for at least a few turns, USA will be happy to defend themselves against you.
Because you do not know there are islands called Carolinas in Pacific Ocean doesn’t mean they do not exist.
@Omega:
I think it is still hard to get the island. You need far more to get it that it is needed to defend it.
Will you ever build one transport with USA before being at war? Will you ever build one on the first turn? If you don’t, as you’ll probably send your Hawaian transport back to San Francisco on turn 1, you’ll be ready to strike the islands with 3 transports (which are what you need to be sure to beat 1 inf and 2 fighters) on turn 4. During all this time, Japan could hold this most strategically important position with almost nothing, relying on your logistical problems.
And an american player, bored of doing nothing put piling up planes and boats and troops, may well be too impatient and go after Japan rather than Carolinas. Comme tu l’as fait, mon bon Robert. Bien que ça n’ait pas été planifié ainsi.
Bombers could come, it is true. They could even land on New Guinea. But is it really safe to land on any of these islands?
I’ve read a lot of posts in which people are arguing that Japan will lose Carolinas if she doesn’t defend it heavily. In my opinion, this is false.
Carolinas are really important. As Japan, you don’t really need it. But you really need to avoid USA to have it. Because if they do, you’ll have to defend too many places against a fleet in a great strategic and defensive position.
But you could defend yourself against a lot of american attacks with a few units. 1 inf and 2 fighters could help you keep this a long time. USA couldn’t attack you with its air force from Hawaï (not even the bombers) and a full AC cannot reach it and attack it in the same turn. So, to beat you, he’ll have to send 2-3 full transports, which are not easy to get, or to lose 2 turns with an AC (1 moving to the objective, another one attacking the islands). And as Carolinas are reachable from Japan, Philippines and Malaya, a single AC is more or less a sitting duck for the japanese navy. Of course the entire american fleet could go to the Carolinas, but if you can move so freely, you anyway probably are winning the game.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but if I’m not, just stop to defend these islands with so much stuff when you could keep it with almost nothing.
Or you simply place most of their modern troops (artillery, mech if they have any, tanks) in Moscow, at 3-4 territories from the border. And then, they cannot physically attack Germany before turn 3. Even more if you divide their numerous infantry in many places. And if you do not give them a lot of tanks, then they would be foolish to attack, because Germany should have, by then, crush France and push a good part of its army in Poland to defend.
Well, speaking of Russia…
Everyone is getting crazy with Canada (which shouldn’t happen before we crush USA tomorrow :-D), but nobody is talking about Russia.
They had in fact quite a fleet (including a few battleships in the Baltic) and not only the usual sub (which has been quite a hero in a lot of our games).
They had a lot of airplanes, some of them of great quality. But something like half of them were burn during the end of june 1941.
They had, of course, a lot of soldiers. With good weapons and using more ammo than any other soldier in the war. They had an incredible artillery, from the beginning but of course even more at the end. And they had more tanks and often of better quality than the Germans.
All this being said… we just do not know which kind of political stance they’ll be in. Oh yes, they ‘betrayed’ Western Democracies with the non-agression Pact of August 1940, but still they knew, more than anybody else, that war would come eventualy. So I guess they’ll be at peace. Will there be any DoW? I don’t think so. I think they will simply make the game so it would be foolish for Germany to attack them too early, and stupid of them to do the same.
Now, I think they should have a large army. With modern material (which means tanks and maybe a few fighters/tacticals, but no mech inf). I think that what has changed in this new version is that, with more planes at the beginning (if they continue as they had with AAP40) and the possibility to organize ‘Blitzkrieg’ with a combination of units, it will maybe be foolish to stack inb front of an incoming assault. And then, you could give Russia some material, because they will lose it the minute ths same material, with some insane combination bonuses, attack them.
Don’t forget what they said about France: its army will be large, but still completely unable to repel the Furor Germanica. Maybe will it be the same with the Russians.
A good deal of their real images were from the russian front… and I really do hope I do not look like them when I play.
Well, anyway, if you do not prevent Uk ships to move by, then it changes nothing. Thanks for the advice, anyway.
What I understood of the rules is that this is not how it works. You do not decide if you do or do not disrupt convoy by being in the sz. if you enter in it, you’re at war, that’s it.
If you have a warship in any zone where there is a convoy marker, you’re at war. Even if the Dutch are still controlling the island itself.
Ok so we played only two games, one I was Uk the other Japan. The first one was a J3 attack and the other one a J2.
I don’t think I have enough experience to talk high, but don’t anybody thinks that it is better for the Brits to go to Dutch New Guinea, giving its ANZAC colonies some money these need to have some transports and, using Australia as a shield, moving around it and trying to harass Japan around the ‘money islands’? Uk and ANZAC have to buy time for the USA to come in, and if Japan has to recapture one of his islands again just because some peskering Australians came in with a transport or destroyed part of their fleet with subs, it will get the job done. The ANZAC’s transport is, in my opinion, extremely important. This is what could annoy the Japanese in Indonesia in the 3rd and 4th round, giving some time for the USA to come.
But of course, all this depends on the Japanese.