Posts made by simon33

@Charles:

P.S. I think tacs are a bit overpriced. Maybe let them glhave 4 attack at all times  :-D

Or make them cheaper, like about 9. They’re pretty pricey for the capability they offer.

No. Needs to be worth 3.

You can build another minor complex in Queensland though. Not as good as building one on Asia but it is difficult to figure where. FIC, Persia or Iraq are the only real possibilities and they are distant possibilities.

@Charles:

Of course once Japan has Yunnan Or Shan or Burma intercepting is generally outgunning yourself.

Yes. But you can delay strat bombing until J4. Being able to invest in ground units tends to be enough to prevent Japan from being able to base fighters at Yunnan or Shan State; the best plan for strat bombing I think is buying 2 bombers J2 which can run with the two starting from China or FIC on J4. Or perhaps escorting the bombers with carrier based fighters.

Indeed, by J4 a fourth fighter could be obtained, either from Africa, ANZAC or purchased.

@Shin:

Who bothers to Strat bomb India?  I mean, why?  If Japan puts forth any effort at all, UKPacific is making about 6 a round.

As CDG said, if you have India down to 6 per round that is still nearly two inf per round you are reducing Calcutta by. Calcutta being a viable force makes it harder to take down Shan State and Malaya as well.

I’ve thought briefly about this idea but never really developed it. A few quick things:

I dislike attacking SZ109 - all those planes to take down 1 DD and 1 TT?
I dislike not attacking SZ91 - weakens Taranto or at least lets a DD and TT survive for Italy if SZ96 is not attacked with the Cruiser there.

If you modify it slightly to:
1BB, 1Sub, 1Ftr, 1Tac to SZ111 (even with a scramble)
1Ftr + 2SB to London
3Tac + 3Ftr to SZ110
2Sub to SZ91
2Sub to SZ106

This tends to promote scrambles in both SZ111 and SZ110 - therefore why not strip down the London raid to remove the fighter escort and bolster the SZ110 attack? Probability is that all three defending fighters will miss in the interception anyway (although the probability that both bombers survive is only 40%). Or you could send a sub to SZ110 and strip that from SZ91 (can’t strip it from SZ106). An interesting possibility is attacking SZ109 without fighter escort instead of SZ106. If any fighters join the combat they are then drawn off from defending against the SBR. That may indeed be the best way. You could even sink the DD. You really don’t want to retreat from SZ110 because the BB there is repaired UK1 without them having to react.

Attacking the naval base with a Tac doesn’t stop the BB in SZ110 from being repaired UK1 for a minimal expense.

@Spendo02:

I prefer sending Calcutta’s starting TT to Persia on UK1 with an INF and ART.

I use the one from the Med with an art only and leave the Indian one for claiming Sumatra, although a J1 DOW can cause a rethink to that. Perhaps go to Java instead and be reinforced by ANZAC? My normal opponent uses a J2 DOW.

I’m guessing you use the Med TT to take down the Ethopian troops.

I think you’ll find that this moves makes UK Pacific a much more viable power.

You’ll still no doubt get players that roll the dice for the 40% odds though. If that happens, I’d be thinking of flying the 3 ANZAC fighters to India. The one starting in Queensland can make Malaya on turn one, combined with the UK Tac Bomber might survive a J2 assault. I guess it depends a lot on what can be thrown at it though. 3 full carriers and 3 full transports would be enough to take down the 4inf and 2 planes.

I don’t reckon the transport is worth it. I used to do that but it is too easy for Japan to take the money islands back and also sink the transport. Unless you are thinking of doing something different with it?

In our games, we have taken to buying a third fighter in Calcutta. This seems to deter the Strategic Bombing raid on Calcutta J2; odds are 40% both bombers survive, 13% both bombers die, so mostly one gets through.

It is surprising how difficult this makes it for Japan to take down Calcutta. Do others out there feel that it is still worthwhile to roll the dice and attack Calcutta against the odds? Even if you buy a third bomber J1, it can’t join the attack until J3, where most likely it will be a replacement second bomber and still rolling against the odds. Do you then hold off bombing Calcutta until J4 when you can have 4 bombers and maybe deter the defending interceptors or at least be slightly ahead against them.

@Baron:

@simon33:

In response to the OP, it does negate the surprise strike if the defender takes the hit on a sub. That sub still gets to fire back, unless the attacker has a destroyer when the surprise strike on defence is negated.

Submarines casualty can retaliate against Submarines first strike only if the other side have no Destroyer. Otherwise, its surprise strike is blocked so it fires during regular combat phase and if chosen as casualty it is sunk and denied an attack or defense roll.

So, when no DD is present, Submarines are almost as useful as Destroyers because chosing one Sub as casualty gives no first strike advantage to the other side, since the casualty still roll his defense.

That is what I said.

@SubmersedElk:

You can’t build a major in Kiangsu - its “original owner” is actually China. Only place Japan can build a major is in Korea.

Oh right. Hadn’t noticed that.

@Kreuzfeld:

That means the the japanese seazone isn’t that vital anymore.

It’s still pretty vital. Convoy disruption prevents your production there and in Korea if you hold that. And if the Allies are strong in SZ6, then they in danger of moving down the coast to SZ19 and SZ20. That’s one of the ways I lost my last game as Axis.

@Nippon-koku:

I’d recommend Shantung to Kiangsu.

But you can build a major in Kiangsu and only a minor in Shantung.

@Nippon-koku:

I’m a big fan of 4 transports, 1 DD and 1 CV in EUS on US1.

I’m guessing that the theory behind the CV is that you can (maybe) hold SZ91 off Gibraltar. I would question whether this was worth 16 production. Land based planes can threaten or defend against the Kreigsmarine off Iceland and the UK. If the Kriegsmarine can be stopped from just sitting in SZ109 off London, convoying it, they aren’t really an effective force any more.

@Nippon-koku:

Something that is always odd to me: the general consensus seems to be that the US should attack Japan first.  However, the popular thinking on the Axis side is that Germany can take Moscow by turn 5 or 6.  If Germany can take Moscow that early, effectively ending the game, then why wouldn’t the Allies want to create a strong Atlantic presence first?  huh

Good point. via Iceland or Gibraltar, the US can be in Norway the second turn after a non-Italian axis DOW or turn 5. The former is probably the easier path but less flexible because you aren’t also threatening the Med or the Channel. Once in Norway, fighter escorts can be applied to strategic bombing raids against West Germany and Germany. North Italy is also threatened by unescorted raids.

1 & 4 - yes
2 - providing the attacker doesn’t have a destroyer and the defending didn’t submerge
3 - Only if the attacker elects to take the hit on the surface ship. If they have subs, they can take it on them even though they’ve already fired.

In response to the OP, it does negate the surprise strike if the defender takes the hit on a sub. That sub still gets to fire back, unless the attacker has a destroyer when the surprise strike on defence is negated.

@wilk7011:

I need clarification please:

Do retreating aircraft only get to move 1 space, to the same space as land units, or do they get the finish there remaining move totals?

If you are attacking and retreat they finish their remaining movement. The move one space rule comes in when you are defending and lose the landing field you started from, either a carrier or an airbase you scrambled from. The latter is quite difficult to occur, but possible if you scramble into a sea zone while the territory is attacked from a different sea zone or land.

@taamvan:

they also cannot hide in 113 as it is very easy to “slam the door” and trap the German fleet in the Baltic if it is trying to hold back…

I don’t understand this part. They can hide in 113. If you have Denmark (should be easy to take back if you don’t), they can strike at a force blocking the Baltic in 112. But if it is coming to this it sounds like Germany has lost.

Regarding attacking Greenland, if you can get that far why not attack Quebec? Stops a turn of production from the facility there, presumably slowing down efforts to regain SZ109. Attacking Greenland only robs US of a landing field they don’t need, unless I’m missing something?

@Zhukov44:

So the BB could go to 109, or to Iceland (where scrambled Allied figs can defend it) but if Germany bought an AC G1, then Germany should be in position to destroy it G2.

The latter isn’t a bad idea with a J1 DOW. It can be joined by a US Cruiser and scrambling fighter, plus 1-2 UK DD and 2 UK/France fighters. Max the Germans can throw at it BB, Cruiser and 2 SB, plus what was bought on G1 plus sub survivors of G1. Still a good attack for Germany with an appropriate buy but distracts from other things they might be doing like bombing London and convoying the UK. The problem with defending in SZ109 is that (a) you will lose (b) ships are in position to convoy © you are within range of land based ftrs. The upside is that you have two airbases and also have a naval base.

EDIT: Also, US is in a position to counter attack US2 and sink any German survivors of the battle. Could buy 7 subs and a DD. Germany won’t be allowed to land planes on the airbase G2 so would be in trouble. Might need to thin down the attack for this reason.

But Iceland represents an awesome base for a US invasion of Norway. I’ve never thought of that before. If the Kreigsmarine attack they need to either abandon convoying SZ109 or divide their forces. The surrounding sea zone is reachable by strategic bombers but not land based fighters. I’ll have to try this move next time as allies.

Perhaps this is the move the OP was thinking of blocking?

@Young:

I’ve decided to start hatching a plan to go after Tokyo, basically the starting units in the Pacific will create a southern force that will go down to Queensland and wait there until the northern force builds and moves toward Tokyo. This should eventually force Japanese ships north and away from the money Islands where the southern American force will strike and take away income. This will only work if the Northern force is strong enough to threaten Tokyo, and not just strong enough to convoy, if Japan builds stacks of infantry on Tokyo before taking Calcutta, that would be a good sign of reverse economics for Japan, but it will cost the Americans a lot and they might possibly need a factory in Alaska.

Doesn’t a J1 DOW with an attack on the fleet at Hawaii prevent this strategy? I can’t see why with a J1 DOW you wouldn’t attack the fleet at Hawaii.

Are you referring to a J2 or later DOW?

Otherwise you’d probably be having to build up on US1, go to Hawaii US2, getting to Qld (SZ54) US3.