First Game as Japs

[jazman]

Don't have a clue here, just going to jump in and start figuring it out. It looks a lot harder, having to run a massive offensive right off the bat, and manage industry. I've got Tracker and Staff set up, and we'll see what happens.

Anyone have any useful tips as I, the novice, start?

[Mike Solli]

Good luck! [:D]
 
I recommend you read all the stuff you can around here.  Also, ask a lot of questions.

[Ketza]

Attack manila instead of PH. If you do it right you can sink 25+ american subs.

[Graymane]

Check out the war room. Tons of threads in there.

[BigBadWolf]

Enjoy the game [8D]

[Rising-Sun]

Just like Yamamoto said, can run wild for six to twelve months after that no telling what will be like. Make mistake like Battle of Midway, then it will get worst. Good luck.

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: Ketza

Attack manila instead of PH. If you do it right you can sink 25+ american subs.

+1

[jazman]

ORIGINAL: Graymane

Check out the war room. Tons of threads in there.

Found it, yup, lots of stuff in there. That'll keep me busy.

[Nomad]

Save before ending each turn. If you mess up badly, try again. Take lots of notes.

[jazman]

I'm reading a couple of threads in the War Room. Phew! Just figuring out engine and airframe production is a small sub-game.

[FatR]

ORIGINAL: Ketza

Attack manila instead of PH. If you do it right you can sink 25+ american subs.

I disagree. 25+ old subs aren't going to matter compared to 200+ new subs the Allied player gets later. They cannot do serious damage during the initial conquest phase, because of flawed torpedoes. Later they are likely to have no good bases to operate from, until Allied counteroffensive is well underway. But if you don't strike PH, you'll be forced to cover every invasion with KB or/and a large battleship group after the first few weeks. Looking at AARs, even limited surface forces Allies have after PH strike can inflict major damage in early 1942.

[vonTirpitz]

Don't let yourself get locked into 'historical' strategies.

Most experienced AFBs will coordinate and lump all of their forces together early, use USN carriers in the DEI, use their patrol groups in the Philippines and DEI as naval attack groups (that perform very well actually), smash your small, poorly escorted and scripted amphibious units. They will also move all of their Chinese units together and thump you with 200k+ shock attacks. Allied surface combat units are just as good as the IJN early on and you will discover that it takes almost no damage to sink IJN ships when you hit them.

All the allies have to do is stay out of the way of the KB and your larger land based airgroups. A good AFB will probably shut a noob down in December 41 long before they realize they are beaten.

Bottom line, don't expect to get ANY months of running wild. And the expectation of losing playing the Japanese is usually more a matter of WHEN not IF.

If you are lucky, your opponent will pull everything back trying to conserve their resources (which isn't necessary since they get everything back eventually). Otherwise you will find that the war starts going downhill against experienced AFBs around December 8th, 1941. Plus you get the added benefit of having to manage your limited economic resources for the next 2 to 4 years.

Good luck and have fun!

[33Vyper]

Planning Planning Planning

Rule 1 - never ever send out merchies without escort
Rule 2 - never ever send out amphibs without escort
Rule 3 - you will not have enough escorts

A good allied player will always take advantage of the fact that KB can't be everywhere.....and I know I will get flak for this.... but because everyone keeps KB together, that is always the expectation....so don't

Split KB up in to 2 groups of 3 CV you can cover much more ground early. Just watch out for LBA and the USN CVs, if you find them avoid them, until you can put KB back together.

Remember to user your subs, great as scouts and also they will disrupt shipping and force the allied player to escort everything as well.

Raid the supply lines, its not always about the big battle, the best offense is small coordinated pin pricks. Cut enough and they will bleed to death.

Wish you well.
Enjoy.

Oh yeah...take NOTES !!! Remember to cycle through all your TFs...nothing worse than forgetting about a tanker convoy that is headed for the USN.

[Graymane]

ORIGINAL: jazman

Don't have a clue here, just going to jump in and start figuring it out. It looks a lot harder, having to run a massive offensive right off the bat, and manage industry. I've got Tracker and Staff set up, and we'll see what happens.

Anyone have any useful tips as I, the novice, start?

The best advice is to have a plan and a purpose. Then make your operations fit the plan to the purpose. It is VERY easy to bogged down in the details and administrivia. You can have the best production strategy in the world and know where you are going to put every LCU and ship and air unit on turn 1. You can know every single move you are going to make with your factories. All of that and you will still get your ass handed to you by a player that has a plan and a purpose and plays to it.

What that means in practical turns is to not just respond to every move your opponent makes. Have a clear set of goals you want to achieve. What is your end game? What do you need to do, in broad terms, year by year? What do you need to do in 1942? What do you need to do in Dec' 41? etc.

[Anthropoid]

Curious, how often does a JFB that is playing a comparably matched AFB "win?" Ever? Sometimes? Never?

[Mike Scholl]

ORIGINAL: Anthropoid

Curious, how often does a JFB that is playing a comparably matched AFB "win?" Ever? Sometimes? Never?

If they are truly well-matched and convivial, both players WIN every game. [:)]

It's only those who are obsessed with "victory points" instead of enjoying the game that LOSE.

[vonTirpitz]

ORIGINAL: Mike Scholl

ORIGINAL: Anthropoid

Curious, how often does a JFB that is playing a comparably matched AFB "win?" Ever? Sometimes? Never?

If they are truly well-matched and convivial, both players WIN every game. [:)]

It's only those who are obsessed with "victory points" instead of enjoying the game that LOSE.

THIS. [8D]

[Ketza]

There is some merit to the thought that 25 old subs arent worth the effort. I have found however it to be a much better strategic move from my experience to get rid of the asiatic sub force early. Here are my reasons for doing so:

1) My manila attack usually takes care of every sub in manila either sinking them or damaging them so severly they are out of the war for a very good while. The chances of sinking those 25+ subs over the next year are not very good. It is the only real opportunity you will have with predictable results that are under your control. Sure they arent the better class of subs that come later and their torpedos are inconsistent but thats 25 or more subs that will not be shooting anything at your convoys for the rest of the war. Even if 50% of them sank only one ship every 2 months for the rest of the war thats 78 ships a year for 4 years for a total of 312 ships.

2) The old BBs you would have sunk arent even near the threat as the 25+ subs are consistently day in and day out during the course of the war. A very agressive allied player may committ them early since he has the toys but thats what I would want him to do anyway as Japan. Sometimes of you give an allied player a little rope he will hang himself [;)]

3) The KB in the PI or DEI early can speed up the advance by over a month against Java if not more and prevent the potential allied build up before allied Cvs can be commited to the area. Establishing early Betty nests on Java before January shuts down the potential of Dauntless divebombers being based out of Soerjaba as an example The presence of the KB severly shuts down ABDA surface groups as well. Granted this does give the allied player an opening in the Central Pacific but it is a calculated risk that given the strategy employed is inherent.

Of course this is all just my 2 cents for whatever its worth [8|]