Slaying a Monster of My Own Making: paradigmblue(J) vs BillBrown(A)

[ny59giants]

xAKs - How many have you temporarily converted to xAK (t)? You need them move troops quickly. I don't convert those class of xAKs that have dual capacity troops/cargo and liquid. They burn too quickly when hit.

[paradigmblue]

ORIGINAL: ny59giants

xAKs - How many have you temporarily converted to xAK (t)? You need them move troops quickly. I don't convert those class of xAKs that have dual capacity troops/cargo and liquid. They burn too quickly when hit.

This is one of the parts of the game where my inexperience playing Japan shows - I haven't started any of these conversions. I'm almost finished consolidating my shipping (my god that is a a lot of clicks), so I'll do so now.

What other conversions should I be looking for in the early game?

[ny59giants]

A more comprehensive list once I get back home from work. [;)] Most take around 5 to 6 days, but the port size needs to be 6 or larger. If you try to do too many in a port at size 6 (like Saigon or CRB), you can overload it and the time jumps to over 15 days. I use the biggies - Shanghai, Nagasaki, Hiroshima, Kobe, Tokyo.

Lima - 6 to 10 AKEs, rest to (t). I like their speed and capacity.
Aden - Most stay as xAKs as the are my main resource haulers.
Anryu - all go to PBs (each has cargo of 1000 and great for Fast Transport of supplies to a base)
To'su to ACM
Kiso to PB

TKs - there are some of the fast ones (18 knots) that can convert to AOs. Yes, you lose some small amount of capacity, but gain operational flexibility. Right now these guys are hiding and a great time to do so.

Is this mod using reduced capacity for cargo?

[ny59giants]

Air Production '42 - Planes like the Tojo and Helen will come in soon enough such that R&D will not do too much. The Tojo may move up one or two months. So, I have 2 x 90 size factories for actual production and 2 to 4 x 30 for R&D so once fully repaired, I can advance quickly through the 'b' model to the 'c'. The Helen is set to 1 x 90 factory as the R&D should be focused mainly on fighters across the board. Planes like the Nick and Rufe are set for production numbers rather than a bunch of size 30 factories.

[paradigmblue]

ORIGINAL: ny59giants

A more comprehensive list once I get back home from work. [;)] Most take around 5 to 6 days, but the port size needs to be 6 or larger. If you try to do too many in a port at size 6 (like Saigon or CRB), you can overload it and the time jumps to over 15 days. I use the biggies - Shanghai, Nagasaki, Hiroshima, Kobe, Tokyo.

Lima - 6 to 10 AKEs, rest to (t). I like their speed and capacity.
Aden - Most stay as xAKs as the are my main resource haulers.
Anryu - all go to PBs (each has cargo of 1000 and great for Fast Transport of supplies to a base)
To'su to ACM
Kiso to PB

TKs - there are some of the fast ones (18 knots) that can convert to AOs. Yes, you lose some small amount of capacity, but gain operational flexibility. Right now these guys are hiding and a great time to do so.

Is this mod using reduced capacity for cargo?

That's great, I appreciate it!

No, full cargo is enabled. There are a lot more resources and oil to haul in this mod, as the Japanese player is expected to expand their aircraft production beyond a Scen 1 or 2 game.

[ny59giants]

Ok, then the Lima and Toho are good for conversions as both are 14 knots. The Akasi and Ehime are 12 knots. Keep ALL the Aden to haul resources. Hide the "std -x" xAKs as in June they convert to small TKs, which you'll need.

[dcaflak]

Looks like a very intense campaign! Nice job on hitting fast and hard, I'll make sure to follow it, good luck!

[paradigmblue]

December 13th, 1941

An uneventful day. Right now I'm just working on moving troops to where they need to be for a quick conquest of Malaya and the Philippines. Next steps will be Celebes and Balikpapan.

Once most of Malaya has fallen I'll need to move quickly on Palembang.

[paradigmblue]

December 14th, 1941

Hong Kong falls, freeing up troops to march on Kwangchowan.

Operations are taking a breather right now, as I redistribute troops and amphibious task forces. The Dutch forces in Focus Pacific are dug in much better than in stock, so I have to ensure that each invasion TF is large enough and is properly supported for the job.

In a surprising move, Bill pulls his fighters out of the Philippines as well. This is welcome news, as it means that I will be able to concentrate my air power on Singapore and Burma for the time being.

[paradigmblue]

December 15th, 1941

Sorry for the lack of screenshots, there has been a little bit of a lull in operations now that Bill has withdrawn most of his fighters from the front lines. I'll try to post some maps of what is going on in the different theaters on the next turn.

Currently I'm still moving men and material to where they need to go for the next stage of the war. Amphibious TFs are returning from Malaya and the Philippines, being loaded with more troops, and being sent out to new targets, but everything is still in the preparatory stages.

Malaya will get 4 additional divisions in the hopes of capturing Singapore a bit faster. It looks like Kuantan has been abandoned by Bill, so a fast transport TF rushes in to try and invade on the cheap. The Philippines will get 2 additional divisions to try and take out Clark Field or Manilla a bit quicker as well. Troops are closing in on Burma, and in China I'm pushing Chinese troops north. In the DEI soon I'll try and take my first base on the path to Darwin - Ternate.

The Soviet Union is still quiet, as both Bill and I maneuver forces across the map. Because he has withdrawn his air forces, I'm free to bomb his airfields. I need to keep these fields damaged to prevent Bill from building forts in these bases.

In the Pacific, I start to look eastward, toward Baker Island. Once the KB is refueled at Truck, it will move to support a landing here. In the Solomon Sea, I'm waiting for Kaiveng to build an airfield and am sending a small invasion TF to Green Island. Once that is done I'll start looking at moving south toward Port Morseby, which can be a tough nut to crack in Focus Pacific.

[paradigmblue]

Sorry for the lack of updates, Bill and I have been flipping turns very quickly, which hasn't left me much time for the AAR.

We're now on the 27th of December, 1941.

Bill continues to Sir Robin his ships, aircraft and troops, which means that there hasn't been much of interest to report on.

I'm on two minds about Bill pulling all of his aircraft back. In the short term, it's going to make taking the DEI much easier, as I'm going to be able to bomb with impunity. However, I planned on early-game sweeps helping to keep Bill's pools low. With Bill not contesting the air, he's going to be flush with fighters very quickly.

[paradigmblue]

This game is moving forward, at what seems like a breakneck speed at points - I've never had an opponent that gets as turns back to me quickly as Bill.

We're at January 20th, and I'm behind my schedule for conquest in the DEI. Singapore and Palembang remain untouched, and I haven't moved south toward Darwin yet. Java is also completely untouched by my forces. This is a problem that I have playing as the Japanese - after the first couple rounds of invasions here, I'm never quite sure where to get the troops for the next rounds that will allow me to finish the job.

Mersing has just fallen, leaving Singapore as the last allied holdout on Malaya. I have 5,000 AV that is prepping and assembling on its doorstep, ready to invade. I'm hoping that this will be enough AV to make good progress against the forts here.

In China, I've pushed Bill off the rail line, and am moving strongly against Sian in the East. I have another thrust in the West, and a third in the middle. I'm looking for a weakness in his line, and the fact that I have the rail line now will allow me to shift my forces to exploit a hole faster than Bill can plug it.

In Burma, Jacks has completely withdrawn - probably to the jungle line that stretches north from Akyab. My forces are now working on filling that void.

In the Soviet Union, I have 2,000 AV that has crossed the border and is now one hex away from the Soviet rail line. Last turned they brushed off some Soviet Armor regiments, and they should reach their destination in three days. Bill already has defenders in the target hex, probably more armor. I'm bombing heavily to try and soften up those armor units, as well as working to slow down other reinforcements that he's rushing to prevent me from blocking his vita rail line.

Meanwhile, I have another group of about 5,500 AV that I've kept in reserve, waiting for Bill to pull his troops away to squash my intrusion on his rail line. This second group of forces will now move to cut off the rail line in a second location, ideally creating a pocket of supply starved troops between them that they can pincer. Bill has (a little over-dramatically, I think) stated that he has "lost the war", but this is nonsense - he's the allies, and it's 1942. It's a long game and even if I do make gains in the Soviet Union Bill has three years and the whole rest of the map to change the narrative.

[GetAssista]

ORIGINAL: paradigmblue
This is a problem that I have playing as the Japanese - after the first couple rounds of invasions here, I'm never quite sure where to get the troops for the next rounds that will allow me to finish the job.

You are either too ambitios or too defensive The usual perimeter Japan wants to establish is mostly weakly defended (Burma-DEI-NAus-Solomons-Aleuteans). The next big rounds like Java, Palembang if reinforced, Ceylon or some Sopac islands have to wait until the earlier rounds are completed. And troops are free after that, it's not like you have to guard against counter invasions. There are also lots of smaller rounds (read bases in DEI or Solomons). Japan Dec-March amphib bonus period is handy in that it does not require preparation, so assault troops just hop from one weakly defended base to another, leaving places your opponent has concentrated in isolated to be dealt with later.
If you are scraping the barrel massing troops for PH, Australia and India all at the same time, well, you will have troubles.

[paradigmblue]

So I just cut off the Soviet rail-line and moved my troops into Sian, and received this message with the turn from Bill:

"I do see that this game is lost for me. I will try and go down fighting, but I will lose China and most of Russia. That is a large hole to dig out of."

This is incredibly frustrating to me if Bill wants to throw in the towel this early.

He's not even in a bad position, overall. He's sir-robined most of his forces, so his OOB outside of China should be almost entirely intact, and his aircraft pools must be flush. He hasn't lost a single carrier, and he will be getting a ton of reinforcements over the next year. Heck, the points screen still says "Major Victory" for the allies.

In my mind, China and the Soviet Union are side-shows. If Japan takes them, it's a setback for the allies to be sure, but far from a crippling blow.

How do I talk Bill off the ledge and convince him that his war isn't over?

[Bif1961]

Maybe if you offered a ceasefire in China and Russian, since he believes they already lost. Your benefit for doing so is you get to move troops and planes out of both at no penalty since he resigned them both. You can make like a Vichy, France zone that he occupies but cannot improve and if he violates the agreement you reserve the right to renew hostilities. Then fight the rest of the war on all the other frons==ts as normal, that may keep him in the game since his mental overload is the pending loses of Russian and China.

[paradigmblue]

I offered the cease fire, but Bill says he will fight on as is.

Here's hoping that he'll regain some of his fighting spirit in the coming turns.

[Bif1961]

He is a trooper but leave the offer on the table.

[paradigmblue]

The Soviet Union has had some interesting developments.

Bill has moved the bulk of the Soviet Army along the rail line to try and dislodge my 4,000 AV I currently have parked on it in a wooded hex. I've tried to disrupt his reinforcements with air attack, but Soviet AA is absolutely brutal, and I'm taking huge losses to flak.

This all-in move by Bill has created opportunities for me, however. In scouring enough troops to try and dislodge my rail blockade, Bill left the key hexes around Vladivostok undefended, and I have 2,000 AV that have burst through his fort line, to Rybolov and Vorishlov, and, with luck, will take Vladivostok next turn. Once Vladivostok falls, these troops will clear the last Soviet fort that blocks the Japanese rail line from connecting to the Soviet rail line, then be able to strat move to wherever they are needed in the theater.

Up north, I have 2 divisions on a wooded hex creating a second rail-line blockade, and I have about 2,000 more AV now en-route to a third rail-line cut. Essentially, I'm looking to cut the Soviet Army into manageable pieces that are cut off from supply and each other.

The bulk of that army - about 100 units - has reached my initial rail-line blockade, and shock attacks. I was afraid that I might be dislodged, but instead my troops hold firm and inflict some significant losses on the Soviets. Just look at the number of disabled vehicles on the Soviet side.



This bodes really well for the rest of my advances in this theater, and there is a chance that I may be able to completely neuter the Soviet Union by summer of 42.

[paradigmblue]

Here's a visual representation of what's going on:

[paradigmblue]

A big bonus to the taking of Vladivostok is that in Focus Pacific, Vladivostok is home to a MiG-3 factory. While I'm still going to have to worry the much larger pools in Focus Pacific, that's ~20 MiG-3s a month that I won't have to contend with.