I will start at 2 jan 1942
my opponent opened the game with an a carrier attack on manila, leaving my ships and planes at PH in mint condition.
however I never been faced with a manila opening before, and the current situation is that all I can do Is retreat to Bataan, and clark field, manila is fallen, DEI is still in full allied control.
Singapore is digging in, but I fear it will fall halfway januari
almost all my shipping from Phil and DEI has been sunk, some air units have been evacuated to Australia, thinks ar elooking very grim
Japanese are bombarding PM and I am sure a landing will follow next turn
also a KB unit is lingering there, causing more havoc around Australia.
I am getting desperate, and to make things worse, the new CV Yorktown, just got torpedoed TWICE on its way to PH, and it smagazines blew up. I have to wait until the game returns to see if it is still afloat, but I fear its a loss
It is my first PBEM, I have no reference in time table for Japanese, to see if I am delaying him or am doing a terrible job.
Also how much impact is the loss of the Yorktown, am I totally lost already? or is there a flinger of hope.
The loss of the Yorktown is a major setback in my view, it got escorts, had the planes os ASW, and it still got hit by 2 subs, and 4 hits and a magazine explosion as result
how bad can it get..............
depressed allied command
First PBEM as Allied
Moderators: wdolson, MOD_War-in-the-Pacific-Admirals-Edition
RE: First PBEM as Allied
Buck up! Even the loss of the Yorktown is only a temporary setback,but she probably still floats. Allied damage control is very good. Go to cruise speed, with a lots of asw protection from ships & planes and make it back to the closest port to pump out the counter flooding.
It could be worse...[:D]
Work on building up your main line of defense which I hope is far back, and saving what troops you can. Get some fighters to Oz, train your pilots, and remember your day will come.
It could be worse...[:D]
Work on building up your main line of defense which I hope is far back, and saving what troops you can. Get some fighters to Oz, train your pilots, and remember your day will come.
RE: First PBEM as Allied
she sank,
Manilla gone, most cargo ships from Phil and DEI gone, I have no clue how to setup my line to Australia, I tried to setup Palmyra and Christmas island as gas stations, but their ports just suck.
I lack air HQ units, I cant get them out of DEI or Singers.
The plane upgrades from 41/12 are colored red in the list, I guess they are delayed, so even that doesn't go as planned
I will lose Phil in mid January, and probably singers as well
china is a mess
Burma, well its Burma, useless anyway
I counted the CV that will appear later on, most are rubbish UK CV in short term, 2 good CV coming up, but again takes so many months for them to appear
i needed that 4 th carrier to at least be able to make some impact.
im playing scenario 2, so the japs are having a lot of CV's and getting more
thinking of waving the white flag, and learn from the experience, and see redo a PBEM as allied
Manilla gone, most cargo ships from Phil and DEI gone, I have no clue how to setup my line to Australia, I tried to setup Palmyra and Christmas island as gas stations, but their ports just suck.
I lack air HQ units, I cant get them out of DEI or Singers.
The plane upgrades from 41/12 are colored red in the list, I guess they are delayed, so even that doesn't go as planned
I will lose Phil in mid January, and probably singers as well
china is a mess
Burma, well its Burma, useless anyway
I counted the CV that will appear later on, most are rubbish UK CV in short term, 2 good CV coming up, but again takes so many months for them to appear
i needed that 4 th carrier to at least be able to make some impact.
im playing scenario 2, so the japs are having a lot of CV's and getting more
thinking of waving the white flag, and learn from the experience, and see redo a PBEM as allied
DR
RE: First PBEM as Allied
The planes listed red might need to withdraw to fight Herr Hitler.
Everything you describe is normal for this point in time...JocMeister lost all his carriers, almost all of china, and still won a major victory with an exciting invasion of Korea. You can do it too.
You can't stand up and fight Japan now, you can harass and maybe slow him.
Everything you describe is normal for this point in time...JocMeister lost all his carriers, almost all of china, and still won a major victory with an exciting invasion of Korea. You can do it too.
You can't stand up and fight Japan now, you can harass and maybe slow him.
RE: First PBEM as Allied
Welcome to the dark reality of the Allies in early 1942 Marshall! As others have said, your experience so far is typical and you
must tell yourself that your expectations were too high, and things WILL get better by late fall 1942.
You don't say whether your opponent is an experienced player of not. If he/she is, the contest is doubly hard for you because
you haven't got a feel for the game yet.
The first Grand Campaign (whole war, whole map, holy Moses!) is overwhelming if you
have not done it before. It helps if you make a longer-range plan (at least six months ahead) for bases you want to keep and
develop, those you will cede to the Japanese without contest, and those you want to use as speed-bumps/meat grinders to resist
rapid advance of the Japanese. Your comment on Palmyra & Christmas Islands is telling. If you want to set up a fuelling island
or two, look first for those which have a Standard Potential Size for the port of at least 2. You can build a size two port to size 5.
A higher SPS will enable you to build up a decent port that much faster. After you pick some possible fuel stops, you must decide
if it is likely to be taken by the Japanese. No sense developing it if the enemy get the benefit. If it seems a far reach for the
enemy, check to see that you have troops to send there to defend it. Marine Defence Battalions are good for this but more AV and engineers are needed.
While you are building up your fuelling ports, haul all the supply and fuel you can to Pearl Harbour, New Zealand and Australia. You can refuel these convoys
by having tankers sitting in any port along the way, and just select "Refuel TF at Sea" to draw your fuel from them.
You mentioned a defence line for Australia - until late 1942 you do not have the troops, aircraft and ships to defend the north if he wants it. Start by
putting what you have into defending Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide (or, if you feel lucky, Perth). Australia has no fighters at game start. Send some in,
even if they are US units that are still training. They can train at inland places like Canberra and Wagga-wagga and move to danger points when they appear.
Port Moresby is worth fighting for if he sends large numbers of troops to other places and only brings a regiment or so to PM. If he really wants it, you
can make it a speed bump but do not have the air and sea control needed to get supplies and reinforcements in.
Get fuel to Cape Town. A large number of ships will be transiting there and they will suck it dry of fuel if they are going CT->on map. Note that you do not need to give fuel
to any ships going from CT to EC USA, Panama, Canada or Britain. No fuel is used moving between two off-map bases. Refuel your ships at the Atlantic ports when they get there.
Back to management of your expectations: at game start Allied ASW is not great, even for the experienced British and Canadian ships. It is even worse for
aircraft squadrons, including those on carriers. They have just not trained in ASW work. Start some pilots training in ASW right away. Use 1000 feet altitude.
Your best defence against his highly skilled sub commanders and crews is avoidance. Use the squadrons which have good Naval Search skills to seek the subs, and pay attention
to the Sigint Report where it says there was a radio transmission near your TFs. Divert around, that is what the Allies did in the North Atlantic in real life WWII.
Final suggestion - you can get a lot of step-by-step advice on this forum to help you handle your first few months of the game by posting a turn-by-turn AAR and asking for help with things
that make you feel lost. All of us remember our newbie experience and the kind advice of other players. Good Luck! [:)]
must tell yourself that your expectations were too high, and things WILL get better by late fall 1942.
You don't say whether your opponent is an experienced player of not. If he/she is, the contest is doubly hard for you because
you haven't got a feel for the game yet.
The first Grand Campaign (whole war, whole map, holy Moses!) is overwhelming if you
have not done it before. It helps if you make a longer-range plan (at least six months ahead) for bases you want to keep and
develop, those you will cede to the Japanese without contest, and those you want to use as speed-bumps/meat grinders to resist
rapid advance of the Japanese. Your comment on Palmyra & Christmas Islands is telling. If you want to set up a fuelling island
or two, look first for those which have a Standard Potential Size for the port of at least 2. You can build a size two port to size 5.
A higher SPS will enable you to build up a decent port that much faster. After you pick some possible fuel stops, you must decide
if it is likely to be taken by the Japanese. No sense developing it if the enemy get the benefit. If it seems a far reach for the
enemy, check to see that you have troops to send there to defend it. Marine Defence Battalions are good for this but more AV and engineers are needed.
While you are building up your fuelling ports, haul all the supply and fuel you can to Pearl Harbour, New Zealand and Australia. You can refuel these convoys
by having tankers sitting in any port along the way, and just select "Refuel TF at Sea" to draw your fuel from them.
You mentioned a defence line for Australia - until late 1942 you do not have the troops, aircraft and ships to defend the north if he wants it. Start by
putting what you have into defending Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide (or, if you feel lucky, Perth). Australia has no fighters at game start. Send some in,
even if they are US units that are still training. They can train at inland places like Canberra and Wagga-wagga and move to danger points when they appear.
Port Moresby is worth fighting for if he sends large numbers of troops to other places and only brings a regiment or so to PM. If he really wants it, you
can make it a speed bump but do not have the air and sea control needed to get supplies and reinforcements in.
Get fuel to Cape Town. A large number of ships will be transiting there and they will suck it dry of fuel if they are going CT->on map. Note that you do not need to give fuel
to any ships going from CT to EC USA, Panama, Canada or Britain. No fuel is used moving between two off-map bases. Refuel your ships at the Atlantic ports when they get there.
Back to management of your expectations: at game start Allied ASW is not great, even for the experienced British and Canadian ships. It is even worse for
aircraft squadrons, including those on carriers. They have just not trained in ASW work. Start some pilots training in ASW right away. Use 1000 feet altitude.
Your best defence against his highly skilled sub commanders and crews is avoidance. Use the squadrons which have good Naval Search skills to seek the subs, and pay attention
to the Sigint Report where it says there was a radio transmission near your TFs. Divert around, that is what the Allies did in the North Atlantic in real life WWII.
Final suggestion - you can get a lot of step-by-step advice on this forum to help you handle your first few months of the game by posting a turn-by-turn AAR and asking for help with things
that make you feel lost. All of us remember our newbie experience and the kind advice of other players. Good Luck! [:)]
No matter how bad a situation is, you can always make it worse. - Chris Hadfield : An Astronaut's Guide To Life On Earth
RE: First PBEM as Allied
Hello BBfanboy,
thanks for the advice, I played several campaigns against the AI, both Japanese and Allied.
But his is my first PBEM game, and lord almighty, it has no comparison to everything I planned for strategy.
The Manilla opening just doubled the confusion.
with his KB units around Phil i was helpless to get any shipping let alone units out of the theatre.
you are right, my expectations where set to playing AI, not PBEM. thinking of abandoning north Australia, is just hard to take in, if your used to playing AI, and keep DEI for a long period of time, while evacuating your prize units, build up Suva and airpower fairly unhindered.
but what i am experiencing now, is that basically Nouma is lost cause, and Suva is a potential target as well. Pago Pago is the new "SUVA" line of defence.
its a lot to take in, and PBEM and Manila opening just overwhelmed me.
I just started to play again after 2 years, i started the game in DOS, later bought it online at matrix, in admiral edition.
this is why the game is so addictive, it keeps challenging you, but it can be frustrating as well seeing your whole strategy fall in pieces and realize you just spend 30 game turns putting your units in the wrong position, wasting fuel, setup a non working fuel supply line to Australia, and being hammered in Australia. then when medication is needed to fight the depression, a jap sub sinks the yorktown.
i have been reading the forum last weeks, lots of useful tips. also its great to see so many people are willing to give advice and share their experiences.
thanks for the advice, I played several campaigns against the AI, both Japanese and Allied.
But his is my first PBEM game, and lord almighty, it has no comparison to everything I planned for strategy.
The Manilla opening just doubled the confusion.
with his KB units around Phil i was helpless to get any shipping let alone units out of the theatre.
you are right, my expectations where set to playing AI, not PBEM. thinking of abandoning north Australia, is just hard to take in, if your used to playing AI, and keep DEI for a long period of time, while evacuating your prize units, build up Suva and airpower fairly unhindered.
but what i am experiencing now, is that basically Nouma is lost cause, and Suva is a potential target as well. Pago Pago is the new "SUVA" line of defence.
its a lot to take in, and PBEM and Manila opening just overwhelmed me.
I just started to play again after 2 years, i started the game in DOS, later bought it online at matrix, in admiral edition.
this is why the game is so addictive, it keeps challenging you, but it can be frustrating as well seeing your whole strategy fall in pieces and realize you just spend 30 game turns putting your units in the wrong position, wasting fuel, setup a non working fuel supply line to Australia, and being hammered in Australia. then when medication is needed to fight the depression, a jap sub sinks the yorktown.
i have been reading the forum last weeks, lots of useful tips. also its great to see so many people are willing to give advice and share their experiences.
DR
RE: First PBEM as Allied
You're thinking too far forward. Start at WC and work out.
Ex: you can't hold Pago without Christmas and PH. So first make sure that PH is secure. Then Christmas. Then Pago. If you Pago start with and he takes Christmas, he can take Pago from you and whatever you put there is his. Very tough for IJ to take PH, but you do need to be sure you keep it WELL defended at all times. I would caution you to keep at least 2xID, 3xCAT, 6xfighter, and 1M supply/Fuel at all times through '42 at PH.
PS: take my advice with grain of salt, I play mosting IJ. [;)]
Ex: you can't hold Pago without Christmas and PH. So first make sure that PH is secure. Then Christmas. Then Pago. If you Pago start with and he takes Christmas, he can take Pago from you and whatever you put there is his. Very tough for IJ to take PH, but you do need to be sure you keep it WELL defended at all times. I would caution you to keep at least 2xID, 3xCAT, 6xfighter, and 1M supply/Fuel at all times through '42 at PH.
PS: take my advice with grain of salt, I play mosting IJ. [;)]
Pax
RE: First PBEM as Allied
Yep. Agree with what has been said, or at least most of it. [;)]
Playing the Allies you have to learn what it was like to get kicked around for most of a year at least. The USN lost CVs too. The PI did fall. Malaya and Burma and the entire DEI were taken.
In a PBEM what is worse is that there may be a second level of expansion for the IJ, and you have to fight against AV. Yet for all of that, very few games are won outright by the Japanese player. Some, yes, and they're damn fun games to play usually for both sides.
So strap in and get used to the roller coaster! As Pax says, think of building security slowly from the back while doing your best to slow the advance with minimal forces on the fronts. Every Allied player goes through devastating moments, and that should make the eventual progress that much sweeter when you start pushing forward. hang in there! [:)]
Playing the Allies you have to learn what it was like to get kicked around for most of a year at least. The USN lost CVs too. The PI did fall. Malaya and Burma and the entire DEI were taken.
In a PBEM what is worse is that there may be a second level of expansion for the IJ, and you have to fight against AV. Yet for all of that, very few games are won outright by the Japanese player. Some, yes, and they're damn fun games to play usually for both sides.
So strap in and get used to the roller coaster! As Pax says, think of building security slowly from the back while doing your best to slow the advance with minimal forces on the fronts. Every Allied player goes through devastating moments, and that should make the eventual progress that much sweeter when you start pushing forward. hang in there! [:)]
"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm." - Winston Churchill
RE: First PBEM as Allied
Don't Panic!
Try to extract what you can from expected overwhelming attacks, make some riposte attempts w/ available forces, expect heavy losses.
For Allied players, you've got to take many heavy hits in the early war. At the same time, you've got to set up max training for pilots, preserve your shipping, & decide on logistic operations. Suggestion - move fuel from EC USA to Cape Town via invulnerable off-map movement, don't let Cape Town run dry of fuel.
Your opponent has chosen to ignore your Pearl Harbor forces, his choice relieves a lot of pressure - you haven't suffered damage to PH ships or airgroups.
Your best defense against an early IJ auto-victory is to send engrs to all USA/CAN west-coast bases, build up their size, build up their ASW protection. IJ forces are potent, but can't cover the entire ocean. Try to keep an idea of where the IJN CVs are, try to maximize your air-search capabilities in the Aleutians and the 'southern route' to NZ & Oz. Keep your AO/TK assets safe.
Preserve your forces, train pilots, read your intel reports, slowly expand your air-search & ASW capability, settle in to the long road back. Preserve your airfrane & LCU replacement pools, don't reinforce failure.
You've got to take a lot of defeats in the 1st 9 months, "Don't give up the ship!"
Try to extract what you can from expected overwhelming attacks, make some riposte attempts w/ available forces, expect heavy losses.
For Allied players, you've got to take many heavy hits in the early war. At the same time, you've got to set up max training for pilots, preserve your shipping, & decide on logistic operations. Suggestion - move fuel from EC USA to Cape Town via invulnerable off-map movement, don't let Cape Town run dry of fuel.
Your opponent has chosen to ignore your Pearl Harbor forces, his choice relieves a lot of pressure - you haven't suffered damage to PH ships or airgroups.
Your best defense against an early IJ auto-victory is to send engrs to all USA/CAN west-coast bases, build up their size, build up their ASW protection. IJ forces are potent, but can't cover the entire ocean. Try to keep an idea of where the IJN CVs are, try to maximize your air-search capabilities in the Aleutians and the 'southern route' to NZ & Oz. Keep your AO/TK assets safe.
Preserve your forces, train pilots, read your intel reports, slowly expand your air-search & ASW capability, settle in to the long road back. Preserve your airfrane & LCU replacement pools, don't reinforce failure.
You've got to take a lot of defeats in the 1st 9 months, "Don't give up the ship!"