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Timskorn

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Everything posted by Timskorn

  1. I believe it's October, 1943. Indeed the IJA forces in Eastern India have taken some losses from a combined air/land counter-attack, but thankfully only one unit was lost, the Indian Independence Army. Along the coast a British unit is routed and we will take that city next turn, and we are repositioning a defensive line against the British if they decide to try and push further in their attack. In Western India the invasion force is regrouping at Hyberadad, and additional British units are coming down from the North to defend behind the river line. Rains continue to keep Japanese aircraft grounded. A naval skirmish occurs south of Rangoon, we lose a DD but sink a couple Allied ships and critically damage another. Not much new to report in China, usual fighting but no units destroyed yet. Scott, yes I'd say we're just starting or now in the beginning of the decisive stage of the game. As Japan I definitely feel the weight of time coming down on my head!
  2. Do they really take extra casualties? I thought the chance of losses when invading enemy tiles was just a random amount, but don't quote me on that. Besides, as long as you land your units with an HQ, the next turn their supply goes right back up to normal. Most bigger invasions aren't decided in a couple of turns, so as long as you can land with an HQ and some naval/air support you can do so anywhere. This pretty much negates any penalties an amphib receives when at sea too long, as those penalties can be quickly recouped upon landing.
  3. Yeah, considering the US has only really lent a few ships and aircraft to the war until now, I'm surprised I'm not doing better at this point. Once the full force of the US gets into the mix the entire game is going to change, and for the worse for Japan. Monsoons are all over the place these days, hampering air operations particularly hard in India which is hurting both the Brits and Japan. But Hyberadad(sp?) falls south of Delhi this turn, and Japanese armor pulls back from a Brit defensive line northwest of the Tata Steelworks which hit the armor hard in a counter-attack. Another Indian coastal city is about to fall though. In China a Youth Army is created outside the capital but is quickly sent packing. In the south we should take a Chinese city soon and move on the industrial mines to the north of it.
  4. It is late August, 1943. Japanese forces, after capturing Communist China and Sian, are moving south towards the Chinese capital. In the south a separate, smaller offensive is taking place. Chinese warlords are coming out of the woodwork! In India Calcutta finally falls after concentrated air and land assaults. It's a tough cookie to break, apparently surrounded by rivers and hampering land attacks from every direction. The invasion force in Western India is moving north and applying pressure to garrison forces that are delaying our advance. I've lost a Destroyer and a Cruiser in the Indian Ocean during scouting manuevers. However, this past turn our scouting paid off and a DD and a sub engage a Marine transport heading for India. Unfortunately it isn't sunk though and is at 1 strength. As the Brits hold the little coastal island to the south of India, I'm figuring now this is where he plans to ship US reinforcements.
  5. Hide mode works well for the Japanese because it allows them to spot naval movements without being detected. Only DD's that run into them will find a Hidden sub, or (I think) if a unit ends its turn right next to it. They work great in this role and screening your main force. As far as naval supply, it's certainly not perfect and allows for fairly unbelievable situations like US op-moving their aircraft anywhere they want, despite the island being in "enemy territory". In my opinion something like this really isn't too big of a problem because they are only really good for spotting at that point. And as the IJN you can destroy it fairly easily. The way I look at it is that every move has a counter-move to it. This doesn't make naval supply and its awkward circumstances any more realistic, but you can make a player pay for some of these situations. If Japan takes Hawaii it's not very detrimental to the US, and if they leave their ground unit(s) there, that just means less for them to use elsewhere (and an easy target for you). If a US player decides to op-move in aircraft into Rabaul in early 1942 without support, the IJN can easily eliminate it (or ignore that area altogther, rendering the fighters position almost useless anyway). Finally, I would argue the strategic nature of the Pacific war is still there. It may not necessarily involve island-hopping but you still need to be smart about when and where you present your carriers, and for what purpose. The way the Pacific War proceeds in the game can go very ahistorical, as a Japanese player may decide to ignore the outer islands completely (see the thread on this) which can alter how a US player decides his overall strategy. In terms of supply constraints (which dictates the way a ground war proceeds), the naval aspect definitely has much more ease of use. Supply is the difference between success and failure on the ground, but at sea it's not something that is considered much. If ports were required more often for resupply then they would be much more important to have in control, and if ships lost supply over time then you would need to get ports closer to the objectives you were aiming for. The USN couldn't project their power against Japan proper for very long if their nearest resupply port was Wake Island, for example. Japan would definitely have the advantage here as A) The USN would have to island hop, If the USN decided to go deep against Japan early without island hopping, the IJN would have the benefit of time as each turn USN supplies would be dropping and making them more vulnerable and C) Japan would have a greater incentive to garrison important locations like Rabaul, Port Moresby, Truk in order to force the US to fight for them. Since this is all theory talk on my part (I think only Bill and Hubert tested these different approaches more than anyone else), I have to assume their final design decision was the best one for the game, and for the reasons they outlined it seems reasonable.
  6. I have been taking screenies and will post them later. Primarily just showing my troop/naval positions in India and China, as that's where the core of the fighting has taken place. Rain is drenching India, keeping our air grounded. Probably benefits me more at this point as he has a lot of US air helping what's left of the British forces. IJA still focused around the Tata Steelworks as they are fighting across the river to dislodge the British from the city next to it. At the invasion beachhead we are finally moving north after destroying another division and putting the Indian Armor group on the run. In China Sian is captured and another division destroyed as the Chinese slowly move west behind a riverline and in better defensive positions. In Southern China a new offensive is starting, and we're shifting some extra forces around to a place "to be determined" in order to keep China on their heels. I'm actually going on vacation tomorrow (Wed.) and won't be back until the following week, so Scott will probably be the last entry before I get back and return to the war.
  7. Yep, at least two US fighters have appeared in India to intercept our carrier strikes. Tata Steelworks are taken and in western India two of our air units arrive, along with additional land forces.
  8. It doesn't seem like it at first but it's a daunting task. You really need to commit a lot of resources there, but without US support the Brits are definitely at a disadvantage. The big question is, will it be worth it? And of course the ever present question about when and where the US will strike and begin tearing apart the Empire I am so carefully creating.
  9. Two Chinese divisions destroyed as we converge through Communist China onto Sian. Another British division destroyed in India and the Tata Steelworks will be captured next turn.
  10. No prob, got it! Just sent it back. It's Feb. 1943. Japanese troops capture Bangalore in India and IJN carriers strafe an exposed armor group down to str. 4. In the east, 4 IJA divisions are now in the theater to push into India. Communist China surrenders.
  11. Hey Scott not sure if you got my e-mail but for some reason I didn't get a file with the last one you sent to me.
  12. Fighting in India continues. Japanese destroy an infantry division at Bangalore, but British reinforcements have pushed on to Madras. IJA emerge from the jungles of Burma and almost finish off an infantry division. No new news to report in China. Fighting, but no units destroyed.
  13. I would not worry about whether or not you get a major victory in 6 months, but whether India will be in Japanese hands by then! The British fighter at Madras is overrun and the city/port is taken by the SNLF. Now that I'm actually IN India, it looks so much...bigger. In the east Japanese forces make their way up the coast, capturing the coastal city on the border with India. We see units being pulled back from the Burma front to confront the invasion in the west. We'll see if Japan can keep up the heat. More fighting in China, no destroyed units this turn. Paratroopers capture Brunei.
  14. That may very well be true, but in the meantime the Allies will have to deal with the whirlwind! IJA invasion forces land in western India outside Madras, attacking an air unit stationed there. India has quite a few units now! They must have gotten some Home Guard units due to my impending invasion? It's Jan 1942 and I see two armor divisions, and at least 5 Army/Corp units. But, they are spread out, now split between two fronts. It will be interesting to see how this battle shapes up! We are blasting the Communists into submission and should have Mao's resignation letter soon once Japanese troops are marching through the capital.
  15. Just want to say that I really enjoy playing PDE multiplayer a lot, it's great to get away from the confines of history sometimes and play these scenarios. I'd play but I have too many games going as it is, but I recommend people give it a shot if they haven't yet. I'm in the middle of the Berlin Crisis scenario as the Soviets. Reds can cover most of Europe early on and get a good MPP base, but two main fronts formed in Scandinavia and North Africa as the Allies move to stop the expansion.
  16. Just an update that this game is pretty much over and I will be posting the final years' AAR + photos soon!
  17. I think as the Allies you're allowed quite a few of those, anyway, as long as it doesn't involve lots of US carriers getting wiped out! It's now December, 1942. Forces in Burma eliminate a Chinese division and are pushing north towards India. IJN carriers have complete dominance in the area for now and have destroyed a British division on the coast. Paratroopers land and capture Sarawak this turn and newly acquired Japanese convoys have kicked in, now adding quite a bit more MPP's to Japan's war efforts. In China we rout another division, while the last Communist army is the only fighting unit standing on the road between us and the Communist capital. Tough terrain though, and lots of Chinese divisions waiting in reserve to the south.
  18. This is my first game playing as Japan in multiplayer, and maybe only my 3rd time overall so I can't say I have a general MO in how I handle tech and reforming damaged naval units, etc. Suffice to say that it IS expensive to reinforce naval assets, but I can't exactly reveal too many particulars in regards to how I'm spending my MPP's.
  19. Hey Zukkov! Great games aren't they? Don't worry you'll get better with each game, and the AI is no slouch so don't feel too bad! IJN gets tangled a bit with a lingering sub and DD, but for the most part the Allies have been routed from the area. IJN did take some hits but actual losses are minimal, and overtime the Fleet will be back to full strength. In Burma the IJA is pushing hard to the north and towards China's back door. A lone Chinese division blocks the way, and was knocked down to 1 str. but Japanese carrier fighters couldn't finish them off. In China dual bombers are reducing cities to rubble, but the IJA makes little progress on the ground. The US will likely be entering the fray here sometime, somewhere...
  20. A few more Allied ships are sunk as they try to engage the massive IJN fleet. Mostly DD's, but one was a cruiser. A good mix too. Think there was a ship each from Britain, US, Australia and Dutch. A British Indian division is routed in Burma and the IJA encroaches on the Communist Chinese capital from the north.
  21. British fleet attempts to escape to the south and the safer waters off Australia, but the IJN were prepared and waiting. The Indomitable Carrier is sunk, along with a destroyer and a cruiser. This goes along with two other ships that were sunk a couple months earlier, a BB and a sub I believe. Some ships may have escaped but the IJN have scored a major victory against the British navy. In China we destroy another division and bombers flatten a few more cities. Time isn't on my side though!
  22. I wish but that's the problem with the rolling AAR's...can't really do up-to-date screens without giving stuff away. I'll see if I can take some though and add later.
  23. The IJN comes in heavy off the Indian coast. The BB warspite is sunk and a CA and CV are critically damaged as they find themselves surrounded in their own waters. There will be no escape for the British fleet! Standstill in China, but steady ground is being made in the north where IJA forces have destroyed a partisan unit, Chinese Army and a Communist China Army. Bombers smash the Chinese capital unopposed.
  24. This sounds very familiar: www.welovetheiraqiinformationminister.com/ Japan moves in additional forces to combat the partisan warlords in Manchukuo and will drive them back soon.
  25. I'm also writing a separate article for this I'm going to post later in regards to overall strategy. Kind of like an AAR but will dive more into the decision making behind the things I'm doing, how/why I'm reacting to scottsmm's moves, and of course the glorious end result of my master planning. Japanese forces just took Malaya! Singapore falls and the Dutch are tossing their guns in the ocean and fleeing in rubber dinghies to Australia. We also have "Warlords Gone Wild" in northern Japan that will be dealt with, but the IJA is putting heavy pressure in Sian with combined armor, infantry and air attacks. This has prompted a quick response by Mao who has joined the Allies.
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