Matrix Games Forums

If IJN commits and takes Bombay & Karcahi (net 2400 city VP) and by defaults takes out the entire royal navy (250 ships, say another 3000 VP) as they have no where to go but be targets, is the game worth continuing? All the other Indian cities will be in Japanese hands as will (300000 IJN troops landed; the initial six depleted Indian div and one Brit div and misc ground units are being rolled over). My IJN believes its ok as the game does not official end (far beyond my lifetime due to game pace). I as Allied think is is not worth continuing or even starting if that is the IJN plan. The game design does not allow the Allies to defend vs the entire IJN CV and BB fleet. Range one Spits/Hurricanes cannot stop naval bombardment runs;massed IJN CVs can destroy any planes, ships in port, ships at sea. the original 5 PTs were sunk by repeated DD runs into port, I cannot mine the ports (by air needs to be 1943 and cannot mine friendly ports. There are no MLs. IJN BBs have a stand off range of 5 for Bombardment runs.

Game is in 7/1942 and now over two years of real time expended.

If the Japanese are committing that much to India, they have probably stripped other areas to the bone. If the IJN is operating in the Indian Ocean, that leaves the door open for the USN to operate at will throughout the Pacific. Heck you might get away with a landing in northern Japan in late 1942.

Another thing is American forces can be transferred to India. If you're worried about bombardment destroying planes, you can always base your planes one hex inland. It doesn't work everywhere, but it would work in some key areas.

If the British retire all their troops and defend Karachi the Nips will NOT be able to take it. The Brits will need to be ruthless and abandon everything else. Should only make this withdrawal if the Nips are making the all out assault on India

The trick is to be able to determine where the Nips are going before they suddenly land three divisions at Karachi out of the blue.

Yes the Brits have largely retired (including the entire navy) to Karachi. heavy use of air transports. delay forces in Lucknow. Calcutta, Asonsol under siege, Panjay taken. My now few units in Bombay get pummeled fro naval bombardment every 2 days. To be determined what Karachi can do but can keep a surface force at sea in Karachi defended by all my range 1 air forces. the 3.5 RN CVs are flying Fulmars. Bombay is not viable.

IJN took Midway in Dec 41, Noumea in Jan, PM/Efate/Espirito in Feb then most of navy has since been off Indid with CVLs SW of Ceylon to shut down India/Perth shipping.

I did a 4xCV raid of midway some months ago. Shot down a lot of attacking planes but one betty got through and put a torpedo into the Hornet which made it to Pearl with 78 damage. Game is in July 42 to not much for me to work with yet. But will be active soon somewhere.

Origial question is if the IJN takes Bombay and Karachi and the entire RN is lost, is the game effectiely over?

I don't think the Allies can rebound from the loss of points if all India falls.

Karachi is hard to take.

Forget about blocking forces, move everything to Karachi. Try to sneak the fleet out to Australia. Any British ships left in India will be lost.

Japanese Land Based Air can hold the American fleet off until mid 1943.

In spite of holding Karachi the RN keeps sending ships with nowhere to go and the IJN bombards and aircraft bomb at will and destroy these ships as fast as they arrive. An astute Japanese player will block the retreat to Oz so the VP points endlessly flow. Eventually the Brits will grow strong enough to push the IJA back, but India is a large area to retake.

In the meantime if you lost any USN CVs, as I did, the USN can and will be held at bay by LBA. The flow of CVs leaves the USN basically denuded until 1944 and by that time it'll be to late to do enough to pull the coals from the fire.

Karachi is not easy to taken; (only against the AI is posible to taken), as japan player i can tell you that is stupid to take INDIA; and i take it several times... the reason; there is no OIL in INDIA, is more worthy to take Russia; and of course China

what you need is oil in this game. especially at the beguinin, to run your factories. so the initial invasión-japan plan at the begininn of the war, (borneo, java, filippines) is what a japan player has to do; and if you do quikly then you can invade Australia or Pearl harbour to gain points; but india is a waisted of time and divisions.

That would be true without the map edge. There is no strategic value in taking India. But with the map edge, taking Karachi knocks Britain out of the game and releases all the units that would be needed to defend Burma for use in the Pacific and NEI.