The Hive - Cruft PBEM (Japan, Scen 2 Beta + Stacking Limits)

[Captain Cruft]

What in particular do you find interesting Pax?

[Cribtop]

Just read this cover to cover today. Crazy! Very interesting approach to the game. Can't wait to see the Decisive Battles. Given the calendar and how far he still has to go to reach the Hive defenses, if you stop him the first time you may run out the clock entirely.

[obvert]

Cool to see al of your updates. interesting to see those numbers on your pools and things like that> made me go look at mine. I hadn't really ever assessed the whole picture of airframes available.

I think with the Super-E or the normal E you'll find about the same results.

Wherever you're trying to be strong within the hive, imagine the Allies arriving with 3+ divisions. Then the BB bombardments and then the 4Es repeatedly. So divisions and large units are key. I'd love to see what you actually have on the bases in the inner circle; the Ryukus, the Bonins, the Kuriles and on Formosa.

[PaxMondo]

ORIGINAL: Captain Cruft

What in particular do you find interesting Pax?

You are taking a self-proclaimed unique approach. Substantially different than what I would try for. You are fully commintted on this path at this point, so I'm interested to see how it plays out for you. Nothing sinister ...

[Captain Cruft]

I wasn't thinking anything sinister. Just wondering why the popcorn came out at this particular juncture. Nice to have you here anyway

[Captain Cruft]

cribtop,

Welcome. My whole approach is informed by playing Downfall (twice). I believe that the endgame is very winnable with preparation and an intact fleet.

Then, when the Allied fleet and army has been destroyed, we can go on the offensive again.

[Captain Cruft]

obvert,

I have not finished garrisoning things yet. The Kuriles remain weak and there are no combat LCUs on Formosa yet. All the Bonins are as strong as they are going to be given the stacking limits. Anything that arrives in the Home Islands that isn't restricted is going to the Ryukyus. Okinawa is looking OK but there are holes in other places. However I have just about managed to get everywhere to size 6 forts (or 4 where that is the limit) in preparation for the arrival of the garrison units.

[Captain Cruft]

ToE Upgrades

1944 is the year of the ToE upgrade.

First up are all the co-opted Chinese brigades, in 11 days time. They get either a 50% or 100% boost. I will be very interested to see what this does to my Armaments pool, which is already diminishing rapidly. There are no Armaments factories currently producing.

Also in 11 days the Kure and Yokosuka Naval Base Forces transmogrify into their "loads of 12cm DP guns" format. This is quite important since it basically makes these two places far and away the most effective flak bases in the Empire.

Then in mid-year all the JAAF av support units are due. I already have av support coming out of my ears so this is not particularly significant except that it enables the JAAF Bns to replace their sound detectors with radar.

[PaxMondo]

ORIGINAL: Captain Cruft

I wasn't thinking anything sinister. Just wondering why the popcorn came out at this particular juncture. Nice to have you here anyway

Oh, I've been lurking since day one. I think I've posted once or twice early on. You have a unique approach, I don't want to corrupt it. Very interested to see how it plays out ...so just sitting back ... [8D]

[PaxMondo]

ORIGINAL: Captain Cruft

ToE Upgrades

1944 is the year of the ToE upgrade.

First up are all the co-opted Chinese brigades, in 11 days time. They get either a 50% or 100% boost. I will be very interested to see what this does to my Armaments pool, which is already diminishing rapidly. There are no Armaments factories currently producing.

Also in 11 days the Kure and Yokosuka Naval Base Forces transmogrify into their "loads of 12cm DP guns" format. This is quite important since it basically makes these two places far and away the most effective flak bases in the Empire.

Then in mid-year all the JAAF av support units are due. I already have av support coming out of my ears so this is not particularly significant except that it enables the JAAF Bns to replace their sound detectors with radar.

This is easily quantifiable. Each device takes LC*ARM pts or about 12 ARM/squad = 72 HI/squad. So 100 squads consumes 1200 ARM or 7200 HI. An IJ division consumes 50,000 to 100,000 HI to build fresh.

[obvert]

ORIGINAL: Captain Cruft

obvert,

I have not finished garrisoning things yet. The Kuriles remain weak and there are no combat LCUs on Formosa yet. All the Bonins are as strong as they are going to be given the stacking limits. Anything that arrives in the Home Islands that isn't restricted is going to the Ryukyus. Okinawa is looking OK but there are holes in other places. However I have just about managed to get everywhere to size 6 forts (or 4 where that is the limit) in preparation for the arrival of the garrison units.

This sounds good. He's still a ways away. You get a lot of the Independent Mixed Brigades in the Home Islands, and while that is a good amount of total AV, they are not that strong, being only 165 AV with little arty, and not such good exp. So either bigger brigades you can combine into divisions that arrive in China or some full divisions that come from Manchuria will be helpful.

ToE Upgrades

1944 is the year of the ToE upgrade.

First up are all the co-opted Chinese brigades, in 11 days time. They get either a 50% or 100% boost. I will be very interested to see what this does to my Armaments pool, which is already diminishing rapidly. There are no Armaments factories currently producing.

Also in 11 days the Kure and Yokosuka Naval Base Forces transmogrify into their "loads of 12cm DP guns" format. This is quite important since it basically makes these two places far and away the most effective flak bases in the Empire.

Then in mid-year all the JAAF av support units are due. I already have av support coming out of my ears so this is not particularly significant except that it enables the JAAF Bns to replace their sound detectors with radar.

How do you learn about all of the TOE upgrades? Is this from the editor?

[Captain Cruft]

ORIGINAL: obvert
How do you learn about all of the TOE upgrades? Is this from the editor?

I just look for the asterisk in the unit screen.

[obvert]

ORIGINAL: Captain Cruft

ORIGINAL: obvert
How do you learn about all of the TOE upgrades? Is this from the editor?

I just look for the asterisk in the unit screen.

Where do you see the increased TOE those units will get? i thought the asterisks (in the recent betas at least) are the units that can combine into a larger unit. This has been the case in my experience so far.

[Captain Cruft]

In the actual individual unit screen.

If there is an asterisk above the device list then the ToE can be upgraded. Show ToE (instead of unit) and then you get some yellow text above the device list which when clicked shows the upgrade ToE and when it's available.

If you haven't been doing these in your game you are missing out on a lot of stuff.

[obvert]

ORIGINAL: Captain Cruft

In the actual individual unit screen.

If there is an asterisk above the device list then the ToE can be upgraded. Show ToE (instead of unit) and then you get some yellow text above the device list which when clicked shows the upgrade ToE and when it's available.

If you haven't been doing these in your game you are missing out on a lot of stuff.

I dont' see any of this. Maybe it's because we have the automatic upgrading on for the game. Many units have upgraded their TOE, but I never have seen any indication of what and when it can happen.

[Captain Cruft]

OK well as long as they are happening. You are also doing Scen 1 which might be a bit different.

As a matter of interest I don't suppose you could do a screenie of the Yokosuka Naval Base Force?

[obvert]

ORIGINAL: Captain Cruft

OK well as long as they are happening. You are also doing Scen 1 which might be a bit different.

As a matter of interest I don't suppose you could do a screenie of the Yokosuka Naval Base Force?

Just checked this. Ok. That is amazing! That unit gets like 96 12.7cm DP guns!!!!! But it hasn't yet. Why not?

I also checked most of my big Naval base forces and they haven't all upgraded either. What are the conditions necessary? Does an HQ have to be within range? Of course for the Yokohama unit that would not be a problem, so I am wondering why it hasn't happened?

PS - I just posted some pics in my AAR along with a bunch of questions about this.

[Captain Cruft]

The Musashi

I have been doing some industry analysis to see whether I really could survive if I lost the DEI "tomorrow".

Naval Shipyards (at 2,400) are far and away the biggest consumer of HI. Everything except for Musashi, the Taiho and Unryu class CVs and subs are being accelerated. I even check every day to see if new DDs, APDs & Es can be activated.

Hopefully once the Musashi is born (in April) I can turn off some Naval Shipyards and still have enough capacity to accelerate all the little ships. Then beyond that the plan is to more or less turn off the yards completely around August after the CVs arrive, which ought to mean that I can survive on much reduced HI output from that point onward.

At the full current rate of 16,000 per day HI output I only have enough fuel for another year, but without Naval Shipyards eating 7,200 of that the industrial era could be extended much further. At least until the great training group arrival in May 1945, which will enable me to clear out the pilot training queue.

[Captain Cruft]

Speaking of the Musashi ...

Fancy taking a Yamato class battleship out for a spin? At today's prices filling up the tank (6,300 tonnes) will cost you something well north of $3m. ROFL

Prices from http://www.bunkerindex.com

[Cribtop]

That ship needs an "Eco button." [:D]

You seem to be evolving, and to some degree house ruling, both the Swarm and Torpedo Avalanche doctrines. IMHO both are generally sound because in a Gygax game getting tons of die rolls is the path to victory. Can you elaborate on the current state of both doctrines as we get closer to the Decisive Battles? It appears you have de-emphasized the swarm as a ground attack weapon and see it more in the anti-shipping role? Have you experimented with employing the Swarm in conjunction with more traditional attackers at different altitudes in an effort to swamp enemy CAP? Are you now able to unveil more details of the Torpedo Avalanche, or must that remain a bit inscrutable for OpSec reasons?

On a completely unrelated note, what levels of armaments and vehicle points would you suggest are optimal for Japan as the late war reinforcements roll in?