Kamikaze Trigger

[John B.]

Hello all,

It's mid-December 1943 and I'm doing well in Burma and just a few hexes from Bangkok. But, as I look at the Kamikaze rules I see that if I take a base within 15 hexes of Saigon (traced by sea) I will trigger Scott's ability to use Kamikazes. I just want to be sure that I'm reading this right. Given the 15 hex limit I will not trigger Kamikazes by taking Bangkok which is only 9 hexes from Saigon as the crow flies but more than 15 hexes by sea or Phnom Penh (since you can't get there by sea). But, if I were to take Chumphon on the gulf of Siam then I would trigger Kamikaze. Am I reading it right? It's too early for me to face them so I want to be sure!

[BillBrown]

I think it has been changed to 20 hexes by sea.

[John B.]

Bill, thanks for the tip, I was looking the manual! Basically I need to stay away from taking Bangkok!

[Lokasenna]

Yes, the 15 hexes is under the original WITP distances, which was based on 60-mile hexes rather than 40.

[BBfanboy]

Isn't there another condition that it has to be 1944 to trigger kamis? I know you only have a week to go but if you want to drop troops amphibiously and run ...

Have a look at all the perimeter points that may trigger kamikazes - it may be that you can't advance much without triggering them so just accept the way it is and forge ahead.

[John B.]

BBFanboy,

I think if I go down the western side of the Malay Peninsula I'll be ok at least until I get down to Singapore. For example, I think that Victoria Point is fine but not, as noted above, Chumphon. That may be better than facing the human directed death from the sky until I have to.

[Lokasenna]

ORIGINAL: John B.

BBFanboy,

I think if I go down the western side of the Malay Peninsula I'll be ok at least until I get down to Singapore. For example, I think that Victoria Point is fine but not, as noted above, Chumphon. That may be better than facing the human directed death from the sky until I have to.

You may auto-occupy Chumphon via "rowboat" if he has nothing there, so be careful.

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna

ORIGINAL: John B.

BBFanboy,

I think if I go down the western side of the Malay Peninsula I'll be ok at least until I get down to Singapore. For example, I think that Victoria Point is fine but not, as noted above, Chumphon. That may be better than facing the human directed death from the sky until I have to.

You may auto-occupy Chumphon via "rowboat" if he has nothing there, so be careful.

But don't you have to have boots on the ground to trigger the kamis?

Anyway, I view Kamikazes as a double edged sword - yes they can cause a lot of damage but they also lose a lot of aircraft from the Japanese OOB, meaning there are fewer conventional aircraft to face. Anything that drains the Japanese economy is good.

[John B.]

@Lokasenna. That would be an awful way to trigger them. But, I usually see dot bases flip with rowboats and very rarely the flagged bases. Still something to watch out for.

@ BBFanboy, I'd rather have more carriers when the Kamis come as that would mean more fighters to shoot down more Kamis. But, it's going to be a new part of the game for me so we shall see.

[Lokasenna]

ORIGINAL: John B.

@Lokasenna. That would be an awful way to trigger them. But, I usually see dot bases flip with rowboats and very rarely the flagged bases. Still something to watch out for.

@ BBFanboy, I'd rather have more carriers when the Kamis come as that would mean more fighters to shoot down more Kamis. But, it's going to be a new part of the game for me so we shall see.

A base is a base is a base. Dots still count. I'm in the opening month of a game as Japan right now, and the last 2 turns the auto-occupied bases (limit 1 per day) have been dots. It also doesn't have to be by "rowboat" - it can occur with nearby land bases as well.

[rustysi]

very rarely the flagged bases

Happens to me all the time, especially flag bases in the Philippines. Some of which require a garrison. Next thing I know I'm losing VP's. If they're unoccupied they may flip.

Not as bad as activating Kami's when you don't want 'em though. [X(]

[John B.]

I will be extra careful with Victoria Point!

[Skygge]

Strange thing happened here. It is end january 1945 and Kamikaze has not been triggered.

I guess it is one of these rare occasions that gives extra spice to the game.

[Skygge]

..and these allied ships had dodged lots of torpedoes from Frances and bombs from Peggy´s
- with both France´s and Peggy´s having good pilots with 70+ in needed skills- and no air opposition.


Then along comes Cherry Blossom.

Okha hits on both a CL and a DD.

I am sure they will not work where any CAP is up. The bombers are so slow.

[Alfred]

ORIGINAL: Skygge

Strange thing happened here. It is end january 1945 and Kamikaze has not been triggered.

I guess it is one of these rare occasions that gives extra spice to the game.

I don't see anything strange here. You tasked the unit with the naval attack mission and that is the action the unit
undertook.

Alfred

Edit: If you mean that you did not convert the unit, then subject to more complete details, you might have a bug. You would need to provide details why you believe kamikaze has not been triggered. January 1945 is quite late for the kamikaze conditions to not have been triggered.

[Skygge]

If you mean that you did not convert the unit, then subject to more complete details, you might have a bug.

This is the first game I am in that has reached 1945, so have no personal experience in all this, so I can easily be mistaken, but I think Kamikaze has not been triggered. I think I hold all bases in range of trigger points.

If triggered I should be able to convert some units to Kamikaze - and I cannot. Air unit in question was on normal naval attack order. All other planes of the unit made normal naval attacks and returned to base,

It was on low level attack, so maybe there is built in an off chance that late in the game
Pilots may chose to crash themselves on the enemy without being actual kamikaze. I have nothing to support that theory but this one instance.

[BBfanboy]

Pilots of doomed planes crashing into ships may not be kamikazes, but the Ohka is definitely a kamikaze weapon. The Betty unit should not have been able to load it unless the Kamikazes were triggered.

[Skygge]

Ohka is definitely a kamikaze weapon

I tend to agree, but game seems to consider this a bomb .. a guided bomb.

I never thought they were worth anything, which I believe is true if there is any CAP up, but with no CAP they seem quite lethal.


And you cannot choose to load the Betty with it. This variant of the Betty only flies with this ordnance
.