Revenge of the Enterprise

[RADM.Yamaguchi]

ORIGINAL: DanielAClark

Aw man...

Sad to see this end so soon.

I have some annoyed thoughts about your opponent giving up so soon. He might have learned some things by continuing the fight...

Congratulations Desert Wolf on a well played game.

i agree with you Daniel, it's hard to keep a good game going when the japanese side loses a lot early.

I am in a similar situation in my #2 PBEM game. My opponent must be an excellent chess player. He has anticipated my moves at almost every turn and i've lost all my CVLs, CVEs and 1 of my CVs while 2 others are in shipyards. And 2 CAs and CS with several more in shipyards. All while i've sunk very few allied ships. He's also damaged Magwe and Palembang despite my attempts to protect them. At least i own a lot of territory.

i walked away from the game for more than a week trying to muster the strength to continue. Finally i figured that the only way i'm gonna get any better at this game is to just tough it out. At times it really is no fun.

[DesertWolf101]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

ORIGINAL: DesertWolf101

ORIGINAL: Capt. Harlock



Did you tell him that you had managed to flow major amounts of supply into China? I think more than anything else, his loss is due to the failure to move on Rangoon.

I completely agree - my opponent's lack of attention to Burma was crippling in so many ways. Supplies into China, using Rangoon to destroy the MKB, using Rangoon to air supply Singapore are the most important facets of this.

I did not tell him directly but I think he will now see that from the AAR [:)]

I don't think it was that at all. You can easily ignore Burma till April without a problem...only taking it earlier if Allies Sir Robyn away.

In a scenario 1 game, Japan is always on a knife's edge. They have to destroy large numbers of Allied troops quickly to keep momentum going -- which generally means a focus.

Japan didn't focus, and they never destroyed Allied troops instead they lost theirs. In addition, they used a lot of very doubtful shock attacks, frittering their troops away. And finally, they never really established air superiority.

It would be interesting to look at the save game, I suspect Japan failed their personal morale check when the artillery train was destroyed in China.

A solid victory, congratulations.

Thank you Lowpe, appreciate it!

On the Burma issue, let me put it this way. Both my success in China and the holdout of Singapore would have been impossible if I didn't hold Burma, and the setbacks suffered by my opponent in both theaters were critical to his loss.

The reality is that my opponent made critical mistakes on both the strategic and operational level. But his strategic mistake of not neutralizing Burma created the opening for my operational victories. It doesn't matter much how well I use my air forces or armies if I don't have the supplies to fly and fight. The way I see it, my opponent first and foremost lost the logistics war, and then the rest.

[DesertWolf101]

ORIGINAL: RADM.Yamaguchi

ORIGINAL: DanielAClark

Aw man...

Sad to see this end so soon.

I have some annoyed thoughts about your opponent giving up so soon. He might have learned some things by continuing the fight...

Congratulations Desert Wolf on a well played game.

i agree with you Daniel, it's hard to keep a good game going when the japanese side loses a lot early.

I am in a similar situation in my #2 PBEM game. My opponent must be an excellent chess player. He has anticipated my moves at almost every turn and i've lost all my CVLs, CVEs and 1 of my CVs while 2 others are in shipyards. And 2 CAs and CS with several more in shipyards. All while i've sunk very few allied ships. He's also damaged Magwe and Palembang despite my attempts to protect them. At least i own a lot of territory.

i walked away from the game for more than a week trying to muster the strength to continue. Finally i figured that the only way i'm gonna get any better at this game is to just tough it out. At times it really is no fun.

Thanks mate.

This game can take up so much of our time it really requires considerable fortitude to persevere in the face of massive losses. Hard to fight on the crushing defensive for years when the urge is there to start afresh and do better. I totally am with you though that the best way to learn really anything is during the hard times.

[Bif1961]

Every game is a learning experience, some bad, some good. If you apply the lessons then you have learned if not they are just lessons observed but not applied. I agree the game takes time to play and we can be easily frustrated when things occur and we don't understand why. Sometimes it is because we failed to do something or our opponent didn't fail. Other times the game has quirks and we don't allow for Fog of War and Fog of WAITP-AE.Most often it is a basic rule we didn't heed or notice before.

[Ian R]

The concession by your opponent is the sort of thing that put me off playing strategic WW2 games PBEM (which I used to do 20 some years ago).

There are too many axis players who bail out early when their master plan is checked.

[DesertWolf101]

ORIGINAL: Ian R

The concession by your opponent is the sort of thing that put me off playing strategic WW2 games PBEM (which I used to do 20 some years ago).

There are too many axis players who bail out early when their master plan is checked.

I understand the frustration. There are many players that take on the Japanese side that fight on to the end however. Reflecting on some of the AARs I read, Obvert lost three carriers and still continued to the end, and Lowpe accidentally activated the Soviets and still fought on. I myself am determined to fight on in my current campaign as Japan even if I were to be trashed early on.

[Ian R]

I salute that. But, in years of playing WiE/ Dos Pacwar, I had one game that went to late 1944, and the borders of Germany. The rest of the Axis fanboys bailed out in about early 43. It is too much of a time commitment to just provide opposition for these people while they test out their latest master plan, and then jump ship when you block them.

I think, perhaps, these Axis fan boys are laughing at us. As in, we start a game, if the master plan doesn't work out, well just bail out and find another victim.

I know there are some good axis opponents here who will tough it out. Few and far between.

[RangerJoe]

Then I would suggest letting people know about the people who quit early.

[BBfanboy]

I think the players' agreement should include a commitment to play at least until the end of 1943 or maybe end of June 1944 (when the Marianas were invaded IRL). But to me, even that is too early because the start of the strategic bombing campaign is an interesting period where both sides get to try out new hardware and new tactics. The IJ player can really sharpen his air defence skills doing this.

[Lowpe]

The game only gets interesting when Japan is royally screwed. Up to that point, it is mere foreplay.[;)]

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

The game only gets interesting when Japan is royally screwed. Up to that point, it is mere foreplay.[;)]

[:D]

Good analogy. I can think of a number of terms that describe military actions and also fit with your analogy. Is taking Tokyo the "home run" or maybe the "grand slam"?

[Ian R]

ORIGINAL: RangerJoe

Then I would suggest letting people know about the people who quit early.

I stopped in the late 1990s Ranger Joe.

Even so I read AARs like Desert Wolf's - his opponent pulled out in mid 42 when things fell over, blaming bad die rolls instead of his own poor play.

Goodnight Irene.

[Bif1961]

I lost 3 carriers in early Jan as the my current game as the Japanese. It is now almost April 43 and I have a slight carrier advantage as he lost one major carrier battle and came out even in a smaller one and had a few of his CVEs ambushed. If the Japanese seem to get behind early the Allied player might get a little loosie-goosie and punished and things even up again like they did in my game. I am ahead by 19,000+ VPs, after a dismal start of avoiding attacking PH and using the KB on Manila. I am sure I will get my brains beaten in sooner or later, like last turn his subs sank four of my ships, 1 BP, 1 large tanker, larger AO and AMC. Thats why i went after his subs in Manila sinking 12-15 of them, but they still have swarms of them. As the Japanese you can't beat the Allies for ever, unless they are having a very bad day, but you hope to contain and punish their counter-offensive when it comes.

[DesertWolf101]

ORIGINAL: Bif1961

I lost 3 carriers in early Jan as the my current game as the Japanese. It is now almost April 43 and I have a slight carrier advantage as he lost one major carrier battle and came out even in a smaller one and had a few of his CVEs ambushed. If the Japanese seem to get behind early the Allied player might get a little loosie-goosie and punished and things even up again like they did in my game. I am ahead by 19,000+ VPs, after a dismal start of avoiding attacking PH and using the KB on Manila. I am sure I will get my brains beaten in sooner or later, like last turn his subs sank four of my ships, 1 BP, 1 large tanker, larger AO and AMC. Thats why i went after his subs in Manila sinking 12-15 of them, but they still have swarms of them. As the Japanese you can't beat the Allies for ever, unless they are having a very bad day, but you hope to contain and punish their counter-offensive when it comes.

Good on you for coming back from the loss of three carriers in January. I would soldier on too in my position in the early phases of the conflict as Japan but I certainly dread that possibility.

[Bif1961]

I have good opponent and we turn out 2-3 turns a day and have played for more the 5 years, switching sides so we both get the joys and agonies.