As Allied player why do I care if Japanese take Midway and/or Hawaii?

[incbob]

So here is the question.
As the Allied player, in at least 1941 or 1942 scenario since they are what I looked at, why do I care if the Japanese take Midway and/or Hawaii?


Midway
IRL the Battle of Midway was fought because it could be used as a forward base by either the Americans or the Japanese. The Japanese felt, as such, it would be important enough that the US would want to come out and fight for it.

In the game however, I do not see it be worth much of anything.
== It is not a VP hex.
== With a size 1 port (20 supply) it cannot be a naval port. If it has a land unit it does not have enough supply to have an air unit and if it has an air group only then it can be easily invaded and overrun.
== Even IF it could house an airgroup the US does not get transports till March-April. By that time, with Australia and the South Pacific Islands (which are VP hexes) needing protection Midway takes a far back seat.

Hawaii
IRL this was THE supply point.

In game:
== It is not a VP Hex.
== Beside the West Coast the Allies have Sydney and Fiji to repair ships.
== Whether ships leave the West Coast or Hawaii they end up in Australia on the same turn.
== The only advantages Hawaii has is:
------ Ships from the West Coast cannot reach the Marshall or Gilbert Islands in one turn.
------ Ships from the West Coast or Australia can reach the Solomans, but do so without any operation points.

So, the question remains why, as the Allies, do I care if Hawaii falls? The only effect I see it has is....
1) It makes my reaction time to attacks in the Solomon's slower.
2) Gives the Japanese a repair port much further east, which is only useful in that they do not have to use oilers to attack the west coast.

[ago1000]

So how should the game handle those locations?

[incbob]

I have ideas.

Right now, I just want to know if there is a game reason for my to care about these locations.


The easiest change, without changing game rules is to set them as VP hexes.

[YueJin]

Make Honolulu a VP location and add another one at Okinawa to compensate I guess. More VP locations in general would be good for the game in my opinion.

[Stelteck]

ORIGINAL: incbob

Right now, I just want to know if there is a game reason for my to care about these locations.

To be able to brag about it !! It is important we all play for fame and glory !!! [8D]

[kennonlightfoot]

I haven't found a reason yet for taking the minor Islands (that aren't VP hexes or have 5+ Port capacity). Convoy routes aren't near most of them so you can't hit any Merchants. Air based out of them don't block supply or have any chance of a Naval strike. I think they have some effect on recon and intel but I am not sure how much.

If they are next to one of your major bases it may be worth while just so enemy can't use them to spy on your base or support attacks on it.

[eskuche]

Non-coastal hexes exude AFAICT high recon two hexes away, medium 4 hexes, and low 5-7 hexes away. Not sure how adjacent ones stack. You should definitely take the ones near Rabaul and Singapore and Borneo.

Small islands east of NZ allow convoy attack and force precious Allied landing craft. That’s before the blockade-embark supposed fix though.

[ncc1701e]

Do you think the United States would have lost the war because Midway would have been invaded?

Hawaii on the contrary would have been a major blow.

[stjeand]

Midway? No...Would not have slowed them down I suspect...

They would have wanted it back though.


As for islands...I take them so that the Allies don't have eyes everywhere.

If you leave them they see that the IJN is docked in Rabaul and I was always told there were 6 CVs there...well that is GOOD to know.

[eskuche]

Until the Japanese sidegrade their aircraft carriers into air carriers made of balloons…

[ncc1701e]

ORIGINAL: stjeand

Midway? No...Would not have slowed them down I suspect...

They would have wanted it back though.

Well, Wake Island was occupied from 1941 to 1945...

[AlvaroSousa]

I should add them as requirements for Supplying PH