The Good The Bad & The Indifferent

[Bullwinkle58]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

By that test, a Japanese raid on San Diego on December 7 would be an unfair tactic. But nobody does something that unsporting.

I'm not saying it was unsporting, but it happened to me. She sank at the pier before I could put up CAP on my first turn.

[Canoerebel]

Unless there were mitigating circumstances, a kangaroo court should have convened and taken your opponent to task for such a breach of gaming etiquette.

[paullus99]

With plenty of input from the Peanut Gallery too.....

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Unless there were mitigating circumstances, a kangaroo court should have convened and taken your opponent to task for such a breach of gaming etiquette.

We need some way to deliver a cyber-spanking to the guilty - like locking up their computer for two days except for being able to play "Frogger".

[Canoerebel]

I'm not sure exactly why, but I think Geoff Lambert might be the person to mete out punishment on behalf of the kangaroo court. I have a feeling his punishments would be weird, novel, and somehow perfectly fitted to the offense.

Edited to correct spelling of "mete" so that I don't trigger a kangaroo court visitation in the deep of the night....

[Bullwinkle58]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Unless there were mitigating circumstances, a kangaroo court should have convened and taken your opponent to task for such a breach of gaming etiquette.

We discussed it at the time, and after I surrendered to auto-vic. Many lessons learned. So far as I know he disappeared from the English-speaking forum after that, or at least changed his screen name.

So it goes.

[Bullwinkle58]

Also, not for nothing, but in this AAR and in John's--which I read--the level of "advice" is reaching a crescendo. I'm guilty of some; so are many others. This has been a strange game and right now there's a strange endgame. But you guys should be able to just push on and finish. I know you know what you plan to do. For both, I myself will try to just watch and say less. Plenty of time for true after-action discussion when the surrender is in the books. I've felt a couple of times in both there has been a fist-clenching restraint to tell "helpers" to just belt up and let you play.

[AcePylut]

December 6th, 1941, Kimmel, in real life:

"Could the Japanese send 6 carriers and attack Pearl Harbor? Yes. Would they? No."

[:D]

[Canoerebel]

Thanks, Moose.

It is an odd game.

May I also say that this is one game where the plan survived contact with the enemy? More than a year ago, while the Allies were embroiled in the DEI invasion, Moose asked me via private message where I was ultimately bound. I answered, "Foochow!" I told him my thoughts, which centered on Luzon and Coastal China. By then - by September 1943 - I already had the troops prepping for both locations.

Formosa was a later development - an opportunity created both by the absence of KB and by the availability of troops and ships but not enough supply to allow a full scale invasion of China. So Formosa became a campaign squeezed in between Luzon/Foochow early and Coastal China later.

My plans weren't set in stone. Other options became available and were considered. Modifications were developed and implemented. But at the heart of all things, what's happening now is the development of plans conceived in the summer of 1943.

Somebody told me once that there was a perception that the Allied advance had been "deliberate" - and that might be a nicer way of saying "plodding." I understand that perspective. The Allies had mobility thanks to carrier superiority. I could have pressed harder, farther, faster. Some players would have. Some players would have done far more with the same set up.

On the other hand, I think I did a reasonable job of recognizing how supply might impact the pace of Allied operations. I reigned things in enough to ensure that my position and my combat units were not unduly jeopardized.

Even still, the Allies moved forward in big and bold steps, from my perspective. It amazes me still that 1.5 years after Sumatra, I have locked up Luzon and Formosa and I'm on the verge of a major campaign victory in Coastal China.

The game seems odd to me in that John pulled so many assets far away from the heart of the action. I know why he did so from a gaming/victory point angle. And I recognize that it dampened the Allied ability to bring in supply a bit. But it's a weird war when Allied carriers park three hexes from Nagasaki and raid day after day after day without real opposition....while KB is off on raids against Oz shipping or providing LRCAP to units in Chumphon, Thailand.

So this has been a weird game, but then I suspect every game that goes this deep will have veered pretty far from reality in many aspects. That's part of the charm and the fun of playing. It's a complicated and challenging game that intrigues with all the possibilities.

[Canoerebel]

12/30/44

Fancy Pants: The Allies prevail in an attack in the hex NW of Shanghai. Very soon now, the dominoes are going to begin falling. The Japanese position in Coastal China is deteriorating rapidly.

It looks like the situation in the South China Sea has changed. No more enemy TFs inbound to Hong Kong and Canton. So what's there now may be the opposition for that particular front. It will take awhile to reduce those two bases since they won't get air assets in meaningful numbers until after Shanghai falls.

What's up with my carrier Avengers? Why aren't they flying missions? (Rhetorical question.)

[RangerJoe]

Hong Kong is an island. When the Japanese attack it from mainland China, they have a river crossing shock attack so units from Hong Kong crossing to Mainland China would also have a river crossing. So the unit could have come from Canton or Hong Kong.

[Bullwinkle58]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

What's up with my carrier Avengers? Why aren't they flying missions? (Rhetorical question.)

The biggest reason air units refuse is the Air Superiority module results. It's the third (I think) module processing line in the combat replay every day. My guess is the LBA bases in the HI there are so tight that the superiority number is huge and non-LBA bombers do a sick out, even if you have navy fighters detailed. I've never seen USN assets used to strat bomb the HI like this, so I can't say more than that hypo.

[Canoerebel]

ORIGINAL: RangerJoe

Hong Kong is an island. When the Japanese attack it from mainland China, they have a river crossing shock attack so units from Hong Kong crossing to Mainland China would also have a river crossing. So the unit could have come from Canton or Hong Kong.

Thanks, Ranger.

I don't think there were any divisions at Canton, so I'm pretty sure this came from Hong Kong. I need to beat the critter up bad before it skedaddles back to safety.

[RangerJoe]

You are welcome.

Beat it up, make it cry for its mommy!

Joe

The biggest reason air units refuse is the Air Superiority module results. It's the third (I think) module processing line in the combat replay every day. My guess is the LBA bases in the HI there are so tight that the superiority number is huge and non-LBA bombers do a sick out, even if you have navy fighters detailed. I've never seen USN assets used to strat bomb the HI like this, so I can't say more than that hypo.

Would flying the Avengers at night then be successful?

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

ORIGINAL: RangerJoe

Hong Kong is an island. When the Japanese attack it from mainland China, they have a river crossing shock attack so units from Hong Kong crossing to Mainland China would also have a river crossing. So the unit could have come from Canton or Hong Kong.

Thanks, Ranger.

I don't think there were any divisions at Canton, so I'm pretty sure this came from Hong Kong. I need to beat the critter up bad before it skedaddles back to safety.

The F6 key shows a white hex side, meaning it is crossable by both land and sea. It would be purple if it was a ford.
No shock attack from HK IMO.

[Canoerebel]

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58
The biggest reason air units refuse is the Air Superiority module results. It's the third (I think) module processing line in the combat replay every day. My guess is the LBA bases in the HI there are so tight that the superiority number is huge and non-LBA bombers do a sick out, even if you have navy fighters detailed. I've never seen USN assets used to strat bomb the HI like this, so I can't say more than that hypo.

Well there's a sensible and plausible explanation. That hadn't occurred to me, especially given the Avengers had flown those missions a week back.

Thanks for keeping me from pulling my hair out in perplexity.

[Bullwinkle58]

The Air Superiority results can be used as an intel stand-in to an extent. It "knows" things you can't see. If you have units refuse to fly it can be an analog that he has moved in fighters.

[Canoerebel]

12/30/44j

Seeking Victory: As the year comes to a close, this diagram shows where I'm looking to harvest victory points: Strategic Bombing, IJA troops in China; points for certain cities; and hopefully Japanese shipping.

I've always expected to one day have reason to head south to Malaya. An army is prepped to invade down the Peninsula. But I sometimes wonder if the right circumstances will ever exist.

Because, as I look at China, I see the wide opens plains north of Shanghai and Nanking. When Shanghai falls - possibly within a fortnight - the Allies can move north. The air force should manhandle any enemy units in the open. The way might be open to march on Manchuria.

I am pretty sure the opportunity will exist to invade and take Hainan Island in January or February.

And I'm looking at the build up of Japanese forces in the Solomons and the DEI. Is John considering a radical strategy of points harvesting by taking vulnerable rear Allied bases or by other means (I won't go into some of my thoughts in this regard)?

I've been repositioning some ground units for security purposes, but this is taking time. I've also been taking steps to ensure there is a good reactionary air force available, especially for incursions in SoPac or SWPac.

[Canoerebel]

John is away on vacation for a few days. I think the war will resume Monday or Tuesday.

In the meantime, I'm looking under the hood at these kinds of things:

1. Pilot and commander quality, beginning first with the carrier fighter squadrons (Superforts, Liberatores, Avengers and LBA fighters need be included in too).
2. Looking at ground troops distribution outside of China. Prep is good for places like Singapore, Korea, Hokkaido, Balikpapan, and Palembang. Which of those will I realistically target? Where do I need to have rear-guards in case of clever enemy mischief like a belated major invasion of....say, Fiji?
3. Logistics. The supply situation in China/Formosa/Luzon looks excellent. I think I was right that supply was good through about February. But I'm now (and have always) been working on getting supply to Oz, safely out of reach of John's raiders. Oz has a healthy level now. So, when the time comes, the fleet of empties safely secured at Boela will report to Normanton to begin loading to carry it to the DEI and then onward. But not now. For the next two to six weeks, Allied shipping will remain dormant, allowing John to grow weary of having subs and raiders positioned in such unfruitful areas.

[JohnDillworth]

BTW, whats the fascination with Hainan Island? Are there a lot of points there? Seems a meaningless backwater hundreds of miles behind the lines and devoid of any action. Must be better pickings out there somewhere