The First Team: Take Two!

[Q-Ball]

This game is CLOSED, and I'll write a quick obit, as the Allies gave us their password, allowing us to check things out.

Steve and Paul played a good game, and admitted that they felt they had a big hole to dig out of to get back into this one. I can't disagree with that. I will summarize where I think it sat at the end:

COLD BAY: This was certainly developing into an Allied disaster. The troops on Cold Bay had good supplies, and would not have crumbled easily, but there wasn't a solid way for them to be reinforced or resupplied. Once winter hit, I think they would have deterioriated quickly. This was shaping up to be a major capture for us.

PHILLIPINES: These troops were also on the ropes; Bataan was about to fall, and Manila was at Zero supplies. I think this would have netted us more VPs.

BOMBAY: I was surprised there were so many supplies here: Over 360,000!!!!! So much for starving it out. That despite no supply convoys for 3 months, and lots of bombing. Yikes!

Given that, not sure if Bombay would have fallen, I bet against it. That, plus Steve was on the verge of getting Spitfires to Karachi, which would have been a problem, as that would allow 4Es to become active in India. Overall, we probably had reached our zenith there.

ELSEWHERE: The end of the game in 10/5/42 found us in control of:
Aleutian Islands, up to and including Cold Bay
Wake, Marshalls, Line Islands, Canton, Walls Is, Fiji, New Zealand, New Hebrides, Solomons and NG, Northern Australia except for Darwin, all of India except Karachi and Bombay.
They were planning a move to New Zealand, but that would be delayed until CV support. Taking New Zealand was really a problem for them, as it cut off Australia.

Our finishing VP was 4.33 to 1. It is difficult to sustain a 4 to 1 pace in VPs, I think we would have JUST made Auto-Victory based upon the capture of Manila (1200 pts), and all the troops in the PI, plus all the troops in Cold Bay.

Anyway, thanks for reading, and I'll be seeing everyone in AE!

[modrow]

Thanks for this AAR - it was fun to read. Now, I am looking forward to AE-AARs by these authors !

Hartwig

[Alikchi2]

That was a near-perfectly played game, guys. Well done. What are your plans for AE?

[Q-Ball]

Thanks, I just started an AAR in AE. I have ONE more PBEM in WITP left, it's at April 1945 as Japan....my turns take about 5 minutes when the Empire gets that small!

[vettim89]

As a Card Carrying AFB, I must admit I was watching this AAR with relish. You played a fine game my friends. A mighty HUZZAH!! I consider this game as what is likely the final great game/AAR WiTP will have to offer. By that I mean by the start date of the game. Obviously there are still some great games ongoing. Its kinda like taking your old reliable car out for a final spin before you head to the dealer to trade it in.

[Q-Ball]

Thanks vettim! After playing just a little AE, I think this will also be the last time anyone takes New Zealand AND most of India in the same game. Just won't happen. Both are much tougher targets now.

[Canoerebel]

Kudos to John III and Q-Ball for coming up with a master strategy to try for a Japanese auto-victory, and kudos to them and NYGiants for implementing and changing the plan to meet new opportunities and problems, and reaching the point where auto-victory was likely (in my opinion). They did a great job of applying maximum pressure and never taking a hard enough lick anywhere to throw them off balance. Mix a person as aggressive as John with detail oriented and proficient in the game as Q-Ball and NYGiants and you have an awfully tough three-headed Cerberus. Good job guys!

It does look like the "Japs-Run-Amock" mayhem of WitP will be reigned in considerably by AE. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? I'm going to miss the taught feeling that all of the map with the exception of the continental US was in serious danger if the Japs wanted a place badly enough.