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It pains me to play like a Yankee, but it occurs to me that dogged refusal to quit and reliance on mass is a good way to approach the game. So, Grant it is. Perhaps a little Sherman thrown in for bad measure (dude literally burned my family digs in S. Carolina, so that one hurts even more [:D]).

You are right about the feint. Grabbing an island here or there won't move the needle with Nemo. It has to be real in order to look real enough.

I will ponder his theme. On some level I think it is "Q-Ball wasn't beaten and the Japanese position is ok and I will prove it." However, there's more to it than that as his themes tend to be more operational/strategic in nature. I also think he is intrigued generally by the middle of the game. He has played the end game a lot via Downfall scenarios, and mentioned to me he often played the early game but never got to the middle years.

Cribtop,

ORIGINAL: Cribtop

It pains me to play like a Yankee

I was hesitant for a very short while whether I should dilute this thread by posting this, but in view of the bantering between Canoerebel and you my hesitation melted away.

I spent a part of my life that I still consider to belong to the best parts of it in Baton Rouge. At the institute of LSU that employed me, once a week there was a soccer afternoon where basically the entire scientific staff members formed two teams playing against each other. When Gesa, a visiting female scientist from Germany insisted in participating, you could identify a difference between playing like a Yankee and like a Southern Gentleman:

First, Gesa was pushing towards the goal with a defender born and raised in New Orleans. The defensive action essentially consisted in the defender prancing along next to her, smiling and congratulating her after she had scored.

Later, she was pushing toward the goal, but the other team had switched the defensive positions, so a guy from Chicago opposed her. Much more successful - his sliding tackle worked [;)].

Thus I know what you are talking about [;)]

Hartwig

The problem with going for Sumatra now is not that he knows you're going there, but that he knows you could go there and several other places given the initiative the Allies have at this point in the game. His first goal will be the organization of a stout defense in ALL regions and the mobility to change direction dependent on where you go. But he certainly won't leave Sumatra as he found it. He also will realize that you either go there now or you wait for a few months and go eslewhere. By waiting you bring more tools to the table and it won't matter much if he knows you're coming or not.

I also believe that to attack is much harder than to defend, and you have to have a feel for your opponent, your forces and the logistics that only comes through being IN the game for a while. You won't have this right away most likely when you pick this game up. I would suggest having multiple contingencies depending on what you find when the truce is over, and just go from there.

Exactly. Really a question of strategic priorities. I might be more interested in Gesa than in stopping her from scoring, you see. [:D]

Zuluhour, I agree that Alfred has dropped some serious wisdom on us and his post really got me thinking. I am strongly considering following his advice. If I pursued that plan, it would probably involve a variety of small feints that would be intended to appear as just that. Then go in hard on some other target, probably the Gilberts as CR has troops prepped for those locations. We are talking a prolonged effort that clearly doesn't look minor. THEN, maybe around July '43 when the Essexes (Essexi?) really start flowing, we hit Sumatra out of the blue.

Thoughts?

ORIGINAL: Cribtop

Dan,

Nemo is the master of PsOps. I figure a title like this will make him think I feel beaten right out of the gate. The opposite, however, is the case!

That said, I may change the title as you suggest after a few days. That may send a confused message to Nemo.

PS - You did indeed leave me in good shape in this game, so if I do take a beating it's pretty much on me.

PPS - I played wide receiver, so perhaps it will be something about Cribtop catches a perfect fade route in the corner of the end zone. [:D]

Perhaps I should step in and provide a comprehensive review of his psyche, provide a profile, apparent strengths and weaknesses as he does for every opponent that I play.

I will simply say this. The man is ARROGANT and condescending. Use this to beat him.

Have fun and breakout a good piece of Hickory.

Geez, all this psychological gab really plays into the hands of the Puppet Master. I wouldn't even read the man's e-mails if I was concerned about oogalalalal loops, evil eyes and psycops. I probably wouldn't read his e-mails anyway as he writes rather "windy" missives. If not a lawyer, he certainly has many in his genetic tree:).

But seriously, this should be a really interesting and very fun game between two admirals that know their stuff. Also, the situation when OddBall jumped ship and swam to the coast at Odessa (the one in the Ukraine, not in Texas) was very interesting. Having never followed a senario 2 game, it was also very revealing. I am really pleased this challenge worked out. Have a great time playing the game, Crib. Kick those LYBs silly.

I'm going to trip Romeo the Ruiner next time I see him.

The man is ARROGANT and condescending. Use this to beat him.

I would say an arrogant person would state "you have no chance". Nemo is simply very confident is what he does not know. I have enagaged in many interesting PM conversations. Always knowledgable and confident in presenting his thougths. Although a razors edge in closeness, it is much different. Certainly I think Nemo thinks this is an interesting match-up and I have yet to see a posting where as Nemo has stated that Cribtop has no chance. he simply thinks that 8-Ball gave up too soon and the situation is salvagable ...and states it quite confidently ..

Ok back to the war ..

Cribtop, two more things to consider:
- If I had to bet any money on Nemo's 'theme', I'd look to his recent postings on Deep Battle. I'd bet (a small amount of) money that he's looking to show how to do it as Japan.
- Regarding OODA loops: IIRC, he once posted that he flips turns pretty quickly. Don't get suckered into being fast for the sake of being fast. Take your time and be prepared to pause (for 'N' days, if necessary), if you think you're missing something. Fight the game at your pace.

Too bad Crackaces we are judged by how we treat all people not just some we come in contact with --- I'll probably regret sharing this but ....

I did some art for his mod and had a lull for studying the japanese side and personal issues. During the lull Don Bowen on the open forum asked for a volunteer for some planes he requested, I fixed Don up and it got me feeling creative again being I was stumped for a piece of art Nemo asked for . I had trouble making a Japanese version of an Amerika Bomber stripping it down and painting it to IJAAF and IJN colors, it took me about 2 weeks of work totaling about 5 to 6 hours but finally had a version I really liked. When I tried to contact Nemo via PM on this site to give him a preview and tell him what I was up to I found out I was green buttoned. Confused I sent him an email asking "why am I green buttoned did I do something to you?" In his response he told me something to the effect that all people connected to the John 3rds mod was green buttoned and he got me by accident. He requested any further contact be only through email, a request I found strange. He also mentioned something like we're colored by the people we associate with, which led me to believe if it was an accident why did he tell me that?

I thought it was petty and didn't really believe the story about the green button but figured I'd give him the benefit of the doubt and continue on with artwork. I sent him the version and heard nothing back which didn't make me happy of course because I knew how much effort I put into the plane. I sat on it a few days thinking the last two pieces of art I did (one email) there was no response either , I waited four or five days before breaking ties. I should have told him how I felt about the treatment but didn't feel like having conflict at the time so told him I'm ready to play a game (which I am) "maybe next summer we'll continue" (which I won't) and didn't recieve a response to that either .... Oh well...

I know there are many that give him a free pass in this community because he plays the game very well and offers tips and such and that's okay but I try to surround myself with people that treat others decently. Nemo is my only green button on this forum.

I did not know about that SuluSea. Makes a lot of sense though. Totally concur. His obsession over FatR as well as horrendous treatment of several other members of this Forum has lead to direct conflict with the Moderators. I never sided in that dispute though I had several conversations with my fellow Mod Designer. It is Nemo's continuing actions that color my view of him. SuluSea, who does FANTASTIC work, just serves to further add to my judgement. This is not meant to hijack the thread so I apologize to Cribtop for even commenting. Nemo is a solid and good player but has gone out of his way to hurt, drive out, and put down many a fine player on this Forum.

I totally concur with the above comment regarding Nemo's obsession with the Deep Battle concept. He adores the Soviet Model. You can use that to fight him as well. As said earlier Mr. Cribtop: fight your battle, keep up the 'skeer,' and don't allow him to get his feet underneath him. Dan was doing marvelous work in this scenario and you are in excellent shape.

Can you refresh the reader's on the state of sunk major ships in the game?

I agree that Deep Battle likely plays into Nemo's theme. That and several offline conversations with Nemo where I tried to puzzle a way out of Japan's basic strategic dilemma of taking on a power with more than 50% of worldwide manufacturing capability when you have roughly 4% of same.

I will post screenies of losses tonight, but the short answer is that Canoe left me an intact carrier force and VERY minimal losses to the surface and merchant fleets. IJN losses are also small, IIRC.

I am sad to hear of the difficulties between Nemo, Sulu and John 3rd. Both of you guys have helped me out immensely in my game with Cuttlefish, and I respect you both.

Concerning Nemo, I will concede he is a contrarian, which often stirs conflicting emotions in people. I do appreciate his skills and hope to learn a lot. I see no better way of becoming a better player and strategic thinker than to take him on. I will also say that in his dealings with me he has been good.

In fact, to delve into the mind of the PsyOps king himself, I would argue that he really is a contrarian and this is key to his worldview. Note his assertions that the Soviets had the better doctrine and better chance to win the long-postulated invasion of West Germany. He backs his case well, but it is a contrarian position on a board populated mostly by Westerners with a good leavening of former NATO military personnel. I will ponder how to incorporate this into the game.

Good luck Cribtop.  Remember Nemo is flesh and blood just like you.  He will make mistakes, he will get upset, and all that.  If he likes to flip turns quick don't do it slow the tempo down.  Just like running a no huddle offense.  Play your game.  You don't need me to tell you how to play so I will go find CR's AAR and catch up on this game.
 
Good Luck

Thanks, DOCUP. Fortunately one of the pre-conditions of this match is that, since I'm already playing Cuttlefish and have a 5 month old, my time is limited. I'm aiming to run 2 turns per week and plan to stick to that. That said, it was surprising how quickly things went issuing orders when you don't have to worry about the economy.

Hi Cribtop,

Just one observation which you probably have made already.

Nemo loves to talk about the importance of reserves and their commitment, and I believe that deep down, they are the core of his vision of warfare (we all have a specific "way" of looking at things). Spot the reserves, where they are going, and you will have an edge.

Now, he (QBall in fact) just lost seven divisions in India, and the previous game had a "PP for borders" rule, which means those seven divisions represent at least half of his forces (exclucing China). QBall's perimeter was not specially small either, so, no matter how you look at it, he's spread thin in the Pacific, and he cannot build a decent operational reserve with his troops in the Pacific anytime soon.

In my opinion, his reserve will come from the Continent, China and Manchuria.

Do you have a PP for border rule? And does he hold the Changsha railroad (which allow to move units south)? And do you have an idea of QBall's stock of PP? If he can't move his troops easily, chances are he'll go for China and Russia, or try to gain time so that he can free them...

As for PsyOps, there's a cute Zen story, not precisely explicit (or it would not be a Zen story) but enlightening (because it is a Zen story)

Two students were arguing, a master came by and asked what they fought about.
- We're discussing the flag, over there, I'm saying the flag is moving, he's saying it isn't, the wind is moving
The master laughed
- fools! only the mind is moving.

Keep your mind immobile, "mindset" as they say, and the PsyOps won't work. It takes two hands to clap.

Francois

Good points. We do have a PP for borders rule, and Q did get a lot of divisions wrecked in India. My suspicion is that China is likely, hadn't really thought about Russia but it would certainly be the kind of "big move" Nemo is fond of. Next in order of probability is Oz, but that seems low on the totem pole for various reasons. There is a small chance he will re-invade India to "do it right," but that seems a longshot given losses incurred and the large Allied force in India at present.

Look at Pearl Harbor, too. Traditionally, I don't heavily garrison Pearl, and I think Nemo knows that. That's the kind of misdirection play he'd love to launch when you launch your major invasion of some distant locale.

I don't think India or southern Oz are likely. Besides, southern Oz has so many Americna troops that he'd get clobbered. New Zealnd or Pago Pago are remote possibilities, but strategically they don't offer him anything worthwile.

So, if Nemo wants to attack in a big way, China, Russia, and Pearl Harbor would seem to be his best options.

Cribtop -

Am delighted that you and Nemo (two very experienced players!) have taken up the challenge and are continuing this very exciting game. I will follow with interest, and expect to see the fur fly with a good measure of cunning deviousness to be employed by both sides, Sir!

Edit: Canoerebel, I would like to emphasize that you have, with the untimely end of your Q-Ball game, acted and spoken as the Southern Gentleman that I know you to be. Nothing shows a Man's character more clearly than his behavior and grace under adverse conditions. I am sure that Q-Ball meant no personal offense; we have all behaved out of character at various times in our lives. It was Colin Powell (IIRC) who had the quote "Nothing impresses men more than restraint" hanging on the wall of his office. My respect to you for measuring up.

Mac

Dan,

Pearl would be tough. You left me level 9 forts and a decent garrison. He could try for the outlying islands and go for a siege, but I'd almost welcome the chance to engage the IJN in space like that. Not to say he won't do it, but I feel good if he does.

China and/or Russia do seem the most likely options.

Mac,

Welcome aboard, sir! I am looking forward to striking a blow for freedom with all those cool Allied toys.

ORIGINAL: Cribtop

I am looking forward to striking a blow for freedom with all those cool Allied toys.

oh it gets better and better... - I have just reached January '44 for the first time in a PBEM - all of Hokkaido is mine - Tokyo, Osaka, Kobe, Yokohama and a few other cities see fire-bomb raids every night and 10 CVs and 6 CVLs are just cruising around between the Marianas and Formosa sinking ships as they move around, while I gather troops for the invasion of Japan proper! - IT IS SO MUCH FUN WITH ALL THOSE TROOPS; SHIPS and PLANES!!!! - and the thought that I have just started another game as Japanese simply scares the **** out of me [:D]

Mac, thou art the gentleman. Gentleman Mac Linehan should be your name.

Thank you for the nice words. Q-Ball is a good guy. He's a Yankee, though, and that entails a certain level of peculiarity that all Yankees must overcome. [:D]

Cribtop, I'm glad I left Pearl in decent condition!.

Edited to make the King James English work better. Since Yankees are going to read this, I wanted it to flow smoothly and will all the eloquence for which we southerners are known. Got that, y'all?