Hairy Asian Experiences - GreyJoy (J) vs. Q-Ball (A)

[ny59giants]

Nic is already a lawyer, so he's part way there for his training as a politician. [;)]

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: obvert

[I agree it can give very silly results, but I can't believe an Allied player would allow an HR to restrict night bombing of Manpower anywhere and oil in the DEI. You should go into politics, Nic! [:D]

Agreed! The Italian people need another politician with flair to take over Berlusconi's "party man" role!

[BBfanboy]

GJ, those pictures on your phone may be saved in a slightly different JPEG format from the one used by PC software. I think you can convert them with a picture editing program. Open the pic in the program, then "Save As" in a different directory and with a new file name. It should save in PC format.

[GreyJoy]

Erik, i didn't have to push Brad or to convince him in order to accept this HR. We even didn't have an HR about night bombing when we started...simply we both found it "borked" and none of us use night bombing even if we never talked or agreed about it. Few months ago, when 1943 we almost over, we talked about it and we decide not to ruin our game.
When me and Rader did attempt to test the night bombing in our previous game, we easily found it was too easy to wreck Japan...and we were talking about a Japan who was very advanced technologically speaking...Even with jet NFs Rader wasn't able not only to stop, but even to slow down the masses of 4Es that destroyed chirurgically all his factories at night... and so we decided to stop it.
I think even for the allies it's more fun to try to wreck japanese economy against an opponent who has the ability to try to stop/slow him....

[obvert]

ORIGINAL: GreyJoy

Erik, i didn't have to push Brad or to convince him in order to accept this HR. We even didn't have an HR about night bombing when we started...simply we both found it "borked" and none of us use night bombing even if we never talked or agreed about it. Few months ago, when 1943 we almost over, we talked about it and we decide not to ruin our game.
When me and Rader did attempt to test the night bombing in our previous game, we easily found it was too easy to wreck Japan...and we were talking about a Japan who was very advanced technologically speaking...Even with jet NFs Rader wasn't able not only to stop, but even to slow down the masses of 4Es that destroyed chirurgically all his factories at night... and so we decided to stop it.
I think even for the allies it's more fun to try to wreck japanese economy against an opponent who has the ability to try to stop/slow him....

I get this but even playing Japan I think there has to be a concession to allow some kind of night bombing of Manpower at some point. Maybe not factories, as the precision stuff is whacked, for sure. Manpower destruction is more egalitarian, so a lot of stuff is wiped out but nothing the player can control. This randomness and the slowness of the destruction compared to direct oil/HI/factory means that for me this is a good compromise. We haven't formally HRed this in my game with Jocke, but he seems also judicious about his use of night-bombing. He tries to get manpower when he can. My recent rant about Miri was due to not having any manpower there to hit and him attacking the oil directly.

To not allow any really goes too far toward the Japanese side I think where we can build so many fighters the Allied pools get ridiculously whittled, and if the industrial stuff can only be hit in daylight, it's nearly impossible. Also the later B-29 models really can't protect themselves in the daylight, so that is a problem.

We each have to figure out what works for us, but Jocke and Torsten in my games have been great at considering and reconsidering situations to get the best experience throughout the game. I don't want to limit their side either so they're too bitter when my guys sink a CV or turn back an invasion.

Maybe a limit on number of bomber per attack to help things can work also.

[GreyJoy]

ORIGINAL: obvert

ORIGINAL: GreyJoy

Erik, i didn't have to push Brad or to convince him in order to accept this HR. We even didn't have an HR about night bombing when we started...simply we both found it "borked" and none of us use night bombing even if we never talked or agreed about it. Few months ago, when 1943 we almost over, we talked about it and we decide not to ruin our game.
When me and Rader did attempt to test the night bombing in our previous game, we easily found it was too easy to wreck Japan...and we were talking about a Japan who was very advanced technologically speaking...Even with jet NFs Rader wasn't able not only to stop, but even to slow down the masses of 4Es that destroyed chirurgically all his factories at night... and so we decided to stop it.
I think even for the allies it's more fun to try to wreck japanese economy against an opponent who has the ability to try to stop/slow him....

I get this but even playing Japan I think there has to be a concession to allow some kind of night bombing of Manpower at some point. Maybe not factories, as the precision stuff is whacked, for sure. Manpower destruction is more egalitarian, so a lot of stuff is wiped out but nothing the player can control. This randomness and the slowness of the destruction compared to direct oil/HI/factory means that for me this is a good compromise. We haven't formally HRed this in my game with Jocke, but he seems also judicious about his use of night-bombing. He tries to get manpower when he can. My recent rant about Miri was due to not having any manpower there to hit and him attacking the oil directly.

To not allow any really goes too far toward the Japanese side I think where we can build so many fighters the Allied pools get ridiculously whittled, and if the industrial stuff can only be hit in daylight, it's nearly impossible. Also the later B-29 models really can't protect themselves in the daylight, so that is a problem.

We each have to figure out what works for us, but Jocke and Torsten in my games have been great at considering and reconsidering situations to get the best experience throughout the game. I don't want to limit their side either so they're too bitter when my guys sink a CV or turn back an invasion.

Maybe a limit on number of bomber per attack to help things can work also.

I understand what u mean Erik and i agree with the fact that the allies do not have to be nerfed by too many HRs. At the same time i didn't have to ask for this. Nor Brad. We simply think the same about night bombing. We haven't performed a night bombing mission since dec 7 1941 and this game has just been fine, for both of us. In 1942 Japan, for example, could easily use those superhuman early navy pilots to bomb, with 800kg bombs, the allied fleet in ports at night but i never tried it because i felt it was not kosher...just as Brad never tried to wreck my AFs in Burma at night when he wasn't able to do so during the day.
For strat bombing it's more or less the same. Far too precise. Far too easy to take out a Whole city in a single night... as you have just starting to experience in your game with Joc.
However i'll raise again the problem with Brad and see if he's still ok with it or if he thinks this HR is, somehow, unbalancing the game

[GreyJoy]

The economy:

We are saving only 1600 HI points/day...not enough, i know. We have 2.3 millions in the bank...but it's not enough either.
The problem is that i really don't know what to stop.
Have already stopped all the xAK,xAP,TK, AO, SS and CV/CVE (but one) production. I'm just producing DDs and Es for the moment, but the yards keep on demanding a lot of HIs...
Engines and A/Cs cannot be stopped obviously. I need the bigger possible pools for the last year of war...
Vehicles and armaments points? No way...

Only 300k oil is left in the Empire... [:(]
fuel isn't a problem yet, but supplies are running low everywhere. My merchant fleet is running everywhere to deliver supplies...from Marcus/Wake, to Truk, from Chritsmas I.O. to Burma, and from the DEI to the CentPac...
Most of my first line garrisons are in "red"...

The KB is on the move again. We're moving to be able to intercept an enemy's move towards Sarmi or Taberfane... but i know his CVs are massing somewhere else in the shadows... i think he's ready to open another front and his CVs will be his weapon...and that's why he's keeping them hidden... i am trying to rely on my naval search ability in order to be informed of the problem in time to move in my reserves...and possibly the combined fleet.... finger crossed.

A "mini" fighting fleet is now re-assembling at Singapore. 5 CVEs, 2 BBs, 4 CAs, 4 CLs and 15 DDs, along with some fast "E" class ships. 250 LBA planes are backing up this fleet against a "coup the main" the allies may try against Sumatra.
Obviously, if needed, i can transfer to Singa more LBA reserves in a couple of days...and the KB can be there in 3/4 days from its Anchorage at Menado..

In the I.O. 5 gleen-equipped subs are operating along with 3 AVs with a total of 27 Norms (15 hexes of search range). Nells and Emilies are based at Bankoleng, Christams I.O. and Sebang.... cannot do more

[veji1]

ORIGINAL: GreyJoy

The economy:

We are saving only 1600 HI points/day...not enough, i know. We have 2.3 millions in the bank...but it's not enough either.
The problem is that i really don't know what to stop.
Have already stopped all the xAK,xAP,TK, AO, SS and CV/CVE (but one) production. I'm just producing DDs and Es for the moment, but the yards keep on demanding a lot of HIs...
Engines and A/Cs cannot be stopped obviously. I need the bigger possible pools for the last year of war...
Vehicles and armaments points? No way...

Only 300k oil is left in the Empire... [:(]
fuel isn't a problem yet, but supplies are running low everywhere. My merchant fleet is running everywhere to deliver supplies...from Marcus/Wake, to Truk, from Chritsmas I.O. to Burma, and from the DEI to the CentPac...
Most of my first line garrisons are in "red"...

The KB is on the move again. We're moving to be able to intercept an enemy's move towards Sarmi or Taberfane... but i know his CVs are massing somewhere else in the shadows... i think he's ready to open another front and his CVs will be his weapon...and that's why he's keeping them hidden... i am trying to rely on my naval search ability in order to be informed of the problem in time to move in my reserves...and possibly the combined fleet.... finger crossed.

A "mini" fighting fleet is now re-assembling at Singapore. 5 CVEs, 2 BBs, 4 CAs, 4 CLs and 15 DDs, along with some fast "E" class ships. 250 LBA planes are backing up this fleet against a "coup the main" the allies may try against Sumatra.
Obviously, if needed, i can transfer to Singa more LBA reserves in a couple of days...and the KB can be there in 3/4 days from its Anchorage at Menado..

In the I.O. 5 gleen-equipped subs are operating along with 3 AVs with a total of 27 Norms (15 hexes of search range). Nells and Emilies are based at Bankoleng, Christams I.O. and Sebang.... cannot do more

Thing is so far you have made the easy choices, ie in terms of cutting production, etc.. It may be time for harder choices, ie places that are too far and unstrategic to justify sending a fleet to supply it, etc... Time to think long and hard.

[JocMeister]

The problem with not allowing strategical night bombing of at least Manpower is that its impossible for the allies to sustain a daylight bombing campaign. The B29s are just as brittle as the rest of the 4Es and my RoT (one lost 4E for each airborne fighter) seems to hold true even for the mighty B29s. Admittedly I have not dared to try this more than one time when 18 Zeroes shot down 21 B29s.

So in my view and experience (although limited) by HRing against strategic night bombing you remove the Allies ability to conduct strategic bombing. Not something I would ever agree to as an allied player.

That being said specific targeting is way too accurate. But as Erik says hitting manpower seems a bit more fair as the damage seems less severe and more spread out.

[GreyJoy]

Untill Jan 17, 1944

So guys, Kaimana finally fell to the allied mighty power. On the 15th, after a series of 2-1 in their favour (thanks to the constant bombardment runs made by several TFs), the 1st Marine Corp pushed out the brave 56th Division who suffered 4500 casualities.
Kaimana wasn't strategically important. Not anymore at least. The allies already has Babo so they already bypassed Kaimana. The importance of Kaimana was that it has focused the allies for more than 2 months, spilling precious blood of the marine and australian soldiers.
Then, on the 17th, the allies landed with APA/AKAs and full BB support on the dot island north of Babar. Their intentions are clear: enlarge their bridgehead in the DEI... we tried to counter with ambushes (both by air and by navy) but the allies have hundreds of PT and DDs around, with several interconnecting bases with TBF and DBs... very hard to do something.
However, in the last month we managed to estabilish a decent second line from Bab to Menado... Davao is getting reinforcements and the Mariannas keep on growing.
The KB is still intact....
But something is moving in Burma... suddenly several hundreds of planes moved out of my sight in assam... where are they going????

[GreyJoy]

ORIGINAL: veji1

ORIGINAL: GreyJoy

The economy:

We are saving only 1600 HI points/day...not enough, i know. We have 2.3 millions in the bank...but it's not enough either.
The problem is that i really don't know what to stop.
Have already stopped all the xAK,xAP,TK, AO, SS and CV/CVE (but one) production. I'm just producing DDs and Es for the moment, but the yards keep on demanding a lot of HIs...
Engines and A/Cs cannot be stopped obviously. I need the bigger possible pools for the last year of war...
Vehicles and armaments points? No way...

Only 300k oil is left in the Empire... [:(]
fuel isn't a problem yet, but supplies are running low everywhere. My merchant fleet is running everywhere to deliver supplies...from Marcus/Wake, to Truk, from Chritsmas I.O. to Burma, and from the DEI to the CentPac...
Most of my first line garrisons are in "red"...

The KB is on the move again. We're moving to be able to intercept an enemy's move towards Sarmi or Taberfane... but i know his CVs are massing somewhere else in the shadows... i think he's ready to open another front and his CVs will be his weapon...and that's why he's keeping them hidden... i am trying to rely on my naval search ability in order to be informed of the problem in time to move in my reserves...and possibly the combined fleet.... finger crossed.

A "mini" fighting fleet is now re-assembling at Singapore. 5 CVEs, 2 BBs, 4 CAs, 4 CLs and 15 DDs, along with some fast "E" class ships. 250 LBA planes are backing up this fleet against a "coup the main" the allies may try against Sumatra.
Obviously, if needed, i can transfer to Singa more LBA reserves in a couple of days...and the KB can be there in 3/4 days from its Anchorage at Menado..

In the I.O. 5 gleen-equipped subs are operating along with 3 AVs with a total of 27 Norms (15 hexes of search range). Nells and Emilies are based at Bankoleng, Christams I.O. and Sebang.... cannot do more

Thing is so far you have made the easy choices, ie in terms of cutting production, etc.. It may be time for harder choices, ie places that are too far and unstrategic to justify sending a fleet to supply it, etc... Time to think long and hard.

Mate, i've already abbandoned the Marshalls/Gilberts and decided not to defend them. They are left since late 1942...
The only real hard choice is Burma... is it Worth to keep on defending it? Should i move back to Thailand? Hard to say... i know it's easy for the allies to Mount an easy land campaign in northern Thailand once Burma is theirs... and, above all, they could start supplying China with the Burma road... and possibly start an offensive from there...
Think my perimeter is already as shrinked as possible at the moment.

[GreyJoy]

Jan 17-21, 1943

So the allies have now a solid foothold in the Southern DEI and nothing can slow them down there. Selroe, Molu, Babar, Kaimana, Kai-Enlanden, Gorong and Babo... simply too much.
I have a solid perimeter around those bases, but many many dot bases are empty or lightly defended and i cannot hope to stop him much longer.
I have strongholds at Lautem/Dili, Saumlaki (still holding!), Ambon, Boela, Sorong and Biak. We basically sorround him but his forces are now really really strong and every attempt of mine to hit him back resolves into a bloodbath...and i cannot sustain those losses much longer.

We tried to hit him back at Kaimana anyway. On the 19th he sent a decent transport TF there, in order to deliver engineers. Not less than 6 xAPs and 3 AKs, escorted by AMs and CAPped by hundreds of fighters from nearby bases. We swept and then we attacked with 90 Jills, 16 Frances and 50 D4Y3s. We lost 60 planes against his 19 but we sunk 2 AK and 4 xAPs, Killing at least a Whole base force. Not that bad if you ask me....

Something strange happened and neither me or brad are able to explain it: Kamikaze got activated[&:] He's still far away from HI, Saigon or Mariannas and, despite that, i managed to activate a sentai of Oscars...who were sent to action...sinking 1 PC and 1 xAP at Molu, losing 25 of them... was just an attempt in order to see if they were really active...and they are! How can it be possible?
I decided not to use them anymore for the moment (a part from that single 36 planes sentai)...doesn't seem right. The Kamis were a desperate weapon...and Japan is still far from being in a desperate situation.

Any ideas of how were they activated?

[obvert]

Wow. That's big.

Are there any dots that never changed hands, and might be within range. Like those islands off Borneo, in the PI or between Luzon and Formosa?

[GreyJoy]

ORIGINAL: obvert

Wow. That's big.

Are there any dots that never changed hands, and might be within range. Like those islands off Borneo, in the PI or between Luzon and Formosa?

oh yes, they are. But doesn't the rule says that only "conquered" bases can activate the Kamis provided they are within the "line of Kamikaze"?
If it's so, i'm not happy about it. Was clearly not wanted by both of us and i will restrict myself in order to activate more Kami just when he will be in the said range.
Only this little Group will be used... let's call them a special Group of volounteers or something like that... But i'm not impressed. I do not believe in Kami. If your training program works correctly you should not need the Kami untill 1945 at least...
and 2x250 kg bombs aren't exactly what you need in 1944 to really hurt the allied armada. I need 800 kg bombs and torpedoes and conventional Attacks are much more interesting at this state of this game

[obvert]

What you might get though are many more pilots electing to dive once damaged and 'die for the emperor.' This might be more effective even than kamis in some cases, so if you're already doing adage in normal ways, and then a Judy pilot with an 800kg bomb strapped on dives and puts a direct hit in as well, ... ouch!

[koniu]

Army have kamikaze designed bomber with 800kg bomb. Ki-115 Tsurugi if i remember correctly.
That shoul fix 250kg bomb problem

Plane is fast 340mph or more. Have decent range and using 800kg bomb and useing Ha-35 engine. There is also navy version of that plane, Toka?. One is avaible in 12/44 second on middle 45 but i not remember who, army or navy is avaible earlier.

You should R&D at lest army version.

[GreyJoy]

ORIGINAL: koniu

Army have kamikaze designed bomber with 800kg bomb. Ki-115 Tsurugi if i remember correctly.
That shoul fix 250kg bomb problem

Plane is fast 340mph or more. Have decent range and using 800kg bomb and useing Ha-35 engine. There is also navy version of that plane, Toka?. One is avaible in 12/44 second on middle 45 but i not remember who, army or navy is avaible earlier.

You should R&D at lest army version.

Well, i probably made a mistake there. I didn't put any R&D effort in the "Kamikaze" planes. Not a single R&D factory... My plan is to keep on having a "conventional" air army as long as possible and not to rely on the Kamis....
But now, after the last bloody battles of December 43 (where i lost more than 1400 planes in 3 different occasions) and the drain of my pools, i now see that i should have had devoted more factories to something like the KI-115...

I'll see if i can do something about it...but i guess it's too late now (playing with realistic R&D).

BTW, the Oscar IV just entered into production... 190 of them will be produced monthly now. It's a good plane, with 2x20mm CL cannons and 364 mhp...
In feb 1944 i'll have online the Grace (120 producing) and the J2M5 (190 producing).... should become interesting

So these are my production numbers at the moment and for the next 6 months

N1K2: 250
J2M5: 190
A6M5: 130
A6M3a: 50
KI-84r: 320
KI-84b (should be available by 7/44): 150
KI-43 IV: 190
KI-44c: 190

D4Y4: 270
Grace: 120

Jills: 200

P1Y2: 140
KI-48b: 140
KI-67T: 190

[koniu]

ORIGINAL: GreyJoy
KI-48b: 140

Ki-48b bombers. I hope You misspell and actual You building Ki-49IIB

Ki-48 sucks with those 100kg bombs

[Captain Cruft]

I disagree. The Lily is a very effective dive bomber against soft targets.

[witpqs]

I thought Kamikaze only activated earliest Jan 1, 1944? If your post date is accurate (1943), I assume it's a bug.