Lambs to the slaughter (Lowpe (J) vs Jocke; BillBrown (A)) Finished

[Lokasenna]

ORIGINAL: Alpha77

Well for sure in games I played P38s are the best you can get in 42.

That's not saying much / is a pretty low bar [:D]

[Bif1961]

P-38s are good sweepers but not good on CAP, since you have limited pools for the P-38E model earliest version. So use them to sweep and not to CAP and they will survive longer and actually live up to their potential better.

[Lowpe]

The altitude HR in this game, have allowed me to trash P38s with Zeroes. In 1942 there was an 20K sweep rule and 1943 a 30K sweep rule.

Jocke has taken the weekend off, has the turn, so I have been restricted to perusing tracker, but instead of doing that I have concentrated on my other game.

It will probably be a slow week ahead for turn flipping.

[Bif1961]

I have an HR that allows 1K over the 2nd best altitude ban which would place the P-38 at 31,000 feet and the A6M2 26,000 feet max. I think this is fair because most planes didn't fly anywhere near their top altitude as they flew like trucks and the pilot would have to be on oxygen for hours and wrestle with the controls raising pilot fatigue.

[Lowpe]

Finis

The end.

Jocke let me know this morning that due to changes at home that he cannot continue playing the game that has seen so many great turns from both sides.

A big thanks to Olorin, who let me pick up the game and had one of the strongest openings I ever saw.[&o]

And another super big thankyou to the readers and participants of this AAR[&o].

And a great big thanks to Jocke, a wonderful pbem player.[&o]

Thank you all.

[Canoerebel]

But you aren't going to let the game end here, are you? You'll find some willing Allied player to pick it up. It's an interesting map and situation for both sides and needs to be furthered.

Hey, maybe you could persuade Bullwinkle to take it on!

[Drakanel]

I'd really like to see this continue as well.

I hope you can find another opponent, to keep the game going on [8D]

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

But you aren't going to let the game end here, are you? You'll find some willing Allied player to pick it up. It's an interesting map and situation for both sides and needs to be furthered.

Hey, maybe you could persuade Bullwinkle to take it on!

Dont know. I need a few recovery days.

[njp72]

Sorry to hear about the game Lowpe.

As always with your games, they are fun and exciting.

I have really enjoyed your input and contribution over the last couple of years. Hopefully the game can be resurrected so the adventure can continue.

[BillBrown]

If you think you might want to continue, I can do a turn a day. I have not really followed you or Jockes AAR, so I an unsure what is happening now.

[Olorin]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

Finis

The end.

Jocke let me know this morning that due to changes at home that he cannot continue playing the game that has seen so many great turns from both sides.

A big thanks to Olorin, who let me pick up the game and had one of the strongest openings I ever saw.[&o]

And another super big thankyou to the readers and participants of this AAR[&o].

And a great big thanks to Jocke, a wonderful pbem player.[&o]

Thank you all.

Well played Lowpe![&o]


I admire you for holding on after the defeat in the WC, I don't know if I 'd have done it to be honest. So who would you say was the winner (if any) of the war?

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: BillBrown

If you think you might want to continue, I can do a turn a day. I have not really followed you or Jockes AAR, so I an unsure what is happening now.

Bill, you can check out Jockes AAR if you are interested.

I have a few things going on irl, and quite frankly 2 full games is probably a half game too much for me...but I am not going to rule anything out.

Jocke has offered to send the password on.

PDU off, scenario 2 style babes game.

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: Olorin


I admire you for holding on after the defeat in the WC, I don't know if I 'd have done it to be honest. So who would you say was the winner (if any) of the war?

Hiya Stranger!.[:)]

Nothing to admire, really, I simply knew that Japan can lose almost infinite troops once in the game. And in this case, the Allies didn't gain any real estate with the loss...so having a strong endgame wasn't in doubt to me once the rebuilt divisions started coming thru.

Who won? Who knows, probably you.[:)]

I think I pulled off a few neat operations: Midway, the plot to sink a carrier off the east coast of Oz, China snowball, Indian invasion, Alaska, and last but not least Burma. Perhaps I am most proud of how the air force did, and countering Fletcher/Brooklyn task forces.

Of course my failures were catastrophic. San Diego, losing control of the baby KB. A few other small stuff. Losses don't really bother me at all, especially if they gain time.

But it was all great fun so perhaps everybody won.

Allies, I fear fell into the bigger wrench strategy, instead of a more subtle offensive. I don't think Jocke ever realized how much stronger Japan is on the ground, in a scenario 2 style game and he never took advantage of the west coast losses fast enough and then went primarily where Japan was somewhat strong.

The Allies would have ground their way forward, probably up New Guinea to the Mindanao and Luzon and from there a long bombing campaign of Honshu. But supply, fuel, oil, industry wise Japan was very solid. Almost painfully strong for all the hijinx I put the Empire thru.

In the air, Sam and the Ki94II would certainly arrive in huge numbers and likely the SamJ. Night bombing is a pdu off weakness for the Empire, but I would have maxed all possible squadrons with the best frames...and nightbombing in that kind of environment is very slow and tedious till 2nd qtr 45. There was tons of lowN kamikaze pilots with 70 skill in the pools.

At sea I lost the mini kb, but never a fleet carrier, or battleship. I was able to fight the Fletchers and Brooklyns very well, and that all must have been frustrating to the Allies.

With a full fleet KB, and all carriers arriving, there would be no free lunch in the ocean, no easy path to Honshu. The late 44 infantry arrived, along with all the rebuilt divisions, and in an orgy of task forces was shipped out to locations all around the Empire...even if the final destination wasn't correct that sigint had to weigh on the Allies.

Jocke's enthusiasm for the game was very high till Midway...and Midway was such a crushing loss for him, although in truth the loss was fairly tiny in the scheme of things, except for time.

And I played for time.

Of course I am merely guessing about Allied intentions and state of mind...but I think I am fairly correct.

[Olorin]

Nice summary, thanks. [:)]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe
Perhaps I am most proud of how the air force did, and countering Fletcher/Brooklyn task forces.

Any tips on how you did that?

Last time I faced them against Michael (NYGiants) I developed an unhealthy hatred for the Fletchers.

[Canoerebel]

I didn't closely follow Jock's AAR, but one thing I do remember was the optimism he felt in Burma shortly after your failed West Coast gambit. Several players were cautioning him that Ramree Island and vicinity would quickly bog down into a protracted slugfest, but he had visions of major conquests taking place steadily and rather quickly.

I think Burma, more than anything else, lowered his enthusiasm for the game.

[BillBrown]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

ORIGINAL: BillBrown

If you think you might want to continue, I can do a turn a day. I have not really followed you or Jockes AAR, so I an unsure what is happening now.

Bill, you can check out Jockes AAR if you are interested.

I have a few things going on irl, and quite frankly 2 full games is probably a half game too much for me...but I am not going to rule anything out.

Jocke has offered to send the password on.

PDU off, scenario 2 style babes game.

It looks like you are still in Dec 1943, there is a lot of game left to go. I was trying to imply that I do not have any detailed knowledge of your intentions and/or dispositions. The offer still stands, I would take over for Jocke if you want to continue.

[Canoerebel]

Lowpe, take BillBrown up on the offer! Even if it requires a brief sabbatical while he looks at the map and gets up to speed, and while you decompress a bit and figure out a pace that will work for you.

AAR matches between longtime forumites taking games deep are pretty rare and a heckuva lot of fun to read.

Do it! Do it!

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: Olorin

Nice summary, thanks. [:)]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe
Perhaps I am most proud of how the air force did, and countering Fletcher/Brooklyn task forces.

Any tips on how you did that?

Last time I faced them against Michael (NYGiants) I developed an unhealthy hatred for the Fletchers.

I countered Fletchers with multiple small task forces, low threat tolerance, and a high numbered task force preferably the Mutsu or Nagato with 6 destroyers (sometimes I only had 3).

The early task forces would trade torpedoes and flee, the battleship task force would slug it out last often taking more than 20 hits but almost always putting down a Brooklyn.

In addition, I had anti-ship planes that could hit Fletchers out to 11 hexes, namely the Lilly db, so the Fletchers were vulnerable on approach and after a fight if the bases allowed me.

But it was really the 2 and 3 ship destroyer, cl destroyer task forces that fought first that won the battles, even though they usually took greater losses than inflicted. Their low threat tolerance allowed them to fight once and retreat...and then the next task force would fight.

I managed several good to great fights like that in the Bay of Bengal early, and also around Lunga and most recently off New Britain.

In no cases was I looking for a single task force slugging match, and when I did put together big task forces I switched their status to fast transport low threat...with the result of a very fast inconclusive battle like what happened at Manus recently.

I had one bad cruiser fight, and several other cruiser mistakes but that was due to my sloppy play or missing clicks on the turn. That stuff always happens, just try to minimize it.

So, at night, the multiple small task forces really punch over their weight, because normally 100% of Japan's ships fight every encounter, and only 1/3rd of the Allies ships fight..and then the heavier ships come in against a minimal torpedo threat, whereas each successive Japanese fleet has a full threat of torpedoes...plus they are shooting at damaged ships, higher dl, targets.

IN 1942 my CAP was pretty much max HR, 20K. But starting in 43 I switched to low layered CAP that I have (and others recently Obvert) written so much about.

On day one of the takeover from you, I juiced the r&d program for Frank A (and subsequently R) very much. So much that I had the Frank R in Oct/Nov timeframe...and that they did so well versus the Jug flying low layered CAP must have been very disconcerting.

As we saw in other games where low layered cap is used, the Allied player simply can't wrap their heads around a game where the loss ratio is not 10-1 in favor of the Jugs.

Too often the Allied player is a bigger wrench player...hopefully that will change and make for more interesting games.

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: BillBrown

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

ORIGINAL: BillBrown

If you think you might want to continue, I can do a turn a day. I have not really followed you or Jockes AAR, so I an unsure what is happening now.

Bill, you can check out Jockes AAR if you are interested.

I have a few things going on irl, and quite frankly 2 full games is probably a half game too much for me...but I am not going to rule anything out.

Jocke has offered to send the password on.

PDU off, scenario 2 style babes game.

It looks like you are still in Dec 1943, there is a lot of game left to go. I was trying to imply that I do not have any detailed knowledge of your intentions and/or dispositions. The offer still stands, I would take over for Jocke if you want to continue.

PM me your email, and I will forward it to Jocke with a request for the password. He is willing to do this.

[Lokasenna]

If you can wait a few weeks, and Bill isn't picking it up, I'm interested.