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RE: Mr Kane (J) vs Olorin (A)
Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2016 8:23 am
by Olorin
ORIGINAL: paradigmblue
You're a much more experienced player than I am, so take my advice with a grain (or heaping tablespoon) of salt.
It looks like you're committing to an aggressive forward defense (Adak, Port Blair, Rangoon). That's all well and good, but at this point in the game, Mr. Kane can take almost any hex he wants. You can make it costly for him, but if he sets his sights on Rangoon or Port Blair or Adak, there is very little you can do to actually keep the hex in Allied control. While you commit your forces forward, be sure not to neglect your secondary lines.
Plan to keep Rangoon, but also plan to lose it, and ensure that your Akyab-Imphal line sees some attention.
Plan to keep Port Blair, but also plan to lose it, and ensure that you're not leaving Columbo undefended.
Plan to keep Adak, but also plan to lose it, and ensure that the rest of Alaska is not neglected.
I think that as the allies it is easy to draw a line on the map and say "This is where I'll make my stand" in 1941 and early 1942, but in reality, where you make your stand as the allies has more to do with where the Japanese player becomes overextended once the amphibious bonus runs out rather than where the allies decide to build up.
As I said, you are twice the player I'll ever be, so please don't change your strategy on my account. I'm excited to see how the game progresses.
Please. Say that in four game months when China will be crumbling, Burma destroyed, India invaded and Mr Kane is close to an AV. [:D]
The way I see it, there is always going to be a rear area that will be vulnerable to Japan wherever I make my stand, so I chose a forward defense and hope that at least one theater succeeds.
RE: Mr Kane (J) vs Olorin (A)
Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2016 8:38 am
by Olorin
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RE: Mr Kane (J) vs Olorin (A)
Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2016 8:55 am
by Olorin
Sorry for the lack of screenshots, we're flipping turns like madmen.
RE: Mr Kane (J) vs Olorin (A)
Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2016 2:34 pm
by Olorin
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RE: Mr Kane (J) vs Olorin (A)
Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2016 3:27 pm
by JocMeister
If I were you I would focus more on forts and less on airfields. You will have no use of a level 9 AF for a long long time.
RE: Mr Kane (J) vs Olorin (A)
Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2016 11:58 am
by Olorin
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RE: Mr Kane (J) vs Olorin (A)
Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2016 2:01 pm
by paradigmblue
Since you usually play Japan, are there are any realizations or surprises that you've found playing as the allies? Unexpected challenges or opportunities?
RE: Mr Kane (J) vs Olorin (A)
Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2016 7:13 pm
by Encircled
You have to remember that your aircraft pools are really weak, especially in fighters
Can only echo what Joc has said, build forts
I'd be scanning Mr Kanes AAR as well.
He doesn't do "get to an holdable perimeter" and fight the allies till they break it, he goes deep and he goes deep quickly.
RE: Mr Kane (J) vs Olorin (A)
Posted: Tue Nov 29, 2016 7:19 am
by Olorin
ORIGINAL: paradigmblue
Since you usually play Japan, are there are any realizations or surprises that you've found playing as the allies? Unexpected challenges or opportunities?
The biggest surprise for me in the first 20 days is the severe lack of escorts. I hadn't realized as Japan just how vulnerable allied shipping is in the first months of the war.
RE: Mr Kane (J) vs Olorin (A)
Posted: Tue Nov 29, 2016 7:21 am
by Olorin
ORIGINAL: Encircled
You have to remember that your aircraft pools are really weak, especially in fighters
Can only echo what Joc has said, build forts
I'd be scanning Mr Kanes AAR as well.
He doesn't do "get to an holdable perimeter" and fight the allies till they break it, he goes deep and he goes deep quickly.
I don't think Mr Kane does an AAR for this game, I'll try to convince him to start one.
RE: Mr Kane (J) vs Olorin (A)
Posted: Tue Nov 29, 2016 7:36 am
by Mike McCreery
ORIGINAL: Olorin
ORIGINAL: Encircled
You have to remember that your aircraft pools are really weak, especially in fighters
Can only echo what Joc has said, build forts
I'd be scanning Mr Kanes AAR as well.
He doesn't do "get to an holdable perimeter" and fight the allies till they break it, he goes deep and he goes deep quickly.
I don't think Mr Kane does an AAR for this game, I'll try to convince him to start one.
He is playing at least 2-3 games right now and doing turns like mad on several of them. I doubt he has time for an AAR.
We are in March of 1943 and turning 4-6 turns a day.
RE: Mr Kane (J) vs Olorin (A)
Posted: Tue Nov 29, 2016 7:39 am
by Olorin
We did 10 turns during the weekend and I feel burned.[:D]
I don't know how he does it, I'll try to tone it down to 2-3 turns per day to keep my sanity.
RE: Mr Kane (J) vs Olorin (A)
Posted: Tue Nov 29, 2016 8:35 am
by Encircled
Crikey, just realised that my post could be read as "you should read his current AAR"
Not at all! Thats not what I meant! That would be cheating!
Have a look at some of his older AARs, or the AARs of his opponents. They will give you clues on what he's capable of and how far he goes.
Regarding escorts, you feel the loss of every single one of them in '42
RE: Mr Kane (J) vs Olorin (A)
Posted: Tue Nov 29, 2016 9:06 am
by HansBolter
ORIGINAL: Olorin
ORIGINAL: paradigmblue
Since you usually play Japan, are there are any realizations or surprises that you've found playing as the allies? Unexpected challenges or opportunities?
The biggest surprise for me in the first 20 days is the severe lack of escorts. I hadn't realized as Japan just how vulnerable allied shipping is in the first months of the war.
You can't let that freeze you into inaction leaving your shipping sitting in ports waiting for escorts.
You have to simply flood the shipping lanes with so much traffic he can't sink it all.
Use round about routes.
Hoard your few escort assets at major port hubs where he has concentrated sub fields and escort your TFs in and out of the sub fields without committing them to the entire journey of each cargo TF.
Create some CL/DD TFs to serve as reactionary forced to intercept AMC raiders when they appear.
Consider using your carriers to hunt down AMC raiders while you are trying not to engage the KB with them.
I often choose one port for shipping out troops (San Fran) and one port for shipping out supply and fuel (LA).
This reduces the number of major port hubs I need to concentrate my ASW assets at and means every last sub clustered around the ones I'm not using are being wasted.
YPs can be converted to YMS which can escort Transport TFs but not Cargo TFs.
Convert your Wickes and Clemson class DDs to APDs. They have 6 ASW which makes them the best you have for a long time.
Use them for escorts and as in ASW TFs.
Don't convert them to DEs as you get plenty of those later and fewer APDs.
That's about all I can contribute with a quick stream of thought.
Will add more later as it occurs to me.
RE: Mr Kane (J) vs Olorin (A)
Posted: Tue Nov 29, 2016 9:51 am
by JocMeister
ORIGINAL: Olorin
We did 10 turns during the weekend and I feel burned.[:D]
I don't know how he does it, I'll try to tone it down to 2-3 turns per day to keep my sanity.
When I played him we could do 5-10 per evening on weekdays and sometimes twice that on weekends.
He flips turns like a madman.
RE: Mr Kane (J) vs Olorin (A)
Posted: Tue Nov 29, 2016 9:58 am
by Olorin
ORIGINAL: JocMeister
When I played him we could do 5-10 per evening on weekdays and sometimes twice that on weekends.
He flips turns like a madman.
Interesting, I could only do that if I cut down the time I spend on each turn in half.
RE: Mr Kane (J) vs Olorin (A)
Posted: Tue Nov 29, 2016 9:59 am
by Olorin
ORIGINAL: Encircled
Have a look at some of his older AARs, or the AARs of his opponents. They will give you clues on what he's capable of and how far he goes.
I know what you mean, I had a quick look at two of his AARs.
RE: Mr Kane (J) vs Olorin (A)
Posted: Tue Nov 29, 2016 10:00 am
by dave sindel
ORIGINAL: JocMeister
ORIGINAL: Olorin
We did 10 turns during the weekend and I feel burned.[:D]
I don't know how he does it, I'll try to tone it down to 2-3 turns per day to keep my sanity.
When I played him we could do 5-10 per evening on weekdays and sometimes twice that on weekends.
He flips turns like a madman.
I can not comprehend such a pace ! I'm playing one PBEM and we do a turn a day during the week and 2-3 per day on the weekend. Keeping up with one game is all I can manage. I really admire the players that have multiple games and still have time for an AAR as well ! [&o]
RE: Mr Kane (J) vs Olorin (A)
Posted: Tue Nov 29, 2016 10:19 am
by Olorin
ORIGINAL: HansBolter
(a)You have to simply flood the shipping lanes with so much traffic he can't sink it all.
(b)Hoard your few escort assets at major port hubs where he has concentrated sub fields and escort your TFs in and out of the sub fields without committing them to the entire journey of each cargo TF.
(c)Create some CL/DD TFs to serve as reactionary forced to intercept AMC raiders when they appear.
(d)Convert your Wickes and Clemson class DDs to APDs. They have 6 ASW which makes them the best you have for a long time. Use them for escorts and as in ASW TFs. Don't convert them to DEs as you get plenty of those later and fewer APDs.
Thanks,
(a) I find easy to do that in the Pacific, but he kills me at narrow straits like Osthaven and Makassar.
(b) Interesting. I chose to leave my long range convoys unescorted and concentrate ASW near ports, due to lack of range of allied escorts. Other than 1-2 PGs, nothing can make it from WC to AUS without slowing down the convoy with underway refueling.
(c) I hadn't considered AMCs until now. Will follow.
(d) Will follow your advice. No DEs.
I have a question. My WC to AUS convoys are red (not enough fuel for the whole trip). I have minimal refueling on. I suppose they will refuel in AUS and have enough fuel for the return trip, am I right?
RE: Mr Kane (J) vs Olorin (A)
Posted: Tue Nov 29, 2016 12:05 pm
by HansBolter
ORIGINAL: Olorin
I have a question. My WC to AUS convoys are red (not enough fuel for the whole trip). I have minimal refueling on. I suppose they will refuel in AUS and have enough fuel for the return trip, am I right?
I send them one way, which allows me to set a waypoint near the Marquesa(sp?) islands.
This keeps the southward run sufficiently far back from the Line Islands to be out of danger and the westward run sufficiently far south of the Pago Pago/Suva/Noumea line to be out of danger.
It requires keeping an eye on Auckland to know when to turn them around.
I also set up CS convoys from EC to Cristobal and then run supplies and fuel to Auckland from there.
The entry point is due east of Auckland so the convoys run rear the bottom map edge in relative safety.
Always make the run from Cristobal to Balboa manually as the AI adds several days of transit time for the canal if you go from Cristobal directly to the map.