Matrix Games Forums

ORIGINAL: poodlebrain

Cleaning up the Japanese TF is a perfect job for the Fletchers in the Aleutians. It is a nice opportunity to gain some experience for the ship crews without much risk.

Just a few posts up CR mentions losing 5 DDs (4 of them Fletchers) in the Aleutians. That seems to indicate the risk is much higher than when raiding on the open ocean.

Kodiak has 150 AV behind 8 forts.

[X(] 8 forts. That would be more concrete than the Tennessee Valley Authority used.

Kodiak has 150 AV behind 8 forts.

[X(] 8 forts. That would be more concrete than the Tennessee Valley Authority used.

But that includes beach side condos for the summer months with fully stocked bars. [:D]

7/23/43 and 7/24/43

Circus: You folks had a better handle on the weird IJ xAK TF south of the Aleutians. It's pulling back slowly westward, in plain sight of Allied NavSearch. It's currently five hexes SW of Ulak Island. I guess John was using it for bait. But I wasn't interested in investigating further.

Arleigh Burke led five Fletchers to Adak Island, and DMs deposited 136 mines overnight. An ACM is two days away. The island is re-loaded with fighters scheduled to sweep Amchitka. 4EB from Umnak are supposed to hit that airfield. The Fletchers sank an RO sub on the way in.

Roller Coaster: APA Sheridan made it to Pearl Harbor for a small victory celebration. Wasp and Lexington have 19 days left on Upgrades. CVs Kettle Creek and Olustee are three days from the map. So it does look like Death Star will be ready to move in strength in about 20 days.

Meantime, five Fletchers will reach Mili tonight. I'm interested in seeing if John reacts violently. The enemy shipping around Abemama seems to have pulled away.

Lots of SigInt about John repositioning troops - showing two divisions inbound to the Carolines and another to Truk.

Elsewhere and Otherwise: No recent sightings of KB. No clear picture as to any offensive plans John has as a result of his Sumatra Victory Dividend.

Fun: I'm just having a blast playing this game. I owe John a big thank you for creating a fun atmosphere and for being a fighter. It's also the first time since around '08 or '09 that I've gone deeply enough into the game to get all these fun toys. The last time was vs. Miller (as he noted a few pages back) when AE first came out. Miller is a different player than John. He's not ultra aggressive, but he's particularly tenacious on the defense. He would've handled the situation in Sumatra much differently, I think. He would've rolled up his sleeves and come hard no matter what the cost. I think that would've been the better strategy for Japan as opposed to letting it drag out so long. Each of us sees things differently and feels comfortable following his own instincts.

"Fun"? No kidding!

Circus: You folks had a better handle on the weird IJ xAK TF south of the Aleutians. It's pulling back slowly westward, in plain sight of Allied NavSearch. It's currently five hexes SW of Ulak Island. I guess John was using it for bait. But I wasn't interested in investigating further.

This sounds like one of those "He thinks that I think that he thinks that I think that he..." from the I Love Lucy Show! So basically John figured that you would expect him to invade back quickly and aggressively, so he put out a bait convoy to catch your response... COOL! [:D]

Dan, I went to a weekend event of the Civil War Trust in Baltimore and met a woman from Fayetteville. We got to talking. She is a historian and has been a curator of various places. Anyways I mentioned Georgia Backroads and she told me she was a big fan of the magazine. Now get back to your campaign...

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

7/23/43 and 7/24/43

Circus: You folks had a better handle on the weird IJ xAK TF south of the Aleutians. It's pulling back slowly westward, in plain sight of Allied NavSearch. It's currently five hexes SW of Ulak Island. I guess John was using it for bait. But I wasn't interested in investigating further.

There you go being a party pooper on John's plans again! [:D]

7/25/43

Circus: Stiff fight over Amchitka as P47s, Hellcats and P38Gs come in separately to tangle with Tonys and Georges. The Allies come out ahead, downing 51 enemy fighters while losing about 20 of their own. Then the 4EB come in and do only minor damage to the airfield.

It looks like a stout CB-led TF is inbound to Adak. After weighing options, I've decided to leave the 5 Fletchers in place. I've tried this before under stronger configurations with poor results - losing CA Devonshire the first time and CLAA San Juan the second time. I want to see how just the Fletchers do. There's a small chance they'll inflict enough damage to discourage John from visiting Adak. Plus, the base has 136 mines, so if this is a combat TF inbound, that may create some damage.

The Canadians are prepping for Roi Namur, Kwajalein, Wake Island and Marcus Island. 667 PP paid for a Canadian brigade at Victoria yesterday - it's prepping for Roi and will team with the US RCT. Amphibs were preposition and will take the Canadians to Pearl. About the time of arrival, the carriers should be ready for action.

Roller Coaster: 5 Fletchers arrived at Mili and reported 10/10 detection. Lets see if John reacts. Supply and empty troop ships are inbound, so the Fletchers are the canaries in the coal mine. (The empty troop ships are to help retrieve excess units from Jaluit.)

Australia: An East African divisions arrives at Adelaide and is mostly unloaded. She's a decent divisions with about 350 AV but with poor experience at 40/40. She prepping for Noumea and will train to increase experience. But for the next 60 days or longer she'll be in reserve to respond to enemy attacks.

As for mines. I am having considerable success with them in my current campaign. However, I have decided that loading up bases has only a minimal effect. Once they are known, they rarely go bang. They seem to have no effect on bombardment TFs and even do not seem to hinder Fast transport into or out of a hex. Rather now, I try to plant them in hexes where I think the Japanese will be moving through soon. They will degrade much faster but it seems that moving through a hex with mines has a much greater effect than moving into a hex with mines. Especially if they are unknown. So, if say I am planning a operation on the coast of Burma and I expect a reaction from Singapore, I will drop of mines just before launching my operation in coastal hexes around in the narrow waters between Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula. So far this has been working well.

OT - In your writtings and for you magazine, have you done any articles on the fathers and maybe grandfathers of famous Civil War generals and their involvement in the Revoluntary War?? I'm re-reading my big book on George Washington and I just read the chapter on what happened to many key military leaders after the war. There was a paragraph on General Robert E. Lee's father and his limited role in the war.

Edited for clairity.

Can't speak for anyone else, but once was pushing it.

Sticking it on one of the most popular AARs?

[:-]

That probably needs some context, or newer readers are going to wonder what's going on.

That "I need a break" comment was posted in September 2013. And I then took a break of 2.25 years. I needed some down time. The forum had grown kind of toxic for me - mainly in the controversy over the use of picket ships between Sumatra and Ceylon. It got pretty ugly. One long-time forumite, in particular, just came right out and accused me of lying. But the main thing was that my father had just been badly hurt in a car accident. He was in the hospital and things didn't look good, so I wanted to step away briefly to get my head on straight before making any permanent decisions about the game. My dad died two weeks after the accident. In the meantime, John terminated the game. (Which seems odd - most folks think I was the one that terminated; but in fairness to him, I would have done so I think.)

But there was no breach in the relationship between John and I. We remained in communication and decided to resume the game this past December. Nor was there a breach between me and the forum at large, as I remained active during my sabbatical. I think there was a breach between me and the one player who expressed himself most strongly. We were never again on close terms, though we remained respectful.

All this was just a reflection of the tense nature of the game and personal circumstances that left me unable to process things dispassionately. I needed the break. Mission accomplished.

The forum had grown kind of toxic

This is my point.

Michael,

Relatively few of our stories are about prominent people. We seldom feature stories about governors, great generals, etc. Most of our stories are about the regular folks - the private who kept a diary of the Gettysburg campaign, the woman whose mother picked cotton during the Great Depression, etc.

Regarding the Revolution, a few years back we had a major story about George Washington's "secret submariner," a man who developed the idea of a submarine. He was a physician from Georgia. And next issue we'll have a story about the Battle of Kettle Creek.

Robert E. Lee's father, Lighthorse Harry Lee, died on Cumberland Island, Georgia, in the late 1700s or early 1800s. He was buried there and his toombstone is still in the cemetery. But he was later exhumed and (if memory serves) interred beside Lee at Washington & Lee University (going from old memory there).

We've been in publication for 32 years. We've done alot of stories in that time. Given enough time, we'll probably do something along the lines you suggest. Freelance stories are welcome, Michael, so if you're a writer....

ORIGINAL: larryfulkerson

The forum had grown kind of toxic

This is my point.

It happens. It was an interesting and intense time. But nearly everbody involved was good people just riled up by the intensity of the situation. It was kinda fun. But then my father's situation threw everything into confusion for me, so I wasn't able to process things well for a couple of weeks.

ORIGINAL: crsutton

As for mines. I am having considerable success with them in my current campaign. However, I have decided that loading up bases has only a minimal effect. Once they are known, they rarely go bang. They seem to have no effect on bombardment TFs and even do not seem to hinder Fast transport into or out of a hex. Rather now, I try to plant them in hexes where I think the Japanese will be moving through soon. They will degrade much faster but it seems that moving through a hex with mines has a much greater effect than moving into a hex with mines. Especially if they are unknown. So, if say I am planning a operation on the coast of Burma and I expect a reaction from Singapore, I will drop of mines just before launching my operation in coastal hexes around in the narrow waters between Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula. So far this has been working well.

That's a good idea. I seldom sew mines in open waters, though I have on rare occasions. But I see the sense in not overdoing a base. I did turn Sabang into a mine-haven, and that worked wonders for several months. But eventually John figured out a solution and attended to the mines in short order.

The only bases that I have mines now are Adak, Dutch Harbor, Pearl Harbor and Chittagong. So my pools are flush with mines and it might work well to try your approach. Thanks for the helpful suggestion.

I wasn't able to process things well for a couple of weeks

No, it's not you and your personal problems, sorry about that by the way, it's this forum.

No offense taken, Larry. I understand the point you're making. But it was an interesting time that unexpectedly took on a surreal aspect.

ORIGINAL: larryfulkerson

The forum had grown kind of toxic

This is my point.

What are your own motivations/desired outcomes for bringing up the "issues" that have occurred from time to time on the forum, and especially this AAR?
For the most part issues are resolved well enough that forumites get along so I cannot see a useful purpose in resurrecting stuff in an AAR?
And if the fact that issues arise reflects what happens in any group of humans over time, it does not mean humans are degenerate - they are just trying to cope in a bewilderingly complex world (IMO-FWIW).