The Good The Bad & The Indifferent

[Lokasenna]

If they were stuck at an airfield somewhere without aviation support/supplies to repair, he wouldn't have been able to fill out the unit or "upgrade" it to another model. He likely disbanded some fragments that were trapped in this way.

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna

If they were stuck at an airfield somewhere without aviation support/supplies to repair, he wouldn't have been able to fill out the unit or "upgrade" it to another model. He likely disbanded some fragments that were trapped in this way.

Seems most likely. It can also happen if the base auto-flips because there were no troops there and all the aircraft are damaged. Just a few turns ago in my game that happened to a Japanese base - only a handful of planes though. My troops were just about to move into the base anyway.

[crsutton]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

2/21/44

Another quietly productive day as I shift assets around in preparation for Fun House. At the moment, the only hot action going on is in Burma and at Celebes. See map for details.

Trying to hold Burma without control of the sea is a death trap for the Japanese player.

[crsutton]

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna

If they were stuck at an airfield somewhere without aviation support/supplies to repair, he wouldn't have been able to fill out the unit or "upgrade" it to another model. He likely disbanded some fragments that were trapped in this way.

Probably right. Residue from lost carriers in the big carrier battle that flew to a base with no air support. He then disbanded all fragments into one unit so that he could rebuild the other parent units. Then with no air support he is left with no choice but to disband the one large abandoned unit so that he can rebuild it.

That or a mid sized carrier ran over a couple of mines and sunk. Or an AK or AKV or two had a collision or hit mines. The lord works in mysterious ways....

[Lokasenna]

ORIGINAL: crsutton

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

2/21/44

Another quietly productive day as I shift assets around in preparation for Fun House. At the moment, the only hot action going on is in Burma and at Celebes. See map for details.

Trying to hold Burma without control of the sea is a death trap for the Japanese player.

Depends on where in Burma...

[Canoerebel]

Experienced players understand the benefit of using current frontline activity to "suck in" enemy assets, thus leaving rear areas weaker and ripe for future attack.

I worked this strategy pretty hard prior to Big Tent, drawing John's full attention to SoPac, NoPac and the Marshalls (and he came most willingly, because he's aggressive). That left a gaping hole in the DEI (it shouldn't have; he should've attended to things there). Then, when Big Tent succeeded, John faced the enormous challenge of retrieving all the units posted at bases that were suddenly rendered irrelevant or marginal.

That's what's currently going on in Burma. I want to keep John focused way out front, maintaining his current garrison (I think he has at least five divisions there). Eventually, I will move in strength. But not yet. I don't want to push John back for perhaps another four to six months.

[Canoerebel]

2/24/44

Third Ring: 3rd Australian Division upgraded to '43 and '44 devices and is now 50% prepped for Gove. It and II Australian Engineers will board APA and AKA tonight. Most of the combat ships and carriers have refueled now - all but one CVE TF and one CV TF. That will take one or two more days.

Unless John commits KB against the invasion of Gove, I do not anticipate a high-level of risk. Full Death Star will be present along with at least five bombardment TFs. Once the landings are complete, I'll have two good infantry divisions and combat engineers ashore. They'll square off against 2/3rds of 16th Div. behind four forts but lacking heavy weapons.

Celebes: John's bombers are working over Allied troops. This is annoying but I'd rather have him focused here than looking deeper. I didn't leave much in the way of combat ships to protect Big Tent while Death Star was away.

[BBfanboy]

With all his poking around the Sydney area I'd guess that he thinks you must be needing to take your CVs there for upgrades. He may have KB standing by to hit them when they go into dock in Sydney, but he's playing his hopes rather than his opponent if he does that.

[crsutton]

Shameless plug here. Dan, I am really enjoying the latest issue of Georgia Backroads. That boy's picture on the cover is amazing. Just look at his clothes. He does not seem very sorry about putting that spike on the railroad track at all....

[Canoerebel]

Thanks, Ross. It's encouraging that you enjoy the magazine all the way up there in the Old Line State. I know you have deep roots in Georgia.

The story was written by Rebecca Bradshaw, who also sniffed out the good photos from the local history museum. Cliff Johnson, who designs the magazine, did all the work in preparing the cover. I thought it was very appealing - it's the "least colorful" cover we've ever done. Given the holiday season, that seems a bit out of character. But the somber colors stand out on newsstands filled with holiday-themed publications (or so I'd like to think).

[Canoerebel]

2/25/44

Very busy turn, though most of it continues to be behind the curtain. Things are about to become more visible, however, as the reinforcing invasion of Gove gets underway, a general advance of units in Burma is commencing, and Fun House is about five weeks from D-Day (and will enter enemy waters well before that).

[cwemyss]

Wait.... I'm at the end? What am I going to read now?

I've had your two AARs open on tabs on my phone for about three months. It wasn't until I saw a comment about Rogue One (in John's thread) that I realized I was "catching up to live TV."

Great AARs, it's been fascinating to read both sides, see the strategies develop, and so on. And I'm blown away by the personal side both of you have shared.

I'd been considering the game, and reading these two threads pushed me over the ledge. Thank you both for the time you've put into letting readers in on your game and your lives.

[Canoerebel]

Thanks for reading, cwemyss. I'm really glad you find the AARs entertaining. I think that'll continue pretty far into the future, as the Allies are about to start rolling forward again.

John and I have been gaming against each other since UV days and have a lot in common. We are pretty competitive with each other, sometimes get our panties wadded up over certain issues (picket ships, etc.) want to throttle the other in the game. But when we put the game aside, we're almost like brothers. Some day, I'm going to surprise John by showing up at his Subway restaurant. I predict that we'll burst into laughter and need hours to describe all that we've experienced together in and out of the game.

If AE is your kind of game (complicated, long-term investment, challenging), you'll love PBEM above everything else and you'll develop friendships much like this. Have fun! Enjoy the ride!

[Canoerebel]

2/26/44

DEI: Three USN DDs, a squadron of SBDs, and a USN sub did a good job of handling the enemy merchants at Talaud, sinking upwards of 10 total. None seemed to have troops. Similarly, John has merchants at Loewoek (Celebes) and Tangiapoe. USN DDs will visit the former tomorrow and the latter the day after.

These are John's first efforts at committing shipping in the northern Big Tent area in months. I may, or may not, have future plans in these areas, depending on how things shake out, but I wanted to prevent "freebies" and encourage caution on his part.

Third Ring: The Allied amphibious force departed Normanton en route to Gove for the reinforcing invasion. D-Day two or three turns away. I don't anticipate much trouble unless John commits KB, which I think is possible but unlikely.

Fun House: The behind-the-scenes activity continues with good progress made. SigInt continues to show that John is focusing on Java, the Philippines, and probably adjacent areas. There are still lots of holes in his defenses, I think.

There are really four likely vectors of attack: Java and southern Borneo, northern Borneo and the Philippines, Taiwan and/or Formosa, and NoPac. I'm sure John is giving thought and attention to each of these. I'm trying to spread around assets in such a way as to give disinformation. Reconnaissance here, ships there, buildups here, seeming voids there. There's not much room for decoying and misdirection now, but every unit misplaced is a small victory.

Burma: A good day for the Allied air force closing down Meiktila. More movement dots on John's ground units. There's no sign yet of a general withdrawal, but I don't think he can delay unless he commits his air force here. He hasn't yet, probably preferring to keep it in the DEI.

In fact, John hasn't committed his air force recently. He's probably conserving and getting ready for the next big Death Star advance.

[Canoerebel]

Most of my posts deal with operational and tactical events with hints at strategic planning. This post will delve more deeply into endgame strategy, as we’re on the cusp of another major Allied offensive.

The Allies have grown powerful and can (seemingly) go where they want to. To a newbie it may seem that the war is winding down and that there’s little that John can do about it now. But AE Veterans know that's not the case. The Empire remains powerful, though the nature of the war has shifted. The player who better grasps this metamorphosis will have an advantage going forward.

There are three primary objectives in the game: (1) attrition the Japanese navy, (2) take the airfields necessary to wage strategic war against the Home Islands, and (3) restrict and eventually deny Japan access to oil and resources in the DEI. Those aren’t listed in order of priority, though I think (1) is the most important because it facilitates (2) and (3). As for (3), it the hardest to objectively measure during the course of the war; there’s a lot of guesswork in estimating how much oil Japan has stored away – or how short she is.

(1) Attritioning the Japanese Navy: The Allies have made notable progress towards the first objective. I’ve had most of my navy and hundreds of my best transports in the DEI, surrounded by enemy bases and sea lanes, for four months. This is the perfect terrain for knife fights at close range. Enemy cruisers and destroyers should be nipping at my TFs, picking off cripples, slowing everything down, and occasionally striking hard. Instead, John hasn’t committed a combat ship to the DEI in three months. In a place that should have been a meat grinder for one-third of a year, I’ve lost one CLAA, nine DDs, one APA and two AKA. (Imagine how many reinforcements have arrived on map during those four months!) John's lost so many ships that he decided he couldn't afford to commit any more to a contest that involved his heartland.

Even though John essentially withdrew his navy in December, he’s still suffered pretty heavy losses (many occurring before his withdrawal and therefore partly responsible for it). I know he’s lost a CVL, two BBs, and roughly a dozen DDs. One CV was badly damaged and another modestly, three other BBs had to go to shipyards, and several CLs were hit pretty hard.

He's been conserving his navy for three months. It's had time to recover and receive replacements. It’s strong again and a force to reckon with. I think he’ll commit it en masse against Death Star during the upcoming operation. But unless things are incredibly one-sided in his favor, any losses he suffers will be felt. And if the battles are standoffs or favor the Allies, Japan’s decline should accelerate.

(2 and 3) Taking Airfields for Strategic Bombing and Denying Access to the DEI: I’m on track to begin taking bases for strategic bombing purposes and to close his oil producing bases or limit his access to them. Hokkaido, Korea, China, Okinawa, Formosa, the Philippines, and the Marianas are the prime possibilities for strategic bombing. Java and Borneo would be best for oil interdiction.

I’ve already identified the objectives as far into the future as the autumn months. He probably has hunches of his own, but the SigInt I'm seeing indicate that he remains unsure. He's dispersing his units, which is what I wanted to see.

It took him a long time to adjust to the fact that the war had changed. I think he spent to much time planning for an ambush of Death Star in the Coral Sea and moving troops forward to places like Gove. For the past month, he’s shown signs that he’s shifted his thinking. I see evidence that he’s attending to bases in the areas that he should be defending now. But there are too many bases and not enough time for him to cover everything. If properly planned and executed, Fun House should succeed in taking the prime real estate needed to further objectives (2) and/or (3).

Barring a mistake on my part, John probably can’t hope to retake the initiative or completely stop the Allies from advancing. Does he understand that each operation - even if successful - takes a lot of time for preparation, logistics, and implementation? Can he make a three-month operation drag out for four or five months? If so, those are victories for him.

His best hope isn’t to stop Fun House or future major operations, but he should be configuring his defenses to slow things down, striking at the edges, making it as costly as possible (to that end, raids further out against my LOCs might be effective; and that's why I'm carefully watching him sniff my SoPac LOC).

We’ve already seen in the game that his fighters pack some punch against my 4EB. AE Reluctant Admiral isn’t Tokyo Fire Bombing Circa 1945. If John slows me down, he has a chance to make strategic bombing missions so costly that it becomes relatively inefficient.

I think I’ve done pretty well in the game to date; I think Sumatra paid off handsomely and was worth it; I think the 1943 campaigns were successful beyond my wildest dreams; and I’m looking forward to what comes next. In the end, I think which of us best understands how the game is changing will win.

[Canoerebel]

2/27/44

Third Ring: D-Day for the reinforcing invasion of Gove takes place tomorrow. If all goes well, a general attack will take place the day after. Allied bombardment TFs and carrier strike aircraft will hit the base. I think it will fall unless John commits KB and forces me to divert my attention from the base temporarily.

[cwemyss]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Thanks for reading, cwemyss. I'm really glad you find the AARs entertaining. I think that'll continue pretty far into the future, as the Allies are about to start rolling forward again.

John and I have been gaming against each other since UV days and have a lot in common. We are pretty competitive with each other, sometimes get our panties wadded up over certain issues (picket ships, etc.) want to throttle the other in the game. But when we put the game aside, we're almost like brothers. Some day, I'm going to surprise John by showing up at his Subway restaurant. I predict that we'll burst into laughter and need hours to describe all that we've experienced together in and out of the game.

If AE is your kind of game (complicated, long-term investment, challenging), you'll love PBEM above everything else and you'll develop friendships much like this. Have fun! Enjoy the ride!

Complicated, long-term, challenging, and spreadsheet-worthy are right up my alley. Unfortunately, I'll probably get to do about a turn or two a week, on average... 3-yo daughter, 60-hr/week job, etc. I'd need a VERY patient PBEM partner. And that's before we even talk about the year it's going to take me to get to where I could competently play against a human.

I read both of your AARs from the start... it took 8-10 weeks, reading here and there. I started out reading just yours, but when you pulled off the really impressive surprise invasion of Sumatra, I went back and read his from the start. It's incredible, both in the obvious depth of your relationship with John and the mutual respect, the amount you guys have both shared, and (particularly in your AAR) the wide-ranging conversations about EVERYTHING. A really fun read, and I look forward to it continuing for a long time to come.

[Canoerebel]

The similarities that John and I share are pretty deep, including some things I haven't shared with him. We both have two boys (I "out-performed" him though, because I also have a girl, proving my prowess in procreation). We both attend church with our families on Sunday mornings, which I think is an increasingly rare practice today. John recently became a deacon in his church. I've been a deacon in mine for roughly 25 years (I haven't mentioned that to him, because there's something uncouth about running around touting one's religious pedigree; I saw a lawyer do it in front of a jury one time: "You should believe what I'm telling you because I'm an elder in my church." In truth, that guy was a creep of the worst kind.) John and I are both in small business and we've both taught college classes in the past (I was an adjunct professor, he might've been an "actual" professor). There are many differences between us, too, but we are pretty compatible in our approach to AE. I love playing against him.

[Anachro]

proving my prowess in procreation

[:D][:D]

[Canoerebel]

....waxing eloquent, don't ya know?