Opponent for Realistic Scenario Wanted
Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2007 8:15 am
String handed me my head playing CHS 2.0.8 159, but I'm game for another try. My background is military operations research (and many years ago, chess), so you will find me to be:
1. A public grumbler (grognard).
2. Someone who will sue for peace once the long-term balance of forces resulting from a strategy is clarified.
3. Someone who will stick with settled doctrine rather than using gamey strategies.
In my game against String, I resigned when it became clear that with the Eastern Fleet bottled up or sunk, Japan was able to blockade and take Ceylon by June 1942. That could be expected to cut the sea route to Eastern India and allow Japan to raid sea communications via Western India. That then allows Japan to clear Burma and Assam by late 1942 and cut off the Hump airbridge. The Congress Party would then force the Commonwealth to give up active operations in India by early 1943, and China would fold by mid-1943. The net result will be that Japan will have enough resources to delay Plan Orange by a year or so, which might be enough to allow her to retain some of her gains.
I'm now interested in understanding what would have happened if the Japanese had avoided inflaming American public opinion with an attack on Pearl Harbor. I'm willing to play either side of the following game:
A CHS-based scenario. Treespider's scenario (171) might be good, but I'm willing to look at alternatives.
Victory:
If the Allied player has a sea line of communications (a continuous path with air superiority) between North America and a fleet base in the Philippines or Taiwan and from there to a forward base in the Ryukyus, Korea, or Japan by 31 January 1944, he wins a decisive victory. If this requirement is met by 30 April 1944, it is a regular Allied victory. By 31 July 1944, a marginal victory, by 31 October 1944, a draw, by 31 January 1945, a Japanese marginal victory, by 30 April 1945, a Japanese regular victory, and by 31 July 1945 or later, a decisive Japanese victory.
If at any time, the Japanese player attacks forces present in a hex in Alaska, the Hawaiian Islands (excluding Midway), or continental North America, the Allied player has an additional two years (just so) to meet his requirements for a victory. Note that raiding the American sea lines of communication is OK, but during the first turn, the oiler task force supporting the KB should be assumed to be half empty.
Armistices can be offered by either side at any time. The side offering the armistice must abide by it once accepted. The other side can withdraw from the agreement with 90 days notice. If Japan takes Calcutta, Delhi, Bombay, or Karachi, the Indian Congress Party forces the British in India to offer an armistice on the current lines of contact. If accepted, this means no offensive operations by either side in India, Burma, or Ceylon. If the Chinese capital is taken or Japan accepts this forced armistice with the British, the Chinese offer a similar armistice.
Planning for assault landings:
An assault landing has to be planned at least one month in advance for each division or division-equivalent involved. Planning consists of designating the landing beach and ground forces to land over the beach during the initial week. Land forces involved in a division-sized or larger landing have to be withdrawn from combat at least one month in advance of the landings for planning and preparations. The assault plan must designate the resources involved by name for land forces. The Japanese player is allowed to preplan invasions as part of his prewar planning. Assault landings may be cancelled, but if they take place, they must be on the day planned or within a week after. Ground units may be allocated to multiple plans, but all but one plan must be cancelled one month before the landing date of the selected plan.
When either side begins planning, it should write a text file containing the plan and send an encrypted zip of the file to the opponent. When the game is over, the encryption keys should be sent to the opponent.
A parachute drop or air landing operation has to be planned at least one month in advance for each division or division-equivalent involved. Planning consists of designating the landing zone and ground forces to land there. Land forces involved in a division-sized or larger landing have to be withdrawn from combat at least one month in advance of the landings. The assault plan must designate the resources involved by name for land forces. The Japanese player is allowed to plan parachute landings as part of his prewar planning. Parachute drops and air landings may be cancelled, but if they take place, they must be on the day planned or within a week after. Units may be allocated to multiple plans, but all but one plan must be cancelled one week before the operation date of the selected plan.
Note that brigades or smaller may individually mount assault and parachute landings without preplanning. Multiple airdrops/air landings/assault landings on the same day in the same army area (e.g., 14th Army or the Solomons) or requiring staged use of transportation assets should be planned together. No quibbling.
The minimum force for an assault landing against a base is one battalion. The minimum force for a parachute drop or air landing on a base is one battalion. Smaller forces may be used against dot hexes.
Historical first turn should obviously be off:
1. No bombing empty bases to artificially enhance pilot training. No training fighter pilots on ground targets beyond 55 exp.
2. All Chinese land and air units that are assigned to China Command HQ are only permitted to move, or base, within China, Japanese Occupied China or Manchukuo. Chinese land and air units can ONLY move to locations outside China if they are first transferred to another HQ. Air units belonging to China Command are allowed to fly missions to hexes outside China.
3. Ground units assigned to Malaya, Borneo, NEI, or the Philippines cannot be sea- or air-transported prior to June 1942.
4. All Australian nationality Brigade and Division LCUs are only allowed to move within Australia Proper, DEI, Solomon Islands, New Britain, New Guinea (For flexibility purposes, I could reason that Australia would see those as part of it's expanded defense perimeter). The exception is all Australian LCUs of this size that are designated as AIF units, e.g. 9th Division AIF; the two AIF Brigades that start in Malaya. This restriction is permanent, even if the units are reassigned to a HQ other than ANZAC Command, and still applies even if a Division or Brigade is split into smaller units.
5. There are no restrictions for Australian air units, other than the normal restrictions that apply to air units that are assigned to the ANZAC Command restricted HQ.
6. Canadian land and air units can only be deployed in North America, including Canada, the USA, Alaska and the Aleutian Islands. This restriction is permanent, even if the units are reassigned to a HQ other than Canada Command.
7. Japanese land and air units that are assigned to the Kwantung Area Army HQ can not leave Manchukuo. They may leave if they are transferred to another HQ.
8. Naval Attack missions by 4 Engined Bombers must be at or above 10000 feet.
9. B29 only on level 6 or 7+ airfields.
10. Allied Bomber attacks against Infrastructure restricted to industrial sites owned by Japan prior to the war (prevent allied player from destroying key infrastructure that they would knock Japan out too early; Allies would not bomb friendly populations.)
11. No Japanese Surface Movement past Singapore until it has fallen. (The fort covered the strait.)
12. No more than x50 aircraft per airfield level (does not count aircraft transiting through). Transiting aircraft must be stood down.
13. Japanese subs allowed to enter the shipping lanes.
14. No landing outside of base/dots hexes and no aerial mining during day phase.
Settings: Player Defined Upgrades permitted, Sub Doctrines On, Allied Damage Control On, Dec 7th Surprise (despite the DoWs being delivered prior to the attacks), Historical Turn Off, FOW, turn cycle 1 day.
1. A public grumbler (grognard).
2. Someone who will sue for peace once the long-term balance of forces resulting from a strategy is clarified.
3. Someone who will stick with settled doctrine rather than using gamey strategies.
In my game against String, I resigned when it became clear that with the Eastern Fleet bottled up or sunk, Japan was able to blockade and take Ceylon by June 1942. That could be expected to cut the sea route to Eastern India and allow Japan to raid sea communications via Western India. That then allows Japan to clear Burma and Assam by late 1942 and cut off the Hump airbridge. The Congress Party would then force the Commonwealth to give up active operations in India by early 1943, and China would fold by mid-1943. The net result will be that Japan will have enough resources to delay Plan Orange by a year or so, which might be enough to allow her to retain some of her gains.
I'm now interested in understanding what would have happened if the Japanese had avoided inflaming American public opinion with an attack on Pearl Harbor. I'm willing to play either side of the following game:
A CHS-based scenario. Treespider's scenario (171) might be good, but I'm willing to look at alternatives.
Victory:
If the Allied player has a sea line of communications (a continuous path with air superiority) between North America and a fleet base in the Philippines or Taiwan and from there to a forward base in the Ryukyus, Korea, or Japan by 31 January 1944, he wins a decisive victory. If this requirement is met by 30 April 1944, it is a regular Allied victory. By 31 July 1944, a marginal victory, by 31 October 1944, a draw, by 31 January 1945, a Japanese marginal victory, by 30 April 1945, a Japanese regular victory, and by 31 July 1945 or later, a decisive Japanese victory.
If at any time, the Japanese player attacks forces present in a hex in Alaska, the Hawaiian Islands (excluding Midway), or continental North America, the Allied player has an additional two years (just so) to meet his requirements for a victory. Note that raiding the American sea lines of communication is OK, but during the first turn, the oiler task force supporting the KB should be assumed to be half empty.
Armistices can be offered by either side at any time. The side offering the armistice must abide by it once accepted. The other side can withdraw from the agreement with 90 days notice. If Japan takes Calcutta, Delhi, Bombay, or Karachi, the Indian Congress Party forces the British in India to offer an armistice on the current lines of contact. If accepted, this means no offensive operations by either side in India, Burma, or Ceylon. If the Chinese capital is taken or Japan accepts this forced armistice with the British, the Chinese offer a similar armistice.
Planning for assault landings:
An assault landing has to be planned at least one month in advance for each division or division-equivalent involved. Planning consists of designating the landing beach and ground forces to land over the beach during the initial week. Land forces involved in a division-sized or larger landing have to be withdrawn from combat at least one month in advance of the landings for planning and preparations. The assault plan must designate the resources involved by name for land forces. The Japanese player is allowed to preplan invasions as part of his prewar planning. Assault landings may be cancelled, but if they take place, they must be on the day planned or within a week after. Ground units may be allocated to multiple plans, but all but one plan must be cancelled one month before the landing date of the selected plan.
When either side begins planning, it should write a text file containing the plan and send an encrypted zip of the file to the opponent. When the game is over, the encryption keys should be sent to the opponent.
A parachute drop or air landing operation has to be planned at least one month in advance for each division or division-equivalent involved. Planning consists of designating the landing zone and ground forces to land there. Land forces involved in a division-sized or larger landing have to be withdrawn from combat at least one month in advance of the landings. The assault plan must designate the resources involved by name for land forces. The Japanese player is allowed to plan parachute landings as part of his prewar planning. Parachute drops and air landings may be cancelled, but if they take place, they must be on the day planned or within a week after. Units may be allocated to multiple plans, but all but one plan must be cancelled one week before the operation date of the selected plan.
Note that brigades or smaller may individually mount assault and parachute landings without preplanning. Multiple airdrops/air landings/assault landings on the same day in the same army area (e.g., 14th Army or the Solomons) or requiring staged use of transportation assets should be planned together. No quibbling.
The minimum force for an assault landing against a base is one battalion. The minimum force for a parachute drop or air landing on a base is one battalion. Smaller forces may be used against dot hexes.
Historical first turn should obviously be off:
1. No bombing empty bases to artificially enhance pilot training. No training fighter pilots on ground targets beyond 55 exp.
2. All Chinese land and air units that are assigned to China Command HQ are only permitted to move, or base, within China, Japanese Occupied China or Manchukuo. Chinese land and air units can ONLY move to locations outside China if they are first transferred to another HQ. Air units belonging to China Command are allowed to fly missions to hexes outside China.
3. Ground units assigned to Malaya, Borneo, NEI, or the Philippines cannot be sea- or air-transported prior to June 1942.
4. All Australian nationality Brigade and Division LCUs are only allowed to move within Australia Proper, DEI, Solomon Islands, New Britain, New Guinea (For flexibility purposes, I could reason that Australia would see those as part of it's expanded defense perimeter). The exception is all Australian LCUs of this size that are designated as AIF units, e.g. 9th Division AIF; the two AIF Brigades that start in Malaya. This restriction is permanent, even if the units are reassigned to a HQ other than ANZAC Command, and still applies even if a Division or Brigade is split into smaller units.
5. There are no restrictions for Australian air units, other than the normal restrictions that apply to air units that are assigned to the ANZAC Command restricted HQ.
6. Canadian land and air units can only be deployed in North America, including Canada, the USA, Alaska and the Aleutian Islands. This restriction is permanent, even if the units are reassigned to a HQ other than Canada Command.
7. Japanese land and air units that are assigned to the Kwantung Area Army HQ can not leave Manchukuo. They may leave if they are transferred to another HQ.
8. Naval Attack missions by 4 Engined Bombers must be at or above 10000 feet.
9. B29 only on level 6 or 7+ airfields.
10. Allied Bomber attacks against Infrastructure restricted to industrial sites owned by Japan prior to the war (prevent allied player from destroying key infrastructure that they would knock Japan out too early; Allies would not bomb friendly populations.)
11. No Japanese Surface Movement past Singapore until it has fallen. (The fort covered the strait.)
12. No more than x50 aircraft per airfield level (does not count aircraft transiting through). Transiting aircraft must be stood down.
13. Japanese subs allowed to enter the shipping lanes.
14. No landing outside of base/dots hexes and no aerial mining during day phase.
Settings: Player Defined Upgrades permitted, Sub Doctrines On, Allied Damage Control On, Dec 7th Surprise (despite the DoWs being delivered prior to the attacks), Historical Turn Off, FOW, turn cycle 1 day.