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I am playing allies vs organic opponent, game now in April 1942. Japan has now landed 54 land units at Trivandrum India supported by a major portion of his fleet (sighting report 8 BB, 15 CA, 3 DD, 2xDE, 1 PC, 26 AP, 37 AK; assumed many more DD and CV types give CAP). SEAsia still operating with its paltry force one UK div, five 1/3 strength Indian div, 2 Indian TK Bde and 1 UK Tank Rgt. These are spread out trying to defend the 10 key coastal/entry point cities. SEAsia has 7xHurricane, 2 Mohawk, and 2 Buffalo air groups to serve as flying targets; not counting 2 CVs flying 40 Fulmars and the Hermes target ship. Unlike AE, there are no seven emergency divisions that are going to arrive.

As pointed out when game started, India and Russia cannot be defended if the Japanese players chooses to make either a major objective. The simulation design does not seem to anticipate players focusing on the add-on fronts and bypassing the major focus [The Pacific]. Given my opponent has make India the major objective, Bombay & Karachi can be taken ending all SEAsia reinforcements and starving out China.

Am I correct to assume the game is won by the Japanese without having to fight the war in the Pacific? Am I wasting my limited discretionary time playing this game with this opponent.

Perhaps someone has played a game with a India as the primary Japanese focus who can provide some insight as to how the game evolves.

Note Karachi gets significant reinforcements on 15th May. Taking the base (and Bombay) before then seems a good idea.

My vs. AI game went like this:

December 41
Repulse sunk, POW flees to India
IJA take Victoria Point, Tavoy and then dig in (presenting no threat to Burma)
Paratroops take Andaman Islands on 8th December, transports fly in engineers, but the base never proves of any practical use before India falls.

January 42
Singapore taken on the 7th by 3,000 assault value army; this puts all Malaya in Japanese hands
Japanese land at Yanam, India on 21st (no opposition)
Paratroops take several cities while main forces advance more slowly

February 42
Royal Navy attack Yanam in large but inconclusive battles on the 3rd
Madras and Panaji taken to provide decent ports in India

March 42
British 7th Armoured Brigade moves to Ahmadabad; the only movement by Allied ground forces in the whole campaign. It is forced to retreat 1 hex, then never moves again.
Bombay falls on the 3rd after short but heavy fighting
Karachi attacked on the 16th and then on. IJA assault value declines 3500 to 2900 whilst British around 1100 AV, but Japanese engineers reduce forts 5 to 2. Another 1100 AV Japanese reinforcements enroute.
Four IJN battleships engage 2 RN carriers; 2 battleships damaged by gunfire, RN carriers unhurt!

April 42
Eight IJN battleships bombard Karachi and keep fortifications down and disruption up, operating in 2\3\3 to bombard every day.
G4M bombers sink RN carrier Formidable. Indomitable pounds Akagi, which very nearly sinks and takes until early 1944 to repair. Soryu and Ryujo sink Indomitable.
RN battleships are hit first by carriers and then G4M bombers. Royal Sovereign, Ramilies and Prince of Wales are sunk, without ever fighting the IJN bombardment ships.
Karachi falls on the 27th, at 2:1 odds with no fortifications. Allies scuttle 2 heavy cruisers, 2 light cruisers and 16 other ships.

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You should be able to do a lot better, since you can withdraw forces from Burma to India.

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Taking India is a huge gain for the Japanese:
- large areas see no losses
- submarine threat is considerably cut, and threat areas more predictable
- the pilot bug is reduced \ avoided, because far fewer pilots are in game

I think that's the point of the post. If India is such a winner for the Japanese player, does it make the game unplayable? As in, if Japan can get enough advantage from an attack against which the Allies can't really defend, is the role of the Allied player to be a punching bag for Japan? Now I know it was hard to get Japanese players, but is that because most people ignored India, or does India not matter and the US push through the Pacific is really the only game in town?

To begin with the game is a game, not a simulation.

The IJN has now abandoned the Pacific to the USN so take advantage of it as best you can. Keeping that force in fuel and supplies will be a logistical nightmare, if you use you assets to choke of the line of supply.

This is what make palying against people so interesting.

Once Bombay and Karachi are taken, there are no more SWPac reinforcements. Only a token IJA force is needed to garrison. Before captured, both Bombay and Karachi has 999K supply and fuel. There will be no more supply for the existing units elsewhere in India & Burma.

Consensus seems to exist.

The Japanese player can be assured to capture Bombay & Karachi by using sufficient force, effectively winning the game by April 1942, regardless of what the Allied player does. Sufficient VPs exist in the SWAsia to ensure Japanese automatic victory. An additional bonus is losing India also isolates supply from China, ensuring victory in China as well.

There should be units released if India is invaded. The units released are defined starting at 7960 in the Locations database (Scen 1).

What scenario are you playing? You may be playing a scenario that has removed them or you may have found a bug.

Bill

ORIGINAL: wdolson

There should be units released if India is invaded. The units released are defined starting at 7960 in the Locations database (Scen 1).

What scenario are you playing? You may be playing a scenario that has removed them or you may have found a bug.

Bill

Odd - My scenario 15 has only Locations up to 3999 available within the editor, with the highest land formation being Vancouver Fort at 3497

Whoops, my bad [:(]

I was looking at the AE databases and didn't realize until just now that this is the old WitP forum. I get e-mails whenever a thread starts and you have to look carefully to tell the difference between the AE and WitP forum.

I was confused by this thread because in AE we deliberately made it very tough for Japan to capture India and thought maybe there was a bug preventing the invasion reaction forces from showing up.

AE's location database is 8000 entries long and it's almost completely full in stock.

Sorry for the confusion.

Bill

CHS seems to have some extra Commonwealth units in India with a new restricted India Command.  India Command can still go overland into Burma, but won't load into transports.