PAW 1941-45 me (Axis) vs warspite1 (Allies)

[larryfulkerson]

Good ole Warspite1 accepted my challenge and it looks like we've got a game started. I'm the Japs and I want to start running out of the gate and make hay while I can because the Allies start to get some heavy duty hardware about a year into the game and that will put a stop to my expansion of the perimeter and I'll have to go on the defensive from thereafter. So I've got roughly a year to expand into the Allies territory and grab what resources I can in that period of time. I think it's long enough for what I have in mind.

Thomas Harvey and I playtested this scenario a couple of years ago and I fell in love with it then. It's a big scenario but the unit count is relatively low so the turns are usually quick. Except for the Japanese first turn moves. That's what I'm working on right now. I figure it'll take me about an hour or so, maybe more. Because you have to set the moving units in motion and deploy all the aircraft to optimal positions and move the boats on their missions. I need to put together a Pearl Harbor Strike and make that happen. And then there's all the invasions in the Phillippines and Malaya and some of the smaller islands near Guadalcanal. Rabaul for sure.

Brian ( General Patton ) went out of his way to teach me how to play WITP-AE and I picked up a lot of good ideas that I'd like to try in this game. I told Warspite1 ( what's his name anyway?) that I wanted to play a friendly game and that I was available for advice or answers for his questions and that goes for you guys too. Post your questions and we'll all learn.

EDIT: I've reviewed page one of the AAR and deem it stale as far as OPSEC goes and so it's open to the public
including Warspite1 ( Rob ).

[warspite1]

Great!

So from here on in I won't enter this thread and will start my own 'Allied' thread - I take it FOW is ON?

Good luck, and may the best man win - so long as its the righteous Allied man and not the evil Axis dude [:D]

[larryfulkerson]

Here's the OOB list and I'm posting this to show that there's 700+ units to
manage and there's a lot of CD guns and stuff in garrison mode so there's
a lot that you don't have to make a decision about in the list. I need to
scan the inventory to see how many of what I have.

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: larryfulkerson

Here's the OOB list and I'm posting this to show that there's 700+ units to
manage and there's a lot of CD guns and stuff in garrison mode so there's
a lot that you don't have to make a decision about in the list. I need to
scan the inventory to see how many of what I have.

warspite1

Sorry Larry can you just confirm if we are FOW on or off please - thanks?

[larryfulkerson]

Here's some statistics from the Inventory dialog and it looks like we're in
pretty good shape so far. Plenty of on-hand for almost everything and it's
all dark green and I'm about to put it all in motion.

[larryfulkerson]

ORIGINAL: warspite1
Sorry Larry can you just confirm if we are FOW on or off please - thanks?

Yes, by all means let's play with the FOW "on" because that will increase the
fun. And multiply the surprises.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's what House rules I gleaned from the Scenario Briefing:

The Japanese have 7 locations that will trigger a loss of 1 point of supply if lost after they are taken and are marked with (1S). They are: Shanghai, Canton, Palembang, Medan, Jambi City, Tarakan, and Balikpapan. They were all held by the Japanese to the end of the war. The Japanese player is expected to do the same.

The 6 Japanese CVs must return to within 10 hexes of Japan after the first turn before going elsewhere in order to prevent the sinking of the American carriers when they can't move due to shock through turn 2. In addition, the Japanese player is prohibited from sending any ships within 5 hexes of Pearl Harbor during the first two turns.

If the gamers agree, the Chinese Communist units can not occupy the same hex, at the end of their movement, as the Nationalist units due to their civil war that was ongoing before and after WW2.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's the expected reinforcements and I spy a BB in that list. That's a very good thing.

[larryfulkerson]

According to the OOB there's 4 CV's, 2 CVL's, and 1 CVE in the way of carriers and I haven't decided yet where to send the CVL's and the CVE but I'm leaning toward the Phillippines, specifically Manila and the smaller islands, including the Celebes.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's what I'm thinking for Manila and I'm going for it first to see if I
can manage to push over the defenders and grab the port, airfield, and supply
point for the island. I'll need to include some big guns for support and that
usually means a BB group. The BB group is going to be needed anyway for the
take-down of Corregidor and the Allied ships that usually infest the Manila
harbor waters. In addition to the ships I'll see if I can't capture some of
the airfields on the ialand and fly in some fighters for a CAP and some bombers
to start the bombardment of Bataan.

[larryfulkerson]

I thought I'd run through the site-ing of the Allied BB's because it's kind
of tricky. The Allies have aircraft at Pearl and I don't want to get tangled
with them so I stay away from Pearl as far as I can and still launch a strike.
I'm told there's advantages in moving your ships together enmass and so I'll
inch the CV's closer to Pearl in a line-abreast formation until I see some
Allied BB's pop into view.

[larryfulkerson]

I got this close before the BB's popped into view. Now to make some 3-dot
attacks on the BB's ( Port Attack since they are in port ) and get out of
Dodge.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's a list of the aircraft and as you can see I have a lot of planes to
deploy and it might have been really helpful if some of these were already
in the right spot with the right mission. That's a new version of the
scenario before we see that I think. At any rate I've got a lot of planes
to process and I've only been at my moves for about half an hour now, posting
in the AAR at the same time.

[larryfulkerson]

I've found an Army HQ unit that can aledgedly repair rail. I'll have to send
this bad boy to Hong Kong after it falls to see if it really can repair rails.
Also, it's got no organic artillery at all. But it does have some AT guns.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's the Hanoi / Haiphong area currently. I haven't moved anybody yet so
you can see what my tactical problem is. I have too few people to guard the
northern frontier so I'm thinking I'll adopt a mobile defense and put up a
light screen for now. If I can round up some more people I'll see what I
can do to stop up the Burma and Ledo roads with these folks.

[larryfulkerson]

Just out of curiosity I thought I'd select one of my subchasers and survey
the ports on the PI to see if I could find an empty one and found one.
I'm calling it Aparri which is a port up there somewhere on the north
coast. It's got no supply yet and there's no airfield or anything important
there so I'm in no hurry to get a garrison in there.

[larryfulkerson]

I thought that I ought to deploy all the aircraft before I start moving units
willy nilly. I'm getting reaquanted with the aircraft units and I'm finding
that I have to adjust the ranges of the unit to match the most numerous type
which in this case would be the Sonia instead of the Sally. And I've checked
out the Sonia and I've decided that it's unsatisfactory as a bomber but I CAN
use it against ships, decidely small ships. I've decided to set it on INT to
harrase the Chinese units as they scurry here and there.

A lot of the units are starting the game with a single plane and I rest those
in Japan, and some of them have about half their allotted planes, I guess to
simulate them having been hard at it before today. Some of them are yellow
already and I guess that's because of all the furballs that happen during the
inter-turn phase of the game engine operations. I need to save the heavier
bombers, the Betty's and Nells for the important spots, like the PI right now.

[devoncop]

I never even noticed this scenario....it looks amazing so I will enjoy following it...possibly a more playable WITP ? I realise TOAW has had problems modelling naval warfare previously so it will be really interesting to see how this goes.

Quick question....in designating "industry" as a strategic target how does that affect you or Warspite if it is bombed ?

[larryfulkerson]

ORIGINAL: devoncop

I never even noticed this scenario....it looks amazing so I will enjoy following it...possibly a more playable WITP ? I realise TOAW has had problems modelling naval warfare previously so it will be really interesting to see how this goes.

Quick question....in designating "industry" as a strategic target how does that affect you or Warspite if it is bombed ?

I'm working on an answer....give me a minute and I'll edit this post with my answer.

Here's what the scenario briefing has to say:

The Japanese also have 10 air units that are called "INDUSTRY." which are red on black in color. They are all located in Japan. The loss of each one due to bombing or shelling will trigger a loss of 1% off of replacement equipment. There is a bonus of 10% of replacement equipment added over time to compensate. If the Allied player does not bomb them all off there will be a bonus of production to the Japanese. If they are all destroyed then Japanese production will be reduced to the historical level that accounts for heavy destruction caused by bombing of Japan.

[devoncop]

Thanks Larry

Nice abstracted mechanic.