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Evening all,
I decided to do a Japan AAR this week to accompany the mammoth Germany one I made previously. This time, I've started it from the beginning of the campaign.

Once again, there will be no restarts from save unless unavoidable e.g. if there is a crash--though these are few and far between with the current version. Whatever happens, happens.

I like the 1890 start because the earlier game is the most interesting to me. Let's fire it up and set some options. These are the ones I usually use to avoid the late game getting too boring with heaps of aircraft just smashing up everything they can find. Larger games have enough fleet to be fun, but not too much to be manageable with the fairly rudimentary controls available. I play in Captain's mode. Tried Admirals once or twice, don't like it. To those who can get good results with it, kudos, but I find it unsatisfying, and usually, annoying. Starting fleet. Nice--two Bs, generally only get one.
Set up fleet organisation. And research. You can see which things I like to prioritise, either to accentuate national advantages, offset national limitations, or for Subdivision and Damage control, because it's downright essential. I will also add Fleet Tactics and Torpedo Tech when they appear.
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Finally, ships under construction. Usually these are pretty medicocre and I scrap them to build CLs until the docks are bigger. This time though... We've contracted Italian yards to build us a couple of Ferraris--24kt CAs. More out of curiosity as to how they'll perform, I'll keep building these but they are bankruptingly expensive. Halted the later one, continuing the one closer to completion, building docks and banking the rest.
Relations with Italy could be better though. Don't want them being seized due to the ruinous cost of the darn things.

Developments 1890-91.
At peace. Germany has seized S. Korea. That won't do, and I'll be doing something about that later.
Possibility of alliance with Italy. Nothing comes of this, except to lower tensions with them to 0. Good.

August 1891: War with Russia. This gets off to a really bad start, since it's caused by them sinking one of my two Bs in port and getting caught. Well, if they want a war, they've got it.
One of my new CAs is in service, one has been resumed and is now 5 months away. Two new CLs started, but 18 months in before delivery.
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1891, August. Opening moves. They have 2x B and various cruisers in theatre. No operations this month. Extra training in night fighting and torpedo warfare commenced.
1891, Sept. Fleet action.
Intel reports enemy movements off Hokkaido. Moving to intercept with everything we have. Which is not much. 0434: CA Izumo almost collides with an enemy unit in the dark. Pings off a torp, no hits. 0449: Sighted 3x CLs, a CA and a B. We can take em. [continues]

0503: Closing and taking damage. The payoff: torpedoed the B. Handing out more of the same. Another fish into the B. Probably doomed. The CA turned out to be a second B. Got a torp into that one too. Scorecard. Izumo (24 kts) turned out to be very handy chasing down one of the CLs and that went to the bottom too, after a two hour chase. Their Vestas only do 21 kts and are meat in this contest. So for the time being the Russian fleet is neutralised in this area.
1891, Oct: both sides licking their wounds. I ended up with only 2x CL available that month. No operations--had to decline a couple, giving them some VPs. Too bad.
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1891, Nov:
State of the forces. We are laughably weak, but I notice that of the remaining 7 Russian Bs, 4 are still in the Baltic, the other three are scattered over the Atlantic and Indian oceans and may well arrive piecemeal. Could be an opportunity here to destroy them in detail. This month though, we declined a battle each.
I've ordered the invasion of Sakhalin to tempt them out of port.
1891, Dec.
Cruiser action north of Honshu. The only incident of note in this action.
12:31: Varyag class CA takes magazine hit, blows up and sinks. The only other remarkable thing about this battle was how truly awful everybody's gunnery was, > 1200 rounds fired by both sides, 15 hits. Minor victory, +1P
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I'm going to pause the AAR for a good long while due to other activities. Back later when possible!
Cheers,
mrchuck