AAR - Mega Pacific MRY v3.1; Nginear vs inbello

[Nginear]

*cracks knuckles*

Alright fellas, going to have to balance fantasy football and this game, but here goes another round of MEGA Pacific! inbello will be the Allies, I will obviously be Japan. We are going with the recommended house rules. inbello contacted me with some glitches and questions while playing a MP game, but was eventually ghosted after a few turns. No ghosting will be done here!

Stay tuned for the first turn over the next day or two!

[OldCrowBalthazor]

*cracks knuckles*

Alright fellas, going to have to balance fantasy football and this game, but here goes another round of MEGA Pacific! inbello will be the Allies, I will obviously be Japan. We are going with the recommended house rules. inbello contacted me with some glitches and questions while playing a MP game, but was eventually ghosted after a few turns. No ghosting will be done here!

Stay tuned for the first turn over the next day or two!

Right on!

[Nginear]

Turn 1! December 7, 1941

Overall, a decent turn. Not 100% efficient, but certainly a great start with no major oopsies.

Pearl Harbor went pretty historical. 4xPreWar Battleships sunk, one attack on the BB in dry dock (probably about 5 health now), and used surface ships to sink an Auxiliary ship. -4 sp to his fighter unit from intercepts. Out of 12 air strikes, one BB strike did evade damage grrr, but otherwise would have another BB half damaged. My losses: 6 SP of planes on three carriers. That leaves three carriers who do NOT need to return to Japan to top off aircraft. That's good!

Designer Note:
From my experience playing this mod, it is best to NOT engage in any retaliatory strikes against KB. Maybe try to hunt down the midget sub, but brining the US carriers in for strikes is foolish, 2v6. For whatever damage can be done, KB can easily still kill anything lurking around it the next turn. This does set back their travel time as they can no longer cruise, but who doesn't like sinking ships? Inbello seemed to have a similar experience playing against someone, sinking 4 carriers early on in their game. The Allies need to research Aerial Warfare and drop the Buffaloes (i.e. upgrade)!


Hong Kong, British North Borneo, Sarawak, Guam and Wake fall.
I moved the amphib'd Battalion near Tarawa towards Rabaul. It will take two more turns to reach it, and Inbello could reinforce it next turn. Australia has only enough to reinforce either Rabaul or DEI, but it can't do both. Oz does get an event for the NG Volunteer Rifles, but they take a couple of turns to form in Rabaul.


Invasion of the Philippines:
North: Aparii falls with paratroopers and a bomber strike, allowing the HQ to get the port. Managed to destroy the fighter unit and damaged the B-17s. I added the fighter unit and the coastal battery since the last version I played...there probably are more efficient landings to be done here Luzon. Oh well, gives inbello a little more of fair shake.

South: Captured the port in north Davao for supply and the SNLF launches an attack on Davao. Historically Davao had an entire division that simply gave up at the first sight of Japanese. I tried to find a balance here with just a weaker unit (battalion).

Sea: Gave some damage to two subs and sank the light cruiser. USS-CA Houston is still there in the middle, I wasn't able to reach it. After my last game, I wanted to give the Philippine ships at least a fighting chance to escape (historically almost all subs and ships did), so I spread them out. We will see how much I "fixed" that issue.

Malaya:
Sank Prince of Wales, Repulse, and the DD with air and naval. Air took a bigger pounding than I would have liked - 2sp damage to both of medium bombers.
Got a solid footing on the peninsular, destroying the fighter and the east regiment. I can close in on the capital next turn, meanwhile keep the pressure up on Singapore with bombers.

Declared war on Dutch East Indies in order to get an attack on the sub (-3) and fighter (-2).

China:
I took the Changsha bait. Fortified positions are hard to crack! Full artillery barrage, two corp attacks, and one light tank only did 4 damage, while I took much higher losses. At the end of this turn, China will get hit with the randomized corruption strength loss of 1-3 points on all units (this only happens once after the first turn. In the future there is only a 1 point random corruption hit), so that will be added onto it.


Strategy:
I'm obviously committed in Malaya, but I can either focus on DEI or Burma next. DEI is worth a lot of MPPs, but there is not a lot of ground units/MPP available to the Allies at start to reinforce in the first turn. The sooner the Burma Road gets cut, the negative MPP effect it has on China. I designed the Air Lift to be a negative ratio of MPPs for US/China, i.e. it costs the USA more to send than what China receives.
I did not leave KB committed for another attack on Pearl Harbor. If I were Inbello, I would dump every ship and flee to the corners to regroup, just in case... Inbello could send the northern carrier near Midway to get in position for the Doolittle raid, but even that is bit risky early on as there are plenty of ships near Japan.

MPPs:
Collected 402.
My starting 150 was spent on Amphibing a Battalion in the Pacific, purchased a Kempeitai, and reinforced two units around Changsha.

[Nginear]

Christmas 1941. The Allies never imagined they would be facing the Japanese on so many fronts at the same time. This will be a somber Christmas.
Three capitals (Malaya, Philippines, and Singapore) are staring down the Japanese on the outskirts, trading barbs here and there. Malaya got a reprieve due to bad weather which saved it from heavy aerial bombing...but Singapore still suffered from 14" Japanese battleship bombardments. The Large Naval Guns found no ships that dared attack the fortress, so they fired toward the Jap's supply town.

Meanwhile, in the first demonstration that the Japanese navy is not invincible, a Dutch sub got a prepared shot on a destroyer flotilla for four damage. Ouch! That flotilla boldly goes in search of the Dutch sub and exchanges greetings but suffers more damage!


Manila continues to feel the pressure and has no more entrenchment. Will it fall next turn?
The IJN tried to box in all the US Far Eastern Fleet, but some ships managed to find holes. 4 of 5 subs were eventually spotted, though only one was attacked for -3. The elusive USS Houston is the crown jewel, but was not found.

Outside of Pearl Harbor, the reports of a midget submarine escaping proved true. A furious search was made and contact made with the mother submarine, which resulted in damage for the searching minesweeper. But alas, the midget sub was found west of PH and promptly sunk, thus becoming the first Japanese casualty of the war.


Meanwhile Kidō Butai was faced with choices. I was REALLY tempted to see what he did with his ships in PH, whether he cleared them out or left them, especially the ship dry dock. But I eventually decided not to stick around. He harassed a few units and a couple were already down to 4 supply. I had a hunch there was a PBY on Johnston Island, so I moved my CV to scout (it could not cruise anyway). Sure enough KB was being watched! The PBY's were destroyed on the wharf, but now KB is split into the ones that could cruise, and the ones that could not cruise. Half of KB is still full health on aircraft, two @ 8, and one @ 5.

[Nginear]

MPP 399 (-8 raider)
MPP per turn 402,399


Strategy Talk:
-Going to start putting pressure on Burma, but not a full attack until Malaya is secure.
-Rabaul, Malaya, and Manila are primary goals next turn.
-I have no offensive capability in China. That attack on Changsha was an expensive waste of troops...which is what happened historically. I didn't learn from history! I'll reinforce here and there in China, but for the most part will be quiet China until Burma and DEI fall and I can get more artillery.
-I moved two units outside Burma to keep up the pressure. The artillery was moved up there so it can begin collecting shells, and the Thailand Regiment was operated north to start moving up east side of Burma. I equipped a SNLF and the Light Tank with Supply Depot (+1 movement) to eventually move and attack through Moulmein with the support of the artillery.

Designer Note:
As a game designer(I also design board games), you know you have hit the mark when the player is biting their lip "should I choose A or B?" On turn 2, I can definitely feel plenty of pressure. Japan has pretty much free reign, but should I focus on Burma or DEI next? Rabaul or Guadalcanal? And oh man, the technology! "I need them all so badly...!" I really have to say I think the technology changes are my favorite. Much improved from the base game!



Tech Corner:
One chit invested in ASW.

Allied Losses:
USA-1xSeaplane, 1xAuxiliary ship

Japanese Losses:
1xMidget sub

[Nginear]

Accomplished goals of capturing Malaya, Manila, and Rabaul. Singapore got pounded by air power and one BB (BB took two damage, so not really worth it to continue bombarding).

With Manila falling, the capital moves south to Davao where I only have two units. I've struggled with the idea whether to have Philippine have an alternate capital. IRL Davao was well defended, but they broke at first sight. Considering I took Manila by Jan '43, I'm inclined to leave it the way it is. It adds a little bit of struggle for the Japanese player.

Slowly building up some Burma forces. Moved the two regiments in Thailand up there. I'll probably move the HQ in Indochina up there next turn, and by then the artillery will be fully stocked. This might depend on whether Singapore falls, as I'm using the HQ to boost the bombers up there.

Inbello has two subs hanging around Hong Kong, one at 6sp west of Manila, and I chased that east Ph sea sub down. It finally died after 3xDD,1xCVL,2xAux attacks to sink a 7sp sub! Happy for the score, but man the jap ASW is bad (this was historical and built into the mod).

[Nginear]

China continues to be sporadic fighting. At this point, it's mostly going to be looking for weak spots just to attack for the sake of using up his MPPs. As long as my air power is occupied elsewhere, I don't have offensive power to attack.
Attacked one Fortified position -5sp, down to 3. moved some other units around to set up for attacks next turn.

Solomons
I think his Lark force militia is supposed to form next turn, but I captured Rabaul first so they will go to mainland Oz. I had a battalion unit swoop down to Lae and capture that area. Things are fairly close to historical time line expansion right now.
Had one other battalion amphib'd from last turn to capture that port south of Tarawa. It's a tough call on where to send that unit, so many options with game changing results. I opted for the port to completely cut him from any resupply in the area. Espirtu Santo will be the closest, and he has to "build" it. Otherwise Noumea is next, which is a pretty big distance for naval engagements.
Found the CA Houston taking refuge in Darwin. I'm not sure how long he intends on keeping it there (I would be try to regroup), but my blockade also activated Darwin's home militia.

[Nginear]

Strategy Talk:
-Moved one sub from the PH attack close to mainland USA. This should activate my custom script ("sub shells the east coast and causes panic"). Maybe I'll catch an unsuspecting ship too! Keeping subs on ambush spots keeps you on your toes hehe.
-4 of 6 fleet carriers will be partially refueled in the Gilbert Islands. I haven't decided exactly where to send them. Three are still at full fighter strength.
-Need to finish off Singapore, but going to start clearing out DEI's naval/air power and building up amphibs.
-I'm tracking one CV to the south, it moved 22 spots SW. Have had no sightings on the Midway starting carrier.
-I have a fleet slowly moving east ward toward Midway, looking for any Doolittle Raiders. Every time I pulled off Doolittle, it was always a nail biting moment of "was I discovered?"

Designer Talk:
Plundering Rabaul netted me 99mpp. That sounds like too much considering there is very little infrastructure there, I'm going to have to figure out how to cut that back.


MPP collected: 423 (-10 raider)

Purchases: AA unit. Reinforced aircraft on the CVL, so it can sail next turn.

Tech Update: Search radar got a boost.

Allied Losses:
Great B - 1xDestroyer
British R - 1xCorp
USA - 1xSubmarine, Philippine Corp

Japanese Losses:
None from last turn.

[Nginear]

Turn 7, Jan 30, 1942.
Not as much action this turn. My tank moved next to Moulmein and mauled that regiment up real good, plus air power. Various small clashes in China. Rain in Singapore so couldn't do much there.
I did move a homeland Corp over to Canton/Hong Kong so as to provide some extra strength in that area. Hopefully takes some of the pressure off.
Viciously attacked one submarine in the China Sea, its down to 1sp but couldn't land the kill. Hopefully next turn!

Gearing up for the Dutch East Indies invasion. It was an expensive turn - one Destroyer (long range) transport, plus 1 other amphib'd this turn. That's three so far that I've gathered. The destroyers and Aux boats are refueling and will be ready to fight those pesky subs.

Operated a fighter to help in Burma, plus operated a bomber to Guadalcanal.
All in all, most of the mpp was spent on Amphibs and operating aircraft.


Purchases:
None

Tech Update:
Dropped a second chit in ASW.

Allied Losses:
None.


Japanese Losses:
None from last turn.

[Nginear]

Feb 17, 1942
Well this turn was a bit more eventful. On his turn, he continues to bomb the supply in Thailand. Now he has brought in some B-24s plus the Indian MedB. My fighter was ready and took quite a bit of damage. No way of knowing how much he took, but I'm sure it was some. China got another corruption hit and now has several front line units at 7sp.

My turn:
Glad to be killing stuff again!
China:
I attacked that north fortification again, -4. There was a nearby cavalry unit which I was able to destroy. I hope I have the room to move my units out of the 2 hex zone of the commie base, that is two turns now with a mobilization hit.
Also took the pressure off Canton. Attacked the one corp and it retreated taking damage. Moved my regiment unit right next to his unguarded supply town. Unless he has a unit behind the line, he's going to have to move that second unit off Canton which completely breaks the blockade.

Philippines:
Found that 1sp sub and sunk it. I think he just gave up on it. There are three other subs that are prowling around east and west of the Philippines. Time to mop up Luzon, but Davao is going to need another attack unit to fully capture. I am transporting another SNLF unit to assist.

DEI:
Gathered three amphibious transports together and they are ready to move south next turn. Knocked that pesky DEI sub down to 4sp, so not much left to stop the fleet from moving. Batvia here I come!

Singapore:
Bombed. A lot. Next turn will be worse with my dive bomber on an airfield. Hopefully Singapore falls! The Australian defenders are thoroughly disheartened.

New Guinea:
Found the elusive CA Houston while scouting over Port Morseby. I only had one CV that could be in range, so it was attack the Sea Plane or the Houston. Opted for the ship and it was promptly sunk in harbor at Port Morseby.

[Nginear]

Income:
435 (-8 raider)

Strategic Talk:
I've split up KB. Sent two CVs south toward the Oz supply line. Found a US Seaplane on an island...it's no more. I want a really good hit on the convoy line this turn to scare him. His Oz supply line will get hit with three subs and two CV attacks. No idea how much damage all that will do, but hopefully it will cause some panic. Last turn he sent 80mpp.

I was planning an attack on Midway with that north fleet, but at the end of turn I was informed the Doolittle Raid had transpired! From a designer standpoint, I'm glad it worked. From a gamer view, grrrr. Now I have to decide between continuing on Midway or look for the fleet. He could easily jump north toward the Aluetians and be hard to find.


Purchases:
None

Tech Update:
Nothing to report.

Allied Losses:
China: 1xCavalry Corp
USA: 1xSubmarine, 1xHeavy Cruiser, 1xSea Plane


Japanese Losses:
None from last turn.

Last Turn:
China had a corruption hit
Communist China mobilized (75%)

[Nginear]

Alright, we are back for turns.

March 8, 1942
Inbello continues to pound the supply in Burma. My fighter there is under supplied and is getting their brows beat.
He also seems to be planning something with the navy. Except for his subs, I have not seen one ship testing the perimeter. I know he has at least one carrier in northern waters, and a sub bumped a CL east of Midway. Pretty much lost track of everything else, since nothing has shown up.

My turn-

Malaya:
The regiment at Singapore gets pounded and finally destroyed. Had to use the two attacks from my Destroyer Transport, but I think it will still be ok for the DEI invasion. I'll have to move into Singapore next turn to occupy. Depending on how next turn goes, will depend on what I will do with my bombers in the area.

China:
As predicted, the siege of Canton ended. He pulled back all the corps, if I'm lucky I might be able to trap one and capture the town. Got two units parked on it, so the supply will drop. China sure is a money pit. Gotta keep enough strength there to keep him beat down so he doesn't get to save money and build up tech.

Communist China fully mobilized. I'm going to have to check those scripts again. That was only two turns with a unit close, and it fully mobilized; it should have taken longer than that. Now I have to contend with them, so started moving units near their guerilla bases. He can't move the guerillas out of their villages, but he sure can zap units that are guarding.

Pacific:
On his last turn, my CVL approaching Midway intercepted a SeaPlane launched from east of Midway. He doubtless knows there is a fleet approaching now. I decided to swing the entire fleet south and hopefully he will lose track of it (he will keep looking north and west). This also allowed me to gather the DD Transport into the fleet and send 2x CV up there for reinforcements. I had slated one of them to return to Japan for resupply, but I'll see how this plays out. Midway is guarded by a dive bomber and Seaplane. All I have to do is destroy the sea plane to get the transport landed.

The Emperor also sent a regiment to China for his DooLittle raid to help shut down the airfields. Yay!

Australia:
Got a good smack down on the supply line to Australia. 80mpps down to the bottom of the ocean! I left two subs on the route, but my CVs were needed elsewhere. Also moved a sub on the convoy route to India, just to say hello.

Found the Port Moresby SeaPlane hiding near Townsville. The entire Rabaul fleet of 3xCVs promptly moved down to delete it. It's a lot harder to counter attack without eyes! The Rabaul SNLF then jumped on amphib transports to begin an attack towards PM, but it will take 2 turns to get there.

Philippines:
Mop up continues. After making no progress in Davao, I moved another SNFL there. Finally have the city on total siege.

[Nginear]

March 7, 1942

MPP:
441, no raiders!

Purchases:
None

Tech Update:
Nothing new to report. I thought about selling the 4-engine tech chit for a long time, but decided I'm going to get the upgrade. That will turn my H6k SeaPlanes into the very formidable H8k "Emily." It will pack quite a punch when upgraded, plus another 10 hex distance.

Allied Losses:
DEI is taking the brunt of it this turn. The losses will continue next turn with a full scale invasion!

DEI: 1xsubmarine, 1xFighter, Militia
Australia: Singapore Regiment, Sea Plane


Japanese Losses:
None, but a sub took a good pounding in the Java sea.


Strategic analysis:
I'm getting pretty stretched on land units. Many Pacific Islands have no garrisons, though that do have a garrison stuck on an inner island, not the perimiter where I need them (can't spare the mpp to move them so far). Trying to keep up the tempo, I have only built two land units so far, and repaired only a few ships, instead amphibing many units. It certainly is a race for resources!

As far as battle plans: I've got an attack planned for Port Moresby, but it will take two turns to get there. Have a force headed towards Midway. Going to have to divert China troops to fight CC guerillas since they broke our truce. Burma is back burner to DEI, but still have to fight up there. With Malaya fully functional, I can send two heavy units and an HQ to help break that deadlock.

[Tanaka]

Loving the AAR! What are the skulls on the map?

[Nginear]

Loving the AAR! What are the skulls on the map?

Unit was destroyed.