Opening Moves (FC Nimitz AAR)

[PanzersEast]

OPENING MOVES
1942
Fleet Commander Nimitz

This is my first play though of FC Nimitz so I am not sure I will go all the way through and I am bound to over look something, however I am going to do a quick AAR.  If you do not like moving and keeping up with a lot of counters, this will probably not be your game.



Jan/Feb 1942


Here is the opening situation Jan/Feb 1942



My first order of business is to Secure Midway and try and strike the Gilbert Islands while there is only 1 Battalion defending the Island.  This turn we have 20 Supply Points (SP)  and 7 Reinforcement Points (RP) to spend.  Currently stationed at the Hawaiian Islands we have:

Carriers:
Yorktown
Enterprise
Lexington
Saratoga

Cruisers:
Louisville
Chicago
San Francisco
New Orleans
Honolulu
Portland
Pensacola
St Louis
Phoenix

4 DD Groups
3 Sub Groups



We also have 11th Bomber Group, 18th Fighter Group, Marine Air Group 21 and the 25th Infantry Division.

I am looking at splitting my forces into two groups.  I also need more boots on the ground so I may spend points on Infantry or Marine Reinforcements.  Solomon Islands are exposed and what worries me most is the mass grouping of Naval ships currently anchored at Japan.  We will need more ships for sure....

I am open to feedback on what to do next....

[bayonetbrant]

does this game treat the entire Pacific as one big theater, or does it recognize any of the strategic planning split between the War Dept and the Navy Dept?

[PanzersEast]

does this game treat the entire Pacific as one big theater, or does it recognize any of the strategic planning split between the War Dept and the Navy Dept?

You assume the role of Commander in Chief, Pacific Ocean Areas (CinCPOA), for U.S. and Allied air, land, and sea forces.


PE

[BanzaiCat]

It reminds me, in a way, of Silent War, although the scope is much broader here.

[GJK]

I'm anxious to get my copy (hopefully today).  A game that I very much enjoy (but isn't very solitaire friendly) is Fire in the Sky by MMP.  That game abstracts much of the combat and ship/plane capabilities (there's some distinction) but what it really hits hard on is the use of oil for the Japanese.  If they don't secure oil resources and in turn run out of oil, they are sunk (pun intended). I realize that you don't play the Japanese in FCN, but does it give you the player the ability to hit the Japanese oil reserves? I'm guessing not since the Dutch East Indies are cut off the map. Maybe it's modeled in some other way?

I see some subs (SS), that's cool.

How about losing Australia?  Lose that in most PacWar games and the Allies lose.  New Guinea only has a couple of air squadrons to protect it?  It would be nothing for the Japanese to hit NG from the Caroline Islands and then move on to Australia.  Got to protect that southern flank!

[BanzaiCat]

Hoping my copy arrives soon, too!  8)

[PanzersEast]

I'm anxious to get my copy (hopefully today).  A game that I very much enjoy (but isn't very solitaire friendly) is Fire in the Sky by MMP.  That game abstracts much of the combat and ship/plane capabilities (there's some distinction) but what it really hits hard on is the use of oil for the Japanese.  If they don't secure oil resources and in turn run out of oil, they are sunk (pun intended). I realize that you don't play the Japanese in FCN, but does it give you the player the ability to hit the Japanese oil reserves? I'm guessing not since the Dutch East Indies are cut off the map. Maybe it's modeled in some other way?

I see some subs (SS), that's cool.

How about losing Australia?  Lose that in most PacWar games and the Allies lose.  New Guinea only has a couple of air squadrons to protect it?  It would be nothing for the Japanese to hit NG from the Caroline Islands and then move on to Australia.  Got to protect that southern flank!

There are certain areas that are restricted to both sides

US Forces may move to any Map Area except Japan and East Asia.
Japanese Forces may move to any Map Area except the US West Coast and Australia.

You can send your Submarines to raid to disrupt Reinforcements by a modifier of -2 per sub.  It cost 1 SP for each sub assigned.

The South is in big trouble if that large mass of Ships decide to sail straight south from Japan.  I may have to split and converge, however I may need start using Scouts after my first turn....


PE

[GJK]

So if you can't invade Japan and Japan can't cut off Australia and Oil isn't taken in to account in any way, I'm guessing that the only way to win as the Allies is to destroy all or a certain percentage of their navy.  Is that correct?

[PanzersEast]

So if you can't invade Japan and Japan can't cut off Australia and Oil isn't taken in to account in any way, I'm guessing that the only way to win as the Allies is to destroy all or a certain percentage of their navy.  Is that correct?

Oil is not taken into account, there are supply and reinforcements levels that are assigned based on the scenario and are consistent regardless of what happens on the map for the allies.  The only way I can see to disrupt Japan's reinforcements is though the Submarine raiding.

There are a set of objectives based on each scenario and they are to be in possession of certain Territories.  So by the end of the Turn counter you should be holding a certain level of Objective Territories and then look at the corresponding evaluation table.  You can also run concurrent scenarios for a overall Campaign.

PE

[PanzersEast]

ALLIED TURN JAN/FEB 1942


I have split my forces up at the Hawaiian Islands into 2 Task Forces.




First, The Midway Task Force Comprised of
Carriers (CV) -  Yorktown, Enterprise, Lexington
Cruisers (CRU) - Chester, Pensacola, Portland
Destroyer Squadron (DD) -  Desron 6



Their Primary mission at present is to secure and defend Midway Island.  I will on next Turn send scout planes out to determine my next course of action with the Task Force.

From Our Alaskan base we are sending the 11th BG, ignore the 343rd FG as Midway can only support 2 Air Groups.



Second Task Force will take control of the Gilbert Islands which by Intel's reports is being held by 1 Japanese Battalion.  The Task Force is comprised of:

Carriers (CV) -  Saratoga
Cruisers (CRU) - Chicago, San Francisco, Honolulu, New Orleans
Destroyer Squadron (DD) -  Desron 1
Transport Ships - 25th Infantry Division



The 25th Infantry Division will land and secure the Island.

We are also Transferring 2 Battalions from the West Coast to the Hawaiian Islands



With my 7 Reinforcement points I went back and forth... we need Infantry to secure the Islands, however the Japanese have a lot of ships... so I decided to Commission the Battleship (BB) USS North Carolina and the 32 Infantry and the 2nd Marine Divisions.


With my remaining SP, I send 2 Sub groups to begin disrupting their Reinforcements, hoping to delay them while I can get some momentum.

[BanzaiCat]

Great work as usual, PE.  O0

[PanzersEast]

@ Banzai_Cat
Thanks  O0


JAPAN MOVEMENT JAN/FEB 1942


It appears that the Japanese Fleet anchored at Japan is on the move. 



They have made a move to take Borneo and New Guinea.  Ships and planes have moved into both areas and the Battle seems all but lost.

They have also fortified the Iwo Jima, however that is probably just a stopping station.

We now have 3 Battle to Resolves

The Battle of Borneo
The Battle of New Guinea
The Battle of Gilbert Islands



I was cautious when moving my fleets and with good cause, I will send scouts out next and strike with with my Midway Task Force while brining in new forces from the West Coast. 

For now, it is time to resolve the Battles.

PE

[GJK]

I knew that NG was too wide open for an assault.  When that falls, Australia is cut off and could be starved to death or invaded outright....er, well, that should be an option.

Does the programmed "a.i" take in to account where you are or have moved to?  I would hope that some of that is factored in for the Japanese intel gathering.

[PanzersEast]

I knew that NG was too wide open for an assault.  When that falls, Australia is cut off and could be starved to death or invaded outright....er, well, that should be an option.

Does the programmed "a.i" take in to account where you are or have moved to?  I would hope that some of that is factored in for the Japanese intel gathering.

For the 1942 Scenario the Strategic Objectives are Alaska, Hawaiian Islands, Midway Island, Gilbert Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, New Guinea, and New Caledonia.  So it is imperative that you control and hold as many of this objectives by the end of 1942 as possible.

The Programmed a.i. does not take into account your moves, it is purely a roll on the Japanese Orders table, and then the Move To and the # of Ships, Inf, and Land Bases A/C that accommodate that order.  You can however send out scout planes for 1 SP per plane, in which you can scout a area out which causes you to do the Japanese Orders phase first for that area.  Then you can plan accordingly if you would like to attack or make other plans.


PE

[GJK]

I knew that NG was too wide open for an assault.  When that falls, Australia is cut off and could be starved to death or invaded outright....er, well, that should be an option.

Does the programmed "a.i" take in to account where you are or have moved to?  I would hope that some of that is factored in for the Japanese intel gathering.

For the 1942 Scenario the Strategic Objectives are Alaska, Hawaiian Islands, Midway Island, Gilbert Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, New Guinea, and New Caledonia.  So it is imperative that you control and hold as many of this objectives by the end of 1942 as possible.

The Programmed a.i. does not take into account your moves, it is purely a roll on the Japanese Orders table, and then the Move To and the # of Ships, Inf, and Land Bases A/C that accommodate that order.  You can however send out scout planes for 1 SP per plane, in which you can scout a area out which causes you to do the Japanese Orders phase first for that area.  Then you can plan accordingly if you would like to attack or make other plans.


PE

Hmmmm, so it almost sounds like you could grab a cheap copy of the old AH "Victory in the Pacific" and then make up an "Orders" chart for the Japanese and play using that chart and ViTP's combat mechanism and reinforcement schedule, no?