I've been thinking about doing this for a while now, after reviewing this game for the site. I haven't taken the plunge because I much prefer e-copies of images instead of photographs of games, since screenshots are far easier to take than pictures. Only thing is, graphic manipulation in PS is time consuming, one of the reasons I've been delayed on continuing my Hapsburg Eclipse AAR (though I ain't gonna quit that).
I saw a thread here in the forums talking about FCN's new VASSAL module (http://grogheads.com/forums/index.php?topic=14932.0) so I reached out to DVG and they kindly sent me a copy to do an AAR with. The size is pretty large, and my monitor is big-ish (24"), so my screenshots may overlap your screens. I'm going to stick with somewhere around 1000-1200px wide; I haven't decided yet. Probably 1200 to help with the detail.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F001%2520Start.jpg&hash=8bf226432fd21d37e9188ffdc459f052dd89b871)
There's four Campaigns to choose from, each lasting one year; they're 1942, 1943, 1944, and 1945. Each poses it's own set of unique challenges. I say all that because I ask you guys, which Campaign do you want to see?
I'm leaning towards the 1942 scenario, maybe 1943, but am willing to go with whatever Campaign you all ask to see in the majority. Any ties or substantial lack of interest means I'll choose myself. :)
Do 1942... should offer the best challenge fer the US.
1942 (https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aarcentral.com%2Fpics%2Fpopcorn.gif&hash=0b70105ec2ba21a5c07ec592bbb8b611d42b9ed7)
I'm going to have to play around with it for a day or so to get the hang of it. I've honestly never used VASSAL before. I've poked around it several times but I've never tried to get into the nuts and bots of a game using it. It's a bit confusing and I don't want to totally F up the game before I even get a few moves in.
Looks like we'll be going with 1942. Anyone else want to see a different Campaign?
Well allllrighty then. 85 views and two inputs...guess we will go with 1942. O0
Let me mention a few basics, first, in case you're not familiar with how this game works. Fleet Commander Nimitz is a solitaire game where you take on the role of commander of all Allied forces in the Pacific. For simple references' sake, the game refers to Aussie and other Allied forces as "American" in the game...we're all on the same side and controlled by the same player (moi), so it's all good. Initially I'm going to have very few resources to stem the Japanese tide...and it'll be a veritable tsunami, one they can literally flood the Pacific with. Not only do they have more heavy ships, they have more carriers.
Carrier Forces At Start
Japanese Carriers: 14 U.S. Carriers: 4
(CV x 6, CVL x 4, CVE x 4) (CV x 4)
We have a slight advantage over the Japanese with our carrier air power numbers. Our CVs get four squadrons, while the Japanese CVs get three, their CVLs get two, and their CVEs get one.
The Japanese definitely have the edge, here. The only saving grace is the fact that I can add two more CVs to my rolls, though so too can the Japanese. As a human player, I at least have that advantage, while the Japanese are controlled by the game system.
In FCN, die rolls run the course of the Japanese war effort, and decide where their ships, troops, and land-based air move. Normally, the US player moves forces before the Japanese player does, which means you're hedging your bets as to where the Japanese will show up, and with what forces. In the '42 Campaign, as I said, they have a huge armada to work with, so they're going to be kicking some butt.
The only way the US player can move forces after the Japanese do (and therefore, react to their movements) is by playing Scout tokens. These cost Supply Points, though; SPs are used to repair damaged ships, to buy Battle Plans (small advantages to have during battles), to move forces, and finally, to buy Scout markers. Each Scout marker lets you make a roll for Japanese forces in an area/areas (depending of course on how many you've purchased), forcing them to move before your movement turn.
I don't want to get too far down the rabbit hole explaining rules, but knowing the above will help you interpret much of what's going on.
That's not to say I know what the hell I'm doing. I haven't played this game for a while but have always wanted to get it back to my table, and now here's my chance to not only do that BUT ALSO get my butt kicked by DVG's game system in a public forum.
My initial plan is to use Scouts like crazy in the hopes of the Japanese moving some juicy CVs out into an easy kill zone, though that doesn't happen a lot in this game. Here's hoping, though.
The Campaign begins with the Jan-Feb turn of 1942. Each Campaign lasts six turns, essentially. Not a lot of time.
My objective in this game is to try to get eight Objectives under my control by the end of the game. The Japanese control two of them at the game's start; if the game ends with me holding the other six like I do now, or five, I'll get a Historical result. I can get a Good result if I hold seven, and a Great result if I hold all eight.
Here's what the map looks like:
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F002_2.jpg&hash=762586a2d82429219798547ababf9c822c521e9e)
Our main body of forces is around the Hawaiian Islands. The two blue-background white stars indicate Objectives that I currently hold. (Alaska is another Objective, but that's up off the top of the picture of course.) Note that I don't have a lot to work with here, so I'll have to be very careful about what battles I choose.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F003_3.jpg&hash=70cf08f918717a3ed4b64f6928e1898cd6d73acb)
Down south here, you can see the other five Objectives - New Guinea and the Gilbert Islands, both controlled by the Japanese (and the only Objectives they control at game start), and the Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, and Samoa - all mine. So far, anyway.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F004_3.jpg&hash=539219ee955f91be3989d2c21768b03111abb0e9)
And here's the stacks 'o doom the Japanese are fielding off of Japan and East Asia.
The game will commence soon. I'm probably going to post five or so times for each Campaign turn, to split it up. The Japanese movement orders phase alone will take a long time to generate.
Thanks for reading. O0
Looking forward to this.
Turn 1 (of 6)
Jan-Feb 1942
The Turn Sequence is as follows:
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F001_4.jpg&hash=322c998c22bc90e0118d97c412c36c1b1585efc2)
Advance Turn Counter
There's not much to this, other than moving the Campaign Turn marker from Start to Jan-Feb. The game is afoot!
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F002_3.jpg&hash=65a5ed874a85073513e5b9f10e0bd9de5f8a7965)
US Resupply
During each Campaign Turn, I get a number of Reinforcement Points listed on the Campaign's Set-Up Sheet.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F005_3.jpg&hash=9e919e00be152d96f98cf4b53bcb1cfff9967344)
So, referring to the 1942 Campaign sheet, I get 7 Reinforcement points. I add the points by right clicking on the counter pictured until it reads 7.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F006_3.jpg&hash=a09fe98eea88d22e89e6d0f8b5f0dec7dfeae5ce)
Reinforcement Points are used to buy ships, infantry, and land-based air units. They can only be used for purchasing, and nothing else.
I also get a number of Supply Points equal to what is on the Campaign sheet. In this case, it's 20 points, so I'll mark that on the map.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F007_2.jpg&hash=65330e46161f30b644a3b0b20c4ea226142d78cf)
At this time, too, I can make purchases. I can use Supply Points to also buy units, but I don't want to dig too deeply into that total as I intend to do a lot of Scouting. Still, a balance of forces would be nice.
I spent 5 Reinforcement Points on the CV Hornet, 2 on the 1st Marine Division, and 2 on the RAAF BG2 squadron, for a total of 9 Points. This wipes out my Reinforcement Points (remember, I only had 7) and eats two of my Supply Points. Incidentally, this is the same build that DVG shows in the rules for their sample turn; I happen to like it myself.
The CV Hornet and 1st Marine both go on the West Coast, while the RAAF BG2 squadron goes to Australia.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F007_3.jpg&hash=30b9e243060f609f8334bc6dac3e4a7ca95a9e7e)
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F006_4.jpg&hash=98ca1ac9acbe97e21a78327854f7b121a8ba8642)
Next post will include Scouting. I need to think about where I'm going to place them.
Turn 1 (of 6)
Jan-Feb 1942
(continued)
US Scouting
I placed two Scouts on Japan, one on East Asia, and one on the Caroline Islands. There is a limit to the number of Scout counters you can play, but this means I get to go ahead and make that many rolls for each marked Area before I have to commit my forces to move. I've circled the markers in red so they're easier for you to spot.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F008_3.jpg&hash=6d482661f1529b1ee81d641eb15973c113bc764f)
It also means I've used up four Supply Points to use those Scouts, so I hope this pays off.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F009_3.jpg&hash=897fde74b48bbee5f4e5d5fd020864b9ae019e70)
Japanese Scouted Orders
Now, I will roll Orders for each Scout marker I've placed. I'll start with East Asia, then Japan, then the Carolines.
East Asia Scout Marker
I roll a 2, which means a Hold order. For each Order, this table will detail what to do. In this case, six ships, two Infantry, and three Land-Based Air get to stay in East Asia for this turn...which is kind of a good thing.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F012_1.jpg&hash=8c7673c2a576b9491a14a69ac0e136087f10ed1d)
That took a good chunk of their forces out of the running there. They still have some ships that will need a Movement Order or two once I've moved my forces, though.
What's not a good thing is that one Resupply the Japanese get. For every such marker they get, they get a +1 to their Reinforcement die roll at the end of the Turn.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F011_2.jpg&hash=d6b84e37ad202f96f51182232e9a596f774853e7)
Next, we move to Japan. I'll make two rolls there since I committed two Scout markers.
Japan Scout Marker 1 of 2
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F013_1.jpg&hash=d046e9b0e48fef3a2531ea73b841c23c0b27d8ee)
With a roll of 8, I get an Engage order.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F014_1.jpg&hash=1ef219648835995bd6a1b7418c552e46ff046f22)
This means I randomly select 3 Ships and 2 Infantry to move to the closest Area with US Forces. If the destination Area has at least 1 Japanese Infantry or Land-Based Aircraft ashore, they also move up to 2 Land-Based Aircraft.
Note: Before the game began, I randomized all Japanese stacks...a nice time-saving feature offered for this VASSAL module. So, I'm just drawing from the top of each stack.
I draw the BB Nagato/Mutsu, DD Destroyer Gp 1, and CVE Taiyo.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F015.jpg&hash=0d527282a86b8266bacb079472cea2220eecd146)
The closest Area with US forces (remember, all Allied forces are considered "US Forces" in this game) is Borneo. So, they're headed south for Borneo.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F017_1.jpg&hash=a50bae50031beb1973a49d9c1139f726a05031be)
The 'Engage' order also stipulates if Japanese forces are already ashore, to send Land-Based Air units. Borneo already has a Japanese Infantry Battalion ashore, but there are no LBAs in Japan, so this doesn't happen.
Time for the next Japan Scout roll.
Japan Scout Marker 2 of 2
And this roll comes up '10,' which means Sortie. I need to randomly select 3 Ships and 2 Infantry to move to the closest Objective with at least 1 US force present.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F018_2.jpg&hash=23effae21ea6048b3971b614c896c0963dd7d524)
I draw the CV Soryu, SS Sub Gp 1, and BB Hiei/Kirishima, as well as one Infantry Battalion.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F019_2.jpg&hash=6feee562b3599c7cc8827bd6cc8c7b0d8d973f51)
The closest Objective with US forces present is either Midway Island or the Solomons. Both are four Areas away. Distance isn't important in this game, except when figuring out tie breakers. In this case, I'll make a roll in VASSAL...if it's even, they go for Midway, and if odd, they go for the Solomons.
I get a '10,' so I guess they're headed for Midway Island. Looks like I know where I might be moving my forces here soon.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F020_1.jpg&hash=0902a1e173eebc51e34f4c796d6756b384735c5c)
One more Scouting roll to make.
Caroline Islands Scout Marker
I roll a '7,' which is Battle. This means I select 2 Ships and 1 Infantry to move to an Area that has both US and Japanese forces.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F021_1.jpg&hash=ca50d0e3f3c7e4c7a7c0bc9538d84d1e4ae1e2d1)
There are now three Areas that have both US and Japanese forces - Borneo, New Guinea, and Midway. So, each is a valid destination. I need to randomly choose which Area the units move to, and will do another die roll in VASSAL. A 1-3 means Borneo, 4-6 means New Guinea, and 7-9 will be Midway. If I roll a 10, I'll re-roll.
I get a '6,' so they're headed for New Guinea.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F022_1.jpg&hash=fed759f6dd170d8c7315dd338f9dbed1d8a9ac3b)
-----
This concludes the Scouting portion of the first turn.
Keep in mind that I can now move my forces, but after that, the Japanese have a LOT of forces to move, too. I could move a big force to Midway to counter their move there, but that doesn't mean that once the Japanese are done moving, I won't then face a huge stack o' death. It will be interesting to see what happens next.
I see I already messed up a minor thing - one of the Infantry units in East Asia should not be marked as 'Moved' since that Hold order only affects two Infantry, not three. I'll fix that when I post the next part of the turn.
And if anyone catches me doing something wrong or has a question, don't hesitate to post.
Turn 1 (of 6)
Jan-Feb 1942
(continued)
US Movement
Okay, time to do some more moving. This time, I have to move my own forces.
I have 14 Supply Points left, and it costs 1 SP to move each ship, infantry, or land based air counter. I also need SPs for any upcoming battle, to purchase Battle Plans.
Looking at the board, Borneo is pretty much a lost cause; there's not much reason to reinforce that part of the map. It might draw more Japanese forces since it is the 'closest' Area with US forces present. It is, however, not an Objective Area, and there are Objective Areas out there that are being threatened, so moving to Borneo to force a battle is out for me.
Next, there's New Guinea. It's an Objective Area, albeit one controlled by the Japanese. We have one Land Based Air unit present and that's it, and it looks like the Japanese are trying to put the hammer down there, too. This Area is more important than Borneo, but I need to consider other options.
My next option is Midway Island. The Japanese are moving in there already, so there will be a battle. With only one LBA present, facing one (for now, anyway) Japanese CV with three Carrier Air Groups, plus a Battalion, it's likely Midway will fall in that assault. Nevermind that I haven't moved the rest of the Japanese forces yet! If I leave this be, I'm about 95% certain I'll lose Midway, which is of course an Objective Area. So I think this one is my top priority.
I could try to go after the Gilberts, as it is an Objective Area controlled by the Japanese, with only one Battalion protecting it. But I might still lose Midway.
Another option is to move a small strike force to, say, Iwo Jima. This will no doubt invoke the attention of the Japanese (e.g., rolling an Order telling them to move towards the closest US forces). That sacrificial assault will keep the Japanese busy for one turn, but won't otherwise do anything except lose me some forces.
I'm going to go after Midway. Because of that, I need to make it an all-out effort, just in case the Japanese bring more forces to the Area.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F024_1.jpg&hash=f42c0dd72c840c47edb527d11942cf0b74882a11)
I've spread out my forces so you can see what I'm moving to the Midway area.
I decided to move all three of my CVs to Midway, banking on the chance that the Japanese are going to move more CVs to the area. This could be that decisive battle the Japanese were looking for...or it could just be a colossal waste of effort on my part. This move costs me 11 SPs, so I reduce my total to 3 SPs remaining.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F025_2.jpg&hash=d561fe2c97efaf6b9ab6744a44202332ec399e70)
This will give me a chance to buy a few decent Battle Plans for the Midway battle. I'll talk more about these in a bit, when we get to that.
And that's all of my moves. Next, I'll move the remaining Japanese forces.
Turn 1 (of 6)
Jan-Feb 1942
(continued)
Japanese Orders
This will likely be one of the longer posts...I might split it up into multiple posts if I need a break. I'm writing this concurrently while playing.
I'm going to start with the East Asia Area.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F023_1.jpg&hash=41677ad37c309a7d89f1af894aa18d053ccf36ec)
Note that I moved one of the Infantry I accidentally moved earlier back to an 'unmoved' state.
My first roll for these guys results in an East order. This means I select 4 Ships, 2 Infantry, and 2 Land-Based Aircraft to move one Area closer to the Hawaiian Islands, to an Area that is held by Japan. This would mean they move to Japan, as it is one Area closer to the Hawaiian Islands and is (of course) held by Japan.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F026_1.jpg&hash=d4cb75d45dd4b67ffdb299cb6ad4873ec72fbd94)
Since this Order calls for two Infantry to move, and there's only one present, I have to move a Battalion counter, too. This completes East Asia as there is nothing left to move.
Now, on to Japan.
I roll a '2' for Japan...which is another Hold order. No movement and they gain another Resupply marker. This isn't what I wanted...I was hoping for some more Japanese targets at Midway. This reduces my chances to find that decisive battle this turn.
Next, I roll an '8,' which is an Engage order. This sends their forces towards the 'closest' US forces, which could either be Borneo...or Midway. I'll make Borneo an odd-numbered roll and Midway an even roll.
I get a '4' so this next group is headed for Midway - that's 3 Ships and 1 Infantry.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F027_1.jpg&hash=c7b5da3f7a3adcc85568ab816a70b90e46c56dd7)
The Shokaku, Akagi, and Zuikaku are looking to support the Midway effort. Looks like we're going to be in for a fight this turn.
There's still more ships in Japan, so I'll need to make another roll.
This time I get a '4,' which is a South order, so three Ships and one Infantry move one Area closer to Australia. This means the CVL Shoho, CRU Tone/Chikuma, and BB Fuso/Yamashiro are moving to Iwo Jima.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F028_1.jpg&hash=fcd621b286ebe0a557771b9a4d80bdc3619a3334)
And that's the last of Japan's forces that can move.
Next, I move to the Philippines. There's a large contingent of LBAs there as well as two CRUs and one DD group. Let's see what happens.
The first roll is a '9,' which is Reinforce. I'll need to move two Ships, one Infantry, and one Land-Based Aircraft to an Objective that has at least 1 Japanese Infantry or Land-Based Aircraft ashore. Looking at the map, this means New Guinea or the Gilberts qualify, so I'll have to do another roll to see where they go - odd for New Guinea, even for the Gilberts.
I get a '3,' so they'll go reinforce New Guinea.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F029_1.jpg&hash=b1cb17823c0a14b08b40badb340cf16ecc336dcb)
I cannot move the Infantry unit there, since it is the last Infantry unit. The rule for this is somewhat vague, in that it says the last Infantry or LBA cannot be moved. Since both are present it seems to make more sense to leave the Infantry unit to occupy the Area and let the LBAs fly out.
The next roll for the Philippines is a '5,' so there's another East order. The CRU Ashigara/Nashi moves to the Mariana Islands, as does two LBA units.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F030.jpg&hash=c0e69d777d4e785b35450d9b15d98b8ae27fdfa2)
There's still LBA remaining in the Philippines. I roll a '10,' which is Sortie, a move to the closest Objective Area where the US is present. There are no Ships left, so nothing happens there. It also asks for 1 Infantry and 2 LBAs, but only if there are Japanese forces ashore.
The closest Objective Area with US forces present is either the Solomon Islands or Midway. Odd for Solomons, even for Midway: and I get a '2,' so they're headed to Midway. Since there are no Japanese forces ashore there right now, I have to move the Infantry unit, so he's added to their invasion force. This is turning into the major effort I was looking for.
There's still four LBAs in the Philippines, so here we go again...I roll a '6,' another East order, so two more LBAs move to the Mariana Islands.
There's two LBAs left now. Only one can move, as one has to remain in place. I roll a '2,' which is Refit, but this doesn't count for LBAs so I need to roll again. The next result is a '7,' which is Battle, so this one LBA is going to join a battle already in progress but only if there are Japanese forces ashore. To avoid having to roll again, I interpret this as meaning either Borneo or New Guinea, as both already have Japanese ashore and will be battle areas this turn. I roll an even result, so the last LBA heads for New Guinea.
Whew! We're almost done.
The Caroline Islands have three Ships (one CRU, one SS, and one DD) and one Battalion. I need to roll for the ships, though the Infantry will not be able to move anywhere. This time I roll a Refit order, so up to four Ships get to move to Japan. All three Ships therefore head to the Emperor's land.
There's one more to roll for - the Marshall Islands, where there's one Infantry and one LBA. We'll have to see what the order is to see which one gets to move. My roll of '7' means that someone's joining a battle. LBA does not join a battle where there are no Japanese forces already ashore, so I need to determine where they move.
There are going to be three battles this turn - Borneo, New Guinea, and Midway. I'll make 1-3 Borneo, 4-6 New Guinea, and 7-9 Midway. With a '5' they're headed for New Guinea. As there are Japanese forces already present, the LBA could move, so I randomly determine again which one moves, and find the Infantry is going to New Guinea, leaving the LBA behind.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F031_2.jpg&hash=d240f8cc7f39263c9443a526d4c0756ac8728674)
That's it for moves. It's time to go to battle. I'll start with the big one - Midway - to illustrate the points of battle, and then will do Borneo and New Guinea but won't report the detail if they're as laughably one-sided as I think they might be. :)
Turn 1 (of 6)
Jan-Feb 1942
(continued)
Battle 1 (of 3): Midway Island
Here we go...
(https://bluesmokesalsa.com/wp-content/themes/bluesmoke/img/flag.gif) Move US Forces to the Battle Map (https://bluesmokesalsa.com/wp-content/themes/bluesmoke/img/flag.gif)
US Force Placement/Carrier Aircraft Placement
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F032_1.jpg&hash=462d30522b187aa03cb92f55b40020b023176a1d)
The US Carriers must be placed in the US Ocean Area.
My LBAs both are placed on Midway Island, with a '2' airfield marker (indicating there are two LBAs present).
The 1st Marine Division is on a transport, so it is placed in the US Coastal Area.
I have a choice to make when it comes to my remaining Ships. I kind of went heavy here, and that's okay I think. I've placed the CRU Honolulu/Nashville, DD Desron 6, and DD Desron 2 in the US Ocean Area along with all three of my carriers. I did this because they have stronger AAA values (the top number along the right side of the Ship counters) than the ones I placed in the US Coastal Area.
In the US Coastal Area, I placed the CRU San Francisco/Astoria, CRU Chicago/Northampton, and CRU New Orleans/Minneapolis. They have stronger Surface Attack values (all 4s) and weaker AAA values than the Ships I placed in the US Ocean Area. The ships in the US Coastal Area can trade fire with Japanese ships that appear in the Japanese Coastal Area, and can attack anything on the island itself. I think this is a pretty good balance.
Note, too, the aircraft to the right of each of my CVs. Each CV carries one F4F, two SBD, and one TBD squadron. These will be placed later.
Looks like a pretty solid force. I'm not so much worried about the Japanese surface fleet as I am about their CVs and airpower - I really want to sink those flattops!
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4f/Naval_Ensign_of_Japan.svg/2000px-Naval_Ensign_of_Japan.svg.png) Move Japanese Forces to the Battle Map (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4f/Naval_Ensign_of_Japan.svg/2000px-Naval_Ensign_of_Japan.svg.png)
Japanese Force Placement/Carrier Aircraft Placement
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F033_1.jpg&hash=1073bb3d57218b6d71c4553f8fd0999e214563e7)
The Japanese CVs must also set up in their Ocean Area. Since the BB Hiei/Kiroshima is pretty much the only escort, it has to sit in the Ocean Area as an escort. Had I remembered this, I probably would have put one, probably two, more ships out onto the US Ocean Area to ensure, even with their lesser AA rating, that they'd have more shots at least. Oh well...
Each Japanese CV carries one A6M, one D3A, and one B5N. I've placed those counters as well.
All three Japanese infantry units are in their Coastal Area. What's good about having more firepower in my own Coastal Area is that I can fire at these buttheads, so maybe it's not so bad having my heavy cruisers placed where they are. We shall see.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F034_1.jpg&hash=e07e654c4f2012c76bcca27e54c9e18e0912c824)
This is another thing I forgot...Japanese subs are placed in the US Ocean Area if there are US Carriers present...so there you go. They have another threat to leverage against me, even if a relatively small one. My three ships escorting the CVs have decent enough Depth Charge Attack ratings (the bottom number of the three against the right side of the counter).
Roll for Battle Turns
Now, I determine how many Battle Turns there are. I roll a '7,' so there are three BTs. This means we'll get a total of three rounds to go at each other.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F036_2.jpg&hash=554632f4540e0194c7e0237bec2c8f52138e4fe9)
To Be Continued...
This is turning out to be a great tutorial AAR! I'm really trying hard to resist loading this in Vassal...
Turn 1 (of 6)
Jan-Feb 1942
(continued)
Battle 1 (of 3): Midway Island
(continued)
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4f/Naval_Ensign_of_Japan.svg/2000px-Naval_Ensign_of_Japan.svg.png) Determine Japanese Battle Plans (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4f/Naval_Ensign_of_Japan.svg/2000px-Naval_Ensign_of_Japan.svg.png)
Battle Plans are essentially 'buffs' that affect combat in a positive way for the side they're drawn for. Here, we determine how many Battle Plans the Japanese get.
The Japanese have a total of 8 Forces in this Battle (not counting the carrier air power, just the ships and infantry in the battle). So, they'll get two Battle Plans.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F037_2.jpg&hash=592376320ef532410f0e8c9053e22f6a69e94334)
My side determines its Battle Plans next, but there's something important I need to note here. The Japanese get to draw their number of Battle Plans EACH BATTLE TURN. Once used, they're discarded (as are mine), but the Japanese get to refresh their hand, as it were, to continue each Battle Turn. This is a nice mechanic, actually, since I'm determining their Battle Plans from random draws, and there are Battle Plans that might not apply to the current situation (one can hope, anyway).
(https://bluesmokesalsa.com/wp-content/themes/bluesmoke/img/flag.gif) Select US Battle Plans (https://bluesmokesalsa.com/wp-content/themes/bluesmoke/img/flag.gif)
I get to select my own, as opposed to the Japanese, whose Battle Plans are drawn randomly. However, I can only use one Battle Plan once per Battle. I do not get to use my Battle Plan in subsequent Battle Turns, if I use it. So the Japanese have an advantage in this case. Considering this is a solitaire game system, the added challenge is a necessity to ensure an interesting and fun experience.
I start each Battle with three Battle Plan Points (BPPs). Also, for every Supply Point I spend, I can get three more BPPs. My BPs cost between 1 and 4 BPPs each, so I'll need to consider the situation and see which ones would benefit me most.
Considering the Japanese air power is evenly matched with mine (numbers-wise, anyway), it seems prudent to try to give myself a little extra AAA firepower.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F038_1.jpg&hash=8bea57631746453f41d85ac4eeb44c0435dd1c63)
My airpower, conversely, is the only way I'm going to sink their carriers. So I also select Barrel Roll, which will let me stop one hit on one of my aircraft.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F039_1.jpg&hash=2da0910f4c64a19ea2c23cd95aaeaba132bab26e)
That's it for my three free BPPs.
I'd also like to inflict some extra hits on a CV if I get one, so I also choose Diving Attack. That's another 3 BPPs, so that costs me one Supply Point, reducing me to two SPs.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F040_1.jpg&hash=e7bdf23f2c60aaeea79dfeb0235d59409c71778c)
I've gone this far...I might as well spend my remaining SPs to get another 6 BPPs and go to town.
I've neglected island combat. We're both approaching the island with ground forces at the same time, so neither of us are established. There's not going to be a lot of time in this Battle to get established and attack the enemy, so I'm going to go for a couple of land attack Battle Plans - Artillery and Charge. Both will give me a little extra on the ground, which I'll need because the Japanese are fielding a unit that's on par strengthwise with my 1st Marine Division, plus two Battalions.
Note: I may have been messing up the Battalion deployments thus far, but if it adds additional challenge, so be it.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F041_1.jpg&hash=eb860bb8fc2e7fc34a50a09c7b67c90ad7e72532)
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F042_1.jpg&hash=492fa48fc6db30cec54a1323a3de8d8f95596174)
Finally, I'm going to get Engaged. This will let me extend (or shorten) the number of Battle Turns by 1. If I'm getting killed, it might be good to shorten this and bug out. But if I'm winning, I might want to wipe the floor with the Japanese. It will be nice to have.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F043_1.jpg&hash=900c2111292d934eba4603d452cf87405ea06fc8)
My selections are complete. Combat will begin next.
Turn 1 (of 6)
Jan-Feb 1942
(continued)
Battle Turn 1: Midway Island
Here is the sequence of play for each Battle Turn:
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F044_1.jpg&hash=702d407ec30f2077e1c22ab95838685bfa4b8dda)
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4f/Naval_Ensign_of_Japan.svg/2000px-Naval_Ensign_of_Japan.svg.png) Draw Japanese Battle Plans (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4f/Naval_Ensign_of_Japan.svg/2000px-Naval_Ensign_of_Japan.svg.png)
We're starting our first Battle Turn, so here we go with the first two draws.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F045_2.jpg&hash=2775457985d50fc77a60e82227447c31334836d4)
Well, that could have been better. But, there's really no 'good' BP draws for Japan, when it comes to my side of things.
Damage Control stops the first hit inflicted on a Japanese Force during the Battle Turn. Doesn't matter where.
Battalion is a lot worse. They're not very strong units, but the fact that there's one on the island entrenched already...well, that doesn't make a lot of sense from a reality standpoint. From a game mechanic standpoint it does, as it's giving the Japanese yet another advantage I have to overcome. I'm glad I grabbed Artillery and Charge!
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F046_2.jpg&hash=028405e861feac1aefa7f9db20a82508d9885954)
(https://bluesmokesalsa.com/wp-content/themes/bluesmoke/img/flag.gif) Move US Aircraft (https://bluesmokesalsa.com/wp-content/themes/bluesmoke/img/flag.gif)
This is yet another difficult choice. I have to move my aircraft before the Japanese do; my moves will possibly affect how the Japanese move their own carrier air units. For example, if I decide to not attack the Japanese fleet at all (yeah right), the Japanese fighters won't have any reason to hang out in their Ocean Area, and will probably swarm down to attack something else. So when I send my strike against the four Japanese carriers, I need to try to cover it with fighters.
I also have to try to cover my own carriers, my Coastal Area ships (don't want to lose that Marine division before it even offloads!), and the island itself. Fortunately I have two LBAs to help alleviate this issue.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F047_1.jpg&hash=268d4f05a8493f78884da41c7b5d972034243aa9)
I'm sending all of my SBD units against the Japanese carriers. Also one F4F unit and one of the Marine Air Group fighter units as well to help screen the dive bombers.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F048_1.jpg&hash=8a4223a6038dba335d705b7c66993101542cf66f)
I'm sending all three of my TBD (torpedo bomber) squadrons against the transports, and including the other MAG unit to act as cover (or possibly a bomber, depending on how the Japanese units play out).
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4f/Naval_Ensign_of_Japan.svg/2000px-Naval_Ensign_of_Japan.svg.png) Move Japanese Aircraft (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4f/Naval_Ensign_of_Japan.svg/2000px-Naval_Ensign_of_Japan.svg.png)
To assign them, I roll for each Japanese air 'group.' For this battle, the Japanese have four fighter groups (one from each carrier), and four bomber groups (each group from each carrier, two units each). So I'll need to roll eight times to assign Japanese aircraft.
First, I should mention that the rules are slightly vague on this subject. Japanese fighters can only move to Areas where there are Japanese or US aircraft present, so they will NOT move to an Area where there is nothing. This begs the question, then: do I place Japanese fighters first, or their bombers? If I place their fighters, and I roll a '3' or higher, they're going to go straight for my carrier group and ignore the strike coming at their carriers, but only IF I have CAP (and I do). (Only on a roll of 1 or 2 will the fighters stay in the Japanese Ocean Area.) If I move the Japanese Bombers first, they could go to the Island, or my Coastal Area, or my Ocean Area - and then, rolling for their Fighters, the Fighters might end up staying with their Bombers in one of those Areas.
After reviewing BGG and the various threads dealing with this, I'm thinking the Japanese Bombers have to move first. I have to make a call as there are ways to interpret this one way or the other...it seems to make more sense to move their Bombers first.
For the first Bomber group (from the Zuikaku), I roll a '3,' so it goes to the Island. However, there are no valid targets for the Bombers there, so it is moved up one Area to the US Coastal Area...where there are targets.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F049_1.jpg&hash=bdb547e2060be713275d3cffe0945e58c98bc743)
For the Akagi's bombers, I roll a '7,' moving them to the US Ocean Area. Looks like my CAP is going to get a workout...
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F050_1.jpg&hash=b74a3f2c174f677cb49370b780b5ae2566adf1b4)
The Shokaku's bombers go to the US Coastal Area also (I rolled a '3' again, but they move to the next higher Area as there are no targets on the island).
Finally, the Soryu's bombers move to the US Ocean Area as well, increasing their chances of getting one of my carriers.
Next, I'll move the Japanese fighters.
The Zuikaku's fighter gets a '2' so it stays in the Japanese Ocean Area.
The Akagi's fighter gets a '6' so it goes to the US Coastal Area, where it is escorting the strike there.
The Shokaku's fighter gets a '3,' so it goes to the Island, and then is moved to the US Coastal Area to help escort that strike.
Finally, the Soryu's fighter gets a '2,' so it helps defend against my strike.
All in all it is a pretty well-balanced result.
Here goes nothing.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F3.bp.blogspot.com%2F-E0IsfyqJCTU%2FUDT11CDjUpI%2FAAAAAAAAAgs%2Fr2uHmhlQz_Y%2Fs1600%2Fdogfight%2Bicon.png&hash=88dfc8edbe49088b01a08d95e15e42d32526a391) Dogfight (https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F3.bp.blogspot.com%2F-E0IsfyqJCTU%2FUDT11CDjUpI%2FAAAAAAAAAgs%2Fr2uHmhlQz_Y%2Fs1600%2Fdogfight%2Bicon.png&hash=88dfc8edbe49088b01a08d95e15e42d32526a391)
In this part of the Battle Turn, I resolve combat for all aircraft units that have a Dogfight rating. This is in the upper right corner of the counter, and sometimes have a superscript number in addition.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F051_1.jpg&hash=c2a83e65f0fceb681498388a4009af67b2137e99)
For example, this unit (Genzan Kokutai, taken as a screenshot from the manual and not a unit fighting in this battle) has a 6 Dogfight rating, and a 3 superscript rating. This means rolling a '6' or lower equals one hit, but rolling a '3' or lower equals TWO hits. All aircraft have two sides to the counters; when one is hit, it is flipped to its 'damaged' side, and another hit eliminates it.
The blue-highlighted number at the bottom of the counter is the units Ship Attack rating (if it has one), and the brown-highlighted number is its Ground Attack rating (again, if it has one).
Here's the first Dogfight combat:
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F052_1.jpg&hash=dc2380f356eab3e213c4a3b2bd682a193b076862)
I'll roll for my aircraft first. I get a 3 and a 1 (!!!), which means both of my aircraft get TWO HITS! That's four hits total. Their fighters will be eliminated, normally. However, their Battle Plan 'Damage Control' stops the first hit on ANY Force; this means one of their A6Ms is Damaged while the other will be Destroyed. But before that happens, they get to fire too...
The first A6M gets a '5,' resulting in one hit, but the second A6M gets a '4,' resulting in two hits.
Hits are allocated to the lowest-cost aircraft. In the Japanese aircraft's case, it's moot since they're both destroyed. For my forces, though, I have one 1-cost aircraft while the rest are 2.
This means the F4F unit is destroyed (one hit on it, then it flips, still has a 1-cost, so the next hit is allocated to it, destroying it). The MAG fighter unit also suffers a hit. I'm going to use my Barrel Roll Battle Plan to keep the MAG unit intact. Since it is an LBA unit, it is more valuable; carrier air units are generic and do not have an on-map presence themselves.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F055_1.jpg&hash=f2beee6415245a48b1c54d438a05634005ae04e7)
I have no Fighters in the US Coastal Area, so there is no Dogfight there.
However, I have my two F4Fs defending the US Ocean Area, so they'll face off against the two D3A dive bomber units and two B5N torpedo bomber units. Neither the D3A nor the B5N have a Dogfight rating, so they can't participate.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F054_1.jpg&hash=373923278211e5fb03ed2ee3e7e40c114fc0569b)
My rolls aren't so great this time...I get a '6' and a '5.' One F4F blows it, but the other manages to bounce one of the incoming bandits. Since all the Japanese bombers are 2-cost, I can choose which one I want to damage, and of course that's going to be one of the B5Ns since they have a Ship Attack rating of 6.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F056_1.jpg&hash=5ea298f2f7f339a316c7573a80299622b540c607)
That's it for Dogfighting. Next will be AAA combat.
Good stuff BC.
With the randomized nature of Japanese moves, do you ever see them forced to do something completely bizarre like move everything off to Indochina or something?
Nope. They won't go off to Indochina or do anything really terribly bizarre.
Here's why: each Campaign (1942, 1943, etc.) has its own set of Objectives. Japanese moves are dictated by the die roll, sure, but a lot of those Movement Orders are tied into whatever Objectives exist.
The Japanese will never sail west of Borneo, nor will they ever attack Australia or the West Coast. At first, I thought these last two things were rather limiting and not enjoyable - after all, if there is no threat of mainland US invasion, or occupation of Australia, what's the point, right? In reality, an invasion of the west coast would have been nearly impossible for them to accomplish; an invasion of Australia may have been more likely than one of the US, but it still would have been a major stretch for them.
In any case, this particular game revolves around said Objectives.
Another very important thing to remember is that this game only simulates one year of the conflict. It's not a campaign game of the entire Pacific War. So anything 'odd' that the random die rolls might make them do, isn't going to crash their war effort. The Japanese random die roll movements are actually a great mechanic, because you're left guessing as to what their next 'move' will be. Scouting helps alleviate that somewhat, but as you can see, not entirely. I got lucky with my move to Midway by catching four of their CVs in battle. I'm REALLY lucky that more BBs, CRUs, and/or DDs didn't go along with them, because that would have made for a bad time for me. With this set-up, I have a good chance of at least damaging some of their flattops. I'm not going to predict victory, but I feel pretty good about it.
BTW, thanks all for the kudos - glad you're all enjoying it. O0
Turn 1 (of 6)
Jan-Feb 1942
Battle Turn 1: Midway Island
(continued)
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fec.l.thumbs.canstockphoto.com%2Fcanstock15558396.jpg&hash=7844a71f9a75a211f1696d0927f75003c5b1e9f6) AAA (https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fec.l.thumbs.canstockphoto.com%2Fcanstock15558396.jpg&hash=7844a71f9a75a211f1696d0927f75003c5b1e9f6)
Next, we resolve the AAA defensive fire from each Area. For the purposes of this part of the Battle Turn, you group CVs into one line and Escorts into another (Escorts are everything except CVs and subs). Escorts fire first, then CVs. Separating out Escorts and CVs is important. The number of incoming aircraft determine how many shots can be had on them. For example, from the manual:
The Japanese have 1 Aircraft Carrier and 2 Escorts in their Ocean Area. 3 US Aircraft Attack the Japanese Ocean Area. Roll a AAA Attack for the BB and DD. Then roll a AAA Attack for the CV.
Example: 1 US Aircraft Attacks the same fleet. Roll a AAA for the BB and the CV. Because there is only 1 Aircraft, only 1 Escort and 1 Aircraft Carrier get a AAA Attack.
That should explain it better than I can.
So first, I'm going to resolve the attacks against the Japanese going after my carriers.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F057_1.jpg&hash=63421e150f1056abce74d624ab5329b97f2a8799)
From here, with four inbound enemy aircraft, I can only fire on them three times from each row. If only one Japanese bomber was attacking, then only one Escort and then one CV could fire.
The escorts fire poorly; both the CRU Honolulu/Nashville and DD Desron 6 fail to hit the incoming Japanese planes. However, DD Desron 2 gets a single hit. This hit has to be applied to the damaged aircraft, as the rules state that you have to destroy a damaged Japanese unit before you can damage a fresh one. So the B5N will be shot down, and since this is AAA, it doesn't get to fire back.
The carriers don't fare much better, but one does make a hit - actually, two hits. I rolled a '1' for the CV Enterprise, and it has a 42 AAA value, so that's two hits on the enemy. Another Japanese squadron is destroyed, and I get to choose again since they're all the same cost (2). I'm of course going to apply that to the B5N, by far the more serious of the incoming threats. Both B5N squadrons are destroyed, thankfully. They still have two very capable D3As coming in, though...
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F058.jpg&hash=85ad6f6640d492dad2a472a0112ddbffa56357c4)
Next, I move to the US Coastal Area, where four D3A units are diving in on my ships...
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F059.jpg&hash=2b17d7f1702df84efe9075de981ae1687b3f0b45)
I of course roll a '10,' '8,' and a '5,' so none of my escorts hit with AAA fire.
The Japanese Coastal Area has my incoming torpedo bombers, but none of their transports have AAA capability (neither do mine, incidentally), and without escorts, there's nothing to do here but move along to the Japanese Ocean Area and see how well they do against my incoming strike.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F060_1.jpg&hash=ddb5c08c76115f31de9d27bb5c47e7bfd6b013a7)
I roll a 7 for the BB, and a 8, 8, 6, and 9 for their carriers - not one hit, thankfully! Whew!
Next up are the bomb runs...
Turn 1 (of 6)
Jan-Feb 1942
Battle Turn 1: Midway Island
(continued)
(https://cdn3.iconfinder.com/data/icons/ahasoft-military-2/512/aviation_bomb-512.png) Bomb Runs (https://cdn3.iconfinder.com/data/icons/ahasoft-military-2/512/aviation_bomb-512.png)
Now we move to the part where bombers go after their targets.
I'll start with my attack on the Japanese carriers.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F060_1.jpg&hash=ddb5c08c76115f31de9d27bb5c47e7bfd6b013a7)
Seven attackers means seven die rolls. I get a 9, 6, 5, 5, 4, 3, and a 1 (not in that order, just highest roll to lowest) - three hits. Not too bad. I'm going to discard my Diving Attack Battle Plan, which gives me one extra hit when I've made one successful hit. So that's four hits. Someone gonna get suuu-uuunk...
I randomly roll, since all carriers are the same (and with a cost of [1] they get hits first...the brackets simply mean they don't actually cost 1 point to buy, but are worth 1 point when considering casualties). This comes up as the Soryu and Zuikaku...both take heavy damage, and are on fire from stem to stern. I remove them from the board as they slip beneath the waves.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F061_1.jpg&hash=f8d80732751a8b4f09ecac2c38d6c184002520cb)
Next up are my SBDs going after the Japanese transports that are slowly but surely approaching Midway.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F062_2.jpg&hash=a45e6bf96907310a4e227f0da1641b1fb42d614a)
I get a 10, 6, 4, and a 2, meaning one hit. Thing is, though, Transports are not sunk, so hits are not scored on them. Instead, each hit means one hit on an enemy unit. I need to determine which Japanese unit I hit...unfortunately it has to be one of the Battalions, as they are cost 0, whereas the Japanese 16th Infantry is a cost of 3. Battalions do have a 'reduced' size, though, so I choose one and flip it over. They're coming in fast...I'm not sure if I'll have the firepower to remove them from Midway.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F063_2.jpg&hash=f59c8c912b4f52ad84d98a77643df0e03ef2fa30)
Next we have the Japanese attacking my ships in the US Coastal Area. I'm going to sweat this one because of the 1st Marines...I hope they don't get hit. (I hope none of them do, but if I can't get the Marines ashore, Midway will surely fall.)
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F064_2.jpg&hash=a5594a6871fae039d0cf177035e0f86ebd2e5cf3)
The D3A 'Val' dive bombers scream in, dropping their payloads.
The bombs fall quickly; there are many targets for them to hit...
But neither D3A unit makes a hit (rolls of 8 and 5).
Then the dreaded B5Ns swoop in at wavetop height, releasing their fish. The ship commanders, already evading wildly to avoid the D3A's bomb runs, are caught flat-footed. One B5N misses (rolled a 9), but the other one scores a hit (rolled a 6...barely hit).
All of my ships (including the Marines) are cost 2, so I have to randomly determine who gets it for the team.
The CRU San Francisco/Astoria gets the torpedoes, damaging them. I have to flip the counter now.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F065_2.jpg&hash=e119039fd012f7dad9c3b8db52d3dab6712b69c2)
And now, we move to the US Ocean Area where we join the Japanese assault on my fleet, already in progress...
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F066_2.jpg&hash=0f26fcef8b9a588420e05b2d08fdb25828974555)
However, they must be the worst of the bunch, because I roll a 7 and a 10...both misses.
Next up in the Battle Turn are Torpedo attacks...the one Japanese sub in the battle is going to get its chance.
Turn 1 (of 6)
Jan-Feb 1942
Battle Turn 1: Midway Island
(continued)
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fpreviewcf.turbosquid.com%2FPreview%2F2014%2F05%2F25__20_25_59%2FTorpedo_01.jpgb0205537-fe82-48a4-beea-ef28b83d6d14Larger.jpg&hash=835c2e7157ed868c4629bb3a6689e3272e66cfaa) Torpedoes (https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fpreviewcf.turbosquid.com%2FPreview%2F2014%2F05%2F25__20_25_59%2FTorpedo_01.jpgb0205537-fe82-48a4-beea-ef28b83d6d14Larger.jpg&hash=835c2e7157ed868c4629bb3a6689e3272e66cfaa)
The one Japanese submarine unit silently approaches my fleet...
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F067_2.jpg&hash=320584b4f25e381ee4e102cc73de62f159586365)
I roll a '9,' so they fail, thank goodness.
Now, it's our turn to fire on the Japanese submarine...
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.usskidd.com%2Fimages%2Fash%2520can%2520dc.jpg&hash=ed6c0116ba31d5c429e286f75804a074fd125a17) Depth Charges (https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.usskidd.com%2Fimages%2Fash%2520can%2520dc.jpg&hash=ed6c0116ba31d5c429e286f75804a074fd125a17)
Since there's only one enemy submarine in my Ocean Area, I can only attack with one of my Ships. Both of my DESRONs have the best Depth Charge rating - 3 - so I'll choose DESRON 6 to make the shot.
I roll a '6,' so wow, that was pretty anticlimactic. No hit.
(https://d30y9cdsu7xlg0.cloudfront.net/png/24635-200.png) Naval Guns (https://d30y9cdsu7xlg0.cloudfront.net/png/24635-200.png)
The Japanese have no ships with a Surface Attack rating in their Coastal Area, while I have two full-strength and one damaged Ship that can fire. In this part of the Battle Turn, ships in Coastal Areas can fire on either enemy ships in their opponent's Coastal Area, or at enemy forces on the Island.
I get a 9 and a 3 for my full-strength units and (thankfully!) a 2 for my damaged ship - two hits out of three ain't bad. I have to, as always, allocate them to the lowest-cost enemy units first. I'd like to apply them both to the unit on the island, but the 'Allocating Hits' rule says clearly that damaged Japanese forces must be destroyed before applying fresh hits elsewhere, and since the one Battalion that I damaged in the Bomb Run segment is a valid target, I have to destroy it first. I do that, blowing his transport to pieces, then apply the other hit to the Battalion on the island. (How did they get there, again?)
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F068_3.jpg&hash=7baa27d87822ac196b5856be3b345c4506b5836f)
The next part of the Battle Turn is Infantry, but as there are no opposing units on the island, I cannot do anything here.
To Be Continued...
Turn 1 (of 6)
Jan-Feb 1942
Battle Turn 1: Midway Island
(continued)
This is the part of the Battle Turn that would normally be occupied by Infantry going at it, but as I said, there's only the one Japanese Battalion on the island, and it's half-strength at that. So we skip that part.
Moving on...
Infantry Advance
In this part of the Battle Turn, Infantry on transports is placed on their respective Beaches. Infantry on Beaches are moved to their Foxholes. Marines, however, get to go straight from transports to Foxholes.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F069_2.jpg&hash=545bee511c6b88ad037a0717a50ece32c19d45ce)
Return Aircraft
The Japanese have a bit of a problem.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F070_2.jpg&hash=2689db02656c40218933d182cf9d1f24b56a9f66)
Heh-heh.
Since two of their carriers are gone, and each of their CVs can only carry three aircraft...well, there's nine units, so what's the math say?
It says to destroy three Japanese air units. (https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fe.deviantart.net%2Femoticons%2Fm%2Fmwahaha.gif&hash=061bfdfb1f090bc02a14bc83b1110582364668d5)
I have to destroy Damaged ones first, so the A6M squadron splashes down, unable to park on the two remaining carriers.
And since the A6M squadrons are 1-cost, they lose the other two they have since all the Bombers are 2-cost and therefore, this time around, are impervious to these selections. The Japanese no longer have CAP or escorts!
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F071_2.jpg&hash=7ea12354ce52cafd14b3336456f409432b4ea5e8)
This isn't a problem down in my neck of the woods, since none of my flattops were hit. I'm down one F4F squadron, which kind of sucks, but considering there are no more Zeros to contend with, my remaining two F4Fs can be released to try to shoot down their bombers. And there's also the two MAG squadrons I have...so I'm doing pretty well.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F072_2.jpg&hash=15f6b845ab5e32e638f9d533cc0a2bfe5efdef05)
Inflict Airfield Losses
Since neither side lost LBAs, this does not happen.
Advance Battle Turn Counter
I'm going to do that now...except...no, I'm not. I'm going to discard my Engaged Battle Plan, and increase the number of Battle Turns by 1. So the Battle Turn marker stays right where it is.
This might be overkill, but I'm in the mood to really wipe the floor with these guys.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F073_2.jpg&hash=9465fad095fed8c27124a2f76fae819435e7cd1b)
And that's it.
Battle Turn 1 is over, with three more to go. The Japanese really got hammered, losing two of their precious CVs, while one of my CRUs was damaged. They lost a lot of their air power and took some losses in Infantry as well. Fortunately we are still doing well with the 1st Marines, and I still have my ground attack Battle Plans to unleash.
We'll see how things go in the next Battle Turn, which I'll do later this weekend. My computer is doing its usual freeze routine so I want to be sure I don't lose anything important by pushing my luck. Until next time.
Battle Turn 2: Midway Island
(continued)
As Battle Turn 1 comes to a close, the American fleet managed to get a good whack in on the invading Japanese, not only sinking two of their carriers but also wiping out a third of their remaining aircraft as a result, to boot. The Japanese, however, have a bit of an advantage on Midway, where they've just landed reinforcements for their infiltrating Battalion. While the Japanese carriers remain my primary focus in this Battle, the island itself is going to get attention from me this turn as well.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4f/Naval_Ensign_of_Japan.svg/2000px-Naval_Ensign_of_Japan.svg.png) Draw Japanese Battle Plans (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4f/Naval_Ensign_of_Japan.svg/2000px-Naval_Ensign_of_Japan.svg.png)
It's a new Battle Turn, so the Japanese get to draw two more Battle Plans. It doesn't matter if I reduce them down to just one Battalion on the entire battle board; they still draw the same number of Battle Plans each Battle Turn.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F074_3.jpg&hash=db81461b786987a0310f401e4faa137e908b0bbc)
Not good at all.
First Light means one of the Japanese carriers immediately conducts an Air Attack portion of the Battle Turn on my Ocean Area. Then the Battle Turn continues as normal.
Carrier Attack means all of their remaining bombers (which is all they have right now) are considered to roll a '10' when placing them. The Japanese admiral in charge of their Fleet apparently wants to go all-out against my fleet!
First, I need to resolve the First Light Battle Plan. I randomly determine that the Akagi's planes are the ones fueled and armed and sent off in the pre-dawn darkness. We don't even have time to put CAP up, as the raiders appear over the Fleet just as we're starting to wake up.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F075_2.jpg&hash=07ac8f635d33aba82c12dd36e9a26724b22a77d4)
I do, however, get to conduct AAA attacks first. Fortunately, all three of my CVs and all three of my Escorts get to fire at the incoming raid.
The carriers roll 10, 10, and 4 (who is training my AAA guys???). The Hornet gets a hit. I'm applying it to the B5N, the biggest threat of the bunch.
The escorts roll 6, 8, and 6. They must not have had their morning coffee yet.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F076_3.jpg&hash=5f579b232a1743397c8e83755cbacd1dec6b0181)
And then, in come their planes. The B5N squadron is damaged, but they're still focusing on our carriers, as our the dive bombers, whom all now swoop down, able to take their time without having to worry about CAP harrying them...
The B5N rolls a 5, which is a miss (it would have been a hit had it been whole!). The D3As have slightly better luck - I roll a 10 and a 4, so one of my carriers gets hit!
The thing that really sucks about this hit is, the First Light Battle Plan rule stipulates that any of my carriers that are hit, cause their aircraft to be eliminated. The rules, of course, don't let you land carrier aircraft on a sunk carrier (duh)...but they also don't allow you to land carrier aircraft on damaged carriers, either. Since the aircraft are caught on the carriers, I'm about to lose a bunch of squadrons.
I'm going to randomly determine which carrier gets damaged. Of course, if I had to choose, I'd want the Enterprise to take the hit, because they only have three (instead of four) squadrons; if the Hornet or Lexington get hit, then that's four squadrons I'll have to lose, significantly reducing my punch.
I randomly determine their fates, and unfortunately luck is NOT with me. The diving D3As center on the Lexington, putting several bombs into her flight deck and setting her afire. Damage control crews scurry among the flames and torn bodies to try to save 'Lady Lex' from certain disaster; damaged and destroyed planes that were just being armed and fueled for today's strike are pushed overboard, out of the way, causing her to be completely out of action now.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F077_1.jpg&hash=ad924f79783948965bd25ad24b0d23cc4e03e1ea)
The fate of this battle now rests on the Enterprise and her reduced air compliment, and on the new Hornet.
Now, we return back to our regularly-scheduled Battle Turn, more bummed than we have a right to be.
(https://bluesmokesalsa.com/wp-content/themes/bluesmoke/img/flag.gif) Move US Aircraft (https://bluesmokesalsa.com/wp-content/themes/bluesmoke/img/flag.gif)
While the threat to my carriers is very real, the loss of Midway is another concern, so I allocate one of my SBD squadrons to help take out the Japanese troops on Midway.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F084_1.jpg&hash=72b4b7db4bcd14993764d445c1534c4b5220fdd2)
Also, fairly pissed that the Lexington was taken out of action so early, the remaining SBDs and our two surviving TBDs go after the Japanese fleet with righteous fury.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F085.jpg&hash=06b84e7db361d0b3f88a87a26483fb290c5a7b27)
I vacillated between sending the MAGs to attack the Japanese or have them help protect my carriers; I decided ultimately to have them help protect the carriers since I only have one F4F squadron now. It's not nearly as sexy a result I wanted, but I can't have my carriers getting popped so early in the game.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F086_1.jpg&hash=6991a2561553cefd293439efec703491116f3e86)
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4f/Naval_Ensign_of_Japan.svg/2000px-Naval_Ensign_of_Japan.svg.png) Move Japanese Bombers (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4f/Naval_Ensign_of_Japan.svg/2000px-Naval_Ensign_of_Japan.svg.png)
I'm an idiot. Had I paid attention to the order of the Battle Turn I would have noticed that Japanese bombers go first, then their fighters. At least I got it right this last Battle Turn, but I could have spared you the discussion. Sorry about that.
In any case, the Japanese bombers follow the Carrier Attack Battle Plan and all come join the party here in the US Ocean Area.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F087_1.jpg&hash=c0a345778c4a1382b735716827f5504a30dd69da)
No Japanese fighters move, since there aren't any! Thank goodness.
Combat - Battle Turn 2
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F3.bp.blogspot.com%2F-E0IsfyqJCTU%2FUDT11CDjUpI%2FAAAAAAAAAgs%2Fr2uHmhlQz_Y%2Fs1600%2Fdogfight%2Bicon.png&hash=88dfc8edbe49088b01a08d95e15e42d32526a391)Dogfight(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F3.bp.blogspot.com%2F-E0IsfyqJCTU%2FUDT11CDjUpI%2FAAAAAAAAAgs%2Fr2uHmhlQz_Y%2Fs1600%2Fdogfight%2Bicon.png&hash=88dfc8edbe49088b01a08d95e15e42d32526a391)
The only dogfightin' going on is in the US Ocean Area.
I really need a BIG showing here to cut these jerks down to size. The thing is, though, the Japanese aircraft that conducted the First Light Battle Plan attack do NOT get to attack again. My bad, I didn't make that clear earlier. Since the rule for First Light says
After the First Light Action, proceed with the normal Turn for the other Japanese and US Aircraft.
I assume that means the other Japanese and US aircraft get their Turns, but not the ones attacking. I further assume this means the dawn strike from the Japanese moves off and doesn't hang around for round 2, since they've already expended their munitions.
Let me fix that image, then:
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F088_1.jpg&hash=e32c0e0c9bca1b0bc0e4d79d36e246e1f10917a6)
Looks much more even, now. The First Light raiders remain in the Ocean Area, but it would be stupid to inflict losses on them since they've already attacked. Now, let's try to bring the pain on these new attackers...
For MAG 21, which is the weakest dogfighter...I roll a 1! YES! That's two hits!
For MAG 22, I roll a 3...! HOLY CRAP! That's another TWO hits! Yesss!!!
For the F4F, I roll a 6...just barely missed. That's a shame...but four hits from three fighters? That's pretty damned good!
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F089_1.jpg&hash=3936449d75ade71f86d7a948a577734f32789686)
Their B5N squadron goes down in flames, and one of their D3A squadrons gets damaged. We've essentially whittled their attack down by half.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fec.l.thumbs.canstockphoto.com%2Fcanstock15558396.jpg&hash=7844a71f9a75a211f1696d0927f75003c5b1e9f6) AAA (https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fec.l.thumbs.canstockphoto.com%2Fcanstock15558396.jpg&hash=7844a71f9a75a211f1696d0927f75003c5b1e9f6)
Now I have to deal out (hopefully) some AAA damage to these two incoming Japanese squadrons, and (hopefully) avoid it in return over the Japanese fleet.
Let's start with the Japanese raid. Since there's only two incoming attackers, only two of my CVs and two of my escorts will get to fire. I'll let the Lexington sit this one out and have the other two CVs fire. As for the escorts, it doesn't matter which two fires since their AAA value are all the same.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F090.jpg&hash=7cbdbb83252115f342f59e12a0b91f0b80dbd890)
The Hornet rolls a 2 - two hits! The Enterprise rolls a 6 - no hits. That destroys the damaged D3A and damages the lone remaining D3A. Not bad at all!
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F091_1.jpg&hash=b00f136df25d66e46efb8c957176d056f6f0f944)
Now, let's head over to the Japanese fleet, where my attacking planes are looking for a little payback...but have to try to run the gauntlet of Japanese AAA fire.
The BB Hiei/Kirishima and CV Shokaku both miss miserably (rolled a 8 and 6), but the CV Akagi scores super accurate hits, rolling a 1...meaning it gets two hits in. These have to go against one of my TBDs since they have a cost 1 as opposed to the SBDs at cost 2. So one of them goes down in flames...
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F092_1.jpg&hash=a2e817c00d10c6369fe64f457fedb58b10c3f194)
Damn.
Aircraft attacking the island do not suffer AAA, so that's it for this turn.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ficons.iconarchive.com%2Ficons%2Ficons8%2Fios7%2F512%2FMilitary-Bomb-icon.png&hash=a5b31a7827539e85876d803416aea3da9bec15cd) Bomb Runs (https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ficons.iconarchive.com%2Ficons%2Ficons8%2Fios7%2F512%2FMilitary-Bomb-icon.png&hash=a5b31a7827539e85876d803416aea3da9bec15cd)
First, I'm going to resolve my attack on the Japanese fleet.
My lone TBD rolls a 3, scoring a hit on one of their carriers and avenging their brethren that were shot down. Unfortunately the SBDs are terrible, rolling a 10, 7, and another 7. All of their bombs miss the target. I randomly determine that the Akagi takes the torpedo hit, damaging it.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F093_1.jpg&hash=e7d0531f478ef7d76d03ed4766cdf9a4b0bccc07)
Next I move to the US Ocean Area, to see if the gimped D3A does any damage. Fortunately I roll a 7, meaning a big miss for them.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F091_1.jpg&hash=b00f136df25d66e46efb8c957176d056f6f0f944)
And now, the island.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F094_1.jpg&hash=646c20fe6cc7678bdc93cb24b5bb43baed3e711a)
My lone SBD lines up, and rolls a 2, scoring a hit! I have to apply it to the Battalion that's in the Japanese Foxholes area, as it is cost 0, the lowest cost unit. It goes away and suddenly the Marines have nobody to play with.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F095.jpg&hash=69694a50e09bca39a20e45de73a76e31a74924a9)
(https://www.iconexperience.com/_img/i_collection_png/512x512/plain/torpedo.png) Torpedoes (https://www.iconexperience.com/_img/i_collection_png/512x512/plain/torpedo.png)
The Japanese sub rolls a 6, again missing my Fleet.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F096_1.jpg&hash=c43ffb817b244f77682386a94645721517c3c88d)
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.usskidd.com%2Fimages%2Fash%2520can%2520dc.jpg&hash=ed6c0116ba31d5c429e286f75804a074fd125a17) Depth Charges (https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.usskidd.com%2Fimages%2Fash%2520can%2520dc.jpg&hash=ed6c0116ba31d5c429e286f75804a074fd125a17)
Just when I don't expect anything, and have that very thought reinforced with a roll of 9 for my CV Depth Charge attack (they can only hit on a 1, so that's kind of astronomical anyway), I roll a 2 for DESRON 2, which scores a hit on that Japanese sub!
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F097_1.jpg&hash=59ed4cac27549dc042e5e07810bf2c3cfd704d1a)
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f1/Wisconsin_in_Korea.JPG/200px-Wisconsin_in_Korea.JPG) Naval Guns (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f1/Wisconsin_in_Korea.JPG/200px-Wisconsin_in_Korea.JPG)
The only thing to do with this portion of the Combat part of the Battle Turn is to roll for my ships in the US Coastal Area, targeting the Japanese infantry on their beaches.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F098_1.jpg&hash=b646034c09dfe3e70c99123272113e3c490ad661)
Unfortunately, I roll a 7, 6, and 5 - all misses. Kind of terrible considering how small Midway is...
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.darkknightarmoury.com%2Fimages%2Fproduct%2Ficon%2FAC-22-1105.png&hash=a054662cd5da0b139cafb9669a4dfbc7e2da8e3b) Infantry (https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.darkknightarmoury.com%2Fimages%2Fproduct%2Ficon%2FAC-22-1105.png&hash=a054662cd5da0b139cafb9669a4dfbc7e2da8e3b)
We skipped over this part of the Battle Turn last time because there were no Infantry to attack.
The way I interpret this rule is, infantry in Foxhole areas can attack either enemy infantry that's already ashore, or the enemy airfield. As the Japanese do not have an airfield here at Midway, and 'ashore' means either the beach or foxhole area, the US Marines can attack the Japanese.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F099_1.jpg&hash=3d33298860e7a3c2a6786ef86eba822296ae5506)
I roll a 3, scoring a hit!
I'm also going to discard my Artillery Battle Plan, which causes one hit against enemy Infantry - that's two hits. And to add insult to injury (actually, MORE injury to injury), I'm discarding my Charge Battle Plan to conduct one more Infantry attack.
The Japanese are on the ropes - a full-on ballsy attack by the Marines before the Japanese 16th Infantry and its support formations can get entrenched hammers them for huge losses, and the killing blow comes when I roll a 1 for the Charge Battle Plan, scoring three hits against the Japanese. Their hopes of gaining a foothold on Midway are ruined!
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F100_1.jpg&hash=6b421766f336737d15659ba92a62a577104b68fe)
There is no Infantry Advance phase this time, as there is no Infantry left that can advance. Heh-heh.
I do return aircraft, though. The Japanese aircraft return to find the Akagi aflame and unable to land on her; the Shokaku can take on up to three squadrons, but the fourth is going to have to ditch. I randomly roll and determine that the damaged B5N torpedo bomber squadron is the lucky winner, going into the drink, while the damaged D3A and two whole D3As land on the Shokaku.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F101.jpg&hash=9eac85db1e15bc4034f8bcdeb1031f920942712d)
Meanwhile my own air squadrons have been fairly decimated. The MAG squadrons are still whole, but my carrier air has been cut down to size during these last two Battle Turns.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F102.jpg&hash=931d41f9fd92d69d99a7f396e9d977688d034c01)
I've advanced the Battle Turn counter to the '2' space, so we have two more Battle Turns to resolve.
Just a heads up...it'll probably be a while, most likely this weekend, before I will have time to play some more.
Hi BC,
Thanks so much for doing this. :)
I bought the Vassal Module (don't have the boardgame) a while ago, but, as yet, .. have not had the time to get thru the Rules etc.. :(
.. so, your AAR is gonna be a great reference when I get some time to play the game. :)
Much appreciated, .. and look forward to the continuation .. and conclusion .. :)
Cheers
Tom
Thomasew, you're quite welcome. I do like this game a lot. O0
To everyone, I should mention a couple of things about this game.
One, I somewhat implied early on that the game is only made up of four Campaigns, each corresponding to a year of the war. While this is true, it's not the whole truth - you can extend your Campaign at the end of a Campaign year, as long as you don't screw up too badly and get transferred to a weather station in Thule or become latrine officer in Pensacola. I'm not sure if I'm going to extend the game out beyond the end of the year - and that's a big IF when it comes to if I'm still in the game at that point. I might leave it up to you all to see if you want it to continue at that point - so let's worry about that bridge when we bomb it.
Another thing that can end the game really fast, is the Japanese attacking Hawaii. If that happens, you have ONE (count 'em, ONE) turn to turn back the Japanese onslaught. If you fail, the game ends immediately. While this doesn't necessarily reflect the U.S. losing the war, it does reflect that as a commander, you failed, and therefore have been pulled to one of those choice aforementioned assignments.
One of the 'workarounds' for this is to send a single ship, infantry, or LBA to an Area that has an Objective further west of Hawaii, which will incur Japanese attention. For the game system, that works, but for reality, not so much. In this 1942 Campaign, I don't have a lot to work with anyway so sending my forces off to certain doom isn't really something I want to do unless I'm desperate. And we haven't gotten to that point yet.
Yet, anyway.
I've also been thinking of truncating this Battle for the purposes of quickness, but I think one thing you guys might actually be enjoying about this IS the detail I'm putting into it. So if anyone is getting bored with the way I'm doing it, please say something.
Alright, enough blather. Let's continue the Battle of Midway.
Battle Turn 3: Midway Island
(continued)
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4f/Naval_Ensign_of_Japan.svg/2000px-Naval_Ensign_of_Japan.svg.png) Draw Japanese Battle Plans (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4f/Naval_Ensign_of_Japan.svg/2000px-Naval_Ensign_of_Japan.svg.png)
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F103.jpg&hash=e8c01a343391a5dabe2078928cd380cd02588f5d)
These draws weren't nearly as bad as during the last Battle Turn. That First Light BP can be crippling...and so too can the dreaded No Contact. I'll talk about that latter one more when/if I draw it for the Japanese.
Duration will adjust the number of Battle Turns either up or down, depending on the number of Forces the Japanese have at the end of this current Battle Turn. If the Japanese have fewer Forces than me (counting carrier-based aircraft and Infanty on transports...oh wait, they have no infantry...ha-ha...), then the number of Battle Turns will be decreased by 1. Since there's only one left at the end of this Battle Turn, this will probably be it for the Battle of Midway. I need to try to mess them up good by destroying their three Ships and one Sub in one Battle Turn. Not an easy prospect.
The Artillery BP is a waste as it doesn't apply, thanks to the 1st Marine Division during the last Battle Turn.
(https://bluesmokesalsa.com/wp-content/themes/bluesmoke/img/flag.gif) Move US Aircraft (https://bluesmokesalsa.com/wp-content/themes/bluesmoke/img/flag.gif)
First, I'm putting a couple of fighters over my carriers. Wouldn't be prudent to get another hit on my carriers at this stage of the battle, now would it?
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F104.jpg&hash=dd680859b4c986208035a2f89a5a14aae4d5aec4)
The rest of them are going after the remnants of the Japanese fleet.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F105_1.jpg&hash=808a52990be11d38a70f97c96d213827e404dc9c)
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4f/Naval_Ensign_of_Japan.svg/2000px-Naval_Ensign_of_Japan.svg.png) Move Japanese Bombers (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4f/Naval_Ensign_of_Japan.svg/2000px-Naval_Ensign_of_Japan.svg.png)
I rolled a 7 and two 10s, so once again, they're going all out for my carrier force.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F106.jpg&hash=e007ebd9cf612f3bcb944ba320eca40f6d297e09)
And as there are no Japanese fighters to move (heh-heh), we'll skip that part.
Dogfight
(To speed things up, I'm going to refrain from using the icons for the Combat portions of the Battle Turns. You guys get the idea anyway.)
The only Area with aircraft from both sides happens to be right over my carriers. Let's see how my CAP does.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F107_1.jpg&hash=ca39c8382595b576e97f308dad28f5d39a382b3f)
An 8 and a 4. One hit. Not good, we needed more, and now I wish I had kept the other MAG unit over my carriers. You take risks in this game.
I have to apply it to the damaged D3A squadron, so it is destroyed, leaving two more D3A squadrons.
AAA
So two full-strength Japanese dive bomber squadrons are headed for my precious carriers. No biggie.
Only two of my CVs and two escorts can fire, though, since there's only two enemies headed in.
Since the Lexington is damaged, that makes it easy as I have two full strength carriers left, so guess who fires? The Hornet rolls a 7, and the Enterprise rolls a 2. The "Big E" scores two hits while the Hornet scores none. I allocate both to one D3A as it doesn't matter which one gets hit since they cost the same (2), and once one is damaged it has to be destroyed. So they're down one D3A, but the other one is coming in fast...
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F109_1.jpg&hash=831049432ad32d85f6b1e670600c8a4092d38066)
Bomb Runs
I'll continue with the Japanese attack before I see how my forces do with the Japanese fleet.
Unfortunately I roll a 3, which is a hit. The D3A dives down onto my carriers (dammit, I KNEW I should have kept that MAG here...then again it may very well have missed in the Dogfight step too, so who knows), drops its bombs, and...
...I get to choose which CV to apply the hit to, which sucks. I apply it to the Hornet. The Japanese bombers loose their loads and hole up the flight deck but good, leaving her useless for flight operations.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F110.jpg&hash=e35f6a1546ea0f8ddf5eb0958e422777fb3e27fd)
That's two of my carriers out of action for...well I don't know for how long, I can complete repairs at the beginning of a Turn, and apparently this can happen anywhere, so as these carriers are returning to port the next turn, I can probably complete repairs on them. We'll have to see, but right now this is looking expensive, Supply Point-wise.
Alright...I'm ready to sink some Japanese flattops...
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F111.jpg&hash=efc6e1a4375167f66bdbcbb683e2b3c0c5bb6b0c)
I have two squadrons with a 3 or less to hit and four squadrons with a 4 or less to hit. I'll start with the lower 3s and go from there...
My lone TBD squadron needs a 3 or less and rolls...6. American fish are terrible, and even if we did score a hit, it was a dud.
My MAG 22 (Marine Air Group 22) dives in and rolls...4. A bare miss. It manages to get the Japanese ships wet but that's about it.
Now, for the SBD squadrons, which all need a 4 or less to hit.
First SBD rolls...3
Second SBD rolls...3
Third SBD rolls...6
Fourth and final SBD rolls...10
Two more hits on the Japanese fleet. Could have been better...could have been worse. But it REALLY could have been better.
One hit sinks the Akagi, while the second damages the Shokaku. The BB Hiei/Kirishima remains unscathed.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F112_1.jpg&hash=7c02060154b3f53acc7d28db42f34cadb7195d7b)
Torpedoes
The lone Japanese sub (damaged to boot) rolls a 6, so it misses, thankfully.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F113.jpg&hash=d6122e56799337265fa98cd7ab63f7097c845b61)
Depth Charges
Only one of my Ships can attack the Japanese sub, so I roll for one of my DESRON units...and get a 6, so it's a total miss. How they're not finding this junker of a sub is beyond me...it must sound like cymbals and wrenches on snare drums down there.
Naval Guns
It's really a shame my ships in the Coastal Area can't move to the Japanese Ocean Area and engage them. The Japanese BB would be dangerous but I'd have enough guns to give myself a chance.
It's all moot; there's no fire during this step of the Battle Turn.
Infantry
Nothing to do here either, move along...
In fact that's about it for this Battle Turn. I return the Japanese aircraft to its fleet, but without a carrier to land on, it splashes. The Japanese carrier air force has been wiped out for this battle.
My two MAG LBA units return to the Midway airfield. As for my carrier aircraft, it doesn't really matter. I have six aircraft coming home to land on one carrier (the Enterprise), as the other two damaged ones cannot take them. I splash two of my SBD squadrons and keep one F4F, two SBDs, and one TBD.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F114.jpg&hash=73dd9b62404cbe1e657c156c3a45f04205533f19)
I advance the Battle Turn counter, and as I said at the start of this Battle Turn, I have more Forces than the Japanese, so the Battle is reduced by one BT. This concludes the Battle.
We've managed to gut the Japanese forces attacking Midway, and have held on to the island, but with Japanese and US forces in the same Area this might make it a magnet for trouble in the future.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F115_1.jpg&hash=04f4557cc421868ef8eac522dcf614167ea9fac3)
I sank two of their carriers and damaged two, in exchange for two damaged ones on my side. That might seem like a good trade-off, but it's not; they have tons more CVs where that came from, whereas I do not. At least, not at the moment.
There's a couple more battles to prosecute on the main map, but I'll probably resolve those offline and report on them in the next post.
Thanks for reading!
The holidays hammered me time-wise, but I fully intend to get back to this game; I haven't abandoned it and just wanted anyone still interested in following this that I'll get back to it as soon as I can.
Okay, finally back to it after a long hiatus. Sorry for the delays; hope everyone is still interested in following this.
Let's see where we left off: the Battle of Midway was something of a draw. I could argue it was a U.S. victory, but my two damaged carriers are now out of action for a while, while the Japanese still have plenty of CV/CVE/CVL strength to draw from. Long term, it's a good victory for me; short term, not so much.
There were a couple of other battles to look at, I think. I'm going to start with Borneo, but I'm not going to bore you with all the details of this massive Japanese attack against a lone Allied battalion.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F117.jpg&hash=0f4ed8ffac2d14f789cd70fab16c788aa9438208)
The Battle Board looks a little scary, with my one Battalion versus two Japanese Battalions (though one is on Transports at the moment), as well as a CVE and a BB.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F118.jpg&hash=0ccd578587f30400e549406c1b6098b2855c8a64)
The Japanese CVEs carry only one Air Wing, a D3A 'Val' dive-bomber squadron. Extra bad news for the troops ashore.
It wasn't much of a fight. The D3A managed to hit my Battalion, and while their BB group missed with their shelling (rolling a 7 when they needed a 6 or lower), one of their Battalions rolled a 1, ending our presence on Borneo.
New Guinea is in an even worse situation. There's only two RAAF groups there, while the Japanese have seven groups. Not to mention four ships, one major land formation, and several more on transports out on the ocean.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F119_1.jpg&hash=68a1c7960f83507191724ba776274655d89c23fe)
However, I managed to destroy one of their Zero groups and damage a second Zero group. We lost one of our RAAF groups, though. One more is still there, hanging on. I think we only managed to maintain our position here because the Battle was only two Battle Turns long, and there were some bad die rolls all around (the Japanese only had one hit in the first round, but I played the 'Barrel Roll' Battle Plan, which stopped the hit).
Japanese Reinforce
Now that all the battles are finally done, the Japanese get to reinforce (because, y'know, they NEED to do that). Since they have two Resupply markers, I have to add +2 to my die roll on their New Japanese Forces table.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F120.jpg&hash=cadfb1778d804168659ced297ac149db0df94e34)
I roll a 3, so with +2, that's a 5, which is in the '3-5' range...so the Resupply bonus didn't do anything (thank goodness). Still, the Japanese get one Ship, one Infantry, and one Land-Based Air (LBA) to add to their already-huge forces.
(You also have to subtract one from the die roll for every damaged Japanese force on the map - I forgot that until just now. This would mean a -3 to the die roll result, so the Japanese actually do not get an LBA. Please ignore that in the below screenshot - I removed it from Japan after realizing this and taking the screenshot.)
Randomly selecting Japanese forces, I get to add the CVE Chuyo and the 20th Infantry to Japan.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F121.jpg&hash=9bc4a7aea9bafd0199244fb2eca65a44db64beda)
Japanese Repair
The CV Shokaku and SS Sub Gp 1 are both returned to the Japanese Reinforcement box, where they are returned to the force stack for their type (e.g. ship, LBA, etc.). When they are next drawn, they return to the map at full strength. Hopefully we won't see the Shokaku again in this particular Campaign Year.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F122_1.jpg&hash=fbb7336c9b42a0be03f10d30bc22e6eae6778b73)
The rules say to add it to the bottom of the stack, but since VASSAL is easy to make mistakes in if you click the wrong thing, I'm just going to make separate stacks, so when the one full-strength stack is depleted, I'll flip the damaged ones over and move them as needed to fulfill the rules' requirements.
US Return to Port
Now comes a difficult part of the turn...I have to return all Allied ships to port. Any Ship groups that are not in the Hawaiian Islands are sent to the Hawaiian Island Port Boxes. Since this is the 1942 Campaign Game, they're all returned to the 1942 to 1945 box. Additionally, all ships already in the 1942 to 1945 box are moved to the Hawaiian Islands, so I'll at least have a nice fat stack of ships to do something with this next turn...hopefully!
I get to add two Sub groups (SS Sub Groups 2 and 4), added to one other Sub group (SS Sub Group 1) already present, giving me some submarine options the next turn.
DD Desron 4 and 12 are also added to my forces. This will help with screening.
Four CRUs are added, too - Phoenix/Boise, Portland/Indianapolis, Pensacola/Salt Lake City, and St. Louis/Helena. These are added to the CRU already present (Chester/Louisville).
The best of the lot, though, are two CVs - the Saratoga and Yorktown. Thank goodness, as I have no carriers now.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F123.jpg&hash=f6190550a930806f098c9765e12ebe47abc1d09b)
US Supply Check
I have to trace supply lines in this step, and fortunately nobody is surrounded. The only one close to being surrounded is my RAAF unit on New Guinea, but they can trace supply through Australia.
End of Turn
Fortunately, we did not lose any Objectives, so we're still on the high end of the Historical result (which is 5-6 Objectives). Who knows what the next turn will hold, but it feels like the Japanese are a volcano and I'm in a bad B-movie trying to stem the tide with concrete dividers that are just being overwhelmed. Here's hoping for a major victory in the next turn...
Let me know if you guys want me to keep going with this. I'd be glad to do so if you're still following it. I do love this game; I just haven't had a lot of time in the last month or so to do it, but hopefully I'll now be able to provide updates regularly.
Perfect timing! I was actually reading through the manual this morning. I think I will start a game tonight. Vassal module, of course. I really think I should make a New Year's resolution to play at least one physical, dice on the table wargame this year, though.
I've been reading this AAR along with the rule book to prepare for my on start of this game. I'm still learning and have two questions for you:
1) In Battle Turn 3 (post #26 on: November 23, 2015) during the AAA phase: the rules say Resolve the AAA Attacks for the Escorts, and then resolve the AAA Attacks for the Carriers. Did you forget the escort AAA attacks or did they both miss? It looks like you only rolled for the carriers.
2) You played the Engaged Battle Plan 'card' in Turn 1 and extended the battle by one turn. Shouldn't there have been a Turn 4 for the battle of Midway?
That looks like a pretty amazing game, B_C.
Quote from: bbmike on January 15, 2016, 07:55:58 AM
1) In Battle Turn 3 (post #26 on: November 23, 2015) during the AAA phase: the rules say Resolve the AAA Attacks for the Escorts, and then resolve the AAA Attacks for the Carriers. Did you forget the escort AAA attacks or did they both miss? It looks like you only rolled for the carriers.
I thought I rolled for them all. If I didn't mention it I probably did forget to do that, as I was trying to be as detailed as possible. Without having looked over at the post (sorry), I think the rule says something about only a number of ships can fire equal to the number of attackers. So if you have three Japanese bombers attacking eight of your ships, you don't get eight AAA rolls; instead, you get three. In that case, I think I went with the CVs because they probably had higher AAA ratings than the escorts. I could be completely wrong in any of this, and in that case, yeah I forgot. :)
Quote from: bbmike on January 15, 2016, 07:55:58 AM
2) You played the Engaged Battle Plan 'card' in Turn 1 and extended the battle by one turn. Shouldn't there have been a Turn 4 for the battle of Midway?
I thought I just didn't advance the Battle Turn one turn, so that there was an extra one. If I didn't, I just forgot, so I'm sorry about that. It's difficult to remember when your posts go over multiple days, but I'll try to do better with that.
Quote from: bob48 on January 15, 2016, 08:02:24 AM
That looks like a pretty amazing game, B_C.
I do love this game, Bob. It's not perfect, but it doesn't try to be perfect nor represent itself as such. It's difficult to simulate such a wide-ranging conflict in a simple and fast manner, and I think they did a great job in that.
MAR-APR 1942 TURN
Before I begin the next turn, here's a quick look at most of the map:
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F125_1.jpg&hash=37b74e2df5911cd43c2fcad191a1e9988f2a391d)
I've removed the 'Moved' markers and ensured all the Forces are placed appropriately (hopefully I haven't missed anything). After viewing the map, it's pretty obvious there's two major battles still brewing: New Guinea and Midway. I'll have to think carefully as to where I need to make my effort; splitting my forces will make me pretty weak. I'm thinking of going all-in in Borneo since we only have the one LBA group there.
Advance Turn Counter
The Campaign Turn counter moves to the Mar Apr space.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F126.jpg&hash=baa5e8ff9a9b77fd6c3ed5d445c464d2eca104d4)
US Resupply
I get 20 Supply Points (SPs) and seven Reinforcement Points (RPs)...I described these in an earlier post.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F127_1.jpg&hash=5dac923d3f03695b506325799c2cd2d736ca3563) (https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F128_1.jpg&hash=d90774d84e49140d535287d14189198a072ad0fe)
I'll really need to go all out to build up my forces. So, here's a breakdown of what I decide to buy:
CV Wasp (5 Points)
BB Colorado/Maryland (3 Points)
2nd Marine Division, 1st Australian Infantry Division, 43rd Infantry Division, and 32nd Infantry Division (total of 5 Points)
Marine Air Group (MAG) 23 (2 Points)
Grand Total: 15 Points
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F129_1.jpg&hash=665252eca97d583a55c621c9eb0fdf2b8b62dfc3)
Seven of those 15 Points come from my RPs, and the remainder can come from my Supply Point total. So I need to lose eight SPs, leaving me with 12. Things will be thin movement-wise, but I really need some strength on the front line, and fast, before they overrun New Guinea.
I could spend SPs to repair the CV Lexington, CV Hornet, and the CRU San Francisco/Astoria, too. Lady Lex and Hornet would each cost me 2 SPs and the CRU would cost 1 SP. I'd get them in the next turn. The CV Enterprise is coming up on the next turn too, so if I repair both, I'll have three CVs to work with on the next turn. I don't have much choice, so I spend 4 SPs to repair both CVs. I'll leave the CRU damaged for now. This leaves me with 8 SPs now. Not a lot.
US Scouting
This might bite me in the ass later, but I'm going to skip this step as I'd like some flexibility for movement and possibly Battle Plans. I hope this isn't a bad choice...
Since I don't do this step, the Japanese Scouted Orders step is ignored.
US Movement
I can't ignore Midway, but I want to reinforce New Guinea. Since I don't have to worry about the Japanese going after Australia (which somewhat confuses me, but the game system probably would have been more complicated had they allowed for that), I could either send a large fleet to Midway, or hope Midway holds and send a token force there while sending my main effort to New Guinea to try to break the Japanese stranglehold there.
One thing I enjoy greatly about this game is how it makes you sweat your decisions. Despite me not wanting to split my effort between both Midway and New Guinea, I can't help but think if I don't put a decent force into Midway, it might fall. But that would allow me to bring a sledgehammer down on New Guinea. Midway has no friendly ships of course, but they have the BB Hiei/Kirishima, which might attract other Japanese forces, especially since Midway is an Objective in this particular campaign.
Decisions, decisions.
I'm going to go ahead and try to cover my bases. If I get my ass kicked this turn, you'll know why...I'm saying it here.
I'm moving the CV Yorktown, CRU Phoenix/Boise, and DD Desron 1 to Midway. To New Guinea, I've allotted CV Wasp and Saratoga, the BB Colorado/Maryland, and CRU Chester/Louisville. Also, I'm moving the 2nd Marine Division to New Guinea as well. I really wanted to bring another land unit to New Guinea, but even as it is now the ship force I'm committing seems kind of thin.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F130.jpg&hash=2688d772323e57dc3b3a9dfab3486a7d88cbe7d5)
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F131.jpg&hash=ac67a46d4cab1dcd0e7fec9b5fa018a9e3c0ec0e)
The Marines in New Guinea will really have their work cut out for them as there's a lot of Japanese forces entrenched on the island already. Hopefully our two CVs and their airpower will help tip the balance. Once again, I'm worried big time about the outcome of these choices. I'm second guessing and wondering if I should have moved the Midway group with the New Guinea group. But since some Japanese units can technically move out of the area (well, Japanese infantry can't move out of areas with US forces in them, but their LBAs and Ships certainly can), they might move on...another worry.
In the next post I'll get into the Japanese Orders for this turn.
I studied this AAR, watched Stuka Joe's playthrough (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLGTcuCC4Lg) and just finished my first turn. I really like this game! It actually creates some tense moments. O0
BC, you don't spend those 4 SPs yet to repair the two carriers. You do that during the US Resupply phase of the same turn they come back out of the '1942 to 1945' port to Hawaii. You can use those 4 SPs THIS turn. You are going to need them. :D
Quote from: bbmike on January 16, 2016, 09:47:20 PM
I studied this AAR, watched Stuka Joe's playthrough (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLGTcuCC4Lg) and just finished my first turn. I really like this game! It actually creates some tense moments. O0
BC, you don't spend those 4 SPs yet to repair the two carriers. You do that during the US Resupply phase of the same turn they come back out of the '1942 to 1945' port to Hawaii. You can use those 4 SPs THIS turn. You are going to need them. :D
Damn, you're right. Thanks bbmike. I'll fix stuff in my next post.
Sorry about that, all. Used to be that I knew this manual backwards and forwards. I might need to do another read through. :)
The manual could be a lot better. I'm having to check BGG for clarification on a few things. There's a good FAQ sheet and Turn sheet that helps. I'm about to start a do or die battle in New Guinea right now. Five Japanese carries against my three! If I lose this battle it might mean the war. :( Good times! 8)
This really looks like a fascinating game.
Quote from: bob48 on January 18, 2016, 11:51:26 AM
This really looks like a fascinating game.
It's a great game, Bob. You should get it if you find it.
I did look up Amazon.co.uk...it doesn't look promising there. 80.95 in your funny Queen Mum money plus another 34.38 for UK delivery...I looked that all up and that's $165 US and change. Ho-lee-cheet! :o
http://www.amazon.co.uk/DVG-Dan-Verssen-Games-Commander/dp/B00RCMLAQ2
Gotta be a cheaper way for you to get it if you want it.
Thanks again to forum member bbmike for pointing out the error of my ways. I added four SPs to my total, bringing them to 12, and put the two CVs I repaired back to their Damaged status.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F132.jpg&hash=9b64ef72e3e9ee814bf4c3fefd31509b53bb9e75)
This helps a LOT. Now, I'm going to make a few more moves...
First, I move the 32nd and 43rd Infantry Divisions from the West Coast down to New Guinea, where they will be sorely needed. I feel a lot better about my New Guinea attack, but to help a bit more, I'm also moving DD Desron 12 and CRU Portland/Indianapolis from the Hawaiian Islands to New Guinea as well. I have a feeling this will brew to be a big battle this turn.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F133.jpg&hash=9e3a7f0003b5512638a8b24d883fca56fa783c74)
I'm going to let the Midway force stand as is, though. I'm hoping they won't get hammered.
So, my SP total goes back down to 8, but at least I was able to give the troops down in New Guinea a better chance. That RAAF group there must be relieved to see such a massive force arrive...but I'd say, "let's wait and see what the Japanese do."
Speaking of...
Movement: Japanese Orders
First, I place a 'Moved' marker on each Area that has only one Japanese infantry or one Japanese LBA. These guys will not be able to move, even if additional Forces enter their area. Both Japan and East Asia are exempt from this rule, as all Forces in either of those areas can move.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F134_1.jpg&hash=efe2ba2e6f5cf60ea3ee95c343b4c24bf2424e33)
Okinawa, the Philippines, Carolines, Wake, the Marshalls, and Gilbert Islands all get Moved markers. Now it's time to move the remaining Forces. Furthermore, Japanese infantry in an Area that has US Forces has to stay in place too, so this means that stack of Japanese infantry in New Guinea stays put. I place a Moved counter on them, too.
East Asia Movement
Roll One: 1 - HOLD. No movement for up to 6 Ships, 2 Infantry, and 3 LBAs. This means all the Japanese forces in East Asia stay in place and get Moved markers. I'm fine with that, even if they do get a Resupply marker for later.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F135_1.jpg&hash=e95895a6d030cbe1af9c1962faf0c6193319caf1)
Japan Movement
Roll One: 6 - EAST. Randomly select 4 Ships, 2 Infantry, and 2 LBA to move 1 Area closer to the Hawaiian Islands, to an area that is held by Japan. East in this case would be Iwo Jima, which is of course held by Japan. The CV Kaga moves along with an escorting force of CRU Maya/Atago and CRU Furutaka/Kako, as well as DD Destroyer Group 4. Additionally, the 38th Infantry Division and a Japanese Battalion move to Iwo. There are no LBAs, so no movement happens there. This is not all the Forces in Japan, so I roll again.
Roll Two: 8 - ENGAGE. Randomly select 3 Ships and 2 Infantry to move to the closest Area with US Forces. The closest Area is actually either New Guinea or Midway - both are four Areas away. So I randomly determine where they go, and they're off to New Guinea. I was hoping for a major battle and it looks like the Japanese are going to give me what I want, because I draw the CVL Zuiho and CVL Hosho, as well as BB Kongo/Haruna. Additionally, the 20th Infantry Division and the remaining Japanese battalion load up on transports and head to New Guinea.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F136.jpg&hash=7e984231d0259abdbbac1aa7ec177be202121ce3)
There's still more Ships in Japan, so more rolls are required.
Roll Three: 3 - REFIT. This is only good for forces outside of Japan, so I have to roll it again.
Roll Three (again): 3 - REFIT. Oh COME ON. Reroll.
Roll Three (one more time): 1 - HOLD. Okay, finally. Since there are only Ships remaining, and there's six of them, they all remain in Japanese waters this turn.
Borneo Movement
Roll One: 4 - SOUTH. Normally this would mean moving up to 3 Ships, 1 Infantry, and 2 LBAs one Area south closer to Australia, unless you are adjacent to Australia...which Borneo is. So, since this order cannot be carried out, a HOLD order is issued instead. Which means yet another Resupply marker for them.
Iwo Jima Movement
Roll One: 1 - HOLD. Yet another HOLD order. All Japanese forces here stay in place. And another Resupply marker.
Mariana Islands Movement
Roll One: 9 - REINFORCE. Move up to 2 Ships, 1 Infantry, and 2 LBAs to an Objective that has at least 1 Japanese Infantry or LBA ashore. The CRU Ashigara/Nashi moves to New Guinea, as does the 14th Sentai (bomber group) and Kahoya Kokutai (bomber group). Since there are still LBAs present in the Mariana Islands, the Battalion there must move to meet this Order.
There's two LBAs left in the Mariana Islands, so I have to roll one more time for one of them.
Roll Two: 7 - BATTLE. An LBA joins a Battle already in progress. New Guinea is the only area they can move to (they can't go to Midway as they don't have Infantry or LBAs ashore there). So, the Genzan Kokutai (bomber group) moves to New Guinea.
The Japanese are going to have a gigantic air force there. Glad I brought my two carriers, but dammit, I really should have brought more fighters. I can only hope that a wild roll moves Japanese LBA strength out of the area.
New Guinea Movement
Roll One: 8 - ENGAGE. 3 Ships, 1 Infantry, and up to two LBAs go after the closest US forces, which happen to be here in New Guinea.
Roll Two: 6 - EAST. 4 Ships, 2 Infantry, and 2 LBAs move one Area closer to Hawaii, to an Area that's already under Japanese control. The Infantry cannot move since US Forces are present, so that doesn't happen. However, thankfully, the 59th and 8th Sentai move to the Carolines, the only area that legally allows them to meet this movement order. Also, the CRU Myoko/Haguro moves to the Carolines as well. That helps ease the pressure; I was really beginning to worry about their LBA strength in New Guinea. They still have quite a good-sized force, though.
Midway Movement
This leaves the BB and Battalion on a transport in Midway waters.
Roll One: REFIT. Both of their Forces retreat to Japan. So, the Forces I moved there were wasted. Still, I had to make the effort.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F137_1.jpg&hash=879e3e6716f03f0483249a1fe37227d72eb525e4)
Looks like the only battle this turn will be a major one in New Guinea. Stay tuned.
Quote from: Banzai_Cat on January 18, 2016, 08:46:05 PM
Quote from: bob48 on January 18, 2016, 11:51:26 AM
This really looks like a fascinating game.
It's a great game, Bob. You should get it if you find it.
I did look up Amazon.co.uk...it doesn't look promising there. 80.95 in your funny Queen Mum money plus another 34.38 for UK delivery...I looked that all up and that's $165 US and change. Ho-lee-cheet! :o
http://www.amazon.co.uk/DVG-Dan-Verssen-Games-Commander/dp/B00RCMLAQ2
Gotta be a cheaper way for you to get it if you want it.
My usual UK retailer has a copy for £60 plus an extra £20 for the mounted map board. I am currently negotiating with my financial advisor :-}
CoolStuff Inc.com has Fleet Commander Nimitz (http://www.coolstuffinc.com/main_search.php?pa=searchOnName&page=1&resultsPerPage=25&q=fleet+commander+nimitz) on sale right now for $65.99! Only two copies left. Someone just bought the third copy. :P
Battle of New Guinea
Move Forces to Battle Map
Fortunately, VASSAL does most of this automatically. I do miss doing it myself, though. Playing this e-version of the game just makes me want to pull out the cardboard version!
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F138_1.jpg&hash=9ff72c20a7ee073f06d81834253ca4b135ea97dd)
I get to make the exact placements, though...VASSAL doesn't do that. There is something of a decision tree involved.
My CVs have to go in the US Ocean Area, so there's no question there.
That leaves me with four other ship groups - a BB, two CRUs, and one DD. I'm going to gamble at splitting these guys up. The boys going ashore are going to need some fire support, so my two best ships for that (each having a '4' in Surface Attack), the CRU Portland/Indianapolis and CRU Chester/Louisville are going into the US Coastal Area. The remaining BB and DD are going with my CVs, because they both have higher AAA ratings (3 each).
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F139_1.jpg&hash=77f49c01a7ee28c53c20590178d577485ba177c3)
Next, I add my CV air forces...two F4Fs, four SBDs, and two TBDs. Not a lot to deal with overwhelming Japanese air power, but we'll make do as we have no other choice.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F140_2.jpg&hash=b431fff17622c82b93537dc2d69608d4020c4243)
The two Japanese carriers - both CVLs - are added to the Japanese Ocean Area, as are two DDs and one CRU. Their Coastal Area gets their monster BB and one CRU.
Fortunately, since they have CVLs, there's only two A6Ms and two D3As. Could have been worse had these been larger CVs; then, I'd have to deal with two B5N torpedo groups as well. I think they have plenty going into this battle.
Roll for Battle Turns
I roll a '1' in VASSAL, which means a one-turn Battle. Might be mercifully short.
Determine Japanese Battle Plans
The Japanese have 18 (count 'em) forces in this battle, giving them four Battle Plans. Not good.
I don't draw them yet. Not until the actual battle sequence starts.
Select US Battle Plans
I get three Battle Plan Points (BPPs) automatically, and can get three more for every Supply Point (SP) I spend. To make an impact in one round versus a very large enemy force, I'll need to delve into some serious BPs to help me even try to tip the balance. And since this is the only Battle during this turn, I can feel free to spend some mondo SPs to help me out here.
So here goes nothing. I buy the following:
Leathernecks (costs 0). If a Marine is ashore, it stops one hit on the island. I don't have a Marine ashore yet, but hopefully I will by the end of the turn. I don't think I'll be able to use it, but it costs nothing, so why not?
Furball (costs 1). Gives me an extra hit in a dogfight, if I score a successful hit.
Ranging Shots (costs 1). Gives me an extra hit in a Surface Attack, if I score a successful hit.
Anti-Aircraft (costs 1). Gives me an extra AAA attack for a Ship.
Charge (costs 1). Gives me an extra attack for an Infantry unit.
Envelop (costs 1). Gives me a chance to reroll an Infantry attack.
AAA (costs 2). Gives me an extra hit in an AAA attack, if I score a successful hit.
Artillery (costs 2). With infantry ashore, this gives me an automatic hit as if one of my Infantry scored a hit.
Barrel Roll (costs 2). Lets me ignore one hit on one of my aircraft groups.
Diving Attack (costs 3). Gives me an extra hit in a Bombing attack, if I score a successful hit.
Damage Control (costs 4). Lets me stop one hit against any of my ships.
This costs a whopping 18 BPs. Minus my three free BPPs, I need to pay for the remaining 15 BPPs. That costs five SPs, leaving me with three SPs. I could buy some additional Battle Plans, but none of the remaining ones are impactful, at least not to me.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F142_1.jpg&hash=b2053a53dde396e7c360fb86d5a40b38f5a87269)
I'll begin the combat round in the next post.
Battle of New Guinea
Part 2: One-Turn Wonder?
Draw Japanese Battle Plans
Okay, I gotta gird my loins here, because the game system can really stick it to me during this part of the game.
Damage Control (stops one hit)
Battalion (place an extra Battalion on the island)
Kamikaze Attacks (has no impact, thank goodness)
Like the Japanese need another %#*@# infantry unit on the board...but I go ahead and add the Battalion. That makes three Battalions, not counting the other two full division units, plus the crap floating just off the beaches.
Drawing Kamikaze was a stroke of luck, as it has no impact in '42 and '43 Campaign games. And yes, it's supposed to remain in the mix during either of those games, too.
Damage Control kind of sucks...it minimizes chances for me to hurt their fleet, but it could be worse. I could have drawn a chit that gives them big bonuses to air combat, which they definitely DO NOT need, thanks!
Move US Aircraft
The Japanese are light on the fighters...they have three total. Two on the carriers, one LBA. This leaves six bombers. The chances of them coming after my precious carriers are very high. I don't have much choice but to leave my two F4Fs in the US Ocean Area to help protect them.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F143_1.jpg&hash=9909dd53679616533098a2ccfaea02f73fafd548)
Next, I feel like I have to go after their BB. If I can sink that bastard, it'll make life a lot easier for my troops ashore. So I commit two SBDs to that Area. I send the remaining SBDs and the two TBDs to their Ocean Area to go after their flattops.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F144_1.jpg&hash=bf0b71cf3de6586b72dab94143747b4374559de2)
Japanese Aircraft Movement
Now comes the big moment where I determine where their mess o' planes goes.
After rolling in VASSAL, some strange results happen. First, one A6M from the carriers remains in place, and the one fighter group on the island moves to help protect the carriers, too. That's two fighters facing off against my bombers. I hope they can make it through.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F145.jpg&hash=24baae3731bca2b95ad46627b2b74cdd77f502e1)
Next, the two D3As from their carriers are spotted heading for my carriers. Glad I left the F4Fs there.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F146.jpg&hash=ca50a339a0cc62f9516c7859afd96405c2e4ca31)
And the mess o' LBA bombers all end up on the island. Since you roll once for each Group type, that means all LBA bombers are rolled for once. I got a '5,' putting them on the island. And this ONLY happened because I have the RAAF group present; had they not been there, all five of these bombers would be over my carriers right now. Bullet: dodged.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F148_1.jpg&hash=8e52f5f570d190aeaede1c1d9d5b1f6bd2524cb3)
Photobucket is being a little putz right now, so I'll update with the battle as soon as it decides to start showing me my uploaded photos.
Battle of New Guinea
Part 3: The Actual Battle
Okay, hopefully Photobucket will behave now. Though I haven't minded a little pause. This is going to be a big battle...and I think I'm worried about two things. One, having my ass handed to me. Two, nothing happening. We shall see.
Dogfight
There's opposing aircraft in the Japanese Ocean Area, Island Area, and US Ocean Area.
Japanese Ocean Area Dogfight
The only ones that can dogfight are Japanese planes.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F145.jpg&hash=24baae3731bca2b95ad46627b2b74cdd77f502e1)
I roll a '10' for the A6M - that's a big miss. Next, I roll an '8' for the Ki-27...another miss! Whew. All four of my groups get through!
Island Area Dogfight
Things don't look too good for the RAAF group since they're facing off against several Japanese air groups that have a Dogfight rating.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F150.jpg&hash=c445c63363cecfa4b64bfc310746fe31c5577441)
Kanoya Kokutai (6/3) - rolled 8...miss!
Genzan Kokutai (6/3) - rolled 4...one hit.
A6M (8/4) - rolled 3...two hits. The RAAF unit will be destroyed.
In retaliation, I roll a big fat '7,' which is a miss, so the RAAF squadron is eliminated, with no loss to any of the Japanese.
I can't use the Barrel Roll BP as it only eliminates one hit, and only eliminates said hit at the time it occurs. I could have spent it to remove the first hit, but the following two would have killed it. Same goes for the two hits received...I can't win. The RAAF group is unfortunately going to go down.
US Ocean Area Dogfight
My F4Fs are the only ones that can attack.
First F4F (5/3) - rolled 1...two hits!
Second F4F (5/3) - rolled 8, big miss.
However, I'm going to expend my Furball BP to get one extra hit, which will damage the remaining D3A.
Good enough, I guess...I eliminated one of the D3A dive bomber groups. One left, and it's damaged, so it's chances of hitting later are greatly reduced.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F153_1.jpg&hash=f66f945d59d0c8f1a411d4e90573743b997116dd)
AAA
I'll start with the US Ocean Area.
I line up the Wasp and Saratoga in one row, and their escorts in the other. Since only one Japanese aircraft is attacking, it can only be attacked once from the CV row and once from the Escort row. I'm not sure if I did this right in the Midway battle. The rules can sometimes be difficult to interpret. In this case though, I think I just totally missed the two-row thing. I don't even remember, it's been a while since that Midway battle.
In any case, it doesn't matter which CV fires, so I choose the Wasp. I roll an 8. They might have hit the ocean with their AAA fire, but nothing else.
For the escorts, I choose the DD unit. It doesn't matter since they both have an AAA value of 3. And that's what I roll - a '3.' A hit on the damaged D3A sends it spiraling into the ocean. Fortunately, my carriers won't get hit during this battle.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F154_1.jpg&hash=16a63b4e730c350b5c66ee8d2c428ea5ec1fd0d7)
Now, to the Japanese Ocean area.
I roll several times for the Japanese CVs and their escorts (four AAA rolls, one for each attacking group), and get high each time (9, 8, 10, 4). Looks like our bombers are going to get through...
Bomb Runs
Since Photobucket is still being an issue, I'll have to postpone this for now. I have no idea what their issue is but my uploads keep getting stuck at 90%. Stay tuned.
Well, if it isn't Photobucket being a pain in the ass, looks like these forums like logging me out magically after I've already typed 1,000 words and just before I click Save. Nice. So I get to redo this entire update. Hope I can remember all of what happened.
AAA (Part 2)
I realized that I forgot to do the AAA for the Japanese Coastal Area.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F156_1.jpg&hash=41d0daa453fffb8a794c7f1c25f59898a278b45b)
The Japanese ships got one hit in, but I double-checked my Damage Control BP and saw that it doesn't just work for ships, but for ANY of my forces...it cancels one hit at the time of the hit. So I gladly cash that one in to deflect the hit that the BB Kongo/Haruna put on one of my bomber squadrons. Whew.
Bomb Runs (continued)
This was much more dramatic when I was able to type it all out as it happened. I recall what happened and will try to reconstruct it.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F155_1.jpg&hash=db9012e3bc572626ae20c6d4a73812b75ee29164)
One of the TBD squadrons missed, but the other three hit. Adding my Diving Attack BP to the mix, means FOUR hits to the Japanese.
I have to apply hits to the lowest-cost forces first, and have to destroy damaged ships before I can damage others. So, these four hits mean the CVL Zuiho and CVL Hosho go to the bottom of the ocean!
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F157_1.jpg&hash=65590741de17fdcd8a5bd70e52f94ff65a203492)
Next, I move to the Japanese Coastal area. This is about where my last long-ish update went belly up and was destroyed by the site. I'm copying my text to be safe from here on out.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F156_1.jpg&hash=41d0daa453fffb8a794c7f1c25f59898a278b45b)
My SBDs don't let me down...
SBD #1 (4)...rolls 3, one hit.
SBD #2 (4)...rolls 1, one hit.
Couldn't ask for a better result...well, except for adding another hit through a Battle Plan, but I'll take the sunk carriers.
Unfortunately I have to put the hits on the CRU, since it is the lowest-cost force in the Area. And that means I sink it, because I have to destroy it after that first hit. Not too bad.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F159_1.jpg&hash=b74f0401c09dfbc1c83a628190d01e25b62e90c5)
Naval Guns
Since there are no submarines in this battle, we skip both the Torpedoes and Depth Charges steps.
First, I'll roll for the Japanese.
BB Kongo/Haruna (5)...rolls 3, one hit.
Before I apply that hit, I'll roll for my two CRUs.
CRU Portland/Indianapolis (4)...rolls 10, can't miss more than that.
CRU Chester/Louisville (4)...rolls 4, barely gets a hit. Plus, I add my Ranging Shot BP, so that's actually two hits.
I need to damage one of my CRUs, since they're the lowest-cost units in either the Island or Coastal Areas. I randomly roll and it's on the CRU Portland/Indianapolis.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F160_1.jpg&hash=d30309f25a7fcdaa2be181793821a5a29dfbff01)
There's a thread on BGG that describes some frustration as to how to interpret the rules for Naval Guns (https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1316592/allocating-hits-land-based-aircraft-naval-guns-sti), and I've come away with the understanding that both the Island Area and the Coastal Area are considered one Area for the purposes of allocating hits for Naval Guns. Therefore, the lowest-cost unit application applies to both collectively. This means the Japanese land units get hit.
I randomly select and thankfully get the 6th Base ground unit as my target, and have to apply both hits, so it's destroyed. I'd much rather have sent those hits to the BB, but its cost of 3 means it would get to wait a while before hits apply to it.
There is no opposing infantry in the Island area, so that step is skipped.
Infantry Advance
Everyone hits the island now. The Japanese have five Battalions and two larger infantry units, whereas I have the 2nd Marines and the 32nd and 43rd Infantry Divisions.
Positioning doesn't matter as this is the one and only turn for battle, but you can at least see their dispositions. Next time, these guys will all be in foxholes.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F161.jpg&hash=58b89ee6e7388273025ad9102f86f18e785e0555)
New Guinea doesn't look like it was the scene of a victory. In fact, it looks like there's more Japanese forces there than when we started. Can't forget now that two Japanese CVLs are toast...that's four of their flattops sunk to none of mine (sure, damaged, but not sunk!).
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2F162_1.jpg&hash=b13fba4499561dfb254229ff5031bdbf16ca8353)
I'll do the housekeeping bits in the next post. Photobucket has been a big pain today and I'm done dealing with it for now. But I hope you guys are still enjoying this write-up.
I had no idea you could move the battle marker to a battle and then have it send the units to the battle board. :o
Thanks for that tip, BC!
Also, one rule I don't quite understand. When you place a carrier in the ocean (either side) is it required to have an escort ship placed with it (if available)?
Quote from: bbmike on January 23, 2016, 10:23:33 AM
I had no idea you could move the battle marker to a battle and then have it send the units to the battle board. :o
Thanks for that tip, BC!
Yup. In VASSAL, the Battle Marker is on the Battle Board. You click-drag it to the Area on the main board where the Battle is, then right click on the marker, and select Send To Battle Board. It'll shuffle off all the forces in that Area to the Battle Board, though as I mentioned, you still have to manually move 'em into the proper area according to the rules.
QuoteAlso, one rule I don't quite understand. When you place a carrier in the ocean (either side) is it required to have an escort ship placed with it (if available)?
As the US player, it's up to you where you place your escort ships (BBs, CRUs, DDs). Your CVs have to be placed in the US Ocean Area, but you can choose which of your other ships go where. Totally up to you. I generally place my highest rated AAA ships with the CVs, if there's a lot of Japanese air power. The ships with higher Surface Attack ratings go in the Coastal Area. Sometimes you have to make tough choices because you might have a ship that's good at both, at least when compared to all the other ships you have present, so you'll need to decide where to put it.
As for the Japanese, when they have carriers (of any type) present, they go in their Japanese Ocean Area. Then I think you alternate placing other ships between the Coastal Area and the Ocean Area. I think the rule says you start by placing a non-CV ship on the Japanese Coastal Area that has the highest Surface Attack rating. I can't recall offhand, but I do know you alternate placement. It also specifies where you place Japanese ships should there be no CVs present in the battle, too.
Freaking awesome stuff, Cat! I seriously am jonesing for this game now. It's your fault!!! :crazy2:
Note: As soon as I make more headway in my Pool of Radiance AAR (http://grogheads.com/forums/index.php?topic=14588.0), I will DEFINITELY be getting back to THIS one.
O0
The game looks fascinating. Only one question/concern as relates to replay value: Having Japanese forces randomly slosh all over the board makes a lot of sense and provides plenty of suspense in 1942, when the Japanese had the most powerful navy and the Allies were on the defensive everywhere.
However, by 1943 and especially 1944, it seems like that sort of randomness would be much more silly. Do the move rolls change year-by-year, or are you as likely to get an Attack result in 1994 as in 1942? Having a depleted Japanese fleet steaming mindlessly out to do battle in American home waters versus an American navy 3x its size seems kinda anticlimactic...
The next time I'm in the game I'll have to take a closer look at the force structure to be sure, but I'm pretty certain the Japanese are still not a pushover even in the '43 and '44 scenarios.
Consider at heart that this is a game, then with that in mind, understand that the forces portrayed herein are pretty much taken on an as-is basis. In other words, I don't think there's a lot of accounting of veteran pilots/soldiers getting killed in the early game; this could probably be due in part to the fact that this game might unfold ahistorically to an extent, but also because, as a game, it has to be made challenging. So, the Japanese CVs you face in 1944 might have, in the real world, been loaded with crap pilots with no training (if that), the ones in FCN are taken at face value no matter the year of the Campaign.
Like I said I'll have to look at the Campaign sheets to let you know for sure. Since they spell out the exact number of air units for each CV/CVE/CVL on the Japanese side, I'm assuming they change in the later years.
Another big factor in this game that I think would very much impact how it plays is the fact that the US player has to return all ships to Pearl Harbor at the end of each turn. Infantry and Land Based Air can stay where they are, but the ships have to go back. In the '42 Campaign, this is only a one-turn proposition, but this increases in time the later the Campaign. Sure, it's not exactly historically accurate, as the US and the other Allies had plenty of forward bases loaded for bear for them to keep pressing the Japanese up close...but the thing is, it's exactly as you say. If the Americans could keep their ships on station in this game, the Japanese would have no chance in those later Campaigns. And by increasing the transit time back to Pearl the later your Campaign, the more hard decisions you're going to have to make as to deployment of ships, which ratchets up the in-game tension significantly. This makes it all a challenge.
Once I get done with this '42 Campaign, I might look at the other ones too.