Turn 1

Turn 2

Turn 3

Turn 4

Turn 5

Turn 6

Turn 7

Turn 1

IJN Report: I am playing Ted in my 4th game of this T10. I am playing the IJN with a bid of 4.5 using options 1 and 2b. The Pearl raids nets me MD, WV, CA, TN, AZ, NV, and OK. I cripple the PA(4d) while the 2xCA and the 7th escape with her. In Indo, just the 5th is shot down while both the POW(2d) and Repu(1d) retreat to home bases. I-Boat whiffs against Hermes. Group Y is the only one to show up in Hawaii and Lexington is quickly whisked away to Australia. POC at normal 7.

Turn 2

IJN Report: I go with fairly standard patrols around the board to keep options open. I also send 2xCA into the Mari's to guard against the Houston, with based in the Philippines. Ted counters with the expected pats in BOB and Indo but surprises me with just a couple of CA's in the Marshalls on the eastern side of the board.

With just one CV in Australia, I elect to go with just 3xLBA in Indo, 2xLBA in the SPO and one in the Marshalls. Ted elects to send 2xLBA into the USM but decides to fly his 3rd LBA in the AI.

IJN raiders-Since I intend to place some pressure on both the USM home ports, I do not backup Indo with a CVL. With just 2xLBA in the Mandate, I hit it with 5 carriers while speed rolling Shoho into Hawaii to get that area up to 4 carriers. Junyo backs up the CPO to try and convert Midway and Hosho sails into the CS just to be annoying.

The purpose of the move is to try to overwhelm the ability of the USN CV's. It should force the USN to react in a defensive way, away from the perimeter. To this end, it is somewhat successful in that 4xCV go to help in the CS and the USM. The 5th CV goes to stop my move into the CPO and save Midway. The Brit CVL's all sail into Indo to fight my LBA.

We agree on day in Indo and night in the Mari's. The rest of pref rolls all come up with pure day actions. That allows me to target all five USN CV's with 18 bonus shots. I get 8 hits, including 2 apiece on the 3 CV's in the USM, and sink 4. I also place 2d on the Lexington. The good news did not end there though. In Indo, I get a single hit on each of the Brit CVL's, sinking Form and Indom while nicking Hermes for 1d. In the Mari's, the Houston is disabled. My LBA in the Marshalls sinks the Canberra. The I-Boat ends the hit parade, sinking the New Orleans. Wow! SIX Allied carriers go down! It has never happened for me but has happened against me. So I know how Ted must feel at the moment. I told him not to give up hope as I was able to come back when it happened to me. Ted's Allied fire sank Shok, Hiryu, Junyo and Hosho. He also saved DH as his LBA disabled the Sasebo in AI. His Indo fire was a clean whiff.

Casualties at that point-Shok, Hiryu, Junyo, Hosho vs Enter, Horn, York, Sara, Form, Indom and 2xCA.

Feeling that I had a solid lead in the game, I elect to not press my luck in the USM and retreated. I did stay to fight in both the CS (against 2xCA) and the CPO (against 3xCA). After all, a block/POC in the CS would be very nice as would Midway, if I should be so lucky.

Depending on what happens in the CS/CPO, the minimum POC that the IJN would net would be 9 for the turn.

Rd 2 in the CPO/CS is a big whiff for both forces. On rd 3, I ding a CA for 1d in the CPO and Ted disables the Chik in the CS. I elect to withdraw from the CPO at this point.

Overall, a great turn for the IJN! I shoot better than I ever have against Allied carriers, sinking six. I also get surface attrition, 2 to nothing. The POC gain is very good, up to 16. The only downside is that the entire N.E. corner has been saved by the USN.

Turn 3

IJN Report: #1 goal is to convert Pearl. Secondary goals will be to invade any available bases and to try and lure Lexington(2d) out of Australia. To this end, I elect to hit Pearl with a lot of material, both air and surface. I expect to win the battle but at what cost? My NLF's will try for both DH and Midway. A single LBA will try to hold Indo against Illus., Hermes(1d) and, hopefully, Lex(2d).

Combat results-Pref rolls go Ted's way as he wins all of them except for Indo.

Indo-Ted elects to save Lex(2d) and hope the Brits can take down the LBA/I-Boat in a battle where I figure I should win about 70% of the time. Lex(2d) would have made the USN a heavy favorite. The night roll allows the I-Boat a chance, but it misses. The next round, I sink the Illus but am hit twice on 3 shots to lose the area.

In AI, the Kure slips through to take DH after a single USN CA misses. After several more rounds, we each sink a CA and the USN decontrols the area, possibly saving Attu from isolation on T4. Drat!

In the Marshalls, CS and USM, my CA's are all sunk. However, I sink the patrolling CA in the USM and the raiding PA(3d) in the CS. The CS was interesting because I could have shot at the patrolling CA. I didn't because I felt that I would max out the POC at some point so I choose the more valuable BB.

Hawaii-A day action always makes it a little harder as the IJN needs to take out the marines. The chances for air-raids also go down. In round one, I destroy both marines and 2xLBA while Ted disables Ryujo, Shoho and Soryu. Soryu is also dinged for 1d. A great result for the IJN! On round two, I shoot down 3xLBA and see Ted completely whiff on his 8 shots. Wow! He then retreats his last LBA. I am shocked that I actually have 4 carriers, with 14 bonus shots, left for my air-raids. All 3xBB's, cowering in Pearl, are sunk. That leaves the USN with just two BB's on the board at the end of T3.

Misc-The turn is very bad for the USN, due to their bad LBA shooting. HI is converted at no cost to the IJN. The attrition is horrible for the Allies as well. They lose Illus, 5xLBA, 4xBB, 2xCA, 2xmarines in exchange for a single LBA and 4xCA. The POC soars to 23.

Turn 4

IJN Report: I flag the USM to setup an easy hold of both the Marshalls and HI on T5. Ted tries the double take-out of Yoko and the 22nd LBA in the SPO. He almost gets it as he sinks Yoko and places 3d on the 22nd. I sink both the Lex(2d) and the Wasp before he retreats. In other areas he goes for attrition and a key decontrol (to possibly invade the Phil's on T5) of the Mari's.

Misc. combat results-I shoot down an LBA in the USM at no cost before Ted retreats. In the CS, I get dinged for 1d and run away. I also run away in the Mari's from 4xCA's. In JI-We each hit the other for 1d before I am disabled away. In the CPO, the battle lasts 5 rds and I sink 2xCA before being disabled.

Summary-While not getting the lockout of the SPO this turn, everything else went great! The IJN continues to get favorable attrition...Yoko sunk vs 2xCV, LBA and 2xCA for the USN. POC is +7 for the turn...29 max overall.

Turn 5

IJN Report: During the basing for T4, I elect to down the damaged 22nd(3d) so that it will come back in tip top shape for T6. I plan to be very conservative and protect Indo from invasion this turn. I should be able to do this w/o a problem. I also hope that the British navy sails into Indo as they have every turn so far. Unlike other turns, I do not place any LBA with my pats this turn, to keep the Allies guessing as to my true intentions. The British navy does indeed sail into Indo and soon they are joined with every ship that the IJN has. The USN makes the wise choice and leaves them to their fate. In one regular and one pursuit round, Hermes, 2xCA and 4xBB are sunk. Only the Exeter(1d) survives to tell the tale. No IJN ships are lost or damaged.

The destruction of the British navy is helpful in that the IJN can now hold Indo w/o the worry of a surface wrap. In fact, the IJN will have a decent wrap on any Allied fleet that thinks about coming in to fight. On T7, the Exeter, if alive, will be removed. This means that at least one Allied LBA will need to fly to BOB in order to get the POC on turns 7 and 8.

Overall, a great turn for the IJN. No losses, POC still at 29, a good perimeter in Indo, Mari's, Marsh and HI. The sinking of the British fleet is one less tool that the Allied war effort has to work with. For T6, I will have 3xNL, 6xLBA and a very healthy fleet. What else could I ask for?

Turn 6

IJN Report: My goal this turn is simply to keep the POC at 29. I elect to go with the fleet in Hawaii, where I will have a greater, and better, surface force and a 24 to 22 shot edge in the air. My LBA will go to Indo where I expect the lone remaining British ship, Exeter, to show up. The Exeter will be removed at the end of the turn so it is a throw-away at this point. It potentially will get a shot as I will sail a BB into Indo just in case Ted decides to bring in his carriers. As I don't see Ted coming into Hawaii, Indo is the only place where the POC deficit could be reduced this turn. The kicker in Indo is that even if he wins the long-odds fight, my LBA will be back on T8 while any sunk carriers will not be. Since the T8 projection already will favor the IJN, those odds will increase with any sunk USN carriers on this turn.

USN raiders-Ted wisely elects to decline the fight in both Indo and HI. He decides to get his ships in position for T7.

Combat-In Indo, a day action sinks Exeter. Sub misses in the SPO.

Misc-I land Sasebo at Lae to protect Indo from Allied LBA on T7. This will force Ted to patrol Indo with USN/Dutch forces as the British can no longer carry out this task.

Overall-A non-turn really. POC stays at 29.

Turn 7

IJN Comments: Interesting move. Do you realize it means that the game is mathmatically over (The best you can do is 10 POC minus my 3 POC for a net of 7 and a total of 22 after this turn. Even with a sweep on T8, it would leave you a half POC short.)?

I guess you want to kill some stuff so we will go on.

USN Surrender: Yes, I realized that. I looked at your setup and determined the only chance I had to win Hawaii was to concede most of the other areas. I did originally want to kill some stuff, but, as I look at what's on my plate, I think it just makes sense to concede. I am needlessly holding up a lost game--well played and sorry about how slow I've been lately.

John, Andy demolished me. If we played it out it might have been only a few POC, but that's really because he didn't need the POC on the late turns. I'm not sure if I have ever sunk so few IJN ships.