Gents:
I wanted to share some observations and musings about the
Strategic Command World War 2: Pacific Theater game! Really loving this game system!
(1.) Single soldier icon unit = Brigade or regiment sized unit (Approx 3,500 - 5,000 troops)
(2.) Multiple soldier icon unit = Division sized unit (Approx 13,000 - 15,000 troops)
Now, I know why single unit icon units don't make any headway against the multiple soldier icon units! ;-)
(3.) If you steam pass, or move your naval units to within a few hexes of an enemy-occupied land mass (e.g. islands) EVEN if the land mass does not have enemy military units, enemy coast watchers will spot your naval units! That also hold true for your subs IF the subs are in "hunt" mode.
(4.) Unsupported (no carriers, battleships, cruisers present to provide air and naval bombardment) amphibious landings against entrenched enemy units, will fail.
Example: During a recent campaign game (Operation Z), my Allied opponent landed a tank group and attacked a Japanese garrison brigade that was entrenched in a town. The entire tank group was wiped out.
(5.) Carriers - Make sure you set their mode for "CAP" (Close air support) if you don't plan to attack with them on your turn. If enemy planes catch your flat tops with loaded aircraft warming up on the decks, it will be a disaster! ALWAYS set your carrier mode (CAP or naval / tactical) before moving since you cannot change it once movement is complete.
(6.) Weather plays a BIG part in the campaign game! Rain (and it rains a lot in the Pacific) grounds all aircraft and paratroops. Plan accordingly.
(7.) Any sustained offensive operations requires the presence of 1 or more HQ's.
(8.) Terrain matters! Pick defensible terrain like tropical mountains, hills, behind rivers, and in towns to hold with your infantry. Infantry will entrench "deeper" 3-4 levels of entrenchment in favorable terrain. It will take a LOT of units + firepower to extract entrenched enemy units.
(9.) Use "operational" (railroad movement) as needed. I used it extensively in the opening turns of my campaign games to re-position Japanese units in China.
(10.) Loading units on transports (not amphibious transport) will quickly allow players to load, move AND unload transported units in friendly-controlled ports. Transports are an effective and quick way to get units to needed battle fields. However, transport is very vulnerable to enemy surface and sub attacks! Try to protect your transport convoys with either destroyers or cruisers.
(11.) Pay attention to units' morale. If it falls too low, the units will be very ineffective in combat. Note, naval units (including subs) will lose morale the longer they remain at sea. Try to get naval units to friendly ports to improve morale and reinforce. Note - carriers have 2 possible reinforcements - ship strength and aircraft strength. However, you can only reinforce either ship or aircraft strength on a carrier each turn - not both.
(12.) ALWAYS try to either reinforce immediately or retreat out of combat zones units that have lost the majority of their strength. You want to try to preserve existing units on the battlefield since it is costly and time consuming to purchase additional units and get them to the appropriate battle zone.
(13.) Armor units - especially Japanese armor, are rather "weak" and are not effective against entrenched units. Armor is best utilized for rapid advances to seize strategic objectives, attack (and hopefully) eliminate a weakened enemy unit, or plug a hole in your defensive lines. Rugged terrain and monsoon weather will hamper movement of mechanized forces. Armor is for support only! Don't expect "Blitz-like" tactics to succeed in the Pacific Theater!
(14.) Subs should use "Silent" mode (even though it is slow movement!) to move and maneuver into their patrol areas - in order to remain mostly undetectable by enemy surface vessels and shore installations. Subs are good at disrupting enemy convoy routes (enemy loses MPPs), attacking undefended transports, and carriers.
(15.) Paratroops are great offensive weapons for dropping behind enemy lines and on nearby islands for a "shock and awe" attack on lightly defended objectives. They have a good air transport range. But, cannot fly in foul weather. Players also need to be careful on selecting appropriate landing zones for their airborne warriors. Clear terrain is best. I made the mistake once of landing my paratroops on a tropical mountain hex and suffering 50% casualties!
(16.) Screen your capital ships (carriers and battleships) with cruisers and destroyers. You don't want your battle wagons or flat tops to be ambushed by lurking enemy subs or other surface ships. Also, escort your transports, when possible, since both transport and amphibious transport have little defensive protection.
(17.) Each turn, click through ALL of your units (land, naval, and air). Review the units morale percentage, readiness rating, entrenched value, plus reinforcement, and upgrade possibilities. Good players need to always be making conscious decisions on what to do with each unit under their command each turn. For example, if you don't plan to attack or move either a land or air unit, see if these units are eligible for reinforcements or an upgrade.
___________________________________
Research (Or where to spend those precious Military Production Points - MPP)
Allies: Invest in Anti-Submarine Warfare and upgrading your naval vessels. Researching Advanced Aircraft is helpful too.
Axis (Japan): Invest in Advanced Aircraft, Long Range Aircraft, and Naval Warfare.
(1.) Make a conscious decision at the start of each turn (especially early in the game) to invest in specific research and than do it before moving forward with the remainder of the turn. If you wait to invest toward the end of your turn, you may likely not have enough MMPs to research the technology!
(2.) It is better to focus research on 2-3 key technologies and go "deep" into them rather than spreading your research across many technologies and going "shallow" into them. Deep investments will pay better dividends on the battlefield.
I'll list more as I think of them.
Regards, Mike / "A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week." - George S. Patton /
Archived Forums
Help
Calendar
Member List
Search
it up since I added a few more "observations!" 
){kind=link}
