Axis Brothers in AARms: The Rising Sun MP AAR

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For my first AAR ever, I would like to tell the story of a real MP game going on currently. As the screenshot shows, it is Sep 1, 1939, and Japan (me) has conquered both Chinas. But Roxx your opponents can see your stockpiles and if they look close they can see your troop deployements! Doesn't that concern you? No not really because Im willing to bet none of the players are reading this forum hehe. And if any of them are following this then more power to ya! I'm still gonna win! hehe.

Now that I understand how to post images, this AAR will be continued below

 

[Virgiltchicken]

Now this should be interesting... no more confusingly inept strategy because of lacking AI. Plus, Japan is an good country to play with many possibilities open. I look forward to reading this AAR and seeing the sun rise on a new empire to surpass the old!

 

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continued

The situation in Europe and the Mideast -

1) In a whirlwind blitz, Germany and Italy showed great dash and teamwork, splitting France between them, and reducing Vichy holdings to only the Vichy province itself! The empire has received its fair share too in Indochina. The emperor is pleased. Now, our axis companions share a mutual border with the Spaniards who have to this date still not resolved their own civil war.

2) After the fuehrer honored the Munich Pact, the treacherous Czechs entered into negotiations with the Allies to reclaim their lost territories. Luckily this plot was discovered in time, and the reich will soon incorporate these lands.

3) In mid 1938, the schemeing bolsheviks declared war on the peace-loving turks. Brave axis forces responded quickly and took western Turkey into the protective custody of the reich, while soviet infantry still occupy the mountainous eastern territories.

4) While the opportunist british and french forces ran helter skelter grabbing undefended Libya, German panzers raced from Turkey into Iraq and Jerusalem, until strong UK armored formations returned to form the front as depicted above.

Meanwhile, still at peace due to the looming threat of USA, Imperial Japan bears down on the task of gathering vital war materials in the face of opposition from world capitalist-bolshevik finance:

Only just recently has the crushing stranglehold on world rubber and oil supplies been lifted due to the allies going to war. The emperor has instructed the minister of finance to step up rubber trades, with the resulting supply being refined and processed for shipment to axis industry.

The Intelligence Ministry has collected very accurate data on world armament levels. Somehow the crafty french have managed to evacuate virtually their entire army and navy from continental Europe. But no matter! Soon these vessels shall visit the ocean deeps at the hands of the imperial navy!

For better axis coordination, Il Duce has taken personal command of several wehrmacht armies in this struggle for our very survival. This is Radio Tokyo signing off... stay tuned for future updates

 

[ville]

Gee the german players has almost no troops at all.

Keep it coming very promising

 

[unmerged(19363)]

The Axis seems to be having their way with things. Any idea for Japan if they will choose to go to war with the US or remain nuetral on that front?

 

[Bacon King]

Which nations are human players?

 

[unmerged(14753)]

thanks for reading

I will try respond to everyone who posts here. Also, this game occurs on Tuesdays so there will not be a real update until after the conclusion of that session.

@Virgiltchicken - Yeah there is usually a lot of drama in each MP game. I am looking forward to developments.

@ville - Well, Germany has exp'ed a lot of wehrmacht troops and tanks to Italy to maximize attention to each front. Also, presumably there are german divisions aboard trains travelling to the front lines (in SR).

@Miral - See below for the house rules. Japan's main concern at this point is matching up Japan's joining the axis with The USA WE value (which is currently around 70). Remember, once Japan enters war with the allies, the USA has a guaranteed war entry exactly 9 months after the date in which I join (regardless of the actual USA WE value). For now it is too early... Germany and Italy are in agreement with me on this. However, it is entirely possible that Japan will be in the war at some time in the next session... it all depends on far we get which mostly depends on connectivity issues (i.e. how many crashes/rehosts we must endure... so far its been very smooth)

@Bacon King - USA (formerly France - the reason USA is required to play France until Vichy event is that USA played by a human from 1936 is way way too strong... this is well known from previous MP games), USSR, UK, Germany, Italy, and Japan are human played.

I think it is a good idea to share the "house rules". These rules have been gradually refined from MP play at the players association:

Technology Gifts

On trading: No gold (theory) technology gifts ever. One Silver (non-doctrine) technology gift to anyone every year (January 1), plus one other (may be doctrine) gift to an ally (July 1). Game Steward will pause the game and announce technology gifts, players may only give technology at that time (technology gifts may not be saved).

NO USE OF NUCLEAR BOMBS

Nation Specific

USA WE Rules

- Monroe Doctrine in effect... Any invasion in the Western Hemisphere sets USA WE=100. (this does not include japs taking the dutch colonies though annex, as long as japs dont garrison)
- no nation in west hemisphere may join an alliance before usa goes to war.
- After 9 months of Japan being at war with UK, USA WE is 100.
-US must elect Roosevelt in 1940
- if germany goes to war with UK after slovakia event then USA WE edited to 100 jan 1st 1942 if not there already
- If Germany goes to war with UK prior to slovakia event, i.e. between march 1938 and april 39, then USA WE edited to 100 at June 1941.
- USA may not go to war, until Germany and USSR are at war, UNLESS some other USA WE provision has been satisfied, i.e. Japan at war with uk for 9 months, etc.
-If there are any problems with USA WE due to players not taking VP provinces, bugs, or unpredictable events not covered by any rule, then game steward reserves the right to adjudicate a fair and reasonable settlement regarding USA WE.

Germany
-may not DOW any nation prior anschluss

Axis Minor

an 8th player may be nat spain if it is after start of civil war. nat spain may not join axis, before jan 1941. if axis minor plays romania, he may not join axis before sept1st 39.
axis only get a fourth player if allies already have 4th player.

USSR

The USSR may not DOW any nation until after munich agreement/sudetenland event
The USSR may not DOW a nation in order to bring the USA into the war.
The USSR MUST accept Bitter Peace Offer.
-USSR may not reject historical pact if it is offered
USSR cannot DOW Germany until M-R pact happens.
When it happens then there are three options:

If no pact : USSR can DOW January 1940
Limited agreement USSR can DOW 1st January 1941.
Full agreement USSR can DOW 1st January 1942.
With any pact Germany may not DOW USSR and vice versa for 6 months


If full pact( historical agreement) is in effect then

Axis may not DOW, coup or Ally Finland nor any of the Baltic States (exception : the Memel event)
Comintern may not DOW, coup or Ally Rumania and Hungary
-If the MR pact is in effect Germany must annex Poland as soon as it fulfills the annex conditions. The Allied players are authorized to disband Polish units to accelerate annexation. Germany is obliged to occupy undefended Polish victory point provinces. Control of Lvov by any Axis country other than Germany in order to prevent the "Eastern Poland to USSR" event, is an exploit.

- If the full pact is in effect, once SU gets eastern Poland and until Axis and Comintern are at war, the Soviet Union must deliver 50 oil per day to Germany via a convoy to any German province with a land connection to the German capital.

France
France player goes to usa after vichy. Vichy must be accepted if it is offered by Germany. france player cannot have more than 12 French ground units and no more than 12 air units outside of French controlled territory in Europe until such time as either Vichy occurs or is declined by Germany. During that time no part of the French fleet may be based (i.e. in port) in non-french territory, and no french vessel may enter the baltic sea, nor may any vessel be sent as exped to any other nation. Once Vichy becomes an independant country it may not be dowed until the USA is at war.

-Ethiopia may not join any alliance.
-Nat China may only join an alliance after USA has entered war. Com China may only join an alliance after ussr enters war.

Diplomatic Rules

-The Liberating Puppet option of the diplomatic menu is not allowed
- Couping a country run by a human player is not allowed
- The players/teams may not undertake actions leading to changing the initial government types of the USA, UK, Germany, Italy, Japan (after the 1937 election), Italy and USSR (i.e: USA must remain democratic, SU communist, etc....)
-At no time may any nation request or grant another nation mil access! if it happens by acident, it must be revoked at the soonest possible opportunity, and any units on foreign soil must be disbanded.If the AI gets mil access and you have (or can get) mil control of ai troops you will be obligated to disband any ai units on foreign soil.

Neutrals
-No attack from neutral territory or ships.

Supplies- A country may not send supplies to another country that is at war if the sending country itself is not at war with all the ennemies of the receiving country(example: if Germany is at war with the UK and the Soviet Union and Japan is at war with UK but not with SU then Japan may not send supplies to Germany). This does not apply to lend lease events
- A country that has under 500 supplies in stock may not voluntarily underproduce supplies (i.e. the supply slider may not be in the red)
-Land units may not be stored on TP's to save supplies. If host loads a save and sees this he will disband all of those land units.
-you may not leave undeployed more than your redploy limit.
if host loads save and sees this he will disband units. (since action may distract individuals from deploying new units the disbanding will only happen if it is an obvious and gross act of breaking rules.)

Exp Forces and military access:

- Exp forces can only be sent to a country that is in the same alliance and is at war (not including spanish civil war)
- For the Spanish civil war any country that supported a given side via the relevant event may exp force up to 6 divisions 3 sea and 3 air units to that side. These forces must be returned as soon as the war is over

Events

We will attempt to "manually fire" events that do not occur due to bugs, where possible. Events that "refire" on reload will be edited where possible. If a player has the option to "refire" an already occurred event on reload (via a Yes/No text box) he must decline.

-Japanese elections will be edited if they have not occurred June 1, 1937. Japan must allow the "rape of Nanking" event to fire before annexing China.

-Anschluss must occur (the game will be either restarted from the March 1, 1938 autosave or the event fired manually, if it does not or if Austria remains independant

Combat

Amphibious and Para limits
-The maximum number of divisions that can take part in an amphibious assault is 6, in a parachute assault is 3.

Economy

no 5 for 1(or greater) trades on world market
allies are allowed to put economic pressure on germany by buying rubber etc, but they are not allowed to do trades at more than 4 to 1.

EDIT: M-R Pact - limited pact is in effect.

 

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session complete!

The treacherous allies, grabbing at any lifevest available on their sinking ship, persuaded Romania to join their cause. After the fuehrer generously allowed the czechs to retain their sovereignity, he turned to deal with the Romanian traitors....

and by late October had defeated the unprepared Romanian army and restored the rightful regime to power. The grateful people turned up at recruitment centers throughout the country to join the expanding axis armies.

 

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Japan prepares for upcoming hostilities

During the winter of 1939, Il Duce has completed his buildup on the spanish frontier and in a bold stroke declares war with both Republican and Nationalist Spain at the same time! Spanish troops are welcomed by Britain, who bolsters their ranks with troops based in Gibraltar. In spite of this, the italian army makes steady gains in Spain but cannot complete the conquest swiftly.

Also at this time, Diplomats from the reich are hosted in Tokyo, where the Emperor is informed of the launch time for the long-awaited Operation Barbarossa: April 1940. Berlin is assured that the Imperial army will be ready!

Accordingly, the Emperor instructs the Imperial War Ministry to place strong formations of cavalry and mountain troops near Sinkiang, where a multinational allied force has dug in, undoubtedly to protect Stalin's flank. Every effort must be taken to conceal the presence of these forces until the launch date:

Meanwhile, plans are formed in the far east to seize Vladivostock. A provision is made to attempt to cut off soviet troops there by sending a lone mountain division north after drawing the bulk of the russian siberian army into the south with a multi-directional attack in combination with an amphibious assault. Perhaps a bit ambitious, yet the Emperor remains confident in a decisive victory:

 

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Axis advances in Europe and the Middle East

With the approach of a new springtime, The italian army has advanced steadily in Spain, encircling the nationalist capitol. However stubborn resistance from the spanish armies backed up by english and free french forces, who have for the time being put aside their differences, has made the goal of a swift advance to gibraltar unattainable for the moment.

As the Reich continues the barbarossa buildup on the soviet border, the wehrmacht has managed to annex Iraq and Saudi Arabia, threatening the remnants of Britain's empire in the middle east:

 

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War!

It is not the Japanese way to stand by idly while comrades fight alone. As April 1940 dragged on, the fuehrer kept his promise and launched the invasion of the Soviet Union. Finally, the Imperial armed forces would see action!

In Spain, a stalemate has developed near the crucial fortress of Gibraltar, with Il Duce holding a tenous position as italian divisions board trains bound for the eastern front:

"The world will hold its breath!"

The wehrmacht begins the advance into the motherland. The Soviet army is nowhere to be seen. In the Wolf's Lair, the fuehrer expresses concerns that the russian army is concentrating in the interior for possible counterattacks. Could it be that Stavka was tipped off in advance by the allies?

A distressing possibility. Yet the emperor must turn his attention immediately to matters in the far east and ensure the security of Japan.

 

[elbasto]

excellent aar so far.

Let's hope Barbarossa is a success, and that the US won't keep you that busy.

 

[unmerged(14753)]

Forward Japan!

The conquest of Vladivostok begins with preparatory bombing raids as the Imperial army moves in and the Imperial Navy seizes control of the seas near the vital russian port:

Lingering winter frosts hinder the overland advance. Hata urges his troops forward to storm the port by sea!

The beleaguered russians are on their last legs

Hata immediately advances his troops north as the remainder of the assault force rests and rearms. Honda's mountain division moves east from Manchu to try to cut off the defeated soviet far east army in accordance with the Divine Emperor's plan:

 

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Britain must be dealt with!

Provincial garrisons in Indochina report activity all along the border with Siam, with siamese troops grabbing undefended territories while british forces build up defenses in Maylaya and the Singapore penninsula. The newly-formed imperial marines corps sets sail for Kuala Lumpur and lands at the undefended coast, quickly seizing Ipoh in preparation for a surprise attack on Singapore:

This will be a risky operation as tactical air support is busy eliminating Sinkiang resistance.

Shortly thereafter Okamura has radioed Imperial HQ with news that Sinkiang has been incorporated into the empire. Elements of his mountain army have reached the neighboring soviet industrial province but environmental conditions have taken a severe toll on his men. These divisions will be pulled out for rest and recuperation.

Meanwhile Marshal Shaposhnikov has seen his peril and taken defensive measures to prevent his army's encirclement. Hata has been ordered to hold Vladivostock at all costs!

The imperial marines have been evacuated from the Singapore penninsula after encountering exceptionally well dug in english forces. Their heroic assault has bought the empire time to organize a front against Siam.

As war rages around Japan, the fuehrer reports frontwide advances in Russia where the wehrmacht has reached the outskirts of Moscow:

and in the south:

Finally by the end of the summer a front with Siam has been established. In a daring opposed airborne assault, imperial paratroopers captured a crucial siamese province to threaten Bangkok:

 

[elbasto]

too bad that enciclment in Russia didn't work. It seems that the only real opposition are the units left in Vladivostok.

Good luck with Siam.

 

[Virgiltchicken]

There is still a chance for encirclement in Russia, but it would take luck as well as skill. Thus I say good luck to you, as you obviously have the skill.

Will there be an invasion into Mongolia, perhaps using the Sinkiang units?

 

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State of the World

As autumn of 1940 approaches, newspaper headlines in the U.S. scream of supposed atrocities by axis nations across the globe. The Ministry of State has warned that the USA will join the allies in September. With public opinion overwhelmingly in favor of joining the war, Roosevelt will certainly pressure congress for a declaration of war to ensure his victory in the upcoming presidential election.

World Overview:

With Stalingrad encircled in every direction for hundreds of miles, Leningrad and Moscow under seige, and the oilfields of Baku threatened, the collapse of the Soviet Union seems imminent. But who can say what Uncle Joe has up his sleeve? The United Kingdom has interfered with Imperial expansion at every step, and appears to be launching an offensive in the middle east from Jerusalem. Once the USA joins Britain in the war, a new chapter in the struggle for world domination begins!

Stay tuned to Radio Tokyo for further developments

 

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Comments

@elbasto: Yes SU did a good job of preventing me from eliminating his defense, although if I was serious about it I would have deployed all my mtn divs there... but I wanted to get rid of sinkiang first. Now that my mtn army is free to redeploy I have to decide which mountain area in USSR I want to try for next.

@Virgiltchicken: Yes I am leaning towards annexing Mongolia next to try and threaten Irkutsk. In fact that is probably what I will do. But to me it also important to keep some pressure on UK. So far UK is getting the better of me because he has armor in the region and I have none of my own (yet) and insufficient bombers (for now). Actually I dont mind losing ground but what I really want to do is force UK to deploy significant navy into the far east, and the only way I can do that is to threaten him with invasion in his rear... but I must spilt my divisions between USSR and UK so I am faced with some tough choices.

Also, Germany wants us to focus everything we have on USSR until he is gone. The problem I have with that is, Italy believes that when USA joins the war, their first target will be Italy. I think he is right. The allies have to get something going in Europe soon or SU will have to accept bitter peace, and if I was them I would land a few divisions on a poorly defended beach in Spain then bring up the entire U.S. army behind them, and encircle Italy's garrison near Gibraltar. After that Germany will have to pull divisions out of the east to get that situation under control. Unless I can get UK to move significant navy into my area, Italy can't use it's navy at all.

 

[Dekessey]

Me likes.

Good AAR so far!

 

[elbasto]

Maybe if you focus on holding the line in the East and starting Sealion?

You are truly in a race against the clock, a successful landing in Spain would let the allies fight without any logistical penalties, too bad you couldn't secure Gibraltar.

Do you have any offensive plans for America or are you going to focus in India first, after and IF the SU is taken care of?