This is my first attempt at an after action report. The idea is to give a general report on my play experience here for educational, and hopefully, entertainment purposes. I didn't take enough screenshots along the way so I may have to gloss over some of the details. Without further ado...
Starting the game Japan has a great navy: 6 battleships, 3 carriers, 3 submarines, 11 cruisers and 13 destroyers (don't quote me on this, it's close). The army is small, but the technology level is slightly better than your nearest neighbors. I immediately begin consolidating my naval forces in the seas around Japan and moving island based forces around. In most cases I want to bring those garrisons in to use in offensive operations but leave a few infantry on Saipan and Ogasawara to maintain visibility and some defense. Most likely they'll get one shot by support forces if a war breaks out but it gives you defense against the blind sailor type attacks AI, and sometimes players, utilize.
I also start building industry immediately everywhere but Tokyo and start research on infantry and artillery.
Early in the game I begin evaluating the opposition and I am not impressed by what I find. I'll attempt to avoid outing anyone and just evaluate statistics of nations of most immediate interest:
United States
United Kingdom
China
Soviet Union
France
Australia
Manchuko
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Editorial
Writing this next piece gets a bit more complicated now. I intended it to be comedic. We had... what I'll call an unpleasant exchange. I wanted to make fun of the emoticon. I really didn't get the meaning. Now I'm not sure it's in good taste. I already feel like I'm doing an extended end zone dance.
Well, I can't lie this is a rather cool read! I just wish it ended better for me xDSpite_Is_Right wrote:
Oh my god! It's so great that you joined the forum to read this!general meh wrote:
wowI feel so bad now. I was just thinking about how writing this Call of War fan fiction is akin to dunking on someone then painting a masterpiece of you with your junk in their face.
Are you cool with me revealing your identity for the readers?general meh wrote:
Well, I can't lie this is a rather cool read! I just wish it ended better for me xDSpite_Is_Right wrote:
Oh my god! It's so great that you joined the forum to read this!I feel so bad now. I was just thinking about how writing this Call of War fan fiction is akin to dunking on someone then painting a masterpiece of you with your junk in their face.general meh wrote:
wow
Sure I don't particularly careSpite_Is_Right wrote:
Are you cool with me revealing your identity for the readersgeneral meh wrote:
Well, I can't lie this is a rather cool read! I just wish it ended better for me xDSpite_Is_Right wrote:
Oh my god! It's so great that you joined the forum to read this!I feel so bad now. I was just thinking about how writing this Call of War fan fiction is akin to dunking on someone then painting a masterpiece of you with your junk in their face.general meh wrote:
wow
That's awesome of you. I'm a nice person in real life, but I like to play the villain here. I think it motivates people to fight harder if they hate you. Maybe being a jerk is just fun sometimes, I don't know. It was never personal. Good game by the way, Big Boss.general meh wrote:
Sure I don't particularly careSpite_Is_Right wrote:
Are you cool with me revealing your identity for the readersgeneral meh wrote:
Well, I can't lie this is a rather cool read! I just wish it ended better for me xDSpite_Is_Right wrote:
Oh my god! It's so great that you joined the forum to read this!I feel so bad now. I was just thinking about how writing this Call of War fan fiction is akin to dunking on someone then painting a masterpiece of you with your junk in their face.general meh wrote:
wow
Welcome everyone to the thread, Germany.
Editorial
Also, if you have insights into what it's like on the receiving end, I'm interested and I'm sure others are as well. It all adds to the story. I think this format is intended to be interactive.
Day 6 - Continued
Diplomatic officers from the German embassy delivered a message from the Fuhrer. It was cryptic.
"Is this translation correct?" He asked. The officers assured him their best linguists had reviewed the transmission and verified it's accuracy. "What is this symbol? Is that a three? English is not my first language, but surely I know all the letters!" He raged privately. He wasn't sure what it was, but it was reminiscent of a rear end. "Does he mock me? Is he metaphorically exposing his rear end to me?", he wondered, this time aloud. This elicited a brief snorting laugh from Hideki Tojo before he regained his composure. The emperor briefly humbled him with an icy stare before writing a response that, when translated hastily to English, read:
Imperial historians assure us the original Japanese text was much more eloquent, but it has been lost to time.
Initially, I first thought you were bluffing, mainly because of the way the game went I thought you would go AFK like basically everyone else so in theory I could eventually sweep through Russia and get an easy win, but the next day I saw you were in Yugo and I kinda panicked. After that, my thought process was that if I held you off long enough maybe we could have peace but then you took Berlin in like 3.2 seconds so I abandoned the game. Now if you want I could also say what it was like leading up to that point.Spite_Is_Right wrote:
EditorialAlso, if you have insights into what it's like on the receiving end, I'm interested and I'm sure others are as well. It all adds to the story. I think this format is intended to be interactive.
Day 6 - Continued
Tojo had more bad news. Though Italy would likely be distracted for some time with internal strife following the departure of Mussolini, the Axis coalition would not remain understrength for long.
"Australia has thrown in with the fascists, our holdings in the Indies may be at risk", Tojo advised. "What? The Australians? We have an arrangement", the emperor said. "You may want to review that arrangement, lord", Tojo replied. The emperor ordered all government departments to immediately sever ties with Australia. Within minutes, reports were coming in from a small island in the south Pacific. They had been overrun by Australian infantry that were garrisoned on the island. War had been declared.
Absolutely, join the fun.general meh wrote:
Initially, I first thought you were bluffing, mainly because of the way the game went I thought you would go AFK like basically everyone else so in theory I could eventually sweep through Russia and get an easy win, but the next day I saw you were in Yugo and I kinda panicked. After that, my thought process was that if I held you off long enough maybe we could have peace but then you took Berlin in like 3.2 seconds so I abandoned the game. Now if you want I could also say what it was like leading up to that point.Spite_Is_Right wrote:
EditorialAlso, if you have insights into what it's like on the receiving end, I'm interested and I'm sure others are as well. It all adds to the story. I think this format is intended to be interactive.
I had a sense that playing against me was like that, especially with Pan-Asian. I advance relentlessly and will take anything that's not nailed down.Spite_Is_Right wrote:
Absolutely, join the fun.general meh wrote:
Initially, I first thought you were bluffing, mainly because of the way the game went I thought you would go AFK like basically everyone else so in theory I could eventually sweep through Russia and get an easy win, but the next day I saw you were in Yugo and I kinda panicked. After that, my thought process was that if I held you off long enough maybe we could have peace but then you took Berlin in like 3.2 seconds so I abandoned the game. Now if you want I could also say what it was like leading up to that point.Spite_Is_Right wrote:
EditorialAlso, if you have insights into what it's like on the receiving end, I'm interested and I'm sure others are as well. It all adds to the story. I think this format is intended to be interactive.
Day 6 - Continued
Meanwhile in Mongolia, the Northern Force was surging forward attacking two more Mongolian urban centers. These battles were not won as easily as the masterful pincer at Mandal-Ovoo. Nevertheless both cities were secured and surrounding provinces had been abandoned by Mongolian forces, preferring to hunker down under their air defenses at Ulaanbaatar. There they waited for the extinction battle to commence.
The Northern Force was requesting new orders, but advance forces were following long established doctrine and streaking in every direction toward undefended territory. In that moment, among the blooms in his garden, he heard a falcon cry in the distance. He was reminded of a story his father told him of the first emperor of the Tokugawa Shogunate, his forefather. Tokugawa Ieyasu, then leader of a clan beholden to the current Shogun, Hideyoshi, convinced the Shogun to spare the life of Date Masamune. Ieyasu's eventual rise to power would have been impossible without his alliance and this act of mercy.
He called for the Mongolian ambassador...
Day 6 - Continued
The emperor drafted a peace plan that involved Mongolia agreeing to never threaten Japan in the future and immediately declaring war upon the Soviet Union. He also agreed to grant Mongolians military access, but they would be required to allow inspectors into the country to ensure compliance with the treaty.
Tense moments passed, the emperor visited a Tokugawa family shrine nearby to pray. Kneeling before the altar and surrounded by fragrant incense, he felt pride briefly well within him and knew the treaty would be a success. He rose slowly, correcting his kimono for a moment, before proceeding toward the exit. A diplomatic envoy approached at a jog, somewhat out of breath he began, but the emperor waved him off. "I know", was all he said before continuing on his way to the throne room.
Editorial
I had no beef with Mongolia and I had already done tremendous damage to them and proven that I was more than their match. Besides, I respected their game. They built units that guaranteed their country was going to be painful to conquer. The number of units was impressive for such a small economy and the composition made them difficult to approach without artillery, which I had sent west. Their air defense was capable of causing significant damage and their stack composition made prolonged air attacks prohibitively expensive. If I was completely honest, this was a shameless act of kill-to-death ratio preservation.
Day 6 - Continued
The emperor called a meeting of the military council to discuss these new developments. The war in Manchuko was proceeding slowly, the small force there was at a severe numerical disadvantage and the emperor demanded no Japanese life be wasted on Manchuko. Fresh troops were streaming in from northern China and air forces continued to strike targets of opportunity across the region.
The emperor flew to Mandal-Ovoo to meet with the Mongolian premier and sign the treaty which would henceforth be known as the Mandal-Ovoo Accord. Troops of the Northern Force began immediately heading for the Middle East where the 1st Avengers were currently rampaging, but some divisions were dispatched to assist the besieged forces in Manchuko.
The council agreed that, for now, Australia was beyond reach. The emperor had been sitting quietly, fingers tented, head bowed in contemplation. Now he raised his head and a hush fell over the room, "No nation is beyond our reach, the sun ever rises over my empire" he said quietly, with no discernable emotion. He ordered Tojo to begin building air strips connecting his Chinese air network with islands in the Indies. "I want bombers on station in Palenbang in the morning, no excuses. Further, send orders to Admiral Yamamoto that we will require his cruiser fleet in Singapore immediately.", he commanded. He continued rattling off orders steadily for many minutes.
The Northern Fleet, long relegated to home island defense, would now be called upon to escort an invasion force south to Australia. Elements of the Northern Force were selected for the operation including ten infantry, three anti-air, and one armored car. Additional armored forces, fresh from factories in China were redirected to the Indies as well.
dont invade Aussie. Ive tried 3 times before as Japan in good position, but active for long Aussies are hard to crack
One might think...GrandEmpire wrote:
dont invade Aussie. Ive tried 3 times before as Japan in good position, but active for long Aussies are hard to crack
Editorial
The sharp-eyed among you may notice there was already fighting going on in the south Pacific by the middle of day six. I got the chronology a little bit wrong here, but I don't want to change the story. The events leading up to the war are accurate, they just took place slightly earlier.
This is the only screenshot I remembered to take over a two day period. It shows forces already approaching Australia, but you'll have to check back soon to see how that played out for the emperor.
You can see in this image the post-war appearance of Mongolia. This is where my screenshots pick up again, I had a gap in there for two days.
Day 6 - Wrap-up
The emperor leafed through field reports. He was heartened by stories of the bravery of his men, but the loss of life always weighed heavily upon him.
Soon the rising sun would fly in all corners of the globe, then they will have peace.
Day 7
The emperor started his day by meeting prominent politicians and business leaders. They effusively praised his conquests and the technological advancements of the empire.
"All well and good", he thought, "but there's yet more work for our blades." With that he set off to meet with Tojo and the military council to discuss the progress of airbase construction in the south and the massive industrialization effort that was occurring in Syria.
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