Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Is this company... like... REALLY bad. Like unplayable? The Ha-Gos are like 82 points per tank, really quite fragile, and have a rather low impact weapon. Is there something I'm not seeing?

They're deceptively tough. Being able to fight when other tanks would not be able too, rerolls to hit on the move, and bogs/bails counting as being active for morale tests - all in all very effective

I think the general idea is to utilise their ability to Always Attack under the cover of darkness. The 'Hell by Day, Paradise by Night' rule allows the Japanese player to elect to use Dawn Attack in any type of mission, if they are the attacker, and a 4th Sensha Rentai (without field fortifications) may, using the same rule, elect to Always Attack.

By the time dawn comes, you're likely already in a position to use Hip Shot (thanks to Envelopment allowing Japanese tanks their full move at night), and very likely still at full strength. Couple that with Duty to the End granting them a buttload of exceptions to being bogged down/bailed out, and you have a force that's a recipe for being vastly underestimated, and like Reaver said, deceptively tough.