MOVED: Neutrals and a possible Political optional rule phase.

I would not be G40 boxed set for a new rulebook or even for new French unit sculpts. However, I would buy a G40 boxed set for some combination of two or more of these changes:

1. Long standing balance issues were resolved officially instead of with the house rule hodgepodge we use now.
2. Historical inaccurances (Scapa Flow, Iceland, Sierra Leone, etc) were corrected on the map/setup (for instance, Iceland was occupied by the US on July 7th 1941, but the map shows it as a UK territory from the start).
3. There were cool new sculpts for multiple powers, and cleaned up sculpts for units that look too similar (ANZAC cruiser vs destroyer for instance, or corrected the 9 ft tall ANZAC infantry unit).
4. New map! For instance, eastern Russia is vast and would have been a Japanese sinkhole that brought no benefit, but in the G40 map those territories all actually produce income. The Global War map is a much better representation – combined German/Japan strategies that work on the current map would not work on Global War map.
5. Map supports faster setup – MICs and setup bases pre-printed, for instance.
6. Rule changes that allow the US to build bases on other Allies territories.
7. Rule changes to fix unit issues (cruisers!)
8. Separate control markers for UK Pacific vs UK Atlantic

Basically, a couple of big changes or a bunch of small changes make the investment worthwhile IMO.

Fixing NOs could be part of #1 – giving the UK an additional NO of no German navy in the Atlantic other than sea zone 112 would probably help the balance issue. Also, giving Japan an NO that costs it money if it DOESN’T control those islands once at war with the US might help the balance issue.

Marsh

Great, thanks again. Great forum with awesome reaction time to simple questions!

Keep it up guys!

I think a new set of rules in PDF format should have been online a while ago, in respect for the customer who bought not a game, but what i call a ‘‘play test’’.
We dont even have rules to play europe alone yet!

@Boyardee:

Is Mr Harris suppose to publish an up to date version on the rulebook in pdf?

WotC (Wizards of the Coast) generally publishes a pdf available to download some months after the release of the game.  I would look there, but not until the release of the 2nd addition.  Until then, you’ll have to use to the OOB rulebook in conjunction with official FAQ/Errata and the Alpha 3 rules.

The rules make it a challenge, but like anything else, it has it’s time and place in the game. Wait for your opponent to leave a factory undefended with aircraft, or to slow down their economy when they need it most. IMO, Germany should have 2-3 bombers by G6 or G7 and should use them to make Russia spend precious dollars to repair ICs, while simultaneously combining with original Luftwaffe/methodical small naval purchases to keep the Allied fleets at bay.

But… losing a bomber sucks.  :oops:

Welcome, dachi!

@dachi:

Can Soviet invade Finland on their first turn, without Germany declaring war to Soviet first?

No.  USSR may not move into territories outside its own on the Europe map until it is at war with Germany and/or Italy.  Also, it may not move into territories outside its own on the Pacific map until it is at war with Japan.

@dachi:

Regarding flights/landings, are islands still part of the sea zone? Meaning, does it take an aircraft 1 turn to enter the seaszone surrounding the island, or does it get that “for free”?

Islands are separate spaces from the sea zones that they’re in.  It takes a movement point to enter or leave an island.

@axisisthebest:

from harris game design

http://harrisgamedesign.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=4035

the alpha+ playtest specifications, changes that are made will be in red

Wow. we have a completely different game now.