Newest Setup by Larry

I would understand that if there was enough time to complete games to give feedback.  A chance to find the best strategies and then see if there are counters.  At this rate, we will end up with another unbalanced game.

What do you guys think of this rule?

I want to add Marines back into the game, maybe just for U.S. and Japan.

Basically they only work on Islands, the same way as artillery - defend and attack @ 2. They cost $4 IPC but if they are used on land locked territory the resort back to just being regular infantry, so it’s like losing an $1 IPC per marine not placed on an Island. This doesn’t tweak the game too much and could really help Japan on turn 2 if she decides to stock marines in the Carolinas, or any other nearby island.

Any comments?

I’ve got the solution…just give each country “x” amount of dollars and let them buy whatever they want with it and place it along the map wherever. With so many possible changes, let us figure it out. HAHA

Various recent comments…  :-)

(Jim010) I just don’t like that the changes are being made soo quickly. I’ve done 1/2 a game with only an idea that I’ve half explored.  I doubt many others have played the previous version more than that.  If this is how he sanctions playtesting, I’m not surprised that his products are unbalanced.

(Larry Harris) I’m in no mood to be making changes to this document and probably will not being do so for some time. However, things like sealion, neutrals, Techs, and random changes here and there that improve local situations will probably make it into a 3rd and final editing of this game - I have no idea when that will be or even if it will actually happen. I can tell you this - people are going to have to work hard to make me change things again. I like where the game is presently and it will take an act of congress to make me change something from here on out.
(Larry’s comment on his Alpha+ .1 thread.)

(Gamer)
Maybe it’s safe to play now?  Jeez, moving the airbase to South Italy was a big change.

(Gamer) Whew - OK, let’s see if I can keep track of all these rule changes….

Kinda cool, because I have that newbie feeling again, like I had in late August when this game came out.  Scrambling, SBR, and NO changes, along with Med Setup changes change this game significantly, maybe even dramatically.

Couple more of my rants in a recent game.

Man, the locations of the airbases suck.  Axis needs one in Germany and one in North Italy.  I guess they can always be built….

I don’t think Larry’s doing a very good job of getting this 1940 game settled.  The massive rule changes that went into Alpha+1 prove it.

What was he thinking?  A bazillion planes for Japan?  Then we talked sense into him and he greatly reduced them. (Not to mention the two transports for UK that would always get sunk J1) (Not to mention there was always a J1 attack because there were not enough reasons to wait)
Unlimited scrambling from an island?  Then we talked sense into him and he limited it to 3, what players thought all along (some kind of limit like that).
Now he changes scrambling so you planes can suddenly scramble from the coasts, up to hundreds of miles away in an instant?  This game might be better without any scrambling at all.

The rule changes make a HUGE difference for how UK will start out.  Seriously, couldn’t he tell that with OOB rules and setup Italian fleet would get drilled 9 times out of 10, and the UK fleet would get completely sunk (around Great Brit) 9 times out of 10 on G1 with minimal casualties??

I think this coastal scrambling of up to 3 planes is going to prove to be overpowered.  Fighters and airbases are now King.  How long until the players will convince him of this?

OOB Malta had NOTHING on it!  Finally people talk sense into him.  I’m frustrated with Larry right now.

@jim010:

I would understand that if there was enough time to complete games to give feedback.  A chance to find the best strategies and then see if there are counters.  At this rate, we will end up with another unbalanced game.

I went out to Dayton a week and a half ago, played a game of the (then) Alpha+1.0 with my drinking amigo Tim. The game took us some 20 hours to finish (lots and lots of beer drinking - Axis win), and when I got back home in Columbus, I looked online and the Alpha+1.0 set up had changed already!

I’ve been trying to keep up with things on the Harris site, but man, things are changing faster than I can keep up with.

We’re just kinda hangong back now, waiting to see if the Alpha+1.0 “express” thing finally comes rolling to a stop sometime soon.  :-D

For the record, we like the Alpha + 1.0 better than the OOB version, by far.

Good Luck on the revision work Larry! :-)

@jim010:

We’re just kinda hangong back now, waiting to see if the Alpha+1.0 “express” thing finally comes rolling to a stop sometime soon.  :-D

For the record, we like the Alpha + 1.0 better than the OOB version, by far.

Good Luck on the revision work Larry! :-)

Yep, I like this set up more than oob. So far Allies are 1-1 in our games. Sea-lion was a success in one game and in the other Germany put factories in Romania and Norway, which worked great for a while, before the U.S. came through the back door via Normandy Invasion.

In Alpha+1 is there supposed to be an air base in northern Italy or not? I am still confused. If no air base then it appears that the Italian fleet is in deep trouble.

@calvinhobbesliker:

@Fishmoto37:

@calvinhobbesliker:

@Fishmoto37:

In Alpha+1 is there supposed to be an air base or not? I am still confused. If no air base then it appears that the Italian fleet is in deep trouble.

There’s one in South Italy

If no air base in Northern Italy then Germany will be forced to attack the U.K. ships in 110 with lots of air power in an attempt to draw the two fighters out of London and kill them to give the Italian fleet a chance.

Or it can threaten Sealion to discourage the UK from using those planes.

Sea lion looks like a waste of German resources that will be needed for Barbarossa.

@calvinhobbesliker:

Or it can move its extra 2 planes to South Italy to scramble. In fact, Germany can attack z112 with planes and land them in Rome.

Sending two Germ. fighters to southern Italy looks like it may be a dad burned good idea. I will have to study that move.

@calvinhobbesliker:

@Fishmoto37:

@calvinhobbesliker:

@Fishmoto37:

@calvinhobbesliker:

@Fishmoto37:

In Alpha+1 is there supposed to be an air base or not? I am still confused. If no air base then it appears that the Italian fleet is in deep trouble.

There’s one in South Italy

If no air base in Northern Italy then Germany will be forced to attack the U.K. ships in 110 with lots of air power in an attempt to draw the two fighters out of London and kill them to give the Italian fleet a chance.

Or it can threaten Sealion to discourage the UK from using those planes.

Sea lion looks like a waste of German resources that will be needed for Barbarossa.

It doesn’t have to go through the threat.

Spending IPCs on transports to threaten Sea lion is a waste of precious resources. The Axis key to winning this game is the same as it always has been. Take out Russia!

@gamerman01:

OOB Malta had NOTHING on it!  Finally people talk sense into him.  I’m frustrated with Larry right now.

Not so fast. Are you sure that Larry still has 100% control over the design? WotC must have a little blame to share here, even if it’s pushing the product out the door before it’s ready.

The game is only in its fourth month of release, patience… it’s the most ambitious A&A release to date and it’s completely different than classic or even the original Europe+Pacific since that dynamic changes when you combine the boards, also consider there’s new playables, PRs… NOs… Video games also have balance issues that are patched post-release.

I think the easiest thing to say is, “If you think you can do a better job, be my guest!” I get tired of seeing people put down the game, if you are so smart, build one yourself you jack-wagons!

People need to relax and help the process. Suggest ideas, the more we can get to Larry the easier it will make his job.

@maverick_76:

I think the easiest thing to say is, “If you think you can do a better job, be my guest!” I get tired of seeing people put down the game, if you are so smart, build one yourself you jack-wagons!

People need to relax and help the process. Suggest ideas, the more we can get to Larry the easier it will make his job.

I agree. That is why I posted an alternate income schedule for the U.S. under house rules. I will play test it in our session tomorrow.

When you guys are FINALLY done tweaking the game so your favorite side can win please let the rest of us know. I would just like to play the game, but everybody and their mother seems to think one setup is better and more balanced than the other. If they don’t win using the setup then they say they would using the NEW one. So we have evolved from the global with Larry Harris alpha setup to the global Larry Harris alpha plus setup to now the Larry Harris alpha plus 1 setup. I get confused when I play a game and people say “this is the setup as of Oct whatever… No this is the setup as of Dec whatever… no you obviously don’t read the boards this is the new Larry approved version…”