@ManuC23 I don’t mind going back and replaying this game from the turn prior to the occupation of Afghanistan since I don’t feel that affected the game’s outcome. I feel the allies already had the win and this move simply sped up the inevitable.
I disagree very strongly that it is a norm in classic “not” to use neutrals. This game is famously “broken” due to the strategy of the western allies landing in Spain. It so common it has a name: Spanish Harlem.
I didn’t use Spanish Harlem on purpose because of another axis and allies player: @gamerman01 In the axis and allies classic league it was floated that ONLY spain should be off limits and therefore preserve more of the original flavor of the game.
But I agree with you 1000%. Neutrals should be impassable mostly because of Spanish Harlem, HOWEVER when you understand that air units can capture neutral territories, there is a level of “gaminess” that goes beyond the country of Spain or anything that happened in our game. Imo, its the only angle of this game that the designers missed: making neutrals impassable as an optional rule.
I prefer to play with neutrals being impassable and think any future games between us should use that house rule.