Awesome! Thanks Barney!
Just to the point about move 3 making crossings a bit easier. I think designer intent needs to be measured against the gameplay here. Forcing an extra turn into each ocean crossing makes it possible for the coastal defender to simply adopt a ‘wait and see’ approach, taking no action until the last possible moment. Meanwhile the attacker is forced to telegraph their intentions over a full round of gameplay.
I’m just not sure it is really so desireable to force a one turn gap for each ocean crossing. It has the effect of making it much more difficult for the attacker to get anything going, with a drag on dynamism and the overall pace of play. For my part, I think a 1 turn crossing on either side of the board has potential to make the game more exciting. It doesn’t completely remove the incentive to stage, because you will generally want to have reinforcements at the ready nearby, when the main invasion occurs. I think you are somewhat less likely to see a dead drop on France straight from E. US as the first maneuver, but rather a staging in UK first, and then the dead drop (so you can support the play with an immediate shuck.) Same deal on the Pacific side. I think you are likely to see a set up landing first (to activate the shuck on reinforcements) and then the main invasion. But if the player chooses not to announce their intentions in this way, then a more direct assault is also something that always has to be considered.
The multi-turn crossings are what currently allows Germany to leave France totally undefended (no Atlantic wall) until the last second. Similarly USA can leave W. US totally undefended until the last second when they notice Japan trying to set up in Alaska or wherever. Japan can do the same, leaving the home island undefended until they see America coming etc. Move 3 replaces that situation with one that requires a little a more advanced planning on the defenders part, and somewhat less advanced planning on the attackers part. I think this would make for a game that is more action oriented all around, with a much faster pace, and a greater likelihood that the VC win becomes more climactic.