Any need for French units beyond the setup?

We have never had France purchase units. I even made a special tank (Char 2C) for France during the setup but it always starts on the battle board and never makes it any further.

French Char 2C Tank

I’m a strange one, but I have liberated Paris on various occasions, and have purchased units with them more than a couple of times.  Not just infantry, either.  And the game isn’t always over - Germany isn’t doing so well, but maybe Japan still has a chance.

Just in the past month, I purchased a tank with France, and it proceeded to take over Greater Southern Germany.  From what I read, I’m in the small minority of people who understand the value of getting France in the action.

I think 2 mech, 1 strat bomber, 1 transport, 1 submarine in addition to those starting units

Most players never use those, but I can see buying any of those in some situations.  Otherwise, the units you have at startup will be adequate in almost all cases

In only one game have I ever seen a need for more French pieces.

Rome had fallen, Germany was knocked back to a huge stack of guys in Berlin making only 15/turn, and Japan was a monster gearing up for the invasion of Sydney.

France was liberated since the Americans didn’t have need of their Normandy/S.France factories any longer and for the +5 NO for more boats in the Pacific. France started building nothing but strategic bombers to first hit Germany’s factories, and then later on to fly as far east as possible to begin killing any Japanese units it could.

You pretty much immediately run out of French strategic bombers in this instance.

I can’t imagine any other scenario where you would need more French pieces, and I doubt I will ever see another game like that again.

Yeah, you’re going to hear that a lot, YG, but again, I liberate France almost as often as I play the allies, and it is not rare for me to buy non-infantry French units.  Shoot, a naval base on FIC is in the cards sometimes.  France makes like 20 bucks a turn once it’s liberated.  Everyone thinks it’s an easy 17 a turn for Germany, but it’s not that simple.

teslas raises a good point that you might want more than 1 strat bomber piece.  Of course you only need 1 for each different location - I’m guessing you would use chips

So many of you guys need to play me, but there’s only one me to go around….  :-(

That’ll work - not bad

Every once in a while, just to shake things up and do something different from G40, we will try out different setups and turn orders where France gets more of a chance to play.
In one game, we made different alliances and France was a part of the Axis along with Germany, Italy and Russia. It was like the following:
AXIS
France
Germany
Italy
Russia
VS.
ALLIES
United States
United Kingdom
China
ANZAC
Japan

Needless to say, the Allies totally ruled the seas. Central Asia and the Middle East became a pretty nasty battleground. It was near impossible for the Allies to enter Europe. If I remember right, the Allies ended up winning by working their way up to Moscow and just grinding westward. Also, they made a huge 3 step invasion of Rome to take Italy out of the picture. First Japan landed, then the US landed to back them up then the Brits landed to back up as well. Germany, Italy and France had a lot of stuff to throw at them, but it just wasn’t enough to knock the combined Allied forces off of Rome. Between Japan using the minor IC and the US/UK shuttling more men and equipment into Italy, along with the steady grind of Allied units from the Eastern Front, the Axis eventually shrank down to nothing.
Anyway, it was kind of fun having France be aggressive and buying units that usually don’t get any play.

@Young:

This is what I ordered…

1X Battleship
http://www.historicalboardgaming.com/Battleship–Celery-Green--United-Kingdom-Revised-2004_p_203.html

I think you could safely live without a French battleship.

@teslas:

@Young:

This is what I ordered…

1X Battleship
http://www.historicalboardgaming.com/Battleship–Celery-Green--United-Kingdom-Revised-2004_p_203.html

I think you could safely live without a French battleship.

:-) True that, unless you want to leave the option of a great way for the Allied player to say “I’m owning you” without having to verbalize it.  I prefer the French take of Japan for that, though

Well, in that case, those russian battleships will have someone to hang out with if nothing else.

@Young:

I think it’s the OCD in me that wants a full set of all available units, even if some will just collect dust in the tray.Â

I feel the same way about China’s OOB lack of units other than infantry.  I’m thinking of giving it the very-roughly-similar-yellowish-green British equiment pieces from A&A 1914, just because I don’t like how empty its storage tray looks.  And arguably, if China were to have any equipment at all, it would be appropriate for it to look like antiquated WWI-era stuff.  China did actually have a few pre-dreadnought battleships in its navy at the time of the First Sino-Japanese War, back in 1894.

There was one game where my French units were literally essential in winning. The Battle of France cost the German player all but his tanks. The French DD and Cruiser killed its Italian attackers, survived, and saved a British fleet next to Gibraltar, so that UK could build an airbase there, which forever denied Italy its NO´s. The DD by Africa turns later could block a Japanese fleet from invading India, which after that never got captured.

Iam truly surprised by the voting here.  Appalled at the lack on replies… maybe folks here play too well for rookie strategies  :)

They are almost the only pieces that can keep the Danish Straits open!

A good US player would always use the French units. I have , and extremely effectively too!

The way to go about is thus:

1. US TR goes to Brazil, and picks up a unit… and a French unit from W. Africa
2. 2 US TRs pick up 4 retreating French units in Morocco
3. 1 empty US/UK TR picks up the 2 units in London! Gibralter TRs are poised to go into Med… or toward Norway or W. Germany.
4. Normandy!  US take Denmark and hits W. Germany
5. Italy takes back W. Germany!!
6. France takes back W. Germany!!! The French FTR role here cannot be understated!
   (remember Denmark is still is in Allied Hands)
7. Germany builds in Germany and either retreats planes from Russia…
   or…Berlin is in mortal threat…
   because
8. US planes kamikaze attack on Germany proper (berlin)… CVs move into Baltic Sea to provide landing spot for UK FTR
9. UK usually takes Germany.

I have played this combo once - very effectively - this summer… and the moment Berlin falls in this manner, the Axis lose heart. Game over.

Only the French, going last… have the ability to take out the Italian units in W. Germany… helping Denmark to stay in Allied hands…

The threat to Berlin is so huge that Germany has to pull units from Eastern front… buys time for Russian units in Siberia to shore up Moscow defense.

French units are essential… and the French player should know at least this ONE thing if anything at all.

Um, you are very, very wrong to say only France can do these things.  ANZAC goes between Italy and Germany too, and they’re more effective at doing what you’re talking about than the sorry French are.  They can actually transport their own units, and have bombers and fighters in position around Europe.  The French have one fighter max, and that’s if you didn’t scramble it to its death on G1

Also, the thread is about needing more French units, as in, if France is liberated.  So your post wasn’t even on topic.  :roll:

Read the poll question again!  Do you use French units BEYOND what you have at setup?  That means, do you ever liberate Paris and build units with France!

Don’t put too much stock in the poll numbers, Young Grasshopper.  Some people didn’t even understand the premise of the question.

@teslas:

Well, in that case, those russian battleships will have someone to hang out with if nothing else.

Are you kidding? One of the first things Russia does is to buy a big fleet of battleships and cruisers. It’s the best way to protect Moscow. Because then Germany says, “Why are the Bolsheviks building a fleet. We can’t let them out-navy us. We must build a powerful Aryan fleet!” So they start building battleships and cruisers.
Moscow ends up surviving with just 2 Anti Aircraft Guns for protection.

Of course this is just a joke. Could you imagine if all the countries just went crazy building huge fleets?

The ANZAC units come too late, and not enough land units to affect the Turn 6 takedown of W. Germany.