Should we make better rules for invadable neutrals? (1940)

Quick answer is that bids seem to keep going up with bids over 20 now common.

yes

just the dollar amount.

@barnee

We decided to create a new set of Tournament Rules for general use in all Wiking-Cons as well as the 2026 World Championship.

This set of Tournament rules is described at the “Events” thread, inkluding the Wiking-Con Tournaments.

@The-Captain

Genius.

Here are our updated rules. Added some new pieces and changed a few Enhancements. TheBunkerRulesV3.pdf

@Topmat

AxA has often been called a “beer and pretzels” wargame, I suppose because it is fairly simplistic and available—FOR a wargame. That’s not because AxA is elementary or easily mastered, its because other wargames tend to be even more rules-heavy and detailed, which makes some of them famously and notoriously unplayable. They may have an attractive theme or rules, but the “chit” game era (60s-80s) built up to a crescendo before it burst. PC Computer gaming was a major catalyst for this; the ASL/Avalon Hill/SSI style games BEGGED for a computer to handle some of the more complex calculations, setup, rules etc.

I think AxA has the general appeal and longevity it does precisely because it appeared after this “First Golden Age”, and is not married to overcomplex or overly realistic considerations, its a truly “abstract” wargame, where each step (building, conquering, purchasing, combat, movement) is fairly simple, but all together, they are complex enough to satisfy long-time players while only barely overwhelming the new ones.

And, the fact that AxA doesn’t try to simulate or do everything a wargame possibly COULD do is the very reason why there is enough room left in the game to add more, but that’s not necessarily desirable. If the game was already highly complex, rich and random, it would already have many of the things that people are trying to add to it—but its likely no-one would play it. I think most of the more complex house rules systems for AxA fall into this trap, by pushing the complexity/time investment level out of the Goldilocks zone.

I bought a “political” Avalon Hill chit game in 1992, Republic of Rome (4/4 difficulty rating). When I read the instruction manual, I was blown away-- I understood nothing of what i’d read… until I read it for nearly 2 years. We only played it in college 4 times, and the Republic consistently lost as a group. Its a great game, but its also an example of a highly complex simulation game with a narrow audience from the first era–very few people still play these games because they lack any general following or appeal in the internet age, and have been replaced by computer-style games, like the Total War and Europa Universalis series.

How did you get from 8 infantry to 48 IPCs?

@Dijitz:

In my rules supplement I’ve added this rule, and I am using the very same tokens for it.

IPC Lend-Lease
IPCs can be converted to raw materials (represented by tokens from AA Battle of the Bulge). These tokens can be transported by transport, cargo plane, and/or mechanical infantry.  Transports and cargo planes can carry up to 10 IPCs and mechanical infantry can carry up to 5. The raw materials can be moved to a team player as either a loan or gift (based on verbal agreement). These raw materials are produced at industrial complexes. Production of 3 raw materials at an industry only counts against 1 production cap. (E.g. A major industry could produce 30 raw materials in one turn) No IPCs can be “pirated,” they are destroyed along with the units carrying them with the exception of those that are carried over land. Mechanical infantry transporting raw materials cannot attack, but defend normally.

That help?

It does give me an idea to play around with, thanks!

well kamikazi’s were hardly ever succussful so there has to be some realism in its effectiveness