[AA50/Anniversary] — "G40 Lite" Setup with France, Aligned Neutrals, and Map Modernizations

Hi all, my first draft map for an AA50/Anniversary-based 1940 Setup (including France and Aligned Neutrals) is ready to rock. G40 Lite, anybody?

This idea was born and first discused two years ago in my “[AA50/Anniversary] Modular Map Overlays” thread. Because this is a whole new kettle of fish, I am splitting this idea off into it’s own thread here for further discussion, new rules, setup charts (oof), and of course playtesting/refinement.

Backstory:
My indomitable son, lover of the color blue and of Axis and Allies— and therefore of France, bless his mistaken 8yo heart— has worked his way up to playing Anniversary with me. With a few house rules and handicaps he makes for a ferocious opponent indeed, and has yet to be defeated by his father. He grieves, however, for the neglected G40 French soldiers sitting in their box. And so in his honor I’ve attempted to tackle the creation of a plausible Middle-weight 1940 setup based on an enhanced AA50 map; one that includes the glorious French Empire and his precious blue troops.

Objectives:

• Placate my child and get some blue units and TTs on the map!
• K.I.S.S. Add choices/fun, but maintain middle-weight status.
• Maintain loose tether to historical reality… meaning I need more or less 1940 borders.

To pull this off I need both map changes and rules changes for France and Neutrals in particular. Let’s get going!

The initial release contains:

The French Empire c. ~spring 1940:

• France proper split into Northern (capital) and Southern France
• Six discrete French African colonies and protectorates
  – Morocco
  – Algeria
  – French West, Central, and Equatorial Africa (which gets RC and becomes capital of Free France)
  – Madagascar
• Syria (maybe relevant with pro-axis Iraq next door?)
• French Indochina (remains ahistorically merged with Thailand, but no game-reason to split them)
• French Guiana (maybe relevant now that we have a VC-posessing pro-allied Brazil?)
• New Caledonia in the South Pacific …mostly for flavor/possible IPC balance

Lots of other changes to create viable 1940 setup:

• Addition of Albania (Italy, 1)

• Addition of British Guinana (Suriname) (UK, 0)

• Addition of **Nigeria Good Coast (UK, 1)

• Splitting Iraq (2, pro-Axis) off from Trans-Jordan (0, UK)

• IPC-ifying of many “True” (or game-functionally true) Neutrals:
  – Sweden
  – Turkey
  – Saudi Arabia
  – Spain
  – Argentina Chile
  – Afganistan
  – South American amalgamations
  – Angola
  – Mozambique

• De-possessification of various “Aligned” Neutrals:
  – Finland (pro-axis)
  – Romania Bulgaria (pro-axis)
  – Iraq (pro-axis)
  – Brazil (pro-allies)
  – Yugoslavia (pro-allies)
  – Greece (pro-allies)
  – Persia (pro-allies)
  – Eire (pro-allies)

• Many new features carried over from my latest enhanced AA50 map, including:
  – Upgradeable Recruitment Centers (scattered across the globe in strategic, historical locations
  – 4 additional VCs (Singapore, Cairo, Cape Town, and Rio de Janiero) in far-flung, southern locations to encourage nontraditional lines of play and a more truly global war.
  – The Trans-Siberian Railroad and Burma Road
  – A more ganular China designed to protract the Sino-Chinese War
  – A subdivided, richer Australia and Dutch East Indies, designed to make this part of the world as dynamic and enticing as it was to the actual historical powers.
  – An empowered Italy with more economy and Territory, and an thus an actual role to play in the struggle over the Mediterranean

• Finally, a couple of changes unrelated to 1940 but nice to have:
  – In China, split off “Jehol” (1, Japan-occupied, China Roundel) from Manchuria (3)
  – The addition of missing “Impassible” text to a few important regions: Sahara, Himalaya, Mongolia (functionally), and Switzerland (functionally).

Below are a couple preview images as well as the link to the full file.

Full Size Download (latest version):
https://www.mediafire.com/view/h2ctcn5ahox4r7q/AA50_1940ed_v0.7.png/file

Changelog:

• v0.5 initial release
• v0.6 fixed busted medditeranean SZ
• v0.7 fixed missing Burma Road

Now for some Very Simple Rules™ for “G40 Lite” …or whatever this is called. Note that sections 1-3 below have nothing to do with this 1940 setup and simply catch up to a couple of the new (an totally optional) features on this and my other AA50 map overlays: Recruitment Centers, the Burma Road, and the Trans-Siberian Railroad.

0.0 Starting Assumptions
0.1 Unless directly contradicted by the following, all rules for Axis and Allies: Anniversary Edition (with errata) shall apply with precedence.

Misc. Rules for AA50 Modular Overlays:

1.0 Recruitment Centers
1.1 Recruitment Centers count as eligible Territories for the placement of newly-purchased Infantry units (only), as long as the RC was in controlled at the start of the turn (not newly-liberated/captured).
1.2 The Production Capacity for Infantry units at a Recruitment Center is the IPC value of the territory.
1.3 Recruitment Centers may be “upgraded” into Industrial Complexes. The cost to build an Industrial Complex in any territory with a Recruitments Center is reduced by 5 IPCs. Recruitment Centers that are upgraded in this way cease to have any function.
1.4 Captured Recruitment Centers in non-neutral territories cannot be used by the capturing power. Captured Neutral Recruitment Centers may be used (and/or upgraded) by whoever controls them.

2.0 The Burma Road
2.1 The Burma Road shall be considered “Open” if the Allies control every Territory through which it passes.
2.2 If the Burma Road is “Open” up to one new Chinese Infantry unit may be placed as an Artillery unit instead.

3.0 The Trans-Siberian Railroad
3.1 During the NON-COMBAT MOVE phase, USSR Infantry units that begin and end their movement on the Railroad may move two spaces instead of one.

Rules for G40 Lite:

4.0 Neutral Territories
4.1 Neutral Territories (unless marked “Impassible”) are now legal playing spaces on the map, subject to the following rules.
4.2 Neutral Territories have a Standing Army equal to a number of Infantry twice the IPC value of that Territory (e.g. a Territory worth 2 IPCs has a Standing Army of 4 Infantry). This Standing Army is placed on the map immediately the first time the Territory is invaded, and is never placed again.
4.3 Neutral Territories may have one of three Alignments which appear immediately below the Territory name on the map: Pro-Axis, Pro-Allies, or Unaligned (if there is no alignment text below the Territory name).
4.4 Neutral Territories of any alignment may be invaded by any Power during that Power’s COMBAT MOVEMENT phase.
4.5 If the invading Power’s Alliance matches the Alignment of a Neutral Territory (e.g. an Allied Power invading a Pro-Allied Neutral), that Territory immediately joins that Power. Place a Roundel belonging to that Power in that Neutral Territory and adjust that Power’s IPC income accordingly, and place that Neutral’s Standing Army in the Territory as Infantry units belonging to the invading Power.
4.6 If the invading Power’s Alliance does not match the Alignment of a Neutral Territory (e.g. an Allied Power invading an Unaligned or Pro-Axis Neutral), that Territory’s Standing Army is placed in the Territory in the form of Infantry belonging to a Power of the opposing Alliance’s choice, and a Battle will occur here in the CONDUCT COMBAT phase of the Turn.
— 4.6.1 If the invading Power is victorious, place a roundel belonging to that Power in the Territory and adjust the IPC Income of that Power accordingly. If the invading player retreats or is otherwise defeated, leave any remaining Standing Army units in the Territory. They may not leave the Territory until it is invaded and controlled by a Power matching their Alliance.
4.7 Each time an Unaligned Neutral Territory is invaded, other Unaligned Neutral Territories may align against the invading Power.
— 4.7.1 For each other remaining Unaligned Neutral Territory, the invading Power may pay 1 IPC. If they do not, roll one d6. On a roll of 3 or less, that Territory remains Unaligned. On a roll of 4 or more, that Territory aligns against the invading Power (it is now considered “Pro” that Power’s opposing Alliance) for the rest of the game.

5.0 United States
5.1 The United States begins the game with 0 IPCs.
5.2 Until the start of the 3rd US Turn, the US income is halved (round down)
5.3 Until the start of the 3rd US turn, US units are restricted in the following ways:
— 5.3.1 US land units may not enter any non-US Territory.
— 5.3.2 US naval units may not move.
— 5.3.3 US air units (except the fighter in China) are restricted to only Territories and Sea Zones that contain US land or naval units.
5.4 If any US units or Territories are attacked before its 3rd Turn, the above rules shall immediately cease to apply.

6.0 Soviet Union
6.1 The USSR’s starting IPCs are halved (round down).
6.2 Until the start of it’s 3rd Turn, the USSR’s income is halved (round down).
6.3 If original USSR Territories are attacked before its 3rd Turn, it’s income immediately reverts to normal.

7.0 France and Vichy/Free France
7.1 While Paris is France-controlled, France is a Major Allied Power, moving last each Round.
7.2 If Paris falls to the Axis, France’s IPCs go to the conquering Power and IPC incomes are adjusted as usual.
7.3 The first time that Paris falls to the Axis, France will fracture and become Vichy France (a minor Pro-Axis Neutral Power controlled by Germany) and a new power— Free France, a new Minor Allied Power— will split off from it. Blue French units will now be Vichy French units; use a distinguishing marker to denote Free French units and Territory control (see below for some Free French Roundels!).

The following special procedure is carried out to split Free France off from [now Vichy] France:

• 7.3.0 Northern France remains the Capital of [now Vichy] France under German control.
• 7.3.1 If Southern France is not already Axis-controlled, it immediately joins Vichy France:
  — 7.3.1.1 Immediately remove all French and Allied units there, place a German roundel there, and adjust IPC incomes accordingly.
  — 7.3.1.2 Place one [now Vichy] French, one [additional] Italian, and two [additional] German Infantry and one German AAA Gun there.
• 7.3.2 If Algeria is not already Axis-controlled, it immediately joins Vichy France:
  — 7.3.2.1 Immediately remove any French or Allied units there, place a German roundel there, and adjust IPC incomes accordingly.
  — 7.3.2.2 Place one [now Vichy] French and one [additional] German Infantry unit there.
• 7.3.3 The UK player may now select one French-controlled Territory to become the Capital of Free France. Replace any French units there with Free French units, and place one additional Free French Infantry and one Free French AAA Gun in that Territory.
• 7.3.4 For each other French-controlled Territory on the map, roll one d6.
  — 7.3.4.1 On a roll of 3 or less, the Territory and any units present in that Territory join Free France. Replace these units with Free French units.
  — 7.3.4.2 On a roll of 4 or greater, the Territory and any French units present remain [now Vichy] French: place a German roundel there if west of India and a Japanese roundel if east of India. In either case adjust IPC incomes accordingly. Any other Allied units that were in these Vichy Territories must immediately relocate to an adjacent Allied-controlled Territory if one exists, or else be destroyed. Axis aircraft may land in Vichy Territories the same turn they are created.
• 7.3.5 For each individual French Ship on the map, roll one d6.
  — 7.3.5.1 On a roll of 1, the ship is scuttled - remove it from the map.
  — 7.3.5.2 On a roll of 2 or 3, the ship joins the Free French— replace it with a Free French version and leave it where it is.
  — 7.3.5.3 On a roll of 4 or 5, the ship sides with Vichy France— move it immediately to SZ 13.
  — 7.3.5.4 On a roll of 6, the ship joins the Axis: move it to SZ 5 and replace it with an equivalent German unit.
• 7.3.6 All other French units in non-French Allied Territories (e.g. London) when Paris falls become Free French. Replace them with equivalent Free French units.

7.4 While Paris remains Axis-Controlled, Free France is a Minor Allied Power controlled by and moving together with the UK, and Vichy France is a Minor Pro-Axis Neutral Power controlled by and moving together with Germany.

Vichy France is subject to the below rules and restrictions:

• 7.4.1 Vichy France collects no income and makes no purchases, instead placing one additional new infantry in Southern France at the end of the German turn for every two Vichy French territories on the map.
• 7.4.2 Vichy French units may not enter Northern France.
• 7.4.3 Vichy French land units may not enter or attack non-blue (original French) Territories.
• 7.4.4 Vichy French naval units may not leave SZ 13.

Free France is subject to the below rules and restrictions:

• 7.4.5 Free France collects no income and makes no purchases, instead placing one new Infantry in the Capital of Free France at the end of the UK Turn for every two Free French Territories on the map. Up to one of its new Infantry units may always be placed as an Artillery unit at its capital instead.
• 7.4.6 Free French units are not restricted to only blue territories in the same way that Vichy units are.
• 7.3.4 If the Free French capital is captured by the Axis, the UK player may choose a new capital for Free France at the start of its next Turn.

7.5 When Paris is liberated by the Allies, France immediately becomes whole again and the Vichy and Free French Powers are dissolved back into one France, which reverts to being a Major Allied Power moving last after the US.

• 7.5.1 The first time Paris is liberated by the Allies, place two [additional] French Infantry there after the battle.
• 7.5.2 If Free French units took part in the battle to liberate Paris, place an [additional] two French Infantry there.
• 7.5.3 All Vichy French units remain [now normal] French units.
• 7.5.4 Replace all Free French units everywhere with equivalent normal French units.

Here are some Free French roundels, if you need them:

For getting started with setups and units, I’m considering two separate ideas;

1. First, a setup that could arrive at the proven AA50 1941 setup of the game after a couple turns with low-luck and nominal purchases and strategy.
2. Second, a setup that closely mimics G40.2, with or without the rebalancing efforts/“G40.3” improvements that have been suggested here over the years.

Thoughts for the Axis:

1. Germany starts the game with the world as its oyster. In the West, it should comfortably take France and expand into pro-axis neutrals turn one, while laying the ground work for overall strategy next. A slow-starting USSR means that aggressive early pushes into Russia could yield incredible gains, but this lack of pressure from the East also means that ahistorical strategies like a decisive win in the Battle of the Atlantic, Operation Sealion, or a huge Southeast Europe/Mediterranean/Mideast presence are all possible.
2. An empowered Italy can meaningfully aide Germany in a several theaters of war, but as always can easily become overly stretched. Western Europe defense, African domination, control of the the Mideast, Southeastern Europe, or the Atlantic… all are possibilities for Italy.
3. Japan also has a larger range of options but also stronger foes: both China and Australia are much more lucrative but also tougher. There is much more money in the Pacific in general- at least 10 IPCs, depending how you count- and then there are the Aleutians to suddenly threaten the US. A quiet start for the USSR and especially the US gives the Japanese player a full couple turns to start the steamroller with only the UK in opposition.

On the Allied side, the game starts grimly indeed.

1. For the UK, things are promising at first- more money to start and much more flexible and capable options exist around the Empire: South Africa, India, and Australia each have Recruitment Centers that can be quickly scaled up into regional power centers to resist Axis expansion. But the threats are real: Japan will be gigantic in the Pacific if the UK pulls out entirely or too early; an empowered Italy is much more threatening to Africa and the Middleast; and Germany starts the game with a huge French payday and minimal pressure from the USSR. There’s also the sideshow struggle of the Free French to consider, which depending on the Vichy rolls could be a worthwhile investment or a pointless distraction. All this while a slumbering US only slowly awakens…
2. For the USSR, a slowed start coupled with initial frontline weakness means an open-door invitation to the Germans, even before the third turn. Huge territorial losses are likely until the reinforcements start arriving to stem the tide, unless Germany turns its gaze elsewhere. Looking eastward the Soviets also have the option to train infantry and create factories East of the Urals to take the fight more directly to Japan.
3. Finally, the US will need several turns to get going, unable to affect the starting course of the war at all. When they do enter the game in earnest, it is likely to be immediately after a crippling attack that sets them back even further. The US will face an immediate and urgent choice of which coast to invest in first, or to attempt to support both fronts at once.

In any case, the aim of the setup is to achieve the dramatic scenario below:

The Allies begin in control of the vast majority of Territories and with far-superior income, but the Axis have the initiative, multiple viable attack vectors, and vastly superior starting unit counts. Assuming they apply all three advantages well, they will quickly take significant territory and sometime around turn 4 will reach parity with Allied income and/or position.

At this point the game reaches the critical point: will the Allies, through a judicious allocation of combined resources and energies leading up to and especially at this moment, begin inexorably pushing the Axis back? Will the two sides trade advantages to remain poised in perfect balance? Or will the Axis gradually or suddenly push the Allies beyond the point of no return?

ANZAC-ification!

This modular overlay for G40 Lite adds ANZAC as a potentially playable power, giving them three extra IPC to play with for a total of 10:

• ANZAC roundels and a recolor for Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea, and the Solomons.
• New Zealand boosted to 2 IPCs.
• Northern Territory boosted to 2 IPCs
• Western Australia boosted to 1 IPC

Preview:

Full overlay download (17MB):
https://www.mediafire.com/view/64s28ot0aw7tusu/G40_Lite_ANZAC.png/file

Analysis and initial thoughts on mechanics/impact:

• Removes 7 IPCs from the UK income, reducing total purchasing power but focusing their colonial spend on India and S. Afr.
• Pulls any extant South Pacific UK units out of their control/turn, weakening them overall as they can no longer attack in concert.
• Forces some direct Australian investment by the Allies, while also…
• Limiting the direct Australian investment by the Allies to the ANZAC income— no more Bombers or fully loaded Carriers dropping into the South Pacific out of nowhere.
• Forces Japan and the Allies to pay some attention to the South Pacific, which could previously be ignored by both Japan and the UK by means of mutual neglect.
• Adds 3 IPCs to the board and to the Allies total income (more money is is fun!) while also siphoning it off into a new minor power, which have a greatly diluted effect on the game due to the principle of concentration of force.

Playtesting notes…
It’s turn 4 and Game 1 is already turning into a rout in favor of the Axis. Starting Conditions:

1. Setup mirrored G40.2 as closely as possible on this new board with no bid for the Allies, which should give the game a STRONG pro-axis tilt.
2. My (8yo) son took the Axis with the below standing handicaps:
   – Germany +10 IPC/turn and1 free infantry to be placed in any controlled territory each turn
   – Japan same as Germany
   – Italy same as Germany/Japan but only +5 IPC/turn
3. US starts with 0 IPC, half income until turn 3 or attacked, gain half income as one-time bonus when attacked (this was not in the rules as stated above, but we changed this on the fly as their position looks utterly desperate. I wanted their full income as a bonus, but was voted down).
4. USSR starts with half income until turn 3 or USSR is attacked (he attacked me turn 2)
5. We bumped AA guns down to 5 IPC (was 6).

Current state: It’s the end of UK4.

Japan is making 40 IPC, has 8 carriers in the pacific and is halfway across China and Russia. He neglected the money islands until just last turn and has not threatened India (where UK made an immediate, huge investment), but has a ~200 IPC fleet at Hawaii that dwarfs the US pacific fleet by 2:1.

Germany has 10+ fighters and 40+ infantry on the Eastern Front. G and R are trading Caucasus. R hoping to hold Moscow with UK help (UK invading Scandanavia and coming down from Karelia & up from Iran).

UK is still the income leader (not for long with Japan taking DEI) which has allowed them to fight well on two fronts. They just sunk both the German and Italian navies… but my son rolls ridiculously well (which I publicly decry but secretly enjoy) and both uk fleets (India–>Med and England–>Baltic) took significant losses and may be wiped out in retaliation next turn. They’ve been stymied in Western Europe by a huge luftwaffe and a large German naval investment in the baltic (2 carriers?!) and had to resort to Norway.

US only just lumbering into the war. Feels extremely underpowered with an income in only the high-30s and a roaring japan on the doorstep. We gave the US a half-income war bonus, but that’s 18IPCs of peanuts. I think that for this to work without a bid the US wants an income boost of at least 5 and perhaps a fat bonus when/if attacked as well.

ANZAC in the pacific has done exactly zero except to hold the Australian mainland and vaguely threaten Japan’s far south perimeter, which feels… right.

Vichy vs Free France has been a back and forth, feels very good. At the start the map split 50/50 (expected) but the navy split in the Axis favor with two defections, a couple scuttles, and only a single destroyer joining the Free French.

Italy ignored the European Neutrals and made a big push into Africa instead, quickly swept the UK out of Cairo but have not yet been able to cross Suez (UK holds mideast). The combined Free French and British have also been able to hold them at FEA and Rhodesia while pushing Vichy out of lower Africa. LOVING how Africa has played out so far in this game with landings and battles on both sides up and down the African coast.

Currently the Axis have 12 VCs to the Allies 9 (Rio still Neutral), and halfway though turn 4 are almost in a state of Minor Victory according to my revised victory city chart:

I think the game is playing OK, and it’s always hard to account for the handicap & skill effects of having an 8yo at the helm-- although, if I can brag on my son a bit, he does his own Punch, Count, and Skew calculations before every major attack.

I’ll be curious to see how hopeless the US situation is. If my son’s Japanese can take US territory on the west coast, I think some kind of adjustment is warranted even with his handicaps.

Start of Germany 6 - Moscow has fallen (for good). Paris has been liberated (for now) and the US fleet trapped in the north Pacific and finally destroyed in a suicide attack after my blockers were first explained, then admired, and finally swept away.

Italy has been pushed nearly out of Africa, but Japan is strong like bull. An Allied surrender looms.