Posts made by Dafyd

Thank you Teslas for your annalysis.  I had not done the math either.  Our group has used the house rule for a couple of games and it has not deminished the need for tanks nor have we found it to be an overwhelming advantage to the axis.  The UK player has made good use of the rule as has the US players.  I have no mathmatival data to counter your information and numbers do not lie but our rolling sucks…excuse me; inhales vigorously.  I can’t hit a one or a two to save my life some games.  Mechs by themselves do not eliminate the need for Germany to build infintry and I do not feel (I recognize it is just a feeling and an opinion) that they will not eliminate the need for tanks.  Time will tell I guess as we try this rule out.

In an attempt to make the mec. a more appealing purchase, we have included a few house rules to enhance the mec.  It can tow one artillerty unit or cary one redular infintry unit.  We have also included transport trucks that can carry infintry.  This gives a fairly quick moving force.  The trucks and infintry are bullet catchers while the mec and artillery are able to hit a target in support of tanks.  This has helped the axis players alot but has also helped the UK as well.  The US, if making and African or Norwegian landing can benefit from this rule as well.  We’re still play testing this but we have found it an interesting twist to our purchases and stratagies.  Since I play the allies more than the axis, I end up with more tac bombers but I can see the benefits of the new mec abilities.

I like the tac’s for naval purposes.  It is that little extra punch from a fully loaded carrier that can really make a difference.  The defense of coaurse, is reversed but a three and a four on attack and the same on defense seems a good ballanced flight deck.  For land battles, the tac is again a good choice because the punch is the same as a strat bomber but it’s defense is the same as a tank.  I have begun to use mech’s more as I have begun to play the axis more so I can appreciate both units.  I still favor the tac though.

Welcome CraneDeNicollo.  My friend got me started on Global 1940.  I have also started playing Global 1939 which is a very complicated game but plays like Global 1940 with slight rules variations.  Recently, my ten year old grand daughter took a real interest in the game and my friend suggested the 1942 second edition version.  It was simpler but still a real challenge.  I have one a game against my teacher in the Global 1940 so I felt some what confident as I entered the game but soon found myself scrambling to just survive as my grand daughter lead Germany in a global tear.  She says she wants to be President some day…God help her enemies if she makes it.  Now she plays the ANZACS and China in the Global 1940 game pretty much on her own.  Both games are great but her trouncing of her grandpa in the 1942 games have inspired her to learn more.  If you are wanting to gain experience and learn stratagies, I recommend 1942 to start with.

I like the idea of making the French a more playable faction and the various concepts of a house rule to make that happen but I have a question concerning making the North African French territories vichy.  Would that not hand the Italians one of their NO’s.  All the Italian player needs to do is capture Alexandria and they have it.  An axis faction holds the three formerly French territories.  If I remember correctly, that’s all it takes.  Now 5 IPC’s is not alot but it makes it alot easier if the vichy are automaticly made axis.  Even if pro-axis neutral status is given, a mech or tank from Tobruk makes them Italian in 2 turns (1 turn if transports are used).  Don’t get me wrong, I like the ideas but I thought that this may also throw the balance off a bit more.

I know it sounds cheesy but if you have extra pieces and little money (especially with experimental games) you may consider a can of Krylon Fusion spray paint in the color of your choice.  HBG has a great selecetion of almost anything you could want but if you don’t have the funds and have a place to safetly spray paint, it could get you started.  Our group did this for our Global 1939 game and for some nuetrals that have been added to our Global 1940 set.  Just a suggestion.  There was some one asking about all of the extra French sculpts…use a few to make your new faction.

I have been looking through this thread and have been very encouraged to make a table for the 4x8 map that I painted on piece of masonite.  The tables featured here have demonstrated the simple and easy to the fine furniture quality that I would like to make.  Are the any recent examples that have not yet been shown.  I would love to see it.  I won’t have the place to build an entire room around it with all of the decorations and the B29 flying over it (which I loved by the way) but I want to build a table that I can put a cover on and use it for a table should the need arise or atleast to protect it from grandkids and others who just can’t resist playing with the I G Joes.

I have played a few games of the Global 1939 game and have really enjoyed having the additional minor palyers and game pieces that come with that game.  Of course, CWO Marc is correct in his evaluation of the extra weight of the additional nations and game pieces.  It is played with a 12 sided die rather than a 6 sided and different units have varying attack and defense values as well as costs.  This complicates the game considerably.  For the casual player, it may be too much.  For the die hard, avid gamer,  it is right up there with what Trenacker was discussing.  As for special units,  the Japanese had the IJN infintry (their version of US marines).  The Soviets had the Elite Guard and the Italians had the Bersegulari (I know I butchered it) guard.  All cost 4 ipc’s, attack at a +1 on the first round of combat.  Their defense and movement are like other infintry.  Just a suggestion.

I’m still not sure that this aspect of the tech discussion belongs here since it is more about a house rule but I mentioned how we have developed a progressive valued chart  for the techs but I didn’t give the limitations of attaining the tech.  A tech die is three (3) IPC’s every tern a player wants to roll for a tech.  A neutral nation can roll one die only per rounf thatthey are neutral.  That is three IPC’s per round.  If a tech has a R&D value of 25, it may take a nation at least 5 rounds to develop that tech.  That is at least 15 IPC’s in order to develop a tech.  A nation that is war may invest in three dice (9IPC’s) per rounf in order to develop three different tech.'s at a time.  They can not be applied to a single tech but must be spread over the three techs to be develpoed.  It can get expensive but the thought process is this; a country will invest in R&D to develop a specific technology.  It will not just through money at a problem and randomly hope to get a good result….governments maybe but not gamers.  If and when we play with technology, I prefer this R&D chart.  The Anniversary/Global chart and dice costs can definately thow the balance of the game off.  Last game I played of global 1940, theAmerican player shelled out alot of IPC’s on tech.  It put his production behind and the other allied player had to really hold on for the US to catch up but the US player was able to develop long range heavy bombers and cheaper ships.  It was devostating to the the axis player (me) because he then went dark skies on the axis and it became a war of attrition that I could not repulse effectively.  I have to take this moment to say I love Narvik.  Direct and to the point.  Tech is fun sometimes but there is alot to just playing the game.

Our group does use the reseach and development chart but we have altered it a bit for ease of development of a specific development rather than random chance.  We are futher looking into implementing the system used in the 1939 Global version.  In that version, each nation develops a technology at a set die count.  Each die role is added to the previous die roll until you reach your nation’s development threshold.  ie…UK develops radar at a die count of 4.  Germany evelops radar at say 8 sisnce they were a bit behind the Brits in this technology.  Germany develops rockets at a die count of 10 and the Uk develops rockets at 14.  These are just examples but this way each die roll count toward the technology your nation wants, not what randomly comes up on the roll of the dice.  This might better be discussed under the HOUSE RULE section but we like the technology aspect of the game but not how it is originally laid out in the game rules.

Thanks for sharing these ideas.  I inhale vigorously as the German player.  I keep running into stacks of infintry and getting widdled down to nothing.  I think I know where the mistakes are being made now.  Once again, thanks.

I would highly recommend it.  It is everything that dummerinheat said and more.  It is alot of fun and I believe that the 7.2 version has most of the game-play bugs worked out.  Alot of the house rules that I have read about for Global 40 actually show up as game rules in the ‘39’ version.  I would recommend the bigger map and have it printed on vinyl.

Let me begin by saying, I am not an overly experienced player and the last couple of games I have played as Germany have made me question my skills but I have done OK with the US. If you are going to go with a KJF approach, don’t forget to put something in the Atlantic.  On round two begin to put a transport, destroyer, and troops (infantry and artillery) in the east in order to land in Africa or Norway.  To respond to a round 1 DOW, I would suggest destroyers, subs, at least one transport and infintry and artitllery.  I would get a fighter too. 
10ipc = fighter; 7ipc = transport; 17pc = 3inf.+2art.; 16ipc = 2 destroyers and pocket the remaining 2 ipc’s.  This will all be plopped down in San Fransisco.  Your factory has been upgraded so it can handle the production.  The objective with the IJN in the DEI’s is to take the Carolines and reinfrce with the ANZACs.  This will put your fleet in harms way so send only what you need to take the Carolines.  This gives you an air base and naval base that can reach the DEI, Australia, Philipeans, and Japan.  You may need to wait until round three but you are positioning yourself for a substantial island campaign.  Keep with a fully loaded transport purchase every round in the Atlantic and Pacific.  Your navy will destroy the IJN just as it will destroy your navy but to take the Japanese, you will need boots on the ground.  Round two move your round one purchases to Hawaii. Buy more destryers and fighters/tacs.  You have air bases in on three pacific islands.  Use them.  They can be a deterent and helps give the extra reach you may need to get into a naval battle.  I would suggest taking Iwo Jima when you can.  An American air base there gives your B17’s the reach needed to pound the home land.  Starve the Japanese into submission or at least irrelevence.  You will need to evaluate what you are going to need each round.  The ebb and flow of the game is determined by who leads the dance.  Japan starts to lead and you need to react but eventually you must be agile enough to force winable confrontations and reduce the risk of the IPN.  You can’t forget the Atlantic though by still building ther, the Italian and German players must with hold troops advancing toward the east if the threat of an invasion is very real from the west.

Just to add to the question and answers, I believe that until you are at war, you can only buy one die per turn.  Once you are at war, you can buy up to three dies to develop up to three technologies.  It can take a while to get to heavy bombers.  Shoot…it can take a while to get into the war if your are the US and can’t get a good dice role.  It took 7 rounds once for me to get into the war as the US.  Bad die roles and the axis players were careful not to hit territories that would give the US points it needs to enter to war.  I like the technologies and I like that every die is getting you closer to the goal but oooohhhh how frustrating it can get when you roll one’s and two’s trying to get to forty.

I had to jump away in the middle of my last post.  Imagine having to take of customers while at work.  THERE ARE WARS TO BE WON!  I’m sorry…I digress.  Africa is not Germany’s focus but if the war is going well in Russia and western Europe is being secured, Italy could use the help and getting German fighters in an axis-heald Gibralter can help make it a little tougher for the allies to find weak points to make a secure landing.

There are alot of great ideas here.  I loke to have the German player take Southern France just so that they can build transports in the Med.  Having a couple of ground units in and Italian Cairo is a great plus.  The So. Franch Transport can get them there easily enough once the Italians have cleared the Med of the allies.  Have Italy build an air base on Gibralter and land German planes there.  Helps defend the Med and gets German ground units to North Africa to help defend.

Buliding the second IC once the ANZAC’s have some money can be very handy but you first have to get the money.  You need to coordinate with the UK-PAC to determine which DEI islands will go to who.  Try to get Celebs and Java  as well as Dutch New Guinie(sp?).  DNG is a key to a N/O for the ANZACs.  The other two islands bump your ICP’s to 17 with out your N/O’s being added in.  Once you have a nice flleet and transports, if the US fleet is in the Pacific and doing something to harrass the Japanese, the ANZACs can try for the Caroline Islands.  The naval base and air base are important staging areas for both sides.  If the US can do the heavy lifting as far as taking on the IJN, then the ANZACs can mop up the islands.  Bombers on Iwo Jima or Okinawa can be thorn in the flesh to the Japanese.

I actually like to play Italy.  Young Grasshopper’s instructional video is very good.  I like to do alot of what he was demonstrating.  I try to make a point to get to the South African IC if at all possible.  Cairo can fall to the Italians but it is tough without Germany helping to protect your fleet.  You will need lots of transports at first and capturing Gibralter is important as well.  It closes the Med on the west and Cairo or Trans-Jordan on the East side will protect one of your N/O’s.  Let Germany have France and Have Germany strafe Yugoslavia and then retreat to Romania.  The weakened Yugoslovia can then be taken on Italy’s round one.  The Albaniain Infantry activates Bulgaria?(I don’t have the map in front of me) and round two, Italy assaults Greece; another N/O.  Italy’s N/O is the key to getting the money to start working on Africa.  Be prepared to by Navy until the  French and UK navies are destroyed in the Med. Italy has a better chance at getting to the Middle East faster than Germany but you don’t want to focus on that at the expence of not fortifying Morroco and Gibralter against an American invasion.  This is where your big brother Germany can help with supplying fighters to defend the sea zone from the air base that Italy builds on Gibralter.  Italy really can become a pain in the keister to the allies which makes it so much fun.

With the addition of house rules for additional units such as transport planes and paratroopers, this move becomes very simple.  I understand not everyone plays the game this way but aequitas et veritas asked how it has played today and there are more units being intoduced to the game through house rules.

I have not played Japan very often but I am not one to hit the US right off.  I like to secure China and the DEI first.  Cripple or take India and pressure the ANZAC’s is next while harrassing the US with landings in Alaska and the Philipeans.  Alaska doesn’t really mean that much but most US palyers will not want Japanese forces in North America.  Once Japan’s IPC level is up and I can build more capitol ships and planes, that is when I move to really hit the US fleet.  An Aggressive US player will make this stratagy much harder to pull off though.  the game I am currently playing, the Japan player did hit the Hawaiian fleet on round one and took it on round two.  The US player has been so focused on the Japan player that the Italians have taken Brazil and the Germans have landed in the West Indies and convoy raided the east coast of the US.  Britain has had no help and is barely hanging on.  The round 1 DOW can work if you have the right kind of player in position.  To give the US player credit, he has begun to make some better playes and is pushing back but he is having to regain alot of lost ground which really help the axis players be more aggressive.