Posts made by GeneralHandGrenade

Cool idea.

What are the determining factors to decide which level it is? Specific details.

Anytime I lose I claim it was a dubious victory for my opponent, hehe.

A couple of members here came up with what they called Halifax Rules in which Canada joins Australia to form the Commonwealth. Check it out;

http://www.axisandallies.org/forums/index.php?topic=34111.0

So far Der Kuenstler’s idea makes the most sense to me. I’m still not totally sold on the idea that one unit can make 2 different attacks in the same turn though. It’s great for attacking but at some time you have to defend that move as well. There’s value in having a front line to protect a capital or expensive units in behind it. I’d be more inclined to accept the “Rollover” option but make it so that units could retreat instead of advancing in another attack. That way you could leave infantry in the newly acquired territory (or nothing in) and retreating your expensive units away from a counterstrike but only if you succeed on the first roll in wiping out the enemy.

My vote is for down.

OK this is my final word on this one, I’ll move onto to something else;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JoMX7mwLy0

Thanks CWO Marc for the wealth of information provided in that thread. I had read that thread a while ago and that was what originally started me thinking about developing my own elite forces unit. There were lots of great ideas there that influenced my choices, the rest of it came from my own imagination.

I wasn’t sure where to post this on the forum so I flipped a midget and this is where it landed. I made this video to let people here know about upcoming videos that I plan to produce. I also talk a bit about who I am, my relationship to the game of Axis and Allies, and how I came to this community so that you would know who is behind the camera. Check it out if you’re interested;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3ZkpkKQteo&t=35s

I hear you on the combat values Baron. I was a little nervous when I was making the video because it was my first attempt so I didn’t explain it as well as I would have liked to.

My idea was that this unit was not going to be like just another unit with a slightly different set of values. There is really no way to use it accurately the way I have in my mind. These are the type of soldiers that slip into a combat zone before the rest of the troops enter under the cover of darkness to sabotage the defender’s ability to mount an effective defence or counterstrike. They would be setting explosives under bridges, disrupting communications, compromising whatever type of infrastructure in the territory that is about to come under attack, and then setting it all into motion at the specific time that the invasion is about to begin. That is why they would be travelling alone in secret, so that nobody would suspect what they are doing until it is too late. On an amphibious invasion they would be slipping off their ship unknown to others and making their way to shore to prepare in the same way for the impending invasion. During combat they would already be in position ready to bring the fight to the enemy. There is no way in this game to simulate all of these tasks except to adjust their values to indicate their effectiveness as a unit. The reason they are able to add the +1 to the infantry units is because those units would be attacking a compromised opposition.

I had thought about using bombers to transport them but I decided that I wanted to keep their bombers free to do their job attacking as they always have instead of becoming a transport unit. I also like the idea of having the airfields on the board, they also help move your aircraft further and require more strategy in placement than simply flying a bomber from anywhere to somewhere else.I’ve built into the cost of the SFU their transportation enabling them to move as far as they do. I debated whether to make it 3 spaces or 4 spaces for paratrooper ability. After staring at the map and studying what they could do I decided on 4 spaces because of some of the places they could reach. A good example of that is the portion of the video I spent talking about the Anzac strategy. If you looked closely at the rest of the map you will be able to see other places where you could use the paratrooper ability that makes it such an interesting option and worthy of the unit’s cost. 3 spaces would’ve meant that I needed to go with the bomber transportation strategy to make the unit worthy of a place on my map.

Forgive me for doing a lousy job of explaining what this unit was all about. It took me a number of attempts at making this video to get it this far. I have a whole new world of respect for Young Grasshopper and the job that he does at making his videos as good as they are after spending a week making this one. It was an awful lot of fun though.  :-D

This is only the third test game barney. After only this amount of time though it was clear to us that this was a really fun unit to use. We’ve already nicknamed them “The Big Swingin’ Dick Dudes” after that quote from the movie “Platoon”. I’m sorry but I don’t know what ftf means.

Special Forces Unit

I’ve been trying to develop a new Special Forces Unit for Global 40 for quite a while now but it’s taken some tinkering to get it right. I researched the various elite units in WW2 and it seems that they were mostly specialized units for various purposes rather than the type of special forces you see in today’s world that have multiple purposes. I’m not in favor of having different types of units for the various countries because I wanted to stick with the theme of Axis & Allies where all of the countries have the same units with the same attack/defence/movement values rather than each having units with different values. I know that purists would suggest that everything needs to be historically correct but this is a game and consider that not all tanks were built the same although in A&A they all have the same values. This would hold true for all of the units on the A&A board, if we were being completely correct then every unit on the board would have different values.

The Special Forces Unit (SFU) that I have in mind has a multitude of characteristics, is more powerful of your average unit, and is affordable so that even nations like Italy and Anzac can afford them with their limited incomes. The only nation that won’t have access to an SFU is China.

SFU Profile

These are the kinds of units that people make movies about many years after their exploits. They are under the direction of the highest levels of their nation’s command, carrying out secret missions. They are well equipped, resourceful, autonomous, and have multiple skill sets. This is represented in the various ways that they move and the strength of their attack and defence values. There is also a limit of how many SFU’s you can develop during a game. SFU’s must enter the game on an industrial complex located on one of their nation’s originally controlled territories. There is a limit of 5 allowed per nation throughout the duration of the game. There is only one SFU per nation allowed per territory at any given point during the game, although they may pass through the same territory as each other as long as they’re not in the same territory at the end of their movement… The exception to this rule is that there can be more than one unit in the same sea zone, but they must be on separate ships. The purpose of this rule is so that SFU’s can’t gang up and drop into a capital territory as paratroopers to take over a capital and take their money. In my mind it wouldn’t be very realistic if you could conquer a nation with a few SFU’s. It also speaks to their independence, autonomy, and the secret nature of their movements if they all have to act alone. Their secrecy is also represented by the fact that if they are being transported on a ship they must be alone. They can be transported either by transport ship or by a cruiser on the water. Yes, that means that a cruiser is finally worth the money they cost. If an SFU is used as part of an amphibious assault being transported by a cruiser, then the cruiser will not be able to make a landing shot.

Cost
� The cost of the SFU is 6 IPC’s. Although it is one of the most powerful units on the board, consider that it is really only a highly trained, well equipped infantry unit. That would cost much less than a fighter squadron or a tank brigade by comparison.

Movement
� As a land unit they may move 2 spaces. It’s not that they can run twice as fast as an infantry unit, it’s that they are well equipped and resourceful and have access to ground transport when they need it. You don’t need a separate unit to transport the SFU, it is built into the cost of the unit.
� As a paratrooper they can fly up to 4 spaces from a friendly airbase or airfield. They can only act as a paratrooper during the combat movement phase and not as a non-combat movement. The only exception is that they can land in a friendly neutral territory to annex that territory and take control of their forces and IPC’s. As with land transport you don’t need an air unit to transport them as it is built into the cost. If they are attacking a territory with Anti-Aircraft Artillery they will be subject to regular fire from the AAA (@1). They are not subject to Anti-Aircraft Guns from Industrial Complexes or Facilities in a territory that they are invading. As with the normal rules of aircraft movement, you cannot fly over neutral territories unless they have been conquered or annexed by either the axis or the allies.
� As mentioned in their profile, they can move amphibiously on a cruiser or a transport ship but they must travel alone on that ship to maintain the secrecy of their mission. While on a cruiser, the cruiser may conduct it’s regular attacks or defend itself as though it had no passengers on board. It may even conduct shore bombardment as long as it isn’t loading or unloading the SFU that turn.

Attack
� The SFU has an attack value of 3. When paired one to one with an infantry or mechanized infantry unit, it increases that unit’s value +1 (@2 or less).

Defence
� The SFU has a defence value of 3. It does NOT add value to other units as a defender.

Initial Setup
� I like the idea of placing one SFU on each nation’s capital (except China) to begin the game. What would be the point of inventing a wicked-ass unit if you don’t get one at the start of the game? The SFU on Germany is within reach of France so those 2 SFU’s will negate each other and won’t change the dynamic of the German’s strategy of conquering the French and acquiring their income on the first turn.  The British will get one on the U.K. and one on India. In total that is 6 for the Allies and 3 for the Axis. This will not only help to balance the game, but also give the poorer nations a chance to own one without sacrificing their limited incomes on the crucial first turn of the game. If you don’t have alternate infantry units that are distinguishable from Regular Infantry Units, you could use a certain color of chip placed under a Regular Infantry Unit to denote a Special Forces Unit.

Airfields

I found through play-testing the Special Forces Unit that there was a need for more Airbases because there are large areas of the map that don’t contain any. At 15 IPC’s per Airbase, it didn’t make economic sense to build them in places like Africa, Asia, and the Pacific Islands just so that you would be able to use the SFU as a paratrooper.

I remembered that I had Airfield markers as part of an expansion set, Amerika Strategic Markers, that I had purchased for my Amerika game and so I put them to use. If you don’t have these markers and you don’t plan on purchasing any, you could flip one of your airbase markers upside down and use that as an Airfield marker. It should be noted that an Airfield is smaller than an Airbase. The rules that I have made up for Global 40 to incorporate Airfields and better utilize the SFU’s are as follows;

� The cost of an Airfield  is 5 IPC.
� The Airfield increases the movement ability of a Fighter or a Tactical Bomber +1. The Airfield does NOT increase the range of a Strategic Bomber.
� The rules for utilizing the Special Forces Unit are the same as an Airbase. An SFU can fly up to 4 spaces from an Airfield.
� The rules regarding Scrambling are the same as an Airbase, except that only ONE Fighter can be scrambled instead of 3.
� An Airfield can sustain a maximum of 5 Damage Points from a strategic bombing raid by either a Strategic Bomber or Tactical Bomber. The Airfield is fully operational with 2 Damage Points or less.
� An Airfield can be placed anywhere on a nation’s originally controlled territories or on a friendly territory containing at least one ground unit from that nation.
� Like Airbases or Naval Bases, an Airfield may also be used by a nation’s allies.

I made a video demonstrating the use of the SFU and showing how it is working in a game situation. If you’re like me then you absorb information better by having someone show you how to do something rather than simply reading about it. The video is about a half hour long.
Here is a link;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkbTDATv1bI

I agree with everything you said, Bill. I like your idea better than mine as well. I started this thread in hopes of soliciting other ideas to deal with the question of whether or not these 2 should be at war with each other and if so then how to accomplish that without changing the properties of the map as is being proposed on YG’s new map project thread. I can see great value in developing a new map but if it does indeed change the IPC’s or territorial boundaries I don’t see how you could call it Global 40 anymore. There should be room for both maps/games but that still leaves the question of Japan vs Russia for G-40.

If there was a penalty to be paid by Japan for attacking Russia, I think that the penalty should be negated if Japan has conquered India. What else is Japan supposed to do in Asia if it has taken everything else-sit there and let it rain money all over them while the war rages on in Europe? I don’t see Russia wanting to invade Japan if Germany is still in the war, but if they do then they pay the penalty.Then you could negate the penalty for them if Germany has been conquered by the allies.

Truth be told though, I still think it would be hilarious if my friends had to jello wrestle in the backyard. Where’s my camera?

Another idea for that last card might be a “Bad Weather Event”. Like your original post all nations would roll the dice and the winner would get the card. At the beginning of the turn the winning player assigns that card to one territory. For the duration of the turn no units can move into or out of that territory. You shouldn’t be able to place that card in the same territory 2 turns in a row.

I think you would want to exclude capital territories though because that would prevent players from placing their units there, not to mention saving them from capture as well. Maybe others would feel differently about that.

The Combat Commander idea is really good though. Perhaps if you had yet another card this would be an idea for how to use it.

That sounds like a much better option. Who among us wouldn’t want to have the option of re-rolling one bad dice?

I still like the idea of having a dice roll at the beginning of the turn and giving the winner some type of advantage for that one round. Maybe using some sort of token that the player puts in front of themselves during that round to remind everyone who owns that round. It’s just a matter of figuring out what that advantage would be.

Is that in any type of combat or in a regular battle?
I could see killing a lot of bombers in a game with that card on a strategic bombing raid.

I do like that idea, it reminds me of the ninja in Shogun. I would only want to use it in ground combat though. Killing ships or planes seems like too powerful a weapon.

Ignore this post it no longer makes sense

Great job on the video, ChromiumAgeCollector! I like how you included your ammo box and all of the other player aides that you have accumulated over the years. I have been picking up some camera equipment this week and was going to make a video as well. Maybe I should display my equipment too.

The game itself looks interesting. I had downloaded and printed setup cards for 1942 but I haven’t tried it out yet.

Over on Young Grasshopper’s Custom Map Project thread there is a long discussion on how to discourage Japan from attacking Russia. Many suggestions have been put forward and some of them very good. I like the idea of changing the value of territories for this new map, but for people who have no room in the budget or simply have no intention of using a new map I will put forth this simple solution here instead of distracting the discussion of the new map.

My idea is to issue a stiff penalty for attacking Russia. The Mongolian Rule is not harsh enough to dissuade some players and it doesn’t address the notion of attacking Russia from China by the Japanese. Even though this is a game and is intended to possibly rewrite history the idea of Japan being physically able to march through Siberia or China all the way to Moscow is almost impossible.

I propose the “Gross Violation of History Rule”.
If Japan violates it’s non-aggression pact with Russia, then at the end of the Japanese turn the Russian player will immediately place 30 IPC’s worth of units on it’s remaining industrial complexes. If by this point in the game they have no complexes left then they can place their units anywhere within their border that doesn’t contain an enemy unit, even if it is controlled by the enemy. You could justify this sudden increase by rationalizing that Russia would be that much more motivated after coming under attack on their eastern border (Not unlike the Americans upgrading their industrial complexes for free and getting extra income when entering the war).

The Mongolian Rule will still be in effect.

It would be crazy for Japan to declare war on Russia. They would probably have to go outside with the German player, fill up the kid’s turtle pool with red jello, put on bikinis, and settle this issue like exotic dancers before proceeding with their plan.

Russia cannot declare war on Japan unless they are invaded by the Japanese. It’s that simple!

For what it’s worth, I’d be thrilled if my gf painted my A&A pieces. I’m sure he’ll love it.  :-D

There are literally hundreds of pieces to these games. I would suggest you paint a small portion of them and then give them to him. If he likes them you could then get his pieces and paint them afterwards. Also on that site is a section where they sell decals which you could stick on the pieces after you paint them. There are other threads in this section where members of this forum have painted their pieces, maybe you could message one of them and ask for advice.

Here is a sample of what you could purchase;
http://www.historicalboardgaming.com/Sealed-Bag-United-Kingdom-Europe-1940-2nd-Ed_p_1671.html

Is there any way you could “borrow” his pieces and return them to him painted?

Other than that I would suggest you go to historicalboardgaming.com for new pieces.

I have never ordered anything from there because of the negative comments I’ve read online about their service or lack thereof. It’s too bad for them too because I’ve probably spent about $1000 at HBG over the last 3 months when you add in the shipping costs.

It can’t be done. It is 4 spaces to sea zone 98 from Western Germany where there is an air base. You would need 2 more spaces to reach a safe landing zone in Tobruk. That’s one more space than your tactical bombers can fly and as such it is an illegal move since Kamikaze attacks are not allowed in the game. You can’t fly somewhere without being able to have a safe landing zone from where you take off. If you were to develop long range aircraft before your turn began you would be able to attempt it but I think you would be spreading your planes too thin and you might not end up taking enough boats off from the U.K. and the Med to make it worthwhile.