Best posts made by hengst

@krieghund My take: more balanced, less fun. After a few games of 1942 I took the pieces & dumped them in my Global set. The more the merrier.

Playing a solo game. UK lost Taranto with very bad rolls–the BB survived. G1 bought CV & TRs threatening Sea Lion. JP gunning hard for Calcutta. The Axis didn’t bring in either US or RU until round 4. Ended up winning Sea Lion in G4, dominating Africa/Middle East & winning the Atlantic while holding Russia off. US retook London but will fall again to German counterattack since they can’t fight through the combined German Channel fleet & escaped Italian Mediterranean fleet.

What was the best route here? I’m a weak Allied player & this solo game made it obvious.

Howdy folks. I’ve got a series of simple house rules that add a little bit of historicity & complexity to the game’s political situation without requiring new pieces, trackers, loads of exceptions & things to remember, etc. They’re intended to each be a module drop-in addition to a set of rules. I’ve playtested these roughly 3-5 times each & am looking for additional feedback. I make no claims to uniqueness or creativity–these were constructed with LOTS of taking from the community & as such, I’m offering them back to the community.

Here’s the first one: Backup British Capitals (Note: this is intended for use with a joint UK Pacific/ANZAC Economy, here called the Pacific Commonwealth)

• If London falls, the British capital moves to Ottawa. Only the 7 Canadian IPCs may still be collected.
• If Calcutta falls, the Commonwealth capital moves to Sydney. Only the 10 (or 7) Australian & New Zealand IPCs may still be collected.
• If a backup capital falls, it will be looted if it is the first time that territory has been captured but no other capital capture bonuses will be awarded.
• No National Bonuses may be collected by a nation operating out of a backup capital.
• Move the MinIC from Quebec to Ontario & consider SZ 106 & Ontario connected for all purposes.

What does this do for balance?

Most obviously, it’s a straight benefit to the Allies, making a Sea Lion recovery quicker & making it so a straight Calcutta Crush (if you can pull a traditional one off w/ the joint economy) doesn’t mean the onus is entirely upon the Americans to save the Pacific from falling.

Note that it does make Convoying SZ 106 more lucrative, as you can pull a max of 5 IPCs out of the British economy. In practice, I haven’t seen this have a huge effect, since if you’re playing with Grasshopper’s 3G40 Lend-Lease British NO, you’ll probably kill that sub next turn, after the lend-lease DD & Fg get placed. I’m quite fond of anything that makes the Battle for the Atlantic more likely to drag out, so that’s actually something of a plus in my book.

That said, I tend to find the joint Commonwealth economy can make it a little oppressive in the Pacific for Japan to the point that the US can completely ignore the Pacific for the first 3-4 turns without major repercussions. I like to make this harder to to by making the Indian factory stay a minor, and removing 3 IPCs from the Commonwealth economy by calling NSW, Queensland, and New Zealand each worth only 1 IPC (hence the …or 7 IPCs bit above)… but that’s another house rule.

All in all, I consider this NO worth roughly 3-5 IPCs of an Allied bid, but you won’t really feel the impact unless the Allies are likely to lose anyways. Makes games longer, so don’t use it if you’re not into that. More likely than not, the only major effect is that Germany’s less likely to roll the dice on a 50/50 Sea Lion; doesn’t seem to affect Japan that much since a sketchy India takeover’s unlikely to last anyways.

@andrewekmark Hey there! Sorry it took me so long to reply. Yes, absolutely. I’ve got a group of up to 4 people I know are also very interested. DM me & I’ll shoot you my number; let’s get a group together & set up a time.

@colt45554 Think it was 1 Fg rest Inf

Howdy folks. I’ve got a series of simple house rules that add a little bit of historicity & complexity to the game’s political situation without requiring new pieces, trackers, loads of exceptions & things to remember, etc. They’re intended to each be a module drop-in addition to a set of rules. I’ve playtested these roughly 3-5 times each & am looking for additional feedback. I make no claims to uniqueness or creativity–these were constructed with LOTS of taking from the community & as such, I’m offering them back to the community.

This one’s a dime a dozen–it’s just yet another Free/Vichy rule. Anyways, here’s Free France:

Rules have been superseded, please scroll down!

EDIT 27 OCT 22: simplified income rules

* While Paris has fallen, the French player may still collect income and place units.
* The French player may only purchase Inf, Arty, and MInf; these units may be placed on any originally-French territory with no enemy land units on it (French Rebellion Rules).
* Exception: the French player may also place units in London.
* Revert to normal placement & procurement rules if Paris is liberated.

EDIT 27 OCT 22: vichy is no longer pro-axis, just statically defending: more balanced but sadly no Nazi Richelieu in games any more

…and Simple Vichy France:
* The Vichy Treaty occurs if, at the beginning of the French turn, the Axis control any two of:
* France
* Normandy
* S. France
* The Vichy treaty may only occur once.
* If an Allied unit is present in a territory or seazone with a French unit, it becomes a Free French unit and continues to be controlled by the French player.
* All other French units become Vichy and are no longer under the control of the French player. Mark these units as Vichy by placing an inverted roundel underneath them. Vichy units are hostile to all Allies, including the Free French.
* Note: The Free French do not collect income from French territories with Vichy units on them, nor may they place units on these territories.
* If an Axis unit non-combat-moves into a territory containing a Vichy unit, it becomes an Axis territory. The Vichy unit remains as a static defender against Allied attacks.
* Note: This still counts as an invasion for all other purposes (e.g. Japanese NBs, war with the Western Allies).
* If Paris is liberated by the Allies, all remaining Vichy units immediately become Free French.
* If they are in a territory or sea zone with no Axis units, they return to the control of the French player.
* Otherwise, immediately remove them from the board.

It should be apparent that this rule is written for playability, not straight historicity. As far as we’re concerned, Vichy France is indistinguishable from whichever Axis power noncoms into their territories.

What does this do for balance? Makes it way harder for the Allies. The UK has to scramble to position themselves to get any Free French support before that F1 turn turns everybody permanently pro-Axis. Note again that these are units they’d usually get for free. Is this fun? Yes. Is it balanced? Hell no. It really limits their ability to counterattack on UK1 & especially makes it hard to figure out how to punish Italy on that first turn. Here’s what I’ve found helps to balance it out:
* +1 BB +1 TR in SZ 105
* +1 SS in SZ 88
* +1 Inf in French Guiana
* +1 Inf in French Indochina
* +1 UKE Inf in Nigeria

That battleship and transport in 105 make it that much more interesting & helpful if the UK can snag them on the first turn (and it’s an excuse to finally bust your HBG Richelieu sculpts out!). The French Guiana Inf & sub are typically ignored until Paris is liberated, as it’s far more useful to send the Gibraltar CA to go snag the S France fleet (or kill the Libya transport) instead. However, it’s a nice bonus if Italy breaks into the Atlantic, and combined with more sophisticated South American Neutrals rules can start some fun on that continent.

North Africa’s a lot harder to take & overall Italy feels much less pressure. However, with proper moves to ensure Syria is Free French, the mech per turn in Egypt makes Cairo a lot harder to take, and means you’re more likely to see an invasion of the Levant before Italy turns its focus to Egypt.

The FIC Inf is just for fun, best combined with making Siam pro-Axis.

EDIT 27 OCT 22: swing is less now, need more playtesting

Overall, I think it’s a big (15-20) swing in favor of the Axis. After it’s balanced out with the recommended changes, it can go either way. Definitely makes Africa more interesting. My group’s enjoyed it a lot; it makes the UK1 a much more complex turn & has produced some delightfully accurate early-war scrambles to alternately seize/destroy French fleets. I like it!

Tucson here. Hit me up

@tamer-of-beasts No worries at all; I know I’m a weak Allied player: that’s why I’m posting here hoping to learn!

I played both sides, TripleA AI just isn’t cutting it for me any more.

In turn blocks (merge UK Pacific & ANZAC economies):

1. Italy & China
2. France & USSR
3. Germany & Pacific Commonwealth
4. Japan & UK Europe
5. United States

• Italy doesn’t declare war until Paris falls (France can’t declare war on Italy).
• Paris factory is a minor (can’t drop 6 infantry)
• French Pride dictates that French warships can’t move nor can French land units leave French soil (except by attacking) until Paris falls.
• Give a sub to the Gibraltar cruiser to account for the extra unit Italy’ll build.
• Give a +5 NO to France to account for the 3 tanks Germany’ll probably have to kill. (or don’t, call it a 19 IPC bid).
  • Colonial Pride: +5 IPCs if France holds all original territories.
• Optional: add a French Transport in the Channel.

What do you get? No can openers on the Eastern front. No can openers in the Pacific.

G1 has to account for French moves. (Stack Paris, stack subs in the Channel, evac to London, retreat to the countryside, attack Germany).
J1 has to account for Comm moves. (See: 3G40)
I1 gets a chance to determine the fate of its fleet.

After playtesting: huge Axis advantage. Recommend upgrading the Gibraltar cruiser to a battleship.

That’s a hell of a bid

@tamer-of-beasts UK was castrated the entire game–they lost their full airforce on G1 scrambles & then Italy played a very agressivel African/Middle Eastern game after being handed the Mediterranean by a bad Taranto. Ger was convoying them the whole time & was StrB’ing them until they lost both StrBs. They were only buying defensive UK units, but it wasn’t enough with consistently mediocre to poor rolls in critical battles.

@grinchveld I have not—I’ve admittedly got a soft spot for the tactile. Also I think we’re going to have to be synchronous anyways, because of the OOL changes. I can already foresee situations where you want to start dipping into your tank reservoirs early to avoid having to take planes later.

@gamerman01 Why not just use Grasshopper’s 3G40 turn order?

Germany
Anzac
Japan
United Kingdom
Italy
China
USSR
USA
France

Very little cheese, just removes the ability of Italy to can open in the Eastern Front & the same for Germany wrt Italy in Gibraltar

Hi all,

Big fan of 3G40 & the improvements it introduces to a beloved game. Wondering if there exists a set of rule/setup changes required/recommended to play it in only the European theater, akin to the OOB E40 game.

@Young-Grasshopper, if you haven’t already written those up, any off-the-cuff thoughts on what would be required to maintain game balance on half the board?

@superbattleshipyamato Would you be interesting in helping me play test it? The amount by which it slows Germany seems to be partially counteracted by the amount by which it assists Italy. With Vichy rules & perhaps some bonus income for taking capitals (see the Standard Simplifications) it seems to be well-balanced in the Axis favor.

As always, more tested is required. Currently playing with replacing the US “I own WUS/CUS/EUS” bonus with +1 Strat & +2 Armor instead of the 10 bucks, as a moderate buff that adds more historical flavor to the game.

@hengst

Almost forgot the most important one. An option for unitAttachments to allow units of certain unitTypes to move from one unit to the other, in a given number, with given conditions.

Imagine a railroadStation unitType that lets railCar units move from one to the other, but only 2 per turn, provided no enemy sabetourInfantry units are adjacent to either railroadStation.

@all-encompassing-goose You might want to consider Twilight Struggle-esque rules for influencing neutrals. Rather than each nation having to go to 0/40 (could it be 20/-20 instead?), each nation has a certain threshold for “successfully influenced” based on the stability of that nation–weaker gvmts are easier to influence.

Would also be interesting to have an asymmetry in how the powers influence nations. Perhaps the Warsaw Pact rolls at -1 but each successful influence by them adds a bonus influence to the track of each nation adjacent to it? Perhaps NATO gets an automatic +3 to each nation they try to influence, but the Warsaw Pact gets to choose one or two nearby nations to add an additional influence to.

I think given that it’s the Cold War, perhaps you could change the A&A system somewhat to reflect the less-than-total-war nature of the conflict. Perhaps you get 8 actions per turn, and must distribute them among any combination of combat, non-combat, and diplomacy rolls.

Do you play on playtesting the rules soon? Excited to see how it goes!

@corporalclegg G40. Destroyer, without a doubt. Blocking is by far the most powerful role a single unit can be used in.

After that, battleships in the Atlantic, and carriers, in the Pacific. Subs are fun, but too easily countered by destroyers.

I feel like there’s another kind of naval warship, but I can’t remember ever buying it… hmm, must’ve been a dream.

I love these rules. It makes the game insanely dynamic & cutting edge from the first turn to the last. Requires a more difficult starting setup for Japan (I’ll publish that eventually) & a joined UKP & ANZAC economy (aka the Pacific Commonwealth, or Cmm).

Even so, give the US an extra 10 IPCs/round to keep up. Turns the game into a firefighting session for the Allies until the US comes in swinging.

Definitely write the tokens down on blank cards!!

APPENDIX 3: VICTORY TOKENS

There exist eight sovereignty tokens and forty victory tokens: fifteen in the Pacific theater, fifteen in the European theater, and ten wildcard “global” tokens.

A3.0.1 Sovereignty Tokens

• The Axis powers begin the game holding six of eight sovereignty tokens. The last two will be claimed after the fall of France.
• Note: Sovereignty tokens count for neither Axis bonus income nor Axis victory, but at least six must be held to win the game, and at least four to not lose.

A3.0.2 Token Bonus Income

• During each Axis Collect Income phase, gain 1 extra IPC per held victory token.
• If, during an Allied turn, the Axis lose a token (victory or sovereignty), that Allied nation immediately receives a 3 IPC bonus.

A3.0.3 Limited Objectives (War Aims)

• Only 12 victory tokens are in play at a time; the initial tokens are those indicated with a star on the card. These represent stated war aims in each theater.
• At the of the German and Japanese turns, the Axis may choose to substitute a token in play for another from the same deck (Global, Pacific, European), representing shifting goals during the course of the conflict.
  • Note: Germany may not swap Pacific tokens nor may Japan European.
• Optional (Blitz Mode): Before the start of the game, the Axis players choose which tokens will be in play (select 5 European, 5 Pacific, and 2 Global) & permit no substitution thereafter.
• Optional (Secret Blitz): The same as above, but do not reveal the tokens selected.

A3.0.4 Axis Victory Conditions

• To win as the Axis, you must hold six sovereignty tokens AND the same five theater-specific victory tokens for a full round.
• If these conditions are met, you must audibly inform all Allied players of such. If the conditions are still met (without the clock being reset) one round later, the Axis claim victory.
• Note: Global victory tokens count towards both theaters.

A3.0.5 Allied Victory Conditions

• The Allies win if the Axis hold fewer than four sovereignty tokens for a full round.
• If these conditions are met, you must audibly inform all Axis players of such. If the conditions are still met (without the clock being reset) one round later, the Allies claim victory.
• Optional: If a turn limit is being used, the Allies win by default at the end of the last round.

A3.1 SOVEREIGNTY TOKENS

1. The Edo Token: Hold Tokyo.
2. The Imperial Token: Hold Japan, Manchuria, & Korea.
3. The Roman Token: Hold Rome.
4. The Republican Token: Hold Northern Italy, Southern Italy, & Sicily.
5. The Berliner Token: Hold Berlin.
6. The Reich Token: Hold Western Germany, Germany, and Greater Southern Germany.
7. The Parisan Token: Hold Paris.
8. The Vichy Token: Hold Normandy/Bordeaux, France, and Southern France.

A3.2 GLOBAL VICTORY TOKENS

1. The Empire Token ★: Let there be no UKE or Cmm battleships on the map.
2. The British Token ★: Hold the United Kingdom, Eire, and Scotland.
3. The Bolshevik Token: Let there be no Soviet units on any originally-Soviet territories.
4. The Maple Token: Hold any Canadian territory.
5. The Panama Token: Hold Central America.
6. The South America Token: Control one originally unaligned neutral territory in South America.
7. The California Token: Have a battleship or aircraft carrier in SZ10.
8. The Washington Token: Have a battleship or aircraft carrier in SZ101.
9. The America Token: Take any one of the Western United States, the Central United States, or the Eastern United States.
10. The Economy Token: Axis powers’ combined income (on the income tracker) is greater than 120 IPCs.

A3.3 PACIFIC VICTORY TOKENS

1. The Colonial Token ★: Control Jehol, Shantung, Kiangsu, & Anhwe; and let there be no more than 5 Chinese units in any territories adjacent to them.
2. The China Token: Hold all originally-Chinese territories.
3. The Coastal Token ★: Control SZs 6W, 19, 20, 36, & 37 & all territories touching them.
4. The ABDACOM Token ★: Let there be no Allied CA, CVs, or BBs in SZs 37 & 41-45.
5. The India Token: Hold Burma, India, and West India.
6. The Island Token ★: Hold the Philippines, Guam, Wake Island, Midway, and all originally-Japanese islands.
7. The North Pacific Token: There are no Allied surface warships and no Allied islands within two seazones of SZ 6W.
8. The Honolulu Token: Own an ArmB in Hawaii.
9. The Melanesian Token: Have at least one land unit on each of New Britain, the Solomons, and New Hebrides.
10. The Sydney Token: Hold New S. Wales and let there be no Allied surface vessels in SZ 62.
11. The Australia Token: Let there be no Allied land units on an Australian territory (W. Australia, N. Territory, S. Australia, Queensland, NSW, and Victoria).
12. The North Front Token: Control Korea & Manchuria and let there be fewer than 6 Soviet land units adjacent to Japanese-held territories.
13. The Siberian Token: Let there be no Russian infantry on originally-Mongolian or Russian territories on the Pacific board.
14. The Dominance Token ★: Have at least twice as many capital ships (battleships and/or carriers) as the Allies on the Pacific board.
15. The Expansion Token: Let Japan control 8 original (may not have been built since the start of the game) operational naval bases.

A3.4 EUROPEAN VICTORY TOKENS

1. The Atlantic Wall Token ★: Let there be no Allied units in continental Europe (excluding Russia) & have at least four land units on four of five: Normandy, Belgium, W. Germany, Denmark, and Norway.
2. The Balkan Token ★: Have at least two infantry on each of Yugoslavia, Romania, Albania, Bulgaria, and Greece.
3. The Norway Token: Germany can claim its Iron NO and has a transport in SZ 125.
4. The Molotov Token ★: Let there be fewer than 2 Soviet units in any Soviet-controlled territory adjacent to German units.
5. The Russia Token: Capture or disable any three originally-Soviet industrial complexes.
6. The Kremlin Token: Control Moscow and three of the five territories adjacent to it.
7. The Ural Token: Control Novosibirsk and from there, be able to trace a cooperating land route back to Berlin.
8. The North Africa Token ★: Control Malta and let there be more Axis (not Vichy) ground units than Allied ground units in North Africa.
9. The Mediterranean Token: Close either the Suez Canal or the Strait of Gibraltar, AND either (a) control all Mediterranean islands (Malta, Cyprus, and Crete, Corsica/Sardinia, and Sicily) or (b) let there be no Allied vessels in the Mediterranean.
10. The Wolfpack Token ★: Have warships in each of SZ 117, 118, 107, and 108.
11. The Blockade Token: Have a surface warship in SZ 109.
12. The Kriegsmarine/Regia Marina Token: Have any 3 battleships or aircraft carriers not in either the Baltic Sea or the Mediterranean.
13. The Iberia Token: Hold Portugal, Spain, and Gibraltar.
14. The Scandinavia Token: Control the Baltic and every territory adjacent to it.
15. The Ottoman Token: Control the Black Sea and every territory adjacent to it.

@all-encompassing-goose Awesome! I always liked the idea of reducing actions per turn just because it does make turns go faster, so one player isn’t waiting forever for the other :)