Posts made by hengst

Unplaytested. Use at your own risk if you’re really really bored with the OOB game. Adds way more time to setup than is probably worth it.

1.1 Neutral Bribing
Three neutral nations are bribable: Sweden, Turkey, and Argentina (begins pro-Axis). At the start of its turn (before purchasing units), Germany may initiate a bribery bid. The US, UK, German, and Italian nations will secretly write down their bid for each of the three nations and then reveal them. If, for any one nation, one side outbids the other by 10 IPCs or more, they have won the bribe, and that nation will change allegiances.

• If the bribed nation is neutral, it will become pro-Axis or pro-Allies, as appropiate.
• If the bribed nation is pro-briber, it will become either UK, US (if Argentina is somehow bribed by the Allies this much), German, or revert to being neutral, depending on whether it is already aligned with the bribing nation or not.

All money bid must be paid to the bank.

1.2 Dynamic Neutrals
1.2.1 Europe
Europe, highly-divided and buffeted by growing German territorial aggression, is disjointed. Lines have already been drawn, and every nation looks out for their citizens only. Some hope to remain neutral; others have already decided where their affections lie.

• Sweden (neutral, bribable): 4 Inf 2 Arty 3 Arm 2 AAA; MinIC; 1 DD (SZ 113)
• Switzerland (neutral): 6 Inf
• Bulgaria (pro-Axis): 4 Inf
• Eire (pro-Axis): 1 Inf
• Yugoslavia (pro-Allies): 5 Inf
• Greece (pro-Allies): 4 Inf

1.2.2 Iberia
Spain and Portugal, mutually suspicious and each already with close ties to the belligerents on the continent, do not want to go to war. However, if called to do so by their allies, they and their colonies will join the fight for Europe. Be aware: Francoist support is likely to swell in conquered France if Spain is brought into the conflict by Allied aggression.

• Fascist Spain (pro-Axis):
  • Spain: 4 Inf 1 Arty 1 Arm 2 AAA 1 Fg; AirB, MinIC
  • Rio De Oro: 1 Inf.
  • Note: when determining how to convert units:
    • Germans get 2 Inf, 1 Arm, 1 AAA, & the Fg.
    • Italians get 2 Inf, 1 Arty, & 1 AAA & the Rio De Oro Inf.
• Portuguese Republic (pro-Allies):
  • Portugal: 3 Inf 1 Arty; NavB; 1 DD (SZ 104)
  • Angola, Mozambique: 1 Inf
  • Portuguese Guiana: n/a
• If either nation is occupied or attacked, both will become respectively Axis and UKE. This is called triggering Iberian loyalties.
• If the Axis triggers Iberian loyalties, nothing special happens.
• If the Allies trigger Iberian loyalties, distribute 4 German Inf and 2 Italian Inf in Greater France (Axis player’s decision how).

1.2.3 Middle East
The Middle East is relatively passive and poorly armed, with the notable exception of the newly-republican Turkish nation, heir to the Ottoman Empire and resolved to stay neutral. Iraq and the large Persian Kingdom are open to a Germany hungry for their underdeveloped oil reserves and fearful of the Soviet Union to their North. The UK has strong ties to the Saudis, and in the case of Axis hostility in the area, may find an ally there if the Allies haven’t already alienated the Saudis by violating their neighbors’ sovereignty.

• Turkey (neutral): 6 Inf 2 Arty 1 Arm 1 Fg 2 AAA; NavB, AirB, MinIC; 2 DD (SZs 98, 100).
• Saudi Arabia (neutral): 2 Inf.
• Afghanistan (neutral): 3 Inf
• Iraq (pro-Axis): 2 Inf.
• Kingdom of Persia (pro-Axis):
  • Persia: 2 Inf.
  • NE Persia: 1 Inf.
  • E Persia: n/a.
• Saudi Arabia will become pro-Allies if any adjacent territory is Axis and the Allies have never attacked any Middle East territory.
• Kingdom of Persia will become German if Allies attack any Middle East territory.

1.2.4 South & Central America
South and Central America is dominated by internal rivalries and the influence of the United States. Nevertheless, suspicion of the United States and affection for Fascism grows strong in the south of the continent. Argentina is overtly open to Axis influence, and Chile will become much the same if the US solidifies its ties to Brazil. Nevertheless, if the Axis obtains an actual foothold on the continent, adjacent nations are likely to seek Allied support against their neighbors.

• Venezuela (neutral): 2 Inf.
• Columbia (neutral): 1 Inf.
• Peru (neutral): 1 Inf.
• Bolivia (neutral): 1 Inf.
• Paraguay (neutral): 1 Inf.
• Chile (neutral): 3 Inf 1 Arty.
  • Note: If neutral, Chile will become pro-Axis if Allies noncom into pro-Allies Brazil.
• Argentina (pro-Axis, bribable):
  4 Inf 2 Arty 1 AAA, NavB, MinIC, 1 DD (SZ 85)
• Brazil (pro-Allies): 3 Inf.
• If any South or Central American territory becomes Axis, all adjacent true neutrals become pro-Allies and Brazil becomes American.
• If any South American true neutral is attacked by the Allies, they all become pro-Axis and Argentina becomes German.

1.2.5 Pacific
Thailand, never conquered by European powers and determined to remain that way, wouldn’t mind grabbing some land from its neighbors.

• Siam (pro-Axis): 1 Inf

Reduce Italian NOs to 3 bucks apiece; same for ANZAC & UK Pacific.

Take one infantry off each starting Japanese stack in China.

While we’re on China, get rid of the orange coloring on the initially-occupied Chinese territory; make it clear there should be a Japanese roundel in starting setup.

@black_elk Would bust SZ 6 into a Sea of Japan/East Sea sea zone & a “pacific west of japan” sea zone

Update 27 Oct 22: unplaytested rules based on player feedback. Added “French Rebellion” rule & reduced Vichy utility to the Axis (static defense rule).

@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.

Further testing shows some unsurprising results.

*Note: I am playing with the following adjustments to the starting setup:

• +1 Inf in Tanganyika Territory.
• +1 British AAA in Gibraltar.
• +1 British SS in SZs 109, 91, 98.
• Convert the Med & Gibraltar CAs to BBs.
• +1 German SS in SZ 103.

That’s a lot of extra punch. Three subs & two cruisers upgraded to battleships. It may very well be too much.

If France pulls off a strafe on Holland/Belgium, it’s devastating to Germany. They either have to commit their whole air force to hitting Paris (which will now have 3 extra tanks & an extra fighter on it) hard enough that they don’t lose planes (thus completely forgoing a Sea Lion threat), or split their forces and deal with 75% or worse odds in Paris & probably planes dead as well, while still only being able to hit only one British sea zone.

If you play with a Land Scramble, this strafe is out of consideration.

More playtesting… if Germany decides to f*ck around in France & strafe Paris, hoping for a Paris collapse followed by a Sea Lion, it’s really really good for Italy. Since she gets two turns to build up without the Brits coming after her, and then even after that, they still have to bail out of the Med, it relieves a ton of pressure on her. If she takes full advantage to shuck down to North Africa that first turn (since her transports won’t be at risk), it’ll be basically a done deal for Cairo.

However, on the other side of that coin, it’s not great at all for Germany. Unsurprisingly, there’s no way it can ever take the UK except maybe on G4 or G5. Without the Paris money, it just can’t build enough transports, and the extra fighter from France does help. This is a best-case, 20-damage bombing run & shot down two interceptors scenario. So far, we’ve lost 2 fighters (1 to French AAA, one on escort duty). However, with the freedom to navigate the Med, the UK can get its Med fighters back to the UK on UKE2, by staging from the carrier in the west Med. So we’re still looking at 5 fighters in defense & a lot of infantry buys.

So is having Africa & the Middle East wide open worth an angry Russia & a large UK ex-Med fleet (with adjustments, they still have 2 BBs…) about to turn the Gibraltar corner? I can’t say until I’m playing Global; I’m just testing this on the Europe board. My hunch is that it’s not.

My other hunch is I may have swung too far the other way; I might have to remove a sub from 109 & downgrade the Gibraltar BB back to a cruiser.

@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.

@grinchveld Would you be interested in playtesting this over a facetime/etc game?

@barnee Pretty close. Not everything–if, say, Shan State somehow got bypassed, or, say, West India is still standing, or if they retook a Money Island, they wouldn’t collect income from that. Only the 10 (or 7) IPCs that form the base ANZAC economy, specifically: W Australia, N Territory, S Australia, Queensland, New S Wales, Victoria, and New Zealand. Just a rump economy to keep poking Japan in the side until it gets overrun or the UK liberates Calcutta via some combination of a Middle Earth strategy & US pressure towards the home islands.

Tucson here. Hit me up

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.

Boosting US income by 10 is too flexible. I find it makes for an interesting alternative to a bid to give the US a strat bomber in CUS every turn it’s at war.

There’s a lot of complex rules out there, ones which are hard to teach to new players & ones which produce weird gamey behavior. While Indian fighters to Moscow and “let’s not liberate Paris; it’ll hurt our economy” have long been Axis and Allies classics, I like to do better. Presented mostly without comment:

Note: these rules are written assuming you’re using a Grasshopper-esque 3G40 merged UK Pacific/ANZAC economy known as the Pacific Commonwealth (Cmm).

Ally Exclusion

• Despite being allied, not all nations are cooperating. Germany and Italy are cooperating; USA, UKE, Cmm, and France are cooperating.
• China and all Allied nations at war in the Pacific are cooperating (Allied nations not at war in the Pacific are not cooperating with China).
• No units may end movement in a territory under control of or in which are units of a non-cooperating ally.
  • Note: This does not apply to submarines.
• You may not take advantage of non-cooperating NavB for repairs or range.
• Bolshevization/Democratization: If non-cooperating allies liberate each others’ territory, they keep it for themselves.

Simple Declarations of War

• If Germany or Italy attacks the USSR, it automatically declares war on both of them.
• If a Western Ally (USA, UKE, Comm, or France) is attacked by Japan, or Japan occupies French, Dutch, or neutral Thai territory, the Western Allies immediately declare war on Japan.
• Otherwise, at the start of round 4:
  • The USSR declares war on Germany & Italy.
  • The USA declares war on all Axis powers (and immediately earns a 20 IPC bonus).
  • The UKE, Commonwealth, and France declare war on Japan.
• Note: There is no US bonus if it is brought into the war by the Axis.
• Note: The Western Allies may never declare unprovoked war on Japan.

Simplification of Mongolia Rules

• If Russia attacks Mongolia or Japan, Mongolian troops will never become Russian.
• Otherwise, if Japan attacks Mongolia or the Soviet Union, Mongolian troops immediately become Russian.

Generic Capital Bonuses

• The first time a capital is liberated, place 4 infantry from the liberated nation on its capital
• The first time a capital is captured, give the conquering nation a 10 IPC bonus and all of the cash in the conquered nation’s bank.
• If the capital is conquered multiple times, the conquered nation’s bank is discarded.

Revised Economic Liberation Rules

• Liberating a territory does not give control of that territory to the liberating nation, even when the owner’s capital is occupied.
• If the owner’s capital is occupied & its economy inoperable, the liberated territory’s PUs are collected by nobody.

Cooperative Facilities

• You may build or repair facilities in any territory in which you have a land unit.

Clarified Dutch Territory Income

• Originally Dutch territories are each treated like that of a Pro-Allied neutral.
• They may not be captured or occupied by a nation unless it is at war on that board.

Clarified Peacetime Naval Restrictions

• A nation’s ships MUST end movement in a seazone adjacent to that nation’s own territory or the territory of a nation with which it is at war.
• If a nation is at war on a map, its ships may travel without restriction on that map.
• Note: Japan must be at war with the Western Allies (war with China or the USSR is insufficient) before it may travel unrestricted.
• Exception: the US may always venture out into sea zone 102 without restriction.

No Sneaky Carls

• Transports may load and unload units in hostile sea zones.
• Note: If there is a sea battle in a sea zone supporting an amphibious assault, it still must be won for the landing to continue (no change).

Someday we’ll come up with a streamlined strat bombing/escort/interceptor ruleset, but that day has yet to come…

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 one of my favorite: Slightly Scarier China:

• China may place infantry on any originally Chinese territory which has no enemy land units on it.
• Only as many units may be placed in a territory as twice the IPC value of that territory.
• China never purchases Artillery, it is given by a modified Burma Road National Bonus:
  • 3 IPCs & +1 Arty in Szechwan if Burma Road is open.
• Chinese units may go anywhere in China as well as:
  Korea, Burma, Shan State, Siam, French Indochina, and Hong Kong.
  • They may never collect income from these additional territories, even if they control them.

First of all, to clarify for everybody: the Chinese Coast is originally-Chinese! Japan just starts with it; read the rules.

This is just like any of the million Chinese Guerilla rules out there. Japan’s got to keep an infantry on every territory or Chinese dudes pop up behind the lines. In practice, we found that to be actually too powerful for China, and made it impossible for Japan to hold any part of the continent for more than 5 turns if they wanted to adopt a Pacific strategy.

While it was fun with an aggressive Japan, and accurately represented the way you had you throw money into China to make any minor progress (you’d be surprised how much Chinese guerilla placement slows you down after 2-3 turns, if you haven’t played with it yet), it didn’t represent well the other way the pendulum swung–it was too easy for China to seize the initiative & end the forever war.

As a result, we’ve found that forcing China to distribute its builds hampers its ability to form doomstacks. Additionally, forcing offensive units to be shipped from the south really makes it hard for it to press the advantage in the north without Soviet help. We found this feels a lot better.

One note: we typically play with a “Coiled Japan” setup that gives Kiangsi and Kwangsi to China & moves the Japanese units there further north, representing a few months earlier than the OOB setup. This also really slows Japanese progress & makes a J1/J2 closure of the Burma road impossible, ruling a classic Calcutta crush out entirely. If you don’t do this, I’d recommend removing a Japanese infantry from each of the coastal territories (not Manchuria or Korea).

This rule pairs well with:

• 200th Division (swap a Yunnan Inf for an irreplaceable Chinese tank)
• Gobi Wasteland (Kansu, Tsinghai, and Sikang have no economic value)
• Can’t Send Tanks Over the Desert (the border between west China & the USSR may only be traversed by aircraft and infantry)

Overall, this is a big swing in the Allies’ favor, probably about 10-15 IPCs worth of bidding. The Gobi Wasteland rule might be required if the extra rounds of Burma income prove too much for your Japan player to overcome.

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!

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.

One of the least playtested of the rules, Simple Allied Italy:

• The Cassibile treaty occurs if, at the beginning of the Italian turn, either:
  • Rome has fallen to the Allies
  • Or: Italy controls no territories in Africa, and either Sicily or N Italy are under Allied control. Sicily or N Italy are under Allied control AND Italy is unable to fulfill any National Objectives.
• The Italian nation discards all its IPCs and joins the Allied side at war with Germany, controlled by the UK Europe player.
• First: all Italian territories with German units on them become German. As many Italian units are converted to German units as there are already German units present; the rest are discarded (Germany chooses which).
• All Italian territories controlled by the Allies stay controlled by the Allies, except for Sardinia, Sicily, S Italy, & N Italy. If the Allies control any of these, return them to the Italian player.
• Next: If any of Sardinia, Sicily, S Italy, or N Italy are controlled by an Allied power, return them to Italy.
• Last: If Italy controls any territories which are originally-Allied, return them to their original owner.
• Whichever territories are controlled by Italy at the end of this process gain 1 Italian Inf each.

First off, note that this rule is best when paired with a starting airbase in Sardinia &–most importantly–a land bridge between Sicily & S Italy. These, for our group, are part of a small set of improvements to the Med that make it a much more interesting place to fight.

But what does this do to game balance? A savvy Germany has always managed to ensure that he gets control of the Italian stacks. How many units he actually secures off of this tends to depend on how good Fortress Europe is looking. If there’s stacks of German infantry standing around, he’ll get all the Italian units, bombers & cannon fodder alike.

Of course, having the units under Germany’s direct control is always a tremendous benefit when attacking. Does that matter when the Atlantic wall is collapsing & it’s all Germany can do to keep the West Germany factory from switching hands twice every turn? Not really.

As a result (disclaimer about limited playtesting here), this rule tends to make the fall of Rome more of a deciding factor in Germany’s fate, and causes the Allies to think twice before landing on the Italian peninsula. If Germany’s looking strong, the Balkans might be a wiser alternative. Otherwise, if he’s relying on Italian infantry to tie the defense of France together, landing in Sicily after a completed Operation Torch can hasten the collapse.

In practice, this rule tends to punish weak/thoughtless Allied players, and make a strong German player more effective after they consolidate control of the European Axis. This can and has bought time for Japan to secure the victory cities/tokens it needs in the Pacific.

On the other hand, against a weak Germany, usually one which has overextended itself struggling to take Moscow late, this rule tends to accelerate the end of the game, which is often a blessing at 1 in the morning. Playing as the Axis, it often feels extremely expensive/impossible to defend Italy if the Allies decide it needs to fall, since you’ll need to secure all three Italian Peninsula territories to prevent the treaty from kicking off.

Your mileage may vary on this one. I’m not going to recommend its use until I get several more games with it under my belt. Overall, to me, it seems like it strengthens the position of the Axis, probably by 5-10 IPCs worth of bidding.

In a group already with a massive Allies bid, you may not want to adopt this one without limiting Italian production, boosting US war income, and/or with the assistance of a Free French rule.

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.

My word… I’ve been developing/play-testing something very close to this for several weeks now–a “January 1940 setup”, aka: G40 starting one turn earlier. Had a whole post written up & everything. Had no clue this setup existed. Incredible. I feel quite dumb now–that’s a lot of wasted time!