Posts made by Macaoidh

@theveteran
Thanks for the quick response! I’ve been out of Global War 36 since V1, planning to jump back in with V4!

@theveteran

Please refresh when you get a chance. Thanks!

Yes, absolutely. I can provide them as a PDF if you that works. I sent you a PM with my email address.

Thanks guys, really appreciate the feedback! I love this game and I have certainly enjoyed making accessories for it.

For some of the nations, I decided to go with the flag-based roundel instead of the standard roundel. For these nations I use the roundels from A&A 1914, and a custom map I am having printed will also have matching roundels. However, so as to not create confusion when not playing on the custom map, I’m also making a set with the standard roundels.

I had these printed from boardgamesmaker.com. This is my second go around with them as I created some custom tokens for another game, and so far I have had no issues with the quality of the print. The matte laminate really cuts down on glare and protects the print from frequent handling.

Price depends. The more you order in bulk, the cheaper they are. This was my first proof run, so a set of nine charts ran me about $30 plus shipping.

Here are a few more charts:

And, the Soviet Union…

So I designed and produced a custom set of reference charts for Global 1940. This project has been in the works for a while, something I work on periodically for stress relief. I wanted to post about it to see what you guys think.

When it comes to board gaming, one of my favorite aspects is theme. A game has to be thematically pleasing, especially for historical games. I decided my Global game needed a little spicing up.

I made double-sided charts for all nine nations. They feature pictures of the head of states and nation-specific symbols, propaganda slogans, and fonts. The front displays the build chart, order of turn, and turn sequence. The reverse side has the income and national objectives. I have found they work great for newer players who don’t have all the information memorized.

The charts are matte laminated with a linen texture. I’m also working on charts for Anniversary and custom boxes with matching art, for all of the game pieces.

I can post more of the charts, if anyone is interested. Anyway, please let me know what you think.

I agree with the above statement that the importance of preserving the Luftwaffe outweighs the need to take out the BB in SZ110, in addition to any fighters scrambled. Additionally, by foregoing SZ110, as Germany you can also preserve your BB on G1 for use in later rounds or in the hopes of consolidating your fleet with the Italians in the Med.

I like the strategy of foregoing the fleet in SZ110. I typically avoid this fleet for a couple of reasons:

1. Emphasis on taking out all the transports, cruiser in SZ91, and BB in SZ111

2. Not wanting to risk any planes on G1 to a UK scramble

I understand the need to keep the option open for a Sealion and how the UK would increase risk of one if it scrambles fighters in SZ110. However, when playing as Germany I like to play a minimal risk strategy the first few turns as I like to keep my options open. If the fight on the Europe map devolves to a battle of attrition on the Eastern Front, Germany simply can’t afford to take out the USSR if it also has to replace the air force lost G1. I also like to take Southern France G1 so as to be able to build navy asap, and will send a plane down to ensure victory.

I have been keeping a attentive eye on this project. After taking a good look at the map, I wanted to provide some feedback  The quality of your work is exceedingly impressive! I am currently shopping around for a printer to bring this to reality. Thanks for all the countless hours you spent on this project and for supporting this community in such a tangible way.

I agree with everything concerning the strategic scale and historical realism perspective. Most tactical and operational bonuses described here would be realistically conducted at the division or corps level, with army and army group commanders synonymous to actions by the player.

However, I would argue that A&A itself is mostly notional. What I mean by that is it is not meant to be a hyper-detailed historical simulation or recreation of the war.  Industry, national production, movement, combat, casualties, and income collection are all a representation, not a simulation, of history. One example that comes immediately to mind is the idea that attacking aircraft cannot land in newly conquered territory. I understand the need for this rule for game balance, but I think we would be hard-pressed to find a historical example where advancing armies extended beyond the capability of an air force to provide some level of support (not to mention for an entire army group).

So I do not think it is betraying the spirit of the game to introduce a “leader unit.” Also, this concept should not be limited only to the leadership bonuses an individual leader would provide. An argument could be made that the +1/reroll bonus provided by a “leader unit” represents not only that army group leader, but the summation of all the divisional and corps commanders and all of their collective military philosophy, culture, morale, and previously mentioned doctrine. Those and countless other effects historically influenced the combat effectiveness of armies and would have an impact on the outcome of battle. In fact, the sum of those influences were decisive (the Battle of France for example). The “leader unit” seems to be the simplest and most efficient way to represent these effects. By the way, that is a good point about bad leaders. I have not considered that concept before and I would even say bad leaders were just as impactful (Frendendall, Gamelin, Popov, Graziani, and even Hitler to name a few).

Thanks all for the input. I’m new to “house ruling” but I’ve enjoyed thinking about and experimenting with different ideas that add some depth to the game. Definitely like the concept that some leaders reduce hits taken, while others increase damage inflicted. In my mind, it reflects the huge battles on the Eastern Front, where the Soviets ultimately won the day, but incurred massive casualties by comparison. It seems with this effort though, I’ve violated the KISS principle, which is such a big part of A&A. Play-ability should not get lost in the process. I’m intrigued by your ideas and I’ll go back to the drawing board and try out some of your suggestions. I do like the simplicity of re-rolls or “free hits.”

CWO Marc, what rules do you prefer to use for leaders?

SS, just so I understand your rule, if a leader has a value of 4 for instance, 4 of his units would receive a +1 to attack and defense?

I am working on house rules for leaders and wanted to get the communities’ feedback. These are intended for the Global '39 game, but can be used in any variant. These are also based on a D12 system. My goal was to make leaders potentially decisive, without making them overpowered.

The nexus of leaders are their special abilities. All leaders functionally operate the same way. Leaders have at least one icon displayed, which represents a certain special ability. Leaders have at least one special ability, but can have up to three. All leaders have the option of retreating defending units after the first complete round of combat without sustaining another round of attacking rolls. Also, allied units contained in a territory with a leader can be “attached” to a leader’s army. In such cases, allied units can attack simultaneously under the banner of one leader, benefiting from that leader’s abilities. Only one leader at a time can lead an army into battle and delegate his abilities, although subordinate leaders can occupy the same territory or accompany the advancing army. If an army containing a leader is completely destroyed, that leader is removed from play. During Combat movements, leaders move normally with the units under their command. However, during Non-Combat movements, Leaders are not limited by movement like other units. During Non-Combat movements leaders can be moved to any number of land territories or sea zones that are connected and in supply. Nations have a certain “officer reserve pool”, which limits how many leaders can be in play at any one time. The following are the special abilities available:

Armored Spearhead Doctrine –-> While attacking, all armor receives a (+2) to attack the first round of combat                  
Assault Infantry Doctrine —>  All infantry get a (+1) to  attack on the first round of combat.
Defensive Doctrine —>  All units get a (+1) on defense the first round of combat.
Precision Artillery --> All Artillery get a (+2) on attack and defense on the first round of combat.
Air Warfare Doctrine —> During dog-fighting, fighters get a (+1) during the first round of combat.
Close Air Support Emphasis—>  Tactical bombers get a (+1) on the first round of combat.
Naval Warfare Tactician  —>  Able to command and provide tactical bonuses to naval units.
Casualty Minimization —> Revive any 1 unit at the end of the battle. If losses exceed 6, revive 2.  
Blitzkrieg Specialist —> Infantry and artillery blitz when paired with any vehicle.
Supply Guru —> Being out of supply does not affect units under command.
Industrial Genius —> If leader is on industrial complex at collect income phase, receive 1 extra IPC.
Forced March—> Choose any 2 units after combat is resolved to strategically relocate anywhere within supply.
Human Wave Tactics  —> Choose 1 friendly infantry as a casualty immediately (no return fire if defending). Choose and remove any 1 enemy ground unit.
Defense in Depth —> On defense, function as if a fortress is present (I play with this fortress rule: each fortress present is able to ignore 2 hits and give up to 5 infantry a +1 on defense. Fortresses can be repaired like other structures, but are destroyed if they receive 2 hits).
Gambler—> Number displayed is number of re-rolls authorized for friendly units or against enemy units (friendly units that miss can re-roll, or enemy units that hit have to re-roll).
Deceptive Redeployment —> Before combat begins, redeploy up to 2 units from anywhere within supply to participate in battle on defense or offense.
Zealot —> Ignore 1 hit per battle.
Selective Targeting—> Choose any 1 enemy unit as a hit during a battle.
Expeditious Industry–>  Build 1 extra unit on territory containing leader.
Suppression Fire --> One of the chosen casualties per battle is not able to return fire.

Additionally, certain nations have unique abilities:

Germany: Mobile Warfare Doctrine —>  Mechanized infantry and armor attack and defend at a (+1) for the duration of the battle
Italy: German Cooperation —> When paired with any German unit on a 1-1 basis, Italian infantry get +1 to attack or defense the first round of combat. Bonus applies even when led by a German leader but cannot stack.
USA: Strategic Bombing —> Strategic bombers receive a +2 when conducting a strategic bombing run.
UK and Commonwealth: Colonial Draft --> When located in any original territory regardless if industrial complex is present, ability to place 1 purchased infantry with leader per turn.
France: Sabotage Specialist—> Choose an enemy unit. That unit cannot fire for 1 round.
USSR: Partisan Organizer —> Create 1 Partisan unit up to 2 spaces away in enemy held territory per turn.
Japan: Bonzai Charge —> Infantry receive a +2 on attack the first round of combat.

I created the idea for leaders from a variety of sources, including the Struggle for Europe and Asia game, HBG, and Hearts of Iron 3. I like the idea of having information displayed on a leader unit card (about 1" x 1"), which contains an image of a historical leader, national flag, and icons of special abilities. I printed these images, glued them to a thin plastic sheet, and cut them out individually. These leader units can then be placed in a card stand. I also attempted to emphasize certain leaders for their exceptional quality, giving them multiple abilities. For example, Patton has the following abilities: Armored Spearhead Doctrine, Zealot, and Blitzkrieg Specialist. Manstein has Mobile Warfare Doctrine, Casualty Minimization, and Defense in Depth.

My concern is that I am saturating the game with too many abilities. However, I also wanted to represent minor leaders with non-combat bonuses. I also like the idea of giving national flavor, to reflect the specialty of certain nations historically. I have play-tested these some, and they seem to have the right balance of impact without being overpowered. Right now, 96 leaders are in my variant with many neutral and minor nations represented. Appreciate any feedback, positive or negative, in improving these rules.

I’m really looking forward to this map. The increased detail will add a whole new level of strategic depth in my opinion. I’m picturing columns of panzer edging ever closer to the Volga River. It certainly expands the possibilities for house rules. Combined with the accurate geography and political boundaries of 1936, this will be very impressive!