Balanced Mod [Anniversary 41]

[Argothair]

@baron-Münchhausen Fair enough! That makes perfect sense, and I would cheerfully play a game based on that idea, but it’s not the design philosophy I’m aiming for. I like to have NOs based on what each country was historically trying to achieve, not NOs based on what enemies might have been able to do to disrupt a country’s achievements. That helps make the NOs easier for me to remember.

It’s just a matter of personal taste, though – I bet a lot of people would really enjoy having things go the other way around.

[baron Münchhausen]

Maybe this might better suit your taste?

Northern Pacific air and sea ways control (Lend-Lease toward USSR):
5 IPCs if Allies control Hawaii, Midway, Alaska and Western USA.
(Western USA capture is still meant to cut down 2 NOs.)

Southern Pacific sea ways control (Lend-lease toward UK-ANZAC allies):
5 IPCs if Allies control Hawaii, New Guinea, Solomons and Australia
(Hawaii capture is meant to cut down 2 NOs.)

Major Pacific Japanese land bases:
5 IPCs if Allies control 3+ of Japanese TTs: Carolines, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, Formosa

US Pacific command centre:
5 IPCs if Allies control Philippines

JAPAN
Outer defense perimeter:

• 5 IPCs if Axis control 4+ of Alaska, Midway, Wake, Solomons, Carolines, Iwo Jima
• 5 IPCs if Axis control Western USA

[Argothair]

@baron-Münchhausen Yes, I like that much better. Thank you! :)

[baron Münchhausen]

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[baron Münchhausen]

@Argothair
I got rid of Wake in USA NO while keeping it into Japan NOs.
Hawaii is major for 2 USA NOs but not necessary to block these NOs by Japan.
However, invading Hawaii is killing 2 birds with one stone for IJN.

[baron Münchhausen]

@Argothair said in Balanced Mod [Anniversary 41]:

As far as bumping the European NOs back up to 5 IPCs each, I can’t please both you and @axis_roll! He wanted them lower to encourage more action in the Pacific. I certainly understand the urge to make calculation easier, and I support that goal, but I can’t have it both ways.

To make NOs simpler, I would get ride of the WUSA, CUSA and EUSA NOs.
Just keeping Greenland, Mexico, Panama, Cuba and Brazil at 5 IPCs and Morocco at 5 IPCs too. If you have both, you get 10 IPCs instead of 9 previously.
All Pacifics NOs at 5 IPCs make protecting them more incentive.

UNITED STATES
Arsenal of Democracy:
Northern Pacific air and sea ways control (Lend-lease toward USSR):
5 IPCs if Allies control Midway, Hawaii, Alaska and Western USA.

Southern Pacific sea ways control (Lend-lease toward UK-ANZAC allies):
5 IPCs if Allies control Australia, Solomons, Hawaii, Western USA
(Hawaii and Western USA capture by Japan is meant to cut down 2 NOs.
I replaced New Guinea with Western USA, so Japan capture of New Guinea will not cut down 2 NOs: 1 US and 1 UK.)

Capture of Major Pacific Imperial Japanese Navy bases and airfields:
5 IPCs if Allies control 3+ of Japanese Islands: Formosa, Okinawa, Iwo Jima, Carolines

USA Pacific Command Center:
5 IPCs if Allies control Philippines

Monroe Doctrine, no European interference in Americas countries and territories:
5 IPCs if Allies control Mexico, Cuba, Panama, Brazil and Greenland.

USA Military Support of European Allies:
5 IPCs if Allies control Morocco and Libya and USA has land units in Morocco or Libya
5 IPCs if Allies control France and USA has land units in France or NW Europe

JAPAN
Japan Outer Defense Perimeter:
5 IPCs if Axis control 4+ of Iwo Jima, Carolines, Alaska, Midway, Hawaiian Islands, Wake Island, Solomons
5 IPCs if Axis Powers control at least one of the following territories: India, Australia, New Zealand and/or Western USA.

“The Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere”:

• 5 IPCs if Axis control Manchuria, Kiangsu, Fukien, Kwantung, and French Indochina/Thailand
  5 IPCs if Axis control Borneo and/or East Indies, and no Allied subs anywhere in SZ 49, 50, 60, 61, or 62

UNITED KINGDOM (South-East Command NOs)
ANZAC Coordination Centers:
5 IPCs if Allies control Australia, New Guinea and New Zealand.
UK-Pacific major Bases to oppose IJA advance in Asia:
5 IPCs if Allies control India, French Indochina, and Kwangtung.

[General 6 Stars]

I’m curious in what is the normal mostly bid of 15 ? Pieces ?

Have you tried to remove 2 Japan transports from setup ?

Have you tried to give US 2 NO’s at start of game where Japan has to divert some navy to take away from US in early Turns ?

[baron Münchhausen]

@SS-GEN
Good questions.
Cutting down starting IJN TPs seems a working way to delay Japan expansion. IMO, it is detrimental to the funny aspects of J1 turn however. For my part, I would not go in this direction.

[General 6 Stars]

Then give the US more money.

[baron Münchhausen]

@SS-GEN
That is what I was trying by giving easy 10 IPCs from 2 NOs and moderately easy 10 IPCs additional from 2 NOs compared to OOB USA NOs:

5 for control all of the following territories: Western United States, Central United States, and Eastern United States.
5 Control at least three of the following territories: Midway, Wake Island, Hawaiian Islands, and/or Solomon Islands.
5 Control the Philippine Islands.
5 Control France.

[General 6 Stars]

Right. But with 15 bid for Allies and 2 NO 10 Icps for US why not try to remove the 15 bid with another change.

[General 6 Stars]

I like the NO where both US and Japan get if either one controls. Now you can have more islands involved but probably not the way Agra wants to go.

[General 6 Stars]

Sorry meant Argo

[baron Münchhausen]

@SS-GEN
You can edit easily your post on this forum.

[baron Münchhausen]

@SS-GEN said in Balanced Mod [Anniversary 41]:

I like the NO where both US and Japan get if either one controls. Now you can have more islands involved but probably not the way Argo wants to go.

Which NO specifically you are pointing at?

[General 6 Stars]

May not work with this game. You would need to shift them around. Do you still have my pic I sent you have my 3 island groups ?
You said you where going to look into it in your game.

[General 6 Stars]

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[General 6 Stars]

I removed the Anzac NO Black Chip group. Gave US a new NO 3 island group.
Solomon
Gilbert
Johnston

Not in this pic. After play testing

[vodot]

@Argothair What about that spectacularly elegant idea we discussed last year (in this thread) : The Colonial Outpost?

Colonial Outpost
Instead of a bid, before the start of the game the Allies may designate any Allied TT as the “Colonial Outpost” for that game. Add an IC + AAA to that territory and increase it’s IPC value by +1 (but not over 3) for the duration of the game. If the “Colonial Outpost” is ever captured by the Axis Powers, the IC there is destroyed (not captured) and the value of the territory reverts back to the original value printed on the board.

I’m teaching this game to my group soon, and I liked this idea so much that I’m planning to pretend that an “internet quorum” of “unassailable genius” (namely yourself and @axis_roll) had decided this was the best way to balance 42.2 and 50_41… and if the idea completely tanks I can blame said quorum for all failures. :rolling_on_the_floor_laughing:

[axis_roll]

GERMANY
• 5 IPCs if Axis Axis control 2+ of NW Europe, Norway, and Finland; and no Allied warships in SZ 6
• 5 IPCs if Axis control 2+ of: Karelia, Ukraine, Caucasus
• 5 IPCs if Axis control 2+ of: Archangel, Moscow, and Kazakh
RUSSIA
• 3 IPCs if Allies control Archangel and no Axis ships in SZ 3 or 4
• 3 IPCs if Allies control Persia and Caucasus, and no Axis ships in SZ 34
• 3 IPCs if Allies control Soviet Far East and Yakutsk, and no Axis ships in SZ 63
JAPAN
• 5 IPCs if Axis control 4+ of Iwo Jima, Carolines, Alaska, Midway, Hawaiian Islands, Wake Island, Solomons
• 5 IPCs if Axis Powers control at least one of the following territories: India, Australia, New Zealand and/or Western USA.
• 5 IPCs if Axis control Manchuria, Kiangsu, Fukien, Kwantung, and French Indochina/Thailand
• 5 IPCs if Axis control Borneo and/or East Indies, and no Allied subs anywhere in SZ 49, 50, 60, 61, or 62
why subs? What about ANY ship?

UK
• 3 IPCs if Allies control E. Canada and Iceland and there are no Axis ships in SZ 1, 2, 7, 8, or 9.
• 3 IPCs if Allies control Gibraltar and Egypt and there are no Axis ships in SZ 13, 14, or 15
Hard to attain, s/b 5 IPC
• 3 IPCs if UK has at least one land unit in Italy and/or the Balkans.
s/b $5
• 5 IPCs if Allies control India, French Indochina, and Kwangtung.
Not going to happen, Kwangtung very hard to be in Allied hands on UK’s turn
• 5 IPCs if Allies control Australia, New Zealand, and New Guinea.
ITALY
• 5 IPCs if Axis control Morocco and Libya and there are no Allied ships in SZ 13, 14, or 15
• 5 IPCs if Axis control 2+ of: Egypt, Trans-Jordan, Persia, Caucasus
USA
• 5 IPCs if Allies control Midway, Hawaii, Alaska and Western USA.
• 5 IPCs if Allies control Australia, Solomons, Hawaii, Western USA
• 5 IPCs if Allies control 3+ of Japanese Islands: Formosa, Okinawa, Iwo Jima, Carolines
• 5 IPCs if Allies control Philippines
• 5 IPCs if Allies control Mexico, Cuba, Panama, Brazil and Greenland.
• 5 IPCs if Allies control Morocco and Libya and USA has land units in Morocco or Libya
• 5 IPCs if Allies control France and USA has land units in France or NW Europe
CHINA
• +1 Chinese artillery for any Chinese-owned territory if Allies control India, Burma, and Yunnan
• Sikang starts the game with 1 infantry, 1 fighter. Yunnan starts with (only) 2 infantry.
• Chinese troops may move into Burma, French Indochina, and/or Kwangtung.