Well, I’ll help IL out, this time with adjusting those IPC values for the National objectives that we know of. After all, we’re almost there and I do think we have all the objectives that would influence IPCs the first turn. So the new IPC values are (IL, feel free to take these and update the fact thread):
'41 scenario:
Germany 31 (+ 5 IPC bonus controlled at-start)
Soviet Union 30 (+ 5 IPC bonus controlled at-start)
Japan 17 (+5 IPC bonus controlled at-start)
UK 43 (+5 IPC bonus controlled at-start)
Italy 10 (+5 IPC bonus controlled at-start)
US/China 40 (+15 IPC bonuses controlled at-start), China produces 1 free inf for each two Chinese territories controlled at the start of US turn.
IPC balance (bonuses included, 2 inf worth of China inf):
Axis: 73, Allies: 144.
'42 scenario:
Germany 37 (+ 10 IPC bonuses controlled at-start)
Soviet Union 24 (+ 5 IPC bonus controlled at-start)
Japan 31 (+10 IPC bonuses controlled at-start)
UK 31 (+5 IPC bonus controlled at-start)
Italy 10 (+5 IPC bonus controlled at-start)
US/China 38 (+ 5 IPC bonus controlled at-start), China produces 1 free inf for each two Chinese territories controlled at the start of US turn.
IPC balance (bonuses included, 2 inf worth of China inf):
Axis: 103, Allies: 114.
We now see even more clearly that the job of the Axis the first few turns is to tilt the balance when it comes the the National objectives (NOs). This clearly changes the game a lot since NOs specify areas such as Egypt and Gibraltar, Wake Island and Solomon Islands, Archangelsk. All are targets that now are decisive but in AAR wasn’t so much so. The game will be less focused on destroying units and more focused on territory, and this in my opinion makes it closer to the real war, where the historical tug between the generals wanting to destroy armies and politicians wanting to take symbolic locations will now be in the game!