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On my map, the St. Laurence Seaway connects Ottawa to Sea Zone 21.
Review of my first played Global War 1936 V. 3 game
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Hey guys,
i played my first game of Global War 1936 v.3. We really liked it. There are only some minor problems which can be solved easy. There is only one bigger problem we saw from a gameplay perspective.
Gameplay
The mechanics of the game are great and fun to play. I really like that you have much better land combat in this game. There is the option of blitzing (which is total different to axis and allies). Artillery having first strike is really cool. The better aa gun rules make much more sense and air superiority fights are super fun. Also its really good that amphibous assaults are much more difficult to do than in other games. Subamarine warfare is very interesting and you can make whole strategys which are build on it. The map is awesome and the terrain features are great. There are nice little side plots like spanish civil war and china which gives you at least some action in the first rounds when you play 1936. This game has much more strategic depth which is super fun to play. Also the game balance seems to be good but we did just one test game…
Now i come to my complaints:
Sea Units
I really like the land and air units. I have no problem to distinguish them. The problem with sea units are the cruisers. There are light cruisers, attack cruisers (or battles cruisers i just dont know the name right now) and heavy cruisers. There are a few problems. You cant buy at HBG enough different cruiser types (also they are not discribed as heavy or attack cruisers) on their homepage. I bought many light cruisers for Japan and Germany and its hard to distinguish them. It just slows the gamespeed. We will play our next game with just one cruiser type. Also the WW1 ships are just slowing the game speed and are different to distinguish (coastel subs for example). I ordered the models for the ww 1 ships. But we will replace them with normal WW2 ships to see if it speeds up the game.
I have to say this is just a minor problem.
South Amerika
Well it looks nice on the map but it has no real strategic purpose and is a really boring side plot which is a waste of time. I didnt played the Latin Amerika expansion. I will have a look at it. Perhaps this makes this part of the map more fun. In our next game we will play without South Amerika to save time and speed up the game.
This is also just a minor problem which is not a big deal.
The Comintern
Here lays the biggest problem. You can keep them out of the game very very long. If Germany doesnt go for Barbarossa (whic is a possible strategy in our group). You can keep them at 8 ipp a very very long time. This is not a balance problem but my friend who played the Comintern said that he didnt had fun to play the Nation Rusia because he could not do anything with Russia (except spanish civil war) for a very long time. At 1939 he gets 6 ipp everey round (we play low luck so the income role is always the middle value of 12 so its 6 ipp every round wartime income for a d 12). This means that you have a long time where you only move units around and cant do combat. We all totally understand why this is the case but from a palyer perspective its boring. The axis player and me (i played the allies) had really fun playing the game. Because we had much more stuff to do (battles early in the game and more strategic moves to plan)…
Our solution is that the CCP (the CCP is also palyed by the Comintern player) can choose one chinese warlord which will be influenced at their first round (in other words their first influence role on a warlord on their first turn is always a hit). Also we will test what happens if china is attacked from Japan and all warlords will go to CCP and not to KMT. Through these changes the Cominterm player will have more to do in the early game and it will be more fun for him to play the game because he has more to do in China (Our Cominterm player liked the game in genereal he really liked the idea behind CCP). I hope our idea doesnt break the balance. We will see.
With our changes to speed up the game and the CCP changes this problem should be solved.
Conclusion
This is one of the best if not the best game i ever played. Im really happy that i bought this game. I cant wait to play again. This game is awesome.
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Hello,
Most light cruiser types are available from HBG, but some will need painting. Apart from the ones at setup, we don’t tend to build many new ones in our games. Some players paint the tip of their ships with different colors to distinguish them. I don’t but we get used to the different models over time.
I don’t recommend changing the rules of the games after only one game, but I get your point that the Comintern player has much to do until he is at war.
Our South American pieces also gather dust, but the game is also based on history, so you can’t expect Japan to invade Brazil !
Keep at it. It’s a great game.
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Kind of echoing @Noneshallpass here, but I think you can make the ships work in different ways. As he pointed out, a lot of people will paint the tips different colors to differentiate, or you could use different color chips. I’m more like you two though and like a unique sculpt.
I think you can find most of these on their site. Look at the 3D printed units section too. Some nations have battlecruisers there. True, you’d need to paint them, but their there.
You could also get a little creative. Use the neutral nation cruiser as a “light cruiser” if needed, and use the A&A OOB cruisers as your Heavy Cruisers. Maybe use the OOB battleships as your battlecruisers, and buy the HBG battleship types for your fast and regular battleships? Just thinking out loud.
I’m with you of course on South America. But as @Noneshallpass said, it’s based in history, and there wasn’t much happening there. I will say though that the Latin America expansion is the way to go to get them in. I plan to use that every game for the very reasons you mention, I want to get that part of the world in the game!
As for the USSR, I kind of get what you’re saying. But at the same time, there’s a lot for them to do. The Chinese and Spanish Civil wars will certainly be fun to play. And you of course will need to be prepared as the USSR. Border clashes with the Japanese are in play too.
Don’t forget that the USSR can attack minor nations starting July 1939. So while that won’t bring their income up, it’s still something to do if the Axis have left them alone.
The maximum time the USSR might spend at 8 IPP is 6 turns. So, it’s not too crazy I suppose, especially since those early turns will go a bit quicker with less combat movement and battles to play out. But if the Axis are going out of their way to make sure the USSR doesn’t increase at all until July 1939, I’d be surprised to hear that is fully a good thing for the Axis!
I think there’s enough side stuff happening to keep the Comintern player involved, but maybe that’s just me!
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I’ve used the BB from classic game as Heavy Cruisers. Can file a bit and paint.
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The last game I played I was the Comintern and I actually found it pretty interesting because you had to come up with a strategy to win while at the same time pretending to cooperate with both other sides to keep them from attacking you. To clarify what’s been said here, the Russians can declare war on anyone (except CCP) starting in 1939. Of course you have to be careful with that because you will certainly want to raise your income before unleashing the Germans on you. It will be a huge mistake for you not to declare war on Germany before they declare war on you because then they get to tee off on you for one turn. You can negate that powerful tool at their disposal if you declare first. I like to take the opportunity to take key minor powers that will hamper the Allies, knowing that if they aren’t as free to declare war on you as you are on them.
The game that’s played above the board between the players is the most fun if you are the Comintern. Finding a way to kick them in the nuts with a smile on your face and a kind word for them is a skill that you need to be successful. That’s something that simply doesn’t exist in Axis and Allies. The sides are drawn and the enemy is clear before the game even begins in A&A. The other option is to let the least experienced player to play the Comintern because the mechanics of the game are easiest with them. There won’t be a lot of naval battles, amphibious assaults, convoying, and strategic bombing they have to do in the game. They can learn by watching the other players while they concentrate mainly on simple ground and pound.
As far as options for cruisers being limited, that’s just another sad fact of the pandemic we are all dealing with. The plastic comes from China and it’s been quite a challenge getting those units available for a number of reasons. At some point in time there will be all the units but for now you either have to go with 3D printed or mark your units in some way as has been mentioned already here. Each of the units in the game have their place but it takes time to learn what works best for each nation based on need and income level. I’m still learning with each game how best to use these units. Until my most recent game I didn’t buy Medium Bombers but the lightbulb went off for me mid-game and now I love that unit. I love the fact that it isn’t obvious even for very experienced A&A players how to use all of the units best and that their traditional strategies won’t work in Global War. I’m glad you like the game and I look forward to hearing more insights from you as you continue to learn.
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@ GeneralHandGrenade
Thx for your reply. Our Comintern player is a very experienced player (we all are at least in A&A Global 40 :-) ). I think we have to discuss the Russian situation more. He did not declare war on 1939 which was a mistake from him. I really like our idea that the CCP gets their first recruitment role guaranteed so the Cominterm player has more to do. By the way we really liked the sidedeals with the sneaky Comintern. Its so much fun. I will continue to report our games.
By the way. Do you know if its possible to order a prototype of the Global 1914 map. I would playtest it and give feedback.
Have a nice weekend
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You don’t have to change the rules to give Warlord territories to the CCP. If the KMT attacks a Warlord, then all his territories turn to CCP:
“If a warlord is attacked by either Chinese faction, it and all its remaining land zones and units align to the other Chinese faction if unconquered by the end of the Combat Phase.” (KMT and CCP National Reference Sheets v.3.3).
We do it regularly in our games. You only need one KMT unit to attack the Warlord and you can even retreat after the first turn to obtain the desired result. If you are lucky, no unit is lost in the process.
However, in the end, I don’t think you will get much more play out of the CCP with this strategy because the Japanese will just be pressured to attack and destroy the CCP sooner that it might have otherwise.
This is a very complex games with many rules and exceptions (as this Forum often shows). I would bet that you missed out on a lot of rules in your first game (I have played over a dozen and we still make mistakes). It’s much too soon to be tweaking the rules of the game. You should try to master them first.
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I think we understood all the China rules. The problem is what happens if Japan attacks first? Then all warlords become KMT right? So we have to find a way to give the CCP at least some relevance otherwise i would destroy them as KMT with small losses and the Cominterm player has no more CCP to play with at the start of round 2. We dont really change rules. CCP can influence warlords per dice that say the rules. We just guarantee the first die roled as a hit (in other words CCP just gets a warlord territory at the beginning of their first turn guaranteed). It could happen in a regular game we just make it happen in every game that ccp gets at least one warlord to play with (we are low luck players and such things are very important for us we dont like too much lucky and random events).
It is not our intention to change the game or the rules, this is just a really small tweak which gives the comintern a little bit more to do.
By the way when you influence warlords as CCP you can choose which one (its written in the rules right?). Japan cant attack the warlords behind your CCP country in their first turn. So they cant just destroy CCP very soon…
You are absolutly right that we have to learn the game and master the rules first. We have no problem with this but we also see things which can make the game better (also we did not change any rules we just changed a possible event to a regular event in every game).
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Yes, CCP can try to influence any Warlord according to the CCP National Reference Sheet, provided that it is in an adjacent territory :
“During the Place Units & Collect Income Phase CCP may make one influence roll on a Warlord land zone adjacent to a CCP possessed land zone. If the roll is less than or equal to the total number of land zones the CCP Possesses, all remaining land zones and military units of that warlord align with CCP immediately. CCP may spend IPP up to the amount of the influence roll to increase the chance of success. Each IPP spent adds +1 to the influence roll.”
If you don’t pay to increase the chance success, then it’s a very low chance proposition on the first turn (1 out of 12). If you spend your IPPs, you can bring it up to 1 out of 6 (for 1 IPP) or 1 out of 4 (for 2 IPP).
I agree with you that it you don’t succeed on the first or maybe second turn, chances are that a Japanese attack will have turned all the Warlords to KMT. I think that is meant to happen in most games.
I would not presume to tell you how to play your games. House rules can be fun. It’s just that I find it premature to change the balance of such a complex game after a single playthrough. That being said, try it and let us know how it goes.
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Hey thx for your advise. We play over the Christmas holidays. I will let you know how it went.
Have a nice weekend.
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All of this is making me so bummed this pandemic is making me unable to play this game!!!
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Your idea to give CCP 1 warlord land zone (not the whole warlord) is not unbalancing the game at all. It eliminates the possibility of CCP being whiped out by KMT early in the game, which was an actual possibility in the Chinese civil war. But it takes away the suspense if CCP is going to make it as a minor power eventually turning into a major power. If eliminated USSR has a lot more to do to try and get CCP back into the game. Feel free to house rule! I do it ALL the time!
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@alphaaeffchen
Sea units …. Please do no skimp out on the cruisers, use a tech token for battle cruisers, a regular sculpt for heavy cruisers and a nation roundel for light cruisers if you must.
WW1 era ships … they are a must in the game as cheap fodder units (that cannot be replenished/rebuilt) a TBD can be represented by a destroyer with a tech token if you absolutely don’t have enough sculpts and a coastal sub can also be represented by a regular sub with a tech token (until
A nation develops Advanced subs (never seen this researched and the unit purchased) -
@alphaaeffchen
Regarding South America , our group has played the Latin America at war expansion and decided to play next game with OOB rules for SA as the expansion is just a bit tedious and we want to speed up the game and focus on the main parts of the war and take more turns quicker. -
@alphaaeffchen regarding USSR, Germany should at least annex Romania giving UsSR a D12 income boost, also July 39 to begin regular D12 rolls fir income boost is not “super late”
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@alphaaeffchen more USSR comments … what in the world Low luck in 1936 game based on a D12 system, really? Why?
Also… try this as Russia, attack Romania in July 39 and see what happens , I did it it was fun, I got carried away and pushed further into Europe conquering Italy, but I did this without consulting with the allies who turn declared war on me and together with Germany kicked my ass back to Russia . -
@alphaaeffchen sorry… easiest to read a bit and then type a response to what I read when on my phone.
CCP… it is quite a big deal if CCP shall become a major faction, it is very unwise to give them a free warlord at the start of the game. This will put the Chinese civil war into their hands likely unless Japan attacks turn 1! That is wild … no thank you! Japan shouldn’t be forced into attacking China on turn 1….In our current game CCP became a major power on their third turn I believe and Japan mistakingly did not hit China in the first couple turns of the game, this lead to Japan getting ousted from Manchuria early on.
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@alphaaeffchen the diplomacy expansion is really fun (my favourite) it would add some variation to the USSR options early on for sure
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@bretters
Hey man,
thx for your comments. Me and my gaming group will never play GW or axis and allies without low luck. It makes the game way more strategic. I spoke with a developper about this. He really likes our low luck rules. Dice are okay. But not if any fight is too dice heavy. We play with low luck rules for years now and its so much more fun. It makes every game better for us.
Regarding CCP yes you are right. We dont play this anymore. We play standard.
Japan has to attack china round one. I dont see any other way for Japan. Believe me we tried many strategy. They have to destroy KMT first and do damage in turn one.
Regarding pieces. I have now everything for ship types. I bought a ton of pieces.
Thx for your comments. Im trying to get as many exapnsions as possible for the game. Its really fun.
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@alphaaeffchen
Most of the expansions consume a lot of pointless time, making the game take much longer for not much benefit, but it’s whatever you and your group enjoy. Our groups next game will be played with only 3 expansions: diplomacy, fighting railroads and turkey at war
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