@hakan:
Personally, I don’t like the NO, yet I understand that it is a simple way to simulate the “real war”. All games has their way to “simulate” history. In World in Flames you have a tension table towards the entry of USA. Here you have the NO.
I have changed my mind. I also think the NO’s are brilliant! Not only because they make the strategies look more like in the real war, but also (don’t bark at me Krieghund) because you can balance the game yourself, or to simulate for example the “Sino-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact”, just by adding a few lines in the NO. Much better then to add complicated Optional Rules.
Two examples so far:
Soviet National Objective
Stalin would never sacrifice Soviet troops to defend British territories, and Churchill would never allow them to enter. Hence, you may add the following line in the soviet National Objective: “Gain 5 IPC if no other Allied forces are present in a territory controlled by the Soviet Union, and if no Soviet forces are present in any other Allied territory, and if the Soviets control Archangels.”
Japanese National Objective
During the war there was a Non-Aggression Pact between Soviet and Japan. To simulate this, the rule above give a 5 ICP penalty if Soviet attack Manchuria (hence enter a Allied territory). To make it less favourable for Japan to attack Soviet, you also may add this line in the Japanese National Objective: Gain 5 IPC if Axis powers control all of the following territories: Manchuria, Kiangsu, French Indo-China/Thailand, and if no Japanese forces are present in any Soviet territory."
//Håkan