@delaja Long reply here, sorry in advance haha.
First to the point on gameplay. I should clarify that (even though it’s off topic). I LOVE playing this game. I frankly don’t have any issues with how long gameplay is myself personally. It’s a long game, if that bothers someone then this isn’t the game for them! So part of me leans in to that and says “what’s adding a little more time” haha. But at the same time, my brother and dad have a harder time wanting to add even more time to a game! So I tend to try and pick and chose the best ways to spend that extra time, and reviewing specialized units too much has so far just not been it. If it was just me, I’d love using all the elite units every game, and just deal with the time it takes! So no, not really a need for shorter gameplay, as that’s just not what this game is, but more of a selective look at what we do to make the game even longer!
Anyways, back more on topic. To the point on Special Operations Forces. I definitely agree that there was some overlap there, especially since I pointed it out haha. But part of me did that because it’s not necessarily the case that someone uses the Special Operations Expansion. So maybe it’s something where those units are made available in the Elite Expansion as well? If both expansions are being used, just have a disclaimer that the rules for each are the same? Just a thought. But certainly understood that the role of Special Operations are smaller units, so that might not be what you’re looking for in Elite Units.
To Elite Units and choice made. I guess here’s a counter question, and this is something that I just might not be as read up on as would needed from a historical context, but what would constitute Allied Elite units for you? The Germans have the SS, which makes sense. The USSR the Home Guard, which also is unique and makes sense. Italians, if you were to make it, could have Bersaglieri. Japan having SNLF makes sense.
But for the Allies, what is the equivalent then? It sounds like Airborne, Marines, Army units, aren’t what you’re looking for. Do US Ranger units count? Or are those too small? I guess I don’t know what, for any Allied nation really, is the equivalent to the Axis and USSR ones mentioned above to be able to make this for game play? My thought, which was probably reflected in the units I suggested, was to take specialized units from history that had performed well during the war and to make those Elite. But that was also because I couldn’t think of a unit type that exists to meet the “Elite” criteria that you might be looking for?