The Blockade

[Old Dwarf]

So we now know that unrestricted Sub Warfare can reduce IPC’s for the US & GB .This
makes me strongly suspect Larry will include some mechanic for the Naval Blockade
that eventually strangled Germany.

Some stragetic WWI Games just abstract the Blockade by reducing moral &/or
production resources each year.Some just give the EP a set number of victory points
to represent the Blockade effects.

A few allow some abstracted Naval Combat where Germany has a chance to reduce
the Blockade effects.A&A WWI however will include Navies & thus Naval Combat
which probably will tie in with Blockade effects.It seems logical then that
Germany will suffer some IPC lost due to the Blockade.

Any thoughts on how the Blockade & it’s effects will be handled,maybe
with the British turn Larry will explain.

[vonLettowVorbeck1914]

Blockade would be cool, and important, but part of me thinks that that would have been something mentioned already.

I thought it would be easiest to represent the blockade with an NO-like ability. If SZ’s X, Y, and Z are clear of allied warships, Germany gets some amount of IPC., or maybe -X IPC for each allied warship present in those SZ’s.

[WILD BILL]

I haven’t seen any mention of NOs in this game either. If there were some I think that it would have been noted by now having gone though the turns of 3 major powers.

[Imperious Leader]

Special economic rules:

British naval blockade:
The purpose here is to force the historical situation that, other than Russia, the allies did not enter the Baltic with anything other than submarines. Allied commanders considered the blockade to be the most affective.

To simulate this, the following rules are used:

1. No allied surface vessels (other than Russia) may enter the Baltic.
2. For each and every turn that the allies remain in sole position of the North Sea and Heligoland Bight (no coexisting) following the end of their turn, the German player is reduced by $1. The loss is accumulative over turns, i.e. 3 consecutive turns of the blockade costs Germany $1 the first turn, $2 the second, and $3 the third turn.

To end the blockade the Central Powers must take any of the two ocean zones (North Sea and Heligoland Bight) and hold them until the end of the Allied turn.

[vonLettowVorbeck1914]

Yeah WB, I didn’t think there were NO’s either, I just thought if there was going to be a blockade, it would be good expressed as a NO or similar.

[Flashman]

1. No allied surface vessels (other than Russia) may enter the Baltic.

I do not like arbitrary rules such as this. The Germans should have to do something to prevent Allied ships moving into the Baltic. If the game is correctly balanced, they should have the means to do this. However, if the German player chooses to, for example, use the fleet to support an invasion of Russia, then the Allies might be strong enough to force the Skagerrak.

[vonLettowVorbeck1914]

@Flashman:

1. No allied surface vessels (other than Russia) may enter the Baltic.

I do not like arbitrary rules such as this. The Germans should have to do something to prevent Allied ships moving into the Baltic. If the game is correctly balanced, they should have the means to do this. However, if the German player chooses to, for example, use the fleet to support an invasion of Russia, then the Allies might be strong enough to force the Skagerrak.

I agree. The more you base rules on what happened instead of what could have reasonably happened, the more you are acting out the same old tired thing every game.