I like your approach Gar, but there’s a problem - I think what we players as a community might do is often very different from WOTC (see Global OOB).
One thing that seems a little funny to me is that they move the start date back to 1941 (as opposed to '42) then say it’s going to be a shorter game. I know that it’s mainly marketing, it wouldn’t make much sense to make another '42 game with Spring 1942 still on the market.
To address Gar’s list,
1. no new units or rules (Absolutely, maybe even take a couple units out. Cruisers and arties maybe, or like you mentioned, subs.)
2. less pieces, less income (I also agree here, but if all countried are scaled equally then it will shorten the lentgth of a round, but maybe not the number of rounds)
3. Smaller map (I think this is the worst way to shorten a game, but it needs to be done if this is to be an introductory game.)
4. No specail china rules, airbases, etc. (These weren’t in the Spring 42 game, so if they are basing the new game off of it they propbably won’t be in there.
5. no sbr (I would add no optional rules to that as well. No option of scrambling or a sea zone being open or closed.)
One I would like to add, if it’s a game for newbies, is moving the purchase unit phase to the end of the turn. The couple of people I taught it to had a much easier time purchasing their units after all of the fighting was done than at the beginning of the round. Â
