Hello everyone,
I have begun creating my own house rule set for A&A 1940 Global called Delta, and I was hoping to pick your brains from time to time with some simple questions.
This one involves the victory conditions of 1940 Global, here’s my idea…
Victory Points (Edited)
Each Capital city is worth 2 victory points, each captured city is worth 1 victory point, and all other cities have no value. Whichever side has the most victory points at any given time during the game, is winning.
Any city other than a Capital city must be captured and in enemy control before it can receive a value of 1 victory point. If a captured city is liberated, it’s value is returned to zero, where as a Capital city’s value is always 2 pts no matter which nation controls it.
Capital cities for the Allies
Washington = 2 pts
London = 2 pts
Paris = 2pts
Moscow = 2pts
Sydney = 2 pts
Calcutta = 2 pts
Total victory points the Allies begin the game with = 12 pts
Capital cities for the Axis
Berlin = 2 pts
Rome = 2 pts
Tokyo = 2 pts
Total victory points the Axis begin the game with = 6 pts
Round 1 example:
Germany captures Paris giving the Axis a gain of 2 victory points while the Allies lose 2, at this point the score is 10 for the Allies and 8 for the Axis.
Japan than captures Hong Kong and Manila on their turn giving the Axis a gain of 2 more victory points (1 per city), however, the Allies don’t lose these victory points, nor would they gain any for liberating non-capital cities… at this point the score is tied at 10 for the Allies, and 10 for the Axis.
Therefore, the Axis need only Leningrad to consider themselves as winning the game. The Allies would then be forced to either liberate Paris and gain back 2 pts, liberate their captured cities in order to decrease the Axis lead, or begin capturing original Axis Capitals or cities themselves.
If I understand this proposal correctly (which perhaps I don’t):
VCs are divided into capital VCs and non-capital VCs.
Non-capital VCs are worth [ ? ] points. (I can’t tell from the description, so I left it blank.)
Capital VCs are worth 2 points as long as they don’t change hands.
If a capital VC changes hands, its value drops to 1 point in perpetuity.
It seems to me that, under this system, players might end up putting a higher priority on defending their capitals from capture than on trying to capture an opponent’s capitals. In other words, it might lead to a game in which defensive action is more valuable than offensive action, and thus a game in which players are discouraged from taking bold, aggressive action. This is pretty much why there were so few dreadnought engagements during WWI between the British Grand Fleet and the German High Seas Fleet: battleships and battlecruisers were so expensive and time-consuming to build that it became more important for them to stay afloat than to sink their enemy counterparts – so they spent most of the war at anchor in safe ports.
@CWO:
If I understand this proposal correctly (which perhaps I don’t):
VCs are divided into capital VCs and non-capital VCs.
Non-capital VCs are worth [ ? ] points. (I can’t tell from the description, so I left it blank.)
Capital VCs are worth 2 points as long as they don’t change hands.
If a capital VC changes hands, its value drops to 1 point in perpetuity.
It seems to me that, under this system, players might end up putting a higher priority on defending their capitals from capture than on trying to capture an opponent’s capitals. In other words, it might lead to a game in which defensive action is more valuable than offensive action, and thus a game in which players are discouraged from taking bold, aggressive action. This is pretty much why there were so few dreadnought engagements during WWI between the British Grand Fleet and the German High Seas Fleet: battleships and battlecruisers were so expensive and time-consuming to build that it became more important for them to stay afloat than to sink their enemy counterparts – so they spent most of the war at anchor in safe ports.
Let me put it this way…
Victory Cites are split into 3 types… Capital VCs, dormant VCs, and activated VCs.
Capital VCs are worth 2 victory points
dormant VCs are worth 0 victory points
and active VCs are worth 1 victory point
dormant VCs become active VCs when they are captured, and they stay active for the rest of the game even after liberation.
So if we look at a typical game at round 5, Germany has Paris and Leningrad while Japan has Hong Kong and Manila. This puts the Axis at 11 points, and the Allies at 8… so the Allies are actually forced to go on the offensive because they are losing the game at this point and defending capitals won’t help them win. Only regaining their lost cities, or taking a couple Axis capitals themselves will give them the necessary points to challenge for the win.
Ah, okay, I understand better now. I missed the part about the cities that are initially worth 0 and are later valued at 1. Thanks.
Okay, first of all I don’t understand why you don’t consider Calcutta a capital. It IS the capital of UK Pacific which is a separate entity in Global 40. Also, if/when Japan captures it, they collect the unspent IPCs like they would for any other capital.
Unless, do you plan to merge the two UK’s into one? Personally, I have often advocated for doing that very thing. I know it would give more money to UK London to spend and make it harder for Sealion to happen, or UK could spend more in India and make it harder for Japan. On the other hand, they could end up leaving the other side weak and end up losing one or the other.
This is also why I suggest no Major IC in India. However, I think a Minor IC is too little so I came up with the concept of a Mid-Level IC that can produce 5 units per turn. I think that would be a good production capacity for India and not allow London to put too much in Asia and overpower Japan.
If this is your idea as well, then I could see Calcutta not being considered a capital and therefore only worth 1 victory point if captured/liberated.
So victory cities that are already under Axis control, like Warsaw and Shanghai, are worth 0 victory points, right? However, if Allied powers capture them, then they are worth 1 victory point from then on, even if the Axis recapture them, right?
For example: After round 1, Germany controls Berlin, Paris and Warsaw. Total victory points = 4. (2 points Berlin, 2 points Paris, 0 point Warsaw)
USSR launches an offensive and captures Warsaw, thus activating it and making it worth 1 victory point.
Then Germany counter attacks and retakes Warsaw. Now Germany’s Total victory points = 5. (2 points Berlin, 2 points Paris, 1 point Warsaw)
Does this sound about right?
So what would be the victory conditions? How many victory points does one side have to get and do they have to hold them for a full round or win as soon as they achieve a certain number?
Hey KNP,
Your post has given me a lot of food for thought… thanks for your contributions. I would like to say that I have drastically edited my first post to include Calcutta as a legit capital city, and I have eliminated the idea of an activated city so that a nation only gets points for capturing a city, and not for liberating it. Your questions have really allowed me to refine my ideas… Cheers.
I have heard of the combined income rule for the UK and have suggested it to my group in the past, however, my fellow players felt that it was to dynamic of a change away from the OOB rules. As for the actual victory condition that would declare a winner, I would prefer to answer the question “who is winning the game?” rather than “who has won the game” at this point (even though the poll question suggests otherwise).
I like this idea a lot. I had a similar idea a while back, wherein to win you had to get to a certain number of points. 2 points for each capital, 1 point for each non capital VC, and 1 point for each National Objective you satisfied this turn.
You calculate the axis total, and the allied total.
Lets spit ball, the axis wins if they have 20 points at then end of turns 1-5
or they win if they have 18 points at the end of turns 6-10
or they win if they have 16 points at the end of any turn after 11 they win.
The Allies would win if the axis falls below 10 points at the end of turns 1-5.
Or if they fall below 12 points at the end of turn 6-10
Or if they fall below 14 points at the end of any turn after 11.
I like this idea a lot. I had a similar idea a while back, wherein to win you had to get to a certain number of points. 2 points for each capital, 1 point for each non capital VC, and 1 point for each National Objective you satisfied this turn.
You calculate the axis total, and the allied total.
Lets spit ball, the axis wins if they have 20 points at then end of turns 1-5
or they win if they have 18 points at the end of turns 6-10
or they win if they have 16 points at the end of any turn after 11 they win.The Allies would win if the axis falls below 10 points at the end of turns 1-5.
Or if they fall below 12 points at the end of turn 6-10
Or if they fall below 14 points at the end of any turn after 11.
I’m gonna have to digest this and see how the math works in different situations, regardless… it’s great to hear from someone that believes in the points per city formula, and I really like the idea of points for objectives as well.
