G40 Halifax Rules

[Young Grasshopper]

I respect the online trippleA community greatly, but with my 3 group games per month, all the customizing I do, and then the time spent in forums talking about A&A… I have zero time to play in front of a screen. You do great work, and I encourage you to carry on that torch… I don’t have an interest to play online myself.

[Black_Elk]

Well I’ll still hold out hope. Maybe one day I’ll head up north to the Cliffside Bunker, with copious snacks and the soundtrack to every classic Arnold flick blasting on the stereo… Predator, T2, Conan, etc. to roll the dice with maximum chi force physicality on that glorious table of yours!

And maybe someday you’ll come check out our digital dungeon, and I’ll show you how out here in the Matrix, “it’s all in your head” :-D

[Young Grasshopper]

At the FMGC this weekend, there was great support for Halifax rules. However, the most widly accepted, and celebrated aspect of Halifax was the new production unit profiles, so I just wanted to repost the following quote from KNP, which gave me the inspiration to structure his mid level factory idea into Halifax.

Quote from knp7765:

_You could use my Mid-Level IC rule to keep UK from being able to drop 10 units at a time in Calcutta.
A Mid-Level IC costs 20 IPCs and can produce 5 units per turn. Mid-Level ICs can only be placed in a territory worth 3 IPCs or more.
A Minor IC can be upgraded to a Mid-Level IC for 10 IPCs. The Minor IC must be in a territory worth 3 IPCs or more before it can be converted to a Mid-Level.
If a Mid-Level IC is captured by an enemy power, it is downgraded to a Minor IC. The capturing power may upgrade the Minor IC back to a Mid-Level if they still hold it next round but they can only produce 3 units at that IC for that turn.
If the original owner or an ally liberates that territory, the Mid-Level will downgrade back to a Minor and the owner may upgrade back to a Mid-Level on their next turn if they still hold it.
CAPTURE EXAMPLE: UK builds a Mid-Level IC on Kwangtung. Japan captures Kwangtung so the IC downgrades to a Minor. Next round Japan still holds Kwangtung so they can produce 3 units there and pay to upgrade the IC to a Mid-Level. If Japan still holds Kwangtung next round, they can produce 5 units there.
LIBERATE EXAMPLE: Now the US makes a landing on Kwangtung and defeat the Japanese there, thus liberating Kwangtung for UK India. The IC will downgrade back to a Minor. On UK’s turn, they may produce 3 units there and can upgrade the IC back to a Mid-Level if they wish. Next turn, if Kwangtung is still Allied controlled, UK may produce 5 units there.
(If Calcutta was captured by Japan before the US landing in Kwangtung, then the US would control that IC and they could upgrade it to a Mid-Level and use it until Calcutta is liberated)

With this rule, there are NO new Major ICs allowed. So the only Major ICs will be the original 7 starting Major ICs (Great Britain, Germany, Western Germany, France, Northern Italy, Russia and Japan (Remember, Calcutta is no longer a Major, but a Mid-Level)) plus the 3 in the United States that get converted upon the US entry into the war. So, there should never be more than 10 Major ICs on the board at any time.
When a Major IC is captured by an enemy, it is downgraded to a Minor just like normal in the game now. However, the capturing power may upgrade the Minor IC to a Mid-Level, but never a Major. However, if that territory is liberated by the original owner or Allies, the Mid-Level will downgrade to a Minor and the ORIGINAL owner may upgrade that Minor to a Mid-Level or to a Major if they wish. If the original owner upgrades from a Minor to a Mid-Level for 10 IPCs, they can later upgrade the Mid-Level to a Major for an additional 10 IPCs. This is the ONLY instance where a Major IC will be placed on the board after the starting setup and US entry into the war.

I hope this might help you with your India problem. I myself really like it. We have made this a permanent house rule in our Global games and India always gets a Mid-Level. I kind of miss the opportunity for Japan placing a Major on Korea or Germany placing a Major on Romania, but overall I still think it is a much more balanced and realistic way to play. If I were to play Pacific 1940 alone, then I would give Calcutta a Major, but in Global it’s just a Mid-Level.
I think I explained everything but if I missed something feel free to ask._

[CWO Marc]

@Black_Elk:

Ps. Just wanted to say thanks CWO Marc for the awesome breakdown on the previous page! I knew you’d come correct with a killer breakdown as always.

My pleasure.  Glad you liked it.

[Witt]

Thanks. I always hated that Germany could build a Major in Romania or Norway. My reasoning was there was no IC to start with, how could a Major spring up in a turn and churn out as much as the US or the UK or the industrial West of Germany. Regions tht had been industrialised for centuries.
Thank you for the credit you give Knp. He is a hard working and  generous thinking member of this community.

[Black_Elk]

It’s a bind, on the one hand it’s nice for archival purposes to have things sectioned off, but you also don’t want to stifle discussions. I’ve participated in many forums for many games over the years and this always happens. If you over moderate you end up with nice and clean but empty forums where no one wants to make new topics for fear of having their topics axed or swept away to the nether regions where no sees them. If you don’t moderate at all you end up with chaos and crowding.

This forum has been more active lately than its been in months. So if people here have an interest I’m content to let it ride here in this thread =)

[CWO Marc]

A question: Do original thread creators have the ability to modify the title of their thread, without the need for moderator intervention?  If so, I’d propose that currently active house rule threads which (for whatever reason) didn’t get created in the House Rules section could have their titles edited to be given a prefix like " *HR: " to identify them more easily.  So for example, the present thread would become:

*HR: G40 Halifax Rules

The asterix serves as an eye-catcher, the HR stands for house rules, and the colon indicates that what follows next is the title of the thread.

This might be a good compromise, since on the one hand it would allow a certain amount of flexibility (which was Black Elk’s point about not wanting things over-moderated) while at the same time addressing the legitimate concern that it confuses matters when house rules are posted in places other than the House Rules section.

[Young Grasshopper]

@CWO:

A question: Do original thread creators have the ability to modify the title of their thread, without the need for moderator intervention?  If so, I’d propose that currently active house rule threads which (for whatever reason) didn’t get created in the House Rules section could have their titles edited to be given a prefix like " *HR: " to identify them more easily.  So for example, the present thread would become:

*HR: G40 Halifax Rules

The asterix serves as an eye-catcher, the HR stands for house rules, and the colon indicates that what follows next is the title of the thread.

This might be a good compromise, since on the one hand it would allow a certain amount of flexibility (which was Black Elk’s point about not wanting things over-moderated) while at the same time addressing the legitimate concern that it confuses matters when house rules are posted in places other than the House Rules section.

Done!

[CWO Marc]

@Young:

Done!

Wow, that was fast.  :-)

[Young Grasshopper]

Newfoundland and Eire have been added to Option #2.

Instructional YouTube video and customized National Objective card deck accessory coming soon.

[Young Grasshopper]

YYYYYEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHH!!!

Core Halifax rule set is complete, thank you to everyone who contributed to this awesome project… I’m moving on to other adventures that will include customizations, and accessories for G40 Halifax.

I have posted a thread in the house rules forum, along with my own expansion rules and I encourage others to share their Halifax expansion set there as well.

Here is the final product… hopefully we can get an endorsement from Krieghund  :mrgreen:

[Young Grasshopper]

G40 HALIFAX RULES

A special thanks to Young Grasshopper, knp7765, afrothunder12, Black_Elk, Wild Bill, and CWO Marc for their contributions to the development of these rules.

Production Unit Profiles

Industrial Complex:
Produces up to 10 units
Maximum damage 20
Unoperational at 10 damage
Capable of building all units
May never be purchased
Immediately downgraded to a Minor Factory once captured

Major Factory:
Produces up to 5 units
Maximum damage 10
Unoperational at 5 damage
Capable of building all units
May never be purchased, or upgraded to an Industrial Complex
Immediately downgraded to a Minor Factory once captured

Minor Factory:
Produces up to 3 units
Maximum damage 6
Unoperational at 3 damage
May only build units that cost 10 IPCs or less
May be purchased at a cost of 12 IPCs
May be placed on any territory with an IPC value of 2 or greater.
May be upgraded to a Major factory for 10 IPCs*

There are only two conditions in which a nation may upgrade a production unit:

*1. The original owner of a territory containing a minor factory may upgrade it to a major factory for 10 IPCs, but only if the minor factory in question was already downgraded from a major factory or Industrial Complex due to capture.

2. Once they are at war, the United States may immediately upgrade all their major factories to industrial complexes free of charge.

The United Kingdom

The British economy is no longer split between London and Calcutta, instead, the United Kingdom collects only one income for all territories owned on the map with London as it’s capital. The UK must relinquish all IPCs each time an Axis power captures London, however, the UK may retain all IPC’s if Calcutta is captured, as it is no longer a capital city.

The Commonwealth

At the beginning of the game, one of the following two options must be chosen by the player, or players controlling the Allied powers.

Commonwealth Option #1

All territories with an ANZAC and Canadian roundel on them will now be know as the Commonwealth. This new nation will replace ANZAC in the game round sequence, and all British beige starting units on Canadian territories must now be replaced with ANZAC gray pieces (including the sea units in sea zone #106). This power’s starting income will be 17 IPCs, and the United Kingdom’s will be 38 IPCs.

Commonwealth Option #2

All territories with an ANZAC and Canadian roundel on them, as well as South Africa, South West Africa, Newfoundland, and Eire will now be know as the Commonwealth. This new nation will replace ANZAC in the game round sequence, and all British beige starting units on Canadian and South African territories must now be replaced with ANZAC gray pieces (including the sea units in sea zones #106 and #71). This power’s starting income will be 20 IPCs, and the United Kingdom’s will be 35 IPCs.

Political Situation

The Commonwealth nation is at war with Germany and Italy, and neutral with Japan to start the game, they may not collect national objectives until they are at war with all the Axis powers. The Commonwealth nation does not have a capital, and as long as the Commonwealth controls Ottawa and/or Sydney, they may collect an income and build units. However, if both Ottawa and Sydney are under enemy control, the Commonwealth must immediately relinquish all IPCs to the bank, and remove their roundel from the income tracker until at least 1 of these two original victory cities are liberated.

Map Board Adjustments

_If you are using a G40 2nd Edition map and playing option #1, you must put a commonwealth roundel on Western Canada.

If you are using a G40 2nd Edition map and playing option #2, you must put a commonwealth roundel on Western Canada, as well as South Africa, South West Africa, Newfoundland, and Eire._

National Objectives

All national objectives for the United Kingdom and ANZAC have been removed, and are now replaced with the following:

United Kingdom:

5 IPCs if the United States are at war with the Axis powers
5 IPCs if the Allies control Gibraltar, Egypt, India, and Malaya
5 IPCs if there are no Axis Submarines in the Atlantic (any sea zone west of Denmark and Gibraltar straits including #128 and #127)

Commonwealth:

5 IPCs if the Commonwealth controls all their original territories
5 IPCs if the Allies control Borneo, Sumatra, Java, and Celebes
5 IPCs if the Commonwealth has at least 1 land unit on an original German territory

Setup Modifications

• All minor industrial complexes now become major factories
• The major industrial complex in India now becomes a major factory

[Young Grasshopper]

Sorry, didn’t mean to lock the thread… it’s open now.

WE JUST HIT +10… WOW!

[Witt]

F**k me!
Fantastic achievment.

[Young Grasshopper]

@wittmann:

F**k me!
Fantastic achievment.

Awesome eh?

+11 now…

:-o

[Young Grasshopper]

+16

…are you freaking kidding me? I won’t be changing a single word on the Halifax rule document in post #1 …ever!

well… I may have added this for clarification purposes:

“Minor factories that have been purchased and placed on the board my never be upgraded”.

OK, starting…… NOW!

Krieghund, how many votes will it take for you to endorse this?

[baron Münchhausen]

It is actually +17. WOW!

There is maybe something that should be watch carefully during playtests.
I was thinking about the multi-nations assaults on Germany.
Halifax rules adds Canada in the equation, it means UK, USA and Canada can attack in sequence before Germany get a chance to react.
Maybe it is an Achilles heels, so it becomes the most viable KGF strategy.
How is this advantage have an impact over the longer game?
Does Australia and South Africa draining too much IPCs to be really relevant?
Or letting Canada draining all IPCs makes it for a quicker, unstoppable Allies Victory?

[Young Grasshopper]

@Baron:

It is actually +17. WOW!

There is maybe something that should be watch carefully during playtests.
I was thinking about the multi-nations assaults on Germany.
Halifax rules adds Canada in the equation, it means UK, USA and Canada can attack in sequence before Germany get a chance to react.
Maybe it is an Achilles heels, so it becomes the most viable KGF strategy.
How is this advantage have an impact over the longer game?
Does Australia and South Africa draining too much IPCs to be really relevant?
Or letting Canada draining all IPCs makes it for a quicker, unstoppable Allies Victory?

Good point, it’s the old “do I split the income, or divide the income” question. This has not been an issue with our play test games so far, however, as the Allies strategize further to try and gain an advantage using Halifax rules, I could see a triple can opener being a threat. I believe the Allied presence in the Pacific theater would be less than strong, and Germany would need to really defend Denmark eliminating their Moscow crush option. From what I’ve seen so far, the Allies have been unable to generate sizable multi-national forces to do much, it’s almost as if some monies and territories were shuffled around having little effect on the strong opening strategies of the Axis.

However, if the Allies could get their act together to build and move cohesively, they might be able to turn these rules into something positive for themselves. I’ve been holding off on giving the Allies extra stuff, or taking away Japanese planes for the hope that the Allies can break the Axis status quo attacks. Therefore, I would be OK with this type of problem… because just like the Axis standard moves for success, the player needs to execute properly in order for it to work, and so many things can happen when trying to organize something as large as operation overlord. I think like all of us, I would be worried about the prospect of the “just do this, and this and you’ll win” strategy… but we need more play testing from more experienced players.

[Black_Elk]

For sure, I didn’t even notice their was an option to do the little “arrow up” until you mentioned it. I took us up to lucky 13  :-D

I think there is just a lot of core ideas in this thread that are very appealing to me. It provides a basic structure that I just enjoy a lot more, and which seems to afford some interesting opportunities to innovate and build upon. I love for example, that this mod gives me a way to ditch the UK Pacific, while at the same time bringing the Commonwealth up to par. This coupled with the production aspect makes this variant ideal for what I like to do with A&A games.

I think we’ve only just scratched the surface in terms of its strategic potential. I know in my first serious face to face game, my friend Jennifer really wanted to bolster Australia at the outset, which was fun. But I am probably more intrigued by the Atlantic, and potential for a dual theater game. It has long been my desire to see an A&A set up that encourages this, and Halifax gets pretty close. Granted I am also using a fair amount of modification and tweaking on things like income and objectives, (not least of which being a tweak in turn order, and other things I have been exploring) but even then, the core rules outlined in this thread just seem to fit much more comfortably for me. Its a happier starting point for me, than the OOB game, so I’m really grateful that it now exists.

Thanks a lot to everyone who has commented here, and especially to young grasshopper for working to stitch things together here and make it a more cohesive system of HRs. I hope a lot of people will give it a shot

[toblerone77]

YG you and others have really been hard at work and easily deserved the +1. I have not been following this work as closely due to work and my own projects. Namely I am trying to get a solid war games group going and am working hard to recruit close friends and family to help get this going. Eventually I want to have a podcast based on a monthly weekend meet-up of popular war-based board games.

More on topic I see with this and other projects, a rebirth of what made this franchise so great! Kudos.