Combined Attacks

[hotspurs18]

Does anyone know of a house rule that allows for combined attacks between 2 different powers?  For example, a D-Day like invasion using UK and US forces simultaneously.

On another note, is there a house rule that allows for the defending units in combat to retreat rather than fight to the death?  Any help would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks.

[hotspurs18]

My idea for the rule would allow for combined attacks, but any units involved in the combined attack would not be able to attack on their individual turn.  For example, if it is the UK’s turn, and they decide to invade Europe from the UK with help from the US, they would roll for their own attacking units and then the US player would roll for their units.  When the US turn comes up, whatever units still remaining from the combined attack with the UK could neither attack nor move.  Let me know what possible holes you see in this idea.

[Young Grasshopper]

Hey hotspurs, in my experience house rules like the one you’re suggesting become very powerful and will unbalance the game. At first glance it seems harmless enough, but savy experienced Allied players wound exploit it and find a way to overwhelm a beachhead and make it impossible for the Axis to take back. If you want muti national forces to work together, here’s one I think is simple enough.

Powers can use empty allied transports in a “bridge” role, meaning that the transports stay within the same seazone while land units use them as steping stones within the same turn. For example: the UK can use any American transports in SZ #110 to bridge troops from London into Normandy during their Combat movement phase, or non-combat movement phase. The Americans can use their transports on their turn within the same game round including moving them, but American transports may not move on UK turn.

[knp7765]

There was a rule in the first edition of Classic called “Commander In Chief”(CIC). The way it worked is one power on it’s collect income phase gets nominated “Commander In Chief” and stacks 3 control markers in that territory. Then it’s ally can leave more units and/or non-combat move units into that territory. Then on the first power’s next turn, that power can use all the units in that territory in the next combat move. Here’s an example:
The US has units in Great Britain and gets made CIC. On the UK’s turn, any units they want to include with the US forces can NOT do a combat move this turn. The UK can non-combat move some troops/equipment into that territory to join the US forces.
Then, on the next US turn, the US player can use all US forces and any UK forces that did NOT combat move on the UK turn. Thus, a big combined assault is created. Furthermore, I believe as long as the US has the 3 stacked control markers, the US can continue to use those UK troops in that assault force. In other words the stacked control markers move with the assault force. So if they went from Great Britain to Normandy, then the US can use the UK forces left in Normandy to make further attacks deeper into Europe.
On the next UK turn, I believe the UK can take it’s own forces out of the combined assault force to make it’s own attacks or leave them in the control of the CIC.
If both powers’ aircraft were included under the CIC, of course they would have to land back in Great Britain and I believe the UK aircraft would fall back under UK control because the control marker stack would no longer be in Great Britain.
I think there was a rule where only one CIC per country could be in use at one time, OR it may have been one CIC per side. I can’t remember which. Either way that meant that you couldn’t have US leading UK troops all over the world.
This CIC rule also worked for the Axis. Of course, back during Classic you only had Germany and Japan so not a lot of chances for combined operations, but in Global 40 I could easily see some situations where Germany was leading Italian forces.
When they came out with the 2nd edition of Classic, one of the main changes was eliminating the CIC rule. I guess it just became too overpowered. Funny that they kept the 3 dice Heavy Bomber Tech because that was a game breaker. Someone gets that tech at the right time and it was practically game over.

Personally, I would like to see a CIC rule back in place. Under certain conditions I think it could be a cool rule but not so overpowered.

[knp7765]

@Young:

Hey hotspurs, in my experience house rules like the one you’re suggesting become very powerful and will unbalance the game. At first glance it seems harmless enough, but savy experienced Allied players wound exploit it and find a way to overwhelm a beachhead and make it impossible for the Axis to take back. If you want muti national forces to work together, here’s one I think is simple enough.

Powers can use empty allied transports in a “bridge” role, meaning that the transports stay within the same seazone while land units use them as steping stones within the same turn. For example: the UK can use any American transports in SZ #110 to bridge troops from London into Normandy during their Combat movement phase, or non-combat movement phase. The Americans can use their transports on their turn within the same game round including moving them, but American transports may not move on UK turn.

Hey YG. Personally, I think bridging like that would be more overpowering than a CIC ability. I think it would make it too easy for the Allies to take Normandy and make it basically un-re-takeable  for the Axis.

[toblerone77]

I thought a cool HR or NA would be to let the allies once per game after a certain round allow the US and UK make a single combined assault across the channel without transports or with boosted transport capacity once per game. Never fleshed it out, but this topic strikes a chord with me.

[General 6 Stars]

I would have it where 1 combined attack only ( anytime ) with troops having to be on transports or a ground attack.

[toblerone77]

One of the biggest problems I have with later iterations of the game is that it seems that the US/UK D-Day scenario is unlikely. The mechanics in this game would allow for some type of “Event/Attack” achieved through meeting objectives or game time to give a special advantage.

I’ve never thoroughly fleshed out my ideas. It would be nice to incorporate a system where players could give their nation a historical/what-if boost that would deviate from the “standardized” strategies that seem to be played out.

[Narvik]

@toblerone77:

One of the biggest problems I have with later iterations of the game is that it seems that the US/UK D-Day scenario is unlikely. The mechanics in this game would allow for some type of “Event/Attack” achieved through meeting objectives or game time to give a special advantage.

Yes, me too got the impression of close cooperation between the Western Allies during the D-day landings and battle of Normandy. This is true to the English language part of the world like USA, Britain, Canada and ANZAC forces, but also French and Polish forces did sail on British ships and got close air support from US aircrafts. If matched with an A&A game it looks like this turn was an All Allied move and attack together turn.

But, if you want to change the game turn system and gather all the western Allies, like USA, UK, ANZAC and France, into one player with separate economies, but let them move and attack as one, not for one special turn only, but during the whole game from turn 1 to the end, then we must either change the combat mechanic or the Western Allies will not benefit from the can opener tactic. Of course we could let Germany and Italy be one player with separate economies too, but that would not be true if we claim a link to the real war, since Germany and Italy never cooperated in the real war. Even the joint amphibious assault on Crete could not be claimed to be a joint operation, since the Italian infantry come in Italian ships that were sunk before the reached the island, while the German paratroopers jumped from German aircrafts.

The allied D-day was different from Crete, since US, Canadian, French and Polish infantry sailed on British ships and got shore bombard support from British ships, while British and Canadian paratroopers jumped from US aircrafts, and all nations got close ground support from US aircrafts. Now that was a true joined operation.

I figure that a better game would have this turn sequence.
1. Euro Axis Germany and Italy
2. Commie world Russia and China
3. Japan
4. Western Allies US, UK, ANZAC, France

The different allies that share turn, have separate economies but move and attack together.
Allies from different Turns can share seazones but not share territories. UK units can liberate Russian territories, but never non-combat move into them. Same with Japan and Euro-Axis.

It could be like this, if not for all the Purist¨s