Larry talks about France

Larry Harris on http://www.harrisgamedesign.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=2411

Hi UN Spacy,
Is France a speed bump ….? Well if it is it’s got to be the biggest speed bump I’ve ever seen in Axis & Allies. Does 2 destroyers, 2 cruisers, 12 infantry, 2 artillery, a fighter and a tank, along with elements of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) sound like a speed bump to you? Remember, this is the force that France begins the game with, and the game begins after Dunkirk. As we begin the game most of the French army has already been chewed up on the flat fields of Belgium and Northern France.

I know the French navy is probably under represented in the game. For balance and playability it had to have a smaller foot print. As for Vichy France, I consider that to have been a Nazi ploy forced on France. As such it has more political implications than military and to have it in the game would cause more confusion than it was worth. That’s exactly what the Nazis designed it to do - confuse. I decided that the game did not have to have this event represented in the game. The game was going to be confusing enough as is. :D Furthermore, the implementation of the Vichy government occurred after the game’s starting date.

If you are controlling France, and if you are so inclined – go ahead and sign an armistice and install a poppet French government in Vichy and do exactly what your Nazi poppet master tells you to do. Be sure to add to you house rule, however, that France can’t build new armies… The vast majority of the French would have nothing to do with it.

France will fall… Paris will be captured unless something goes very wrong with the dice or the German player fails to invest enough units into the capture of the territory. The war does go on, however. The Free French units will play an important role in the allies effort to win this game. AND…. If and when Paris is liberated, France will not only once again have its own economy re-established but will benefit from a surge of 4 new French infantry units that suddenly appear on the territory containing the city of lights.

Hey Oztea … Sorry man. France and Western Germany do touch each other… I’ve managed to disappoint you once again I’m afraid. :wink:

Apparently, France has no transports.

Time to guess the setup. We have 12 inf, 2 art, 1 tank, 1 ftr, 2 DD, 2 CC

Paris will probably have 4 inf, art, tank, ftr
Britanny will have 2 inf, 1 art
Vichy will have 1 inf
5 inf are scattered in Africa and Middle East

1 DD/1 CC in the Atlantic; another set in the Med

@Dylan:

France is too powerful  :-o

:? :? :? :? :? :? :? :? :?
Germany will probably be able to attack France with about 20 inf, 5 art, 5 mech, 3 tanks, 6 ftrs, 6 tacs, 3 bombers

As you can see, I fail at quoting someone from another place. Can someone tell me how to do this?

@UN:

@calvinhobbesliker:

As you can see, I fail at quoting someone from another place. Can someone tell me how to do this?

Your problem is that you put a slash (/) on your first quote thingy.

So it should be just

TEXT

[quote.]

(first box without the dot in it)

Also yes, I am surprised he answered. I would have thought he would have been busy with preping for GenCon.

Thanks for the help  :-)

@UN:

@LHoffman:

@UN:

No problemo. These quote things are quite wonky.

I wonder if that was the set-up for just Metropolitan France? Maybe he didn’t list the units that are spread throughout the French Empire? 'Cause I asked whether or not they’d  be a speedbump in France proper, not the entire Empire.

Are you thinking French Indo-China will have 1 or 2 infantry. I don’t see how France could have 12 infantry in France proper… doesn’t that seem like a lot?

If that’s the case, I’d say 6 in Paris, 3 or 4 in Brittany and 2 or 3 in Vichy
Well, 12 infantry split between Vichy, the Paris territory, and Normandy, all defending against what will probably be a massive Wehrmacht onslaught, supported by tactical bombers, and then there’s the Italians you have to worry about…

@LHoffman:

@UN:

@LHoffman:

@UN:

No problemo. These quote things are quite wonky.

I wonder if that was the set-up for just Metropolitan France? Maybe he didn’t list the units that are spread throughout the French Empire? 'Cause I asked whether or not they’d  be a speedbump in France proper, not the entire Empire.

Are you thinking French Indo-China will have 1 or 2 infantry. I don’t see how France could have 12 infantry in France proper… doesn’t that seem like a lot?

Well, 12 infantry split between Vichy, the Paris territory, and Normandy, all defending against what will probably be a massive Wehrmacht onslaught, supported by tactical bombers, and then there’s the Italians you have to worry about…

Okay… fair enough. I am only assuming that Calvin agrees with you. I forgot there were 3 French territories in France.

I don’t know if I agree. I would prefer the 12 inf in France itself instead of almost half of them scattered, but I think it’ll be scattered