AAHG40 - Historical Global Game Ver1 (Work in Process)

Hello,
      I am just working on some set-up and rule changes to the AAG40 game for those of us that are fanatical History Nuts.  I have been trying to follow the KISS theory and not get “TOO COMPLICATED” and make the changes a burden.  I am really just tweaking a really great game and hope at the end of the process to have a Scenario with adjustments and set-up charts.  I have tried to maintain balance where ever possible while trying to create some Historical flavor and aspects that I feel the regular game was missing.

In the end it is just a GAME and not a Historical Simulator but I thought it would be fun and interesting to try and do this.  For me it is all about the interesting possibilities that are lost without a few changes.

I will have to play-test these with my Game Group several times but it is of course a Labour-of-Love.
NOTE: THIS IS STILL IN THE TESTING AND DEVELOPMENT PHASE

Here are my ideas so far…

THE CASE OF FRANCE

I feel that France is just a “road bump” in this game and really does not pay tribute to the Contribution to Allied victory made by Frenchmen and Colonial subjects Worldwide. In all the games I have played France has been all but wiped out by turn 2/3.  However FREE FRENCH all over the globe were gathering and fighting for final victory throughout the war.  During the last half of the war their numbers were growing.  This sadly is not played out in the Game.

The Growing FREE FRENCH

I have given France the ability to build new units even though Paris is under the Axis boot.  They are produced in the same way Chinese Forces are produced in AA50 (With revision) For every 4 territories France can build ONE INFANTRY unit.  MAX ONE unit can be placed per territory.  This will recreate the slow build of FREE FRENCH forces coming from all over the Empire but not allow them to over power the Axis at any one point alone.  Indeed they will sometimes be a burden to the Western Allies as they may need to be Transported around etc… as was the case.

The French did indeed have a substantial Military Force in INDO-CHINA as they were fighting the Communists in the Second Indo-China War in 1940.  I have represented this by adding 1 INF to the territory

The French Navy

The French Navy in the Med is much too weak and like the Forces in metropolitan France… Just a road bump.  It was a formidable fleet! And even though much of it was destroyed or damaged by the British, the 1 CR and 1 DD are much too weak.  I have added 1 TR and 1 SS to this fleet (They will never get used otherwise).  this still makes it a target for the Axis but gives the French ONE CHANCE to have a TR and a SS in the game.

The key French Naval Base of Dakar in West Africa was also missing from the game.  As there is little action in the South Atlantic this makes no difference to Game Play but opens some interesting Strategic Options to the Allies or Axis if it comes into Play.

I have also added 1 DD off the coast of FRENCH INDO-CHINA to represent the small Cruiser fleet that was there in 1940.

CHANGES:

1 TR in SZ 93
1 SS in SZ 93
1 DD in SZ 36
1 NAVAL BASE in FRENCH WEST AFRICA (Dakar)
1 INF in FRENCH INDO-CHINA

ANZAC and the DESERT RATS

I think we were all happy to see that ANZAC unit added in Egypt but I think it was too little.  The ANZAC forces made a HUGE contribution to the North African campaign during the Early War period.  In fact they had a complete Army Corp there that was later used for the Defense of Crete.  The addition of one ANZAC infantry to the Alexandria Force gives the ANZAC player more options and a greater contribution than the one unit given at start-up.

CHANGES:

1 INF in ALEXANDRIA

UNITED KINGDOM “FORTRESS MALTA”

There was great disappointment at the small (if any) role played my MALTA in the new game. Considering the important base that MALTA became and the role the island played in hampering AXIS logistics to Africa it deserved the CHANCE to make a difference.  I did not go so far as to give MALTA an Air Base as that would allow fighters to Scramble but giving MALTA one British Fighter alerts the UK player to the option of building one. It also distracts and worries the Italian player as it should.

CHANGES:

1 FTR on MALTA

THE CASE FOR ITALY

Although ITALY faced poor fortune During the war it did not always seem that way.  ITALY was considered a Major European Power at the time… even if their might was over rated by friends and foes.  The Italian Fleet was one of the finest at the time with modern equipment.  During the early war the British were very afraid of the Italian Navy and were often out gunned. During the 1940-1941 Desert campaign the Italians pushed the British Empire troops back to Egypt and often out numbered them.  In addition when Mussolini ordered his ill-fated invasion of GREECE, he had modern and adequate forces for the job.  It was often poor tactics, worn out equipment or just plain bad luck that found the Italians of the Early war in defeat.  They were a REAL threat.

The ITALIAN NAVY

What kind of navy is made up of only Capitol Ships!?!?!  The Italian Navy of both AA50 and AAG40 are powerful but made up mostly of CR and BB.  No navy has a chance if there are not support vessels and screens.  Considering ITALY has such a poor income this had to be rectified.  The Addition to the French Navy and the MALTA Squadron also had to be balanced.

MUSSOLINI’S ARMIES

In both the Early War Desert Campaign and in the invasion of GREECE, The Italian troops outnumbered the defenders.  The Italian forces should be given a chance to fail. Also balance was considered when having FRANCE build additional FREE FRENCH units that would be most likely deployed in Africa, and the addition of the extra ANZAC division at start-up.

CHANGES:

1 DD in SZ 95
1 SS in SZ 97
1 INF in ALBANIA
1 INF in LIBYA

THE CASE FOR THE AFRIKA KORPS

One of the most fascinating episodes of the Second World war was the Desert campaign.  It just does not feel the same without ROMMEL and his troops aiding the Italian forces.  I found that this was well represented in AA50 which gave Germany a token force and Germany a small Mediterranean Naval presence.  In  AAG40 it is almost impossible to get German troops to the North African front let alone build the logistics needed.  Even though it is a German NO, the unit is often shipped over on an Italian ship (if there is one!).  Giving the Germans the possibility of involvement in this theater was a major problem that needed to be fixed.

The additional French naval units, FREE FRENCH units and MALTA Squadron also needed to be balanced.  The German naval presence also needed to be addressed.

CHANGES:

1 DD im SZ 97
1 TR in SZ 97

TOKYO EXPRESS AND JAPANESE “BLITZKRIEG”

It has often been expressed that Japan is short of Transports in the Pacific.  In addition to balancing the French presence in INDO-CHINA, an additional Japanese Transport was needed if Japan should attempt all the historical objectives that were actually attacked in DEC 1941.

CHANGES:

1 TR in SZ 19

SUMMARY OF AAGH40 Ver1 SET-UP CHANGES

FRANCE

1 TR in SZ 93
1 SS in SZ 93
1 DD in SZ 36
1 NAVAL BASE in FRENCH WEST AFRICA (Dakar)
1 INF in FRENCH INDO-CHINA

ANZAC

1 INF in ALEXANDRIA

UNITED KINGDOM

1 FTR on MALTA

ITALY

1 DD in SZ 95
1 SS in SZ 97
1 INF in ALBANIA
1 INF in LIBYA

GERMANY

1 DD in SZ 97
1 TR in SZ 97

JAPAN

1 TR in SZ 19

The Historical Rules Update/Variant will follow shortly

@calvinhobbesliker:

Is this for OOB or alpha setup?

ALPHA Set-up.  With the changes made to AAP40

HISTORICAL RULES CHANGES 1

RUSSO-JAPANESE NON-AGGRESSION TREATY

An interesting aspect of the AAG40 game is the Non-aggression pact between USSR and IMPERIAL JAPAN.  Although I was happy to see this rule, it fails in regular play as war is ALWAYS declared.  Having the USSR and JAPAN fighting even before Pearl Harbor seems funny to us History Nuts so I decided it needed to be harder for these powers to break this Treaty… although not impossible as we all want to explore the “what ifs”.

SPECIAL RULES:

JAPAN MAY NOT COLLECT ANY IPCS FOR USSR TERRITORIES CAPTURED
USSR MAY NOT COLLECT ANY IPCS FOR JAPANESE TERRITORIES CAPTURED

5 INFANTRY UNITS “MOBILIZE” FOR THE DEFENDER AT EACH POINT OF ATTACK DURING THE FIRST ASSAULT BREAKING THE TREATY
i) 5 INFANTRY UNITS “MOBILIZE” IN Manchuria AND Korea if USSR ENTERS CHINA TO DECLARE WAR

HISTORICAL RULE CHANGES 2

ALLIED AND AXIS INTRIGUE IN SOUTH AMERICA

The Additional of Neutrals to the game was one of the most exciting updates in the series.  The Rules concerning STRICT NEUTRALS have very harsh consequences for any player who actually brings a non-allied Neutral into play, making it not very common.  One of the most neglected areas of the AAA game board has always been SOUTH AMERICA.  Players may feel that the actual intrigue and Alliances of the South American Nations are not fully represented in the current AAG40 rules set.  To make this a more interesting continent I have come up with the following rules to open up many “What if” possibilities

BRAZIL and ARGENTINA are “Special Cases” with their Neutrality.  BRAZIL remains Pro-Allied but ARGENTINA becomes Pro-Axis.  However they are both “STRICT NEUTRALS” in a sense. By bringing one to your side, you can not use their forces to attack their neighbor without upsetting the other Neutrals and causing the War to spread to South America.

SPECIAL RULE:

ARGENTINA ACTS LIKE A PRO-AXIS NEUTRAL, BUT IF ATTACKED BY THE ALLIES; ALL OTHER STRICT NEUTRALS BECOME “PRO-AXIS”
BRAZIL ACTS LIKE A PRO-ALLIED NEUTRAL, BUT IF ATTACKED BY THE AXIS; ALL OTHER STRICT NEUTRALS BECOME “PRO-ALLIED”

HISTORICAL RULE CHANGES 3

UNITED STATES “GEAR UP FOR WAR”

_There as been some argument over the industrial power of the United States as represented in this game.  There is no argument that more war material was produced in the United States than any other Nation during the period BUT, the USA starts the war in full production swing.  Much of the munitions and war material produced in the United States prior to Pearl Harbor was sent to support the other Allies and is represented in this game in their armies even before the US entered the fray.  Every Allied Nation used US war goods during the Second World War.

In AAG40 the United States can enter the War on turn 3 with larger Navies, Bigger Armies and Air Forces than all the Axis powers.  This was not the case.  On December 7th 1941 the full war economy of the United States was not even at HALF its full potential.  The SELECTIVE SERVICE ACT had brought in recruits that needed to be trained and equipped.  All the Allies INCLUDING the United States of America were on the Defensive until 1942.  Although there were some victories for the Allies (Midway/Guadalcanal) the Americans always had inferior numbers to the Axis.  Historically the Allies should still be playing a co-ordinated defense when the USA comes into play, and the Axis are playing for TIME as the Industrial might of the United States comes to bear and the Allies take to the offensive._

To make this work I have given the United States a “graduated” IPC income for the first 3 turns.  This will mean they can be prepared for war but not ready to land in Europe or Push to the Sea of Japan directly after they enter the war.  This gives the Americans a 30-109 IPC drop in the first 3 turns depending on when they are brought into the war by the Axis

SPECIAL RULE:

USA STARTS WITH 20 IPC
TURN ONE: USA COLLECTS 25 IPCS
TURN TWO: USA COLLECTS 35 IPCS
TURN THREE: USA COLLECTS 45 IPCS
TURN FOUR: USA COLLECTS 52 IPCS (Normal Value)

USA STILL COLLECTS +30 IPCS IF AT WAR

@Flashman:

Italian Navy

I really think ships in port rules are the only thing that will prevent navies being sunk on the first two turns.  Without this they are simply too vulnerable to aircraft.

US Build UP

Simpler to make US factories minor until at war.

Free French

If anything they are over represented, since all surviving French units are assumed to be Allied, with the considerable Vichy French forces entirely absent.  All FF fought effectively under UK command, as did the large Free Polish forces, which are not represented.  The Western Allied forces are fragmented enough already.

Other things needed for historicity:

No new factories, no use of captured factories

Unlimited rail movement during NCM; i.e. all land movements between war zones used this method and should therefore all land units should have the same movement

Collect money at start of turn rather than “money grab” attacks

Defender retreats

Thank you for your insight on this project.  I am trying to keep it simple… rather than change the rules all together.  Some of your suggestions are MAJOR changes to the game.