I have read this thread and I have to chuckle as I think people have lost the purpose of the bid. People are concerned about how the placement of immediate units imbalances the game but who allowed that opponent to walk off with so much cash in the bid.

If I think I can win with the axis straight up (no bid) when why would I bid more than zero? The bid is like “name that tune” where you challange your opponent to beat you with less. I am reading bids of 12 or more and I think that is nuts (who allows someone to walk off with 12 IPCs? I wanna play you!)

As for the play testers, Larry Harris is far from perfect. I know far more complicated systems that let have huge amounts of play testers and even they let some things through.

Over all, I like the bid system for if you really want to play the axis…bid low!

@CalmDragon:

@Woodstock:

Another one:

IJN?

Initial Japanese Navy?

Close, try Imperial

Got ya…makes  a lot more sense…d’oh.

@Lema099:

And his scale may(?) be more based on movement/production rates rather than speed of play.

This makes common sense. I discussed this issue with Larry, and will edit in a link later. But the importent here is the production rate. The ship movement dont fit into this, because it took 12 days to cross the Atlantic, not 3 months.

When it comes to speed of play, as you put it, that is very a difficult issue. In the 1939 startline we had no guarantee that WW II would go on for 5 years. If UK, France, USA and Russia had attacked Germany in 1939, then the war would have lasted 1 year, because of an alternate decision. If Hitler had not done all his mistakes, the war might have lasted for 10 years. Just look at the Vietnam war, that lastet for 20 years, in one tiny territory. And the Iraq war 1990 lastet 100 days. The speed of production are fixed, the speed of movement and play are not.

@sala33:

*Battleship/Cruise bombarbment: If you have only ONE transporter, and in support 7 Battleships and 5 Cruisers, do all Battleships and Crusisers take place in the shore Bombarbment?

And if your transporter has your infintry and a friendly tank, do all the units get off loaded in that turn?
If so, does the friendly unit then fight with your attack on the land, or does it stay out of the battle till that players turn

When a shore bombarbment takes place and the attacker hits defending shore units, do the shore units get a chance to fire back, or are they taken off the board straight away?

1.  No.  The number of bombardments you have is limited to the number of ground troops you bring. (One transport = 2 bombards MAX).
2.  No.  Only your infantry can unload this turn.  You have to wait for your friendly ally’s turn for him to unload.
3.  Yes, they do get to fire back.

US starts low on troops and action, Japan has almost no effect (once had +70, but could harm moscow only a little bit, by SBR), chinese get wiped out

UK: has some good lookin ships
Germany: nice tanks, can i borrow them?
USSR: more inf!
Italy: small but fun

Yeah, didn’t see that thread was moved back until after I posted, but I thought I had seen mention of a UK bonus for controlling sea zones somewhere other than Lynxes’ post, such as one of the people that posted after seeing the game at Gen Con, I suppose I was mistaken though.

I am beginning to wonder if the Heavy Bomber rule that has some people bent so out of shape is in there to compensate for the large boost that attaining National Objectives gives the Axis.  As a guess, it is going to be easier for the Axis to attain their objectives, and more productive to them than for the Allies to attain their objectives, which do not appear to give them anywhere the same boost.