The following concept was originally outlined in my group for use in “Same Time” G40, but could be adapted for a game with a normal turn order too.
In any game with a turn order or sequence of nations in turn, you will always have a multi nation can opener as an option to exploit. These ideas don’t totally get rid of the concept unless the turn order is collapsed, but with a turn order what they will do is encourage nations to work in their own theater of operations, rather that totally focused on the can opening role for the ally.
Basically the way we worked it, only units which have not already participated in combat may participate in a Blitz.
Blitz: a special attack move that occurs during the combat phase.
On land this move is initiated by armor. Any armor which hasn’t attacked already and has sufficient movement may “punch through” a newly captured territory immediately after it is taken to attack an adjacent territory. This Armor may be paired with Mech Infantry 1:1 on the blitz, provided that mech has sufficient movement and has not already joined a combat.
For air the idea is similar, except here it is the Tac B, which acts like armor in the skies over the blitzed territory. Any Tac B which has sufficient movement and has not already participated in a combat may support the blitz of armor or mech into an adjacent territory immediately after the initial combat. This is to highlight the role of this air unit in blitz support and to expand its unique role in the unit roster. Option: After the Blitz concludes any surving Tac Bs are eligible to land in the territory “through which” the blitz was conducted. This is the only instance where an air unit may land in a newly conquered enemy territory, and is a special feature of the Blitz move. Option: allow fighters to pair with Tac Bs 1:1 on a Blitz maneuver, similar to the way mech may pair with armor. I’m not convinced it is necessary to include fighters, as the TacBs alone could be potent enough, but a 1:1 option seems optimal if you wish to allow fighters in the blitz actions.
Finally at sea, the cruiser is given a unique ability to “break pickets” and conduct a naval blitz. Any cruiser which hasn’t already participated in combat, may “break through” into an adjacent naval space to conduct a clearing action. This move is to highlight the cruisers speed and maneuverability, and offer it a unique move to justify it’s cost at twelve. Just like on land, Tac Bs may be used to join in the naval blitz, again providing they have not already been in combat.
Note how in each case, in order to blitz, you must hold units in reserve with sufficient movement. A blitz is not so much a “double attack” by the same units that conquered the initital territory, but a special attack by units dedicated to this purpose. So you must hold these units back, not used in the initital combat. This provides an element of risk to the play, to counter balance it’s obvious advantage to the attacker.
Only by restricting the blitz in this way (units that have not already participated in combat) can you prevent abuse or prevent having every combat phase turn into a endless series of blitzes. Under this concept of blitzing, you must have a separate group of units available and assigned to the blitz. The blitz into an adjacent territory or sz must be declared immediately upon taking the initital “transit territory.” You roll the blitz battle before moving on to conduct any further battles in the round.
Note that in each case, whether with Armor or TacBs or Cruisers, the player must use higher value units to activate the special blitz attack. Again this is to prevent the blitz from becoming overly potent, and to prevent it from just becoming “the standard” type of combat.
To activate a Blitz, means exposing your Tanks, Tacs, or cruisers to additional risk, for the additional potential payoff. Armor boosts Mech and TacBs, so it makes sense that these three units be assigned the blitz role on land, with the option to allow fighters at 1:1 for each Tac involved in the blitz.
At sea the cruiser can blow past destroyer blocks, but again only by risking a high value unit. The cruiser may conduct bombardment or amphibious assault into unoccupied sz on the naval blitz. This is to encourage the purchase of this unit at the rather expensive cost of 12 ipcs, and to provide a naval equivalent to the “self can-opener” Blitz concept on land.
Also, because this kind of gameplay encourages players to “layer defense” and to risk more units in blitz actions, and because it makes “blocking and stalling” more difficult on the defender, it may be advisable to increase the overall money in play, either through NOs or other bonuses, to support the purchase of more units in total.
What do you guys think? I feel like this solution could work for G40.
