1942.2 New NAP, Soviet Japanese Non Aggression Pact

Edited based on feedback: I’d like to create a NAP that works for all World War 2 boards.

New NAP: Japan and the Soviet Union begin play with a Non Agression Pact in effect. The relevant nations may not attack into or fly over the other’s territory.

At any point, during either nation’s turn, before their purchase units phase, they may elect to “Break the Pact” with a simple declaration, for a cost in IPCs. These IPCs are immediately removed from the players treasury and returned to bank

The exact amount is still under consideration, but I am suggesting 20 ipcs or half  (50% rounded up) of the nation’s total cash on hand. Whichever is greater.

If a Nation does not declare their intention, but attacks anyway during the combat phase, then this is considered a “sneak attack” they will incur the following penalty: The aggressor may not collect income for that turn.

Seem reasonable?
:-D

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The original idea below. Changed based on further input.

I want a simplified Non Aggression Pact. I’ve suggested these rules before, but thought I’d do so again.

The Rule is fairly simple. The nation that breaks the pact grants a one time bonus to the opponent.

The nation being attacked may choose between +21 ipcs added immediately to income, or 7 infantry.
The infantry units can be placed immediately at the territory being attacked, or at any territory, under the nations control, whichever the player prefers (full placement).

If Japan attacks a red space, Russia gets +21 ipcs or 7 inf.

If Russia attacks a gold space, Japan gets +21 ipcs or 7 inf.

This rule effectively allows Russia to stack Bury and remain in place on R1, or withdraw, either way if Japan attacks them they gain an immediate warring advantage. It also makes Japan slightly more potent vs Russia in the case of a full KJF, as a counter balance. Both players have an incentive to avoid direct conflict immediately along their borders and to maintain the NAP for a time, but they do have the option to break it at any point, if they accept the consequences of going to war!

The option to immediately place infantry units allows for a quick response if desired, but if the force attacking is overwhelming you can choose to place the units at the capital, or save the cash for income. Only infantry units can be raised immediately this way, with the call to arms!

The lucky 7!  the Dread Reds to rescue? :-D

Or the 7 Samurai! Last hope of the Emperor! hehehe

If you choose to save your cash instead, you can purchase heavy equipment. But its all or nothing either 7 inf placed, or 21 ipcs saved. No splitting up the values. So it’s like choosing between the streets, or the banks.

Basically the goal here is to provide a simple in game consequence for breaking the NAP.

Predictably the first response would be dismissive :-D

I’m trying to find a carrot vs stick approach, as an alternative to the hard rules restriction approach.

The extra units/cash are an abstraction, they could represent many things, but their purpose here is more functional than narrative.

The way the optional NAP is handled in the 1941starter board (e.g. neither side can attack until a capital falls, as Flashman suggested here for 1942.2) is rather unpopular. I think players just don’t like being put in the straight jacket. And its also very hard to achieve a situation where a major capital is captured. By the time the capital falls, it’s usually too late anyway, and players just quit at that point, so the functional effect of the rule is that Japan and Russia can never attack each other. I think this is a bit extreme, for a boardgame that is supposed to create what if scenarios.

21 ipcs or 7 units is fairly major, it might not be enough of a deterrent to cover all situations, but it definitely gives the player pause. I think its important that the NAP work essentially the same way for both sides (for Russia and Japan) not with different consequences for each the way the situation is handled in G40 with Mongolia.

Basically the Russian defender has several options. Mobilize the inf units immediately in the territory being attacked by Japan. Mobilize the inf units along the border with Germany (as a way to “punish Japan’s teammate” which is a very strong deterrent.) Mobilize the units in a safe zone for counter attacks the following round. Or save the money and buy heavy equipment. The Japanese defender can do the same, in the much less likely KJF scenario.  This way both sides have a similar incentive to maintain the NAP, but still have the option to break it if they wish.

As for the specific numbers I chose them for a couple reasons, first because I think that the real advantage of the Japanese tank drive to Moscow is more positional than income oriented. When Japan stomps Russia it’s not so much the 5 spaces worth 1 ipc that they’re after, but rather a way to get their forward attack units closer to the center.  Under this rule Japan will have less incentive to drive across the northern route, and more incentive to push across China or the South, where it’s easier for them to converge their stacks. This means when they come rolling into Kazakh, Novos or Evenki they’ll likely be moving with a pretty large stack. By the time Japan breaks the NAP, the 7 inf or 21 ipcs the Russians will gain, equates to almost a full round’s worth of income, which I think is what would be required to prevent a simple steam roll.

In the KJF situation, the 7 inf/ 21 ipcs is really just a way to keep the Russian tanks from blitzing all over coastal china, after USA/UK can opens the area. What I’m really trying to avoid is the situation you see in Global, where Russia has no incentive to maintain the NAP, and just declares war against Japan in the first round, because there is no serious consequence for doing so. Here Russia would definitely stand to gain more by waiting, than attacking in the first or second round.

I went with 7 inf because, if Russia stacks bury with the 5 Far East infantry, that gives them a total of a dozen inf to face down a attack on J1/J2 (should they choose to rally the troops in Bury.) So they are able to stack defensively, but cannot really advance into Manchuria. It basically stalemates that northern border for a time. Alternatively, Russia could send these units into China (Mao style), where they can confront Japan indirectly on defense, instead of directly. I think this will make the NAP feel a bit more in tune with history, as opposed to an immediate all out conflict.

21 ipcs seemed to offer a few interesting options at purchase as well, as there are some nice combinations of units you could purchase for that amount.

Again this stuff is more abstract than one might prefer, but the trade-off and benefit is that its relatively simple to implement. You don’t have to explain things in terms of Mongolian units or whatever, its really just a gameplay driver meant to keep Japan off Russia’s back. Even in the KJF, the NAP still favors Russia over Japan (since Japan usually ends up adopting a strategy of stealing Russian cash or trying to operate up north as they lose ground in the south, and here that is clearly less advantageous.) So Russia has a strong incentive to just hold the line, and it’s Japan who stands to loose the most if the two nations go to war. Which fits I think with how most people see the history playing out. If Japan wants to say screw it, and crush the center, this means at least a 1 round set up to get into position, instead of just blowing the door open immediately, and then Russia gets a nice boost to help them deal with all the chaos that a center crush from Axis entails.

If the NAP is preserved, the income Russia will save each round, (since they don’t have to deal with a Japanese invasion from the rear) can be pretty significant. On R2 they will have 1-2 ipcs more than they usually do, on R3 they’ll have 2-4 ipcs more than they usually do, on R4 they may have 5-6 ipcs more than they usually do etc, which adds up over time.

I see what you’re getting at, but if you’re going for cost/benefit approach Axis and Allies is pretty limited in what we can use. You basically have IPCs, or units.

My concern with a more modest bonus, like 5 ipcs per round to both, so long as they’re not at war, is that it would likely not be enough to prevent Japan from just deciding to go all gangbusters immediately. And if you start raising the amount by much more, up to say 10 ipcs per round to make it more consequential, then you wind up with an amount comparable to the 21 ipcs I suggested after just a few rounds. Perhaps much more cash introduced than 21. And again the incentive for Japan to attack might even be higher, because they know that the money is more valuable to Russia than it is to them.

The issue I see with giving both nations a bonus, (as opposed to just the nation being attacked) is that then it becomes a wash. As Japan you figure, “well I’ll lose my bonus, but so will the other guy, and he needs the cash more than I do, so screw it, Invade!”
:-D

I guess an alternative to what I suggested would be a direct cost to the attacker, rather than a bonus to the defender. Something like, cost=X ipcs for breaking the NAP, immediately removed from the treasury and returned to the bank.  Where X is some amount large enough to actually make the player think twice.

The only kink there is that the attacker would have to save ipcs beforehand so that there’s actually something to take away. I guess that would be a little bit like the old Classic rules for invading neutrals, where you had to save 3 ipcs to do it. I guess here you’d want a much higher cost, like -20 ipcs to launch a sneak attack?

Perhaps something like that would be doable?

Ok I actually like that a lot better. I will edit the lead post of this thread once we figure it out.

Something like

Before the purchase phase, either player (Russia or Japan) can “break the NAP” for some amount in IPCs.

This could either be a set amount, like 20 ipcs, or it could be a percentage of their total cash, like  50%. Or perhaps either, whichever amount is greater.

This has the advantage of being a lot simpler to implement, and also somewhat more believable.  The cost in IPCs can be explained as shock to the economy and military expenditure from the sudden onset of war.

Now the trick is just to find the right amount. If done correctly this NAP system doesn’t need to be confined to 1942.2, it could work for Global, or Classic or Revised etc.

What do you like better… set amount? or percentage based? Or some kind of hybrid?
I can see advantages and disadvantages to either approach, but both still seem better to me than OOB with no NAP in play.

Ps. I redrafted the rule in the first post. What do you think?

Now that is a cool concept! And it has a gameplay element all its own.

I think this is what’s missing from the game. A reward penalty structure instead of hard rules to govern the politics. The NAP would be a good way to test the concept.

But it has potentially broader applications too. I like it!

Ps. I dig the regressive penalty, and the fact that it involves a roll.

I’m pro rolling.  :-D

One of the things I like to combat with HR is this idea that the game has to be one dimensional, or to do away with the idea that one side always wins, or “has to do such and such” lest they lose.

I think randomization (somewhere outside of combat but relating to income) is a good way to achieve that. If its beyond everyones control it’s harder to grumble about. SBR is a bit like this in the game, where you just gotta take it in stride if an aa gun hits, or a bomber rolls a six. This seems a bit like that, but expanded.

The “rally the militia” idea is cool. It reminds me of like a combination land-scramble/SBR run, where you’re hoping to hit a 6. I like that better than an auto 7, for the same reason I like rolling for the penalty.

Nice work dude. Thanks for the contribution!

I think I will try it next FtF game

Well the proposed rule had an emphasis on 1942.2, but if it works there I don’t see why something similar couldn’t be adopted for Global. In that game Japan doesn’t have as much to gain from going Godzilla against Russia (at least not until India/China are handled.) But the way that dance is achieved is pretty rules intensive, and it’s debatable how effective Mongolia is as a deterrent, once Japan is on the warpath everywhere else.