If Paris is taken on the first turn…and Germany likely gets the first turn…then why even have French forces on the board?
The Reason I prefer the map this way is three fold
1. The Battle of France……Germany can move units through the Low Countries, around the Maginot line, and eliminate British Re-enforcements. (Picardy, aka Ardennes Forest). A strong strike on the Maginot line can knock it out, or let it live, and watch it flounder trying to attack Picardy. It can pull back to Paris, (what they should have done) And draw the war out, so its best for Germany to kill it. The allies are left with a turn to panic, as Larry said “make decisions leaders made, for similar or different reasons”. Should the UK send the RAF to defend Paris? And leave itself near defenseless? Or, as they did…leave France to the wolves. Vichy exists for Italy to take…obviously Paris cant be in that territory too.
2. The Liberation of France…It was a huge headache for the Germans…where are the Allies going to land, Normandy, Vichy coast, Pais de Calles, The Low countries? What makes A&A Europe and A&A 50 so good is they offer more invasion options than revised, In A&A 1940, the bigger the better. Likewise during the Battle for Paris, the landings cant include the Paris territory, all that acward liberation mechanics, taking a factory and a VC from the coast.
3. The battle for Germany…The more territories between West Germany and the Paris territory the better…its bad taste for Factory territories to touch, it turns into an arms race, the Germans likeley having a 10 Unit IC, and the French might not be so fortunate. A giant Paris territory means units from West Germany can Liberate Paris in one move, and if the Paris territory is also a coastal territory, that means Germany can repulse a landing in France from its own soil, not fun in a larger scale game such as 1940.