Simply malicious.

@taschuler:

Keep the US turn 3 DOW in the income phase but remove the US enters the war if the Japanese invade the DEI. If Japan directly attacks a UK or ANZAC controlled territory the US can declare war. So if the UK or ANZAC don’t take over any dutch controlled territories, then the US won’t care if the Japanese do. Why would the average American (and for that matter their Congressmen) in 1940 care if the Japanese invaded an island they never heard of? Now if the Japanese attack UK or ANZAC forces, they would care more.

To represent the relative isolastionistic attitude of the US public opinion you could randomise the declaration of war. For example: If Japan invades DEI or attacks UK/ANZAC in J1, the American player rolls a die and if its 2 or less the enter the war. Same thing with Japanese aggression in J2, but war starts with a score from 4 or less. But with off course the exceptions of the above mentioned “triggerpoints” (invasion of or aggression towards Calcutta, Australia or American Homeland, etc … I would leave China out of it, as it was “between Asians”). This allows the Japanese player to act more swiftly and offensively. Under normal circumstances the American is too eager to enter the war, and it never really is a choice. This rule could avoid the aspect of “choice-not-being-a-choice” and the Japanese can’t the the outcome in advance. It’s just a suggestion. We never played it this way.

Impressive.

The only problem here is that the USA-player will never stay passive when Japan invades DEI. There hardly ever is an imminent threat to him and by entering the war he can take up a more active role in the game. In real life the American Public Opinion was more isolastionistic and therefore the politicians weren’t eager to go to war (unless the nation itself was attacked as happened at Pearl Harbor). So maybe here is a nice optional rule: When Japan attacks the ANZAC/UK at J1, the Americans role a single die and when it hits 2 or less they enter the war. When Japan declares war on J2, the Americans again role a die and when it hits 4 or less the Americans go to war. After J3 America automatically opens the Pacific theatre. Maybe, or maybe not.