mike8472 said:
Well i have no problem unlike you with Italy and Germany allying in 36 becuase frankly i think UK is to strong. I just ran a test game and at the start of war in September 1939 i had the following forces.
40 Infantry all 39.
10 armoured divisions all lvl III mediums.
30 Interceptors all lvl IV
77 Destroyers with 40 of them being lvl IV destroyers.
9 Light carriers to be used with the DD as great ASW fleets.
8 CV's.
30 TPs
280 convoy ships built.
72 AA guns were built. Turning gibralter, malta, alexandria and all of southern england into formidable anit-air. These areas also had radars and all lvl 10 airfields.
By may 1940 i can either have 100 UK infantry or build 28 mortoried divisions and my current infantry. I will also have over 40 interceptors/fighters, 14 lvl II medium armoured divisions. 15 light carriers, 100 destroyers.
If you include the commowealth forces that i can use where ever i please in may of 1940 if paris falls around that time. Total UK forces that i can use are over 200 divisions + my armour. This does not include France or Poland, of course poland will fall in 39 but if france holds the allies could have nearly 300 divisions to use come may 1940.
Havin just run these test games im very suprised out how much the UK can build build in DD and how fast you can upgrade. I was upgrading my interceptors at 37% a day then it went to 24% for the next lvl. SO i upgraded my crappy interceptors to lvl III in just over a week. Even upgrading from lvl III interceptors to IV it went up at nearly 9% a day. As germany your luckly to get 3-4% when upgrading modern units.
Having now seen how powerful the UK can be i think our restrcitions on the axis are perhaps to sevre. Remeber gunny being a new german playing is facing a vetran soviet player in major. Im new to the UK but i can still see if there used right they can be very strong. I just dont want to see a one sides game and we may have based our decisions on games where it was the Uk players mistakes to a degree and not axis strength that has caused the balance issues.
Your 40 infantry divisions are nothing when you have to hold Gilbralter with at least 20 + divisions against a Human Spain player. Spread them around the beaches in case of German invasion. An invasion planned from 1936 can be hard to stop if you dont know its coming and you must also defend Eygpt and Gilbralter. You will have it easy as thsoe 20 extra divisions normally in Gilbralter are in other places. You can build a lot less by Septemebr 1939 then you can come May 1940.
Uk mistakes has contributed slightly in the past but how can they cope with such pressures to all their key areas with massed Axis forces against them. Its ok to say JH should have tanks in Gilbralter and another 15 UK divisions but then where does he get those from?
The imbalances in this game come from when we allow Non-Historical Allies from 1936 then restrict the UK to historical gearing limits which then forces them to face large and well tech Axis minors like Italy , Hungary and Nationlist Spain(also Spains geographical location makes it another advantage allowing easy access to UK convoys and forcing the UK to waste weeks transporting divisions to India or run the gauntlet down the Spanish coast). When the UK is face with defending all keys areas simitaneously they are always going to be in big big trouble to hold any one location unless they sacrifice something.
You and I might be able to build a little more than most players as we make good use of gearing serial builds etc.
I dont have to face off against the Germans as the UK so this is something I think you should consider. Because the house rule was brought in to mainly face a Nationlist Spain player and Italian player Allied from 1936 I think you should allow the Italians to Ally anytime. It is a 4 vs 3 game. You wont have to worry about Spain. Leave the restriction on CW minors.
This allows Italy to be slightly more advance in their techs to compensate for extra Allied player...You have to defend more then 1 key area at the same time. The biggest thing of all we get you to face the same problem most UK players have had in the past and you get to prove your point that UK is too strong. Nationalist Spain being AI is a big bonous for UK player anyway.
What do you say Mike?...are you man enough to allow the Italians to Ally with Germany start of next session? Are you man enough to back up your statements and give Gunny and mighty a fighting chance against and experienced Russian and UK player?
Germany can ally Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria anytime but cant move their troops till war(Allows bluepritn trading). This is per our rules for this game.
