Alliance Vs Entente

Actually I was planning to play this scenario this weekend!

I will keep turn order (Italians seem to hesitate sometimes)

Austria, Germany,Ottoman Empire, Italy (91 IPC)

Russia, France, Britain, USA (99 IPC)

seems much fairer to me!

@Flashman:

But how can that be balanced from the OOB game, since you’ve simply transferred Italy to the CPs?

My suggestion was that Italy replaces Turkey for the Central Powers, with the conditions of US entry adjusted to balance.

Since OOB game is so unbalanced in favour for the Allies, in my opinion Italy as a Central Power is a possibility to fix it.

After the game I will tell you how it worked out.

Maybe its a good scenario when you have eight players so its four against four and USA enters war R1.

@Flashman:

Turkey neutral (unless anyone is stupid enough to attack it). Bosporus open to shipping?

Assume USA stays out, or would the Allies need it to balance?

What other changes would be needed?

OE declares war if British would activate Arabia or attack Persia.

I believe USA would always help the Entente.
Wall Street had already spend too much warcredits in Britain and France and would have seen nothing of their money back in case of an CP-victory. Since USW is to weak, I prefer US entry automatically after the Russian economical collapse.
(= Fall of the tsar) Wilson only wanted to fight with democratic Allies.

@Chacmool:

Actually I was planning to play this scenario this weekend!

I will keep turn order (Italians seem to hesitate sometimes)

Austria, Germany,Ottoman Empire, Italy (91 IPC)

Russia, France, Britain, USA (99 IPC)

seems much fairer to me!

I tried this already (for fun mostly); it is tilted extremely towards the CP.
As you stated, the economic situation is already close to parity, but the army situation is now significantly in the CP’s favor, not to mention that a lot of their armies are right on the front lines. The naval balance is completely swung around as the CPs dominate the med with the Italian ships flipping sides. Austria can spend entirely against Russia until they’re beaten and then pour out ships to contain the US, and Germany entirely against France/naval to keep Britain from building in India, with Italy taking free money that the French can’t defend. After about R5 economy is around 120 CP/70 Allies, and 2 of the remaining 3 allies have the now impossible task of keeping a navy afloat to defend transports.

Funny that everyone wants the game as realistic as possible but everyone wants to win with Central powers.

To me a balanced game is two sides with the same amount of soldiers,the same amount of IPC’s and so on……but you will never get that.Yes I agree it’s very difficult to play Entente but few people here trying to take on board things like speed of wind,sunset,soldiers fighting with one hand,fighting with two hands(better ones)and that kind of things.(on the other hands I like the idea of 2 or more spaces move on your own terittories and year split up in to 2 rounds)

@Dukla:

To me a balanced game is two sides with the same amount of soldiers,the same amount of IPC’s and so on……but you will never get that.Yes I agree it’s very difficult to play Entente but few people here trying to take on board things like speed of wind,sunset,soldiers fighting with one hand,fighting with two hands(better ones)and that kind of things.(on the other hands I like the idea of 2 or more spaces move on your own terittories and year split up in to 2 rounds)

If a year is split up in two Rounds then Italy should def. enter war R2, USA R6.

Flash, what about Italys Aligned Nation Abbania/Montenegro in this scenario? Montenegro would always be on Serbias side.

Albania was not pro-italy at all, but rather the population was more or less pro-turks (the majority in Albania were muslims). Albania got invaded by Italy during the war…
Greece on the other hand did join the allies during the war.

So for v2 of A&A 1914, one might consider realigne Albania to the turks and perhaps a special align Greece with the allies from r4 (lower its value to 1 IPC). This with the “good allies” might accually balance this game pretty much perfectly.

One very Nice alternative is having Bulgaria as a major state starting with 6inf and 2art and Worth 6 IPC and acting last.

In WWI Bulgaria wasent small, they had a very large army (by far the biggest in the Balkans) allmost double that of romania which is worth 3IPC.

I still don�t see that Flash, since the 3 CPs are screwed from the start.

I just had a game with two colleagues after work. Me and a friend playing the Allies.

Russia collapsed economically R4 but Turkey collapsed politically R4 so with only one German stack in Lorraine and Ruhr being British the CPs surrendered after Round 4 (!) And that with a German-Austria player that had so much luck with his dices…

(EDIT: I have to say there was one Hous Rule, that is alway installed when I play A&A1914. Switzerland is worth 4 IPC. I think this unbalances the game alot in favour for the Allies. Otherwise Germans or Austrians would always overrun it R1 and this makes Burgundy contested the next Round.)

Its soo unbalanced that I dont think it would be too harsh for the Allies to fight against Italy from Round 2 on.

Did you ever try it and if yes what happened?

The CPs still need good luck in roling dice to reach Paris before the Americans arrive.

P.S. the two colleagues loved the game and want to buy it tomorrow :-D