Preview 1: Setup & The Political Situation


  • Cannot get to setup chart.

    Nice job on political writeup!


  • Read about the US… No movement restrictions?  Can they build a fleet the first turn and start moving them towards allied territories?  Can they land in France on the 3rd turn?  What happens if Germany attacks said territory?

  • Founder TripleA Admin

    The link works now.


  • Fantastic. Thank you djensen.


  • Thanks!!

    Whole lotta Infantry.  More in Europe in 1914 than in the world of 1940!


  • It’s good that the US starts with no transports, but it sounds like they can get to allied non contested territories though (which probably shouldn’t be allowed). It is only one move to N Africa from the US coast, and they could be on the French coast or in the UK by turn 3 (if they build transports US1). I would think there is a little more to the US political rules, and yeah there’s no way that the Dutch could be mobilized as US units (good catch DJ).

  • Founder TripleA Admin

    According to the rules, the US is only restricted from moving into Central Power occupied or contested spaces. It may enter Allied spaces.

    Since the US does not start with transports, it would be turn 3 before a Central Power to have the option to attack a territory being defended by a US unit. It’s not so bad.

    Turn 1: buy transports.
    Turn 1 ends.
    Turn 2: move units via transport into, say, Africa
    Turn 2 ends.
    Turn 3: Central Power has the option to attack.

    It only accelerates the entry of the US into the war by one turn.


  • @djensen:

    According to the rules, the US is only restricted from moving into Central Power occupied or contested spaces. It may enter Allied spaces.

    Since the US does not start with transports, it would be turn 3 before a Central Power to have the option to attack a territory being defended by a US unit. It’s not so bad.

    Turn 1: buy transports.
    Turn 1 ends.
    Turn 2: move units via transport into, say, Africa
    Turn 2 ends.
    Turn 3: Central Power has the option to attack.

    It only accelerates the entry of the US into the war by one turn.

    Agreed, but one turn could make a really big difference in what I expect to be a 10-12 round game. Plus most ppl will say the US has no business being in Africa, or Europe before they are allowed to declare war (neutral powers ground units are normally forbidden to leave their own territories as a neutral power). I’m not sure, but were US troops historically in France, England, or Africa before the official US DOW in April, 1917? I could see US citizens voluntarily joining the allied ranks, but not under the US flag (am I wrong here?).

    Besides that in the 4th turn (when the US can DOW if not invited in) US units could actually move from the French coast to defend a French held, or contested Paris (or London). The 4th turn just seems to fast for the US to be in Paris? Hey I’m at war this turn, and I’m already defending Paris, better brush up on my French LOL.

    The Germans could also attack US ships, or declare sub warfare on the UK to invite the US in early as well from what Larry said, so why give them another option to come in early by allowing US units to be in places they shouldn’t be. Maybe this is a moot point because in most games the Germans activate sub warfare or attack US ships by then anyway (IDK). In most games won’t the CP want to hold off bring the US in early though, unless they can deliver a blow to US loaded transports in route. I would think the CP would want to have London or Paris under siege, or the Russians  about ready to revolt before they have to worry about US troops deep into French soil well ahead of schedule and they did nothing to provoke it.

    In any case, I’m sure this will infuriate Flashman LOL. No rail movement for the CP to respond in Europe, but US units can be defending Paris by turn 4 (the turn they can officially DOW if not already in it). Wow here comes the fire works  :-D


  • House Rule: US isn’t allowed to move while not at war.

    Its that simple.


  • Keep them previews comin’!  :lol:

  • Customizer

    Fireworks? I need to drop a nuke on Washington.

    I’m just not having it.

    Give the US a decent navy, including transports. But it can do NOTHING until it declares war. This should really have been marketed as a SEVEN player game, with player 7 controlling Russia and the USA. The two can be linked together in that Wilson and co were reluctant to go to war on the side of the absolute monarchy of the Tzar. When the Revolution occurs, it pushes the USA further towards intervention; though it should not be the only factor.

    If America spent 1914-17 gearing up for war, expanding its war economy, and skulking off the coast of France with transports fully laded with tanks, artillery and planes, then I might just buy it. But it didn’t and I don’t.

    No troops defending Belgian Congo? Since when? And (in Larry’s example turn) why didn’t Germany just walk into the place? Why didn’t a unit from SWA move into Angola to grab another free IPC?* It’s bizarre than Germany can do this, but Britain can’t. We still don’t know if Allies can walk into non-activated minor allied tt aligned to their partners, though no doubt the Americans can go wherever they please.

    Those references to rules being “not explicit but implied” do not bode well for the extent of play testing and the competence of the manual writing.

    I don’t want a reviewers opinion of what a rule is, I want to know what the rule is.

    • OK, to delay the placement of the Portuguese units in Portugal. I assume that invading Angola puts Portugal on a war footing.

  • @Flashman:

    If America spent 1914-17 gearing up for war, expanding its war economy, and skulking off the coast of France with transports fully laded with tanks, artillery and planes, then I might just buy it. But it didn’t and I don’t.

    If the CPs attacked Switzerland in the war then I might just buy it. But they didn’t and I don’t.


  • Hmmm…I don’t know how to feel about the U.S. rules. I thought the U.S. would basically not move, build, or play till the 4th turn. Isn’t her income low too? I guess she doesn’t have to spend any IPC on ground units to defend, but if Germany is doing well at sea a loss of transports or capitol ships will take awhile to replenish. France lower income then Austria-Hungary? Must be for balance. The control markers are excellent. Well done with that. I also don’t get why it doesn’t activate a minor power if you enter a non capital territory? You would think if you started taking over people’s colonies or what not it would lead to war. I really like how they gave Canada a lot of units(6inf, 2Art) to kinda represent all the troops they would bring to the war over the years since you can’t build there.

  • Customizer

    We’re talking about what America can do before it goes to war. You’ve heard of the Monroe doctrine? Let America do want it likes in the western hemisphere (invade Mexico, Haiti etc) but it should not be permitted across the Atlantic. For local wars, America did not need, and had no intention of acquiring, a large modern army.
    The US military situation in April 1917 was exactly the same as in August 1914, because they were not planning for, and had no intention of entering, a major war. The idea that they would actual enter a war zone before declaring war is so insane that it warps us into a parallel universe, invented for the sole purpose of appeasing redneck in-breds who can’t wait for 4 turns for America to get involved.

    @BJCard:

    @Flashman:

    If America spent 1914-17 gearing up for war, expanding its war economy, and skulking off the coast of France with transports fully laded with tanks, artillery and planes, then I might just buy it. But it didn’t and I don’t.

    If the CPs attacked Switzerland in the war then I might just buy it. But they didn’t and I don’t.


  • I agree with you that the USA shouldn’t be sending troops/ships to Europe or Africa before they were at war, but this is a ahistorical board game based very loosely on a historical war (you’d agree with that).

    So who’s to say that America’s leadership didn’t initiate a military buildup in 1914?  If Teddy Roosevelt had won in 1912 we may have done so.

    How is that very different than the Kaiser advocating for his version of Sealion in this board game?

    This is maybe not a fair comparison, but we are changing strategies of historical actors in an ahistorical game.

  • Customizer

    I want a game that starts in the historical August 1914, not an alternative universe. What happens after that can deviate from history if the players make different military decisions from the politicians of the time, or have bad luck with the dice.

    Teddy Roosevelt didn’t win in 1912, so that has no part to play. By all means have an American election in 1916, and if Hughes wins then war is declared immediately. But the very fact that Wilson won on an anti-war ticket demonstrates that America was not interested in war until 1917.

    Of course if Germany attacks American interests earlier than it in fact did, then this should provoke an earlier US entry.

    But altering history to the extent of completely reversing American foreign policy purely for game play purposes is going too far.

    The effort of mobilizing for war put a HUGE strain on a country’s economy; the idea that America would do this without actually being at war, or intending to be at war, is absurd.

    @BJCard:

    I agree with you that the USA shouldn’t be sending troops/ships to Europe or Africa before they were at war, but this is a ahistorical board game based very loosely on a historical war (you’d agree with that).

    So who’s to say that America’s leadership didn’t initiate a military buildup in 1914?  If Teddy Roosevelt had won in 1912 we may have done so.

    How is that very different than the Kaiser advocating for his version of Sealion in this board game?

    This is maybe not a fair comparison, but we are changing strategies of historical actors in an ahistorical game.


  • Lets start the chant together Flash, and keep our boys over here! Or in your case keep them over there I guess lol

    HELL NO WE WON’T GO,  HELL NO WE WON’T GO, HELL NO WE WON’T GO……

    Well at least until the 4th tun LOL

  • '12

    @Flashman:

    I want a game that starts in the historical August 1914, not an alternative universe. What happens after that can deviate from history if the players make different military decisions from the politicians of the time, or have bad luck with the dice.

    I thought that’s exactly what this was.  The game already opens in 1914, so the actions of the players are ready to change history, including having a militarized US.

  • Customizer

    Wilson would have been lynched if he’d sent the boys over there before it’d even started over there.

    As I’ve said all along, if you want America active at the start, then make the game Axis and Allies 1917.

  • '12

    @Flashman:

    Wilson would have been lynched if he’d sent the boys over there before it’d even started over there.

    Since America isn’t one of the first countries to play, it does in fact actually start over there.

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