• A French T34 is arse.


  • @munchie19:

    @Make_It_Round:

    @wittmann:

    Can I say it for all of us: why not have used this excellent opportunity to give France its own sculpts?
    Am so happy for Italy’s of course.

    Because they will probably save this ‘opportunity’ as a selling point for future games…

    Imagine the draw of having unique French sculpts appearing in a Mediterranean theater-scale game!

    You’ll buy it. I’ll buy it. Wizards (wisely) isn’t putting all of its available eggs in the Global '40 basket.

    You are absolutely correct. I’ve bought every edition of Axis and Allies, regardless of any flaws or setup issues. I know Larry has mentioned before he won’t be doing an African theater map, but maybe he will if Wizards is holding out on new French sculpts (correct me if I’m wrong about any major battles in NA involving the French).

    Hi Munchie,

    I was thinking of a map with the Med in the centre, bordered by Southern Europe (top), the Middle East (right), North Africa (bottom), and Gibraltar (left), the gateway to the Atlantic.

    With a 1940 start date, and considerably zoomed in terms of scale and unit count, France would still be a major force to be reckoned with in that theatre, on the ground, in the sea, and in the air.

    Such a game would justify the creation of new French sculpts and almost certainly need rules to cover the split between Vichy France and Free French forces; I could see French units being produced in an additional color to represent this (yellow?). The main battle for France could take place offstage to the North, with Vichy rules coming into play on Turn 2 or some such. The UK and Free French would represent the only Allied elements present.

    Italy could finally have a game wherein it plays the most dangerous Axis antagonist, with Vichy France in a minor support role… Germany could be entirely absent from the game (the Afrikakorps and other ‘donated’ German elements were nominally under Italian command, and so could be represented by additional Italian reinforcements coming in from the North).

    …Or, if this seems to unlikely to you, imagine a “Battle for Paris” A&A game where the French and British need to hold out against a German assault for a set number of turns (which exceeds their historical performance) to win. That might also be playable, and would require a more representative set of French sculpts as a sale point.

    @CWO:

    And who knows…perhaps in a later edition they’ll even have designated units for the Dutch and the Canadians, who as a starting point already have their own roundels printed on the game map.

    I hope you’re right, Marc! You can always house rule them in, but it’s preferable if the franchise recognizes fan interest and produces the materials (sculpts & playtested set-ups) to support their inclusion.

    I think that some sort of ‘South Pacific’ battle game could justify the production of Dutch units (even if we only got an infantry sculpt for them, that would suffice IMO), and a ‘Battle of the Atlantic’ game do the same for the Canadians (again, even if only the infantry sculpt were unique and the rest were UK units in a different colour, I’d probably be satisfied with that).

    What we’re all looking for, I believe, is greater war-gaming detail in a war game that was designed to be light in complexity compared its uglier-looking and clunkier hex-based cousins. But because we prefer looking at miniatures instead of endless cardboard chits, adding complexity means adding more and prettier plastic pieces… which Wizards has a virtual monopoly on (canonical and iconic sculpts, at least). So, until we reach a threshold in terms of the kinds of units and the number of nations we would like to see them included in, we are in the pocket of that company, who will presumably keep slow-rolling out new sculpts in new games (until that practice becomes unprofitable, obv).

    This is an arrangement I’m more or less happy to support – I’ll end up buying Global 40, for example, mostly for the new sculpts, which can be used for house rules in other versions of the game – though at the end of the day I wish Wizards was more active in its marketing of the brand, and in developing a relationship with its customers. One has only to look at its threadbare and never-updated website for Avalon Hill to see the kind of indifference it has towards us as a market group…  :|

  • Customizer

    A somua s35 could be made from all the old British Shermans. That’s my plan. and the Japanese tank will be made into a Chi-ha late variant as the sculpt is some weird chi ha top with Hago running gear.

    Oh and that UK Mech inf, is a good basis for a M3 Lee/Grant which the Anzacs used a lot of in the pacific after the Brits moved on to the Shermans.


  • @Make_It_Round:

    I hope you’re right, Marc! You can always house rule them in, but it’s preferable if the franchise recognizes fan interest and produces the materials (sculpts & playtested set-ups) to support their inclusion.

    In any case, HBG and FMG have seen that there’s a market for high-quality, correctly-sized additional sculpts for the A&A games, in identical and supplementary colours, so people who create house rules involving secondary powers can get the sculpts for them from these suppliers even if WotC never includes them in the official games.

  • Customizer

    Well, Marc, maybe that’s kind of the way it should be. WOTC provides the games and a basic set of pieces, FMG provides an expanded set of the basic with some additional sculpts and HBG provides alternate versions and supplemental units (like self-propelled artillery, tank destroyers, armored cars, etc.)

    By the way guys, I just pre-ordered Europe 40 2e and Pacific 40 2e from 12-7 Games for $57.99 each. Any orders over $100 get free shipping so even one copy of each game will get you free Priority shipping. Mine was WELL over that (cringe). Still, looking forward to the games and new pieces.
    12-7 and Miniature Market are so far the only places I can find the pre-order for the '40 games. I couldn’t find it on Coolstuffinc or Amazon. Anybody have some idea as to why?


  • USA starts with no bombers?

    Wtf?

    That was like the only thing we were doing in the ramp up to war. We knew strategic warfare would be a big deal in the next war, and it would be our strong suit.
    Less air units overall is a big yuck to me.

    But with setup changes, perhaps we will be getting rule changes?
    (are minors and majors a thing of the past? the page only shows blank ICs)

    the one big change I want to see is a red line in the north atlantic (like the burma road) or SOMETHING to stimulate a battle of the Atlantic.


  • Hi Oztea. Alpha 3 reduced Japan’s air by 7 units and 2 of US’ bombers(Philippines and Western) were removed.
    Don’t know what you mean about the ICs. Have we seen inside the rule book yet?


  • The IC’s remain the same. Major (10 units) can only be built on originally controlled, non-island spaces with 3 or higher IPC value. Minor (3 units) can be built on controlled non-island spaces with a 2 or higher IPC value.

    Carl

  • Customizer

    I just saw Anzacs have a Sentinel. AAAAARRRGH!!! None were used in combat and the Priest Kangaroo is called a Ram Kangaroo. With a Ram kangaroo the Canucks could have their own Tanks with a scratchbuilt turret even though RAMs never went into combat as gun tanks. Stands to reason why germans went to war with Panthers and Tigers in 1940+

    Not complaining about the sculpts, as I love them, but rather their anachronistic use.
    And if you don’t like the Japanese type 1 personnel carrier, make it into an SWS with rocket launchers for mech arty.
    The next evolutionary step is to make arty that travelled with the other mech forces as mobile battlegroups. 
    These new pieces would be great for BoTB.

    HBG to the rescue


  • Thanks VanGal.  We had understood there were not going to be any rule changes.
    Anything about Manchuria garrison in stand alone pacific?
    @SgtWiltan. Would love some good sculpts, especially SPGs, but am not prepared to pay an unknown Import tax bill on arrival here in England.


  • @Make_It_Round:

    …Or, if this seems to unlikely to you, imagine a “Battle for Paris” A&A game where the French and British need to hold out against a German assault for a set number of turns (which exceeds their historical performance) to win. That might also be playable, and would require a more representative set of French sculpts as a sale point.

    The Battle of France would make a great A&A game. Because of the facts of history and how they translate to A&A games, you might be able to have a game that was more accurate AND more balanced than any previous A&A game. This would probably translate into more fun for more players.

    With a May 10, 1940 starting date, the forces could be historically accurate and very well balanced. Both sides had between 3.3-3.4 million troops. The Allies had advantages in artillery, 2:1, and armored units, 3:2, but the Germans had the advantage in aircraft, 2:1.

    I envision the map showng all of France, Belgium, Netherlands, and Switzerland; western Germany, including Frankfurt; northwestern Italy; the northwestern Mediterranean; the English Channel; and Southern England, including London. The Germans win if they take Paris or London. The Allies win if they take Frankfurt or if they hold Paris and London for some length of time.

    It would be cool to show Berlin because in the actual war the British & French would have had to take it to win in 1940, but I don’t think you get enough game play value to extend the map that far east.


  • I would like that, as the only Fall of France game I own is too complicated and have never done anything except set it up!
    Would like an Eastern Front one first though.


  • @Make_It_Round:

    …Or, if this seems to unlikely to you, imagine a “Battle for Paris” A&A game where the French and British need to hold out against a German assault for a set number of turns (which exceeds their historical performance) to win. That might also be playable, and would require a more representative set of French sculpts as a sale point.

    The Battle of France would make a great A&A game. Because of the facts of history and how they translate to A&A games, you might be able to have a game that was more accurate AND more balanced than any previous A&A game. This would probably translate into more fun for more players.

    With a May 10, 1940 starting date, the forces could be historically accurate and very well balanced. Both sides had between 3.3-3.4 million troops. The Allies had advantages in artillery, 2:1, and armored units, 3:2, but the Germans had the advantage in aircraft, 2:1.

    I envision the map showng all of France, Belgium, Netherlands, and Switzerland; western Germany, including Frankfurt; northwestern Italy; the northwestern Mediterranean; the English Channel; and Southern England, including London. The Germans win if they take Paris or London. The Allies win if they take Frankfurt or if they hold Paris and London for some length of time.

    Might be nice to make a Battle of the Bulge type game and assign several possible objectives to both Allies (capture Frankfurt, secure the Channel ports, etc.) and the Axis (conquer Paris, reduce the Maginot Line, race to the Channel to encircle the BEF and the French on Belgium, secure Holland and Belgium, etc.)


  • Hey if they do make a Battle of France game and the balance goes horribly wrong and the game is impossible for the Allies to win, then you could say well that’s kind of the way the battle went anyway.

  • Customizer

    If they came out with this game, or a Mediterranean Theater game, would they have the action of the Royal Navy trashing the French Fleet at Mers-al-Kabir? Perhaps since it’s a game, there could be the possibility of the French Fleet fighting back or even defeating the Royal Navy. Afterwards maybe they would end up joining the Axis in conquering the Med.


  • The French do not beat the English Navy. Ever.
    Would have to be a rule or considered a bum roll.

  • Customizer

    Wow.

    Everybody gets their own roster of units (except France).

    I’m in.

    HBG, FMG, do France next.


  • Hi Jim.
    If you did me a deal or we could buy without taxes here in Europe(smaller packages), I could spread your units all over Europe!
    A&A miniatures could spread like never before.
    Have you not approached AmazonUK or any other games group?
    Excuse me if this is a rude question.

  • Customizer

    Not rude at all, but I don’t have anything to do with FMG or HBG’s units.


  • @jim010:

    Wow.Â

    Everybody gets their own roster of units (except France).

    I’m in.

    HBG, FMG, do France next.

    I agree. when is the French set out again?

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