Any good book suggestions for WWI?

@The-Big-E Historical Board Gaming on Shapeways has the best option for a Red Baron fighter plane. Fits well with OOB planes and after painting up red and decaling looks great.

France:
The powerful French Navy MUST help clear the Atlantic for safe shipping to the continent.
Then, a French reinforcement of Albania and/or Egypt is a good tactic.
France needs Infantry buys for several rounds before advancing on the Germans, in my opinion.

@protevangelium:

How did things in Africa go for the CPs, and how do you feel the naval balance affected this, Chacmool?

Well like everytime in my games the northern African Units of the Allies were early shipped to the European theatre (to reinforce and/or activate Minors like Albania or Portugal) and the British Egypt Army invaded Trans Jordan.

South of the Sahara the Germans took some british colonies until the Allied armys catched them. There were some battles without hits/results in this contested areas until the Germans as defenders could decimate the attacking Aliies in South/East Africa. The naval forces of Britain were too busy bringing more troops into Arabia to push the turks back but after the colossal german/austrian naval investements they had to reduce their Mobilizatian in India to a minimum to enlarge their own Fleet in the North Sea… In the med Italy wasnt capable to answer this naval race and France had to buy Infantry…

At the End of the game strong turkish forces captured the last African tts that werent already in german control while Austrian units landed in Northern Africa.

Thanks to work and other commitments, I didn’t get to solo a couple of turns until last night. I tried hitting Serbia with a small army, 4 Inf and 1 Art (I think). I did eventually win it on turn 2, but it freed up more troops to hit Romania with, which I managed to conquer turn 1, although Russia immediately contested it, but not in enough force to take it back, as it had to guard against my massive AH army in Galicia that I left poised to exploit any opening in Russia’s defenses left by their moves in reaction to the fall of Romania (yes I know I was playing both sides).

I much prefer to make Switzerland worth 4 IPCs. The non-aligned tts in the game are, essentially, those countries who never became involved in the war as an active power (the one problematical exception is Greece), hence they cannot be assigned an alignment.

I don’t like anticipating history by making them into some fictional alliance of neutrals. Would Switzerland or Sweden really even think about mobilizing because the Russians crossed the Afghan border?

Bulgaria, for example, listened to offers from both sides before joining the Central Powers; largely because they promised it a large slice of its enemy Serbia.

When I say stacks I mean more than 10 units on each side.

A force that plans on attacking in a fashion that puts the enemy in a position where them attacking on their turn would be bad because they have too few artillery for offensive support.

The way Larry described it ALL countries are the same - new units come into play in the capital. Ships are built in naval bases.

For that reason, I do not see the large NBs at Oran, Alexandria or Tripoli being represented. Either that, or overseas tts are not considered as “home”. It would be the silliest thing ever in A&A if Britain was able to build battleships in Egypt, but not be able to build tanks or recruit infantry in northern England.

Also, if Austria has only one Naval Base, can it build only one ship per turn, or as many as it can afford?

Canada is an odd one out, in that it may be possible to build ships there, but then again to transport what?

Doesn’t look like Anzacs will be represented at all, while India just gets its starting units.

Anyhoo, I’m beginning to think about a completely different system for bringing infantry units into play, based on an ordered draft of units at regular stages. They still have to be payed for (training and equipment), but only so many are available and only on certain turns and in certain tts. Its on a use 'em or lose 'em basis - if you pass on a scheduled draft (to buy a dreadnought for example) you miss out on the units permanently. Eventually the numbers available will decline, as indeed the number of new recruits inevitably did in the war. It also ensures that you recruit units from all over your empire, and from each reasonably well populated tt.

The UK is slightly different in having no conscription. It will have to reply on volunteers at first. But passing the Conscription Bill will rope in the slackers, at the coast of a few morale points…

The USA is similar in having no initial conscription. However (assuming America goes to war in c1917) numbers available when the draft is introduced will be high through lack of early war attrition.