@Ring:
I’m not sure I can see opening fire for the Tiger. The units that have it fire in a circumstance that justifies opening fire. Subs fire a salvo from stealth, AA guns shoot as the planes are enroute to the target and battleships soften the shore before the ground troops hit it. From your post, Tigers are just tanks that are bigger and better but not necessarily first-strikers?
No you are wrong, cause that is exactly what they are, first-strikers! In tank to tank combat, the Tigers were incredibly good at killing other tanks, reaching kill ratios up to 13:1 in many cases. Allied tanks could only knock out a Tiger at point blank were as the Tiger could take out any allied tank in a respectable range. However, because of the immobility and limited numbers of the Tiger tanks, it was possible to avoid confronting them with tanks, and instead, Allied forces would try to bypass and isolate them, or destroy them with heavy artillery or airpower.
@Ring:
No blitz and produce-in-Germany-only are both good. Sounds like Tigers don’t have the range or speed of regular tanks.
Yes, I think so too!
@Ring:
I like #3. It is simple, which is good, and the cost vs. advantage would be worth it to me as a German player and acceptable to me as an Allied player.
It is simple but don’t represent a super weapon to me, and that is what I would like it to be! I want it to be super cool like Superfortresses! Don’t you?
@Ring:
If any other advantages are given to the Tiger, what about also tacking on the disadvantage of reduced effectiveness vs. fighters, such as defending at a 3 instead of a 4?
Well, my suggestion was that the opening fire ability is cancelled if defending fighters are present (talking about variant #1). But a change like that is first of all based on game balance, history comes in second place!
@Ring:
Additional wording option:
You may build Tiger tanks. Tigers are tank units that attack and defend on a 4 and cost 6 IPCs. You may build one per turn only in the Germany territory, unless you already have three. Tiger tanks must be clearly designated.
Well, this is exactly what my option #4 says