I realize this topic concerns bids and all, but figured that National Advantages might be a fun alternative. It’s certainly not the simple solution to correct potential imbalances, nor is it ideal for super competitive environments, but the extra flair it adds could be worth the effort. I’m certainly not going to just trash the idea and move on. So far, a lot more work has gone into these than it would appear at first glance. That, and everyone I play with is into the National Advantages concept; that’s always been the case since Revised. Our enjoyment of the special rules is derived from a desire to differentiate (with semi-historical relevance) the playable nations beyond just plastic figure sculpts and the game board setup. Of course it’s still a work-in-progress, but at this point, I’d rather push on through the process, and invest more time into getting them as close to fair as possible. Complexity of a rule is generally less of a concern, as we never intend to play with all 6 per nation in a single game (usually limited to 2 or 3). Nevertheless, I don’t believe even the clunkiest of these rules as currently written are really that complicated. Ultimately, the players I most often game with will pass final judgement on whether or not a given rule is reasonable. Even so, I still feel obligated to try and remove any glaring, game-breaking issues.
Iguana, I’m not so confident in this defeatist interpretation of U-boat interdiction. If it’s revised as per Zombie69’s suggestion to specifically restrict the rule to the Atlantic, and if the submarines are forced to leave Sea Zone 5, I don’t see why Axis victory has to be so predetermined. The rule takes effect during the US or UK Collect Income phases, and Germany can only build subs in Sea Zone 5 or next to Italy. So assuming both the UK and US player do nothing to destroy any subs on their first turns, the most they will lose is 4 IPCs. Keep in mind those IPCs are not subtracted from both nations at once (hope that was clear). There is no sea zone that is within 2 spaces of both Eastern US and UK. Now assuming that all four starting subs are alive by G2, and Germany spends all of its income on more submarines, then yes that’d be a problem for the Allies, but there are some counters to this situation that they could employ in the form of other National Advantages. Germany’s national advantages are determined before UK and US. If Germany went for the sub-specific special rules, then UK can either go for “Colonial Garrison” in Eastern Canada, or “Anti-Submarine Warfare”. The former would put ships in a position to cover all of the relevant sea zones without much risk of German air attacks (a bomber could make it from France, but then Germany already spent its IPCs on subs). The latter option of course gives a simple boost to destroyers when dealing with subs. As for the US, the few IPCs lost could be regained through “War Economy”, or they could go for “B-29s”, sending a couple over to England per turn and robbing Germany of its 7 sub purchase. All the while, Russia would be appreciating a lack of German reinforcements for 2 or 3 turns. The rule was intended to recreate a struggle for control of the Atlantic, and I think it may accomplish that without resulting in a total floor-wiping Axis victory every time.