WW1 1914 Balance?

The flu season of 1918 hit a perfect storm of conditions that caused this outbreak to be one of the worst ever in history.  500 million people were hit with the virus (type H1N1), and it ended up killing close to 10% of those infected.  No place on the planet was safe, with North America and Europe getting hit the hardest.

In Europe, with the war and a supply of wounded soldiers, malnourished civilians, wet and cold weather conditions, lack of proper medicines, the flu showed no mercy.  In fact, research done years later, speculated that this virus variant strain was unusually aggressive and may have caused a condition known as a cytokine storm with the immune system.  This causes strong healthy adults to be hit harder by the disease than those with a weakened immune system.

In the game, to handle this event, starting with turn 6 the virus is possible for next 3 turns.  Roll 1d6 to see if the flu has come to Europe. The virus is in effect with these rolls; Turn 6, 1 to 3; Turn 7, 1 to 5; Turn 8, 1 to 3.

To show the virus impacts, do the following; This is for Europe and North America ONLY.  Not Turkey, Middle East, or Africa.
Roll 1d6 for every territory.  1 thru 3 and the territory is hit.

Remove 10% of infantry units, with 1 removed at a minimum, but only down to a minimum of 1. The IPC value of the 1d6 is lost to the controlling player.  USA is 2x the 1d6 roll.

In April 1917 after the disastrous failed offensive on the western front by General Nivelle to end the war, the French army’s troop morale hit an all-time low.  With the Russian revolution occurring in the east and their inevitable pullout, plus the lack of US troops in Europe after their declaration of war, many French units literally stopped fighting.

In the game to represent this event, the ability of French troops to fight can be impacted.
Starting on turn 6 and at anytime during the turn, check for these conditions…
1. If Russian revolution and Armistice has occurred OR Moscow under CP control.
2. USA troops are not in France OR in France but not in a territory with or adjacent to CP units.
3. French units are not in Germany OR do not control any German territories
4. AP does not control Belgium
5. CP units are in France
If all true, then half (rounded up) of the French infantry units in each territory in all battles in France will have a -1 hit modifier. ie. Hit on 1 only when attacking or 1 & 2 with artillery support. Or only hit on 1 & 2 when defending.

This rule occurs ONCE and remains in place until any above conditions change OR there is decisive battle in France where the amount of CP units eliminated is 3x the AP units lost.  Do not count airplanes lost and this battle can be any power’s attack.

@Frederick-II

If you move 2/3 through original territory, does that count to a nearby enemy territory? For instance, if I take an army from Vienna, can I move it 2 to attack Poland or am I forced to wait in Galacia?

Make these changes:

Map:
SZ31: Create new SZ31 by splitting SZ17 in half at a point on border between SZ16 and SZ17 below Sicily and extending to point where Albania borders Greece.
Switzerland: Is impassable.

Setup:
Move any 1 GE SS from existing SZ to new SZ31.
Add 1 GE CA to SZ26.
Remove UK TR from SZ2.
Add 1 UK SS to SZ8.
Remove 1 OE CA from SZ20.
Add 1 OE TR to SZ20.
Remove 1 RU CA from SZ21.
Add 1 RU SS to SZ21.

Play:
Delayed Ottoman Entry:
Ottoman Empire or Bulgaria cannot be attacked unless the Ottomans first do one of the following; mobilize any additional units (including those for attacked neutrals), make any attacks, or allow CP units to enter any OE occupied territories.  While OE is sitting out the war, their mines are not in play, and their naval forces are restricted to SZ19 and 20.  
Notes: If other CP ships are attacked in a SZ with OE ships, OE can choose to enter the battle on defense - but must declare that intention before AP player decides to make their attack roll.  
If OE enters Bulgaria, they can defer the mobilization until the build phase when OE enters the war.  If OE does not defer, OE enters the war immediately.
Neutral Albania:
Albania starts game as a neutral.  At start of turn 3, it becomes minor-aligned with Italy or France (AP choice).
Neutral Portugal:
Portugal is neutral, unless CP attacks Angola or PEA.  If ANG or PEA attacked by CP, Portugal becomes minor-aligned FR or UK (AP choice).  If ANG or PEA are occupied by AP, Portugal remains neutral.

I have found 2 changes to the map that enhance the game play - thought I would share.

Darfur - Minor Aligned with Ottoman Empire (1) IPC.  This new territory sits between French Equatorial Africa and Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, with Belgian Congo keeping a border on AES.  This change provides more action in Africa, without it just becoming a big waste of space by turn 3 or 4 and an IPC pump for the British.

Sea zone 31 - A new sea zone that splits SZ17 in half.  SZ31 borders SZ16 to the west, SZ17 to north, SZ19 to the east, and Libya/Egypt to the south.  All of Greece borders the new SZ31 and SZ20.  This change provides much more freedom of movement of any CP ships that leave their home ports from mine rolls.  From the Allied powers standpoint - protects from an AH early thrust into the Black Sea or Eastern Med.

But how would you know how many IPC Ottomans would have if you didn’t do any study on the economic capabilities of the other nations relating to 31 IPC? How would you know how many infantry they would have in each area if you didn’t study where they even had armies in 1914?

You need to just draw a map with territory borders that allows good player options and is realistic. Don’t redo 1914, that’s garbage. This is redesign, not use what you got

This is not checkers my friend.

My alt. Chinese set up was
2inf in Siuyan
3inf in Hopei
2inf in Anhui
3inf in Hunan
1inf in Kewchiow
4inf and 1ftr in Szechwan
3inf in Yunan
3inf in Kwangsi

The only major major change comes in giving Chinese control of the originally Japanese controled Kwangsi tt. All Japanese units remain in play but get moved up by 1tt. So what was in Kwangsi moves to Kiangsi, what was in Kiangsi moves to Kiangsu, what was in Kiangsu moves to shangdong. This dosnt effect Japanese strenght and they can still use their overwhelming air power to advance, pretty much, at will in China. What it dose is give China one full turn to collect its NO and makes Japan a bit more wary about striking south on J1.

@Cmdr:

I understand I’ve been out of it for anout 8 or 9 months, so maybe things are different than I remember, but don’t the AA Guns shoot at each target individualy and what is hit is hit?  Or are things different for the escorts now? (Keep in mind, I have the ORIGINAL variant of the rules and a lot of things have been changed with errata adn “hot patches”)

They take casualties not from AA but from defending ftr interceptors