Special Forces Unit
I’ve been trying to develop a new Special Forces Unit for Global 40 for quite a while now but it’s taken some tinkering to get it right. I researched the various elite units in WW2 and it seems that they were mostly specialized units for various purposes rather than the type of special forces you see in today’s world that have multiple purposes. I’m not in favor of having different types of units for the various countries because I wanted to stick with the theme of Axis & Allies where all of the countries have the same units with the same attack/defence/movement values rather than each having units with different values. I know that purists would suggest that everything needs to be historically correct but this is a game and consider that not all tanks were built the same although in A&A they all have the same values. This would hold true for all of the units on the A&A board, if we were being completely correct then every unit on the board would have different values.
The Special Forces Unit (SFU) that I have in mind has a multitude of characteristics, is more powerful of your average unit, and is affordable so that even nations like Italy and Anzac can afford them with their limited incomes. The only nation that won’t have access to an SFU is China.
SFU Profile
These are the kinds of units that people make movies about many years after their exploits. They are under the direction of the highest levels of their nation’s command, carrying out secret missions. They are well equipped, resourceful, autonomous, and have multiple skill sets. This is represented in the various ways that they move and the strength of their attack and defence values. There is also a limit of how many SFU’s you can develop during a game. SFU’s must enter the game on an industrial complex located on one of their nation’s originally controlled territories. There is a limit of 5 allowed per nation throughout the duration of the game. There is only one SFU per nation allowed per territory at any given point during the game, although they may pass through the same territory as each other as long as they’re not in the same territory at the end of their movement… The exception to this rule is that there can be more than one unit in the same sea zone, but they must be on separate ships. The purpose of this rule is so that SFU’s can’t gang up and drop into a capital territory as paratroopers to take over a capital and take their money. In my mind it wouldn’t be very realistic if you could conquer a nation with a few SFU’s. It also speaks to their independence, autonomy, and the secret nature of their movements if they all have to act alone. Their secrecy is also represented by the fact that if they are being transported on a ship they must be alone. They can be transported either by transport ship or by a cruiser on the water. Yes, that means that a cruiser is finally worth the money they cost. If an SFU is used as part of an amphibious assault being transported by a cruiser, then the cruiser will not be able to make a landing shot.
Cost
� The cost of the SFU is 6 IPC’s. Although it is one of the most powerful units on the board, consider that it is really only a highly trained, well equipped infantry unit. That would cost much less than a fighter squadron or a tank brigade by comparison.
Movement
� As a land unit they may move 2 spaces. It’s not that they can run twice as fast as an infantry unit, it’s that they are well equipped and resourceful and have access to ground transport when they need it. You don’t need a separate unit to transport the SFU, it is built into the cost of the unit.
� As a paratrooper they can fly up to 4 spaces from a friendly airbase or airfield. They can only act as a paratrooper during the combat movement phase and not as a non-combat movement. The only exception is that they can land in a friendly neutral territory to annex that territory and take control of their forces and IPC’s. As with land transport you don’t need an air unit to transport them as it is built into the cost. If they are attacking a territory with Anti-Aircraft Artillery they will be subject to regular fire from the AAA (@1). They are not subject to Anti-Aircraft Guns from Industrial Complexes or Facilities in a territory that they are invading. As with the normal rules of aircraft movement, you cannot fly over neutral territories unless they have been conquered or annexed by either the axis or the allies.
� As mentioned in their profile, they can move amphibiously on a cruiser or a transport ship but they must travel alone on that ship to maintain the secrecy of their mission. While on a cruiser, the cruiser may conduct it’s regular attacks or defend itself as though it had no passengers on board. It may even conduct shore bombardment as long as it isn’t loading or unloading the SFU that turn.
Attack
� The SFU has an attack value of 3. When paired one to one with an infantry or mechanized infantry unit, it increases that unit’s value +1 (@2 or less).
Defence
� The SFU has a defence value of 3. It does NOT add value to other units as a defender.
Initial Setup
� I like the idea of placing one SFU on each nation’s capital (except China) to begin the game. What would be the point of inventing a wicked-ass unit if you don’t get one at the start of the game? The SFU on Germany is within reach of France so those 2 SFU’s will negate each other and won’t change the dynamic of the German’s strategy of conquering the French and acquiring their income on the first turn. The British will get one on the U.K. and one on India. In total that is 6 for the Allies and 3 for the Axis. This will not only help to balance the game, but also give the poorer nations a chance to own one without sacrificing their limited incomes on the crucial first turn of the game. If you don’t have alternate infantry units that are distinguishable from Regular Infantry Units, you could use a certain color of chip placed under a Regular Infantry Unit to denote a Special Forces Unit.
Airfields
I found through play-testing the Special Forces Unit that there was a need for more Airbases because there are large areas of the map that don’t contain any. At 15 IPC’s per Airbase, it didn’t make economic sense to build them in places like Africa, Asia, and the Pacific Islands just so that you would be able to use the SFU as a paratrooper.
I remembered that I had Airfield markers as part of an expansion set, Amerika Strategic Markers, that I had purchased for my Amerika game and so I put them to use. If you don’t have these markers and you don’t plan on purchasing any, you could flip one of your airbase markers upside down and use that as an Airfield marker. It should be noted that an Airfield is smaller than an Airbase. The rules that I have made up for Global 40 to incorporate Airfields and better utilize the SFU’s are as follows;
� The cost of an Airfield is 5 IPC.
� The Airfield increases the movement ability of a Fighter or a Tactical Bomber +1. The Airfield does NOT increase the range of a Strategic Bomber.
� The rules for utilizing the Special Forces Unit are the same as an Airbase. An SFU can fly up to 4 spaces from an Airfield.
� The rules regarding Scrambling are the same as an Airbase, except that only ONE Fighter can be scrambled instead of 3.
� An Airfield can sustain a maximum of 5 Damage Points from a strategic bombing raid by either a Strategic Bomber or Tactical Bomber. The Airfield is fully operational with 2 Damage Points or less.
� An Airfield can be placed anywhere on a nation’s originally controlled territories or on a friendly territory containing at least one ground unit from that nation.
� Like Airbases or Naval Bases, an Airfield may also be used by a nation’s allies.
I made a video demonstrating the use of the SFU and showing how it is working in a game situation. If you’re like me then you absorb information better by having someone show you how to do something rather than simply reading about it. The video is about a half hour long.
Here is a link;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkbTDATv1bI