How is the balance in Global War 1936 Version 3

  • '18

    @insaneHoshi These are good tips. We’ve only played two games so I imagined there are a lot of ways in which balance can be better attained, but these things are learned over time. If anyone else has helpful tips please post them.

    One question @insaneHoshi, or anyone really: do you find the allies helping the Russian often in your games? Laundering money through Moscow to aid FEC seems like a very allies thing to do, but not as much if you are competing with them as well? In our two games we played there were only two players which meant I was all of the allies. I wondered several times if I would actually be doing some of the things I was if there was a separate player for Russian.


  • @insaneHoshi Good point on Militia as well! All those and my own points are just to show that there are certainly other things you can do to reinforce areas. Another example for India would be, if you’re feeling really pressured, the South Africa factory is a transport away from shipping more reinforcements to India if you need/want it.

    My point was that there are times where you need to “think outside the box” on what you can do to help yourself and/or to hurt the enemy. There’s certainly ways to do it!

    My other suggestion would be to maybe add different expansions to your game that might have more of an anti-Axis slant to them. I’ve always felt the Partisans Expansion, as an example, probably “hurts” the Axis more than the Allies or Comintern, since they’re the ones occupying a lot of territory for large parts of a game. That might help “rebalance” in your eyes and games too.

    @GuamSolo to answer your question from my perspective, I’ve seen some help to the Soviets, but I would say it depends on circumstance and theater. If I’m the Allies, or particularly the Americans, I’ll send units to the USSR earlier in a game and/or if the USSR really looks in trouble. It hurts the Allies more to have the Comintern defeated quickly/early. An Allied player should want the Axis and the Comintern to bog each other down as much as possible. This will take resources away from building up or focusing in the West, but would also in most circumstances be blocking a lot of VC’s from being attained by either side. I’d say the last quarter of a game I wouldn’t consider it. At that point I think a lot of things are drawn in the sand, and your couple extra units won’t make or break a Soviet victory/survival. But that’s also circumstantial as well I’m sure!


  • @GuamSolo In my limited experience, I don’t really have any qualms about aiding the USSR, despite their inevitable betrayal. I think when it comes down to the final round and if the axis has been neutralized, the allies have a much easier capability to take VPs from the USSR than vice versa. In a recent game with GHG and Panzer King (documented on both their channels; check them out!) I was able to take approximately 4 - 5 VPs from the USSR by taking Vladivostok and Murmansk amphibiously. Plus I had an even chance at an airborne assault on the Donbas which would have taken an additional point if it did not fail.

    One relevant example from this game to this current discussion was the USSR player was able to get Argentina aligned and Germany got a plane in aligned Peru. I made a deal with the USSR to attack this with his South American plane with the agreement that if his plane lived, i would LL a tank, but if it died I would LL a plane. Since his plane was stuck in South America contributing nothing to the eastern front, he agreed, rolled poorly and died and got a plane in Murmansk for his trouble.


  • Personally, I don’t understand how a serious judgement could be made on the balance of such a complex game after playing just a couple of runs. I have started only about ten games since I got Global 1936 v3 (most aborted before 1945), but there are so many options and possible strategies that the outcome is never predictable, especially starting in 1936.

    This feels much different from A&A where, as you keep playing, you just improve on what you consider to be the optimal strategy for the Axis or the Allies and then it comes down to the luck of the dice in a few key battles. Either Germany takes Moscow or the American overwhelming spending power prevails in good time…

    Another factor to consider is that there are so many rules and exceptions in Global 1936, that the first games will inevitably be riddled with errors on the part of the players. Each time we play, we realize that we forgot about some rule or other (i.e. minor ports don’t give a movement bonus, you can’t upgrade your factory in India, KMT militia cannot move in home country unless it becomes a major power, you need to damage the airfield before a city is considered to be encircled, and many, many more).

    Everyone is free to tweak the game with home rules, but I think you need to master all the basic rules first. To me it’s like saying, having played a few games of Chess, “Humm, the Queen seems really OP, so let’s replace a pawn with a third Knight”!

    Yes, the chance aspect of tech rolls is a part of the unpredictable outcome. For instance, playing Germany with early access to Panzergrenadiers and Wartime income makes for a much different game that when you miss out on these important rolls. The many expansions and optional rules available can also affect how your game plays out.

    Finally, due to the pandemic, I have only played the game with 2 players so far, so the Allies and Comintern are always coordinated, but I know this game was designed to be a 3 player game and I can’t wait to try with this very different dynamic.

  • '18

    @Noneshallpass Good thoughts. And my posts are not serious judgments. Having only played two games, and they were imbalanced, I posted to see what other players experiences have been so as to learn what we are doing wrong or can do better. Interestingly, the rules you state that get overlooked we didn’t apply in our games!

  • 2023 '22 '21 '20 '19 '18 '17

    Many good point @Noneshallpass! And yeah, @GuamSolo, with no disrespect intended, I think you guys should reserve judgement for a few more rounds (at least) of play! I think you’ll find it balances out a lot more.

    It’ probably unsurprising that first time players might find the Axis as the overwhelming favorite. From a very simplistic point of view, I’d say the Axis are probably the most “straight forward” to play. By that I mean, it’ a matter of understanding when and where to activate and attack enemies, not letting the Allies/Comintern gain so much IPP too early, etc. But the Allies have a far heavier logistical load to bear. You need to keep Lend Leasing in mind as a larger Allied necessity to victory than the others need to. Likewise, the Comintern is harder to figure out I think because of the very reasons mentioned above. People think of the USSR in an A&A context of being allied with the Allies, and that is just not the case in this game.

    I also mean no disrespect to your playing group, but maybe switch up who is playing who. Maybe your Axis player is a bit more of a “superior” player, or has understood the rules more quickly. Or, to flip it, maybe the Allied/Comintern players are just a bit slower to the uptake on the game rules and strategies. My point being, maybe intentionally keep your “stronger” players away from the Axis if you’ve found the Axis the overwhelming favorite in your games!


  • @GuamSolo said in How is the balance in Global War 1936 Version 3:

    When Germany takes Moscow in 2 rounds you just needed more units over all.

    To prevent such a scenario, you also may want to consider, building a fortification in Moscow. Most likely that in order to take Moscow in 2 rounds Germany has to use their double impulse and/or Blitz into Moscow. Building a fort prevents blitzes and might give you enough time to rally your defenses ( and provide a good defence as well).

  • Banned

    @alphaaeffchen
    Hi there,
    Send me a private message. I live in Germany as well. Maybe our gaming groups can meet up after Corona.


  • @delaja

    Hi,

    its me Stefan. We know us via Whats app. You invited me in the gaming Group ;-)

  • '22 '21 '16 '15

    @delaja Where are you guys coming from in Germany? I live close to Stuttgart.


  • I live in Bonn.

  • Banned

    This post is deleted!

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