Axis and Allies 1914 alliance changes

Disclaimer: I have not playtested this even once, so play at your own risk of balance.

This is a version of Axis and Allies 1914:

This game imagines a decidedly different diplomatic history before World War 1 and the consequences of this.

Alliance changes:

UK:
Before the war, instead of provoking the UK, Kaiser Wilhelm 2 took great pains to strengthen relations with Britain. This includes:
Not doing the Kruger Telegram.
Not doing anything about Morocco (so France and Britain don’t get aligned)
Voice vocal support for Britain during the Great Game
Don’t call Britain “Mad as March Hares”.
Don’t even think of the Hun Speech.
Successfully complete a limited Haldane Mission:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haldane_Mission

This would involve getting rid of the colony part of the proposal and promise the German navy’s battleships and battlecruisers (separate categories) won’t exceed 70% of the tonnage of the Royal Navy in exchange for Britain to be neutral. Germany will have to follow this in the game (tonnage will be recorded as IPC value and will only apply to cruisers and battleships). Also promise that the German navy won’t disrupt trade.

Don’t attack France first. Using the game’s mechanics Germany will wait for Russia and France to attack first. As in the game Belgium is a French ally, France will move into Belgium, agitating Britain and keeping the country neutral.

As the UK is neutral, it will act like the US in the original game, operating under those neutral rules.

US:
Because the UK is neutral, the US won’t have to join the war. It operates under the same neutral rules as the UK, and cannot join the war.

Ottoman Empire:
Because the UK is neutral, the Ottomans receive the two battleships that they paid for. Germany still sells them the Goeben and Breslau. Upgrade one of the Ottoman cruisers in the Black Sea to a battleship. No powers can cross the Turkish Straits as long as the Ottoman Empire is neutral. The Ottoman Empire will join the war on either side if that side is winning. A side is winning when the other side has one capital captured (or in the case of Russia, a revolution starts) and the winning side can keep it that way until the capturing power’s next turn. Before entering the war, the same neutral rules apply to the Ottomans.

Greece:
With the UK out of the war, Greece stays neutral.

Romania:
Romania is still a Russian ally and follows all rules from the original game. Bulgaria’s Southern Dobruja claims can be compensated for Romania by giving Romania back Bessarabia.

Italy:
Due to the UK not entering the war and France attacking first, Italy pledges neutrality. Italy cannot join the war.

Bulgaria:
In this timeline the Allies convince Bulgaria to join the war. Because Greece is neutral, the Allies no longer have to worry about Greece’s territorial ambitions, promising Kavalla to Bulgaria. Similarly, because Italy remains neutral, the Allies can promise Serbia Dalmatia, making Serbia willing to cede Vardar Macedonia. Bulgaria is a Russia aligned power like Romania.

Portugal:
As Britain is not involved in the war Portugal is no longer a French aligned ally and a strict neutral instead.

France must attack Alsace in their first turn.

Victory conditions:

Victory conditions are when two powers are completely defeated. Defeated means a nation’s capital is captured or they plunge into revolution.

Extra neutral rules:

Definitions:

Neutral countries in this instance or non aligned powers such as Spain, Persia, or Afghanistan. Neutral powers are major powers made neutral by these house rules such as the US, UK, Italy, or the Ottoman Empire before joining.

A Great Power is a country that can be played by one player in the original game (including the US and Russia).

Rules:

No units from neutral powers can land on either Central Power or Allied territory, except post Revolution Russian territories. However, the UK cannot engage in combat with other units from France, Germany, Austria Hungary, or Russia. Neutral countries can be invaded by the UK at any time. Neutral countries are represented by random units and cannot be used by the controlling power anywhere else. The UK cannot join the war at any time.

Note:
When neutral powers (US, Italy, UK, and Ottoman Empire before joining conditions) attack each other or neutral countries like Afghanistan, their actions are considered a different war and do not affect the Allied-Central Powers war in any way. When neutral countries are attacked by neutral powers, Central Power and Allied units cannot move into said country.

Example:
The UK invades Spain. Spain can be represented by any power’s units. For this example we will use French units. After combat, Spain is contested. Although Spain has French units, it is not actually French. This means that actual French units from French territories cannot move into Spain nor can Spanish units leave Spain. If Britain leaves Spain, France cannot collect Spain’s income. Spain is for all purposes fighting a different war as a seperate power. In such a scenario, neutral countries only ever defend and don’t attack.

Important:
If Allied or Central Power units (Germany, France, Russia, Austria Hungary or Ottoman Empire after joining) attack neutral countries, neutral powers cannot move into those countries nor can they represent those countries. All other rules concerning neutral countries apply.

Optional Rules (these should only be done once you have a firm understanding for these rules):

Optional Rule 1:

If you want, you can have two World Wars going on at the same time! If you want the US, UK, and Italy to do more, in conjunction with the Allies vs Central Powers, any one of the three nations can go to war with each other. The new neutral rules still apply to all the powers. However, interactions with neutral countries change. The Central Powers vs Allies war still happens in conjunction with this second war, with neither affecting the other.

Example:
The US and UK are at war with each other. The UK invades Spain. Because the UK in this scenario has a “Great Power” enemy (the US), the new Spanish units are part of the US.

Example 2:
The US and UK are at war with each other, and Italy is neutral in this conflict. Italy attacks Spain. Because Italy doesn’t have a “Great Power” enemy Spain acts according to the neutral rules above.

Optional Rule 2:
Portugal can become a minor aligned power to Britain.

Turn order:
Austria Hungary
Russia
France
Germany
Ottoman Empire

Please tell me if there are any contradictions or problems in my rules. I hope you enjoy playing!

@superbattleshipyamato

A rule I forgot (I will be adding this to the main post as well):

Turn order:
Austria Hungary
Russia
France
Germany

@superbattleshipyamato

One more thing:

Victory conditions are when two powers are completely defeated. Defeated means a nation’s capital is captured or they plunge into revolution.

@superbattleshipyamato

Don’t mind this rule, I deleted it.

@superbattleshipyamato

Added another rule:

On France’s first turn, France must attack Alsace.

@superbattleshipyamato

Optional Rule 3:

Italy can join the war on the side of the Central Powers. Keep in mind that this might make the game unbalanced.