Possible free For All?

@hengst If this feels too strong for the Allies, move the SZ 96 cruiser & destroyer to SZ 81. Otherwise, it forces the UK to choose between prosecuting the war against Italy & liberating the Vichy boats. If they don’t turn them all Free French, they may have a serious issue on their hands on G2. Similarly, it forces Germany to decide: do I want to kill French ships or force the UK to make a play for them.

After that, France will be a very minor yet present actor in the campaign for North Africa & eventually the retaking of Europe. If the UK ensure to liberate Syria, they may also fight in the defense of Cairo.

I haven’t seen somebody gamble on a Vietnam play, but that is also possibly in the cards.

Is it possible for this game to be set it up so that every country could fight on it’s on; with one country destroying everyone else as the only victory condition? Say, combine Italy and France (with Spain and Portugal?) and let them go first? Britain goes 2nd? And perhaps add about 1 guy to every Chinese territory? What would the outcome of THAT game look like?

Sounds good. I think I’ll go with that.
Thank you all for the input.  :-)

I’ve played some games where we roll for a free tech which seems like a good way to get tech into the game.  I’m a fan of this idea.

Thanks for the input guys, I made some adjustments and changes, and will republish a new version with some updates based on your suggestions as I integrate them.

BEF:  I agree that putting them in London is easy.  I think those two UK pieces on Paris are some of the fluffiest on the entire board, yet they are always killed on turn 1.    I wanted there to be a flexible choice;  keep the pieces in france and make taking france a bit harder (thus altering the basis of the G1 opener), or put some pieces somewhere else to keep them guessing.  This is different than a bid because part of the purpose is to make France a bit riskier to take, and to make a new reason for Germany/Italy to want to kill it quickly even though there are 4 UK units there.  Also, UK can counterattack Paris on UK1…

French Guiana;  a friend mentioned this; I added the concept that they can place naval units offshore.  However, I didn’t want to give the French the ability to place infantry there because I don’t want them to be able to simply walk to brazil and take it over.

New Hebrides; isn’t a territory.  New Caledonia is.  I wanted FIC and new Caledonia to be potential new places to put a small French thorn in Axis’ side

Cruiser vs Fighter;  Great point; 12 is pretty much their entire budget.  I didn’t think it was very apt to give them fighters, because armor, fighters and tacticals are bread and butter offensive units.  I wanted to make France more like China, where its choices are limited and it cannot build an attack stack in the same manner as a regular power.  If we permit the French to have fighters, we would have to come up with a different explanation of why they get them (not assorted naval forces but secret aircraft factories?) and they are extremely gamey (fighters do a lot.  adding them in means that I would choose them over anything else.  Id buy fighters wherever I was allowed to and send them on desperate defensives and sorties).

Part of my thinking here is that France already has 2 cruisers, which occasionally live.  This and the single fighter from UK would be their only “3” attacks, and then only during an amphib, and therefore be the only offensive contribution france could make.  I didn’t want to give the French the full range of choices because I like the idea of them remaining a nerfed power, but one that could raise a force of infantry and even transports, but not much more punch or mobility than that allows.

Thanks for the discussion and please continue.  Taam.

Preface: I’m somewhat new here, so I’m sure there are other house rules for this topic that I’m not aware of, but this is my attempt at what makes the most sense to me.

Vichy France and Free France House Rules
(To be used with appropriate markers from Historicalboardgaming.com, http://www.historicalboardgaming.com/Custom-Roundel–Free-Vichy-French_p_369.html)

Capitulation and Armistice

If France and Normandy fall to the Axis, immediately remove any units (Allied or otherwise) from Southern France and place a Vichy marker on the territory. Place a Vichy marker on the IPC production chart on “3” (the value of Southern France). Place 4 alternate colored infantry units (old versions of Germans work well) on Southern France and an extra Minor Industrial Complex in Germany* (As part of France’s capitulation, Germany took over 2 million French soldiers as laborers). Vichy France is controlled by the German player.

*I know technically, no more than one IC can be in a territory, and practically, Germany will not produce 13 units in the same zone, so I’m open to suggestions on how to represent the French laborers.

The Colonies and the Free French Movement

At the creation of the Vichy France government, roll a die for each French territory on the map.

An “even” result means the territory joins De Gaulle’s “Free French” movement. Place a Free French marker on the territory and on the IPC production chart on the value of the territory. Move the IPC marker up for any additional territories that join the movement.

An “odd” result means the territory remains loyal to the Vichy French government. Replace any French Units with equivalent alternate colored units. Move Vichy’s IPC marker up for each territory that joins.

Roll for each French fleet on the map, and replace all units in a fleet if they choose the Vichy government.

The units in England remain Free French.

Every turn, Free France may convince one unoccupied Vichy colony to join their movement. Roll as before, and place a marker if the territory turns.

Special Rules

When a territory is “liberated” by the Allies, it becomes Free French.

When a territory is “liberated” by the Axis, it can either become Vichy or be occupied.

Vichy France may collect IPC income, but can only purchase Infantry, Anti-Air, transports, and destroyers. It must also give 1D6 of its IPC income to Germany every turn (Germany required the Vichy government to pay for its troops in the Northern Occupied Zone).

Free France may collect IPC income, but may not purchase or place any units until an Industrial Complex is built in one of its territories.

Vichy France may not move units into any territory in Europe. It may move units out of Europe via transports, and it may attack and move normally in the colonies.
Axis troops may move through Vichy France and its colonies freely.

Collapse of the Vichy Government

If Vichy is attacked by the Allies directly, it will defend as if it was a member of the Axis. If, however, Normandy and France are taken by the Allies, all Vichy units in Southern France disband, and control passes to whatever Axis units remain in the territory. If and when Southern France falls to the Allies, all Vichy units abroad disband and control of all colonies passes to the Free French.

I understand you’re point of you but as I like to be historical.
My Vichy rules is: When France falls, All french territory become Vichy ( except Congo = Belgium)
But UK- Free French player may influence some Vichy territory to join free french.
1 attemp pert turn. cost 2$.
You must have 2 or less. If you win, Vichy territory and unit become FFL and can be use in combat.

I like the China mod Idea, would like to give it a try.
However, I think these might be some possible options for the House rule.

1.  China can only purchase Infantry and artillery,  perhaps add a new unit, Cavalry!  at 2,1,2,4?
2.  U.S. is and Russia can fly aircraft to chinese capital, on subsequent turn they become chinese.
3.  Japan should start with a bomber and an extra sub or destroyer in 41 and an extra carrier and f2 fighters in 42 to balance this out.