I really hope this bidding scheme delivers something to work with, because right now I am at a loss about how the allies can win the game OOB ever again. Even with a +20 bid it seems too hard, but I must admit I have not experimented a lot with bids yet.
I am also starting to think that with A&AG40, balance is an illusion. Once axis players have fully grasped the ins and outs of the economic game, it’s either the allies (like in the first edition) or the axis (second edition) that will be ‘overpowered’.
On a sidenote, it is the split 8/6VC rule that is making the axis currently overpowered, while the simple 14VC rule (1st edition) did that for the allies. Maybe the answer to balancing the game indeed lies more in the VC rules than adjusting economies… A simple 13VC win for the axis, perhaps?
Or a time-limit. In the real war, time was a huge enemy for the axis. The allied production capacity started out even below that of the axis at the start of the war, but was easily more than twice that of the axis by the end of the war. Though that is definately not represented in the game by actual economic power, it doesn’t have to mean that it is not in the game at all.
The axis could be forced to win the game within an x amount of turns or else lose the game on sudden death conditions. That should break open the game. In my experience, if the axis rush, the allies stand a chance but if the axis just don’t attack well-defended VCs and take their time to build up their economies first (time they shouldn’t have, I feel), the allies don’t stand a chance.
Anyway, back to the USA bidding scheme.
I was thinking if players bid for extra USA income, they could bid a number between 1-6. The player with the lowest bid has the most faith in the allies and therefore plays allies.
The USA is then given 1-6IPCs per turn once it is at war, and this bonus is also increased by the same 1-6IPCs per turn as well, to a maximum of +30IPCs per turn (5-30 turns after war entry).
Do the math and weep… in the mid game, Russia will be an economic non-factor. Same for Calcutta. This leaves the USA (83IPCs IF they managed to take some DEI areas) + the UK (30IPCs if they’re lucky) + ANZAC (18IPCS) = 128IPCs total per turn.
ONE of the major axis partners (the one not focused on early) will have an income of 80+ IPCs, the other will have around 60, with Italy topping it off at around 20. These are the rough comparisons if the USA went for an early JF and the numbers will be more in axis favor if the USA went early GF.
128 allied income versus >160 axis and by that time the allies doesn’t have a meaningful military advantage anywhere. With a late (slowly building up) +30 for the USA, this could look like 158 vs 160. THAT sounds more like a balance to me ;-).
Maybe this increasing income will also offer Japan some more considerations as to when to DOW, since the NO will only start (and increase) when at war.