Best posts made by regularkid

@gamerman01 you have been a sensational moderator, gamerman. Really appreciate the time and work you put into keeping the League going.

Hey all. Proud to announce the release of G40 Balanced (Balance Mod). Below is the official ruleset.

Become a recognized member of the NerdHerd and support the content creators of G40 Balanced Mod and Path to Victory at https://www.patreon.com/nerd_herd.

Path to Victory Discord Server: https://discord.gg/kSbeKFa

G40 Balanced - Balance Mod

Original Game Credits: Bung, Veqryn

Mod Squad: Adam514 (co-originator and oracle), Deathbringer1974 (chief executive troll), dust (good at math), dss85 (playtester and game breaker), Gencre (general haha), redrum (XML high priest), Regularkid (co-originator and king of noobs), Young Grasshopper (topper goodwill ambassador)

REVISIONS

Revised Air Raid Rules: Fighters attack and defend at 2. Strategic and tactical bombers attack at 1.

Revised Capital Capture Rules: The capture of a player’s capital results in the plunder of that player’s PUs only the first time the capital is taken. Subsequent recapture of the same capital results in the player’s PUs being destroyed.

Revised Victory Conditions: If Germany is Allied control, an Axis victory in the Pacific requires 7 (rather than 6) Pacific VCs. If Japan is Allied control, an Axis victory in Europe requires 9 (rather than 8 ) Europe VCs.

New Unit - Marines: Cost 5; Attack at 1; Attack at 2 when involved with an amphibious assault; Defend at 2; No bonus from artillery; Can be loaded onto cruisers and battleships (1 to a ship).

Revised Bomber Cost: Strategic bombers now cost 14 PUs, rather than 12.

Note: During amphibious assaults, Battleships and Cruisers may bombard territories other than the one they unload their marines into.  Also during amphibious assaults, Marines attack at 2 even if they arrived over land (to join an amphibious assault by other ground units).  Kamikazes (by themselves) do not prevent and cannot be used against a marine amphibious assault that is from a different power’s cruiser/battleship.  Marines loaded in the combat movement phase must conduct amphibious assault in that same phase.
Additional National Objectives

Germany

• 2 PUs if Romania, Yugoslavia, Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, and Crete are Axis or Pro-Axis controlled.
• 5 PUs if there is at least one German land unit in either London (the United Kingdom) or Egypt. (This modifies Germany’s “Presence in Egypt” objective).

Russia

• 3 PUs if Russia is at war with European Axis, and there are no non-Russian Allied units in any originally Russian territory.
• 3 PUs for each originally German, Italian, or Pro-Axis neutral territory that Russia controls in mainland Europe. (This modifies Russia’s “Spread of Communism” objective).
• 2 PUs for each of the following Lend-Lease lanes that is “open” (i.e., the specified Sea Zone has no enemy warships and the specified territory is Allied controlled) when Russia is at war with European Axis beginning Round 3: (1) sz 125, Archangel ; (2) sz 80, Persia; (3) sz 5, Amur (This modifies Russia’s “Lend Lease” objective).  If Japan and Russia are not at war, then Japan can’t block the NO by putting a warship in sz 5.
• An additional 2 PUs per each “open” Lend-Lease lane, when Russia is at war with European Axis, if Japan has also declared war on Russia.

Note: An Axis power may not move its units into originally Russian territory unless that Axis power is at war with Russia. Also, when not at war with Japan, Russia may not move its units into any non-Russian Allied territory in Asia, other than Syria, Trans-Jordan, Iraq, Persia, NorthWest Persia, and East Persia.  The National Objective for Russia’s first capture of Berlin has been removed.

Japan

• 5 PUs if Axis controls Dutch New Guinea, New Guinea, New Britain and Solomon Islands. (This modifies Japan’s “Strategic Perimeter” objective).
• 5 PUs if Axis controls Midway, Wake Island, Guam.
• 3 PUs if Japan controls Iwo Jima and Okinawa and is at war with the USA

USA

• 5 PUs if USA is at war and Allies control Midway, Wake Island, Guam.
• 5 PUs if USA is at war and Allies control Marshall Islands, Caroline Islands, Paulau Island, Marianas.
• 5 PUs if Allies control at least 2 of: Normandy Bordeaux, Holland Belgium, Southern France, and USA has at least one land unit in any of these territories.
• 5 PUs if Allies control Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, and USA has at least one land unit in any of these territories.

China

• 3 PUs if Allies control Yunnan, Szechwan, Burma, and India. (This modifies China’s “Burma Road” objective).
• At the start of China’s turn, a Chinese infantry is spawned in each non-coastal Chinese territory under Axis control that is not garrisoned by at least one Axis land unit (i.e., infantry, marine, mech infantry, artillery, or armor). These “guerrillas” engage in combat wherever they are spawned and may not be moved until China’s next turn.

UK

• 3 PUs if UK Europe controls all its original territories. (This modifies UK’s “Original Territories” objective).
• 3 PUs if Allies control at least 2 of: Sicily, Sardinia, Greece, Southern Italy, and Allies have at least one land unit in any of these territories.
• 3 PUs if there are no enemy submarines in the Atlantic, excluding szs 112 and 125-127.
• 3 PUs if Malta, Crete, and Cyprus are Allied or Pro-Allied controlled.
• 3 PUs for UK Pacific when at war with the Japanese if: (1) British control West India and either Egypt or South Africa; and (2) there are no enemy submarines in the western half of the Indian Ocean (sz71,…,sz81).
• 3 PUs for UK Pacific when at war with the Japanese if Malaya and Kwantung are Allied controlled. (This modifies UK Pacific’s “Malaya and Kwantung” objective.

Italy

• 3 PUs if Malta, Cyprus, and Crete are Axis controlled.

ANZAC

• 3 PUs if ANZAC is at war with the Japanese and Dutch New Guinea, New Guinea, New Britain and Solomon Islands are controlled by the Allies (other than the Dutch). (This modifies ANZAC’s “Strategic Islands” objective).
• 3 PUs if ANZAC is at war with the Japanese and the Solomon Islands, Gilbert Islands, Fiji, and Samoa are Allied controlled.
• 3 PUs if ANZAC is at war with the Japanese, controls all of its original territories, and Malaya is Allied controlled. (This modifies ANZAC’s “Control Original And Malaya” objective).

VICHY FRANCE RULE SET

The following rule-set simulates the circumstances and strategic consequences of the Franco-German Armistice, and is intended for play with the G40 Balance Mod.

Game Conditions for Franco-German Armistice

At the beginning of France’s turn, if the following conditions are met, the Franco-German Armistice will occur:

1. Axis has control of both France and Normandy Bordeaux;
2. Axis has never controlled Southern France; and
3. There are no non-French, Allied land units in Southern France.

Game Consequences of Franco-German Armistice

French Territorial Control: At the beginning of France’s first turn in which Armistice conditions are met, all originally French territories not already under Axis control immediately change ownership to Pro-Axis Neutrals, except: (1) French Equatorial Africa; (2) New Hebrides; (2) any French territories containing non-French allied land units.

Any non-French allied air units in Vichy-controlled territory are destroyed upon conversion of the territory to Vichy control.

With the exception of Southern France (see discussion of “Zone Libere” below), Vichy French territory operates the same way as other Pro-Axis Neutral territory. An Axis player may capture Vichy French territory and commandeer its forces by moving a land unit into the territory during the non-combat phase of his turn.

Fly-over restrictions applicable to other Neutral territories do not apply to Vichy French territory.

Fleet at Toulon: In addition to the change in French territorial control, the Armistice changes control of the the French fleet in sz 93, from French to Pro-Axis neutral. The Vichy French fleet maintains a strictly defensive posture. It may not be moved. It may not be captured by the Axis. The fleet is immediately destroyed if any power, other than the Free French, occupies Southern France

“Zone Libre”: Any Axis occupation of Southern France following the Armistice results in the scuttling of the Vichy French Fleet at Toulon and the disbandment of all remaining Vichy French forces. These forces are removed at the end of the Axis player’s turn in which the occupation of Southern France takes place. Any formerly Vichy French forces that were previously commandeered by the Axis are unaffected by this change.

Armistice’s Effect on National Objectives: Following the armistice, Southern France is considered Axis-controlled for purposes of Italy’s “Roman Empire” objective. Otherwise, the Vichy France arrangement has no impact on National Objectives. Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco must still be directly occupied by Germany or Italy to achieve Italy’s “North Africa” objective. Japanese occupation of French Indo China still negates Japan’s “Trade With America” objective.

Liberation of France: The Allied liberation of France effectively terminates the Armistice. Any territory and forces still under Vichy French control (including any surviving fleet in sz 93) revert back to Free French control. The Vichy French forces in the Southern France and sz 93 will also revert back if Southern France is liberated by the Free French.

Finally, here is a link to National Objective cards made by Cyanight for tabletop games of Balance Mod. Enjoy! http://www.artscow.com/ClientDesigner/Designer.aspx?DesignId=164810677. (This link is only viewable with internet explorer).

@simon33 I don’t think so. It seems like even the skeptics recognize it as improvement after playing it a couple of times. And I seriously doubt a one-sea zone division would deter someone who is otherwise willing to try a substantially redrawn map.

BM caught on quickly because the game looks and feels identical, in most respects, to G40. This was by design. When we made BM, one of the limitations we placed on the project was that it must have a completely familiar feel for G40 players— to encourage wide acceptance by the community.

PTV, on the other hand, is a bolder departure from G40. As soon as you open it, you know it is a completely different game. That means there is a somewhat higher bar to entry.

That being said, the enthusiasm with which the G40 community has embraced PTV has surpassed my wildest expectations. And the fact that over 10% of league games are now PTV games is highly encouraging.

Hey all. An update. I’ve play-tested the proposed rule change in three games so far. Results were promising.

Bombers were still purchased by both sides. In one game, I purchased three bombers with USA to dislodge German fleet from English channel. Was the right move even at the increased cost.

In another game, my opponent purchased several bombers with Germany, but we did not get to the ridiculous bomber spam you sometimes see in vanilla.

One thing I noted was how satisfying it was to shoot down a bomber, given their increased cost :)

I’m still waiting for a game against a known bomb-spammer/pro. I have one person in mind, but am waiting for him to become available. Will keep y’all posted.

In the meantime, playtest the change for yourself. Attached is a saved game file that allows you to test the proposed rule change. Simply load the game, and it will start you at G1 with bombers costing 14. Plz post ur experience! BalanceMod4.tsvg

@trulpenplay will be following this game with interest :)

Adam514 and I are excited to announce the map we have been working on for the last several weeks together has been released and is available for download on TripleA! WW2 Path to Victory.

Using World War II Global 1940 Balanced Mod as a launching point, Path to Victory seeks to breathe new life into the World War 2 genre with a number of changes and gameplay innovations:

• A redrawn Pacific theater that puts critical islands at the intersection of Sea Zones, boosting their inherent strategic worth and encouraging island trading.

• A redrawn Russia that offers more distinct and alternative approaches to taking down (and defending) the Motherland, including multiple points of engagement (not just a single retreating/advancing stack).

• A scorched earth dynamic, whereby original Soviet factories are destroyed upon capture by the Axis, evoking Germany’s stretched supply lines in the later stages of Barbarossa.

• A redrawn China that gives Japan a real fight, and a real choice between cleaving close to the coast or risking a protracted fight in China’s heartland.

• Updated unit mechanics, including carriers that can scramble aircraft to adjacent battles (a mechanic also found in Total World War), mechs that are supported by tanks, and reduced cost for underutilized naval units.

These changes build upon the enhancements already found in G40 Balanced Mod, including marines, Vichy France, Chinese guerilla fighters, etc., to create a fun and engaging World War II strategy gaming experience, which we look forward to sharing with all of you!

Hey all. Proud to announce the release of WW2 Path to Victory–a project Adam514 and I put together to provide an enhanced gameplay experience to World War II strategy-game enthusiasts and lovers of Global 1940, more particularly.

You can become a recognized member of the NerdHerd and support the content creators of Path to Victory and Balanced Mod at https://www.patreon.com/nerd_herd.. Also, join our Path to Victory Discord Server for live chat and further community engagement at https://discord.gg/kSbeKFa

Much of the ruleset from Global 1940 Balanced Mod 3 (e.g., marlines, Vichy France, Chinese guerrillas, revised national objectives, etc.) is adopted by PTV. Below is a list of differences: This list may not be up to date. Please refer to the map’s Game Notes for an authoritative listing of the rules.

PATH TO VICTORY REVISIONS OF BM3 RULESET

• Mongolia: If Japan declares war on Russia, Mongolian territories and units will automatically turn Russian at the end of Japan’s turn.

• Factories in Russia: Originally owned Factory Minors in Russia are destroyed upon capture by the Axis.

• Tsugaru Strait: Passage through the Tsugaru Strait, connecting sea zones 6 and 7, requires ownership of Japan. Submarines, however, may pass through freely regardless of ownership.

• Land Scramble: Path to Victory is designed to be played with “can scramble to land” turned on for both Airbases and Carriers. This option, however, may only be used for battles where the defending player has at least one unit in the defending territory–i.e., a scramble cannot be used to defend an empty land territory. The TripleA engine does correctly enforce this rule. However, at present, the engine still prompts players to scramble to undefended territories if the attack is amphibious. This prompt should be ignored since the engine will ultimately not recognize such a scramble, even if it is selected.

• Carrier Scramble: A carrier may scramble one plane to battles in adjacent sea zones/territories where there is at least one defending surface warship/land unit. No more than three planes may be scrambled from a particular sea zone in this manner. The number of planes that may be scrambled from a sea zone (up to the three-plane maximum) is determined by the number of undamaged carriers in that sea zone (one per carrier). This is true irrespective of how the planes may be allocated among the carriers. For example, if a sea zone contains an American carrier with two planes and a British carrier with no planes, the total number of planes that may be scrambled from that sea zone is two. Damaged carriers are disregarded for purpose of determining the scramble capacity of a sea zone (player enforced).

• Note - Return of Scrambled Planes: A scrambling plane must return to the place from which it scrambled, unless that place is no longer a viable landing spot (either because the territory was taken, or the scrambling carrier was damaged/destroyed). If the place from which the plane scrambled is no longer a viable landing spot, the plane may land in any available spot that is adjacent to or in the battle zone itself. Note: Per the foregoing rule, scrambled planes may land in eligible Friendly-Neutral territories that have already been attacked by the other side (play enforced).

• Revised Plane Landing Rules: Planes may not make attacks that require landing on a newly purchase carrier that is not yet on the board.

• Revised Carrier Defense: Carriers defend at 1.

• Revised Mech Rules: Mechs now cost 5 PUs. They are supportable by tanks in both attack and defense (add one to their combat value).

• Revised Bomber Rules: Strategic bombers attack at 3, and cost 12 PUs.

• Retreat from Lone AA Guns: An attacker may retreat even if there are only AA guns left in the battle.

• Reduced Unit Costs: Transports now cost 6. Cruisers 11. Battleships 18. And tactical bombers 10.

• Capital Ships: Battleships and carriers may only be built from territories that have both factories and harbors.

• Restricted US Movement When Not at War: When not at war with Japan, naval units belonging to the United States may not end their turn in sea zones adjacent to Japanese territory. The exceptions to this rule are sea zones 22 (Guam) and 32 (Wake Island).

• Great Purge Penalty: Russia starts the game with 10 fewer PUs than its total production.

• Civil War Penalty: China starts the game with 4 fewer PUs than its total production.

• Sicily: Sicily is now connected to Southern Italy.

• Revised Victory Conditions: Japan must capture seven Victory Cities for a win in the Pacific. Malaya is now a Victory City.

• Global Victory: In addition to achieving a theater-specific victory, Axis can win the game by capturing and holding for one complete turn 13 victory cities, globally.

PATH TO VICTORY REVISIONS OF BM3 NATIONAL OBJECTIVES

Except as otherwise stated below, the national objectives in Path to Victory are functionally identical to those of BM3.

GERMANY

• NEW OBJECTIVE - Atlantic Wall: 3 PUs if Normandy and Holland Belgium are both Axis controlled at the beginning of Germany’s turn and each garrisoned with at least one land unit at the end of Germany’s turn.

• REVISED OBJECTIVE - Control of Balkans: 3 PUs (increased from 2 PUs) if Romania, Yugoslavia, Albania, Bulgaria, Greece and Crete are Axis or Pro-Axis controlled.

RUSSIA

• REVISED OBJECTIVE - Lend Lease: Russia no longer receives a 2 PU boost from an unprovoked Japanese declaration of war. Instead the Mongolians automatically turn Russian as aforesaid.

JAPAN

• NEW OBJECTIVE - Vital Forward Bases: 5 PUs if Caroline Islands, Marianas, Marshall Islands, Paulau and Gilbert Islands are Axis controlled.

UNITED STATES

• NEW OBJECTIVE - Strategic Initiative: 5 PUs if Americans have a land unit in at least one Axis capitol.

• REVISED OBJECTIVE - Control of Philippines: 5 PUs if Americans are at war and control both Manilla and Davao.

CHINA

• REVISED OBJECTIVE - Burma Road: 3 PUs and may build artillery if the Allies control Eastern India (as opposed to “India”), Burma, Yunnan, and Szechwan.

This thread is for questions regarding PTV rules. Enjoy!

@Amon-Sul There’s no accounting for taste! You can change the colors to whatever you like! Its easy (and kinda fun) :D

Here’s how:

1. Unzip the game file in your downloadedmaps folder (which is typically located in your user/documents/triplea directory). The file is called ww2_path_to_victory-master.zip.

2. Inside the unzipped folder, open up the “Map” folder and look inside for the file called “map.properties.”

3. Open “map.properties” with Notepad (for PC) or textedit (for Mac).

4. Inside you will find a list of player factions with a color code assigned to each play.

5. Find the color you want for the particular player here: https://www.rapidtables.com/web/color/RGB_Color.html. THis website gives you the color code, which you will need for the next step.

6. Type in the new color code next to the country at issue. Save the file. Rezipp the map. And launch tripleA. You will see that the color has been updated to the one you picked!

Note: this will not affect how your opponents see the map, because the color information is stored locally on everyone’s computer, and has no other effect on the game. It will only change what you see.

Enjoy!

@trulpen yes it is possible. Click “View” then “Edit Map Font and Color” and enter a higher number into the font field. I set mine to 18, and it makes the unit numbers very easy to read.

Hey guys. Been following your conversation on the Russia/Japan political situation. Interesting stuff!

A couple of observations. I agree with Trulpen that the dynamic in the Far East between Russia and Japan is much different in PTV than it is in BM3, and that there is a greater likelihood of war between the two countries earlier in the game in PTV. . . . But this is not because of the Lend Lease Rules.

In PTV, there is actually a greater disincentive for Russia to declare war than in BM3.

There is a convoy zone in SZ 5 (which does not exist in BM3). A single Japanese sub in sz 5 will deprive Russia of an average of 4 PUs per turn (2 from the lost National Objective, and 2 average from convoy blockade rolls), with a possibility of up to 6 PUs lost (depending on how the convoy blockade rolls go down).

In PTV, Russia also enjoys an added bonus of waiting for Japan to declare war on it. . . a guarantee of 8 additional infantry. In BM3, the question of who declared war on whom has no effect on the disposition of the Mongolian infantry.

The reason the dynamic in the far east seems different isn’t because of how the NOs are structured. In fact, if we imported the BM3 political/NO rules exactly (with all of their added complexity), the dynamic would be pretty much the same. The reason Russia declares war more often and earlier in PTV is because it can. . . the factory and Russia’s added income make a meaningful front against Japan possible.

Changing the NOs won’t change that reality.

Hey all! We are pleased to announce Version 5.0 of WW2: Path to Victory is now available for download on TripleA. Based on playtesting and community feedback, we made the following changes to the map:

(1) Sea Zone 38 (by Malaya) is now two Sea Zones (38 and 132), as shown below;

(2) The Vital Forward Bases National Objective in the Pacific now requires control of Gilbert Islands and is reciprocal. That is, Japan can also earn plus +5 PUs by controlling Caroline Islands, Paulau, Marshall Islands, Marianas, and Gilbert Islands.

Thanks again for all of your continued support and feedback. I look forward to seeing you around the gaming table.

Hey all! We are pleased to announce Version 5.0 of WW2: Path to Victory is now available for download on TripleA. Based on playtesting and community feedback, we made the following changes to the map:

(1) Sea Zone 38 (by Malaya) is now two Sea Zones (38 and 132), as shown below;

(2) The Vital Forward Bases National Objective in the Pacific now requires control of Gilbert Islands and is reciprocal. That is, Japan can also earn plus +5 PUs by controlling Caroline Islands, Paulau, Marshall Islands, Marianas, and Gilbert Islands.

Thanks again for all of your continued support and feedback. I look forward to seeing you around the gaming table.

@argothair

1. Rio De Oro is not a bug

2. People haven’t stopped playing PTV. To the contrary.

3. Your analysis regarding the Malaysia sea zone split is spot-on. The change dramatically improves the Pacific theater, both from a historical and game play perspective. Thanks for your thoughtful comments.

cool game. will be following this one

@trulpen just now seeing that this game was called. I enjoyed spectating it alot! a really entertaining and dynamic matchup.

@Mursilis responding to your points, in turn:

1. Speaking from my own experience with the mod, cruisers are already an attractive enough buy at 12 IPCs (with marine transport capabilities), that I will buy them, especially with the US. I don’t think making them a “frequent” purchase is a goal, however, due to their relative obsolescence during WW2.

2. Balance Mod avoids changes to the starting unit-setup, because it acts as a barrier to new players. And I don’t think we would break that rule in order to encourage ahistorical outcomes.

3. The Mod does not appear to favor the Axis. To the contrary, many league games include a small bid for the Axis player. Whether, and to what extent, the mod favors either side is hardly a settled question.

4. The justification for allowing battleships/cruisers to carry marines is that most capital ships usually carried a small company of marines that could carry out amphibious operations. They did not, however, carry ground infantry.

5. This thread is never dead.

Have you played balance mod?

cool game.

@Mursilis said in G40 Balance Mod - Feedback Thread:

However not being open to changes or suggestions is not a good way to be. I mean what if changing a NO by one dollar dramatically changes and balances the whole game.

Speaking for myself, I’m always open to suggestions for changes. We’ve actually incorporated quite a few suggestions made on this thread (e.g., +5 for Axis occupation of London, requiring Allied land unit (as opposed to air unit) in S. France to prevent Vichy).

However, at this late stage, any proposed changes must obviously meet a substantial burden. I offered the following guidance in that regard, in an earlier post:

“The Mod Squad used four metrics to determine whether any proposed change should be incorporated or not: (1) does it improve balance? (2) does it improve fun/strategic depth? (3) does it improve historicality? (4) is it simple/easy to understand and implement? If the change satisfied all of those criteria, it was a strong candidate for inclusion.”

When it comes to unit mechanics and initial unit setup, I think we are particularly cautious about making tweaks because such discussions tend to generate the most controversy among players, and we want the Mod to be widely accepted and played by the community. Also, as evidenced by similar discussions on other threads (see, e.g., G40 Redesign thread), debates about unit statistics tend to have a “rabbit hole” quality, from which there is little escape.

The types of proposals I personally would find more interesting would try to recreate historical events/phenomena. For example, a Russian winter mechanic. Perhaps soviet factories that are destroyed upon capture, or can be moved (have played tested this. is cool). Manhattan project/nukes.

Good game. Well played fellas. enjoyed watching this one.

@trulpen hey bro, I got the history a little mixed up (was four years ago). While Young Grasshopper expressed an interest in making National Objective cards for use in tabletop games, it was actually cyanight who wound up making them. Here is Cyanight’s post: https://www.axisandallies.org/forums/post/742280.

And here is the link to the cards he designed: http://www.artscow.com/ClientDesigner/Designer.aspx?DesignId=164810677. (This link is only viewable with internet explorer).

Enjoy!