Below is a list of rules changes / updates currently under discussion for inclusion in the game - I'm posting them so anyone can chip-in if they would like:
Change the Italian infantry placements at start to be TWO infantry in Italian East Africa and one less infantry in Rome. Mike points out that this East Africa army was quite large.
Change French Surrender Rules:
At the end of any turn (check for victory and defeat phase) in which 3 or more French territories are occupied by supplied axis units, roll 1d6 die. On a 1-2, the axis need to occupy three French territories by supplied Axis units for France to fall. On a 3-4, the axis need to occupy 4 French territories by supplied Axis units for France to fall. On a 5-6, the axis need to occupy 5 French territories by supplied Axis units for France to fall. France surrenders automatically at the end of any game turn (check for victory and defeat phase) in which Paris is occupied by supplied axis units.
Change the Vichy-French surrender rules:
Beginning the Spring 1942 turn, Vichy France becomes more unstable. At the end of any turn (check for victory and defeat phase) in which 1 or more Vichy French production point territories are occupied in North Africa (Morocco, Algiers, Oran, Tunis) or France by supplied U.S. units, roll 1d6 die. On a 1-2, the Allies need to occupy 1 Vichy French production point territory in North Africa or France by supplied U.S. units for Vichy France to fall. On a 3-4, the Allies need to occupy 2 Vichy French production point territories in North Africa or France by supplied U.S. units for Vichy France to fall. On a 5-6, the Allies need to occupy 3 Vichy French production point territories in North Africa or France by supplied U.S. units for Vichy to fall.
Change the order of retreating rule to prevent a retreat loophole in the rules:
After each round of ground combat, the attacker or the defender may be forced to retreat at the conclusion of a combat round. If all of a player’s front line units are eliminated due to casualties, he must retreat from the battle. At the conclusion of every combat round, first the attacker is either forced or has the option to retreat, and then the defender is either forced or has the option to retreat. Note the attacker always has the option to retreat before the defender, even if the attacker is not forced to withdraw and the defender is forced to retreat
Malta’s influence on the Italian convoys to North Africa:
If Malta is in supply, +1 modifier for each convoy damage die roll for attacks in the adjacent Italian North Africa convoy zone. If Malta is out of supply, no modifier is applied. If Malta is Axis owned, -1 modifier is applied to the convoy damage attacks.
Italian units can occupy French territories.
Remove the restriction on Italian units operating in France. 1) Mike verified that Italian air units did operate in France and just restricting ground units feels like we re getting too into the weeds to replicate history. Let the Italians operate in France. The restriction has never been written into the rules anyway.
Air unit movement in the Mechanized Phase:
Planes may only fly their printed range (or react adjacently) to support mechanized battles during the mechanized phase. At the conclusion of the battle, planes must land back in the territory they flew from to support the mechanized battle. If the territory the planes flew from is enemy occupied, planes may fly to an alternative friendly owned territory within their printed range of the mechanized battle they supported. Planes flown during the mechanized phase may never end the phase more than their printed range from the territory they started the mechanized phase in.
Transport planes that moved during the regular movement phase are not allowed to move during the mechanized phase.
Heavy bomber air units are not allowed to move during the mechanized movement phase
Subs attacking destroyers
Due to destroyer’s speed, small size and maneuverability, submarine attacks against destroyers receive a +1 modifier penalty to their attack die. This penalty does not apply to subs attacking destroyers in port.
Units do not have to disembark from transports at the conclusion of the non-combat phase.
Troops may stay on transports at sea. Actually, there is no rule in the rulebook that says units must disembark from transports at the conclusion of the non-combat movement phase today. . . This rule will make operation Torch (invasion of Morocco from the U.S.) possible and also make it not as impossible as it is today to reinvade an Axis occupied England or North Africa if Gibraltar has fallen to the Axis.
Finnish independence:
While they were a German ally in WWII, Finland enjoyed a degree of autonomy from German control during the war. To reflect this, when Finland becomes an Axis minor, the German player rolls a d6 and places it in Finland. The die result represents the number of non-Finish Axis units that may be in Finland (including Vyborg). Non-Finnish Axis units greater than the die result may not occupy Finnish territory (including Vyborg). If there is an excess of Axis units in Finland at the conclusion of the non-combat movement phase, it creates a diplomatic challenge making all Axis units in Finland out of supply and no attacks may be launched by Finnish units or Axis units in Finnish territory (including Vyborg). If Leningrad falls and is occupied by in-supply Axis units on the check minor allied phase or if the Soviets occupy a Finnish territory (other than Vyborg), this restriction is removed.
Return results from Naval Battles:
Ships suffering an “R” return result in a naval battle (either from air or naval attacks) are retreated out of the battle at the conclusion of the combat phase they suffered the return result (i.e. at the conclusion of the battleship combat round, ships suffering an “R” result from battleship fire are retreated). Ships suffering an “R” result are retreated off of the battle board, but they remain in the sea zone until the conclusion of the battle. Once the attacker or the defender retreats from the naval battle, all of hois returned ships present in the sea zone retreat out of the sea zone with the rest of the attacker or defender units.
Submarine interdiction combat at the conclusion of naval combat
At the conclusion of a naval combat, when one side or the other decides or is forced to retreat, it triggers a round of submarine interdiction combat for any subs present in the sea zone that have not participated in any combat during the current game turn. Both the attacker and defender may elect to attack enemy naval units present or retreating from the sea zone at the conclusion of the battle. Up to 3 submarines are allowed to attack the enemy fleet during this interdiction combat round.
Once submarine combat is declared, the opposing player may roll for ASW warfare against each attacking sub. Total the number of surviving destroyers in the sea zone and add the bonus if any air unit is still present in the sea zone (it does not matter if the air unit was engaged in air-to-air or a bombing role during naval combat). Destroyers that participate or were returned during the naval combat may also perform ASW warfare against submarines. Consult the Fleet ASW table to roll ASW against each enemy sub. Once both sides have defended with their ASW, any surviving subs that were not returned may pick any engaged or reserve naval unit target and attack – including naval units that were forced to retreat from combat during any round of naval combat. Once sub attacks have been resolved (on the 2 combat column) combat is over – there is only one round of sub combat. Note: Naval leaders (other than sub aces) can not influence submarine combat with re-rolls. The side who elected to retreat from the naval battle now retreats his naval units out of the sea zone.
Partisans – still need to discuss
Both the Soviet player and the British player may build partisan units to disrupt enemy production during the game. Both the Soviet Union and Britain have a maximum build of 2 Partisan unit on their production track and they take 2 turns to build, costing 1+1 PP. Soviet built partisans may be placed in any Axis controlled territory within the 1939 borders of the Soviet Union or Yugoslavia. British built partisans may be placed in France, Belgium, Holland, Norway, Yugoslavia and Greece. Soviet and British partisans may never both occupy the same territory. If forced to do so, they are eliminated instead.
Unlike regular units, partisans are placed in any of the enemy owned territories in the countries above during the owners ‘0’ chit draw during the movement phase (even if the territory is occupied by enemy units). At the conclusion of the movement phase, any enemy ground units in the same territory as the partisan(s) may attack partisan units. Terrain modifiers are used when conducting the attack against the partisan. Only ground units may attack partisan units (air units may not). If the attacking Axis unit(s) hit, the partisan is eliminated. This is treated like a normal single round of combat for the attacker – each attacking unit only gets to roll one attack – regardless of the number of partisans potentially located in the territory.
If the attacking unit(s) do not hit, each partisan inflicts 1PP of damage if they are in a territory in which the Axis collected PP income during the initial phase. Partisans may only damage a territories PP value up to the maximum the territory is worth (so placing a partisan in a territory worth 0 PP is not effective).
Partisans may also be attacked both during the mechanized combat phases by enemy mechanized ground units (but not air). Partisans that survive the Axis attack remain in the game and may not move. Surviving partisans will again inflict PP damage if they are located in an enemy territory worth a PP value that the enemy collected income for at the conclusion of the next turn’s combat phase (just like an economic attack) if enemy units do not hit it during the next turns combat phase. Partisans will continue to inlict 1 PP worth of damage every game turn until eliminated.
Subs attacking ships in port
Unlike surface combat naval units, Subs may attack ships in major fortified ports. Subs conducting port attacks must move into the sea zone the ported ships are in to conduct their attack. As in normal combat, up to three subs may participate in a port attack. In order to launch their attack, subs must first run the port’s ASW defenses which are the equivalent to a 3 destroyers with fleet ASW defense (eliminates each attacking sub on a 3 or less and returns it on a 6 or less). The presence of air units does not add an additional modifier to the port ASW defense. Surviving subs that were not returned may then select any of the ported ships to attack. Subs attack ships in port per the normal combat rules, except that ported ships ignore return results. Once the port attack has been conducted, the attacking sub retreats back into the sea zone the port is in.
Alter maximum rounds of combat rule
Combat can only last a maximum of four combat rounds. At the conclusion of the 4th round of combat, if the defender still has front line units left (i.e. the defender would not be forced to retreat do to not having any front line units left), the attacker is forced to retreat. If the defender has no front line units left at the conclusion of four rounds of combat, the attacker is not forced to retreat and instead the defender must retreat per the normal retreat rules.
Repairing damaged ships
Ships may be repaired from damaged status in any in-supply large fortified port. Therefore, if a German battleship is in a sea zone adjacent to an Axis occupied French fortified port territory, and the French territory is in Axis supply (i.e. can trace supply back to two German factory territories), the German player may repair the battleship at the French port per the normal repairing damaged ships rules. A British battleship at Alexandria may be repaired by Britain as long as Alexandria is in supply (can trace supply back to two British or commonwealth national factory territories.
