Absolute Minimum

[Dabrion]

You can convert Pilots to BP 2:1. Could be that..

[rogerdubbs]

I am plying a face to face physical WiF game right now, and I can assure you many of these options on the "mandatory list" on this thread are not mandatory in that context. I'm not sure yet how this might change with Matrix WiF.

Mandatory
Offensive Chits - the game expects these, and without them you have a lot of difficulty cracking defenses. On the other hand, I've never played without them, so I can't be sure.
Motorized Movement Rates - no idea why this is an optional rule. Possibly a simplification for face to face beginners, as less to remember?
Amphibious Rules - playing without these makes invasions too easy, opening up a lot of allied gambits early in the war.
Scrap Units - not optional in the boardgame, so not optional for me.
Blitz Bonus for 1D10 or 2D10 whatever your preference.
Additional Chinese Cities - hard not to with the European scale map.

Strongly recommended
Emergency HQ Supply - not absolutely necessary, but high on my list. Required at WiFCon.
Fighter Bombers - I play all optional air abilities - while not mandatory, I don't like having meaningless colors on my counters, so I always play all of these.
Tank Busters
Flying Boats
Extended Aircraft Rebasing - without this, US needs more transports.
Saving Oil Resources and Build Points - possible to play without, possibly even better, but don't think I have.
Off City Reinforcement - Avoids some dumb issues where a reinforcement is prevented to come on the board.
Fractional Odds - mixed bag, as it is pro-attacker. I have seen it not speed up a game as a player tries to eke out every possible advantage. I have always played this though.

Not mandatory
Divisions - classic does not have them, and you can definitely play without them. Tends to magnify losses and keep counter density down.
Artillery - similarly not mandatory. Very helpful to the Russians in particular to have them though.
Ski Troops - same as divisions.
Engineers - Combat - more like artillery - rivers are tougher barriers but you have offensive chits and HQ support for that.
Chinese Warlords - not necessary in a pacific scale map. Haven't played the new maps yet, but every body counts. Note that if you take them out, both sides lose them, so maybe not essential even then.
Siberians - hurts the Russians not to have them, but again not mandatory.
Queens - hurts the british a little not to have the queens, but not game breaking.
Fortifications - obviously helps the defense a little. I only rarely see these built anyway, so it's mainly the starting ones. Can help in specific spots.
SCS Transport - not mandatory, even when playing divisions. Certainly limits invasions, particularly the surprise invasion impulse for the Japanese.
Extended Game - game plays fine with standard victory conditions.

[paulderynck]

ORIGINAL: Deerslayer

Speaking of pilots, what is the "retrain pilot" category that sometimes pops up in the Production Queue to purchase? Is this a downed pilot that survived maybe?

You can "cash-in" an unused pilot (marked on the pilot track) for one Build Point. Usually a desperation move after losing a lot of planes without their pilots dying and maybe needing MIL. Could also be handy if needing just one more BP to get something built.

[Orm]

Defensive Shore Bombardment has now been placed in the group of optional rules that I prefer to play without.

[Skarfdawg]

I would really like to see a point value system for Optional Rules.
Some rules favour either the Axis or the Allies.
Some rules are far more beneficial for one side than another.
Example: carpet bombing IMO has more benefits for the Allies (7 air missions for the USA during a combined action)
So each option would be assigned a point value and each side would be allowed to select a certain total value of options.
Has this been used in any tournaments or home games?

Thanks.

[Ur_Vile_WEdge]

Honestly, it's usually more that the optional rules decided upon has an impact with how much players are willing to bid and which countries they take,, so it tends to mesh into the overall balancing system of bidding.

[rkr1958]

In preparation for my first GW game I was looking into which rules I wanted to play with. If I load and play the quick start scenario then I get the Novice Rule Set. I was thinking of generating my own setup and a customized set of options more "challenging" than the novice set. I really wanted to get a feel for logistic so I'm thinking of playing with the novice set plus oil, scrap units, divisions and ski troops. I'm not really interested in dealing with pilots just yet. Truthfully, I don't see myself getting very far into this game before I mess it up and have to start over.

My question is what would be a good and limited set of optional rules, which I assume would be somewhere between the Novice and Standard set, to use to try to get a good feel of the logistics and flow of the game?

[Centuur]

I would add Fractional odds. That makes calculations a lot easier...

[Courtenay]

I agree about fractional odds.

Additional Chinese cities is much easier to play for the Chinese player.

I would also seriously consider the 2d10 table, simply because if one is going to ever play with it, one might as well use it from the beginning, rather than having to learn and then unlearn the 1d10 table.

[rkr1958]

ORIGINAL: Courtenay

I agree about fractional odds.

Additional Chinese cities is much easier to play for the Chinese player.

I would also seriously consider the 2d10 table, simply because if one is going to ever play with it, one might as well use it from the beginning, rather than having to learn and then unlearn the 1d10 table.

Sounds good. Added.

[Ur_Vile_WEdge]

I generally think that In The Presence of the Enemy is necessary, I'm not sure I like it, if that makes sense, but I do think it's necessary for play balance. In the Pacific, it's just too easy for the Americans to launch suicide raids of a few cruisers into the China sea over and over if you don't have it, and sure, most of them will fail and die, but sooner or later they break through and Japan goes down.

ITPOE makes those kind of nutter charges much harder to pull off.

[rkr1958]

ORIGINAL: Ur_Vile_WEdge

I generally think that In The Presence of the Enemy is necessary, I'm not sure I like it, if that makes sense, but I do think it's necessary for play balance. In the Pacific, it's just too easy for the Americans to launch suicide raids of a few cruisers into the China sea over and over if you don't have it, and sure, most of them will fail and die, but sooner or later they break through and Japan goes down.

ITPOE makes those kind of nutter charges much harder to pull off.

I'll need to read up on that one. I have no idea what it is?

[Courtenay]

In the presence of the enemy is a rule stating that it costs one extra movement point for a non-sub naval unit to move into a sea area if the enemy has SCSs or planes (either carrier or land based) in the area at the start of an impulse and you do not.

I agree that it is a very important rule in the Pacific. I agree completely with the description that I do not like the rule, but it is necessary.

[rkr1958]

ORIGINAL: Courtenay

In the presence of the enemy is a rule stating that it costs one extra movement point for a non-sub naval unit to move into a sea area if the enemy has SCSs or planes (either carrier or land based) in the area at the start of an impulse and you do not.

I agree that it is a very important rule in the Pacific. I agree completely with the description that I do not like the rule, but it is necessary.

Alright then. Even though it's a "red" option (i.e., advanced set), added to my "initial" customized list. An option I left off the previous graphics; but I'm planning on using is, "Extended aircraft rebasing".

Honestly I don't expect to get very far into my initial play of the Global War Scenario before I mess it up and have to restart. I have been reading the applicable AARs and looking through the default setup to get some ideas how to setup and start. I'm taking copious notes and one thing that I'm seeing is how critical convoy routes and protecting sea/shipping lanes will be. MWiF (WiF) offers a strategic war economy level that I've never, ever approached in any of my wargaming experiences. Though, it's going to take me some time to get a proper feel of it, I think I'm really going to enjoy it. That's the mixture of the strategic war economy, the strategic war strategy and the operational tactical level.

I can't image how much book keeping it takes to play this game with paper and cardboard. Not to mention all the rule interpretation and rule lawyering that went/goes on. Boy, am I grateful for MWiF and the fact it handles all this for me and allows me to focus on just learning and playing the game. [8D]