New Icarus Mod for Strategic Command WW1 - 1914

[mdsmall]

As Old Crow has announced in the main forum, we are now play testing my new Icarus mod for Strategic Command World War I. Turns will start being posted on his YT channel, Old Crow Balthazor's Strategic Arcana, starting on March 31, 2022. Although I have play-tested the mod against the AI, this is the first time I have play tested the mod against a human opponent.

I have written a long series of notes explaining the changes in this mod to the 1914 Call to Arms Campaign. Since it does not seem possible to upload them here as a single file, I will post the document here as a series of different threads. The same information will be included in my campaign diary which I will be posting daily on Old Crow's YT channel, so viewers can follow my side of the game. Old Crow will be playing the Central Powers and I will be playing the Entente.

As of today, we are now in late August 1915 and the campaign is proving very intense. We have found a few small glitches so far in the scripts which will be corrected in the next version. We would both be very interested in feedback from viewers in order to improve the mod in the future.

If readers would like a copy of the current version of the mod to play-test themselves, simply send me a Private Message via this Forum and give me your email address. I can then send you the mod files using We Transfer.

Best regards,

Michael Small (mdsmall)

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March 6, 2022


Strategic Command: World War One
"Icarus" Mod

Explanation of Modifications


Contents:

1. Overview

2. Unit Capabilities and Upgrades

2.1 Artillery
2.2 Infantry
2.3 German Stormtroopers
2.4 Tanks
2.5 Anti-Submarine Warfare
2.6 Airships and Maritime Bombers

3 Technology

3.1 Tech Chit Costs
3.2 Selling Tech Chits

4. Building Units

4.1 Division sized units
4.2 Changes to Build Limits

5. Unit Morale

5.1 Swapping Units
5.2 Impact on Unit Morale of Surrenders

6. National Morale

6.1 Naval Blockades
6.2 Reversing NM Gains and Losses
6.3 National Morale Impact of Surrenders
6.4 National Morale Value of Warsaw

7. Diplomacy

8. Ottoman Empire Modifications

8.1 Gallipoli Campaign
8.2 Mesopotamia
8.3 Arabia
8.4 Armenia
8.5 Ottoman HQs
8.6 Ottoman Resources
8.7 Ottoman National Morale Objectives

9. Persia

10. Albania

11. Austria-Hungary

11.2 Polish Legion
11.1 Naval Saboteurs

12. Denmark

13. Egypt

14. Finland

15. Greece

15.1 Pro-Entente Coup
15.2 General Danglis

16. Iceland

17. Italy

17.1 Convoy to Italy from France
17.2 Italian Frogmen

18. Libya

18.1 The Senussi Uprising
18.2 Benghazi
18.3 National Morale Objectives

19. Montenegro

20. Norway

21. Morocco

22. Portugal

23. Russia

24. Spain

25. Sweden

26. United States

26.1 The Zimmerman Telegram and its Aftermath
26.2 General Pershing
26.2 Spanish Flu Events


1. Overview

The primary purpose of this mod is to expand the range of strategic options available to both sides, using the existing game system (version 1.08). The core campaign areas of the game, on the Western and Eastern fronts, in Italy and in the Balkans, are largely unchanged. But many events have been added to make the Ottoman Empire a more interesting theatre of war and to bring more minor powers into the game. Some of the new features make historical events more plausible as options for players - like the Gallipoli campaign, the Arab Revolt, the Persian theatre of war, or the Zimmerman Telegram. Other features have been added which did not happen but could have - like the Ottomans extending a railroad to Baghdad, or Sweden starting a convoy to Britain through Norway. Diplomacy has been made more powerful, combined with a range of new options with minors which can only be achieved through the creative use of diplomacy.

A second purpose of this mod is to slow down the tempo of the war so that games will more often run to 1917 or 1918 before they are decided. This should allow players to experiment with new technologies that only emerge in the later stages of the war. Infantry corps defensive strength has been slightly increased, making combat losses more balanced between attackers and defenders, especially in the early stages of the war. The lethality of artillery has been reduced by restricting the number of shells that artillery units can store and by slowing down investment in Gas /Shell production. Heavy Artillery units are introduced. Counter-battery fire can now take place. Tanks have been made more effective. Several kinds of air-power tech have been made cheaper to encourage investment in them. German storm-trooper units with some unique capabilities have been added, starting in late 1917.

Strategically, the naval campaign in the North Sea and the North Atlantic has been made more deadly by increasing the impact in 1917 and 1918 on national morale of the British blockade against Germany and German submarine warfare against Britain. The national morale impact on Russia of losing Warsaw has been somewhat reduced, which makes it more likely that Russia will hold on for longer in the East. If powers can recapture lost national morale objectives, they can win back lost national morale points. These changes should give both sides more capacity to hold on until at least 1917, increasing the odds that the United States will enter the war. At that point both sides should be in a race to see which side can push the other's national morale to the breaking point.

The specific changes in this mod are as follows.


2. Unit Capabilities and Upgrades

2. 1 Changes to Artillery

Artillery forces have now been divided into Artillery and Heavy Artillery.

Artillery units have a range of 2 hexes, 3 APs, a maximum of 6 shells after upgrades. They cost 250 MPPs and take three turns to build. They can only be upgraded to Artillery Weapons 1. They have a base demoralization rate of 5% and a maximum of 10% per shell after upgrades.

Heavy Artillery units have a range of 3 hexes, 2 APs and a maximum of 8 shells after upgrades. They cost 300 MPPs and take four turns to build. They can be upgraded to Artillery Weapons 2. They have a base demoralization rate of 10% and a maximum of 20% per shell.

Gas/Shell production costs 200 MPPs and only 1 chit can be invested at a time (as opposed to the current limit of 3 chits at 100 MPPs each).

Each increment of Artillery Weapons Tech adds two shells to the maximum for Artillery and Heavy Artillery. Logistics Tech has no effect on the number of shells per artillery unit. Neither Artillery nor Heavy Artillery can be motorized.

Majors build levels for Artillery have been changed as follows (compared with existing levels):

U.K.: Two Heavy Artillery, one Artillery plus two more in DEs, for a total of 5 (net change -1)

France: Two Heavy Artillery, one Artillery, for a total of three (no net change)

Italy: One Heavy Artillery, one Artillery for a total of two (no net change)

Serbia: One Artillery (no net change)

Russia: Two Heavy Artillery, one Artillery plus one more in a DE, for a total of 4 (no net change)

USA: Two Artillery (net change -2)

Germany: Four Heavy Artillery, two Artillery, for a total of six (+2 net change)

Austria-Hungary: One Heavy Artillery, two Artillery, for a total of 3 (no net change)

Ottoman Empire: One Heavy Artillery, two Artillery for a total of 3 (no net change)

Entente total: Sixteen artillery units, for a net change of -3

Central Powers: Twelve artillery units, for a net change of +2

Note that the U.K. receives 2 Artillery through Decision Events (in Egypt and Mesopotamia) and Russia receives 1 Artillery through a Decision Event (in the Caucasus).

Minors can only build Artillery, not Heavy Artillery.

The artillery units that can be built the U.K. and Russia through Decision Events will be Artillery and the costs of these DEs have been reduced to reflect that.

Heavy Artillery can only start to be produced in January or February 1915 for the UK, France, Germany, and Austria-Hungary, and January 1916 for Italy and the Ottoman Empire.

Note that because Heavy Artillery have a range of 3, if set on Auto they can trigger defensive counter-battery fire against other artillery behind the enemy line. Artillery Weapons tech increments do not increase artillery attack strength against other artillery.

When Rail Guns are upgraded to Artillery Weapons 1, they can fire 2 shells per turn. As strategic artillery, their main function is to attack resources, not units.

Comment: These changes have been made to slow down speed at which artillery becomes more lethal until later years in the war. They also offer more flexibility, as three different kinds of artillery vary in range, combat effects, max number of shells, ability to move and cost. These changes have been also made to distinguish between the artillery used combat between the Major powers on the Western Front, where concentrated firepower is the most important factor; and artillery combat in Russia, the Balkans, the Middle East and the Caucasus, where mobility is a more important factor between dispersed targets. Build limits for Artillery have been partially re-balanced (previously the Entente had an even greater advantage).

By giving Heavy Artillery a range of three, attackers can use a second line for reinforcing corps and reduce the risk of artillery being killed by enemy counterattacks. However, this reduces the number of hexes they can hit; if placed in the second line, Heavy Artillery can hit a wider range of targets but are also vulnerable to counter-battery fire. The effectiveness of Artillery Weapons tech against other artillery was reduced because the existing game settings made counter-battery fire too powerful against artillery on open ground.

2.2 Infantry

The attack and defence strength of infantry units in combat with other infantry (Hard Targets) is now the same. Thus Corps (including ANZAC Corps and Stormtroopers) have attack/ defence values against Hard Targets of 4 - 4. Infantry divisions, including Marines, now have attack/defence values of 3 - 3. Detachments have an attack/defence value of 2 - 2. This represents a 1-point increase in the defence strength of Corps and Divisions and a 1-point reduction in the defence strength of Detachments.

Comment: these changes to infantry defence values will increase the number of 2-2 or 3-3 combat results, resulting in greater attrition on both sides. Detachments had their defence strength reduced as they were overly powerful for their low cost (one third of the cost of Corps).

2.3 German Stormtroopers

German Stormtroopers have been introduced into the game using the German Colonial Corps sprites. German Stormtroopers are the only units that can upgrade to Infantry Weapons 3. Each Infantry Weapons increment increases their demoralization by 10%, and their ability to evade losses when attacking by 10%, giving them a maximum of 30% on both factors. Their base de-entrenchment has been set at 0.5 but each Infantry Weapons increment increases that by 0.5, giving them a de-entrenchment of 2 when they reach Infantry Warfare tech level 3. Finally, they gain experience points when attacking at 0.25 per enemy point killed (versus 0.15 for regular corps), meaning they gain experience faster when used to attack.

German Stormtroopers can only be produced starting in September 1917 at a cost of 225 MPPs each. Germany's build limit is 8 corps. They take four turns to build. Each Stormtrooper strength point lost costs 70% to replace (rather than 50%), so casualties are expensive.

As an incentive to build them, Germany has been given two free Stormtroopers with full research which will arrive on September 15, 1917. To compensate, Britain and France have been given one additional regular Corps each, which will arrive in the next turn.

To avoid confusion, build limits for Colonial Corps for other majors have been eliminated and their regular Corps build limits have been increased accordingly. British and French colonial corps that arrive in the game have been replaced by regular Corps units.

Comment: the use of German stormtroopers were the major tactical innovation on the German side late in the war. They were built by concentrating the most experienced troops into elite formations that could not be easily replaced. These changes create a capability that was previously missing in the game.

2.4 Tanks

Tank Corps base de-entrenchment is now set at 1.5, so that once they achieve Tank Development 1, they can de-entrench at 2 per turn. Their base Defense Value against Artillery is now set at 1.5 (as opposed to 1). Britain and France start with 1 chit on Armoured Warfare

Comment: these changes are meant to make Tanks more effective as shock front-line units and slightly less vulnerable to taking casualties from artillery fire (since they cannot entrench). The extra starting chits for Britain and France recognize their early lead in tank development.

2.5 Anti-Submarine Warfare

Dreadnoughts, Battle Cruisers and Pre-Dreadnoughts cannot be upgraded with ASW. Heavy Cruisers can only be upgraded to ASW 1.

Comment: these changes are meant to increase the cost of using capital ships to attack subs at to force the subs to lose a supply point. It also reflects the fact that capital ships were never used against submarines and that ASW was a job for support ships accompanying capital ships.

2.6 Airships and Maritime Bombers:

Airships can only be upgraded to Airship Tech 3 (rather than 5). Their base strike range is 8. Each Airship tech increment adds 2 to their strike range (for a max range of 14) and 1 for naval spotting (for a maximum of 4). Aerial Warfare tech adds 0.5 per increment to the build limits for airships.

Maritime Bombers can only be upgraded to Long Distance Aircraft 3 (rather than 5). Each increment adds 2 to their strike range, but zero to naval spotting. Their base strike range is reduced to 8 (rather than 10) giving them a maximum strike range of 14. Their fixed naval spotting range is 2. Maritime Bombers can be upgraded to Anti-Submarine Warfare 2.

Comment: Airships and Maritime Bombers are both very useful at sea, but their range and especially their spotting values were over-powered. These changes rebalance that and differentiate more between the spotting value of airships and the ASW value of Maritime Bombers.

3. Technology

3.1 Tech Chit Costs

The cost of investing in Long-Range Aircraft, Anti-Aircraft and Logistics has been reduced from 50 to 40 MPPs per chit. The cost of investing in Heavy Bombers and Production Tech has been reduced from 75 to 60 MPPs per chit (except for Serbia, which is reduced from 50 to 40 MPPs per chit for Production Tech).

Comment: these changes are meant to encourage players to invest in these infrequently used technologies.

3.2 Selling Tech Chits

To start the game, Germany has been given 60 MPPs; Austria-Hungary, Russia and France have each been given 44 MPPs. In return, players should observe a house rule that they will not sell any tech chits on the first turn (only).

Comment: this house rule is needed to reduce the Central Powers first mover advantage which can be greatly magnified by selling tech chits on the first turn. To compensate, extra MPPs have been given to these four Majors to enable them to operate two or three corps on the first turn.

4. Building Units

4.1 Division sized units

Both Russia and the Ottomans have been given the ability to build a certain number of infantry and cavalry divisions.

Comment: these units exist in the build menus, so I decided to give some to the two Majors that could use smaller units to defend a large territory.

4.2 Changes to Build Limits

The Ottomans can now build 6 Infantry Divisions at a cost 150 MPPs each. Their build limit for Corps is reduced to 18 (down from 22).

Comment: given the Ottomans' MPP constraints, this makes it more affordable for them to build a new unit in most turns.

Canada can build 2 Destroyers and the UK build limit for Destroyers is now 14 (down from 16).

Comment: building one or two Canadian destroyers may be useful if German subs raid off the coast of Canada and the U.S.A.

Greece can only build 3 Corps (down from 6).

Comment: Greece's original build limit of 6 Corps is out of proportion to its Balkan neighbours. The same six Greek corps can be mobilized through DEs if an enemy approaches, but after combat losses, only 3 can be rebuilt.

The Netherlands can build a 1 Fighter and 1 Recon Bomber.

Comment: It seemed strange that they have an Artillery unit but no ability to build aircraft, unlike neighbouring Belgium.

Sweden can build 1 Artillery, 1 Fighter, 1 Recon Bomber and 4 corps (up from 2). They receive their 1 HQ on mobilization.

Comment: These changes bring Sweden closer in line with other significant minors, such as Belgium or the Netherlands.

Portugal cannot build Fighters or Recon Bombers.

Comment: I could not see why Portugal was given these aircraft in the first place.

5. Unit Morale

5.1 Swapping Units

Units can now swap places with an adjacent friendly unit at 0% cost to morale.

Comment: this is very handy game feature, especially in situations like the Western Front where there is usually two lines or more of troops at the front. It represents the standard tactic of having rearguard units move up to replace front-line units that have taken casualties. It seemed a mistake to me to penalize the morale of units that use this feature.

5.1 Impact on Unit Morale of Surrenders

The standard settings that penalize the morale of land and sea units when a minor or major power on the same side surrenders have been eliminated. Instead, the impact of a surrender is registered on National Morale, not at the unit level.

Comment: it has long seemed unbalanced to me that the surrender of minors would have an impact on the morale of majors, apart from possibly their direct parent. Since it not possible to fine-tune these settings in the Game Editor, I have simply set them to zero.

6. National Morale

6.1 Naval blockades:

The effectiveness (in terms of the NM points lost per hex per turn) of both the British naval blockade against Germany and German unrestricted naval warfare against the UK has been increased by 50% in 1917 and 100% in 1918.

Comment: These changes are intended to make the naval game for both sides a greater threat to National Morale and to increase the incentives for a major German naval push against Britain later in the war.


6.2 Reversing NM gains and losses:

Many NM losses due to towns and cities being captured can be reversed if the objective is recaptured by the side that originally controlled it. This applies to cities and towns close to national borders which the original owners might reasonably be regain later in the game.

Specifically, these changes apply to:

France: Nancy, Belfort, Verdun, Lille and Paris

Italy: Udine, Padua, Venice, Verona, Tripoli, Benghazi, and Tobruk

Serbia: Belgrade, Nish, Pristina, Uskub, Cetinje and Pec

Russia: Warsaw, Novo-Georgievsk, Ivangorod, Brest-Litovsk, Vilna, Minsk, Riga, Batum, Kars, Tiflis

Germany: Metz, Strasbourg, Thorn and Konigsberg

Austria-Hungary: Lemberg, Przemsyl, Krakow, Trento, Bruneck, Klagenfurt, Trieste and Pola

Ottoman Empire: all NM objectives inside their borders

UK: none

The same logic applies to all NM objectives outside their borders which Majors can earn NM points by capturing. If these objectives are lost, the capturing power loses the NM points earned.

Majors can gain NM points by capturing the following additional objectives:

Italy: Trieste, Pola

Serbia: Sarajevo

Russia: Konigsberg, Thorn, Lemberg, Trabzon

Austria-Hungary: Venice

Ottomans: Batum, Baku, Benghazi, Cairo, Cyprus, Rhodes, Tabriz, Tehran, Tobruk, Tripoli

Note that the scripts awarding NM points for capturing resources have been amended for Italy, Russia and the Ottomans, so that resources in question have to be occupied by their own national forces and not by their allies before the NM points can be earned. (The exception is Constantinople, which will earn 5000 NM points for Russia even if it is captured by other Entente forces).

6.3 Surrender and Liberation of Minors

The UK and France will lose 2000 NM if Belgium surrenders. They can recoup those NM points if
Belgium is subsequently liberated.

France and Russia can recoup the NM the points they lose when Serbia surrenders if Serbia is subsequently liberated.

6.4 National Morale Value of Warsaw

The national morale impact on Russia of losing Warsaw is reduced to 4000 NM points (down from 6000). Germany gains 2000 NM by taking Warsaw (rather than 3000).

Comment: One reason why East first strategies for the Central Powers have become so frequent is that Warsaw is such a huge national morale liability for Russia. At its original value of 6000 NM, it is the most valuable NM target in the game after Paris and London; Russia incurs far more by losing Warsaw than they do from losing Petrograd or Moscow. This reduction to 4000 NM points makes Warsaw a comparable target to Verdun for Germany. It also means that the Central Powers will have to push further into Russia to capture more NM targets in order to push Russian National Morale below 25% (thus triggering the start of the Russian Revolution) or sit on their gains in Poland for many more turns before the Russians cumulative NM losses bring them below 25%.

7. Diplomacy

The probability of a hit per chit is raised to 8% (up from 5%). The normal swing per hit is raised 5 - 10% (up from 4-8%). The bonus swing against Minors is raised to 10% - 20% (up from 8% - 16%).

Austria-Hungary has its Diplomacy chit limit raised from 4 to 5; the USA has its chit limit reduced from 5 to 4.

Comment: these changes are made to make diplomacy a more attractive investment for both sides compared to investing in tech or buying more units. Many new options have been added for minors in the game that are only achievable through diplomacy (see the sections below on Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Spain, and Portugal). The Entente still has a significant edge in diplomacy chits, but these changes slightly rebalance the number, reflecting Austria-Hungary's historic status as a diplomatic power in Europe, versus the newcomers from the United States.

8. Ottoman Empire Modifications

Comment: One of the main purposes of this mod was to enhance the range of strategic options for both sides in the Middle East, the Caucasus and in Persia. This has been done by a variety of new Decision Events that give the Entente greater scope for attacking the Ottoman Empire, and to increase the Ottomans' ability to defend their territory. Some small changes were made to the map to increase realism and to enable the new DEs.

8.1 Gallipoli Campaign

Comment: the following changes have been to increase the realism of the Gallipoli theatre in western Turkey and to encourage the Entente to attempt an amphibious invasion there.

The map for this region has been extensively redrawn:
- narrowing the Gallipoli peninsula;
- moving the town of Gallipoli onto the peninsula;
- making both Straits hexes hill terrain, as well as the hex 199,103;
- moving the port at the tip of the peninsula one hex up adjacent to the town of Gallipoli;
- adding a new port on the Sea of Marmara south of Adrianople at Tekfurdagi;
- adding a new town on the Aegean coast next to the Bulgaria border at Aynoz.

The 8 strength corps that starts the game on the town of Gallipoli has been moved to Panderma on Asia side of the Sea of Marmara. The Ottoman Empire also starts the game with a 5-strength coastal gun which can be deployed at the mouth of the Dardanelles.

Two new Gallipoli campaign DEs have been written for the UK and France, offering the UK the option of having a unit of the Royal Marines and the I ANZAC Corps deploy to Lemnos, along with a new French Marine division. The Royal Marines arrive on December 5, 1914, followed by the French Marines and the Anzacs on subsequent turns. Once deployed, these units can be loaded one per turn to Amphibious Transports from Lemnos. This means that all three units will be on transports by April 10, 1915, and they can launch an invasion on the nearby Turkish coast the next turn, on May 8, 1915.

If the UK says NO to the Gallipoli Campaign DE, they will then be given the option of saying YES to the existing DE to occupy Lemnos and deploy only the Royal Marine division there. If the UK says NO, Lemnos will remain in Greek hands.

If the Entente can capture both Straits hexes controlling the Dardanelles and place a naval unit in the Sea of Marmara, there will be mobilizations swings by Greece, Bulgaria, and Romania towards to Entente. (These replace the mobilization swings previously given if the Entente captured the town of Gallipoli in its former location).

If the Entente say YES to the Gallipoli campaign DE, the Ottomans will be rewarded if they can contain or defeat the invasion. Specifically, the Ottoman Empire gets a 500 NM boost if the Entente has only captured the town of Gallipoli by August 1915; and a 2000 NM boost if the Entente holds no Ottoman towns or cities between Smyrna, Constantinople, and the Bulgarian border by January 1, 1916.

8.2 Mesopotamia

To increase their ability to hold Mesopotamia, the Ottomans have two new DEs allowing them to extend the existing railway line from Aleppo to Mosul by January 1, 1916, and then on to Baghdad, by January 1, 1917. (To enable this, a new unnamed settlement has been added to the map on the railway line two hexes south of Diyarbakir. The town of Tikrit will also produce no resources in 1916 until the railway line has been completed from Mosul to Baghdad).

Mosul has been made a NM objective for the Ottomans. This makes it a more valuable target for capture by Russia or Britain if they plan a campaign in Mesopotamia.

The Mesopotamian Volunteer unit that mobilizes through a DE when the British seize Basra will now deploy in Amara, rather than Baghdad.

The German and Austro-Hungarian expeditionary corps which can be sent to aid the Ottomans through existing DEs, can now be triggered if the Entente gets within 3 hexes of Baghdad (as well as Jerusalem and Damascus).

Comment: along with the changes to Persia (discussed below), these changes should make Mesopotamia a more significant theatre in the war.

8.3 Arabia

Comment: in the existing game, it is easy for the Ottomans to suppress the formation of any Arab partisans and thus thwart the Arab Revolt. These changes make the Revolt a much greater threat for the Ottomans.

The British Decision Event to sponsor the Arab Revolt by sending T.E. Lawrence to Arabia can now fire earlier, starting in September 1915, but it has only a 20% chance of firing per turn. This makes the start date of the Revolt more unpredictable for both sides.

Both the number of partisan spawning hexes in Arabia and the number of chances per turn for partisans to spawn have been increased, making it almost impossible for the Ottomans to prevent the Revolt from beginning. The maximum number of Arab partisans that can be active at one time is 6.

The Action Points of Arab partisans have been increased to 5 (up from 3), giving them greater range of movement.

Cutting the Hejaz Railroad from Amman to Medina becomes an important objective for the Arabs, as the Ottomans will lose 150 NM for each turn the rail line is cut. Two new Ottoman garrisons deploy when the Ottomans enter the war, based in Tabuk and Tayma, to help protect the rail line.

If the Arabs capture Medina and liberate Arabia, it becomes a British minor. In addition to having a build limit of 5 partisans, Arabia can build 1 regular infantry corps, 1 cavalry division, 3 infantry detachments and 1 HQ (Faisal). As in the vanilla game, T.E. Lawrence only gets his own HQ once Arab forces occupy Aqaba. It arrives as an Egyptian HQ in Aqaba.

8.4 Armenia

Russia can build an Armenian detachment in Erevan through a DE after the Armenian uprising in Van. The uprising is only triggered if an Ottoman unit is within 2 hexes of Van, starting on January 1, 1915.

Comment: this makes the Armenian uprising in Van more consequential to the campaign in the Caucasus. It also allows the Ottomans to avoid triggering the uprising if they are prepared to leave Van relatively undefended.

8.5 Ottoman HQs

A new DE has been added to give the Ottomans the option of creating a new HQ (Khalil Pasha) at a cost of 4 X 50 MPPs, in July 1916.

Comment: The Ottomans could probably use another general by the mid-point of the war, given the number of fronts where they could be attacked. This DE is comparable to existing DEs creating new generals for the UK, Germany, and Austria-Hungary, in 1916 -17.

8.6 Ottoman Resources

An additional mine has been added to the map two hexes from Zonguldak on the Ottoman Black Sea coast. This will give the Ottoman 15 additional MPPs per turn.

Comment: This is to offset the increased resources earned by the UK and Russia from Persia. The Zonguldak coal beds extend to this location.

The DE allowing Russia to send agent to sabotage the Zonguldak mine has been extended to cover second mine hex, as well as naval units in the ports at Zonguldak and Trabzon.

Comment: This makes it a more damaging attack for the Russians to launch and could reduce the Ottomans willingness to put fleet units in their Black Sea ports, similar to the Italian and Austrian naval saboteurs in the Adriatic.

8.7 Ottoman National Morale Objectives

New Ottoman National Morale scripts have added enabling them to recover all they NM points lost for each of their NM national objectives that they recapture. Additional NM objectives for the Ottomans to capture have been added in Libya and Persia (as mentioned above), plus Cairo, Tabriz, Kars, Batum, Baku, Rhodes, and Cyprus.

Comment: In the existing game, Ottoman National Morale starts to sink from the outset and is almost impossible to rebuild. These changes give them a chance to recoup some of their losses, and perhaps even earn some NM bonuses by regaining territory lost in the past to Russia, Britain, and Italy. Similar NM changes have been made for other Majors - see above.

9. Persia

Comment: Both the Russians and British had significant zones of influence in Persia by 1914 and the oil wells in southern Persia were an important strategic source of oil for the British Empire. Persia was a complex secondary theatre of conflict between the British, Russians and Ottomans from the beginning of the war. These changes are meant to reflect that.

A new DE has been given to Russia which fires when the Ottomans enter the war, enabling the Russians to exercise their sphere of influence over northern Persia in the area known as Persian Azerbaijan. If they say YES, an area of northern Persia centred on Tabriz is transferred to Russian control. (This done by giving it to Armenia which becomes a 100% mobilized Russian minor). A Russian mountain division deploys in Tabriz. An Armenian Volunteer Detachment will also deploy if Ottoman troops move to the border with Persian Azerbaijan. In November 1915 another new DE allows the Russians to create a "Persian Expeditionary Force" with two cavalry divisions deploying in Tabriz and Astara respectively.

In the south, the oil well at Abadan has been transferred on the map back to Persia. A new Persian oil convoy route to the UK will start as soon as the UK seizes Basra. The land convoy will link the oil wells at Maidan I Naftun and Abadan and will ending in Basra. The convoy will be worth 25 MPPs for the UK (or 30 MPPs if the Russians do not occupy Persian Azerbaijan). This is a net increase for the UK of 15 MPPs over the production of just the Abadan oil well when it was part of Mesopotamia.

Germany can send agents into southern Persia led by Wilhelm Wassmuss to sabotage the Persian oil convoy to Basra. The cost of this DE has been reduced from 50 to 30 MPPs. The amount of damage they can do has been increased; if they succeed, the Ottomans will also get 200 NM point bump. The Central Powers can also interrupt the convoy through diplomacy by swinging Persia to the Central Powers. Or the Ottomans could choose to invade southern Persia and occupy one or more resource hexes on the convoy line. If the Central Powers conquer Persia, the UK can send agents to sabotage the same oil resources, as well as Tehran (also at the reduced rate of 30 MPPs).

Tehran is now a NM objective for the Ottoman Empire. If the Central Powers choose to DOW Persia, the 5 strength Persian Cossack Corps will mobilize to defend Tehran. However, the four 5 strength detachments of the Persian Gendarmerie (based in Kazvin, Qum, Kermanshah, and Khorramabad respectively) each have only a 50% chance of mobilizing against the Central Powers if their come within 3 hexes of their bases. The other 50% of the time they will defect and become Ottoman units. If the Entente chooses to DOW Persia, all four of the Persian Gendarmerie units will mobilize if the Entente units come within 3 hexes of their towns. However, the Persian Cossack unit in Tehran will only mobilize against the Entente 50% of the time; the other 50% of the time, it will defect and become a Russian unit.

10. Albania:

A new post-surrender partisan spawning hex has been added to Albania.

Comment: It seemed reasonable that if conquered Albania would spawn a partisan.

11. Austria-Hungary

11.1 Naval Saboteurs

The DE for the Austro-Hungarian saboteurs attacking Italian port now cost 25 MPPs for two turns (rather than 50 MPPs for one turn).

Comment: The existing DE triggers early in the campaign at a time when Austria-Hungary needs all the MPPs it can get to build up its armies on the Italian frontier. This change makes this option easier to afford for Austria-Hungary.

11.2 Polish Legion

The DE for Josef Pilsudski's Polish Legion now costs Austria-Hungary only 1 X 30 MPPs and the unit arrives at the start of the third turn, on August 29, 1914.

Comment: The reduced cost more fairly reflects the value of the unit (it arrives at half strength) and it makes the DE more attractive for Austria-Hungary in the opening weeks of the war.

12. Denmark

If Denmark swings to 30% for the Central Powers, a loop is created in the Baltic allowing German ships to move through Denmark from the Baltic to the Kattegat. German ships can also use the existing loop to move into the Baltic through Denmark without a causing Denmark to swing to the Entente.

If Denmark swings 40% to the Entente, the same provisions will apply to all Entente ships.

Comment: these options create a limited ability for both sides to move from the Baltic to the North Sea without bringing Denmark fully into the war. It could lead to more naval combat in the Skagerrak and the Kattegat around Denmark, or the lower Baltic.

13. Egypt

The Indian field artillery unit that arrives in Egypt in March 1915 arrives in Suez, rather than Cairo.

Comment: Suez is the port where this unit would have arrived from India, not Cairo. This change is intended to make it a bit easier to transport this unit to support the Gallipoli campaign, or to move it to the front against the Ottomans in the Sinai.

14. Finland:

If Finland becomes independent and is aligned with the Central Powers (after the German DE to send General von der Goltz there) it can swing an additional 20% if the Central Powers capture Revel in Estonia and an additional 20% if the Central Powers capture Narva.

Comment: this is intended to give the Central Powers an incentive to bring Finland fully into the war on their side so they can attack Petrograd from the north. This could encourage them to try to conquer Russia outright, rather than acceding to the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk.

15. Greece

15.1 Pro-Entente Coup

A new DE will enable Britain and France to fund an early coup attempt by Greek Prime Minister Venizelos to bring Greece into the war on the Entente side. This DE will fire if the French convoy route to Serbia through Cetinje is threatened by the capture of any of the Serbian/Montenegrin towns along the land route to the Serbian capital, or if the Central Powers are within two hexes of Nish or three hexes of Uskub. The latter will happen automatically if Bulgaria enters the war. There is a 75% chance of success for the coup. If it succeeds, all of Greece mobilizes for the Entente. If it fails, Greece joins the Central Powers, but Salonika and Thrace secede and set up their own independent state of Salonika, which joins the Entente. Either way, the convoy from France to Serbia will be re-routed through Salonika.

Comment: This gives the Entente the option - at some risk - to bring Greece into the war on the Entente side much earlier than the existing DE (which fires in August 1915). If the Central Powers are waging an all-out assault on Serbia, this could prove necessary in order to keep Serbia supplied.

15.2 General Danglis

Once mobilized for the Entente, Greek General Danglis arrives in Larissa, rather than next to Athens.

Comment: in the existing game settings, both Danglis and the Athens Corps deploy in Athens, meaning that Danglis deploys into a low supply hex next to Athens, well away from the front.

16. Iceland

If Denmark swings to 30% for the Central Powers, a new DE gives Germany the option of gaining control of the port of Reykjavik for 100 MPPs.

Comment: this could be very useful for resupplying German subs raiding in the North Atlantic.

17. Italy

17.1 Convoy to Italy from France

A new DE has been written giving France the option of starting its convoy to Italy as soon as Italy enters the war. Previously, the Entente had to wait until Serbia had surrendered before the convoy from France to Italy could begin.

Comment: Depending on the situation in the Balkans, Italy may be able to make better use of the extra resources than Serbia. Also, Serbia may still have access to the convoy from Russia.

17.2 Italian Frogmen

The DE for the Italian frogmen against Austro-Hungarian ports now cost 25 MPPs for two turns (rather than 50 MPPs for one turn).

Comment: As with the equivalent change in the cost of the Austro-Hungarian saboteurs, this is intended to make this DE easier for Italy to afford early in the war.

18. Libya

18.1 The Senussi Uprising

The DE for the Ottomans to fund the Senussi revolt has been moved up to August 7, 1915, and the trigger has been set at 25%. This will make the starting date for the revolt somewhat more unpredictable for both sides.

More partisan spawning hexes and more spawning events have been added to in Libya to make it difficult for the Italians to prevent Senussi partisans from spawning. The spawning hexes south of Tobruk have the highest likelihood of spawning partisans, the ones further west have a lower trigger per turn. The maximum number of Senussi partisans that can be active at one time is 4.

Like Arab partisans, Senussi partisans have 5 Action points.

Comment: these changes were made to make the Senussi uprising a more potent threat to the Italian position in Libya, and to partially offset the increased threat to the Ottomans from the Arab uprising.

18.2 Benghazi

A 5 strength Italian Colonist Garrison will mobilize in Benghazi if CP forces (including partisans) approach within three hexes.

18.3 National Morale Objectives

Tripoli, Benghazi and Tobruk have been made NM objectives for Italy, making it more costly for Italy to lose them. The Ottomans will now earn NM points for taking Benghazi or Tripoli.

19. Montenegro

A new post-surrender partisan spawning hex has been added to Montenegro.

Comment: this seemed reasonable as a complement to Serbia's two partisans spawning hexes.

20. Morocco

Two more partisan spawning hexes have been added to Morocco. The cost to Germany of funding the Moroccan partisans has been reduced from 50 to 30 MPPs. If one Moroccan partisan appears on a 3% chance, the chances of more partisans spawning increases to 35%.

Comment: this makes the German option to fund subversion in Morocco more attractive and should require France to pay a bit more attention to Morocco over the course of the game.

21. Norway

If Norway swings to 40% for the Central Powers, Germany obtains control of the ports of Bergen and Stavanger.

Comment: these ports could prove very useful for German attacks against the Entente blockade line in the North Sea.

The Norwegian convoy to the U.K. that is triggered when Norway reaches 20% for the Entente will shift from Narvik to Trondheim if Sweden also moves to 20% for the Entente. See details below.

22. Portugal

A new DE has been added that fires on March 25, 1916, reflecting the historic events that brought Portugal into the war on the Entente side. As a result, Portugal could swing 25 - 40% for the Entente. Portugal can also swing slightly towards the Entente if the Central Powers have ships on the trade route from Lisbon to Bristol, or near Lisbon.

Comment: these events can bring Portugal into the war on the Entente side by 1916 at a cost of 50 MPPs, perhaps aided by one or two diplomacy chits.

23. Russia

The Russian Armistice (Treaty of Brest-Litovsk) event now has a 50% change of firing once Russian NM falls below 12% (reduced from 100%).

Comment: This change is to increase the unpredictability of exactly when Germany will receive the Russian armistice proposal. It should inhibit the Germans from withdrawing too many forces in advance of receiving Russia's armistice offer.

24. Spain

If Spain reaches 40% for the Central Powers, Germany has the option of spending 100 MPPs to create a loop through Spanish Africa that will allow Central Power fleets to move from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean and vice-versa.

Comment: This will give the Central Powers some flexibility to either reinforce their fleets in the Mediterranean or in the Atlantic.

25. Sweden

If Sweden and Norway both reach 20% to the Entente, the Swedish convoy will be re-routed through Narvik and will flow to the U.K. To enable this, the port of Narvik and three rail hexes in northern Norway will be transferred to Sweden. This convoy is worth 30 MPPs per turn; unlike the Swedish convoy to Germany, it is not affected by winter as Narvik is an ice-free port.

If Narvik is being used by Sweden, the Norwegian convoy to the U.K. will shift to Trondheim. Both convoys will terminate in the port of Rosyth in Scotland rather than Cromarty.

Comment: This is intended to give the Entente an additional incentive to use diplomacy to swing Sweden away from the Central Powers. Rosyth is a much bigger industrial center and thus a more logical endpoint for these convoys than Cromarty. The slightly longer convoy route may offer some additional raiding options for German subs.

26. United States

26.1 The Zimmerman Telegram and its Aftermath

Comment: this single event has been converted in a series of interlocking DEs, reflecting the fact that there were four parties involved: Germany, Britain, the USA and Mexico and they each had their own calculations to make. Although it is still a desperation move by Germany, they now have more incentives to attempt it; and this will force some risk assessments by the British and the Americans.

Germany is presented the DE to send the telegram to Mexico as soon as U.S.A. mobilization reaches 75%. If Germany chooses to send the telegram, there is an 80% chance that British intelligence will intercept it.

If they do, the UK then must decide whether to leak the telegram to President Wilson or not. If they do, there is a 70% chance he will believe it - in which case the USA will go to war immediately. But there is also a 30% chance he will think it is a forgery - in which case the USA will swing 30 - 35% away from the Entente.

If UK decides not to leak the telegram or they fail to intercept it, Germany must decide whether to follow through in making a 50 MPP arms shipment to Mexico as a down payment. If they do, there is a 50% chance the Mexican government will accept the Germany's proposal of an alliance, in which case Germany will make a second 50 MPP payment to Mexico. There is also a 50% chance they will reject the German offer, keep the money, and declare their neutrality.

If Mexico accepts the German offer, the US government has to decide whether to send a punitive expedition to Mexico, which will cost 3 X 50 MPPs and cause U.S. alignment against Germany to drop by 40 - 45%. The alternative is that the US government could ignore the threat from Mexico to keep their current level of mobilization against the Central Powers, but accept 5000 NM hit, a permanent loss of 20 MPPs per turn (needed to shore up the southern border) and a 5 % - 15% swing towards the Central Powers by other CP aligned neutrals in Europe.

26.2 General Pershing

Once a cease-fire is reached with Mexico or the USA goes to war with the Central Powers (whichever comes first) the U.S.A. has a new DE to create a HQ for General Pershing in Washington at a cost 4 X 50 MPPs. If there has been an American punitive force sent to Mexico, Pershing will arrive with one point of experience.

Comment: Pershing was given command of the U.S. Army in early 1917, before the U.S.A. entered the war, after commanding the punitive expedition against Pancho Villa in Mexico (covered in one of the information pop-ups in the game). This DE reflects that fact and also gives the U.S.A a chance of having an HQ they can afford when they enter the war.


26.3 Spanish Flu Events

Comment: the 1918 Spanish influenza pandemic was a major factor in the last year of the war which so far is missing from the game. These changes model the early stages of the flu pandemic, as they affected American forces being sent to France and other Entente units in affected ports. The effects are similar to the Serbian and Ottoman typhus epidemics in 1914.

Starting in February 1918, if the U.S.A. has entered the war, American land and naval units one or within one hex of the ports on the East Coast of the U.S.A will risk being affected by the "Spanish Flu". Affected units will lose 1-2 strength points and will suffering a 10% - 40% loss in unit morale loss. The flu will then spread in March to ports in Western France, and then in April to ports on both sides of English Channel up to Boulogne and London.

[OldCrowBalthazor]

Here's YouTube 6 Episodes dealing with this vast work. There is a playlist also. Incredible Mod this is!
Episode 1 Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cgxL5x ... c5PSADPoBQ

[OldCrowBalthazor]

Arab Revolt Time Line proposal.

[mssm45]

Hello,

This seems to be a very interesting mod.

By when do you think that it will be ready?

[DanielVonDevitoburg]

This looks like an incredibly well thought out and fun mod! Can't wait for it to release!

[mssm45]

Looking for an opponent to test this mod

[woolymuffler]

Does the AI know how to use the changes in the mod or is this MP only? Just curious

[mdsmall]

The answer seems to be "only in part". I have not tried to change the AI settings in this mod and I don't think the algorithms which drive unit purchases, diplomacy and tech investments are moddable (happy to have someone correct me on this point). So, when I have play tested it against the AI, I have noticed that the AI does not purchase heavy artillery for example, nor does it know to use diplomacy to try some of the new gambits built into the mod. However, all of the Decision Events have an AI setting - usually the one from the DE I used as the basis for the new script. So, the AI should be saying YES to some or all of the new Des. I can review this the next time I update the mod.

[mdsmall]

Old Crow and I finished our first test match of this my Icarus mod. Check out his Youtube channel (Old Crow Balthazor's Strategic Arcana) to see how it concluded a few days ago.

Based on what we learned in that game, I have produced a Version 2 of the mod. I was able to correct the few glitched we found in Version 1. And I have added a number of new features. The most notable ones are:

- Making Arab partisans spawn in waves (as suggested by Old Crow) so the Arab Revolt moves north from late 1915 through mid-1916.
- Allowing the Arabs to capture control over large areas of empty desert and mountain in Arabia without having to enter the hexes - so they can retreat out of sight into friendly controlled desert
- Giving Arab partisans an extra movement point if they start in desert, so they can move 3 hexes a turn across desert
- Revising the Lawrence HQ so it can arrive in several other settlements in Arabia before Aqaba is captured and can thus help arm the Arab partisans.

- Reducing the Russian speed of growth of the Russian juggernaut by allowing Russia to invest only 2 chits at a time in Industrial Production and having them start at level 0 in Command and Control but with 1 chit on C and C
- Giving Russia a choice of deploying some of their starting naval units and some of their reinforcements either in the Black Sea or the Baltic - thus varying the naval game a bit more.
- Reducing the NM vulnerability of Warsaw to only 3000 but increasing Brest-Litovsk to 2000, so the Central Powers have to drive further into Russia to have the same impact on Russian national morale.

- Reducing the NM hit the Ottomans take when Basra is lost to only 500 points, so they don't lose 9% of their national morale as soon as they enter the war.
- Moving the new mine on the Ottomans north coast inland by one hex so the Russian navy can't shell it into oblivion.
- Adding a detachment that spawns in Mosul if Russia occupies Persian Azerbaijan

- Changing the Salonika intervention Decision Event by dividing it into two. Now, the Entente has the option of switching the French convoy to Serbia from Centinje to Salonika as soon as the CP cut the land connection from Cetinje to Pristina. The French can start to use Salonika as a port to supply Serbia at a cost of 50 MPPs, as long as Greece is Entente aligned (ie it need not be fully mobilized).
- Separately, France gets a DE asking if they wish to support an early coup attempt by Greek PM Venizelos to bring Greece into the war on the side of the Entente, thus opening up Salonika as a route for Entente troops to march into Serbia. However, the chance of success is now only 50% (not 75%) and if Venizelos fails, Greece swings most of the way to joining the Central Powers. So, it is a risky move.

I am now play-testing this version and will report on results. Anyone wishing a copy of the mod to try out should just PM me.

[BillRunacre]

The answer seems to be "only in part". I have not tried to change the AI settings in this mod and I don't think the algorithms which drive unit purchases, diplomacy and tech investments are moddable (happy to have someone correct me on this point). So, when I have play tested it against the AI, I have noticed that the AI does not purchase heavy artillery for example, nor does it know to use diplomacy to try some of the new gambits built into the mod. However, all of the Decision Events have an AI setting - usually the one from the DE I used as the basis for the new script. So, the AI should be saying YES to some or all of the new Des. I can review this the next time I update the mod.

The AI scripts can be tweaked as desired for this mod, as within the mod's Scripts folder there is an AI folder as well as an Events folder.

Or these can be accessed via the Editor, and make sure any changes get the Update treatment in the Editor too before saving and starting a new game against the AI (which may not have been relevant as you were placing PBEM with OCB, but it would be if the mod is passed around).

[Shen505]

@mdsmall
Hello!
I would be delighted to try out the current version of your mod, but for some reason (it may well be the fact i'm still new on the forum) i'm not able to send you a pm as wished...

[Manstein86]

Hallo!
Ich würde mich auch sehr freuen, die aktuelle Version deines Mods auszuprobieren, aber aus ich kann dir keine PN schicken.
LG Dennis

[Manstein86]

Hi!
I would also be very happy to try the current version of your mod, but I can't PM you.
LG Dennis

[ReinerAllen]

Will this mod be released for public beta anytime soon?

[mdsmall]

I think it needs a little more playtesting before I do that to validate the latest tweaks to the mod. But i will be happy to send you the files if you just PM me. I would be grateful to get feedback from other players.

[moon1]

I think it needs a little more playtesting before I do that to validate the latest tweaks to the mod. But i will be happy to send you the files if you just PM me. I would be grateful to get feedback from other players.

If you want to do it yourself, I am up for helping with it

[mdsmall]

If you want to do it yourself, I am up for helping with it

Hi Moongaz3r - thanks for the offer! I am committed at the moment to some other play-tests. But perhaps someone else would be interested in testing it with you. I can send you the files for version 3.0 if you PM me.

Michael

[varsovie]

If you want to do it yourself, I am up for helping with it

Hi Moongaz3r - thanks for the offer! I am committed at the moment to some other play-tests. But perhaps someone else would be interested in testing it with you. I can send you the files for version 3.0 if you PM me.

Michael

What! You are at the third major stable version and still haven't released it!!!

3.2 Selling Tech Chits

To start the game, Germany has been given 60 MPPs; Austria-Hungary, Russia and France have each been given 44 MPPs. In return, players should observe a house rule that they will not sell any tech chits on the first turn (only).

Comment: this house rule is needed to reduce the Central Powers first mover advantage which can be greatly magnified by selling tech chits on the first turn. To compensate, extra MPPs have been given to these four Majors to enable them to operate two or three corps on the first turn.

I do not know if my suggestion is moddable (or is it modable?), but at least it dispenses with house rules and gives a break to an AI opponent.
I would suggests selling chits is allowed at the same refund value as vanilla, be it 1st turn, mid-game or when research is completed. But the refund happens next turn instead of the current one.

I do not personally like the idea of turn 1mmp availlable, since the starting placement of unit is there for both balance and historical reason and Germany does have a small pool of discretionary units already. Plus it's way more fun to force march a detachment from Innsbruck to Montenegro, while sacrificing the Austrian navy in shore bombardments to gamey the NM bonus than "beam me up Scotty" a whole army. In any rate I'd probably invest it in trenches, everybody knows attritional warfare trumps maneuvering.

Otherwise I like most of the changes very much and I am looking forward to try version 4.0 . Just few small question :
Concerning Stormtroopers, do they start with any Exp allowing them to get elite reinforcement from the get go. Do they get a white fullbody armor and a laser gun on Inf tech 3?
Is there any event planned that could make a historical Dardanelle happen? (The feb-mar 1915, naval breakthrough attempt, stopped by minefields)
Speaking of the Ottoman, I saw in the showcased AAR the Sultan is loosing MMR from event alone. Could some events be delayed (eg rail link) to avoid it?

Cheers

[mdsmall]

[/quote]

What! You are at the third major stable version and still haven't released it!!!

3.2 Selling Tech Chits

I do not know if my suggestion is moddable (or is it modable?), but at least it dispenses with house rules and gives a break to an AI opponent. I would suggests selling chits is allowed at the same refund value as vanilla, be it 1st turn, mid-game or when research is completed. But the refund happens next turn instead of the current one.

I do not personally like the idea of turn 1mmp availlable, since the starting placement of unit is there for both balance and historical reason and Germany does have a small pool of discretionary units already. Plus it's way more fun to force march a detachment from Innsbruck to Montenegro, while sacrificing the Austrian navy in shore bombardments to gamey the NM bonus than "beam me up Scotty" a whole army. In any rate I'd probably invest it in trenches, everybody knows attritional warfare trumps maneuvering.

Otherwise I like most of the changes very much and I am looking forward to try version 4.0 . Just few small question :
Concerning Stormtroopers, do they start with any Exp allowing them to get elite reinforcement from the get go. Do they get a white fullbody armor and a laser gun on Inf tech 3?
Is there any event planned that could make a historical Dardanelle happen? (The feb-mar 1915, naval breakthrough attempt, stopped by minefields)
Speaking of the Ottoman, I saw in the showcased AAR the Sultan is loosing MMR from event alone. Could some events be delayed (eg rail link) to avoid it?

Hi Varsovie - let me respond to your comments and questions.

- Thanks for your interest in the release of the mod! I have discussed this with Bill and the plan is to include it in the community pack with the next update to SC World War 1. However, that will be some months in the future, as the most recent update was just released yesterday. In the meantime, I would be happy to send you (or anyone else) the files for Version 3 which is being played out in the current AAR between Moongaz3r and Jazon.

- Unfortunately, the timing of when tech chits can be cashed out is not moddable. Your suggestion would be a reasonable alternative for turn 1. But in later turns, I think it would frustrate players who when they decide to cash tech chits it is because they need the money right away, not one turn later. It is like taking your Rolex watch to the pawnbroker. You only do it when you really need the money!

- In this version of the Mod, the Germans receive four Stormtroopers through decision events on four successive turns from September through December 1917. They have to pay 225 MPPs for each of them (ie the base cost) but they arrive with full research, with 11 strength points and one point of experience. In the latest version of the mod, they can not be upgraded to Infantry Weapons tech 3, since with only one chit investable in that tech, Germany is only likely to reach level 3 by the summer of 1918. But stormtroopers start with an extra strength point on attack against hard targets (5 versus 4 for regular corps, before upgrades), so it is the same effect on attack as having Level 3 Infantry Weapons. Germany can also build up to four more stormtroopers but they arrive with no experience, just like any other new unit.

- Yes, there is a whole complex series of Decision Events for Gallipoli campaign, which allows the Entente starting in December 1914 to deploy one British marine, one French marine and the I ANZAC corps to Lemnos, where they can be loaded onto amphibious transports to assault the coast of the Ottoman Empire. This makes it possible to land on the Peninsula with three Entente units in the May 8, 1915 turn (that's as close to the historical date as I could make it). It is still a risky gamble for the Entente, but fun to try! It is a good idea to first get rid of that Ottoman coastal gun through fire with British and French capital ships - otherwise your transports get mauled, as happened to Jazon in the current AAR...

- Sorry, I don't know what you refer to about the Sultan losing MMR. Tell me more.

Cheers,

Michael

[varsovie]

You "quoted" your answer instead of my longish post.

For the sultan loosing $ I refer to the AAR the turn after Ott goes to war. Even with full territorial integrity [and more income than vanilla?] It is negative in income. I've never experienced negative income in SC, I do not even know if the engine can handle negative MMR funds. In any rate I do not think it should be allowed to happen via events alone.

Nice of the Dev to bundle the more polished mods with the game, no need to hunt forums and hosting services to enjoy them.
If it was on STEAM they would sell them individuality as DLC, and only once a week to stay on top of the "new" chart.