House Rules - which are non-negotiable for you?

[JanSako]

Here is one I use in my last 2-3 PBEM that I initiated.

Combined Arms rule:
Armored units must be supported by equal number of INF units when attacking. The exception is a single Tank unit or Clear terrain when any number of tank units are allowed to work alone.

Armored divisions are allowed to attack by themselves as they contain organic INF components.

It stops nonsense like 2 000 Japanese tanks beelining it into Chungking without a single infantryman in sight.
Combined with stacking limits it IMO provides a balance where the attacking side can still mass & advance but will also take losses and has to rotate the INF units supporting the tanks. Terrain becomes even more important & tanks can flank through open terrain just as they could IRL. As much as one can find open terrain is SE Asia.

[Tanaka]

Here is one I use in my last 2-3 PBEM that I initiated.

Combined Arms rule:
Armored units must be supported by equal number of INF units when attacking. The exception is a single Tank unit or Clear terrain when any number of tank units are allowed to work alone.

Armored divisions are allowed to attack by themselves as they contain organic INF components.

It stops nonsense like 2 000 Japanese tanks beelining it into Chungking without a single infantryman in sight.
Combined with stacking limits it IMO provides a balance where the attacking side can still mass & advance but will also take losses and has to rotate the INF units supporting the tanks. Terrain becomes even more important & tanks can flank through open terrain just as they could IRL. As much as one can find open terrain is SE Asia.

I like it!

Here is another I saw in the discord:

Camping at off map spawn points with non-sub forces (like KB and surface TFs) is not allowed!

[LargeSlowTarget]

Thank you LST! Please tell me the ones you disagree with! I am not set in stone with all of these just collected over the years!

By the way I just found out my Grandfather served on LST 1018 during the war and your forum name immediately came to mind! My Mom remembered him always calling them Large Slow Targets! LST 1018 was involved in the Western New Guinea operations, Morotai landings, Leyte operations, Tacloban, San Pedro Bay, Mindoro, Phillipine Isands...

Nice! I have no US Navy affiliation whatsoever, my grandfathers fought the Russians on the Eastern Front. But I have a soft spot for LSTs because I admire the gallow's humor in their nickname.

The house rules I have "issues" with :

No sub invasions. > Should be allowed for Marine Raiders

Minimum 4 ship task forces if multiple task forces in hex. > Why?

Maximum mission altitude for fighters restricted to band with maximum maneuverability. > Too harsh. If the goal is to limit the "bouce bonus", I advise to limit sweeps to altitude of second best maneuverability

Only strategic night bombing (city attack missions) (no airfield or port attacks) > too harsh, should be allowed but limited to a few squadrons or max number of bombers per target

No night strat bombing until 1944. 3 squadrons 44. 4 squadrons 45. 50 planes max. 1 squadron per hex. No China Strat bombing. > too harsh and unhistoric

Allies: AVG must remain in Burma or China. > I understand the reason, but as Supreme Allied Commander, I decide where the AVG is serving Burma and China interests in the best way

[Tanaka]

Thank you LST! Please tell me the ones you disagree with! I am not set in stone with all of these just collected over the years!

By the way I just found out my Grandfather served on LST 1018 during the war and your forum name immediately came to mind! My Mom remembered him always calling them Large Slow Targets! LST 1018 was involved in the Western New Guinea operations, Morotai landings, Leyte operations, Tacloban, San Pedro Bay, Mindoro, Phillipine Isands...

Nice! I have no US Navy affiliation whatsoever, my grandfathers fought the Russians on the Eastern Front. But I have a soft spot for LSTs because I admire the gallow's humor in their nickname.

The house rules I have "issues" with :

No sub invasions. > Should be allowed for Marine Raiders

Minimum 4 ship task forces if multiple task forces in hex. > Why?

Maximum mission altitude for fighters restricted to band with maximum maneuverability. > Too harsh. If the goal is to limit the "bouce bonus", I advise to limit sweeps to altitude of second best maneuverability

Only strategic night bombing (city attack missions) (no airfield or port attacks) > too harsh, should be allowed but limited to a few squadrons or max number of bombers per target

No night strat bombing until 1944. 3 squadrons 44. 4 squadrons 45. 50 planes max. 1 squadron per hex. No China Strat bombing. > too harsh and unhistoric

Allies: AVG must remain in Burma or China. > I understand the reason, but as Supreme Allied Commander, I decide where the AVG is serving Burma and China interests in the best way

Ah German background then? I am also half German. My grandfather on the LST and his parents came from Germany on my Moms side. His middle name was Adolf actually yikes haha.

Marine Raiders using subs does make sense.

The 4 ship minimum is to prevent all those gamey one ship task forces used to divide up air and naval attacks.

Yes to prevent the bounce bonus and why do you advise to use second best?

Fair enough on the night bombing limiting squadrons and bombers per target...

No strat bombing until 44 is too harsh or the squadron/plane limit or both?

So where else would you want to use the AVG other than China and Burma?

[LargeSlowTarget]

Yes, full German here. Although after 20+ years of living in France, I start to feel and behave more like a Frenchman.^^
Adolf was a quite popular name given to newborn boys in Germany between 1933 and 1942 for some reason. However, in 1943 it suffered a sharp decrease in popularity (wonder why^^). It continued to be used sparingly for a few more years after the war ('die hard' parents), but since 1950, it has become exceedingly rare, although not entirely extinct.

The 4 ship minimum is to prevent all those gamey one ship task forces used to divide up air and naval attacks.

I see. But sometimes it is necessary to have multiples TFs in a hex, with some of them having less than four ships (local minesweeping or ASW for example). There could be a gentlemen's agreement on not using single-ship TFs for the purpose of diluting airstrikes.

Yes to prevent the bounce bonus and why do you advise to use second best?

To prevent predictability - gives a greater range of choice instead of a predictable "best manoeuvre" altitude

No strat bombing until 44 is too harsh or the squadron/plane limit or both?

No strat bombing until 44 is too hard. It basically means the Japanese player does not need to bother to defend his oil centres and refineries in the SRA and the Home Islands until 1944. Not even from Allied carrier raids.

So where else would you want to use the AVG other than China and Burma?

I cannot tell you, I will start a new PBEM soon. My opponent will find out.

[Tanaka]

Yes, full German here. Although after 20+ years of living in France, I start to feel and behave more like a Frenchman.^^
Adolf was a quite popular name given to newborn boys in Germany between 1933 and 1942 for some reason. However, in 1943 it suffered a sharp decrease in popularity (wonder why^^). It continued to be used sparingly for a few more years after the war ('die hard' parents), but since 1950, it has become exceedingly rare, although not entirely extinct.

The 4 ship minimum is to prevent all those gamey one ship task forces used to divide up air and naval attacks.

I see. But sometimes it is necessary to have multiples TFs in a hex, with some of them having less than four ships (local minesweeping or ASW for example). There could be a gentlemen's agreement on not using single-ship TFs for the purpose of diluting airstrikes.

Yes to prevent the bounce bonus and why do you advise to use second best?

To prevent predictability - gives a greater range of choice instead of a predictable "best manoeuvre" altitude

No strat bombing until 44 is too harsh or the squadron/plane limit or both?

No strat bombing until 44 is too hard. It basically means the Japanese player does not need to bother to defend his oil centres and refineries in the SRA and the Home Islands until 1944. Not even from Allied carrier raids.

So where else would you want to use the AVG other than China and Burma?

I cannot tell you, I will start a new PBEM soon. My opponent will find out.

Thanks for your responses! Will you be doing an AAR?