All out war!

[joshuamnave]

Production:
Germany - 24 BP's, 6 oil (7 idle factories, that should change soon, once Germany gets the convoys set up to South America)
Italy - 11 BP's, 2 oil
Japan - 17 BP's, 4 oil (down to 4 idle factories)
China - 6 BP's, 1 oil
UK - 12 BP's, 3 oil
France - 3 BP's, 0 oil
US - 48 BP's, 16 oil
CCCP - 21 BP's, 9 oil (at full production now)

The Axis combined production pulls slightly ahead of America's, even as the other Allies increase their production.

Germany - 2 pilots, sub (2nd), BB (2nd), Lnd2, Ftr2, Armor HQ, 2 Mil
Italy - Pilot, CP, Inf HQ, Lnd3
Japan - Pilot, Ftr2, CVP, Amph (1st), BB (1st), CP, Inf, Eng
China - Inf HQ, Cav Div
CW - Pilot, BB (2nd), Lnd3, CV (1st), Mil
France - Inf
USA - 3 pilots, sub (1st), CV (1st), 3 naval repairs (2 US, 1 British), Lnd3, Ftr2, 2 CVP, Arm HQ, Mech, 2 Mot, 2 Inf
Russia - Pilot, Ftr2, Inf HQ, Inf, Arm, Mech Div

Reinforcements coming in:

[joshuamnave]

Conquests:
Trinidad (Germany)
Iraq (USSR)

The British land their harassment division in Bergen and reform them into a 7 factor white print infantry. And we move on to March.

[joshuamnave]

March starts with more crappy weather and Allied initiative. The US and CW take naval actions, Russia takes a combined (to harass Axis shipping in the Black sea), China takes a land.

The navies sail but nobody finds a thing in all the choppy water. 3 more US units head for France. Some land units shift around but really very little happens.

The Axis take 3 naval actions. Germany has a lot of CP's to move around to get the South American resources home.

The Argentinian navy reaches the S China Sea, just in time for a naval battle. The Japanese damage the Manchester and the Glorious and abort one of their own battleships. Slowly they are whittling down the British Pacific fleet.

The weather improves slightly. Still raining in the north temperate and stormy in the arctic however.

[joshuamnave]

Land actions all around for the Allies.

America advances on Monterrey and US/French troops extend the line south of France. There are now 6 US corps, 2 artillery and 1 Inf division in France. Germany has some work to do. In the Pacific, US marines seize the island of Eniwetok.

The actions switches over to the Axis who take land actions all around. Saudi troops seize the major port of Kuwait City. In France, Germany turns the corner on the Allied line. After just 2 impulses of bad weather, the spring grinds to a halt. Here's how it looks in France

[joshuamnave]

I forgot to jot down the production info, but the numbers were essentially the same. Of note, the US has built out its armor, infantry, infantry division, marine and militia pools. In May, it should build out its Mot, Mech, and Mar Div pools as well. The US also put a 2nd O Chit into production.

Here's the incoming reinforcements. This is bad news for Germany.

[Courtenay]

Zartacla, would you see which countries can send ships through the Panama canal? I am curious to see if MWiF actually implements RAC (which copies RAW), which does not say what one would think it does. RAW was not written with the idea of an Axis Panama in mind.

Here is the rule:

After the U.S. has closed the Panama canal (see 13.3.2, entry option 33), you can only move naval units between the Gulf of Panama and the Caribbean Sea if:

Its controlling major power of the three Panama Canal hexes is at war with the U.S.A. and lets you; or,

There is no controlling major power of those hexes and the U.S. player lets you.

At the moment, Panama controls the three hexes of the Panama canal, not any major power. Yes, a major power has aligned Panama, but Panama, not the aligning power, controls the three Panama canal hexes. Thus the US has control over the Panama canal, and will do so until some Allied power grabs all three hexes. At that point, the controlling major power will not be at war with the US, so no one will be able to go through the Canal. If one Axis power subsequently conquers the canal and does not liberate Panama, then the Axis would be able to use the canal.

Yes, I know this is ridiculous. It is, though, what the rules say; they assume that if Panama is aligned, it is aligned with the US. If you ever do this scenario again, I suggest that you allow Panama to go to the US, to avoid this nonsense.

You can see why I am curious as to whether MWiF actually implements these rules as written.

[brian brian]

I don't think there is any such thing as a hex controlled by a minor country in the game unless the minor is still neutral.

All minors align to a Major Power, or they are conquered. There are no Tibetan hexes or Liberian hexes. There are Major Power hexes, and neutral hexes. Basically nothing can happen in a neutral hex except resource transportation. And passing the Panama Canal I guess.


That must be the RAC language, which I'd say has a hole in it at the end of the language, and repeats a small problem in RaW:

After the U.S. has closed the Panama canal (see 13.3.2, entry option 33), you can only move naval units between the Gulf of Panama and the Caribbean Sea if:

Its controlling major power of the three Panama Canal hexes is at war with the U.S.A. and lets you; or,

There is no controlling major power of those hexes and the U.S. player lets you.

Canal Open before Option 33, Panama neutral or active and aligned to even neutral USA = any country moves through

Canal Closed by Option 33, Panama neutral = USA decides

Panama active, controlling Major Power @ War with USA, Option 33 not picked = Canal Open to any country including USA (this is a problem case to say the least)

Panama active, controlling Major Power @ War with USA, Option 33 Closes Canal = controlling Major Power choice

Canal Closed by Option 33, Panama active, Controlling Major Power Neutral towards USA = Mexican Stand-Off? No one sails through?


this is because that RAC language when parsed, doesn't include that last case just above, because Panama is always either neutral or the hexes are controlled by a Major Power - which may or may not be at war with the USA, and RAC doesn't answer the last case.

Option 33 would not be picked unless the USA chooses to select it, or the USA is at war with Japan, Germany and Italy, when it is selected automatically



RaW is a tiny bit tighter:

7. After the US has closed the Panama canal (see 13.3.2, entry option 33), you can only move naval units between the Gulf of Panama and the Caribbean Sea if:
ï its controlling major power is at war with the USA and lets you; or, if none,
ï the US player lets you.

which allows for the idea that there is a controlling Major Power not at war with the USA, giving the USA the decision even if Panama has a controlling MP not @ war with USA

RaW also does not consider the case that Panama could have a controlling Major Power before Option 33 is selected. Or it does consider it, and the Canal Zone becomes quite a strange place indeed, with John McCain's father keeping it open for anyone and everyone, no matter who is in charge in Panama City



So in Zartacia's game here I would imagine Germany is making every Panama Canal movement decision because it is at war with the USA.

The test would be simple -

Allies DOW Panama but not the Axis

controlling Major Power does not DOW USA

and see how the ships move. I expect MWiF will get it right, even if RAC has that tiny flaw and neither address the idea that Option 33 hasn't been selected.

So you could test it again with and without Option 33.

[joshuamnave]

Yah, I don't quite follow why you think Panama and not Germany controls the canal hexes. Hexes are either controlled by a Major Power or are neutral. I can verify that any Axis ship can pass through the canal currently (The Japanese have sent dutch ships through the canal) and there is no prompt asking if Germany will allow it. I'll test to see if the allies can use the canal - I had assumed no and haven't tried yet.

[Courtenay]

In the normal case, where the US has aligned Panama and the close the canal entry option has been chosen, there are only two ways to be allowed to pass through the canal:

quote:

After the U.S. has closed the Panama canal (see 13.3.2, entry option 33), you can only move naval units between the Gulf of Panama and the Caribbean Sea if:

Its controlling major power of the three Panama Canal hexes is at war with the U.S.A. and lets you; or,

There is no controlling major power of those hexes and the U.S. player lets you.

The US is not at war with itself, so the first case sentence is not the case. If the US is allowed to pass through the canal, which I think we all agree is the case, that means the second sentence must hold. There is no other way the US could control who passes through the canal. The second sentence holds only if "There is no controlling major power." If one reads the control rules, one sees that indeed, both major powers and minor countries can control hexes. A major power may have aligned a minor country. That does not mean that hexes controlled by that minor country are controlled by the major power, they are still controlled by the minor country. MWiF implements that -- take a look at the control flags of an aligned minor country. They are not the flag of the major power; they are the major power's flag with the minor country's flag on the lower left of the symbol.

[brian brian]

yeah, that RAC passage kind of falls apart a little bit in a regular game, actually. left undeclared is the fact that Panama can only align to the USA on the Allied side and then the USA always makes the decision. though we all know that should be how it works, the passage leaves a little too much room for a Rules Lawyer to bring the game to a halt for ten minutes. though MWiF won't get into rules arguments with you, which is kind of nice. [:D]

it could read "….and the Caribbean Sea if: A controlling Major Power of the three Canal hexes which is at war with the USA lets you, or the USA lets you." (I think that is exactly the same, and covers every possible case, ???)

the minor country / Major Power distinction of "controlling" a hex is fairly irrelevant in the rules and playing the game and is a dead end in figuring out rules, in my opinion. there is no Panamanian player. if Major Power B wants to do something in a hex controlled by a minor country aligned to Major Power A, the player in charge of Major Power A makes the decision.

there are rules about units of one country entering another country, but that is because a hex they want to enter is "in" another minor country, not because that minor country "controls" it. If the Rumanians advance into Russia, Germany controls those hexes, not Rumania. I'd be fine with drawing a Rumanian flag on them, but it ultimately doesn't make any difference. I think.

[joshuamnave]

Panamanian pandemonium aside, there's still a war to be fought... so on we go.

May starts and the skies clear. Fine weather everywhere. Japan - naval, Germany - land, Italy - combined.

Japan sends a marine corps to Truk in preparation for an invasion of Rabaul. The bulk of the Japanese fleet continues to patrol the S China Sea. The Italian fleet sails into the Western Med, preparing to shore bombard the French garrison in Nice. That single French unit is blocking the rail line from Spain, preventing Axis resources being shipped across the Atlantic from reaching their factories.

The same Catalina flying out of Pearl sinks another Japanese sub hunting US supply convoys in the Marshals. Japan is no without any subs on the board.

German bombers hit 1 corps and the division in Rouen. The Italians disorganize Wavel in Egypt. Good chance Egypt falls this turn now.

Turkish units retake Kirkuk and advance toward Baghdad. The oil in Kirkuk is stuck there as long as the Soviets are in Baghdad, unfortunately. Getting more troops to Iraq is slow because only one per turn can rail across the straits. Once Egypt falls, Italy can send help fairly quickly.

Germany makes 3 attacks - an automatic attack on a solitary US division behind the southern tip of the French line, an attack on Rouen, and an assault on Riga. German units continue to show restraint and stay out of Russia. There's no sense in giving Russia the production boost until Germany can move in with enough firepower to start doing some damage. After another air battle in which the outnumbered and outgunned French manage to abort 3 german planes while getting their own bomber through, here's how it looks:

[joshuamnave]

Fortunately German attack rolls are a little better than their air to air rolls. Rouen falls on a 13, costing the Germans their anti tank gun and flipping two infantry. But the noose draws tighter around Paris. Nice falls with no Axis losses, and the Germans lose a militia unit taking Riga. Germany reorgs a pair of bombers and the action passes to the Allies.

Russia takes a combined, China takes a land, France, UK and US all take naval actions.

A P40B Tomahawk and an armor corps sail out of New York bound for France. Russian naval units in the Black Sea catch the Axis convoys by surprise and negate the air cover provided by Turkey. This closes the Dardanelles for supply as well as for rail traffic until the Axis can replace the convoy point. In the South China Sea, the Axis finally take the allies by surprise, but the Allies make 5 straight defense rolls so instead of 3x/D/A, Japan damages 3 and aborts 1. Japan tries to press the attack but the fleets lose sight of each other and the battle ends.

Russian strat bombers in Kiev take out all 3 oil resources in Ploesti, and Germany begins to rethink their wait at the border policy.

The weather stays good and the axis powers take 3 land actions. Germany ground strikes the 2 hexes behind Paris, hitting 3 of 6 targets but missing the US field artillery unit. Japanese bombers disorganize the Lanchow militia in the mtns east of Sian. Italy painstakingly moves their units in southern France toward Toulouse, taking anywhere from 15-20 seconds per unit to move. I really hope Steve isn't done optimizing the supply route calculations because this is a serious issue.

Japan takes the other easy to get Siberian resource. A skeleton defense of Siberia combined with a Japanese army already spread too thin means this will probably be as far as Japan advances in Russia for a while. In China, Japan sets up to clear the mountains around Sian and moves another unit up toward Lanchow. Japan probably missed their opportunity to knock China out by spending a year taking out the Philippines and Vladivostok. In terms of resources, that's a fair trade, but it remains to be seen how badly a strong China can screw up Japanese plans later in the war.

Germany makes just one attack, on the French stack SW of Paris. Even with 2 units disorganized and 4 hexes to attack from, the presence of US units drops it down to just under a +10 blitz. Japan attacks the mountain hex east of Sian at slightly better than +10. Both attacks succeed on mediocre rolls. Japan flips its entire army and loses the Korean territorial. Germany also disorganizes 4 hexes worth of units. The French had a result of R but with nowhere to retreat to are instead destroyed. Unfortunately both of Germany's HQ's and most of their units, including all of their bombers, are now disorganized. So although they now have 4 hexes on Paris and a strong chance of taking it in July, their spring offensive is pretty much done.

[joshuamnave]

The allies take land actions. British bombers fail to find their target in Norway. North of Oslo, British armor begins to encircle the German/Swedish defense. Germany will have to pull back and garrison Oslo or risk losing it. In Egypt, the situation is reversed and it's the British who must move to defend Cairo. French and American units race to defend the resource NW of Paris, and to prevent another 4 hex attack on the last non-river hex adjacent to Paris. The American garrison Nantes, which has become important as the sole supply source for American troops other than Paris. Should Nantes and Paris fall, they will be reliant on overseas supply and one lucky search roll by German subs could put a significant portion of the American army at risk. And that relies on having an HQ unit in country. Fortunately, Macarthur will arrive later this turn backed up by American armor. Meanwhile, US units prepare to assault Monterrey. The actual attack will have to wait until next impulse, after the Americans bring their air up.

[joshuamnave]

The weather stays mostly clear, with rain in the N Monsoon. Germany and Japan take combined actions, Italy takes a land.

Germany has to choose between pulling back the line in Norway, which would lead to an inevitable encirclement of Oslo, or abandoning the southern port defenses, giving Britain the opportunity to shift the attack to move favorable terrain in the south. Due to a lack of British troops ready to invade and follow up, they elect to do the latter. Meanwhile, another Turkish unit rails into Iraq.

In Egypt, Italy makes the only attack of the Impulse, capturing Suez.

On the allied half of the turn, Britain takes a combined and everyone else takes a land. The Queens pull a 1 factor division out to the North Sea and stage an invasion in Southern Norway, while the Americans attack Monterrey. That's pretty much all that happens this impulse. Monterrey falls at the cost of 1 mil and 1 4 factor Inf. In Norway, the invasion, which only had about a 20% chance of working, succeeds and the British have another port.

On a roll of 1, the weather turns rough. This saves the British beachhead. The Norwegians could have pushed them back into the sea at the cost of pulling their defensive line out of the mountains.

Germany takes a naval action, Japan another combined and Italy another land. Germany sends more convoy points from Finland and Denmark through Faroes Gap. Germany makes a lucky search roll in the North Sea and destroys both British monitors, aborting the British CP that is supplying the troops in Norway. But Britain has plenty of organized CP's and even if the turn ends now, the Queens are still in the North Sea so supply is far from cut.

In Egypt, Italy takes the rest of the canal hexes and isolates Cairo. Only the Egyptian territorial is in supply now - and it's being attacked in Cairo at +12, despite the rain. Cairo falls. Wavel and the London Mil are now isolate, out of supply and Wavel is still disorganized from the ground strike in the first impulse.

On the allied side, everyone passes. Partly because most of the world is underwater and most of the armies are disorganized, and partly to try to save Wavel. Even though the chances of evacuation are poor, it would tie Italy up for another turn, delaying further action in Iraq. They need a 5 to end the turn but roll a 9. Worse than that, good weather is back everywhere but N Monsoon.

Italy and Japan take combineds, Germany a land. Time to shore up the defenses in Norway.

Japan fails to find the British fleet in the S China sea. Italy uses its naval move to restore supply in the Black Sea, but as quickly as Greek ships move in, Russian ships sink them.

Germany rails another unit into Oslo. Italy attacks Wavel, losing a division and a territorial. Wavel survives, but the London militia does not. The turn does not end.

Britain takes a land, the rest pass. Britain shatters the Swedish and German corps NE of Oslo, taking the hex and more importantly, cutting the rail line blocking more units from railing in. The turn does not end.

Rain in the N Temp. Italy and Japan take combineds, Germany another land. Another Greek convoy heads into the Black Sea, but Russia no longer has an organized naval unit to search for it. Japan and the CW fight a minor naval skirmish in the S China Sea with both sides damaging one ship (due to both sides having perfect defense rolls again). Italy takes out Toulouse and the turn finally ends.

[joshuamnave]

Production
Germany - 23 BP's, 4 oil
Italy - 12 BP's, 2 oil
Japan - 18 BP's, 4 oil
China - 8 BP's, 1 oil
CW - 12 BP's, 3 oil
France - 1 BP, 0 oil
US - 48 BP's, 16 oil
USSR - 14 BP's, 10 oil

Germany 2 pilots, Lnd2, Ftr2, Sub (1st), Sub (2nd), BB (1st), Arm, Romanian HQ
Italy pilot, Lnd3, BB (2nd), CP, Inf
Japan 2 pilots, Lnd3, 2 CVP, CA repair, Sub (1st), CP, CV (1st), Mil, Terr
China Mtn, 2 Garr
CW Pilot, BB (2nd), Ftr2, Amph (1st), Mil
US 3 pilot, Sub repair, BB repair, CA repair, Lnd3, 2 BB (2nd), amph (2nd), amph (1st), Arty, 2 Mech, Mot, Mil
USSR pilot, Ftr2, Mech, Mil, Inf

Incoming reins

[joshuamnave]

Conquests
Egypt (Italy)
Cameroons (Germany)
Gambia (Italy)
Latvia (liberated, Germany)

[joshuamnave]

The allies win the initiative roll for July and the Axis demand a reroll. The Allies win again. As expected, the weather is clear everywhere but N Monsoon. The British and American navies put to sea. American production now outstrips their sea lift capacity, so British transports are pressed into service as well.

America tests out the Panama rules question and is blocked from moving ships through the canal. The results are that a German aligned Panama will allow passage to all Axis Major and Minor power ships but not Allied ships, which is how it should be.

Britain drops a militia and an AA gun off in Norway. Britain continues it's near unbroken streak of finding Japanese convoys in the S China sea. This time they dodge the air cover and get to sink some actual CP's. They sink 4 CP's and abort 2 more, clearing the sea zone. Russian strat bombers kill one point of oil in Ploesti. Russian artillery and AT guns begin preparing fixed positions behind the Dnepr river line.

[Courtenay]

Have the Russians started to evacuate factories?

[joshuamnave]

French reinforcements attack the Spanish cavalry in La Rochelle, backed up by US naval bombardment. With a +17, they easily recapture the port.

On the Axis half of the impulse, Japan takes to the seas while Germany and Italy elect to move their ground troops.

Japan manages to sink a British cruiser in the S China Sea, but England makes the rest of its defense rolls. The convoy line is reinstated.

In France, Germany groundstrikes the last two hexes adjacent to Paris. American and French AA guns fire. Here we have another major shortcoming in the game's UI. The picture below shows an American AA gun being given the option to fire on one of two hexes, but the hexes are only identified by coordinates. Clicking on the coordinates "centers" the map around that hex, but the two hexes are adjacent and it's not all that clear which hex is which. Clicking the coordinates should highlight the affected hex, or put a target indicator on it, or something. It's little things like this that really distinguish between a polished ready for release game and a game still in production.

[joshuamnave]

ORIGINAL: Courtenay

Have the Russians started to evacuate factories?

They can't. There are no axis units inside Russia, other than Siberia. That's by design.