Matrix Games Forums

The British can thwart the German invasion of Norway by planting the British fleet in front of Oslo. They can slam Italy with a surprise attack on the turn that Italy joins the war. The Germans can munch Spain, Turkey and the Balkans because they know exactly where every Spanish unit is located.

Italy being surprise-attacked makes no sense. Can't Italy join the Axis at the beginning of the Axis turn after Lille falls, so that the Italians can deploy before the British and French attack?

Is it possible for the scenario editor to create random setups (maybe Vic can answer this) so that the Axis can't devise a master plan based on knowing where every neutral unit is located?

The German unit in Olso automatically appears when the Germans play the 'blitz' card, so the Germans will get ashore.  However, Norway is quite defensible for the British unless the Germans build sufficient carrier air and sub units.  In some recent games, I have been able to do this to good effect.
 
The Brits can surprise the Italians however the impact typically limited.  Ships have a 2x modifier in ports so a naval battle is iffy.  The Brits also do not have much carrier air.  Finally, they could bring the entire fleet, but then they leave North Sea unguarded.  I generally think there is not much to gain by this type of strike and lots of risk.
 
You could argue that having a surprise British strike at the Italian navy is not to ahistoric - half the Italian BB were damaged at the raid on Taranto a year before Pearl Harbor.
 
You can randomize setups with the editor.  Feel free to take a stab at it.