Matrix Games Forums

Peter Garnett and I have never used offensive chits (nor Oil for that matter). Most seem to use them. For those who have been
with and without, what effects have you noticed in terms of play balance? How does the game tend to differ vs not using them? Thanks.

The game tends to get frozen without them, kinda 1st WW trench war, as you probably have noticed. Chits allow to break formerly impossible situations like taking Gibraltar from 1 hex with a sismultaneous inivasion, breaking a strong line behind the river Nikolayev-Dnetropetrovsk-Kiev, ...

I agree with José here. Especially for the Allies, offensives are important. Without them, the Wallies have problems to clear the enormous mass of Germany/Italian units in Europe, especially if the Axis have done well in the USSR.

I agree with all too, without offensive chits game is less dynamic and more predictable, so summaring borer [;)]

Offensive chits make a huge difference, not just for the reasons given above, but I find the major difference is for the US. From the end of '43 onward the US should build at least one every turn so that it can take at least one Suoer-Combined every turn. (Build more for certain specific things like maybe a direct invasion of Tokyo supported by a Land Offensive.)

But without one Super-Combined (i.e. unlimited moves and attacks with all land, air and naval units) the US has so many units in play that it can actually be unable to get everything done with just its normal action limits - especially when the turns might be short.

Oil definitely favors the Allies (as I think also Offensive chits do because the Allies have more BPs later in the game). However the oil option is the one concession I make between play balance and historical accuracy. Playing the Axis without the Oil option is science fiction. (So is Food in Flames back the other way - and thus an option I never use. If the CW lost BPs for not meeting the Food in Flames limits - instead of gaining them when meeting them - then that option would be more realistic and become somewhat of a counter to using Oil.)

I agree with Paul Deneryck.

OIL I feel as a must; and so are O-Chits.
The Axis need them to unlock some situations early on; and the Allies / Soviets later on. And the Axis can still threaten counteroffensives with 1-2 chits stocked up.

Food in Flames in its current incarnation is a No-Go. CW surely does not need more BPs - even more so early war BPs.