reactions to the rule change re. Italian mobilization
Posted: Thu Sep 24, 2020 11:24 pm
Hi all,
I've played a number of PBEM games now under the revised rules that boost Italian mobilization quickly in reactrion to the presence of Allied naval units and/or amphibious units near Italy.
At first I was concerned because I remembered how in the earliest versions of WiE you could trigger a VERY early Italian entry into the war by laying just a few ships off the coast and then either slaughter the Italina fleet, or seal off the Libyan ports and overrun Africa, or possibly both.
But so far, I like this new formulation. It's still possible to pull off an Italian surprise as the Allies, but it requires more careful planning and timing, which is at should be. As for deliberately triggering a "premature" Italian DOW, I've only done it twice. Once was purely unintentional. I simply miscounted hexes. The result was an interesting scramble which played out in a way that felt realistic (Brits racing more ships into the Med to confront the surprise threat, a few pinprick landings on the Italian coast, the Italians dinged but not wiped out).
The other time, I saw my Axis opponent running two Corps through Gib on the first turn, so I figured turnabout is fair play and deliberately moved enough ships near Palermo to bring Italy into the war. Still haven't found those Transports, but they were last seen rounding the Cape of Good Hope...hope they enjoy the attentions of the Australian and New Zealand navies.
Curious what others' impressions are.
I've played a number of PBEM games now under the revised rules that boost Italian mobilization quickly in reactrion to the presence of Allied naval units and/or amphibious units near Italy.
At first I was concerned because I remembered how in the earliest versions of WiE you could trigger a VERY early Italian entry into the war by laying just a few ships off the coast and then either slaughter the Italina fleet, or seal off the Libyan ports and overrun Africa, or possibly both.
But so far, I like this new formulation. It's still possible to pull off an Italian surprise as the Allies, but it requires more careful planning and timing, which is at should be. As for deliberately triggering a "premature" Italian DOW, I've only done it twice. Once was purely unintentional. I simply miscounted hexes. The result was an interesting scramble which played out in a way that felt realistic (Brits racing more ships into the Med to confront the surprise threat, a few pinprick landings on the Italian coast, the Italians dinged but not wiped out).
The other time, I saw my Axis opponent running two Corps through Gib on the first turn, so I figured turnabout is fair play and deliberately moved enough ships near Palermo to bring Italy into the war. Still haven't found those Transports, but they were last seen rounding the Cape of Good Hope...hope they enjoy the attentions of the Australian and New Zealand navies.
Curious what others' impressions are.