MP game-balance and strategy advice request

[cynos]

Hi all,

Some friends and I are going to be playing the 1936 scenario. Humans will control UK, Russia, Germany, Japan. This'll be our first attempt at an MP.

Can anyone recommend good house rules to keep the game reasonably fair?

So far we've covered the sub stacks of doom, military control of Allies, and ahistorical early alliances for Germany prior to 1939. So, no 60+ wolfpacks, no French army rampaging into Germany during Fall Weiss, no Japanese-German Alliance in 36 with certain submarine blueprints and naval vessels exchanging hands, no early alliance with Austria, and no German invasion of Republican Spain.

So, in your collective experience, what other rules would contribute to a game that everyone enjoys?

Now, a question about MP strategy if I may. I'm going to be taking the role of Japan. How markedly does MP strategy for Japan differ from SP?

I am guessing that with a human controlling the UK, that I can hit the Dutch East Indies early without getting DOWed if I play my cards right, which means that I only have to repeatedly bribe the French AI to be my non-DOWing friends. (Incidentally, if anyone knows the level of relations at which a DOW for an early strike against the DEI won't occur, I'd be grateful if you let me know.)

Would following the usual path through China have merit, or would it be detrimental? I intend to take that province with 12 IC (Guangzhou?) as I can. I'm aware that I'm sitting pretty close to a human Russia, so I may find that the Bear turns east; I may also have to worry Russia in Siberia to ease pressure on Germany.

At the same time, I'm expecting to end up in a naval confrontation with Britain, so going to go CTF on this one, while trying to avoid hitting that 80 belligerence with the US.

With regard to airpower, obviously naval bombers are going to be my friend, but with regards to CAS/TAC/STR what do people recommend? From playing through Germany on SP, I'm quite fond of CAS/TAC, especially when I research strafing for interdiction.

I'm currently playing through Japan in the '36 scenario SP trying out various strategies, and I'm currently building and researching CAS/TAC planes (it's May 37) and doctrines to test on the Chinese.

So yeah, any tactics, suggestions, force compositions welcomed. Alternatively, if this is covered elsewhere, suggestions to RTFM welcomed if they come with a link to the FM

 

[System Lord]

Hey mate, check out the Aussie game threads for some house rule suggestions.

As for Japan without a USA player I dont think you need much of a navy as the UK will be forced to build land units to counter germany and wont be building much of a navy. Best way to fight the US AI is with naval bombers, just stick them on your pacific Islands and they will keep the Ai away from the home isles. Build army, TACs and lots of birgades, SP ART and Engineers are useful for Japan.

Some advice for your game, in my exp minimum connection has to be 512/128 and the host has to be even faster and you will not be able to play at anything other then normal speed or lower.

Good luck.

 

[cynos]

Hey mate, check out the Aussie game threads for some house rule suggestions.

As for Japan without a USA player I dont think you need much of a navy as the UK will be forced to build land units to counter germany and wont be building much of a navy. Best way to fight the US AI is with naval bombers, just stick them on your pacific Islands and they will keep the Ai away from the home isles. Build army, TACs and lots of birgades, SP ART and Engineers are useful for Japan.

Some advice for your game, in my exp minimum connection has to be 512/128 and the host has to be even faster and you will not be able to play at anything other then normal speed or lower.

Good luck.

Cheers for the advice. I'll be hosting and I'm 4Mb/2Mb (love Telstra for their cable) and the entrance ADSL in Kiwiland these days is 3.5Mb/128Kb so hopefully we'll be right.

Thanks. _b

 

[Galverizer]

Rules

This are the rules that I play by in my game, it makes the game balanced I think. I have played HoI2 a lot and this rules are very similare to those that most people play by.


1. Diplomacy

1.1 No DOW until Danzing Event, exception made to event wars(i.e. Italy to Albania, Japan in China).
1.2 Couping of player controlled countries is forbidden.
1.3 No crazy alliances (i.e. Comintern France or Allied Japan).
1.4 No one shall influence or ally or coup Nationalist Spain or Republican Spain until Vichy or July 1, 1941.
1.5 USSR cannot grant(or be granted) military access to other Allied players.


2. Events

2.1 Anschluss, Munich Treaty, End of Czechoslovakia, Memel, Danzig and Poland join Allies, should go historical.
2.2 Germany must declare war on Poland in the Danzig Event.
2.3 USSR must accept Bitter Peace if offered.


3. Axis

3.1 Italy free to join Axis after ending war with albania.
3.2 Japan can join Axis or DOW Allies after Vichy Event.


4. USA allowed to join Allies or DOW Axis (if sliders allow this) :

4.1 1 December 1941.
4.2 6 months after Japan is in war with the Allies or USSR. 3 months after Japan is at war with both, UK and USSR.
4.3 1 month after UK has been invaded. Repelling an invasion resets this counter.
4.4 Immediately after any invasion of an American country.
4.5 Immediately after any 2 key USSR cities (Leningrad, Moscow, Stalingrad) are surrounded or taken.


5. USSR and the MR-Pact

5.1 USSR must accept and honor the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact if offered full.
5.2 USSR can DOW Axis (or any country under initial German guarantee) after July 1, 1941 (Full Pact).
5.3 USSR can DOW Axis (or any country under initial German guarantee) after July 1, 1940 (Limited Pact).
5.4 USSR can DOW anyone, anytime (No Pact).


6. General

6.1 No use of any exploits or cheating of any kind. If you see anything you consider exploit or cheating you must report it.
6.2 No 'phoney-wars'. Wars declared should be fought to a peace or annexation (ie. no eternal wars with Albania as Italy or Chinese as Japan).
6.3 No stationing of any country's, Land, Air or Navy forces, on other country, prior to war.
6.5 No more than 36 divisions may garrison an urban capital.
6.6 No redeployment/disbanding of units about to be encircled/outflanked/destroyed.
6.7 No redeployment of units that are adjacent to enemy units.
6.8 Free France shall not have more than 5 Land/Air/Sea units, when declares independence.


7. Victory Conditions & Points

7.1 Game victory points, at Jan 1, 1958, decide who claims victory.
7.2 A team can claim victory earlier than 1958, if all opponent players are annexed.
7.3 A team can claim victory earlier than 1958, if other team chooses to surrender because its industrial capacity is less than 40% of their opponents. In this case victorious team takes all surrendering Victory points.

If you don't follow rule the first rule, no dow(Declarartion Of War) before Danzig the game uselly gets fucked up, events won't fire and such things.

 

[unmerged(14249)]

If you don't follow rule the first rule, no dow(Declarartion Of War) before Danzig the game uselly gets fucked up, events won't fire and such things.

The Monday campaign doesn't use any rules of this sort and manages fine. Personally, I think making Germany wait until the Danzig event before making any DOWs is unbalancing. I usually start fighting sooner if I play Germany.

Andrew

 

[Galverizer]

The Monday campaign doesn't use any rules of this sort and manages fine. Personally, I think making Germany wait until the Danzig event before making any DOWs is unbalancing. I usually start fighting sooner if I play Germany.

Andrew

Maybe I could join your monday game next time you start it and I can be UK under your rules?
Wanna try it, but not against totally newbies.
You do play doomsday not hoi2?