{Spam?} [WarInEur] France 1940 and changing French unit strength

[Kent & Sue Haunschild]

Steve- we actually have two historical problems: First, how to temporarially weaked the French and for how long. The second, how to get the Allied player to commit the BEF.

When you constructed your CWIE1 scenario you swapped out about half of the at start 3-4's for 2-4's.  This weakened the French sufficiently that France could fall if the Germans were agressive enough.  Either this solution or the changing French Combat strength option I have suggested should work.  The advantage to the solution I have suggested is the effect is tuneable.  The disadvantage is that it requires additional coding while yours doesn't.

Getting the BEF committed can only be solved by the use of political points (At least I don't see an alternative.  Maybe someone else can?) because the consequences of a failure to commit the BEF to the defense of France would mainly be political.  You have suggested a political point solution but because it is temporary it is toothless.  Even if there are no BEF units in France after the fall of Paris doubling the political points is going to be insufficient to trigger any defections of minor countries to the Axis side.  At a minimum, I'd think you'd have to add a Yugoslavian trigger at say 65 and maybe reduce Turkey and Spain to 70 and add a Vichy France 70 trigger.

So if the BEF isn't committed and Paris falls then a direct consequence will be that Yugoslavia becomes Active Axis and the likelyhood of Spain and Turkey and possibly even Vichy France becoming Active Axis at a later date is greatly increased.

I had suggested a political point cost for not committing the BEF to the defense of Belgium because it would require that the BEF be  deployed in Northern France.  The problem with your solution is a BEF stacked in Bordeaux would count and no political points would be gained or lost.  Forcing a commitment to the defense of Belgium along with weakening the French should leave the BEF pocketed against the coast and a Dunkirk style evacuation underway.

I do think both solutions temporarially weakining the French and a political point cost for not committing the BEF are going to be required to get historical outcomes. 



Kent
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: SGMINFO at aol.com 
  To: ultrasoundimages at sbcglobal.net ; warineur at mailman.halisp.net 
  Sent: Saturday, January 12, 2008 4:05 AM
  Subject: Re: {Spam?} [WarInEur] France 1940 and changing French unit strength


  In a message dated 12/01/2008 06:23:29 GMT Standard Time, ultrasoundimages at sbcglobal.net writes:
    Coding should be simple (he says as he doesn't have to code it) so as a
    scenario it would allow the option to essentially re-create the blitzkrieg
    of France.

    - John

  Disliking, as I do, arbitrary 'must do this' types of rules, I am considering something like the following...

  At the fall of Paris do a check, if less than x CW divisions are in France, the political points for the fall of france are doubled.

  This effect lasts for 1 year, the 'excess' points being reclaimed on the 13th cycle after the event.

  representing the 'shock effect' of the fall of France.

  Then there is an incentive for the British, but not a 'ball and chain' on the noose around his neck.

  Coding this, mostly offboard, ought to be a simpler task, and it can readily be retro fitted to the board game.

  We already have the bones for tthis check in the French surrender rules, so adding a module to this may not be too cumbersome...


  -|steve|-


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