flyfishtasmania said:
We started a 3.4 game. It was my first time playing Axis, and I did something stupid.
1. Allies extend Maginot Line.
2. Germans declare war on France (thinking kill the Maginot line before it is built, and then force the Poles into the crusade later. Unfortunately the crusade option disappears!)
3. Germans launch invasion of low countries. Fight for 2 weeks. Make mistakes and Holland / Belgium are still around!
4. French move into Belgium to defend Brussels.
5. Belgians declare war on French and become Axis!!!!!
I will contact my friend and see what he wants to do. We may start again, or disband the Belgians and continue (they obviously surrendered!!!) But thought you should know!
:surprise:
It's a bit of a chore, but you do need to read the Full Briefing to get the most out of a complicated scenario like this. answering your points in order:
1. The Maginot Line is extended in the 1930s, i.e. long before the outbreak of WWII, so there's no chance of the Germans 'rushing' it during construction.
2. As you found, if the Germans chose to attack the Western Allies from the start, we're assuming that the Poles would take the opportunity to strike from the east in support of their guarantors, France and Britain. It's only if Hitler chooses to ignore the western democracies and move east immediately that Poland can be bullied into joining the Axis.
3. The Germans really should be able to overrun the Low Countries in a turn or two at the most, especially as the 'Invade Low Countries' Theatre Option triggers an Allied shock penalty for the first two weeks. No need for anything very clever, the German corps can simply brush aside the Dutch and Belgians, although you can combine it with sea landings and parachute drops if you want the practice.
4.This is what I don't understand. Once the Germans invade the Low Countries, both Holland and Belgium join the Allies - I'm sure that it says it in a News String - so the French (or other Allies) can move into either country straight after the invasion without declaring war.
5. All that I can think of is that you confused the French moving into Belgium to defend a fellow Ally with an Allied invasion of a neutral Belgium, and pressed the appropriate Theatre Option. This will have disbanded the Allied Belgians and replaced them with Pro-Axis units. The Allied Theatre Option is set to disappear one turn after the Germans invade the Low Countries: you may have pressed it before it vanished or - and this is a possible bug - DID IT REMAIN IN PLACE ON THE ALLIED THEATRE OPTION PANEL FOR SEVERAL TURNS AFTER THE GERMAN INVASION? If so, I need to look at it, but I'll swear that the exercise of the German TO to invade the Low Countries cancels the Allied one.
If you let me know exactly what happened I'll take another look if necessary, but I hope it was more down to inexperience on your
part than a bug in the system. At least you've had an interesting little practice run, although if the Germans can't beat the Dutch and Belgians I wouldn't book your seat in the Kremlin restaurant before you actually arrive there.