How about "The Bet"? The best player for each side would be the one who emerged victorious with the highest VC bid/requirement.
We used FT181 in Round 3 of the CASLO last year.
http://asl-battleschool.blogspot.ca/2015/04/caslo-returns-to-nations-capital.html
But I agree that the bidding process for VC makes "The Bet" an intriguing candidate for a one-round mini.
I
think that this would put pressure on both players to bid high per SSR2, with each player trying to get the Germans, and hence the initiative, in more than one sense of the word. Clearly, the Axis winner is the German player who bids the most buildings/rubble hexes
and succeeds in Controlling at least this many at game end. But how is the Allied winner determined?
It seems to me that the best Norwegian player is the one who prevents the German player with the
lowest bid from succeeding. This makes for an interesting dynamic wherein risk takers bid high in order to play the Germans and dictate the nature of the game. At the same time, cautious (or clever) players must take care not to bid too low lest they make it too easy for their opponents to win, thus eliminating them (i.e. the Norwegian players) from the overall competition.
IOW, the bidding process creates a game within a game. The German player who bids the highest has an inherent edge over his competition (ie. other Axis players). Provided he Controls at least as many hexes as bid, he gains the crown automatically. Barring mistakes (and bad luck) on his part, there is no way that a German player who bid less can win the Axis title.
