brian brian
Posts: 3191
Joined: 11/16/2005 Status: offline
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that's true, oil crept into the game slowly before Final Edition came out, and I played a long time without it as well. but treating Ploesti as the same as the Saar/Metz ... I just can't go back to ignoring that. why would Japan have even launched a war at all if it didn't need oil? sure, the game is a bit easier to play without thinking about oil, no question. and the historical Italian navy really was stuck in port for most of the war due to a severe oil shortage, ditto the IJN stuck in Borneo. if anything, the oil rule still gives the Axis too many operational abilities in this regard, to make more of a game of it. and I think ultimately, playing without an oil rule helps bog down the game actually, as more and more units appear on the map and the game gets slower and slower to play each passing year. just during 1941 Barbarossa, no oil requirement for the Germans might give them 25 more build points in 1941 alone, with perhaps 20 additional, or more, from 39 & 40 together. meanwhile Russia would have about the same amounts of forces, and they are already extremely fragile in 1941. Germany could well launch a no-oil Barbarossa with the same amount of units, but 2 more Offensive Chits in hand...and what are Offensive Chits but a lot of fuel (and ammunition and replacements, yes, but a whole lot of fuel). (O-Chits are a bit of a secret way to get oil without actually having it, by the way). the oil rule is a huge game changer, and thus my comment. so I am enjoying your AAR immensely, in a tiny part because of the oil snafus, but mostly because you are so generous to share this all with us.
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