After analyzing and playing
046 Ring Around Aachen, it feels like the scenario heavily favors the American player.
There are two main issues:
- The Turn 1 Rush: The victory condition ("At the end of a game round, the Americans win if they control all three VOMs") allows the US player to just rush the objectives on Turn 1 with all their units and instantly win before the Germans can properly react.
- The NW Armor: The 4 Shermans in the north corner provide too much pressure if they are allowed to act from Turn 1.
To turn this into a much more balanced and tense urban siege, we came up with the following House Rules. Try them out and let me know!
Suggested House Rules:
1. Modified Victory Conditions (No Sudden Death)
The American victory condition is evaluated
only at the end of the final game round (Round 10), instead of at the end of
any round.
(Alternative: If you still want the sudden death mechanic, it only becomes active starting from the end of Round 6. This forces the Americans to actually hold the line rather than just doing a Turn 1 suicide rush).
2. Delayed US Armor Reinforcements
The American tanks originally deployed in the North sector do not start on the board. Instead, they arrive from the top map edge as reinforcements at the beginning of
Turn 2.
Additionally, during the round they enter the map, these units are restricted and may only perform an
Advance or a
Fire and Movement action.
This gives the Germans a crucial window of time to set up Opportunity Fire and deal with the threat tactically.
Optional
Dynamic Weather (Clearing Fog)
The
Heavy Fog effects apply normally for Turns 1, 2, and 3. Starting from Turn 4, during the Status Phase, the German player rolls one die. On a result of
4, 5, or 6, the
Heavy Fog effects are ignored for the entire upcoming round. This simulates the weather temporarily clearing up. It adds tension.
Has anyone else experienced the "Turn 1 US rush" in this scenario? Let me know what you think of these fixes!
