Tomorrow the World Play Tester's NotesWhen you enjoy strategic level WW2 games as much as I do, is it any wonder how I became a playtester for Ty Bomba's Tomorrow the World? If you've got a copy of the original 1989 3W game, here's my notes from those days of yesteryear:
Naval casualties can be expensive to replace. One useful build strategy that, while not clearly stated in the rules but is allowed, is the old "down payment" plan. This allows you to buy back eliminated naval units (at reduced strength) by paying for only one step per unit. On the turn they arrive, you then immediately pay for the other step to complete them so that they return to battle at full strength. (They qualify as being in a home port, where they must be placed when rebuilt, during a player's Rebuilding Phase.) Thus, for 50% down and 50% C.O.D., you can completely rebuild your fleet while spreading out the hardship of its great expense over a few turns.
How this got left off of the errata sheet I still can't figure out, but unsupplied units have everything halved. The rules say round up, the charts say round down. The rules are correct, everything should be rounded up. Also on the chart, Tundra dots are treated like rough dots in the Summer and Spring (not "Sprint").
With almost three blank pages in the rules book, you'd think some of this stuff would have made it in! However, in those "glory" days at 3W, production deadlines and communication problems were all too commonplace. The new UN rules, combined with some of the other suggested changes, add a gripping element of internal political stress when playing Axis & Axis (our playtesters' nickname for Tomorrow the World).
Like naval transports, rebuilt air units and "leg" paratroops require a one turn delay before they are placed (as per 5.13). Like submarines, rebuilding the Herman Goering and the 11th Fleiger corps requires a two turn delay.
The UN can be made into a fascinating "third power," but only if it has more teeth. Adopt the rules changes that follow:
The new UN Rebellion Phase Sequence becomes:
1. Cloning Segment
2. Control Segment
3. Movement/Interception/Set-Piece Battles Segment (sequential)
4. New Rebellions Segment
UN units no longer automatically clone. Each unit may attempt to clone by having the controlling player (see below) roll a die. If the result is less than or equal to your opponent's current UN Rebellion number, that UN unit clones itself. Cloned units are placed in the same or an adjacent dot as its parent (cloning) unit, but may not be placed in violation of the stacking limits or on enemy occupied dots (as per 11.2, Subsections 1 and 2).
If a UN unit is clearly "behind one player's lines," his opponent controls the activities of that UN unit. (Make sure it is placed so that the controlling player's color shows.) If, at this time, a UN unit finds itself on a dot that is connected to dots controlled by both players, give each side their proportional chance to control that UN unit and roll a die to see who controls it.
For example: a UN unit finds itself on a dot connected to three German and one Japanese dot. Chances are that unit will "hate the Germans most." One player picks up his 10-sided die and announces "Three out of four they hate the Germans: on a 1-6, this UN unit is Japanese controlled, on a 7 or 8 it is German controlled, on a 9 or 0 we re-roll." Thus, each player has their proportional chance to gain (or keep) control of that UN unit that turn. In this case, the Japanese had a 3/4 chance of controlling it, and the Germans had a 1/4 chance.
Once the control of all UN units is determined, the player who goes second each Game Turn (i.e., the one that did not start the war), may move all of his controlled UN units. They may move two dots per turn (except through Tundra in Winter), even through mountains, and their movement may be intercepted by the non-moving player's non-UN units. UN units have no sea movement capability whatsoever and may never move by sea in any way.
UN units have an attack strength of two. Air and airborne assets (which cannot be intercepted, by the way) used to reinforce UN Set Piece Battles cannot fly other missions for the duration of the current Game Turn (not Player Turn, Game Turn!).
The number on a player's UN Rebellion track is now the number of rolls that player must make to establish new UN Rebellions. Every roll of two or less (i.e., 2, 1, or 0) allows your opponent to place on new UN Rebellion as per 11.2.
The thing to remember about the new UN rules is that a player's UN rebellion track number now functions as both the "Chance to Clone" as well as the "Number of New Rebellion Die Rolls" number. Also, UN units not only have a two defense strength, but a two attack strength, can move two dots, and new rebellions are generated on rolls of '2' or less. Thus, the '2' printed on each UN unit has considerable added significance.
When using the above UN rules, allow German "leg" infantry units to enter mountains at a cost of their entire movement allowance. That is, they must begin their movement adjacent to the mountain dot in question and must stop upon entering it.
Now, the following variants and changes work hand-in-glove with the new UN rules. They
simulate political friction within a player's empire. While it's all right to be a mean,
cruel, nasty, oppressive Axis Overlord, the political opportunists within your own empire
are always looking for ways to overthrow you. Therefore, if you allow your UN Rebellion
level to ever exceed the track limit of nine, you automatically lose the game!
We kicked this around for a while and everyone kept making chemical attacks because the down side was insignificant compared to the benefits. With the above UN rules, it's now a much grittier decision.
Chemical attacks can be declared during any round of combat by either or both sides. The effects are to add +1 to the strength of all units on that side during that single round of battle. Each use of chemical weapons raises the using player's UN Rebellion level by one for his next UN Rebellion Phase. UN attacks, of course, may not use chemical weapons.
Minor ally units may be rebuilt for the usual costs. However, for each unit that returns from the dead pile, increase the rebuilding player's UN Rebellion level by one for the next UN Rebellion Phase. This simulates increased political friction and dissension from the dominions. Minor ally rebuilds are placed in any friendly controlled, supplied dot in their respective national territories. If no such dot exists, they may not be rebuilt.