Sept 22 BA FAQ: Clarification Request & Feedback for Game Balance

Hey Everyone,

This is one of my first posts in the new forum setup and I just want to say that tone is hard to convey, but my attempt is to be constructive and provide feedback to help make the BA  scene be a more healthy, balanced, and therefore, more fun scene to play in. I also want to state that BA is such a fantastic game that I enjoy playing as well as being a part of the BA community.

That being said, I am having a hard time chewing on the most recent September  22′ BA FAQ and subsequent game balance ramifications: specifically revolving around “National Characteristics for the British and Commonwealth Armies” pg33.

In short, the most recent FAQ states: “When building a force from the Western Desert book, British and Commonwealth armies get the basic traits from the Armies of Great Britain book (i.e. the free artillery observer in lists that allow them, and the barrage reroll) and then the National Characteristics from the Western Desert… … Example 2: An Indian force would have the free observer, the barrage reroll, and then both Unsurpassed Bravery and Manpower of the Empire”

I have one request for clarification and based on this, one really critical and constructive feedback remark:

Clarification Question: For using new units from Theatre books, the FAQ is clear/explicit: ” unless the rules in the unit’s entry say otherwise, new units in these books are limited to use for scenarios and selectors from that book only. Unless of course you get opponent approval, or Tournament Organizers’ approval.” However, FAQ does NOT explicitly mention or clarify on how to use alternative National rules or overall platoon rules/modifications from theater books in an open tournament. My question is: can the various Army/National rules in campaign/theater books be used in an open tournament? Like Indian national rules, or British Airborne or Canadian units gaining the stubborn trait for one point (from the Italy Underbelly Campaign Book)…etc?

Rough Assessment of the Current Interpretation in the Midwest of USA: In the few tournaments I have played in the US (Adepticon, Chicago Dice Tourneys, Bug Eater, Tacticon, Genghis Con) the general interpretation from these events is that the British Players are allowed to use the various Commonwealth rules and platoon addition rules in an open tournament without permission.

Ramification: In short, if this interpretation is true – it has made the BA British armies so significantly over-powered in game play, that I predict these changes will have a significant and very negative impact on the BA tournament scene… if left unchecked.

Here is the breakdown of my reasoning:

– If a player selects a Indian Commonwealth Platoon, they receive 200 pts in free and very useful units (100pt Artillery Observer, 100pts in a 10-man regular squad). In a 1000pts tournament, that means a British player has 20% more unit resources on average than their opponent.

– On top of this, Indian Commonwealth Platoons can re-roll their morale for infantry units using the “Unsurpassed Bravery” rule…was this rule play tested with the British’s ability to have stubborn units? As the Soviets do not have a SINGLE stubborn unit in their army lists, I presume which is due to previous play testing of the soviet’s reroll moral army rule with stubborn units – the effect of which (I am guessing) is that rerolling stubborn units are OP and generally have to die to the last man….the German “33rd Waffen-SS ‘Charlemagne’ squad” basically get this rule, but at 17pts a person…

– On top of this, British players are now allowed to make their Airborne HQ and weapons teams stubborn (from Italy’s Underbelly Theater Book)…if you make them Indian Airborne (say from the 44th Indian Airborne Division, now the HQ and Weapons Teams (Piat, Mortar, Sniper, etc) have reroll-able stubborn…basically more – dying to the last man units

– On top of this, the Indian Commonwealth platoons also receive the repeat bombardment rule.

– On top of this, it is generally agreed that the British Army have some of the best selection of units, vehicles, artillery, and tanks.. (Ghurkas, Landmattress, M3 Stuarts, 10-shot mmg 45pt jeeps, etc)

No other nations get this much bonuses as well as broken rule synergy, on top of unit selection.

I love this game and I understand if the game designer takes a “sit, wait, and see” approach to gather more data…but even at face value, this specific Army rule does no favors for the BA tournament scene.

Just to re-emphasize my point and/or to have the community playtest/experience the OP-ness of these rules, I’ll throw out a few army list suggestions for folks to take at the BA tournament scene…maybe to win awards, but lose friends.

Thanks for listening and again, my intent is to solicit positive change or at worse – at least get a constructive dialog going.

– Neely

• This topic was modified 2 years, 2 months ago by Neely.
• This topic was modified 2 years, 2 months ago by Neely.
• This topic was modified 2 years, 2 months ago by Neely.