World War I Decision Games Thoughts on the DG edition, William Sariego The Decision Games edition of World War I can hardly be thought of as 'new' anymore, having been released in 1995. Still, that is 20 years beyond its first incarnation so I suppose we can still call it new :-) Differences are minor and have been covered well in previous postings on Web-G. Some however, have a decided impact on play balance and deserve to be noted and discussed further. These primarily affect the Eastern Front, which is a huge key to victory for the Central Powers. The earlier you force Russian surrender, the more VP's you get. Knowing the VP values and possibilities before you even sit down is showing some good homework, and will give you the slightest edge against the 'casual' player whom has never done so. The Central Powers begins the game with 14 resource areas (2 in Austria, 1 in Turkey, the rest in Germany). The Allies have 11 (2 each in Italy and Belgium and the rest in France). Valued at 5 VP's each, based on the starting positions, the Central Powers are ahead 70 to 55. You also score VP's for the invasion of Minor Countries by your opponent, and in the Historical Game this has already occurred with Belgium. So the margin is actually 70-60 at the start. Assuming no other invasions (and there is really no reason to slide in Albania, Persia or the Netherlands) and allowing historical entry, this number will stay firm on this account. The only odd ball is Greece which is a valid target for Activation (9.2) and invasion by the Allies to threaten Constantinople from another front. Assuming the Historical Allied Salonika landings, we stand now at 75-60 in favor of the Central Powers. The Victory Point variable which no one has control over is the Allied blockade. This will award the allies 75 VP's at games end. Assuming the above, the victory now belongs to the Allies at 135-75. Any Central Powers player worth his salt will be able to take out Belgium and the cross the French border in force. This will swing five of the Resource hexes to the tune of 25 VP's subtracted from the Allied total, and added to the CP total. Now the count stands at 110-100 in favor of the Allies, much closer! The key thus evolves around Russian Surrender. Again, assuming history repeats itself, this will occur on Turn 9, as the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was signed on March 3, 1918. This would give the Central Powers 20 VP's per schedule, and thus an 120-110 victory in game terms. A good game indeed!!!! IMHO, this victory is easier to achieve in the Decision Games release than its SPI predecessor. Why? To begin with, there are changes both subtle and not so subtle. An obvious difference is the improved quality of the Austro-Hungarian army. In the old game they were 2/3 units. Now the starting armies are 3/4, with only newly built ones having the old 2/3 value. The developer of the Decision version is of rather proud Austrian descent, which might explain this! In all fairness however, they doubtless did rate better than the 2/3 of the original version, though I would have only upped them to 3/3 (same as the Italians). The increased Austrian values have two affects. On the Italian Front, the Resource Hex at Venice becomes a possibility, though a remote one. More importantly, it will lead to more Russian casualties, an indirect key to forcing the collapse and surrender of the Tsarist Empire. Yes, Russian casualties are only doubled versus Germans, but the higher Austrian attack and defense values will see more Russian losses or retreats. Then you have the new Caucasus front opening up a new area of conflict between Turkey and Russia. A previous post said it had little effect on play. Try it again, my friend. This comes with an increase in the Turkish RP ceiling from 6 in the old version to 10 now. Again, this front opens up more potential for Russian losses. Not only that, Tiflis is a city that counts for collapse and surrender! This definitely encourages aggressive Turkish play on this new front. By the same token, the Allies almost have to attack because otherwise, Turkey, with her new economic power, is unbeatable! Now you need Russian pressure along with a successful Gallipoli to take Constantinople. One oft overlooked rule is the new ability for Black Sea naval movement for the Russians. In retrospect, the game is still a fun and balanced game on the Great War. The Decision version makes it a bit easier for the Central Powers to win, but not overly so. In a war which saw so little movement, this small game is a must purchase for fans of the era. WWI is superior to bigger games such as Avalon Hill's "Guns of August", which has not aged nearly as well. Peace, William