"Handicap" for challenging play against the AI

[FirstCanadian]

I am elaborating on a thread that was a little misplaced over on the Modding discussion.

The AI is woefully inadequate, but giving it a large advantage can simply be an exercise in frustration as you are overrun with hoards of enemy troops while not having enough PP's to do anything yourself.

Instead, consider adopting "house rules" that selectively handicap you. The goal is to have a closer game, while still freeing yourself to be daring, innovative and of course ruthless in your game play.

I welcome your ideas of what sort of "house rules" you have used or would contemplate.

Some examples:

As the Axis player:
1) No sub warfare: Keep the three at-start subs in home waters for defense, and don't build any more
2) No Case Blue: Do NOT capture the Baku oil fields
3) D-Day "Welcome mat": Do not put any troops on the shore in northern France except in cities. Withdraw from 2-3 cities near the invasion site over the next 2-3 turns

As the Allies:
1) Paris surrender: Withdraw from Paris in May or June/1940
2) Russian retreat: Withdraw immediately to the Leningrad/Moscow/Stalingrad line in Barbarossa, regardless of Axis progress
3) Italian immunity: Do NOT invade mainland Italy

Each of these selectively cedes one theatre or element of the war, while letting you unleash your best shot in all the others.

Interestingly enough, each of the above is also a semi-realistic strategy that is not necessarily all bad: For example, by skipping the sub war, the Axis avoids building six or more subs at 55 pp each, and may skip one or more naval labs, for a savings of about 400 pp. You have to sink a fair amount of shipping to get a good return on investment, and I bet the AI will continue to build destroyers and invest in ASW anyway!