One interesting thing that I've found when doing some hotseat testing afor an initial checkout of the French Armistice is that now as the allied player I am more protective or French air and naval units. Before when I knew Paris was very close to falling I'd have no problem throwing a 2 or 3-step French air unit into a blocking position. What did I care that it got destroyed. Now, I would evacuate that air unit to the UK in case the axis player rejected the armistice. With respect to naval unit as the allied player I'm much less careless with the French navy. And as the axis player, I'm more inclined to finish off a wounded French naval unit that before. For example, in my hotseat game I was using the French DD along with RN naval units to escort Canadian transports. Luck would have it that the French DD ran into a hidden German u-boat loitering in the mid Atlantic. (Yes, I can even surprise myself sometimes.
) The DD lost 3-steps and a lot of effectiveness to a lost of 1-step for the u-boats. The other two German u-boat flotillas were close by and I was easily able to finish of the French DD without any additional u-boat step losses. I think it took two flotilla. Anyway, before the French armistice change as the axis player I wouldn't have messed with the French DD. Another significant effect of the French armistice is that I avoid launching low odds attacks (i.e., so called suicide attacks) with French garrisons and/or any remaining infantry corps on the allied turn before I know Paris is going to fall. I now keep my garrisons in place as a hedge against an axis player's rejection of the French armistice.
What is your experience with the start game? Do we have it balanced? What is your experience with how the French armistice impacts this?
