Scenario Balance

@Mike Cirrincione wrote:

So my question, when would you ask for the balance, why would you ask for it and so on?

Thanks Mike

Hi Mike;

Scenario Balance is something that I seldom use, but I'll do my best to give you an answer.

Scenario balance is obviously used when one side is percieved to “need help”. The few times that I have used it were usually when one player has a significant experience/skill level than the other…give the “newer” player the balance to help them out, or to weaken the more experienced player.

In competitive games, like at WCM, some players use it as a tie-breaker when choosing sides…let's say you and I both want the Russians in a scenario, I might counter with taking the Germans and the balance. Other times you see the ROAR ratings as tracking a scenario as favoring one side…give the unfavored side the balance to level the field a bit. Some competitive players use the balance when they bid for sides. There is even the ABS (Abilene Bidding System) that you see on some scenario cards (early CH) where there are three levels of balance for each side, and players bid which side and level of balance they want to give up to get that side…I personally never liked this system and do not use it.

As to when to use it…there is no answer for that. Some players have a natural talent (or a practiced talent over time) to be able to look at a scenario card and be able to make a quick judgement of balance (and many times can be unerringly accurate in their assesment).

Personally, I find it much simpler and quicker to just grab the dice and say “high roller will be the attacker.”

Semper Fi!
Scott

Candice’s comment made me think of my game with Don Petros at WCM. We played “Housing Crash”; a Deluxe scenario from Dispatches. Geoff and EV had played it earlier in the day, and concluded it was a little hard on the Germans. So before we diced for sides, we agreed to give the Germans the balance (which was adding a hero to the German OoB).

I got the Germans, and gave one of my FT’s to the hero. Sure enough, the first shot of the game generated a sniper, which zoomed like a guided missle straight to the hex with the hero and KIA’d him. So much for the German balance…