FOR TURN 41 - Aerospace BV rule

[Dave Baughman]

**Note: This poll is open until next Sunday (5/23). There will be a runoff poll between the two most popular options.

Everyone gets one vote, and results are hidden until the vote expires. Vote for whatever option you think is best, as the purpose of this poll is to put this issue firmly in the hands of the player base.

Option 1: No change - just that, we keep going as is, players pay for unspecified BV in 3750 BV (0.25 FP) lots and can use it however their want under either BV system as long as both players in the match are using the same version of BV. This would essentially be a continuation of the policy that "aero composition is a recommendation, not a binding requirement." There are a lot of problems with this approach, but it also gives players a large amount of flexibility and somewhat simulates the way ground unit composition works right now.

Option 2: BV 1.0 (except for "new" units) - Prior to the Sudeten Special Event, this was the unofficial official rule; 1 FP = 15,000 BV 1.0, except for units that do not have a BV 1.0 (i.e. units built with new equipment from Total Warfare and other newer books), for which BV 2.0 can be used as a stopgap. We all know that there are huge problems with BV 1.0 vis-a-vis WarShips, but this would maintain the status quo in terms of everyone's BV.

Option 3: BV 2.0 with rebalancing - Everyone switches to BV 2.0 for determining composition, but unit FPs do not change. If the FP of a WarShip or flotilla goes down, extra stuff is added to compensate. If it goes up, stuff is subtracted, or skill is reduced, or other units of the same movement class are sacrificed. This would get everyone onto BV 2.0 and maintain FP parity across the board, but some people would have to sacrifice and/or downgrade units to stay out of "FP debt."

Option 4: BV 2.0 without rebalancing - Everyone switches to BV 2.0 with no in-game changes to unit composition. Some FP goes up, some FP goes down. Some factions cash in, other factions get screwed. This is the "roleplayer's solution" as opposed to the "fair solution."

Option 5: Switch to ground forces model - BV allocation goes away, except for WarShips, which switch to BV 2.0. After any adjustments in WarShip FP due to the BV 2.0 are calculated in, ALL OTHER flotillas and aero units are deleted and players can spent their "lost" FP on buying non-BV-specific units structured the way ground forces are (I.E., a "TW Heavy Fighter Squadron" might be 2.0 FP regardless of its composition). This solution would be very paperwork intensive, but it would eliminate the gap between the way ground forces and aero forces are structured, increasing the uniformity of the system and eliminating BV as an issue in force construction alltogether.

Option 6: Pre-built forces ("Flashpoint model") - Each faction has a unique equipment table to determine the composition of each type of ASF and DropShip unit. WarShip FP is calculated based on BV 2.0. As with Option 5, this would require each faction to rebuild their ASF units, but it allows each faction to have a customized FP value reflecting their signature designs. Force construction is simplified since the unit compositions are pre-determined. [GM's note: this is probably the long-term direction the game is going, for a lot of reasons mostly involving game balance, but it is totally the players' option if they all want to go here immediately.]