Latest Opinions on Assault/Defend PBEM Ratio

[Narwan]

I would find it very odd to always exclude VH hexes.

Yes, but there are plenty of other hexes to mine. The VHs are very inviting because you know the enemy must go there.

Do you consider placing a 3-hex deep minefield around a VH a valid tactic?

3 hex deep? That's what, 40 hexes? At 5 points per mine you've spend 200 points for a minefield with a density of 1 around the VH. At 21 VH's in a game... let's ask the mathemathician what that comes to. A valid tactic? Maybe. A stupid one for sure. When playing at 2:1 odds you simply don't have that kind of points left over. Which is where it keeps getting back at, if you play at 2:1 odds you don't have to come up with limitiations on minefields and other defensive goodies. The point spread takes care of it.

"Hmm, this is a good place to put a straight line of mines, it would block off that avenue. Ohoh, can't do that cause there's a flag there!" That's just plain silly. VH are hexes just like any other and as such can be mined simply because it makes tactical sense (ie having nothing to do with there being a flag there).

In fact, mining VH's deters a far worse gamey tactic and that is the last-turn VH grab using fast units by the second player (if that's the attacker).

It will certainly not deter the second player. Minefields or not, he has nothing to lose and will happily gamble his units for a VH. That's the whole point of the "last-turn VH grab".
A better solution is to always have the defender as player 2. (Which incidentally would deter him from mining the VHs.)

Although any player who lets me attack with a 2,0:1,0 advantage could mine anything he wanted.. ;)

You don't seem to understand the last-turn grab move. It doesn't have anything to do with having nothing to lose and everything with making suicide moves that can't be properly countered because the other side hasn't got a turn left to take out all those suicide runners.

And why would setting player 2 as the defender deter him from mining the flags? Explain that to me please. I don't see it.
And I always prefer the defender to be player 1 as I feel it right that the defending player gets to pick his terrain.

In practice I still think the attacker needs a lot of terrain augmented by a little well-placed smoke. With SPWW2 smoke loadouts, ..very difficult to make it last long enough to cover an entire advance.

I think you're underestimating the smoke loadouts. Infantry and some vehicles also add to the pool of smoke. And you can't expect to play all your battles as a defender on the Keflavik airbase map. Your opponents will eventually become suspicious.. :)

I think you're vastly overestimating the usefulness of smoke for the attacker. I often use it WHEN DEFENDING with devastating effect on the attacker (if done right).