3 things I'm tired of

[Kool Kat]

This is interesting as it is the total opposite of *Fight for rubble, where EA=off enables the defender to hold off superior enemy forces. With EA=On, the defender would have had absolutely no chances for succesful counter attacks, but would have slowly and surely lost the battle of attrition and lost the Victory locations to enemy.

Actually, the defender (Japanese, in my The Battle of Manila scenario) have excellent chances for successful counter attacks with EA = ON... provided the units do NOT utilize close assault, but instead rely on combined direct fire attacks and artillery barrages against the American platoons.

First, the classic EA=Off can be fun on certain scenarios, on that I agree with. Then again, EA=On can be absolute fun as well. It really depends on the scenario, be it a stock scenario or not. Many scenarios can be equally played with either option.

Agree 50% I don't find EA = ON to be "fun" - maybe necessary for balance purposes... but, that's my opinion and the nicety of having it as an optional rule. Again that's why I made the statement about EA being a "situational" optional rule.

I do not agree that a scenario needs necessarily be designed for EA=On, but I agree that it needs to have certain preconditions that allow for different tactics. Time / length may or may not be one of them.

I think you may be dancing around some terminology nuances? You mention "certain preconditions" that need to exist in a scenario (e.g. time / length and "map"). These preconditions must be designed into a scenario for it to be more acceptable to the use of EA. That's what I mean by a developer designing a scenario with EA in mind.

Secondly, EA=On does not require massive firepower or preparations. Just enough to cause a disruption or preferably kills on one of the defending units. After that, the odds on assault being successful are greatly improved.

All it requires is to have the units available. Not necessarily more turns, or anything like that.

I respectively have to disagree with your statements. Again, I think it is a situational condition. Ed and I played the WF "Unexpected" scenario with EA = ON. A lone Axis MG platoon (entrenched in a town hex) successfully beat off battalion-sized British forces that close assaulted it numerous times in a turn... combined with huge numbers of artillery barrages... for well over three quarters of the game. The Axis MG was also disrupted numerous times during the game. In this example, the use of EA ruined the game... primarily because the scenario was developed "pre-EA."

So, game turns / length, map and terrain, fortifications, and available forces, ALL impact and affect how EA will influence a specific scenario. The use of EA ALWAYS dramatically and fundamentally alters the play mechanics and game flow of any scenario in which it is utilized.