OK, when I play a Battle, I prefer to play from the left side of the map.
It used to be the case that this would be the default for me as Player 1 ... but no longer is. Is there an adjustment I can make to ensure that I'll start on the left as the human Player 1?
Anyway,, the side of map is historicaly set for the place,date and force selected for that period.
After a bit of testing, it does seem to be based on the geographic location of the countries. Kind of a shame ... means I'm always on the right against China.