There was some discussion a few months ago, and everybody seemed to have a different opinion, on whether poison gas attacks should be a part of Axis & Allies 1914 or not - and if so, how. I haven’t seen anything in the forum since.
I happen to think it’s an important option to add to the game without going into a massive analysis of how effective or ineffective they were in the real war. Here’s how we do it at my house:
When purchasing a new artillery unit, you can spend an extra two IPCs to buy a gas shell option (total of 6 IPC for that artillery unit). The artillery is then mobilized in the standard manner. In a battle, you can use it as a normal artillery or declare that your are making a gas attack. In that case, the special artillery attacks first with the follow consequences of the die (or dice if you have more than one) roll:
1 - one enemy infantry is immediately removed; it cannot defend.
2 - two enemy infantry are immediately removed; they cannot defend.
3 - two enemy infantry are immediately removed and one of your infantry is removed due blow-back of the gas.
4 - no effect
5 - no effect
6 - one of your infantry is removed due to a major wind shift.
This adds an element of strategy and risk to the game that we like without making gas attacks a hugely important part of the combat phase.
I’d be happy to hear opinions on this.
This was an option in some of the “dark-side” rules we made a few years ago for other versions of Axis and Allies.
This included slave labour, civilian bombing (and bombing your own civilians), POW’s, human experimenting, interment camps, trophy collecting etc… against a sliding “morality” scale. If you ran out of Morality points, your people revolted and you lost the game.
All of these options gave the player a slight edge when used, and almost had some potential drawbacks (as you outlined with your gas rule)
Of course, there were also ways to gain morality points back, and to pick at your enemies supply of them too, but we found the more desperate the game became… the more likely people were ready to spend morality points to win.
Maybe a side can:
a) purchase gas tech for X on a turn, to be used in every attack next turn giving them an advantage in those battles.
b) purchase anti-gas technology for 1/2 X if the enemy has already used gas.
Therefore a side gets the advantages of gas for 2 turns before the enemy can (at half the cost) cancel it out thereafter.
c) Purchase anti-gas immediately the enemy purchases gas tech at full X.
Well we never really finished it but…
Primary thread
http://www.axisandallies.org/forums/index.php?topic=26606.0;
Supplementary rules
http://www.axisandallies.org/forums/index.php?topic=25592.0 - Bombing your own civilians
http://www.axisandallies.org/forums/index.php?topic=22311.0; - Minefields
http://www.axisandallies.org/forums/index.php?topic=24860 - Chemical Weapons
http://www.axisandallies.org/forums/index.php?topic=21742.5 - Ramming Speed (Carriers)
http://www.axisandallies.org/forums/index.php?topic=25540.0 - Concentration Camps
http://www.axisandallies.org/forums/index.php?topic=24873.0 - “J a p” Gold lol…
http://www.axisandallies.org/forums/index.php?topic=26583.0 - POW’s
Also should include
http://www.axisandallies.org/forums/index.php?topic=24906.0 - Encirclement rules
http://www.axisandallies.org/forums/index.php?topic=22164.0; - Research Facilities
Ah it’s all coming back to me now… Nothing quite like sending POW’s to your research facility, to “improve” your chances of success now is there?
I hope you enjoy the “humor”? lol…
Gunna have to look into this more! Sounds interesting at least and using them more in desperate situations is historically accurate. After all, the children only get tapped to defend the country at the last moment.
A child conscripts rule….
oooo…
The wheels are turning. :)
I think you mean Hudson’s Bay Blankets. ;)
