Grasshopper's Alternative R&D

[Young Grasshopper]

Thats a whole different tech structure all together, my question is, do you like the tech ladder as is, and would you play it with your table top gaming group?

[Jennifer]

Yea it was just a thought.  It’s still a ladder, but it’s more like 6 ladders and you choose your nation’s own destiny.

I do like what you have, I was just pondering other things, building off your foundation.

[Guest]

The thing I like most about your system is that a person could spend as little as $1 on tech.  If they spend more their chances are better.

Here is a different idea for the ladder itself.  Suppose you had 3 simple charts that people could choose to narrow down what they might get.  What I am thinking is separate charts for land, sea and air.

Air technology chart

1. Long range aircraft - all planes move 1 extra space
2. Jets - fighters hit @4
3. Heavy bombers - bombers roll better of 2 dice in attack or SBR
4. Paratroopers - 2 infantry from an airbase may join an attack up to 3 spaces away, subject to AA fire.
5. Radar - facilities hit @2 during SBR
6. Rockets - airbases cause 1d6 damage to an enemy facility up to 4 spaces away

Sea technology chart

1. Super subs - subs attack @3
2. AA cruisers - 1AA shot per cruiser
3. Yamato class battleships - take 3 hits to sink
4. Super carriers - can carry 1 fighter and 1 tactical or strategic bomber
5. Mega transports - carry 2 infantry plus 1 artillery, mech, tank, or AA
6. Shore defenses - naval bases fire @1 at each surface warship during an amphibious landing in an adjacent sea zone.

Land technology chart

1. Marines - infantry attack @2 in amphibious landings
2. Heavy artillery - support 2 infantry
3. Advanced mech - attack @2 and blitz
4. Heavy tanks - attack @4
5. Advanced AA guns - AA guns fire @2
6. Increased factory production - minors produce 4; majors produce 12

Another thing that might be fun would be:
ESPIONAGE
Spend $5 and if you roll a 6 you get to have a tech that is already owned by an enemy power.

[Jennifer]

Oh, I like your espionage~!

[Jennifer]

Maybe make it a 5 or 6 to get an allied tech (USA/UK/France only?)

[Young Grasshopper]

Or steal one tech from an enemy power.

[Guest]

OK how about you pay $5, roll a 6 and then roll a second dice to get one of these:

Espionage technology chart

1. Steal enemy technology - you get 1 tech of your choosing that is owned by an enemy power, and they lose it
2. Copy enemy technology - you get 1 tech of your choosing that is owned by an enemy power, and they keep it
3. Sabotage enemy technology - you get nothing, but an enemy power loses 1 technology of your choosing.
4. Copy technology from a friend- you get 1 tech of your choosing that is owned by a friendly power, so you both have it
5. Share technology with a friend - a friendly power of your choosing gets a technology that you already have, so you both have it
6. Double crossed - You get nothing but an enemy power of their choosing gets to share one of your technologies!

[Young Grasshopper]

I edited the Espionage Tech. My R&D ladder is about 99% done, and I’ve started to make the card deck, I will have a file to share soon, but for now, here are some screen shot on an illustrator file I’m working on.

Essentially if you gain a technology, you claim it’s card, and if you upgrade that tech, you pin a paperclip on it, if you upgrade it twice, you pin 2 paperclips to it. For long range aircraft, place a green paperclip for fighters, a yellow for tac bombers, and a blue for S. bombers. For War Bonds, pin a green paperclip army, a yellow for air force, and a blue for navy.

[Young Grasshopper]

More cards.

[Young Grasshopper]

Nice work Vance, you have good ideas.

[Guest]

Thanks YG.  If you don’t mind I think I will post “espionage” as a separate house rule that could work with your tech system, or with just about any tech system for that matter.  You never know someone might use it or get an idea from it.  I love the idea of STEALING the other guy’s tech LOL

[Young Grasshopper]

@Vance:

Thanks YG.  If you don’t mind I think I will post “espionage” as a separate house rule that could work with your tech system, or with just about any tech system for that matter.  You never know someone might use it or get an idea from it.  I love the idea of STEALING the other guy’s tech LOL

Hey man, feel free to use any of my ideas for separate rules, I just ripped off some good ones from Axisplaya and I didn’t feel bad about it one bit 😏 As for espionage, I thought stealing a tech from an enemy might be to powerful for the 10 spot, so I modified it to say develop any tech that an enemy power possesses.