Soviet Union National Advantages

1. Russian Winter
Russia’s greatest ally was its winter cold. Germany’s invasion stopped dead as the snows came down.
Once during the game in your collect income phase, you can declare a severe winter. Until the start of your next turn, your infantry defend on a 3.

2. Sino-Soviet Pact (former Nonaggression Treaty)
The Japanese refrained from attacking the Soviet Union during most of the war. They already had one bear coming at them from the east.
The first time in the game that the Japanese forces attack any red territory, you may place four of your infantry for free in that territory before resolving combat. If Japan attacks more than one red territory in that turn, you may decide which such territory receives the infantry. If you attack an orange territory before Japan attacks you, you lose this national advantage.

3. Mobile Industry
In response to the threat from the Russian front, the Soviets moved their factories east. They produced 5,000 tanks east of the Urals in 1942.
Your industrial complexes each may move 1 territory during your noncombat move phase. It may be used in the same turn to place units (up to a maximum of the new territory’s value). They cannot move during the combat move phase. If an opponent captures them, that opponent cannot move them. You may mobilize at a complex if you controlled both the industrial complex and it’s new territory at the start of your turn.

4. Salvage
After the battle of Kursk in 1943, the Germans left the shells of their wrecked tanks behind. The Soviets found interesting uses for them.
If you retain control of a red territory against attacking tanks and at least one attacking tank is destroyed, you may place one free Soviet tank in that territory.

5. Guard Tank Regiments
Russia used heavy tank regiments as guards of Moscow. Invulnerable to any standard anti-tank weapons available of that time, these tanks were instrumental in saving the capital.
Your tanks in Russia defends on a 5.

6. Trans-Siberian Railway
The Trans-Siberian Railway spanned 10,000 kilometers from Moscow to Vladivostok, the longest main line in the world.
In the noncombat move phase, your infantry, antiaircraft guns, and artillery may move 2 territories per turn only among these territories: Russia, Novosibirsk, Yakut S.S.R., and Buryatia S.S.R.

7. Assault Guns
Soviet army had had brought its use of artillery to fine art. They produced massed heavy self-propelled guns as ‘breakthrough’ artillery, designed to accompany infantry to deal with strongpoints or obstacles.
Each of your attacking tanks increases one matching infantry to an attack roll of 2 or less.

8. Katyusha Rockets
The Soviets were able to supplement the artillery with massed batteries of rocket launchers. The sheer volume of fire more than compensated for individual lack of accuracy.
Your artillery attacks on a 3, for the first combat cycle only. Thereafter, only one artillery unit can retain this increased attack factor of 3.

I think it is a perfect match to let the Germans have Jagd Panzers (Tank Destroyers) to counter the Russian Assault Gun advantage, not vice versa since now the Russian player control the game! When I say “control the game”, I mean that the Russian player can choose when and were the German Jagd Panzer advantage will come in to play! The attacker always has the initiative!
:wink:

Another interesting advantage to Russia would be:

Conscripts
The Red Army won many battles with their raw manpower, by using untrained infantry and many times unequipped.
During your mobilize new units phase, you may place one of your infantry for free in one of the following territories if you control it: Belorussia, Ukraine S.S.R., West Russia or any red territories. This free unit is in addition to the group of units you just purchased.

@kyrial:

I would think conscripts is an interesting idea except that I feel it would be better reflected as GG suggests by making Soviet infantry cost less. However, I don’t know about making it 2 because if you look at it that way w/ the original 24 IPCs you are essentially getting 4 extra infantry every turn by going all inf. Going with 2.5 also presents problems because what if I want to buy just 1 infantry? Not that it’s probable but it is possible.

Perhaps something like with every 5 inf you buy, you get 1 free to represent the conscripted/ “volunteer” (and we know that I use that word lightly) units as opposed to Red Army regulars. That way you are getting some additional units to represent the Soviets manpower superiority while at the same time not skewing things too much to their side because despite these advantages the Germans still made the Russians pay for every mile they took even up until Berlin itself.

Well, wouldn’t we get the IPM effect if using a rule that makes infantry cheaper? By the way conscripts didn´t cost anything, they were free!

However, I like the idea of yours!

Which one of the above assault gun rules do you like most?

@kyrial:

I do like the idea of the Katyusha rockets for USSR… not sure about the tanks boosting the inf to 2 as it supplants the purpose of bringing in a bunch of artillery as the unit was designed.

I agree, but the idea was that the German Jagd Panzers should compensate for the Russian Assault Guns. I think it is a perfect match to let the Germans have Jagd Panzers (Tank Destroyers) to counter the Russian Assault Gun advantage, not vice versa since now the Russian player control the game! When I say “control the game”, I mean that the Russian player can choose when and were the German Jagd Panzer advantage will come in to play! The attacker always has the initiative!

I don’t think the Russians need that much more advantage to put them on top. If anything, giving them too much will skew things and I think with their national advantages they are pretty much in a good shape not to mention now with the redesigned map.

Well, things are better now with the revised map, true! But I think some of the advantages are worse or better than others, and that shouldn’t be the case! If one chose to use a few and roll for them then one might end up with the lousy ones were as the opponent ends up with good ones! Of cause one can chose the advantages instead! However If one use all I think these should be as good as the other nations, and they are not in my opinion! Some advantages is not really advantages but the opposite (Luftwaffe Dive-Bombers) and some not much of an advantage (Mobile Industry, Salvage, Fast Carriers and many more)! I still do think that the Russians need more offensive boost to be funny to play and Katyusha is an advantage that offers that. It’s not more than Fortress Europe! Offensive advantages is so much more than defensive for the Axis but the opposite for the Russians, since they mostly seems to buy defence anyway!

My one suggestion for the Kat rockets would be along the lines of the Russians needing X amount of artillery in order for the advantage to trigger, since historically they had all those batteries… just one artillery unit would not be enough to get the desired effect. So make it something like “if the Russian player has 3 or more artillery in an attack they may use the Kat rocket advantage” and keeping the advantage the same as you described before, attacks on 3 in first and thereafter only 1 attacks on 3. I don’t know even if 3 is enough, maybe make it 4 needed to trigger, but I suppose we could start with 3 and see how that goes since most Russian players go heavy on the inf alone in the early part and then to tanks as they get a little more help from the allies.

So, when it comes to the replacements for the Russian advantages I do think that Katyusha should replace Lend-Lease, since it is realy an US advantage!!! And I think my Guard Tank Regiments should replace the Mobile Industry, since it will represent or constitute the same advantage as the Mobile Industry was ment for, but in a much better way!!! And I do think, according to the discussions above that the Conscripts should replace the Salvage advantage, since it is much more an advantage like the desireableothers. But I still think it should be one unit for free and not the reduced cost variant of yours, since it doesn’t reflect the history! Conscripts were “free”, alive or dead!!! I also suggest that one could restrain the possible territories that one could place this unit in to the red ones only. That wouldn’t make it too easy for the Russians to reinforce an German offensive.

@kyrial:

I must say that I don’t think lend-lease is bad at all…. With lend-lease the advantage I see is that the UK player can land some fighters which the Russian can convert to their own and use them to attack as a supplement for the tanks which are, without careful conservation, usually done for by R2 or so and which the Russian player can usually ill afford to replace… I would be very happy as a Russian player with lend-lease since it would allow me to focus on entirely infantry and STILL have the ability to launch effective offensives past R1.

BTW, I am interpreting LL correctly, aren’t I? Admittedly AAR is still new on my table so if I’m misreading the advantage in some way let me know :)

Lend Lease for the Russians is like Banzai Attacks for the Russian as well! Don’t you see? LL is simply not an Russian advantage but an American (USA), just like UK didn’t have any SS Panzers or kamikazes! I don’t think one should focus too much on realism based on history, but I think this is just too much of unrealism!!! :wink: I think if everyone spend one thought about it, they would share my opinion! Don’t you Kyrial?

This is how I want the Soviet Union National Advantages to be:

1. Russian Winter
Russia’s greatest ally was its winter cold. Germany’s invasion stopped dead as the snows came down.
Once during the game in your collect income phase, you can declare a severe winter. Until the start of your next turn, your infantry defend on a 3.

2. Nonaggression Treaty
The Japanese refrained from attacking the Soviet Union during most of the war. They already had one bear coming at them from the east.
The first time in the game that the Japanese forces attack any red territory, you may place four of your infantry for free in that territory before resolving combat. If Japan attacks more than one red territory in that turn, you may decide which such territory receives the infantry. If you attack an orange territory before Japan attacks you, you lose this national advantage.

3. Guard Tank Regiments (replace Mobile Industry)
Russia used heavy tank regiments as guards of Moscow. Invulnerable to any standard anti-tank weapons available of that time, these tanks were instrumental in saving the capital.
Your tanks in Russia defends on a 5.

4. Conscripts (replace Salvage)
The Red Army won many battles with their raw manpower, by using untrained infantry and many times unequipped.
During your mobilize new units phase, you may place one of your infantry for free in any red territory if you control it. This free unit is in addition to the group of units you just purchased.

5. Katyusha Rockets (replace Lend-Lease)
The Soviets were able to supplement the artillery with massed batteries of rocket launchers. The sheer volume of fire more than compensated for individual lack of accuracy.
Your artillery attacks on a 3, for the first combat cycle only. Thereafter, only one artillery unit can retain this increased attack factor of 3.

6. Trans-Siberian Railway
The Trans-Siberian Railway spanned 10,000 kilometers from Moscow to Vladivostok, the longest main line in the world.
In the noncombat move phase, your infantry, antiaircraft guns, and artillery may move 2 territories per turn only among these territories: Russia, Novosibirsk, Yakut S.S.R., and Buryatia S.S.R.

@Guerrilla:

looks great!!! What made you drop Assault Guns? just wondering

IMO I think we shouldbuild 10 advantages and use a 10d… Then we max out on all these great Ideas and develop more…

Thanks Mr Andersson for stirring these discussions up!! :D

GG

You are welcome!

Assault Guns, what advantage should it replace in your opinion, of the my latest list of Soviet Union National Advantages?

Do you use any of my revised advantages or weapons development technologies? :o

@MuthaRussia:

My 2 choices-
sino-russian pact
Russian winter

Of course no one chose those! :-? :roll:

Why these advantages? I think the Russian Winter is the best of all!!!

Which one do you think are the two best advantages of the above mentioned?

@Guerrilla:

None of em! There all greatI just think it held a special attack ability that you said halted Germanys Advance… Got to wait for a open weekend To play them and cannot wait! This week I get to show my AaA “originator” Revised which he hasn’t played…

GG

GG

How did it work out for you GG, the new advantages? When it comes to the “special attack ability”, it will still be possible if the Russian player have Katyusha Artilery (KA)! KA will make this abillity even stronger, since artillery is cheaper then tanks! :wink: However I am very interested to hear how it all came out for you when or if you used my (or ours :D ) “improved” national advantages!? :o

If we can playtest these advantages we can use them as “Axis&Allies.org Tournament National Advantages”?! :wink: