Delta Deck: cards for playing G40 Delta house rules

During an interview with Larry Harris we did a few months ago, I mentioned house rules for A&A centered around Espionage. We got a ton of feedback about it. So, now that we have completed the complete series on Air Combat and Sea Combat, we decided to double back to make a video about possible set of house rules that center around the concepts of spycraft.

We worked with our friend Jonathan Bosch to develop a few fun options. We aren’t claiming these are 100% flushed out, but our hope is that folks will give them a try and have some fun with them. Let us know what you think in the comments and if you would like to see more videos like this one!

Enjoy!

https://youtu.be/6MaDGKjVbDI

@Topmat

AxA has often been called a “beer and pretzels” wargame, I suppose because it is fairly simplistic and available—FOR a wargame. That’s not because AxA is elementary or easily mastered, its because other wargames tend to be even more rules-heavy and detailed, which makes some of them famously and notoriously unplayable. They may have an attractive theme or rules, but the “chit” game era (60s-80s) built up to a crescendo before it burst. PC Computer gaming was a major catalyst for this; the ASL/Avalon Hill/SSI style games BEGGED for a computer to handle some of the more complex calculations, setup, rules etc.

I think AxA has the general appeal and longevity it does precisely because it appeared after this “First Golden Age”, and is not married to overcomplex or overly realistic considerations, its a truly “abstract” wargame, where each step (building, conquering, purchasing, combat, movement) is fairly simple, but all together, they are complex enough to satisfy long-time players while only barely overwhelming the new ones.

And, the fact that AxA doesn’t try to simulate or do everything a wargame possibly COULD do is the very reason why there is enough room left in the game to add more, but that’s not necessarily desirable. If the game was already highly complex, rich and random, it would already have many of the things that people are trying to add to it—but its likely no-one would play it. I think most of the more complex house rules systems for AxA fall into this trap, by pushing the complexity/time investment level out of the Goldilocks zone.

I bought a “political” Avalon Hill chit game in 1992, Republic of Rome (4/4 difficulty rating). When I read the instruction manual, I was blown away-- I understood nothing of what i’d read… until I read it for nearly 2 years. We only played it in college 4 times, and the Republic consistently lost as a group. Its a great game, but its also an example of a highly complex simulation game with a narrow audience from the first era–very few people still play these games because they lack any general following or appeal in the internet age, and have been replaced by computer-style games, like the Total War and Europa Universalis series.

Basically I have two kinds of players I play A&A with. For casual player and family I can con into playing A&A with during the holidays, it’s all about simplicity. When I can get an A&A junkie like myself and one of my brothers playing, we can do complicated HRs. For that middle ground game I use a little of both. Frankly most games I get in, because I only play FTF, are Revised and Classic with 42.2 coming in distant 3rd place. Global with “Toblerone’s House Rules” is solo and experimental.

Technology Rules:
Technology is done the same as AA50, however there are now four technology trees, land, air, naval and production; and you now pick the technology once you have a breakthrough. Each of these trees is split into three tiers. The first two technologies of each tree belong to tier one. The second two belong to tier two. The third set of two belong to tier three. On a successful role, you can choose the technology you want from any technology tier you have available to you. To start, only tier one is available; you can choose between the first 8 technologies (radar, rockets, heavy artillery, marines, long lance torpedoes, super submarines, war bonds, improved factory production). Once you have a tier one technology, you unlock tier two from that technology tree only. In order to unlock a tier three, you must have at least one tier two technology from another tree. So, once you have at least two tier one techs (radar and marines for example) and two tier two techs (jet fighters and reinforced concrete for example) both land AND air tier threes has been unlocked. From there you would just need one tier one and one tier two from the naval tree (for example) to unlock the naval tier three. You may, of course, acquire all techs on the board so long as you roll successfully and the respected tiers are unlocked.

Air Technology

1. Radar
All your AA guns now hit on a 2 or (including AA Cruisers). Fighters in a territory with an operational airbase may scramble to intercept strategic bombardment attacks against facilities in any adjacent territory, following the standard interceptor rules. Your shore batteries now hit on a 2 or less. Your AA guns may now defend against rockets in the territory that is targeted by the rockets and where the rockets ‘fly over’ your AA guns (including AA cruisers).

1. Long-Range Aircraft
All your aircraft have their range increased by 1.

2. Rocket Projectiles
Your tactical bombers may choose its targets twice. Each tactical bomber can choose its target in the first and second round of combat.
    Ammo chips: http://www.mediafire.com/?9k512hkknsh66ss

2. Rockets
Your AA guns are now rocket launchers. In addition to its normal combat function, during the strategic bombing raid step of your Conduct Combat phase each turn, each of your AA guns can make a single rocket attack against an enemy facility within 3 spaces of it. This attack does 1D6 damage to that facility. All AA guns that can fire, may fire. Only one shot per AA gun. And each facility may only be the target of one rocket attack per turn.

3. Jet Fighters
The attack value of your fighters is now 4 instead of 3. The attack value of your escorts is raised from 1 to 2. The defense value of you interceptors is raised from 2 to 3.

3. Heavy Bombers
Your strategic bombers now roll 2 dice when you attack or make a strategic bombing raid, choose the better roll. Each bomber rolls separately. Heavy bombers still only roll one dice when defending.

Land Technology
1. Heavy Artillery
Each of your artillery units can support two infantry instead of 1 per attack. Two infantry, when coupled with one artillery, have an attack value of 2.

1. Marines
Your infantry attack at a 2 (3 when paired with artillery) during the first round of amphibious assaults only.

2. Improved Mechanized Infantry
Mechanized infantry attack at 2 or less when paired with a tank.

2. Reinforced Concrete
Your bunkers and block houses each gain 1 hit point. Your blockhouses’ guns cease to fire on the fourth damage marker rather than the third.

3. Conscription
You may place one infantry, for free, in any one territory that you have owned since the beginning of your turn.

3. Heavy Tanks
Each of your tank units can support two mechanical infantry instead of 1 per attack. Two mechanical infantry when coupled with one tank have an attack value of 2. In addition, every third tank attacks/defends at a 4.

Naval Technology
1. Long Lance Torpedoes
During the first cycle of combat only, your destroyers attack and defend on a 3. In succeeding cycles of combat, your destroyers fire as normal.

1. Super Submarines
Your submarines attack at a 3 now instead of a two, but they still only defend at a 1.

2. Combined Bombardment
Your destroyers now can conduct bombardment during an amphibious assault. (Their attack is 2.)

2. Heavy Carriers
Your carriers now have a 3 plane capacity.

3. AA Cruisers
Your defending cruiser(s) gets one AA roll against each enemy attacking plane, hitting at 1 (2 with radar tech) prior to the first round of combat. Each plane that is hit is removed before shooting back. Only one AA roll per combat, regardless of how many cruisers present. Same rules as AA guns.

3. Dreadnoughts
Your battleships have a first-strike capability (both attack and defense qualify). This capability is for the first round only. Any casualties are destroyed and removed from play with no chance to counter-attack (it does not disrupt the special ability of a submarine, but rather fires at the same time). In addition, your battleships now roll two dice during the coastal bombardment step of an amphibious assault, you may choose the best roll. Each battleship rolls separately. Casualties may still return fire.

Production Technology
1. War Bonds
Collect 1D6 extra IPCs during collect income phase.

1. Improved Factory Production
Your factories may produce one and two extra units respectively. Additionally, the cost to repair your factories is halved rounded up.

2. Mobile Industry
Your minor industrial complexes each may move one territory during your noncombat move phase. They cannot move during the combat move phase. If they are captured by an opponent, that opponent cannot move them without this tech. You cannot produce units from a factory on the turn it has moved. Subterranean industry cannot be moved.

2. Household Industrialization
Penalties to factory output by damage reduced by half, rounded up. i.e. A major industry, with 7 damage done to it, will still be able to produce 6 units.

3. Subterranean Industry
You may purchase/upgrade subterranean industry. Damage taken from strategic bombing raids is halved, rounded up. Subterranean industries cannot be moved. On the turn it is upgraded, an industry can only produce units equal to the amount it would have been able to produce prior to its upgrade. i.e. if a minor complex is upgraded to a major complex, that complex may only produce 3 units during your mobilization phase.
Cost is as follows:
Minor sub: 15 Upgrade minor to sub minor: 6 Upgrade minor sub to major sub: 25
Major sub: 38 Upgrade major to sub major: 15 Upgrade minor to sub major: 30

3. Improved Shipyards
Your sea units are now cheaper to build. Use these revised costs:
Battleship: 17 Cruiser: 10 Transport: 6
Aircraft Carrier: 11 Destroyer: 7 Submarine: 5

The National Objectives
http://www.axisandallies.org/forums/index.php?topic=21079.0

Edit: changed the Air tech tree for better historical accuracy and playability
Edit: replaced heavy payload with Rocket Projectiles. Moved heavy payload into the
      rules section.
Edit: added link to ammo markers for projectile rockets.
      http://www.mediafire.com/?9k512hkknsh66ss
Edit: heavy bombers and dreadnoughts.

its another house rule that I had dug up in another forum that allows artillery to “shell” or bombard an adjacent territory for 1 ipc per shot

:-D these are all great ideas i am using many ofthem does any one have any more…?

The thread in question is now placed in front. Find what you need. If it’s not located here let me know.

It should read:

4)  When a battleship has a damage marker its firepower is reduced by one i.e.
a)  A battleship with one damage marker, hits on a roll of 3
b)  A battleship with two damage markers, sinks
c)  An Aircraft carrier with a damage marker sinks
d)  A cruiser with one damage marker sinks

all ships thats take one hit sink is the rule

the BB can take 2 hits before it sinks.

If you want to make all the units take 2-3 hits, that will be a big change