I did not see a house rules thread under 1914. So, if this post is in the wrong forum I apologize. Technology was such an important factor in WW1. I wanted to include it in 1914. I thought it would add more flavor to the game and ultimately speed up the game at the same time. The Techs are in a generalized timeline. THis provides a logical cause and effect sequence as one side introduces something and the other finds a way to neutralize it. I tried to keep the techs simple to implement as to not bog down the game with complicated rules. Some of the techs need to be further defined.
Techs 1914 Turn 1
1. Advanced Rail Network – your units can move an extra space through any home territory you still control. This cannot include contested territories. You cannot finish this move in a contested territory.
2. War Bonds – At end of your turn move your IPC marker up two spaces.
3. Naval Blockade – A naval unit in a sea zone adjacent to an enemy territory will cause that power to subtract 1 IPC from its IPC chart each turn that it is stationed there. The blockading unit cannot attack but it can defend if attacked.
4. Shipyards – reduced IPC cost for navy builds. -2 BB, -1 Subs, Cruisers, Transports
5. Propaganda – every turn you get a free infantry to place in your capitol. Also, a free infantry to place in one colony if you have one.
6. Steel Works – Artillery cost 3 IPCs
Techs 1915 (Turn 3)
1. Tanks – you can now produce tanks on round 3 and they cost 5 IPCs
2. Zeppelins Strike– You can build zeppelins and conduct strategic bombing raids. Roll 3 dice. A roll of 2 or less on any dice causes the victim to move marker down one space down on victims IPC chart.
3. Poison Gas – Once per turn, roll a dice before you attack. That tells you how many of the defending units are immobilized and unable to return fire.
4. Air Fields – Planes can move 3 and attack on a 3.
5. Submarine Strike – Subs get a sneak attack roll. A hit sinks an enemy ship without them returning fire even a battleship. A sub in sea zones 2 and/ or 7 causes England to move IPC marker down one space.
6. Nationalism – Contested territories still produce income.
1916 Techs (Turn 5)
1. Bombardment – Artillery fire once before an attack. Any hit defender does not get to return fire. (Shell Shock) The artillery can then attack with the infantry.
2. Interceptors – If you have a fighter on your capitol now intercept and stop Zeppelins strike.
3. Diplomatic Relations – chance a neutral country will join war on your side on a roll of 3 or less. Roll for this at the start of every turn from now on. You pick the country.
4. Gas Masks – Your units are now immune to poison gas
5. Depth Charges – Cruisers are immune to Submarine Strike and can kill subs with depth charges. Roll a die for any submerged sub on same territory. A Roll of 3 or less kills the sub. Transports can defend against subs on a roll of 1 or less. Battleships are also immune to sub first strike if paired with a cruiser.
6. Rolling Barrage – roll 2 dice for every attacking artillery and take the better roll.
1917 Techs (Turn 7)
1. Espionage – If an enemy has lost half of its original IPC income since the start of the game that power surrenders and is now out of the war. Any conquered territories still belong to the power that conquered them. Any contested territories remain contested until the war is finally over. Each side must leave at least one infantry in the contested territory until the game is over.
2. Late War Bombers – your fighters can now act as bombers range 4 spaces to attack enemy capitol. On a roll of 2 or less your enemy loses 1 IPC on the chart. Immune to interceptors tech.
3. Trench Network – Units immune to bombardment tech.
4 Storm Troopers – combat can last an additional round if attacker chooses.
5. Morale – IF the attacker has four times as many attacking units as the defender in a contested territory after an attack then the remaining defending units surrender. They are removed from the game board. You now control the territory and gain the IPCs.
6. Convoys – Transports can transport 3 units and move 3 spaces.
1. Espionage If an enemy has lost half of its original IPC income since the start of the game that power surrenders and is now out of the war. Any conquered territories still belong to the power that conquered them. Any contested territories remain contested until the war is finally over. Each side must leave at least one infantry in the contested territory until the game is over.
2. Late War Bombers your fighters can now act as bombers range 4 spaces to attack enemy capitol. On a roll of 2 or less your enemy loses 1 IPC on the chart. Immune to interceptors tech.
Regarding 1, there are a couple of things that I’m puzzled about. First, this sounds more like a modified victory condition rather than a tech. Second, I can’t figure out in what way the situation you describe (essentially, the surrender of a country) has any relationship to espionnage, which is the process of obtaining secret information by covert means. Perhaps what you what in mind is actually “Regime Change Through Subversion”, or something along those lines: using political agents to try to stir up dissent in an enemy country in the hope that the population will rise up and depose its rulers and replace them with a new faction which will then take the country out of the war. It’s roughly what happened in the case of Russia (when Germany helped Lenin get from Switzerland to Russia), and similar to what Germany attempted in Ireland. In the situation you describe, however, regime change isn’t achieved by subversion, it’s achieved by depletion of IPCs (which is the result of military conquest of territory).
Regarding 2, I’m a bit perplexed about the “your fighters can now act as bombers” concept. If you’re referring to WWI aircraft themselves, I don’t believe that there was such a thing as a fighter-bomber in WWI. If an airplane of that time had the flight range and the bomb-carrying capacity to be bomber, then it would be a bomber rather than a fighter because the required size and weight would make it too slow and unmaneuverable to be a fighter. If you’re referring to the sculpts – in other words, to the fact that the game has fighter pieces but no bomber pieces – this raises a few questions. First, does the conversion of a country’s fighters into bombers mean that the country ceases to have fighters? If so, what effect does this have on the game? If not, how can you and your opponenets tell the two types of units apart, since they’re depicted by the same sculpt? Second, why is this differential use of the same sculpts even necessary, since you also have a “Zeppelins Strike” rule that allows strategic bombardment yet which doesn’t seem to require representation by any kind of sculpt? (Perhaps I’m misunderstanding something about the Zeppelin rule.)
It is a first draft. Still not a finished product.
IN fact the Germans had outfitted their fighters into bombers at the end of the war to continue hitting London after the Zepplins were out of action. The English fighters could not scamble fast enough nor could they catch up with them.
Like technology, espionage simply reflects the fact that powers were constantly looking for ways to knock enemy out of the war. THe Germans funded Lenin on the hopes he would lead a revolution. The Germans also hoped to incite Mexico to war with the USA. I suppose espionage is more of an event but it did require resources to train and monitor agents who could help topple a regime under economic and political duress. Espionage simply reflects the fact that now you are ready to topple a regime if the conditions are right.
As far as pieces, well the player would have to declare that the fighter was acting as a bomber. Perhaps they could put a marker next to the fighter to designate this.
Maybe try and cut this down to 12 techs. 3 per year. rolls of 1/2 3/4 5/6 for the techs. Or have the chart be
