DK's Progressive Arms Research system…

I’d rather have cheaper, defenseless transport planes myself.

I think that’s totally reasonable, Midnight_Reaper. You could introduce cheaper air transports into this roster without breaking anything important. My preference is for more expensive air transports because the extra price thematically represents (a) the up-front cost of developing the technology and tactics (nobody has to spend money on researching paratroopers for this roster), and (b) the relatively limited supply of air transport available during World War II. There’s a fun little article below about how most of the American Air Force’s transports were either hastily converted civilian planes, or wooden gliders manufactured in piano factories. If the Americans had to make do with makeshift equipment, you can only imagine what the Italians were using.

https://amcmuseum.org/history/world-war-ii-transport-and-troop-carrier/

Strategically, air transports provide a much deeper threat into enemy territory that requires a much larger garrison. E.g. if you put an assault boat in the English Channel, it threatens Normandy, Holland, Norway, Hanover, and Denmark. If you put an air transport in London, it threatens all of those plus Paris, Marseilles, Gibraltar, Morocco, Milan, Berlin, Poland, Finland, Austria, and Czechoslovakia. It’s not that I expect anyone to fly many air transports into a battle to use as fodder; it’s just that spending 12 bucks on one air transport can force your opponent to spend more than 12 bucks on extra defending infantry.

In terms of rules simplicity, I have tried to eliminate the concept of the “defenseless unit” from my unit roster. I find automatic combat losses to be something of a downer, and I’d rather use that spot in the rulebook for a more interesting rule.

All of that said, again, this is mostly personal preference – if you want a $9 defenseless air transport with 4 movement, that’s almost certainly fine.

Here is 6a of n for discussion of my Classic House Rules

I presented my original technology ideas as I had them back in the early 2000s. I do believe that some may find them outrageously overpowered. So, here are some nerfed, some down-powered technology ideas for presentation and review.

My Post 5 (New Research Rules - Outsmart your Enemies) explains how to research your technologies and Post 6 (New Research Tech for Classic) explains what you get when your research pays off. The technologies presented in Post 6 are quite aggressive. So, here in my Post 6a are some not-so-potent technologies. See Posts 5 and 6 for the how to get these technologies - this post is just about some potential technologies for my house rules that aren’t probably aren’t completely game-breaking.

Revised Research Results Chart

Theme - Tier 1 (Researched First) - Tier 2 (Unlocked After Tier 1 in Row
Flying - Rocket Power - Jet Power
Flying - Long Range Aircraft - Heavy Aircraft
Ground - Faster Trucks - Faster Tracks
Ground - Quick Firing Cannons - Radar Tracking
Industry - Reduce Waste - More Efficient Ways
Industry - Work Smarter - New Accounting
Naval - Better Naval Fuel - Super Subs
Naval - Post Treaty Ships - Bigger Holds

Research Results Explained

Flying Technologies
Row 1, Tier 1
Rocket Power - Allows use of Rockets (Range 3) as per the rules in the main Rule Book. Leads to Jet Power.
Row 1, Tier 2
Jet Power - Requires Rocket Power. Converts Fighters into Jet Fighters (A3/D5/M4, 6 with LRA/C10). Jet Fighters are as per the rules in the main Rule Book.
Row 2, Tier 1
Long Range Aircraft (LRA) - Increases aircraft and rocket ranges: (Jet) Fighters 6, Cargo Planes 8, and Bombers 8. Leads to Heavy Aircraft.
Row 2, Tier 2
Heavy Aircraft - Requires Long Range Aircraft. Converts Cargo Planes and Bombers to their Heavy versions: Heavy Cargo Planes and Heavy Bombers.
       Heavy Cargo Planes (A0/D0/M8/C12) may carry up to 2 Infantry, Paratroopers, or Troopers; or 1 AA Gun, Armor, Armored Cavalry, or Artillery. Only Paratroopers can attack in this way, all other units may only be moved as non-combat movement. Heavy Air Transports may reduce their load in order to travel further: Range 10 with 1 Infantry, Paratroopers, or Trooper; Range 12 when carrying nothing.
       Heavy Bomber (A(4x2)/D1/M8/C12) may attack by throwing three dice and taking the two desired results, which may be the loss of up to two enemy defenders. When Heavy Bombers do a Strategic Bombing Raid, damage done is equal to the top two of the three dice thrown, per Heavy Bomber. Heavy Bombers may reduce their load in order to travel further: Range 10 with 1 die of damage (throw two dice, select desired result); Range 12 when carrying nothing.

Ground Technologies
Row 1, Tier 1
Faster Trucks - Heavy Artillery and Infantry now move at 2. AA Guns, Paratroopers, and Troopers still only move at 1. Leads to Faster Tracks.
Row 1, Tier 2
Faster Tracks - Requires Faster Trucks. Armor and Armored Cavalry now move at 3; AA Guns and Troopers now move at 2. Paratroopers still only move at 1 (when not aboard their aireal chariots).
Row 2, Tier 1
Quick Firing Cannons - Heavy Artillery now attack and defend by throwing twice as many dice as formerly appropriate (two dice per Heavy Artillery). All hits landed by those dice hit ground units, up to the limit of enemy ground units in combat. Leads to Radar Tracking.
Row 2, Tier 2
Radar Tracking - Requires Quick Firing Cannons. AA Guns now defend by throwing twice as many dice as formerly appropriate (two dice per AA Gun). All hits landed by those dice hit flying units, up to the limit of enemy flying units in combat.

Industry Technologies
Row 1, Tier 1
Reduce Waste (Better Factories) - Reduces the cost to produce Ground units: -1/2 IPC (round up) for Armored Cavalry, Infantry, and Paratroopers; -1 IPC for all others (AA Gun, Armor, Artillery, Troopers). Leads to More Efficient Ways.
Row 1, Tier 2
More Efficient Ways (Better Plants) - Requires Reduce Waste. Reduces cost to produce all Air units and Sea units by 2.
Row 2, Tier 1
Work Smarter (Increased Capacity) - Doubles placement limits on territories with new Industrial Complexes. (e.g. Build factory in India (worth 3 IPC), now you can place up to 6 units in India with Work Smarter.) Leads to New Accounting.
Row 2, Tier 2
New Accounting (Increased Resources) - Requires Work Smarter. Receive additional income for every originally-owned territory that you have owned since the start of your turn - 1 additional IPC for every 2 IPC original value, rounded up. (By “originally-owned territory that you have owned since the start of your turn”, this refers to territories that you started the game with (such as Western Europe for Germany or Karelia for the USSR) and that are still in your possession - no extra money for territories you don’t control or for territories you have taken over since the start of the game.
Original IPC Value:  1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12
Additional Income:  1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 4,  5,  6

Naval Technologies
Row 1, Tier 1
Better Naval Fuel (Faster Ships) - All ships now move at 3. Leads to Super Subs.
Row 1, Tier 2
Super Subs - Requires Better Naval Fuel. Converts all Submarines to Super Submarines (SSK). SSKs attack and defend at 3. Aircraft can only attack SSKs for 1 round, after which time SSKs are considered to be submerged and not attackable by aircraft. SSKs that are submerged may continue to attack or defend against ships in the same battle as the SSKs or may choose to break off contact and withdraw from battle.
Super Submarines (SSK) (A3/D3/M3/C8) Special Submerge ability
Row 2, Tier 1
Post Treaty Ships (Better Ships) - Converts Battleships (BB) and Cruisers (CA) into Heavy Battleships (BBB) and Battle Cruisers (CC). BBBs use 2 dice each for attack and defense. CCs attack at 4 and defend at 4 and gain the AAA value of BBs (AAA value at 1 against up to 2 planes per CC) (essentially, CAs become 1 hit BBs). Leads to Bigger Holds.
Heavy Battleship (BBB) (A4(x2)/D4(x2)/M2/C20) AAA value of 1 vs. 2 planes/2 Hit Ship
Battle Cruiser (CC) (A4/D4/M2/C12) AAA value of 1 vs. 2 planes/1 Hit Ship
Row 2, Tier 2
Bigger Holds (Bigger Ships) - Requires Post Treaty Ships. Converts Aircraft Carriers (CV) and Transports (AKA) into Large Carriers (CVB) and Large Transports (AKB). CVBs can carry 3 Fighters or 1 Bomber. AKBs can carry 5 foot units, 2 mech units, or 1 mech and 3 foot units.
Large Carrier (CVB) (A1/D3/M2/C16/2 Hit Ship) (Carry 3 Fighters or 1 Bomber)
Large Transport (AKB) (A0/D1/M2/C8/1 Hit Ship) (Carry 5 foot or 2 mech or 1 mech and 3 foot)

And these are my down-powered technology results.

-Midnight_Reaper

@SS:

This is what we have in game now.

Bombers C10
H Bombers C12

Bomber     D6  1-6  3.5 ave  6 max dam 1 lowest dam

H Bomber  D6+2  1-8  4.5 ave   8 max dam  3 lowest dam

This is the change I’m putting in next game.

Bomber    D8  1-8   4.5 ave    8 max dam  1 lowest dam

H Bomber  D10  1-10  5.5 ave  10 max dam  1 lowest dam

Nice +1 dmg increase.
To your game, it fit perfectly well with no bonus, only 1 dice to roll.

I like the fact that heavy bomber get a wider range from 1 to 10.
I don’t think heavy (high altitude bomber) were more accurate than bomber.
Probably due to the high altitude of bombing.

I personally like to keep with the idea of allowing each nation to have the possibility to access each of the new units, because Even Japan and Italy had some heavier tank designs and prototypes, but they just never had the production to actually put them into full production. With the research system proposed however it does accomplish your goal to an extent. Since each research would be 4 stages to progress through, if a country has no bonus to what stage they start on it can take quite a few turns and money to get some researches especially if one has to roll a 6 or a 5+ with one die to progress one stage. Italy does not have the money to spare, and Japan probably wants to spend more money on ships and taking islands and tank upgrades wont suit them unless they are trying to crush Russia. I could also add another research of mass production which the US, and probably Russia has a bonus in, and it will reduce the cost of all of their units by one IPC.

You can find some good light tank pieces on Historical Board Gaming, they are about 0.65 cents per piece

Thanks for the inputs I think I will go with the advanced mediums, and I am currently taking a look at the board to see how some of these could be included in the starting setup

Im not sure if the game can handle ongoing costs……counting all your units at the end of each turn is going to get complicated.
Also, technically only units that move during a turn are expending oil…so shit would get crazy.

You get to choose in that case. If you choose armor, your attack suffers. If you choose infantry and you take, then you face the possibility of inadequate fodder for enemy counter attacks

These rules use the OOB maps for AA50 and 42. They are current files.

Thats not too hard to model.
Just let fighters defend SBRs.

We’ll already made production capacity more realistic but limiting IPCs spent at an IC rather than no. of units.
So maybe SBR should destroy IPCs as well as reduce production capacitiy.

Actually, what if we purchase at the END of your turn, and pick which ICs to build them with. At the beginning of your turn some of the units may be destroyed while building and you never got to use them.  :-D Thats pretty cool on the timeline.