AARHE: Phase 3: land Combat

This is essential for balance; it hardly effects the Allies but enables the CPs to counter Allied sea transport.

If a turn is a year that Berlin-Munich service needs a rocket up the boiler. More than anything, this issue demonstrates the lack of play testing for this game.

@Uncrustable:

Tac bombers need something, they are rarely produced relative to fighters and strat bombers

I would also suggest letting tanks roll a 4 for each tac bomber present if air supremacy has been achieved, that is for each tac bomber one tank rolls at 4 instead of 3. Tac bombers do not change
This even further increases air buys and also gives tanks a buff which they need

We already have a round of combt befor normal combat (AAA) just add all planes to that round, everything hitting on 1s. Easy

Air supremacy is checked for each round of combat, before any dice are rolled for that round

These rules will magnify both fighters and tac bombers buys as well as tanks, and also promote a combined arms approach to purchases similar to artillery and infantry

You want enough fighters to achieve air supremacy, but also a good even amount of tac bombers and tanks to maximize air supremacy when you do achieve it

This kills multiple birds with a single stone
It should reduce somewhat the infantry/mech spam with sprinkles of artillery that we see now
It also indirectly buffs AAA as each AAA adds 3 more dice to the air battle in defense, and increases your chance of gaining control of the skies

Very thoughtful ideas. I like them.
However my first impression is your HR change much more the balance.
I’m looking for just small changes.
I will come back on this.
You have some compelling reason like this one:

We already have a round of combt befor normal combat (AAA) just add all planes to that round, everything hitting on 1s. Easy

Thank you very much for your challenging ideas.

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.

Thanks Tekkyy

Tekkyy? where are you ?

@oldsalty:

Bierwagan:

How would you have played your example if it were a bomber instead of a ftr?

Moin OldSalty!

I haven’t had a lone bomber defending a territory yet.  But, it wouldn’t really change anything.  Air units only get full attack strength when coupled with ground forces on a 1-to-1 basis.

@AAHRE:

Air Supremacy
When only one side has air units at the beginning of
combat cycle, air units fight with normal combat values
when matched 1-to-1 with a friendly land unit. Excess
air units fight at combat value of 1.

So, the bomber would have Air Supremacy but would only get a parting shot at 1 (n.b., bombers don’t get to select targets it is just carpet bombing) – then it would have to withdraw due to:

@AAHRE:

Land Combat: Retreat Decision
At the end of a land combat cycle, if only one side has
land units the other side must retreat.

TTP (Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures) insight for the day!
This becomes tactically significant later on in the game when you don’t have many ground units left.  I’ve seen people attack what looks like a solid defense in Berlin by tying up all the airplanes in the sky.  Then all you have to do is blast away the few defenders on the ground and “voila!” the vaunted Luftwaffe is forced to retreat because they have no land units, giving you the country and victory!

This really causes you to re-evaluate defense on the ground.  You have to watch UK as well because normally it’s just used as a non-mobile aircraft carrier – but NO MORE!

It’s all about balance… and aircover!  IL & Tekkyy have done a wondermus job of levelling the playing field and making it a real slobberknocker of a tactical puzzle.

Enjoy the day!

by the way, its buggy at the moment

*some units can move in both combat and non-combat

*not landing friendly air units (which you can’t control) would render them destroyed
(eg. Japanese planes in the axis collided “turn”)

*you can SBR victory cities (which is not too bad since in AARHE SBR is not restricted to ICs)

yeah not much to be said here
nothing “new”