Various house rule pieces ( and where to find them)

@barnee

Yeah I don’t know how to do the stats with all the multis and the learning games but at least I can document them in the list of all games 😀

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

Panzer Grenadiers: 3-2-2 costing 5 ipc. Germany can have no more than 6 of these at any time.

Super Battleships: 5-4-2 costing 24 ipc and takes 3 hits to sink. They fire preemptively each round (losses are applied and do not get a chance to return fire) Cannot be built until turn 3.

Heavy Carriers: 2-3-2 costing 18 ipc and takes 2 hits to sink. Three planes can be carried, and while damaged they cannot launch planes. Cannot be built until turn 3.

Q-ships: 1-1-2 costing 10, these are armed transports and can be used to take combat losses like any other warship. They carry the same cargo as regular Transports.

Optional starting Technologies: UK gets Radar, Germany and USSR gets Self Propelled Artillery, Germany starts with Mobile Warfare Doctrine, USA gets Naval Radar on turn 3.

@seancb Read all of it, very nice :) I always wanted to make “events” for A&A games but it makes the games much more complicated. I will have to reformat everything and print it neatly so everyone can understand the rules and what they roll :grin:

Very old thread but hopefully more people can read it once I comment :)

@Larrie:

Wow, things can really get out of hand, can’t they? First of all, I stand corrected, but only to a point. What I mean by that is, Baron, you are correct, all planes would be defending, therefore they would be in the air to begin with. What I was still trying to address is the statement, Cannot carry plane when damaged. That is still incorrect. If say A British carrier has one British and one American fighter on it and is in the attacking force, and it is the British turn, then the American fighter of course would not participate in the attack. It would be relegated to sitting on deck, and if the carrier is subsequently damaged, the American fighter would still be on deck, not able to take off on the American turn. Again I am addressing Cannot carry plane, not anything else.

You were right about this statement, it was too absolute and didn’t accurately describe OOB rule.
That is why I answered by adding the point on friendly aircrafts trapped in a carrier.
But, if your carrier is damaged, it is not possible to trap your own aircrafts inside.
This last point wasn’t clear, especially when subs only are attacking @2 first strike carriers with no destroyer escorting. I returned to the rulebook to be sure about it.

@Baron:

@Larrie:

Baron, I have to disagree with you on the cannot carry plane when damaged statement. They cannot launch or receive planes after being damaged, but if for example a loaded carrier was surprise attacked by a sub and only damaged and not sunk, then I believe the plane(s) would be trapped on the carrier until such time as it was repaired or sunk.

Talking OOB rules, …

On offense, only friendly plane(s) carried on board is/are trapped if the carrier was damaged in combat.

**The Cliffside Bunker

House Rules for Delta Games**

Setup

In the event of a 6 player group game, the nations will be divided as follows:

Germany
Japan
Italy
The United Kingdom / France
The United States / ANZAC
The Soviet Union / China

In the event of a 7 player group game, the nations will be divided as follows:

Germany
Japan
Italy
The United Kingdom
The United States
The Soviet Union
France / ANZAC / China

Unit Profiles

Damaged Battleships may not bombard during an amphibious assault.

Cruisers attack @4 when combined with an undamaged Battleship

National Objectives

Modified

$5 for Germany for each of the following territories the Axis powers control, Lenningrad, Stalingrad, and/or Moscow. However, the the Baltic sea may not contain allied ships.

Added

-$5 for Germany if Axis control London

-$5 for Japan if Axis control all of China’s original territories.

-$5 for United Kingdom if there are no Axis warships in the Atlantic.

Neutral Blocks

Attacks on any strict neutral territory in one neutral block will turn all other strict neutral territories within that same block, into pro-neutral territories for the other side. The two neutral blocks are: South America, and the rest of the world.

Research & Development

Using this rule, you may attempt to develop improved military technology. If you decide to use Research & Development, it becomes the new phase 1 of the turn sequence, bumping the other phases up a number.

China may not do Research and Development. Research and Development Sequence

1. Buy research dice
2. Roll research dice
3. Roll breakthrough die
4. Mark developments

Step 1: Buy Research Dice
You may purchase a pair of research dice for 6 IPCs, and you may only purchase a maximum of 3 pairs per turn (6 dice).

Step 2: Roll Research Dice
Roll each of your purchased research dice. Success: If you roll at least one 6, Continue to step 3. Failure: If you don’t roll a 6, your research has failed.

Step 3: Roll Breakthrough Die
If your research was successful, choose one of the three breakthrough charts and roll a die to see which technological advance you get.

Step 4. Mark Developments
If your research was successful, place one of your national control markers inside the appropriate advancement box on the Research and Development chart. Your development becomes effective immediately. Any number of powers may develop the same technology, but powers can’t share their technology, and powers may never gain the same technology twice.

Advanced Weapon Chart #1

1- Conscripts & Volunteers
Receive 2 free Infantry units during each purchase new units phase.

2- Radar
All air bases may now scramble up to 4 eligible air units, and interceptors now defend @ 2.

3- Rockets
One rocket from each AA Gun may be fired toward an enemy Complex or Facility at least 3 spaces away. During the Conduct Combat phase, roll one dice for each AA Gun to determine damage on each enemy target.

4- Mass Production
Choose land, air, or sea. During each Purchase New Units phase, the cost of all units from that military arm (not including infantry) is decreased by one.

5- Blitzkrieg Tactics
Artillery may now move 2 spaces when combined with a Mechanized Infantry.

6- Convoy Tactics
Transports now defend @1.

Advanced Weapon Chart #2

1- Long Range Aircraft
The maximum movement points of all air units has increased by one.

2- Submarine Tactics
Submarines attack @3 when there are more than one.

3- Super Carrier Decks
The maximum capacity of all Aircraft Carriers is now 3 Fighters and/or Tac, Bombers.

4- Ace Pilot
Receive one free Fighter unit (French blue) and place it on your Capital. That air unit delivers an automatic hit during each combat round when attacking and defending.

5- Armored Hulls
All Battleships now require 3 hits before sinking.

6- Heavy Bombers
All Strategic Bombers receive 2 dice each when attacking.

Advanced Weapon Chart #3

1- Espionage
Roll 1 dice and choose that number on any of the three breakthrough charts (may not be a weapon that was already developed by your nation, including Espionage).

2- War Bonds
During each collect income phase, roll 1d6 and collect the amount rolled.

3- Paratroopers
Strategic bombers operating from an air base may load up to 2 infantry each, and drop then into a hostile land territory during the Combat Movement phase. Bombers may be used as a transport or a bomber during the Combat Movement phase (not both).

4- Jet Fighters
All Fighters now attack @4.

5- Propaganda
Choose one strict neutral territory, this territory immediately becomes a pro-neutral territory for your side.

6- Nuclear Warfare
Receive one free Strategic Bomber containing an A-Bomb (French blue) and place it on your Capital. Deploy it like a Strategic Bomber in order to conduct a SBR on any hostile land territory of your choice. If the bomber survives (SBR rules), a 1d6 is rolled to determine automatic casualties of any removable land or air units within that territory (chosen by defender), and the IPC value of that territory becomes zero for the remainder of the game. Immediately remove the Bomber from the board once it has been used.

Incorperating some of my additions to A&A 50th, as well as insperation from the community; this is my list of prototype house rules. Ive yet to play a full game of pacific, yet these ideas continue to rattle around in my head.

My objective is a “one page” historical house rule suplement to the Pacific Theatre

Changes to The Game Board
None at this time (might add Russia as a power here, but im not sure if its a waste of time)

Changes to Production
Victory City Infrastructure Victory Cities contain enough commerce, industry and manpower to allow you to mobilize one infantry unit there during the place units phase. You must have controled this Victory City at the begining of this turn. Likewise, the convoy zones adjacent to that Victory City as well as the closest controled Industrial complex must be free of enemy units or else mobilzation there is forbidden.

Changes to Units
Artillery During the first round of an amphibious invasion only, defending artillery fire before all other combat units as if they had submarine “suprise strike”. For purposes of bombardment, ships may fire for units taken as casualties. Additonaly, hits from naval bombardment must be assigned to defending artilery first if any are present.

Special Rules
The Atomic Bomb After the 10th game turn, American strategic bombers may use atomic weapons during stratigic bombing. This is done as follows. Roll 4 dice and have the American Player assign them as follows.

Highest Value - Stategic Bombing damage done to Industrial Complex
Higher Intermidate Value - Number of Japanese land units destroyed (chosen by the American player)
Lower Intermidate Value - Permanent damage done to the IPC value of the territory
Lowest Value - Permanent Damage to the Industrial Complex

Remove heavy bombers technology and do the following

Replace Heavy Bomber tech with Atom Bomb /  One successful Strategic Bombing attack per turn destroys everything in enemy province.

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Additional Ally advantages

Superfortress / USA starts with bombers (B-29 superfortress) that move at 8 spaces and have an attack value of 5. (only 1 roll per bomber)

Marines / USA player can designate all Infantry units (beginning of the turn) in one amphibious assault as Marines. Attack at 1-2. (artillery does not increase attack value)

Home Guard / UK player Infantry on the United Kingdom territory defend at 1-3.

Industry Movement / Soviet player may move one of his Industrial Complex units each turn at a rate of 1 movement point. (cannot move and produce on the same turn)

USSR economic penalty / (ally disadvantage) Allied forces occupied in the USSR or occupying USSR Territories prevents USSR from collecting IPCs from these territories. The reasoning behind this is the cost of feeding and caring for the foreign forces and also the cost of countering the anti-Communist political propaganda that these forces would introduce to the Soviet populace.

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Additional Axis Advatages

Kamikaze / Japan player may move one Ftr per turn its full movement allowance and attacks at 1-4. Whether it survived the attack or not it is eliminated after the battle.

Panzerkorps / German player may designate one of his armour as SS Panzerkorps during each of his player-turns. May designate any Armour as SS at beginning of the turn. Attacks at 1-4 and defends at 1-5.

U-Boats / Germany builds these subs at 6 IPCs, but must be deployed in the Submarine Pens. Encourages Germany to expand its Navy

Submarine Pens / The territory of Germany has a built in Sub Pen. The Sub Pen works by giving shelter from air attack to Subs in the Baltic Sea Zone. New U-boats must be placed here.

Kiel Kanal / With this variant Germany can still move ships from the Baltic to the Atlantic to avoid the North Sea and UK waters. Must control Western Europe. Germany navy can avoid sea zone surrounding the UK. The Kanal counts as 1 movemnt space. And Axis must control Germany and Western Europe to use it.

Just like actual war, USA will be encourage to spend money to research A-Bomb tech and drop them over Japan with its superior bombers, or possibly Germany.