Fortunes of Victory
Mr. Andersson’s House Rules for Spring 1942 2nd Edition
Victory Cards
Once you have played a few games of Axis & Allies: 1942 2nd edition, you might want to add this card mechanic to the game in order to get more complexity or variable elements. The following rules for victory cards can be used in addition to the standard rules. If you decide to use these rules, Draw Victory Card becomes the last phase of the turn sequence.
Each turn you have captured at least one new territory, you may roll the victory die during your draw victory card phase. The victory die has two of each of the following three different symbols on it: Research (weapon card), Star (tactics card), and Clover (fortune card), two sides for each symbol. For every one of those symbols rolled, you may draw a card from the equivalent deck.
Players may not have more than seven cards in their hand at any time and no more than five of any one type. A card may not be played in addition to any other type of card that affect one and the same unit, i.e. you cannot play two tactics cards in one and the same battle. All cards that affect combat are played after the attacker finishes combat move phase, but before conduct combat phase. The attacker always plays the cards first, giving the defender a chance to find the optimal way to play the cards in hand. All cards are kept face down until they are played. If you have seven cards in your hand, you must discard one card of your choice before you may draw a new card.
Each draw deck is to have its own discard pile. A used card is removed to a discard pile, except for weapon cards that may be played once every turn. A played weapon card is turned face up until the draw victory card phase of your turn, in order to mark its status as unavailable for immediate play. Then at draw victory card phase, all weapon cards that a player holds are turned face down, making them available for play again.
Yellow-backed cards are weapons cards. These cards come with a development cost. Once you draw a weapon card, you may wish to develop that weapon. You do so by buying research dice that give you a chance for a scientific breakthrough. Each research die you buy costs 1 IPC. Buy as many as you wish, including none. If you roll at least one “6”, you have successfully made a technological breakthrough and you may keep the weapon card on your hand. If your research fail or you choose not to research, that weapon card is removed to the weapon cards’ discard pile.
Blue-backed cards are tactics cards. Tactic cards represent new maneuvers that give you an advantage when attacking or your enemy a disadvantage when you defending in a combat. Each card takes effect just once. You are never required to use a tactics card. Since they are one-use cards you must judiciously determine when they are to be used in the game.
Green-backed cards are fortune cards. Fortune cards represent good luck effect or misfortune of your opponent. With these cards, your opponent will be forced to change tactics at a moment’s notice to overcome or take advantage of events beyond your control. Each card takes effect just once. You are never required to use a fortune card. Since they are one-use cards you must judiciously determine when they are to be used in the game.
Weapons Cards
Rail Gun No of cards: 3
Before general land battle takes place you can choose to use one of your AAA units as a rail gun, to conduct a one-time bombardment from an adjacent territory. This AAA unit may fire up to three times, but only once per defending unit. For each “2” rolled, the defender must choose 1 unit as a casualty. These casualties are removed from play without being able to return fire.
Rocket Strike No of cards: 3
During the SBR step of your conduct combat phase you can choose to use one of your AAA units as a rocket launcher, to make a single rocket attack against an enemy industrial complex within 2 spaces of it. This attack does 1D6 of damage to that industrial complex. Rockets may not be fired over neutral territories.
Atomic Bomb No of cards: 2
One of your bombers rolls 4D6 of damage on a strategic bombing raid. If the bomber is shot down by antiaircraft fire, this card has no effect.
Super Bombers No of cards: 3
When attacking, whether in a regular combat or a strategic bombing raid in one and same battle, you may designate up to two of your bombers as super bombers. Roll two dice for each of your superbombers and select the best result. In addition, these bombers’ range is increased by 1 space.
Jet Fighter No of cards: 3
When defending, whether in a regular land combat or intercepting during a strategic bombing raid, one of your fighters may fire twice (roll two dice) in each round of battle.
Long-Range Fighters No of cards: 4 - United States starts with one card
This card turns up to two of your fighters into long-range fighters. These fighters can move 6 spaces instead of 4. The fighters must move to the same space, but must not leave from the same space.
Radar Fire Control No of cards: 4 - United Kingdom starts with one card
One of your antiaircraft artillery units or industrial complexes, hit air units on a roll of “2” or less in a battle or a strategic bombing raid.
Heavy Artillery No of cards: 4 - Soviet Union starts with one card
In each round of play, one of your artillery units may attack OR defend on a “3” or less. For each hit scored the opposing player decides either to remove two infantry units as casualties, or one other unit as a casualty. This artillery unit does still support an infantry on attack.
Heavy Tank No of cards: 4 - Germany starts with one card
In each round of play, one of your tank units may attack OR defend on a “4” or less and require two hits to destroy. If a heavy tank is hit once, turn it on its side to mark its damaged status. If it survives a combat having taken one hit, return it upright to the game board.
Powerful Torpedoes No of cards: 3 - Japan and Germany starts with one card each
On the first round in a sea battles, whether you are attacking or defending, one of your submarine and/or destroyer units may fire twice (roll two dice) against enemy surface warships. Your submarine is still eligible for Surprise Strike if no enemy destroyer is present.
Tactics Cards
Air Supremacy No of cards: 5
if there are no defending fighters present, when you are attacking, your fighters hit on a roll of “5” or less on the first round of combat only. In the second round of battle this special ability is lost.
Combined Arms No of cards: 4
On the first round of combat, for every combination of infantry, tank and fighter (matched one-for-one), you receive an extra die roll at “3” or less on attack. In the second round of battle this special ability is lost.
Mechanized Offensive No of cards: 4
Up to three of your tanks gives one matching infantry unit one additional movement allowance and an increased attack value of 2 on a one-for-one basis. The infantry unit can blitz along with the tank, but the movement of all units must start and end in the same territories that can be friendly or hostile. Not eligible for non-combat movement.
Combined Bomber Offensive No of cards: 2
You may declare a joint bomber strike with a fellow player of your choice, on your conduct combat phase. Your bomber units may not conduct combat during your turn, but may move on your noncombat move phase. On your fellow player’s turn, the fellow player can move any of your bomber units during his or her combat move phase and conduct combat with them, as if they belonged to the fellow player, but weapons cards have no effect on these bomber units.
Airborne Assault No of cards: 3
Up to 2 of your infantry units can be assigned as paratroopers and move into a hostile territory 3 or fewer spaces away that is being attacked by your land units from adjacent territories and/or by amphibious assault. If attacking along with land units from adjacent territories, paratroopers may retreat as normal. If the territory being attacked has AAA units, the paratrooper infantry units are subject to AAA fire in the same way as air units.
Scramble No of cards: 4
You may scramble up to 2 defending fighters from one adjacent territory into the space being attacked. Surviving scrambled fighters must return to the territory from which it was scrambled. If the enemy has captured that territory, the unit can move 1 space to land in a friendly territory or on a friendly aircraft carrier. If no such landing space is available, the unit is lost.
Fortification No of cards: 4
On the first round of combat, when you are defending, only half of the hits rolled by the attacker (rounded down) counts as a “destroy” hit. In succeeding cycles of combat, you assigning hits as normal.
Entrenchment No of cards: 4
Each of your infantry units in a territory of your control defends on a 3 for the first round of combat. In succeeding cycles of combat, your infantry fire as normal.
Hidden Factory No of cards: 3
One of your industrial complexes only receives half (rounded down) of the total damage points rolled in a strategic bombing raid. Play before damage rolls against your IC.
Signals Intelligence No of cards: 2
You may move any number of your units from a space being attacked into an adjacent friendly space, but you must leave at least one unit behind. This special move otherwise follows the rules for a noncombat move.
Fortune Cards
Fighter Ace No of cards: 5
Choose a friendly fighter during conduct combat phase that scores a miss and change it to a hit.
Fog of War No of cards: 4
When an opposing player scores a miss in a battle, that player must choose one other unit from their force as a casualty from friendly fire. That casualty can fire at the normal time in the combat sequence.
Supreme Excellence No of cards: 2
When attacking with a fire power that is at least three times larger then the defending enemy’s you will automatically win the battle, but all defending units fire once before being destroyed. After the first round of combat any casualties are removed from play along with all defending units.
Donation No of cards: 4
Roll two dice, select the better result and collect that many additional IPCs during your collect income phase.
Foreign Legion No of cards: 4
Place one infantry for free during your mobilize new units phase. The free infantry may be placed on any territory that you have controlled since the beginning of your turn.
Military Support No of cards: 3
Place one additional unit at no cost during your mobilize new units phase as per normal placement rules. Roll one die:
1-2: You get a free artillery unit
3-4: You get a free antiaircraft artillery unit
5-6: You get a free tank unit
Merchant Marine No of cards: 2
Place one additional transport at no cost during your mobilize new units phase as per normal placement rules.
Spoils of War No of cards: 3
Place one free tank in a territory you captured this turn during your mobilize new units phase, if at least one enemy tank was destroyed in the contested territory.
Severe Weather No of cards: 3
Enemy units involved in a sea or land battle must all retreat after the first round of combat, unless all of your defending units are destroyed.
Force Majeure No of cards: 3
Place 3 damage markers under an enemy-controlled industrial complex of your choice during your combat movement phase.
Eureka No of cards: 2
You gain a free weapons card during your collect income phase. No need to roll research dice to get the technological breakthrough.
Up for grabs
Anyone who wants to design and sell these cards and/or the victory die can do it. I give this away, because I am too busy to make it my self.