Posts made by Trenacker

Thanks for the feedback!

I intend that these would be used on the HBG Global 1939 map, or else on a map of similar size.

I’d love your feedback on the larger list of cards found on my Google Drive. Are you having trouble accessing that?

Commerce raiding was traditionally carried out by vessels known as auxiliary cruisers. It is, in fact, a commerce raider. I agree that this unit would probably not be worthwhile unless there were quite a lot of sea zones added to the standard map.

The DAK unit is intended to simulate a corps. That’s consistent with A&A’s level of abstraction. I agree that the speed is “off.” I wasn’t looking at the G40 map when I made the card, but at the HBG G1939 map, although I can easily change “Tripoli” to “Libya.”

Vinegar Joe is actually a unit that grants a +1 to attack and defense in the territory that he occupies. He moves 1. It is intended to be used the whole game.

The KAR is a flavor unit and is not really meant to influence the game in a major way.

The Legion Etrengere is indeed the French Foreign Legion.

Salvage Operations is just a knock-off, yeah.

The Torpedo Squadron is intended to be geared toward naval combat. Again, on a much bigger map.

The Undersea Cruiser was a concept pioneered by the French Surcouf. The idea is that it would be somewhere between a sub and a cruiser in strength.

The key to adding a new unit is deciding what it does that is different than the units already available.

What about refocusing the Cruiser on AA work?

Commerce Raider - Cuts trans-oceanic lines-of-supply.
Destroyer Escort - Convoy defense. Focus is on hunting subs in Convoy Zones. Bonus to convoy defense.
Destroyer - Focus is on hunting subs and taking hits (“screening”) during fleet actions. Bonus against submarines.
Cruiser -  Utility piece. Strong and fast enough to sink a destroyer 1:1. Can do weak shore bombardment. Improved AA if another friendly ship is in the same space. Bonus against aircraft.
Battlecruiser - Focus is on hunting smaller combatants. Better shore bombardment. Useful on the attack. Weaker defense than a battleship. Only one hit point. Possible benefit: re-roll one die during combat.
Battleship - Focus is on destroying other naval units. Best shore bombardment.
Carrier - Focus is on extending the range of aircraft.
Armored Carrier - Improved defense and 3 hit points. More expensive, but more survivable.
Transport - Carries troops.

This presumes a good number of sea zones, meaning a slightly larger map, such as that offered by HBG.

On a very, very large map (which I one day hope to see), you might add Coastal Battleships – basically, low-cost, slow-moving battlewagons.

Can you PM me the e-mail address for their PayPal account?

I’ve always wanted to see certain lakes and rivers turned into traversible zones for certain types of units. Specifically, the Great Lakes, the Mississippi, and the Yangtse.

I’m about to try out HaT infantry, which are 1:72. I thought AA infantry were in 1:72.

The pieces aren’t in the correct scale. The best options for cavalry that I’ve seen thus far are either the uhlan-looking pieces from Eagle Games’s old “Civilization” boardgame, or else the cavalry from War!: Imperialism, which are probably slightly too big.

I hear that HBG is actually making cavalry pieces.

Armored cars are tricky. I have some from HBG. If I remember correctly, the examples from Risk 2042 are small, but you may find them suitable.

The reason I say “tricky” is that, once you get past the WW1 era, armored cars don’t comprise enough of an independent fighting arm to justify appearing on most A&A maps. A&A simulates corps- and army-level maneuver. Occasionally, single-division corps, such as British and ANZAC units in the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia.

I used special rules that reflect the use of armored cars in a scouting role. They allow the attacker to re-roll one die during combat so long as they are present in the attacking or defending force. Up to three armored cars can be used in this manner during a single combat phase.

During the WW1 era, machine guns, artillery, and armored cars are significant enough to merit inclusion, I think, because there might be very few even at a divisional level.

Couldn’t find the subs on Thegamecrafter.com.

I did purchase Eagle Games’s “Civilization” boardgame for the cavalry. Unfortunately, they are Industrial Age units. At best, they can be used as German or Austrian Uhlans.

Marc, I live in Knoxville and, on the off chance that you haven’t already taken your vacation, I can offer some recommendations regarding Memphis and Nashville.

I think you’re doing right by choosing to visit Graceland. I can also recommend a visit to Biel Street. If you enjoy a good baseball game, there is also a minor league stadium downtown where a fun evening can be had. I’m not a fan of baseball myself, but I do enjoy getting outside in the summer and autumn, and I am a fan of nachos with cheese.

Perhaps a visit to Shiloh battlefield while you’re in Western Tennessee? And Memphis must have some good historical attractions linked to the Mississippi River and its history.

Nashville is very fun. I wouldn’t say that I’m a fan of country music, but I found the Country Music Hall of Fame to be a very enjoyable museum. You may also want to stop by the Gaylord Hotel, which is a resort hotel with several nice restaurants. It’s a terrific site to see. Be sure to visit the Grand Ole Opry for a tour at least.

I want to get colored ships, but I don’t know of any viable alternatives to the (very expensive) Attack Expansion. Xeno Games stuff is also increasingly hard to find.

The consignment store at GenCon (which I attend annually) has a lot of old boardgames to rifle through, and last year I was lucky enough to find both World at War and Pacific at War there.

I have gone to Panzerschliffe and liked the result, but I don’t paint.

Looks like I may have erred in purchasing the map just last week. This one looks to be even more gorgeous. Le sigh.

Is there any possibility of Macau being put on this map?

What about creating alternate history variants, like a Portuguese Brazil or a Confederate States of America?

I’m of the opinion that balance is less important than the possibility of being able to do “interesting things.” That kind of approach is, of course, much more viable in a game involving numerous players that will likely end in a negotiated victory for one side rather than in a game of “standard” format with just two players.

The Lend-Lease mechanic is viable even without changes to the map.

A small deck of about 52 cards would allow for an elegant introduction of both random events (e.g., harsh European winter, neutral accession to a particular alliance bloc) and specific strategies that players may choose to deploy for a cost (e.g., activation of a national advantage, deployment of a special unit type).

I think the inclusion of minor nations, particularly the British Far East Command, the Dutch East Indies, and maybe even a Portuguese Empire, would also be a great way to spice up the game.

Some of the best house rules I’ve seen to date were offered up in an article hosted here: “Six Countries: House Rules for Axis & Allies Pacific.” The set of rules did several things, many of them compelling.

First, it added what appears to be a viable Dutch East Indies, independent of both Australia and the FEC. All three powers received territory IPC value adjustments to ensure that they could still generate enough income to remain playable. These changes can be made using roundels. I’m not sure if there’s an ideal way to change IPC values on the map.

Second, it introduced distinct areas-of-operation for Allied powers. The rule was as follows: “The Indian player controls all units in and to the west of Malaya, and the units in sea zone 46. The Australian player controls all units in and to the east of Java. If units move from one sphere of control to the other, control of the units changes as well.” I really like this rule. I think it provides both greater realism and more interesting intra-team dynamics.

Third, the Lend-Lease options for China and the Dutch East Indies. Lend-Lease production certifications spent differently than ordinary IPC’s. For example, it could be used to purchase special equipment. It could also be interdicted by a determined enemy. China got theirs flown in over the Himalayas.

Fourth, “triggers” that reflect the benefit of specific territorial conquests by rewarding the victor with production bonuses.

Fifth, changes to combat units. The “fight to the death” mechanic for Japanese infantry (2 hits on defense) was neat.

Has anyone experimented with a draft pool or force limit for each power, representing available supplies of manpower and industrial capacity?

As I’ve said elsewhere, I don’t think that adding new units to the base game is really justified unless you’re also changing either the map or the rules to a major degree. Right now, even the Cruiser and Tactical Bomber are superfluous.

I do think that quite a few territories are either “missing” from the base map or dramatically under-valued. Of course, the number and shape of territories depends on what kind of interaction the designer is seeking for each part of the map.

I think that it is necessary to avoid rigid scripting, but I am going to assume that A&A will never venture into the territory of pure historical fantasy. In other words, they might make a WW1 game in which Italy chose not to abandon the Triple Alliance, but they would not make a game incorporating the Confederate States of America as a playable power.

I do think that there is space for Argentina and Brazil to become minor powers that could be handed off to additional players, although the map would have to be quite sizable. The focus in that theater would be the ABC rivalry, or at least the A-B dyad.

The key to introducing variation may well be randomized national objectives, including ahistorical objectives. These objectives would probably interact with new political rules. For example, does the Italian player want to remain a German ally if they’ve successfully seized Egypt and occupied the Balkans? The appeal is great if Germany is critical to helping Italy hold ground, but much less if Germany is fully preoccupied in Russia or on the British Isles.

The bottom line is that I think the existing map really limits options. There are too few territories to do really interesting things. France would be much more playable, for example, if there were more ground between Paris and Germany. There would also be a much better, and bigger, fight in Southeast Asia if French Indochina and Siam were at least two territories apiece. I think those circular metropolitan regions on the HBG map are tops.

How did you edit the map?

Sure. Enjoy! :)

Simultaneous Play

New Powers

British Far East Command

Novo Estado

• Portugal: Worth 3 IPC. 3 Inf, 1 Armor, 1 Artillery, 2 Fighter, Air Base, Naval Base, Major Factory

• Angola: Worth 2 IPC. 3 Inf, 1 Artillery, 1 Fighter, Air Base

• Mozambique: Worth 1 IPC. 2 Inf, 1 Artillery, Naval Base

• Brazil: Worth 3 IPC. 5 Inf, 1 Armor, 1 Artillery, 1 Fighter, Air Base, Naval Base, Minor Factory

• SZ86: 1 Cruiser, 1 Destroyer, 1 Submarine

Vichy France

• The Germans immediately gain 3 IPCs from the bank. This represents looted French assets.

• The Germans decide whether to bid to influence the alignment of French units and territories. For every 2 IPC�s spent by the Germans, the likelihood of a favorable outcome increases by 1. The German player may spend up to 6 IPC�s total in this manner.

• If the Germans have occupied Southern France, they must place a Minor Factory on this territory (at no cost). This represents Vichy French production capabilities. If the Germans do not occupy Southern France, Vichy units are placed in France.

• The British player rolls 1d10 for every French territory not occupied by the Axis.

• On a roll of 1-2, the fleet joins the Axis.

• On a roll of 3-4, the fleet is scuttled and removed from play.

• On a roll of 5-6, the fleet joins the Allies.

Revised Units

Aircraft Carrier

Battleship

Fighters

New Units

Armored Aircraft Carrier

Air Transport

Battlecruiser

Light Aircraft Carrier

Elite Infantry

Paratrooper

Poison Gas:

Self-Propelled Artillery:

If anybody knows of any other options, please add!

Retailers

HBG produces a nice range of high-quality pieces in 1:72 scale. In some cases, you can even download house rules to use along with them. They are my first stop for custom pieces.

FMG produces a few unique sculpts, including a terrific set of high-quality units for Italy in the 1:72 scale. Their major products can be purchased via HBG, although most are currently out-of-stock. I’ve had trouble with the FMG website and have been unable to purchase anything direct.

TableTactics offers a good variety of expansion sets in 1:72 scale, although most aren’t up to the quality standards of either HBG or FMG. Some of their more interesting sets (the “Central Powers” variant for A&A) are out-of-stock. I’m also not a fan of the markers they use to denote infantry (stands topped by a particular weapon), but they do seem to have some unique sculpts for armor, and I have purchased the Italian and German sets. I think that TableTactics pieces are best if you’re looking for late-war and post-war additions to your games of Risk or A&A, in which case they offer some great stuff, albeit in a limited range of colors.

Shapeways has some great 3d-printed commanders, capital markers, and naval items for sale at good prices. You’ll have to paint them if you want any kind of color differentiation.

Other Games with Pieces that can be Repurposed

War! includes a large quantity of terrific, in-scale pieces from the 1800’s that can double as WW1 era, colonial, and neutral troops. The game also includes a number of moulded infrastructure counters, including ports, railroads, schools, and fortifications. The units come in sprues, and it is quite a process to get them out. Colors won’t be consistent with A&A.

Attack! has in-scale infantry, tanks, and aircraft that may suit for neutrals. The tanks are a good approximation of an inter-war model. A hard-to-find expansion adds naval units. Again, the units come in sprues. Obviously, colors won’t be consistent with A&A.

H�T makes some unpainted WW1 and WW2 infantry and cavalry in 1:72 scale. Partial assembly is required for certain pieces, but most can be clipped off the spruce and painted up, or else put directly into play. Colors won’t be consistent with A&A. Usually brown or grey.

Xeno Games produced low-quality A&A expansions. Some of their house rules are now incorporated into A&A. Their games usually give you many sets of sprues that provide a small helping each of the unit types that shipped with the original 1982 version of A&A. You also get one submarine pen and one factory per color. The colors vary wildly from muted wines to bright, tropical hues depending on which of the many Xeno Games sets you get but are inconsistent with those of the original game.

Tides of Iron I think that the infantry, which come in squads, can be repurposed. The vehicles are much too big. Some useful cardboard markets. Probably not worth the cost.

Memoir 44 offers infantry in about the right size, along with various cardboard chits that may be of interest. The artillery may also be to your standards, but the vehicles are probably just slightly too large for A&A scale.

I’ve also begun to write up some house rules for use with the deck, and I’ll post that once I’ve made a bit more progress.

Again, the draft deck can be reviewed here.