Best posts made by vodot

Hi @AAGamer, I’m doing the latter; preparing and posting them on thingiverse (for anyone with a 3D printer to print for free).

The sources for these aren’t mine, so I won’t/can’t sell them. If you’re interested in having them printed, download them from my thingiverse and find a service provider online who will print and ship the parts to you.

The only happy exception to the above would be if you happen to live in the Portland OR region… then I could potentially print some of these and give them to you at cost, providing I have the bandwidth and time available on the machines I use.

That’s a wrap- 15% ebay coupon today (PLAYTIME15, all) lands me Europe. Thanks all, @djensen you can lock this thread.

Here’s fodder for discussion; what about a system where, in the Collect Income Phase, Each functional Oil Derrick to which you can trace, from an IC, some uninterrupted direct link (TBD; maybe through unoccupied convoy zones and/or land TTs) grants that IC one “Oil Barrel”. During the purchase units phase, that barrel can be “traded in” for a discount on a unit/group of units, according to some simple schema like the below (ignore “wheat” and “iron” for now):

@Midnight_Reaper said in 25 extra unit 3D models, scaled and tweaked for A&A, including Gliders, Light Tanks, Escort Carriers and Landing Craft:

First of all, let me say that it’s great that you’ve made these wonderful sculpts and it’s also wonderful that you’ve decided to share them with us.

I do have some thoughts to share about some of your design decisions. They are your decisions and I respect that. But I think you might be able to take them to the next level with a little help. Says the guy with the ideas, to the guy who would have to do the work if it’s to be done. I’m not going to comment on all of them, just some. If I don’t say anything, then I like it and have nothing constructive to add.

@vodot said in 25 extra unit 3D models, scaled and tweaked for A&A, including Gliders, Light Tanks, Escort Carriers and Landing Craft:

• USS Independence (Allied Escort Carrier)

From what I can see of the sculpt, it looks nice. I would point out, though, that the Independence class carriers were not escort carriers (CVEs) but were known as light fleet carriers (CVLs). The difference being that light fleet carriers worked with the main fleet and the escort carriers worked with amphibious groups and escorting convoys. A typical allied escort carrier class would be the Casablanca class. That said, I like having a source for Independence class ships, as HBG has the US fleet carrier (Essex) and US escort carrier (Casablanca) sculpts covered already.

@vodot * IJN Royujo (Axis Escort Carrier)

I assume you mean the Ryujo class here. Again, this class was made up of light carriers, not escort carriers. They were very, very light carriers, but the mis-designation bugs my inner order-of-battle analyst all the same…

@vodot * Me-262 (Axis Jet Fighter)

More Me-262s is always something I can get behind

@vodot * IS-2 (Allied Heavy Tank)

I like your IS-2s better than the IS-2 in A&A 1941, at least from the angle I’m looking at.

@vodot * HMS Atherstone (Escort)

I’m sure she’s a fine escort ship, and the allies do have need of such a vessel in expanded games. It’s just that as the real-life HMS Atherstone was known as a Hunt class destroyer, why did you call it the HMS Atherstone instead of the HMS Hunt?

@vodot * USS Midway (Super Carrier)

I dig the Midways as a class of ships. It’s just that yours has an angled deck, and they didn’t have those when they were built, they were put in place later in refits in the 1950s. It looks out of place in a game of WW2. Would you consider making an axial deck (a non-angled deck) Midway?

@vodot * D9 (Engineers)

It’s nice to give the engineers some love and using a bulldozer to do so works for me.

@vodot * Wirbelwind (Axis Mobile AAA)

I like having options for SPAAGs (Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft Guns) and you’ve picked a good one here.

@vodot * Me-410 (Heavy Fighter)

Other than by size, how will someone tell the Me-410s from the Ju-88s, He-111s, and the Mosquitos?

@vodot * Flaktrack (Allied Mobile AAA)

Again, I like having options for SPAAGs and you’ve picked another good one here.

@vodot * USS Des Moines (Battlecruiser)

While I dig have sculpts for the Des Moines class available, the Des Moines weren’t battlecruisers, they were just heavy cruisers. The US only designed two classes of battlecruisers, the Lexingtons and the Alaskas, and in the end only ever built one class - the Alaskas. Mind you, if you want to offer Des Moines class cruisers and not Alaskas, that’s your deal. I just might get someone to make them for me, but calling them battlecruisers is a historical inaccuracy in my opinion.

Just my 2 IPCs,

-Midnight_Reaper

Hey MR, thanks so much for the feedback! Let me reiterate that I didn’t create the raw models for most of these, just reworked them for compatibility and printability for A&A. I’m proud of the work (in some cases, significant) it has taken to get them to a printable and playable state, but mad props to the original designers, not all of which I remember off the top of my head.

I knew going in that I was committing some historical faux pas both intentionally and via ignorance, but I’m a “easily-distinguishable-on-the-board” and WYSIWYG-first sort of person with historical fidelity coming in third; nonetheless historicity should be paramount once the first two are assured. I want my group, none of which are WW2 enthusiasts/super nerds, to just immediately “get it”.

RE: Midway’s anachronistic 50’s deck retrofit, that was a rare intentional historical solecism- which isn’t to say it was in good taste- intended to reflect a “Super Carrier” tech that was not achieved in the actual WW2 timeline. Perhaps I could achieve the same end using a rectangular (Axial? I’ll take your word for it) 40’s Midway sculpt by merely enlarging it over the essex/etc? I was worried it would look like just a huge rectange, but I confess I didn’t try printing one. Needs investigation.

Regarding the Ryujo (pardon my spelling!) and Independence as Light (not escort) carriers, you’re obviously correct. Serendipitously, in my half-hour of wikipedia research (keeping your expectations low :) ) it seems it was the Light (as opposed to escort) Carriers that were known for their speed, which was a primary mechanic I wanted these units to have- so rebranding them as CVL’s is a win-win! A caveat on the light carriers: their historical decks are so narrow (by design, of course) that it’s basically impossible to balance an A&A-scaled plane on them. So: I’ve abrogated naval design history and added a fat landing pad on the deck so a single fighter has room to live happily. Hopefully the tradeoff is worth it for most, but this will obviously make that particular model a non-starter for some.

RE: HMS Atherstone, I can see your point, given that I called the light carrier the Ryujo. It is indeed a Hunt-class sculpt.

RE: IS-2s and the awesomeness of these models in general- yes, they kick some serious ass. 100% of these props should go to m_bergman at Thingiverse, a minor deity of military history 3D modeling.

RE: Distinguishing Me-410s… you’re right. I spent some time trying to doctor up a Westland Whirlwind (damn planes and their paper-thin wings are super time-consuming to doctor for 3D printing)… and it ended up looking identical to the Me-410. I gave up. This is the reason I only have one sculpt covering heavy fighters for everyone, about which I feel bad… but not bad enough to spend another 2 hours doctoring the whirlwind.

RE: Des Moines, you’re right. When I first started working on this expansion, my “Battlecruiser” unit was called a “Heavy Cruiser” and I think that’s why I pulled the Des Moines. Later on I decided I really like the word ‘battlecruiser’. However, similar to the serendipitous mistake on the light vs. escort distinction above, this unit was also meant to be a sweet spot between the CA and the BB combining the strengths of both, but locked behind tech and advancement. Aaaaand after another half-hour of wikipedia research, it turns out that the Des Moines did not sail until 1946; so I don’t see why I can’t call this unit an advanced “Heavy Cruiser” after all.

@Johnson73 I have this problem when my adblocker is on

@general-6-stars said in House Rules Compilation & Discussion: Oil!:

The funny thing is the axis would of never sold there oil based on how much they needed it.

I agree - I didn’t mean that they’re selling the oil - the idea is that the oil is a crucial component of the production and operation of that unit. If a power doesn’t have the oil, then they have to pay more IPCs to field that unit, with the extra IPCs representing having to buy, synthesize, or cannibalize the oil from somewhere else. Does that make more sense?

…movement penalties for units

As I wrote in my discussion, I think movement and performance penalties for out-of-supply units is a great idea and definitely historical, it’s just a little too complicated for what I’m currently thinking.

Vodot

You have a oil derrick location list yet ?

No, there are so many great lists out there already - yours, ILs, buran’s, siredblood’s etc. My thing is more analyzing rules and mechanics - I’ll gladly lean on the historical research and knowledge of the willing! Plus I would rather come up with a system that could be modular - applied to a variety of maps and other systems.

Update: I’ve uploaded everything to my Thingiverse!

Hi all, thanks for all of the incredible ongoing support- I’m honored to be a part of the community of makers supporting these awesome games!

Here’s a Jan/Feb '22 update the some new arrivals to my etsy shop:

New Models!

• Flight Stands in 3 sizes
• USN Balao-class Submarine - Allied super subs!
• Panzer III (Pz.Kpfw. Ausf J) - Axis light tanks!
• Kriegsmarine Type 39 Torpedo Boats - Axis escort ships!
• Damage/Flame Tokens
• Naval Mines
• Czech Hedgehog anti-vehicle obstacles
• Resource Tokens - Oil Barrels, Metal Ingots, and Grain

New Colors!

• In good news for all of you non-painters, I am thrilled to announce that after an obnoxious amount of trial and error I have arrived at the full A&A color-matched palette of materials!

Come see all these and more at my esty shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/NathanDetr0itDesigns, and don’t forget to use coupon code AADOTORG22 for 10% off!

@general-6-stars said in House Rules Compilation & Discussion: Oil!:

So basically an oil barrel is worth money based on you sold it over the market and collected money for it ?

Yes, particularly on the second version - each oil barrel in that scheme is worth a fixed amount of money, but you can’t just exchange it for IPCs - to use the barrel you have to use the $ towards building mechanized units.

In the first example it’s more subtle, as the discounts apply to different units in different ways (since oil is more important to some units than others). Either way it’s similar; essentially oil = money/discounts for producing mechanized units.

The way this is written currently would encourage powers to lock down multiple sources of oil (because each barrel/source would count individually as money/discount), but we could also structure it more like an on/off switch:

“if a power has access to at least one source of oil, then a set of reduced costs apply. If not, the default cost set applies.”

The above would be a sweeping change amounting to a wholesale cost restructure, but we could soften it by limiting the reduced cost to just the first of each type of unit built by a power each turn; so the first tank built by a power with oil might cost 3 while any additional tanks would cost 6 as normal, etc.

@cjm2112
Thanks for summoning me back :) As I said in the PM, since I use an industrial printer I don’t actually have a ton of hands on experience with desktops. That being said, I’ve gotten good quality out of them before, especially if all of the below are true:

1. I’m using a file that corresponds well to the minimum achievable feature resolution for the printer
2. I use print settings that give my models the best chance of coming out well
3. I set my expectations correctly- Trying to print an AAA infantry unit on a desktop printer is going to be tough.

@dsumner Hi dsummer! I take custom orders through my etsy page here: www.etsy.com/shop/nathandetr0itdesigns - feel free to DM me there (or here) to let me know what you’re looking for.

@barnee said in House Rules Compilation: Oil!:

@vodot interesting. Is this how the chart reads, 3 oil barrels = 1 AB at reduced cost of 12 bucks ? 1 oil barrel = 3 Medium Tanks at reduced cost of 5 bucks a piece ? Have to buy all 3 ?

Oil Derricks number are fixed ? Can’t create any new ones ? Or can the Texans keep drilling lol

The intent of that table would be that you can trade in an oil barrel for a $1 discount on up to 3 tanks, or two oil barrels to get the discount on up to 6 tanks, one oil barrel for a $2 discount on up to two fighters, etc… You wouldn’t have to buy all 3 tanks/2 fighters etc.

@general-6-stars said in House Rules Compilation: Oil!:

It looks that way barnee. Ya I go with continuous open route by land and certain sea zones. But I’d give the attacker some bonus for blocking oil like make the cost go up for your pieces. Thinking most won’t leave a ship for block or inf without some reward and just get killed possibly.

Also if u go with wheat and iron then need to add copper/brass ammo, motors etc.and rubber for wiring.

Is this mainly for G40 ?

RE: G40, yes that’s the ruleset I’m primarily thinking about for the above, with the hope being that if it can work there it could work pretty much anywhere. I think a simplified version could maybe work for AA50 as well.

RE: more resources (aluminum etc.) yes more resources could of course be incorporated. It might get a bit ridiculous managing a Catan-style hand of resources in a game of A&A, but maybe that would still be fun if it was simple enough.

RE: Penalizing powers for not having resources, here’s a slightly different table that takes more of that approach (and also standardizes the value of each unit of resource at 3 IPC). In this table. units have a lower base cost in IPCs, as long as you also consume one or more special resources as shown for their construction.

Then the idea would be that any missing resources you do not spend could be “bought” for 3 IPC each. Therefore a battleship costs 14 IPC + 1 Oil + 1 Iron. If you don’t have (or don’t want to spend) the Oil or Iron then you can still build a battleship normally, but it will cost you the full OOB price of 20 IPC: 14 + 3 (for the missing oil) + 3 (for the missing iron).

Hi @ryandascienti - MORE complex than GW36_v3, eh? Wow! I can’t wait to see what you’ve come up with!

RE: Map design on a budget, GIMP and Inkscape are where it’s at. Both of those programs are free, incredible graphics options (GIMP for bitmaps/raster images, Inkscape for vector/PDF) that I and many of the other designers here have used for decades. Many of the people here will let you use their maps as a baseline as well, just ask.

I’d love to work with you on miniatures and board game design in general - if you’re in the market for affordable minis check out my etsy store where I have Wheat/Food minis, Oil Drums, Metal Bars/Ingots and lots of other A&A units and bits for these sorts of prototypes and wargame variants.

Thanks @barnee :)

@king_of_tanks I don’t sell OOB ANZAC units, but I do paint sets of OOB units (to create new powers etc) and have also designed and licensed lots of variant/custom and OOB replacement 3D-printed pieces - you can check out my shop here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/nathandetr0itdesigns and let me know if you have specific requests or needs :)

Getting back to design, I think that on the “each unit uses 1 barrel” model, I would need each source to produce more than one barrel, and maybe a few ‘tiers’ of oil sources; not individual 0-15 values like Buran but at least “minor” & “major” tiers that produce 2 vs. 5 barrels each, or something like that.

The same would go for any other resources. I would expect several of the powers to have sources close (or in) their capital territories, but those could be restricted to ‘minor’ sources to encourage going after major sources elsewhere. Large maps with dedicated city circles may not have this issue to the same extent.

Two days ago in my first solo G40 game, the Russians lost Amur on J1 while scoring exactly one hit over two rounds of combat (including all 6 AA rolls), defending with 12inf 2aa in round 1 and 5inf round 2. Japan lost a single infantry in exchange for 46 IPC TUV of Siberian conscripts.

The odds of rolling only a single two or less on 17 dice and no ones on 6 more dice is (2/3)^16 x 1/3 x (5/6)^6 = 0.0006 or <1/1600.

@the-captain JEALOUS…

@argothair So thinking through amphibious invasions… is it that unblockaded sea zones could be counted like land territories (e.g. Infantry separated from an friendly IC by two Sea Zones would be in supply, but not Tanks in the same tt? Or is it that sea zones “count as zero” in the counting of distance to the IC, as long as some unblockaded path, however circuitous, can be traced through them?

If the former, which seems more likely, what about island-hopping/amphibious invasions far from home? Amphibious invasions are expensive enough already without penalizing the attacking units… maybe there’s a role for Bases and/or transports as ‘support/logistics’ absractions?

I could imagine naval Transports as an abstracted logistics unit that can keep a number of units in supply even far from factories (in addition to maintaining an unbroken SZ link) - but maybe you have to leave the transports insitu at the of a “shuck”, representing points of supply disembarkation (which would then be vulnerable)? Overland, maybe this makes viable some kind of truck/freight unit that could stand in the gap and extend lines (but would themselves be vulnerable)?

Without some kind of logistics mitigation this penalizes the US and Germany (if they stretch for Moscow) in addition to Japan and the infamous JTDM.

@crockett36 said in Interview with the 2021 OOB champion: AndrewAAgamer:

Thank you all. Great opportunity. I hope to do more AnA personalities, dare I say celebrities!

Keeping up with tournament winners across different communities would be terrific - I think you’ve got a rare combination of mechanics knowledge and historical A&A background (Larry playtesting, etc.) to make your interviews potentially very high-calibre and singular. Great work, good questions. Now we just need to all chip in to get you a better webcam :)

@smith-family-agoge Welsome to A&A.org! Check out my thingiverse page, where I’ve remixed, compiled, correctly scaled, and prepped for printing some of the best/most relevant units for Axis and Allies: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3903067