Posts made by WILD BILL

I see why this option came into play because now all 3 axis nations can attack Caucasus in the same round. I think closing it completely takes something away from the game. There is strategic value for this area. I was thinking the game starts with the straight closed, but through conquest/political pressure on Turkey the axis could open the straight. With the AA50 map there are 4 countries that boarder Turkey lets call them boarder countries (BC).
1 Caucasus; 2 Persia; 3 Trans Jordan; 4 Bulg/Rom (northern tip of Turkey). Any time the axis get control of 3 BC they can buy a dice to gain passage through the straight. At the beginning of your turn if you have control of 1 BC, but your side (axis) has 3 BC total you can buy 1 dice for say $3. You have to roll a 3 or less to open the straight for your side (3 BC). If your side has all 4 BC then a roll of 4 or less would work. The more tt the axis have the more threat or pressure on Turkey. If you get control of the straight place your marker on Turkey just to show water rights. You could also allow the allies to roll to close the straight once the axis has control, using the same requirements.

Getting back to the new inf units, or special forces(SF). Cost $4. Maybe allow upgrade of inf for $1 call it training. Pay for upgrades in purch units phase get them during mob units phase @ IC. Give them +1 on attack for the 1st round of battle only. Could be preempt so enemy casualties don’t fire back. I think selective hits would be to much for $4. This could symbolize Commandos, Marines, or Imperial banzai etc. You could also extend +1 to defense for 1st round only to represent Atlantic wall, dug in defenders or just boost the def of a capital. These units could still get support from art oob rules. Could limit SF to the amount given to us (no chips). These SF could be used as paratroopers w/ bombers oob. You could however buy fly tokens instead. Tokens would be $1 each. Think of the SF unit as you would any other air unit when it flies. The further you want to go the more $ it costs with a max of 3 tokens per SF unit. You could attach fly tokens to the SF unit in order to use it or keep them @ your capital. If stored @ capital you could use them for any SF unit giving it the element of surprise. Once you use a fly token its done you must re-buy them. You could also use fly tokens to move regular inf or SF in non combat, but only SF unit can be used as a paratrooper in an attack. Maybe allow movement of other ground units @ 2x cost?
Example 1: Say Germany has 5 SF on East Poland through purchases or upgrades (cost $20).
It wants to attack Moscow 2 spaces away. To fly them in would cost $2 each ($10). If those SF were on Warsaw cost to fly them in would be $3. each ($15)

Example 2: Say Germany has 5 SF on France through purchases or upgrades($20 invested). It wants to attack the UK 2 spaces away across English Chanel. To fly them in would be $2 each ($10). Total spent for attack =30 ipc’s.
Cost of an air transport would be around $8 (IL) with limited cargo, but you could use it over & over again. Air tokens could limit themselves depending on where you wanted to go because of cost. You could also place a limit on them, or link them to the # of air units you have as discussed earlier. Island hopping would be expensive at $3 per guy. Maybe you could base them off an AC.

MadMc, I have thought about using the heavy bomber as extra cargo capacity. A regular bomber drops 1 bomb & 1 para oob rules. HB drops 2 bombs & para, or 1 bomb & 2 para.Maybe only allow bombs to drop 1st wave of battle when carrying ground units or paratroopers. You can also load up to 6 ipc worth of ground units, 2 inf,1art,1arm,or 1AA gun. The bomber/ air transport would have to land and unload on friendly soil. Only inf can paratroop. Not sure if you should allow bomber to attack (1 bomb dice) when it is carrying ground units other then paratroopers. Also thought about allowing bomber/ air transport to be used to lend lease ipc’s to Russia or China. I’m not sure if I like using a bomber this way or if we really need an air transport unit as talked about before. How did the games you played work out. Was it used a lot. Did it affect the out come, and balance.  WB

When I started playing AA50 two things took some time to get used to. 1st was transports. I could see why a transport shouldn’t get a shot at a plane or war ship. I didn’t like losing them at the end of a sea battle or when the enemy could just do flybys and kill them without firing. I’m warming up to it though. By being forced to protect them it adds a new strategic level to the sea. The subs not taking hits was the 2nd thing. It really sucks when your German Baltic fleet gets wiped out by British air early and your subs just sit there. We even made up house rules similar to yours. My son pointed out however if you captained a sub and your fleet was attacked by only air units would you stay on the surface and wave your arms in the air and say here I am ignore that battleship and shoot at me. I see why the rules don’t allow this, but we still use this house rule in some games anyway. The thing that still gets me is when you are attacked by air & ships (but no enemy destroyers), and you leave your subs in the battle to defend at their mighty 1, and your subs still can’t absorb a hit(from air).They are in the fight. Its like why would the enemy bring a destroyer into the battle, it would be a penalty. This might be a strange argument for cruisers(cz) being able to spot subs, at least if the enemy had a cz your subs could be hit. Oh well just hope for snake eyes i guess lol.

So as the defender you bring in 2 reinf 2nd wave. The attacker doesn’t like the odds and has no eligible units to reinf so he retreats. The defender would then have to pull his 2 reinf units back and they would be idle for 1 complete round? Sounds like a good bluff and you might hold on to the country. Keeping track of idle units might be hard, because you could end up with several nations with idle units causing some confusion. Don’t get me wrong I like the idea of the defender having options for reinforcements or retreat. I think its silly to think the defender would just sit there and let the enemy dictate the battle with out using all his resources. Maybe someone else will chime in with an idea or two.

Hi IL glad you dropped in, you always have a good perspective. I see what your saying about how each nation gets SR points based on their income like Germany w/4 SR. So Germany could have 4 inf +1, or 2 inf +2, or 1 inf +4?  With the 1 inf+4 SR that inf would move 5 spaces? That sounds cool. I guess it would work with a tank too. A tank +4 SR could really move 6 spaces? You could split it with 2 tanks +2SR, where each tank would move 4 spaces etc. You kinda lost me crossing a sz. I see the 2x cost. Would the SR pts be in addition to the transports 2 unit capacity? I was also wondering, could you some how use the SR pts to ferry units across 1 sz w/o a transport.

Hi Funcioneta, I was wondering if you have had time to play test the China mod the last few weeks. I think your right China is to week. I think loosing the flying tiger in 41 before you get to move it to safety is just silly, I haven’t played much 42. Here are some other thoughts for you to look over. Some have posted concerns about China having a capital IC, as it wasn’t an industrial nation. Instead of a capital make it a wartime headquarters (HQ). China doesn’t make units in a factory, it simply stores equipment (IPC’s) and puts together ready to assemble units that it gets through its NO’s or LEND LEASE. You could allow the US to lend lease ($) to China via transport ($5) or bomber ($3). LL$ would have to make it to HQ to mobilize units. $ could be captured by Japan. You could also make the HQ mobile to avoid capture. Maybe only allow China to mobilize 1 unit per turn. Allow China to mob any # of art, but limit it to only 2 arm & 2 ftrs at any given time, that can be replaced. You can still mob inf same as oob rules, or round up as long as you still control HQ. I would definitely place the HQ on Sikang (Chungking) with maybe 1 inf, 1 art, 1 AA gun and move over the flying tiger as well in 41. If you don’t increase the IPC value of Sikang Japan would only be able to SBR it for $1. If you wanted to funnel more money into China you could add more NO’s like if allies control French Indo, Kiangsu or Manchuria, China gets a bonus equal to those countries IPC values. This would open up more supply routes and give them a morale boost. Could include certain sea zones with those countries to get bonus. Maybe if China moves its HQ to Kiangsu or Manchuria it could assemble units equal to those IPC values, but that would be risky and SBR would be higher. If you lose control of HQ you would have to have say at least 5 originally flagged Chinese countries to re-establish HQ?  I’ve also thought about a house rule that Japan has to completely conquer China before it can attack Russia, but thats another tread. Thanks for addressing China and I look forward to your testing results or thoughts on these suggestions.  WB

I have tried to find info on rail in the 1940’s in the past with some luck. Europe, Russia, and US as we know had good rail systems, well what wasn’t bombed anyway. The Middle East (Iran) expanded rail in the early 1900’s, mostly because of oil I think. I never found much on Africa except near the Suez (Egypt). I went to IPC value caps because in my mind these values show infrastructure to some point. Your also moving an entire inf or art division not just 1 or 2 units. If you don’t use some kind of limits your really just turning 1 movement units into 2 movement units making getting mech inf not so helpful. I didn’t want Germany & Italy to be able to move 6 or 10 units quickly through Europe, because Russia might fall before the 3rd round is over. In Africa allowing just 1 unit to rail isn’t so bad, i figured if they didn’t have rail, some units would have had trucks or other means of getting around. With most of Africa & Middle East only able to rail 1 unit throws some strategy in, do you split your units leaving some behind etc. I haven’t play test this much, just some thoughts hope it helps.    WB

As the attacker you have an advantage. This would take some of that advantage away. If the defender is allowed reinf 2nd wave of battle the attacker may just retreat. This could also swing the advantage to the defender as he would now have 2 more units at the front to use in attack on his turn. I have seen air units able to defend adjacent territories, even from an aircraft carrier(AC). Maybe in the 2nd wave of battle. (1st wave if you have radar). That way you don’t get to advance units to the front, planes would have to land back where they came from. Might consider a defensive retreat,(maybe only after 2nd round of battle) this would allow you to keep some of your units if they survive. If you do end up using a reinf rule I like limiting it @ 2 units, any more would be to much of an advantage. I’m not sure why you wouldn’t give this rule to the attacker, maybe only if the defender dose it first. It would be harder for the attacker to bring in reinf as many times he has thrown everything at you, or his units have no movement left to join the battle. hope this helps.

Hi Turtle, I’m new to this forum. I’ve used a similar rail system as a house rule. All nations would get rail movement in any territory their side controls, anywhere except inland China. They can rail inf, art, or AA gun. The # of units a country can rail is capped at its ipc value. Example say Italy has 2 inf & 1 art on Rome. It could rail these 3 units through Balkans(3 ipc’s) and into Bulgaria in non combat only, as long as they haven’t moved earlier. The Axis would have to had controlled of all 3 territories since the beginning of Italy’s turn. I have allowed rail into a newly captured territories also capped at its ipc value. In this example Bulgaria (2 ipc) would only be able at except 2 units, but the 3rd unit could go to Czec/Hung. I would also give the 1 ipc Soviet territories east of Moscow a +1 rail capability to get your Siberians home quicker. I like rail being damaged by SBR & Rockets, up to that territories ipc value. Say if Balkans had 1 dam marker on it it could only rail 2 units. Maybe pay 1/2 for dam markers with Increased Factory Tech. I think rail would allow the axis to be at Moscow’s door much sooner. You might want to think about a Non Aggression Pact with Japan or mobile IC’s for Russia to offset.

Hi, I’ve been reading post for a long time. Today seemed like a good day to pop my cherry so I registered. I like the inf barracks, thought about using it myself. Cost @ 7 ipc, but can upgrade to full IC for 10 ipc. Another way to get inf in to the game is to allow 1 inf to be mobilized at any VC @ say 4 ipc, maybe 2 inf at Paris (worth more).