Posts made by wove100

Naval Techs

4. Anti-Submarine Warfare - Your Cruisers prevent enemy subs from submerging or moving through them at a 1:1 ratio.

5. Battle Cruisers - Cruisers attack at 4 or less, but still defend at 3 or less. Additionally, cruisers may perform offshore bombardment at 3.

6. Q Ships - Transports defend at 1 or less.

Naval Aviation was too unrealistic, so dropped it in favor of Q Ships (armed transports).

Made Battle Crusiers 4/3/3 to account for their increased firepower, while taking into account their lesser armor when compared to dreadnoughts.

Economic Techs

1. War Bonds - During your collect income phase, collect an additional number of IPCs equal to 10% of your National Production Chart level, rounded up.

2. Increased Production - Tank and Fighter costs are reduced by 1 IPC.

3. Improved Shipyards - Naval units cost 1 IPC less.

We can argue about the war bonds. I think 10% is better than a die roll and if we round up, the average pay off should be between 2 and 4 IPCs.

@oztea:

I thought I read somewhere that Italy can’t attack on its first turn unless AH has attacked it.
Sort of like how the US has delayed entry.

That would make sense from a historical perspective.

I think that was an early assumption we made, foolishly knowing that Italy didn’t join the war until 1915 . . .

@CWO:

@wove100:

But we don’t have destroyers.

That’s what I meant when I called them an “invisible unit.”  There are no destroyers in the A&A 1914 game.  Of course, some destroyer sculpts can easily be imported from the A&A WWII games, but this would be the addition of a unit that doesn’t exist under the 1914 rules rather than a tech upgrade to one which does exist.

No one in the real Second World War fired rockets out of AA Guns. But in A&A Classic and over versions, AA Guns were upgraded to fire invisible rockets without a separate sculpt being necessary. It was a capability that was added to the existing unit that made the most sense. In this game, the ASW role makes the most sense being assigned to cruisers.

@oztea:

12. Naval Aviation - Fighters in territories adjacent to a sea zone in which naval combat will occur may participate in naval combat in the same manner as they do in land combat, but may not be hit by submarines. Surviving fighters return to the same territory they joined the battle from.
Needs to boost cruisers or battleships or no one will do this. Honestly, IL’s point about sea winds being too strong might mean this needs to be replaced.

I sort of sublimated the cruiser/battleship boost into the “in the same manner as they do it land combat.” I assume the battle for air supremacy would happen first, with the side winning air supremacy getting the boost, and then remaining fighters strafing. Just didn’t spell it out.

Hmm, hadn’t thought of that. Clever. Gives Italy time to reinforce Venice though, but I doubt even a first round attack could capture Venice, so it’s going to be contested anyway. It might also get the French and British to ignore the Italian front: “Austria-Hungary didn’t attack Italy, so we don’t need to worry about that.”

Also, I feel the less die rolling the better, hence the war bonds switch and the Chemical Warfare switch.

It was heavily based off yours, obviously. My only change to Advanced Aviation was taking away the 3 movement for fighters.

For war bonds, maybe round it up. At the start, if Italy had War Bonds it would only get 1 IPC under standard rounding (it starts with 14 IPCs). But if you always round up, Italy would get 2. Germany at it’s starting income would get 4 either way. However, after losing all African territory, it would still get 4 if we always round up and only 3 if we round to the nearest whole number.

Maybe make the floor 2 IPC?

Remember, Albania only gets Italian troops if it is attacked by a CP or occupied by Italy. So, you’re actually sparing Italy by not costing them any IPCs.

Counter Proposal:

1. Anti-Submarine Warfare - Your Cruisers prevent enemy subs from submerging or moving through them at a 1:1 ratio

2. War Bonds - During your collect income phase, collect an additional number of IPCs equal to 10% of your National Production Chart level, rounded to the nearest whole number.

3. Advanced Aviation - In combat, fighters hit on a roll of 3 or less.

4. Radio Communications - During combats where friendly forces are also in the contested zone, roll a die. That many friendly artillery may be used to boost your attacking forces, but may not participate in combat.

5. Increased Production - Tank and Fighter costs are reduced by 1 IPC.

6. Improved Shipyards - Naval units cost 1 IPC less.

7. Chemical Warfare - In one attack this turn, roll a die: 1-4 that many infantry do not roll defensively; 5-6: No effect. If the defender also has the Chemical Warfare Breakthrough he halves the number of infantry so immobilized, rounded down.

8. Bombing - Fighters within 2 spaces of an enemy capital may perform a bombing raid instead of engaging in combat. Each fighter in the raid rolls one die, deducting 1 IPC from the attacked power’s treasury for each 1 rolled up to a maximum of 3 IPCs. Surviving fighters return to the same territory they launched the bombing raid from.

9. Battle Cruisers - Cruisers may perform offshore bombardment at 3.

10. Heavy Artillery - Your artillery can support 2 infantry instead of one.

11. AA Guns - Artillery may target fighters before combat begins, firing at 1. Artillery used against aircraft may not fire during subsequent combat. A nation with AA Gun technology may use it against fighters in a bombing raid, provided they have artillery units present in the capital.

12. Naval Aviation - Fighters in territories adjacent to a sea zone in which naval combat will occur may participate in naval combat in the same manner as they do in land combat, but may not be hit by submarines. Surviving fighters return to the same territory they joined the battle from.

Yes, War Bonds would be a sought after tech, but since all the industrialized WWI belligerents issued them, everyone should want them. Making it fixed reduces uncertainty and prevents windfalls like the Ottomans getting 6 extra IPCs out of nowhere. It does add an extra spur to keep as many territories as possible contested.

Remember, IPCs are not just money. They represent the total resources of a nation and are the only way to represent morale without a morale chart, that’s why bombing takes away IPCs, but only 3 max. Tactical bombing is represented by Advanced Aviation.

Edited to fix a spelling error.

How about for an economic tech:

Foreign Aid:

During your purchase units phase, you may transfer x IPCs to an ally.

I would say the cap should be 5 IPCs.

@CWO:

Number 1: this kind of implies that your cruisers have been “upgraded” to destroyers (which would in fact be a downgrade because destroyers are smaller).� Fitting depth charges on cruisers wouldn’t work either because they’re not fast or agile enough to make a decent attack run against a sub.� Maybe you could say that the cruisers are now escorted by destroyers…but it sounds odd for a tech upgrade to refer to an invisible unit.

But we don’t have destroyers. Cruisers are the closest we’ve got, so that’s why the ability gets added to cruisers. I suppose you could add it to transports to simulate convoys, but they’d still be sitting ducks without protection.

Plus, one cruiser in A&A does not equal one cruiser in real life. Think of the scale. A cruiser in A&A clearly represents multiple cruisers. With this tech it would now represent both cruisers and destroyers because we don’t have a destroyer sculpt.

Must be their anti-monarchist tendencies as Americans.

@BJCard:

Another thing we should consider is the cost of techs-  With no National Objectives, contested territories, low IPC territories outside western Europe and capitals, and Africa not worth much, there won’t be a lot of money to go around, at least until an Allied or CP country falls.

I mean, Germany starts with 35, a good sum (and the most in the game), but may not rise much higher for a few turns.  It will likely lose its Africa territories and make slow gains in Europe (one combat round and not making money off of contested territories).  With two or three fronts, can Germany afford to put 5 IPCs into Tech?

Britain?  30 IPCs, likely gain a couple from German Africa territories.  They have to split their income between India and UK.  Not likely to want to put 5 IPC into Tech.

Austria?  26 IPCs.  not likely to grow above 30 quickly.

Russia, France, Ottoman, and Italy will likely fall below 20 in the first few turns.

The US only gets 20.  They need transports and troops.

I suppose one could invade a few neutrals to gain more IPC’s/turn… but is it worth it?

So who will roll for tech?

I’ve never played A&A50, so I don’t know tech tokens from my elbow, but what about something along the lines of paying 1 IPC to get a die roll toward a particular tech. If you roll a 1, you get the tech. If you roll a 2-6, nothing happens. The following turn, you can spend 1 additional IPC to research the same tech. On a roll of 1-2, you get the tech. If you roll 3-6, nothing happens. Or, you could just roll again without spending any additional money, hoping for a roll of 1. Continue in this vein until you get the tech (guaranteed in 6 turns).

Or, perhaps each alliance researches tech together, guaranteeing a tech in 2 turns if each power puts 1 IPC toward it (this does, of course favor the allies, since its 4 vs 3, then later 5 vs 3). Perhaps only 2 or 3 IPC may be spent each turn by each alliance.

Additionally, money spent researching cannot be reallocated to another tech. If you’re going after Naval Aviation, you have to stick with it, or abandon the previous IPC sunk into research to go after another tech.

Edit: deleted an extra “if.”

But IPCs aren’t just money. They also represent manpower and productivity. They represent the total resources of a nation. They are also the only way in the game to represent morale without designing and adding a morale track. WWI bombing affected morale, which affected manpower, which affected production.

Reduce it further. In a strategic bombing raid, only a roll of 1 deducts 1 IPC. Even max it out at half of the capital’s IPC value, so the most that can be lost in a turn is the cost of 1 infantry (London, Paris) or 1 artillery (Berlin).

By restricting it to capitals it makes it less likely to happen. I would say reduce it to adjacent territory, but then Germany can’t hit London. It should be a tech modifying fighters because we ain’t getting bombers in A&A1914 any other way.

@oztea:

Bombers - your aircraft may attack enemy supplies. When strafing, instead of attacking an enemy unit, roll a die, the enemy must surrender that many IPCs to the bank. The number may not exceed the printed value of the territory ( I really don’t like the bombers tech, there was really no industrial bombing in WWI)

I see World War I bombing as an anti-morale exercise, that’s why I think it should be limited to a strategic bombing raid type of move, with the IPCs being deducted representing a nation’s decreased productivity due to bombing. No problem with maxing it out at IPC value.

For economic, why not consider the old A&A Classic: everything costs one less.

It appears they worked hardest at matching Greece.

Like ossel, I’m for 6 techs, a la A&A Classic.

Instead of a reroll for Chemical warfare, how about the following to simulate gas masks:

If Chemical Warfare is successful against you, halve the number of infantry immobilized, rounded down (4 becomes 2, 3 becomes 1, 2 becomes 1, 1 becomes 0).

For Radio Communication:

For each artillery unit of an ally in the same territory, one infantry or tank is promoted to the with artillery support box. Allied artillery does not participate in battle.

Instead of Advanced Aeronautics:

Strategic Bombing - Fighters within 2 spaces of an enemy capital may perform a strategic bombing raid (Thus Germany can hit Paris or London from Belgium) instead of engaging in combat. Each fighter in the raid rolls one die, deducting 1 IPC from the attacked power’s treasury for each 1 or 2 rolled (the airborne version of USW).

For Undersea Warfare (Anti-Submarine Warfare):

Your Cruisers prevent enemy subs from submerging in battle or moving through a sea zone you occupy at a 1:1 ratio.

Since the first aircraft carrier wasn’t operational until October 1918, change Naval Aviation to:

Your fighters may be assigned to a naval combat in a sea zone adjacent to the territory they occupy. Fighters in naval combat behave in the same way as in land combat: establish air supremacy, strafe enemy ships, boost surface ships’ combat values by 1.

Replace Tanks with AA Guns, which were pretty much born in WWI, although primitive:

AA Guns - If enemy aircraft are present in a battle, roll one die before the battle for air supremacy begins. On a roll of 1, an enemy fighter is destroyed. If an enemy is conducting a strategic bombing raid, roll one die before the enemy fighters roll to determine IPC damage. On a roll of 1, an enemy fighter is destroyed. - Could be changed to roll one die per artillery unit, but getting the altitude right was tough in WWI.

@ossel:

I personally think you should strike gas off the list all together…it’s a very ‘local’ weapon, and simulating at the theater level is a bit silly…just think of it as being incorporated into a standard ‘attack.’

Perhaps go with the suggestion, mentioned before but I can’t remember by whom, of making it like the artillery boost. Something like:

Gas: x number of infantry attack at 3 or less, or perhaps even 4 or less if you’re really into making gas potent.