G40 and 1942.2 AA fire always on

  • 2024 '22 '21 '19 '15 '14

    Anyone tried playing this way?

    I’ve been thinking lately about the Classic AAgun, and how it always fired at enemy planes flying overhead. It might be interesting if the combat AAA guns were treated the same way in 1942.2 and Global. Firing even during the non-combat phase. Then the unit would effectively be an “air blocker” and might actually be worth its cost in ipcs.

    Thoughts?


  • The more mobile AAA units had less range and effectiveness at high elevation than the static units with all big guns. That made the defenses around cities more like the air blockers you mentioned. The more mobile units, integrated with other units, were more likely to see individual engagements between a crew or platoon and a plane. This would be represented by normal combat in A&A.

    With that said, I like ideas that try to mix things up a little. Even if they aren’t historically accurate. It keeps things from getting redundant. Give it a shot and report back.


  • Historically accurate ? In what alternate universe could a Hurricane take of from England, fly over Germany and Italy, do combat in the Med and land in North Africa ? All in one move. And with no risk of being intercepted ? Come on man… In the real war the average Fighter had a hard time just crossing the Channel and return home. Flying non stop North Pole to Africa is just fiction. Need a fix.


  • Maybe an HR that allows for fighters in spaces being tranversed by aircraft to sortie in defense would fix the problem. That would be historically accurate as well. It would also be suggesting something in the manner in which big people talk.

  • 2024 '22 '21 '19 '15 '14

    Well my initial thought was to have facility AA always on, you know at bases and factories. But those units are already quite powerful, and don’t suffer from the same problem as the AAAgun combat unit, which is regarded as a poor purchasing option for the cost.

    How about a compromise, AA Fire always on during the combat movement phase?

    Then at least you could fly home in safety haha.
    But the idea that aircraft can fly over a bunch of territories that have aaaguns (and territories that have facilities which supposedly include them) with no risk, seems a bit silly.

    If the AAAgun combat unit had an “always on, during combat movement” aspect, then players would definitely be more likely to buy the unit.  They would have an incentive to place them along the likely combat flight paths.

    This wouldn’t totally screw up defensive fighter shifting on non com (which is probably too important for game balance to nix at this point), but if you restricted the aaafire to the combat movement phase at least enemy air units couldn’t also run an attack at no risk, and then camp for defense to boot.

    You could probably do away with the “built-in” AA gun of bases and factories altogether. Players would just buy combat AAAguns and place them where they think they’ll be needed for air blocking.

    Imagine for example placing a few AAAGuns in Yakut or China or France in 1942.2
    Or in Global with the really complex flight paths that travel across multiple territories, like 5-7 spaces out. The AAAgun at 5 ipcs would suddenly be a way more interesting purchase, since you could use it to shut down the long distance fly over attacks, or at least push them into more favorable directions.

    Anyway, just felt it might be worth considering, since the mechanic would be familiar already to players of Classic or Revised, and pretty easy to adapt to the new boards I’d think.


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