AA50 - Capital Ships and Damage - House Rules

[imd]

Playing with a regular foursome, we are mostly gripped by the naval combat side of AA50, as it plays so much better than other AA editions.

Here’s an idea that comes from wanting to simulate damage effects to important ships, and typically their withdrawal from combat areas for many weeks after taking damage.

I’d love to hear how experienced players get along with this idea!

A&A 50 - Capital Ships and Damage House Rule

1. Capital ships were important ships and in AA50 include battleships, aircraft carriers, and cruisers. They represent major investment and benefit from armour and escort protection.

2. Capital ships can take damage without being sunk as follows:
   a) Battleships can take two damage
   b) Aircraft Carriers and Cruisers can take one damage

3. Whenever a capital ship takes damage without sinking, place a damage marker under the ship. A battleship can therefore have one or two damage markers.

4. When a capital ship has a damage marker its firepower is reduced by one i.e.
   a) A battleship with one damage marker, hits on a roll of 3
   b) A battleship with two damage markers, hits on a roll of 2
   c) An Aircraft carrier with a damage marker, has 0 attack firepower, but hits on a 1 in defence.
   d) A cruiser with one damage marker hits or a roll of 2

5. Damage can only be repaired “in a shipyard” at a friendly victory city (includes Cairo and Capetown), as follows
   a) The damaged ship may return in non-combat movement to the shipyard. A battleship with two damage markers may only move one sea zone per turn.
   b) Damaged ships to be repaired are then placed “in the shipyard” on the land space.
   c) Once placed “in the shipyard” a damaged ship may not go to sea without having repairs.
   d) The vessel may be repaired by the owing player at a cost of 1xD6 IPCs for each point of damage in any subsequent repair damage phase. A battleship which has two damage markers may be repaired in any one repair damage phase at a cost of 2xD6 IPCs, or if the owner chooses over any two repair damage phases (i.e. spreading the cost)
   e) A ship which has had full repairs must leave the shipyard in the same turn and must return to the same sea zone from which it entered the shipyard.
   f) A battleship which has been partly repaired may go to sea as above, but does not have to until it is fully repaired.
   g) A ship in the shipyard has no attack or defence value, and does not prevent enemy forces entering the territory. It is eliminated if this occurs and also by an enemy combat hit. A damaged ship cannot take hits before other defending combat units.

6. If an aircraft carrier is damaged, roll one die for any fighter attempting to land on its deck. On a roll of 6 the fighter must be taken out of service by placing a damage marker under it. It may not take off or defend or take a hit. It is treated as cargo and is eliminated if the carrier is sunk. Any unserviceable fighters become service ready if and when the carrier itself enters a shipyard.

Ian Duncan, Galashiels, Scotland

[Flashman]

I would add that if using these rules, capital ships take two turns to build. You lay down the hull on one turn (paying half the coast), and can then complete it on any subsequent turn.
If the shipyard territory containing a hull is captured the new owner can finish the job and get a new cap ship at half price.

[Imperious Leader]

only one ship on the list can take damage. The others are all one hit ships and cant “collect” damage.  How do ships that are sunk get to sail back to the shipyard and get repaired?

I think you meant to say this:

2)  Capital ships can take damage without being sunk as follows:
a)  Battleships can take three hits
b)  Aircraft Carriers and Cruisers can take two hits

If this is the case the cost of naval needs to increase because it makes the other naval useless by comparison.

Secondly, you have to ask if this is doing what?

1. modeling a more realistic way of handling the damage
2. making it more fun to play
3. balanced
4. easy to enforce

I make no declarations on this, but i feel its not meeting the criteria of 1-4.

But i see that a damaged BB should have reduced combat effectiveness.

[PelierBay]

What would you make a 3 hit battleship cost? 30-36    Thats almost all my money

What about heavy carriers? 3 fighters :mrgreen: You would prob need to add some new units to the game.

Sounds interesting tho i might try

[d142]

there could be many classes of each ship type,

i.e. 3 hit battleship can take 2 damage, and cost 27

2 hit battleship, 1 damage, cost 20

3 fighter carrier, 2 hit, 1 damage, cost 24

2 fighter carrier, 1 hit, cost, 14

a battleship hit’s at 4, until it is reduced to 1 hit

battle cruiser, 2 hit’s 1 damage, cost 17

if you develop the super submarine tech, your standard sub cost is reduced by 1

fast destroyer’s, move 3, cost 12,

heavy transport, capacity doubled, cost 12,

if a ship has to be repaired, which i think they should, they can not attack make a combat move when damaged,
they must return to a shipyard, and pay 1 i.p.c. per damage, or stay at the shipyard for 1 turn,

ship’s at a shipyard can not be attacked, except by s.b.r. which can increase the cost of repair by the number that is rolled on the dice

the playing pieces could be easily made distinguishable by placing a control marker beside each uprated ship

[Locke]

we used to play this way in 1st edition.  It works well, but we didn’t give a 3rd hit to the BB.  Also we used a rule that damaged ships could repair only at a port, and it either cost 2d6 to repair rolled randomly or it cost half the cost of the ship.  It worked really well, but we used to play alot of free for alls, so that might have been the reason.

[Imperious Leader]

It should read:

4)  When a battleship has a damage marker its firepower is reduced by one i.e.
a)  A battleship with one damage marker, hits on a roll of 3
b)  A battleship with two damage markers, sinks
c)  An Aircraft carrier with a damage marker sinks
d)  A cruiser with one damage marker sinks

all ships thats take one hit sink is the rule

the BB can take 2 hits before it sinks.

If you want to make all the units take 2-3 hits, that will be a big change