• '17 '16 Customizer

    I was introduced to an optional rule last weekend that put a whole new twist on the game. Paratroopers. In a nutshell, a bomber is used as C130 air transport that can carry up to 3 INF to be dropped any where the plan can reach. These are seperate pieces from bombers so C130’s cannot be used as such.

    1. Can only load from an air base.
    2. No attack or defense value. Can be used as a causulty.
    3. If shot down by AA gun, cargo is lost too.
    4. Can carry 1, 2 or 3 Inf. only.
    5. 3 per country on the board at any one time.
    6. Cost = $10
    7. MAD = 6-0-0
    8. China, ANZAC & France cannot purchase any.

    We pulled some bomber pieces from an old game and painted invasion stripes on them. (Silver for Allies. Red for Axis) GB & Germany used them to great advantage. I quickly learned that leaving a territory empty was an open invite for Paratroopers to blitz. I think this house rule adds some great fun to the game.


  • One thing to keep in mind is that, in the real world, paratrooper units lack both firepower and staying power.  They usually have no heavy weapons, and they usually have limited amounts of ammunition, food and other supplies.  Dropping supplies to them by parachute helps, but ultimately patroops dropped behind enemy lines need to be relieved by ground forces fairly quickly because they can’t hold territory on their own for very long.  So your rules might want to specify that, unless ground forces can reach them in 1 turn, paratroop forces dropped behind enemey lines are declared lost and are removed from play.


  • while driving on the way home, it got me thinking about paratroopers… I came up with something like this:

    a paratrooper should cost 4 instead of 3 (it is best if you have a different type of infrantry unit, or colour, to distinguish them from regular infrantry). They can be loaded on a bomber (2 or 3 at the same time).

    The bomber then acts the same as in a SBR (including fighter escorts and AA gun fire IF there is an AA gun in the territory being attacked). It cannot participate in combat for the remainder of that round.

    Paratroopers can ONLY land when that same territory is attacked by regular ground forces (otherwise u could drop 3 of them in onuccopied berlin and land your bomber in Russia and you’ve captured berlin, wich is not the point).

    A paratrooper’s attack and defence value is the same as a regular infrantry except they get an attack value of 2 (this represents the advantage of the element of surprise) when entering combat through an airdrop (same like the marines in the first AA pacific game).

    EDIT after reading captainhook’s ruling on artillery I figured it’s better if they can’t be supported by artillery when entering combat during an airdrop (they’ll have the attack value of 2 anyway). They can offcourse be supported by artillery when making combat moves as regular infrantry.

    Now back on their transport. As said before, the bombers act as if it was an SBR. If the enemy AA gun hits on a 1, the bomber is lost. Let’s say the bomber was carrying the maximum of 3 paratroopers, roll 3 dice. For each 1 and 2 you role, you can keep that paratrooper to attack with.

    for example. You attack with 1 bomber and 3 paratroopers, the AA gun hits on 1. The bomber is lost. Then you role 3 dice (1 for each paratrooper) and you roll a 2, a 4 and a 6. This means that 1 paratrooper unit got out of the bomber that got shot down and is still able to participate in the attack. The other 2 are also lost (like cargo on a transport).

    In any other way, paratroopers are used as normal infrantry with a normal attack value of 1 and defense value of 2.

    Thoughts on this?


  • They cannot be moved on a bomber during noncombat movement by the way. Otherwise you can just fly around to defend weak points wich can be a ridiculous sight


  • @CWO:

    One thing to keep in mind is that, in the real world, paratrooper units lack both firepower and staying power.

    That is very true. A lot of optional rules aim at including paratroopers because they are so cool.

    However, they are more of strategic unit then an actual shock troop.

    I think that:
    -they should be bought first and then loaded in the plane.
    -They could only take part in an assault involving other land units.
    -Their tactical use should be represented by a “suprise attack” on the first round, just like submarines.
    -They cannot be supporter by artillery.
    -First round attack 2.


  • @captainhook

    how many would you allow in a plane? I’d say 3 because of the heavy cost of a bomber…

    I think I’ll try them out this weekend. I won’t give them a surprise attack like a submarine tho. Just an attack value of 2 when they’re attacking following an airdrop. I’m really curious to see how it plays.


  • 3 seems fair.

    Remember that they should be more expensive than regular infantry.

    My only concern with paratroopers is that they become such a crucial asset to Germany, if they want to sea lion, and when sustaining the russian front…


  • yeah I assume they should cost 4. The only advantage they have is their airborne assault. Bombers are also expensive, especially used as transports so… I assume 4 is enough. Can’t wait to try them out hehe


  • Got Airtransport planes in my game with only moving 1 inf in combat or non. I’m going to try Airtransport plane cost 12  A-0  D-1 Move 6. Have to have before buying Paratroopers. Only 5 Paratroopers at all times. Plane can transport  all 5 in combat only. Cost 4  A-2  D-2. Then become normal infrantry on next turn if they are not picked up and moved to another territory. To strong will see. Cannot be used in an Amb assault.


  • I like the idea of limiting the number of paratroopers one side can get, otherwise I really feel that the board is going to become flooded with them. Think about it, if one decide not to use their special assault, they can ferry 3 units from germany to west Ukraine, every turn with one plane ( the plane going back to where it started from each time).

    We have to remember that paratroopers are elite troops, and limiting their number to 3 or 6 (1 or 2 loads), should represent that.


  • Ya agree, maybe 5 will be to strong but will see. Having a 6 and 12 die advanced games is nice because you have more things you can try with a bunch of tech and NA’s and the game doesn’t become boring over time when you play it alot. Ain’t nothing like having 30 tanks each and 60 infrantry each on the Eastern front with air support and commanders that boost your attack or defense. But if you have the pleasure of playing a bunch of different skilled players than you can try certain things. Just my PO.


  • 1 per planes is enough.
    4 IPC for a paratroopers is OK.
    Attack at 2 in the first round of combat but not much than that.


  • Yeah, 3 might be a bit much.

    How about this:
    -Cost 4.
    -2 paratroopers per plane.
    -Can use a normal bomber to conduct a drop.
    -If the plane is shot, the troopers die with it.
    -Attack at 2 in the first round.
    -Cannot be supported by artillery.
    -Maximum 4 Paratroopers per side, at a given time.


  • I don’t think you should limit the paratroopers. A bomber costs 12 and if someone wants to attack with 9 paratroopers (say if you can indeed load 3 per bomber), they’d have to pay 36 IPC’s for their transport and another 36 for the 9 paratroopers.

    This is also 72 IPC’s that can be swept away in AA gun fire and 36 IPC’s that cannot be used during combat for that round (as the bomber is limited to transport). It’s a very expensive operation for what it really is. It’s good to give your amphibious assaults (sea lion or normandy) an extra notch and kick in some infrantry quickly at the front line but remember your bombers always have to go back and get them so they can never make 2 airborne attacks in a row.

    Also, once my paratroopers have landed and there’s no use to put in an airdrop, I’d spent the 4 IPC’s on artillery or regular infrantry instead (as these paratroopers will act the same as infrantry when on the attack when crossing territorries on foot).

    I think it’ll do fine without limiting and I don’t really think the board will be floaded with paratroopers as you need these really expensive bombers to transport them with. Also a bomber loses his attack that round (an attack with a value of 4! compared to 3 attacks of 2…). Paratroopers will usually only be used to get that more infrantry in that attack and their advantage mainly is that they can land so u have more units to defend that territory afterward, as a bomber can not land nor defend that territory that you just took.


  • Well to resolve the problem, all you have to do is to add air transport.
    Just use A&A bomber and remove 1 motor on each bomber wing to recongnize the plane.
    Also I personnaly think that is better to limit the elite units because any soldier can’t become
    a paratroopers or an elite soldier.


  • Right. Got to buy plane first, then the restricted amount of paratroopers.


  • What other use would air transport have then? Transport ships can transport anything whereas transport planes could only transport paratroopers?

    The choices u’d have to make between bombers and paratroopers would add another significant and strategic factor to the game. 1 attack of 4 vs 3 attacks of 2, an extra bit of firepower or would you rather have paratroopers to keep the occupied territorry protected against counterattackts etc. Especially if you implement an airdrop the same way as an SBR (with fighter escorts and all, how many escorts would you add in the SBR and how many would you commit to the actual battle etc etc)

    I think if you play economically and smart, the paratroopers will be reduced as you wont have too many occasions where you’d actually need them. I’m pretty sure the main units on the board will still be infrantry and artillery.


  • Well I think that if you don’t want to restrict the number of paratroopers, I think that you shouldn’t be able to use normal bomber for dropping purposes, and will need a special “no bombing” bomber, that is bought only for the purpose of carrying paratroopers.


  • Each Bomber can transport up to 2 infrantry (of any type) from any territory during non-combat move. 6 spaces. Then can’t be used in any other duty.

    Each Bomber can transport up to 2 Paratroopers only 2 territorys from a friendly territory during combat move. Paratroopers and Bombers must start in the same territory. Bomber cannot perform any other duties during that turn.

    You could make it were you have to buy Air Transport Bombers to perform these duties for non-combat or combat or both.


  • I like that, the distinction between carrying normal and paratroopers. It is true that a plane could just take normal guy, land and have them get out of the plane. It requires more training to jump out of the said plane, whilst shooting your Thompson sub machine gun and smoking a cigar…

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