The Research & Development Rule


  • The unsuccessful attempts should roll over(they do in Anniversary, don’t they?).
    As the US would always spend 10 ICPs before a DOW. Just because you can. As Russia why not spend 5, just in case and that would really annoy Germany if you were successful.


  • Yea we play the above house rule, more enjoyable in my opinion. Especially improved shipyard for the US, it is most fun.  :-)


  • I think there should always be a chance of failure regarding technology.


  • 1-2 fail (dice discard) 3-5 almost (keep dice) 6 success!

  • Sponsor

    @BulwFi:

    1-2 fail (dice discard) 3-4 almost (keep dice) 6 success!

    What about 5s?


  • 3-5 almost ( keep dice ) changed post*


  • Another big problem with the tech tree is that it is so haphazardly arranged, it should be four trees so you can be more precise when researching.

    Naval Tech (Super Subs, Shipyards, Radar)
    Air Tech (Jets, Long Range Aircraft, Heavy Bombers)
    Land Tech (Advanced Mech, Advanced Artillery, Paratroopers)
    Strategic Tech (Rockets, Increased Production, War Bonds)

  • Sponsor

    I would do this:

    Germany & United States
    1=Fail
    2-5=Carry Over
    6=Success

    Japan & United Kingdom
    1-2=Fail
    3-5=Carry Over
    6=Success

    Italy & Russia
    1-3=Fail
    4-5=Carry Over
    6=Success

    ANZAC & France (if they control Paris)
    1-4=Fail
    5=Carry Over
    6=Success

    China may never develop technology.

  • Liaison TripleA '11 '10

    If you just want to play OOB, I like to spend $5 a turn,  you always get something here and there.

  • Sponsor

    @Gargantua:

    If you just want to play OOB, I like to spend $5 a turn,  you always get something here and there.

    Are you saying that when you play, you spend $5 for 1 chance to roll a 6? That’s quite a gamble.


  • Yes. I think the morale victory you gain over your opponent cannot be overlooked.
    The other side getting a Tech depresses me and turns me to drink!

  • Sponsor

    @wittmann:

    Yes. I think the morale victory you gain over your opponent cannot be overlooked.
    The other side getting a Tech depresses me and turns me to drink!

    Depending on the tech, you may be right, but most of the time I say…. So what? Especially if my opponent spent $15-$25 trying to get it.

  • Liaison TripleA '11 '10

    Yea, I spend the $5…

    Except maybe not on G1, unless I’m going Barbarossa heavy.

    There’s nothing like getting LONG RANGE AIRCRAFT on the first or second turn of the game, and as I recall, OOB, you get the tech right away…  The repurcussions are deveastating.

    The reason I don’t spend more than $5… is because each turn, you’re going to ONLY be able to secure a single tech…  thus, you secure the fact that everyturn of the game, you are taking a chance at 1 tech.

  • Customizer

    I have some of the researcher tokens from the Anniversary game. You pay for the tokens and if you don’t get a breakthrough, you can try again next round. If you DO get a breakthrough, all your tokens go back and you start from scratch.
    Playing like this makes Gargantua’s idea a really good one. Each round purchase a token. Round 1 you roll 1 dice. If nothing, then round 2 you would roll 2 dice, and so on. That could be a cheap and easy way to get a tech or two without depleting your resources in one turn by trying for 5 or 6 dice all at once.

  • Liaison TripleA '11 '10

    In anniversary, you just make sure you are always rolling atleast 1 dice a turn.


  • I agree, its worth taking the risk every turn for a tech that helps a lot. I used to think tech was useless and not worth it until I actually started risking it and saw that you can actually get a few techs every game and is worth it.


  • The rule as stated is most defiantly an improvement over OOB. Now most nations will spend the 12 IPC. and get a roll everyturn.

    Changes to the listed Techs should also be developed and if grasshopper does this, i can make a file that people can print out for their own games.

    I would preclude USA and USSR from research till they are no longer neutral ( at war). That way Germany gets a head start, like they had.

  • Customizer

    @Imperious:

    The rule as stated is most defiantly an improvement over OOB. Now most nations will spend the 12 IPC. and get a roll everyturn.

    Changes to the listed Techs should also be developed and if grasshopper does this, i can make a file that people can print out for their own games.

    I would preclude USA and USSR from research till they are no longer neutral ( at war). That way Germany gets a head start, like they had.

    12 IPCs? Did I miss something? I thought it was 5 IPCs per dice/tech roll.


  • No this is a new idea, Pay 12 IPC and get a “research center” which can be bombed like a port or air base ( max 6 damage). Key feature is you get one roll for the rest of the game, but if you get a 6 you get a tech, and it takes one turn to reset before you can roll again. The other key difference is you don’t lose the investment once you win the tech.

    This is Grasshoppers idea:

    RESEARCH FACILITIES:

    During the “purchase new units phase”, Any nation who is at war, who holds their own capital, and has an eligible territory, may purchase “research facilities” for $12 each. During the “place new units phase”, research facilities must be placed on an originally owned territory (only one per territory) with an IPC value of 3 or more.

    During the “research and development phase”, each operational research facility may roll 1d6 for an opportunity to roll a 6 (only research facilities that were on the board prior to the research and development phase may make research rolls). If a facility rolls a 6 during research, they have made a technological breakthrough (regardless of how may 6s are rolled, a nation may only make 1 breakthrough per round).

    When a breakthrough has been achieved, that technology is available immediately. However, 1 research facility must be flipped for one full round making it unable to roll a research dice during the next research and development phase. The facility may be flipped back during the repair phase of the following turn, making it operational again (regardless of how many 6s are rolled, a nation need flip only 1 research facility per breakthrough).

    During a strategic bombing raid, research facilities (flipped or not) follow all the same damage, interceptor and repair rules as a minor complex, including built in AA Guns, and being vulnerable to strategic bombers only. If a research facility is captured by an enemy nation however, the invading player may choose to keep the facility for themselves, or have the facility destroyed in order to steal one technology from the conquered nation.

    New Turn Sequence

    1. Repair Units
    2. Research & Development
    3. Purchase New Units
    4. Combat Movement
    5. Conduct Combat
    6. Non-Combat Movement
    7. Place New Units
    8. Collect New Income

    • I recommend using the tokens from the A&A 50th AE as facilities, or getting some through HBG.

    • A new sequence will allow for repairing, developing breakthroughs, and purchasing accordingly.

    • China is ineligible to use research facilities due to purchase restrictions, and not having a capital.

    • Russia & the United Kingdom are limited to building only one research facility each.

    • India has 3 possible territories for building research facilities (Borneo is ineligible as it’s an island).

    • America can build 3 research facilities, but like Russia, must wait until they are at war.

    • The only chance for ANZAC to develop technology, is to capture an enemy research facility.

    • Germany has the most eligible territories for building research facilities at 7, Italy has 2.

    • I have deliberately left out any ideas for breakthrough charts because that aspect of the rule has the greatest political gap among us. I would like us to discuss the research phase only, because we can all use our own breakthrough charts later. As long as we can bridge the gap on the research phase instead of the development phase, we may have a chance to make “Laboratories” a universal house rule with a sticky post in this forum. We can talk about “Mexican Conscripts” and “Game Ending A-Bombs” in a later thread.


  • This is a great idea. Will introduce this into our group. Maybe 15 ipc for the centre 12 seems a bit cheap, air base and naval base are 15….

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