• We all know that destroyers existed at the time of the First World War, so obviously many of us will be adding them in to A&A1914, using destroyers from other A&A games while we wait for IL’s game.

    My current assumption is that Larry didn’t include destroyers due to the less advanced anti-submarine warfare of WWI and destroyers in A&A are primarily used in an anti-submarine role (it wasn’t until 1916 that a submarine was destroyed by a depth charge).

    Given that tanks are delayed until Turn 4 and the first tank action was September 1916, destroyers should also become available on turn 4 to reflect increasing effective anti-submarine warfare. I say we should use the standard destroyer rules (2/2/2, prevent submarines from moving, submerging, etc.).


  • In our game, Destroyers are required to allow the defender to retreat ( smokescreen).

    An optional rule in the standard game is to allow the Germans the ability to retreat naval w/o destroyers ( Gefechtskehrtwendung Movement)

  • Customizer

    Remember that the original term was torpedo boat destroyer, they were designed to protect large ships from the menace of small torpedo carrying boats.

    I think LH may have decided that they would be too easily used to soak up hits in naval combat, but then you could use subs in that role.

    Perhaps, to justify TBDs, you need to include MTBs, but then that introduces even cheaper naval fodder units. The “feel” of WWI at sea is the big ship shootouts, even though the reality suggests that they were already white elephants.


  • The biggest problem would be color matching.

    From the promo flyer, it looks like the French, Soviet, and US destroyers would match their WWI counterparts reasonably well.

    The British tan destroyers and German black destroyers wouldn’t be crazy out of place with their WWI forces. The Japanese destroyers could be used for the Italians.

    I guess we’ll just have to assign the Italian brown and ANZAC gray destroyers to the Austro-Hungarians and Ottomans depending on how we’re feeling.

    Unless you give the ANZAC gray to WWI Germany and then give the black to the Ottomans and the brown to the Austro-Hungarians.

    Those Russians could turn out to be brown, in which case they get the Italian destroyers and the Soviet destroyers go to the Austro-Hungarians.

    One could always put a roundel underneath the destroyer if it gets too confusing.

    I’m still all for adding them despite the color clash, since from what I’ve read they were plucky little things, even engaging much larger ships at Jutland. Not sure if they should cost 7 or 8. I’m leaning toward 7.

  • Liaison TripleA '11 '10

    @Imperious:

    In our game, Destroyers are required to allow the defender to retreat ( smokescreen).

    An optional rule in the standard game is to allow the Germans the ability to retreat naval w/o destroyers ( Gefechtskehrtwendung Movement)

    We’ve been using that rule for years! Clearly you stole that idea from us…  Just want that to be clear. :P

  • Customizer

    Ah, yes: the old Gefechtskehrtwendung Movement.

    didn’t Don Rae come up with that in about 1987?


  • I raised Don Rae. But he hatched after 1987. Soon after that he made the fryer…into nuggets and finally the sewer system.

    Since Germany has an inferior naval deployment, the retreat rules make sense to give them some flexibility.

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