Here is my proposal new simplified E version inspired by 1942.2 SBR:
How to make a strategic bombing raid:
1. Announce how many bombers you are bringing to bomb your enemy’s factory.
2. Interceptors: If your enemy has fighters stationed in the territory, these fighters can try to intercept you. In this case you may need to bring escort fighters along with your bombers to help see them through.
This battle lasts only one round.
1. All incoming escorts fire first (first strike), then remove interceptor casualties.
After, bombers fire according to this scale, and all other casualties from TcB or StB get to return fire before being eliminated :
Jet fighter A@2 & D@3
Fgt Interceptor @2 As in 1942.2 SBR.
Fighter escort @1 First strike. As in 1942.2 SBR.
Tactical bomber @1 As in 1940.2 TacBR.
Strategical bomber @0, but can take 2 hits in SBR air combat
[[s]b]Optionnal: StrB get only 1@1 regardless of number of StB
Optionnal: strategical bomber @1 up to 1/StB or 1/Fg interceptor, which ever is less.
Basically, each StB works like 1 single AA shot @1.
You cannot have more shot than the number of StB or Fg. So the max is 1 shot per Fg.
2. All interceptors fire against the incoming planes:
StrBomber in the 1 rnd air combat of an SBR, can take a hit before being destroyed.
But if it receives this hit, the StrB cannot do any damage on IC
Any damaged StrB are destroyed at the end of this SBRaid
After the air combat round, any damaged StrB can still be submit to AAA fire and be taken as casualties.
3. All casualties from bombers and interceptors are removed. Surviving escorts and interceptors withdraw.
4. Surviving bombers will face AAA fire from the defending territory’s IC.
StrB (and TcB going against NB and AB) must endure AAA fire before bombing IC (or NB & AB) as usual.
AAA fires 1 dice against each StrB and TacB.
For each “1” it gets a hit and owner’s choose casualties.
If it is a TcB, then it is destroy,
if it is an undamaged StB, then it is also destroyed.
As said above, any damaged StB cannot make any bombing drop on IC (or NB & AB), but can be taken as casualty instead of any other StB or TcB.
Thus any undamaged StB not hit by AAA can bomb the IC:
at 1D6+2 (1940) or 1D6 (1942)
Ex.:
3 StBs can endure 2 hits from interceptors on the same StB without destroying the other two StB and both can bomb IC.
If there was two escorting fighters, the attacking player have to choose between destroying
a) 2 Fgs,
b) destroying 1 Fg and damaging 1 StB or
c)destroying 1 StB.
During the AAA phase, any “1” rolled destroy a StB but let’s suppose AAA got 1 hit:
net result for…
a) 2 StB can bombard IC, lost 2 Fgs and 1 StB
b) 2 StB can bombard IC, lost 1 Fg and 1 StB
c) 1 StB can bombard IC, lost 2 StBs.
Let’s suppose there was no hit from IC’s AA:
a) 3 StB bombard IC, lost 2 Fgs
b) 2 StB can bombard IC, lost 1 Fg and 1 StB
c) 2 StB can bombard IC, lost no Fg and 1 StB
Do you see the challenge of the attacker when choosing hits during the aircombat phase?
5. BOMBING DAMAGE:
Finally, keep the damage on IC and NB, AB as 1D6+2 for a StrB and 1D6 for TcB.
But to promote more airbattle with interceptors, when a SBR or TcB get a free ride without interceptors, the bombing damage get fiercer:
2D6 keep the better one and add +2. (As if it was a heavy bomber).
If playing 1942.1/1942.2, this could be 1D6+2 (instead of OOB 1D6) for the more accurate bombing.
For Tactical Bomber this could be 1D6+2.
I’m sure defending players will allocate more interceptors to prevent this.
6. The total is the amount of damage done to the Industrial Complex.
StrB still can be destroy even behind a screen of escort Fgts.
I was looking for a middle way to reduce the odds of loosing too many bombers if compare to OOB Global 1940 rule for escort that was really protecting StrB behind escort Fgts.
What do you think of this version of SBR?