Looking for A&A Variant Playtesters

@SuperbattleshipYamato

Finished the first game:

2023-8-13-World-War-II-Global-1940-2nd-Edition.tsvg

The game was certainly unique and spiced up from the original rules. It’s quite biased towards the Axis, with the “cannot move into pro-Allied territories while the Soviets and/or the Americans are neutral” is crippling.

I definitely could’ve been more creative as Japan, but overall it was still a fun and unique game.

We use our own tech charts that are country specific. This is for Global 1940 but could be adapted to any game.

Germany
2 – The jet age begins and the ME-262 takes to the skies. Fighters defend at a 5 during ground attacks and scrambles, and defend at 3 during strategic and tactical bombing.
3 – King Tiger tank is developed and rolls off the assembly line. Armor now attacks on a 4.
4 – Type XXI U-boat is unleashed upon the Atlantic. Submarines attack at 3 and defend at 2.
5 – Nebelwerfer rocket packs delivered to the front. All artillery can support 2 infantry or mechanized infantry.
6 – Waffen SS divisions now attached to regular army divisions. “4+1” For every 5 infantry in a combat or defense. One attacks and defends at +1. With an attached artillery the attack value is increased to 3.
7 – V-2 Rocket is developed. Airbases may now conduct one industrial or naval/air base attack on a zone within 4 spaces. One die of damage is rolled per German controlled operational air base.
8 – Long range aircraft. All aircraft flight range is increased by 1 movement.
9 – Advanced radar. AA guns hit at 2 during strategic and tactical bombing raids.
10 – Improved mechanized infantry. All mechanized infantry attacks at a 2. Artillery do not boost.
11 - Improved aviation engineering and manufacturing. Fighters now cost 8 IPC.

12 – Atomic weapons. A new age of terror begins as the Nazis harness the power of the atom.
Atomic bombs cost 24 IPC to build. Only two may be built per turn. May not be built on same turn as breakthrough turn.
Move as infantry by land or sea. If loaded on a strategic bomber, it can move the current range of the bomber
Due to a lack of trained technicians and engineers, a nation may possess no more than 2 weapons at one time.
Due to the size and nature of the airburst associated with the nuclear warhead, no attack roll is required to score a successful hit.
No air defense, such as fighter scramble, is allowed due to the altitude of the strike plane and surprise of the attack. Only upgraded fighters may intercept. Long range aircraft or jet power technology must have been researched.
An atomic weapon is treated as an AAA gun if the territory in which it is stored is attacked. 
No AAA guns are to be fired due to the altitude of the strike plane and surprise of the attack only normal AA gun with factory can fire. Airbase and naval base do not fire AA.
Any industrial complex is attacked with 4 dice disabled to maximum value of 20 for major and 2 dice disabled to maximum value of 6 for minor complexes.
Any airbases or naval bases are attacked by one dice of value.
One dice is rolled and that number of units of defenders choice eliminated. AAA guns may be chosen.

If used on a naval assault:
The nuclear strike cannot be combined with surface vessels.
Due to the altitude of the strike plane and surprise of the strike, aircraft on carriers and loaded troops on transports are considered to be cargo and provide no defense. The 5 hits are assessed and the attacking bomber returns to base. No 2nd attack is permitted.
Transports chosen last.
USSR is not permitted to develop weapons until they are in a state of war.
1 – IL-2 Sturmovik rolls off the line. All fighters now attack at 4 when paired with a matching armor.
2 – T-36 rolls off the line. Tanks now attack at 4.
3 – Katyusha rocket packs to the front. Artillery can support 2 infantry.
4 – Russian home guard. “4+1”, for every 5 infantry on defense one defends at 3.
5 – 6 Roll again
Japan
1 – Kaiten submarine is unleashed upon the Pacific. Submarines attack at 3 and defend at 2.
2 – Improved ship building. Battleships cost 17 and carriers cost 13.
3 – Ship radar. Battleships now hit and defend at 5.
4 – Improved capital ship design. Battleships and carriers now require 3 hits to destroy.
5 – Long range aircraft. All aircraft flight range is increased by 1 movement.
6 – Improved aviation engineering and manufacturing. Fighters now cost 8 IPC
USA is not permitted to develop weapons until they are in a state of war.
2 – B-29 is developed by Boeing. Roll 2 dice for each strategic bomber in a combat or strategic raid. Range is increased to 8.
3 – Improved factories and manufacturing methods. Cost of all units except infantry, reduced by 1 IPC.
4 – Ship radar. Battleships now hit and defend at 5.
5 – Improved capital ship design. Battleships and carriers now require 3 hits to destroy.
6 – Improved ship building. Battleships cost 17 and carriers cost 13.
7 – P-51 Mustang rolls off line. Fighters now have a range of 6
8 – Rocket barges developed. Destroyers may now conduct shore bombardment at a 2.
9 – Improved mechanized infantry. All mechanized infantry attacks at a 2. Artillery do not boost.
10 – Long range aircraft. All aircraft flight range is increased by 1 movement. P-51 is not increased.
11 – Jet power developed. Fighters defend at 5 during defense and scramble and 3 during strategic and tactical bombing raids.
12 – Atomic weapons. See German section.

United Kingdom
1 – Sterling bombers developed. Roll 2 dice for each strategic bomber in a combat or strategic raid.
2 – Ship radar. Battleships now hit and defend at 5.
3 – Improved capital ship design. Battleships and carriers now require 3 hits to destroy.
4 – SAS Commandos. On first round only, of an amphibious assault infantry hit on a 2. Matching artillery boost to a 3.
5 – Anti-aircraft radar improvements. AA guns hit on 2 during strategic and tactical bombing.
6 – Spitfire III rolls off the line. Fighters now defend at 5 during defense and scrambles and 2 during strategic and tactical bombing raids.

Italy
1 – Long range aircraft. All aircraft flight range is increased by 1 movement.
2 - Improved aviation engineering and manufacturing. Fighters now cost 8 IPC
3 – Improved mechanized infantry. All mechanized infantry attacks at a 2. Artillery do not boost.
4 – Mobile artillery. Artillery may now move 2.
5 – Frogmen commandos. On the first round of combat only, 2 extra dice are rolled prior to a naval attack. A roll of 2 or less is a hit. Hits are assessed prior to the main attack.
6 – Roll again.

Australia – due to lack of industry and supplies are limited to naval improvements only. ANZAC is not permitted to develop weapons until they are in a state of war
1 – Improved ship building.
Cost table
Battleship 17
Aircraft Carrier 13
Cruiser 9
Destroyer 7
Transport 6
Submarine 5
2 – Ship radar. Battleships now hit and defend at 5.
3 – Improved capital ship design. Battleships and carriers now require 3 hits to destroy.
4 – 6 – Roll again.

Hello Kreuzfeld.

Thanks for the comments and interest.

Here’s what I’ve found in the 6 or 7 games we’ve played so far with this method.

@Aircraft Carriers: Actually, the games we have played so far did not have restrictions on what friendly nations planes could be on what aircraft carrier.  For instance, ANZAC could launch and recover combat move aircraft from a UK or USA carrier.  Carolina made this suggestion and we are going to incorporate it into our “Axis & Allies & Comintern” House Rules the next time we play in early May.  The reasons are the following:

Allies get a little too much of an advantage in the Pacific if they coordinate right.  ANZAC, being basically land-locked if Japan plays right and gets lucky, can just dedicate their IPC’s to pumping out Fighters and TAC’s …. This free’s USA up to just make CV’s and not worry so much about the planes.  …  Limiting CV’s to just being able to launch Combat Moves with their country’s plane balances this

It could also be argued that having carriers launch attacks with their own country’s planes is more historically accurate.  For sure, USA planes were used on UK carriers.  And I wouldn’t be surprised if USA crews even manned some of the planes (that is a TOTAL guess though).  However, most of the time crews trained long hours with the country and navy that they were going to be flying for.  Therefore, the CAG’s were of the same nation as the CV from which they were operating on.

@Casualties:  Any basically “random” method can be used, including all of the one’s you mentioned.  I gave one example and also left it open to other methods that different groups prefer.

@Analysis & Advantage  I fully agree with you.  The GREATEST advantage to this system is for the Allied and Russian players for sure.  In fact, I think it makes for basically balanced game.  The 6 or 7 games we have played so far have had both Axis and Allied/Russian wins.  ….  Here are some additional things we have noticed:

Like you mentioned, Italy/Germany Can Openers are eliminated on the Eastern Front, greatly helping the Russians.  This is SOMEWHAT mitigated by the new rule that doesn’t allow Allied Forces to step on Russian Controlled territories (and vice-versa) to reinforce Russia in the North … But the overall advantage definitely goes to Russia on this one

It is easier for Italy and Germany to combine forces and hold the Med via Gibraltar.  UK –> USA won’t be able to do Can Openers there.  This lets Italy dig into Africa a little bit more.

ANZAC doesn’t get side-showed as easy.  They can pump out subs, destroyers and maybe even the odd cruiser and incorporate them into the UK or USA fleets.  (historically accurate)

I could go on and on … but basically, “It’s a whole new way at looking at the day.”  :-D

[Copied from my post in your other thread on this subject, located here: http://www.axisandallies.org/forums/index.php?topic=37073.0]

Depicting a single regiment would be problematic in terms of game scale.  In general terms, a game on the scale of Global 1940 represents (admittedly in very abstract terms) the actions of units that are mostly the size of army groups and fleets – and, furthermore, of army groups and fleets which have no specific identity other than their nationality.  It would be hard to justify saying that one particular regiment-sized unit, with a specific name, ought to be added to the game; by that rationale, there are hundreds of other regiments that could be added too.

The obvious exception to the above principle is the single fighter which represents the Flying Tiger squadron in China…so it’s not an ironclad rule that units smaller than army groups and fleets are never represented in the game.  It can be argued, however, that the Flying Tigers are a special case because of their high profile, and because in the game China lacks aviation forces of its own.  China doesn’t lack infantry, however, so adding a USMC unit doesn’t bring anything distinctive to China’s forces.

Additionally, Global 1940 has no rules that govern riverine operations – which is understandable, because the game map doesn’t depict any rivers.  Even the Saint Lawrence, which is huge in real life, isn’t depicted: on the map, it looks like a strip of land.  There are a few lakes depicted, plus a few canals and narrow straights, but no rivers.  So a river patrol unit in China would literally have nowhere to go.

I was wrong about the Japanese fleet placement – they do start with a transport and destroyer off the coast of China already, so I don’t feel the need to add more boats there. Instead I would say put the extra DD and transport in the Caroline Islands, where they will be nicely placed to help facilitate earlier attacks on Hawaii, Australia, or Alaska.

@Uncrustable:

Tac bombers need something, they are rarely produced relative to fighters and strat bombers

I would also suggest letting tanks roll a 4 for each tac bomber present if air supremacy has been achieved, that is for each tac bomber one tank rolls at 4 instead of 3. Tac bombers do not change
This even further increases air buys and also gives tanks a buff which they need

We already have a round of combt befor normal combat (AAA) just add all planes to that round, everything hitting on 1s. Easy

Air supremacy is checked for each round of combat, before any dice are rolled for that round

These rules will magnify both fighters and tac bombers buys as well as tanks, and also promote a combined arms approach to purchases similar to artillery and infantry

You want enough fighters to achieve air supremacy, but also a good even amount of tac bombers and tanks to maximize air supremacy when you do achieve it

This kills multiple birds with a single stone
It should reduce somewhat the infantry/mech spam with sprinkles of artillery that we see now
It also indirectly buffs AAA as each AAA adds 3 more dice to the air battle in defense, and increases your chance of gaining control of the skies

Very thoughtful ideas. I like them.
However my first impression is your HR change much more the balance.
I’m looking for just small changes.
I will come back on this.
You have some compelling reason like this one:

We already have a round of combt befor normal combat (AAA) just add all planes to that round, everything hitting on 1s. Easy

Thank you very much for your challenging ideas.

Attached are the D12 Unit Rules and National Advantages I use for a 1941 set up of HBG’s 1939 MAP.

National Advantages are a combination of good ideas from this forum over the years.

Unit Stats Global Map D12.xls

if people want to know, just look in the back of the AAE40 rule book where it distinguishes all types of units