@Subotai:
We can try it if you want, I can host TripleA, we then would have to agree that if I (as axis) fail to get long range G1, then we have to restart the game. Also, if I fail to take London, then I lost the game, obviously. About 50% of such games will be lost.
But the premise for my statements is: all things being equal, so with Germany getting long range, then tech is on, and of course, if US gets heavy bombers pretty soon, then that factor comes into play, and will bring Germany down.
But if we assume a game with only Germany gets any tech, and that is long range, and Germany captures London G1, then allies will lose the game most times, even if it is very easy for UK or US to recapture London.
You would have to play with out of the box rules, since LHTR stipulates that technology advances take effect after your turn is completed. It was specifically changed because of the chances that Germany could do Operation Sea Lion with Long Range Aircraft on round 1 forcing Russia to send fighters to England just on the off chance Germany would try it and that was too limiting on Germany.
A44, you are correct in that bombers would not HAVE to be sent on SBR campaigns. I tried to raise the point of their dual use a while ago, it was just ignored (as usual) so that people could focus on the little thread of the argument they wanted to discuss (the chance that attacker loses more money than defender.)
There are a number of instances you would use your bombers elsewhere.
1) You are going to take Germany/Russia this round so why reduce your phat lewt?
2) The idiot put his fleet in range of yours and you can take out the Japanese/American/British fleet with minimal losses if you just for go hitting his industry this round
3) You have a chance to win the game by getting enough victory cities, but you need the bombers to ensure you’ll win (even if that means taking bombers as casualties.)
There are probably more, but those are the three I can think of before coffee (and since it’s BC you know even a n00b could figure those out without any help outside of the rules pamphlet!)