Hi guys, I would like to share with you a list of House rules my gaming group made up for Global 1940. I will say we have only used these rules once, so I don’t know how balanced they are, but the main idea is to reduce the effect of luck on the game without going into full Low Luck (which we found to be predictable and relatively boring).
Medium Luck: (A revised version of low luck)
Instead of rolling each units attack or defense roll separately, add up the total attack or defense value for your side and divide by 4 to determine your number of attack rolls. All attacks hit on a 4 or less. If there is a remainder, roll one additional dice that requires the value of the remainder or less to hit.
Example: Germany attacks a territory with 5 infantry and 3 tanks. Total attack value = 51 + 33 = 14. Germany will roll 3 dice that require a 4 or less to hit and one dice that requires a 2 or less to hit.
The idea behind this is to get the actual number of hits closer to the average number of hits, without being as predictable or automatic as Low Luck. There is still a chance for flukes to happen, but it’s generally reduced.
Revised Anti-Air Artillery:
In our games, anti-air almost never is purchased due to its unpredictable nature. Additionally, losing aircraft to an AA-gun is never fun for anybody. Our A-A guns work like this:
AAA Cost: 5 Attack: 0 Defense: 1 Movement: 1
For each anti-air artillery unit alive at the start of a combat round, reduce the attack value of up to 3 attacking fighters, tactical bombers, or bombers by 1 (attacker’s choice). Anti-air artillery defend at a 1 as a normal unit, and no longer get a first strike against aircraft. For SBRs, each AAA reduces the damage roll of up to 3 bombers or tac bombers by 1 (which may negate them entirely) Facilities no longer have built in AA guns. Bombers no longer receive +2 to their damage rolls.
The idea is to make AAA impactful (each one will remove up to the equivalent of a fighter from a battle, albeit only temporarily) without the random nature of current AAA. The defender also now has a choice to make to either take the AAA who is reducing the enemy attack value, or another unit which defends at a higher value. AAA are no longer the first thing to die everytime. This makes SBRs less risky for the attacker unless the defender uses planes, but they will need to use more planes to get the same effect.
Interception/Air Superiority:
To replace the loss of AAA’s ability to kill planes, we have added an interception rule for normal combat which is similar to the air combat rules for SBRs.
Immediately prior to rolling their combat dice, the player may elect to have any number of fighters focus on air superiority which reduces the fighter’s attack and defense value by 2 to a minimum of 1. Any hits caused by fighters focusing on air superiority must be taken on enemy aircraft (enemy’s choice).
This rule is mostly to allow the defender an opportunity to shoot down enemy aircraft with each fighter defending at a 2. The attacker can also use this rule, but its is very inefficient on the attack intentionally. The attacker is usually better off just attacking normally and killing the enemy fighters by taking the territory. We use this rule for SBRs as well, with the addition that bombers and tac bombers no longer attack on SBRs.
Research:
Research now works like this:
During each player’s Purchase phase, the player may purchase a research roll for 5 IPCs each. For each “roll”, roll 2D6. If the total result is greater than or equal to 40, the player make select one breakthrough chart and roll randomly to determine which technology they get. If the result is less than 40, add the result to the next time the player rolls for research. For each “roll” of 2D6 that are doubles, roll an additional 2D6 and add that result to the research total.
Technology sharing:
Instead of rolling randomly to determine which technology is acquired, the player may select one technology that is currently owned by an ally. US may only utilize this rule once they are at war, and the Allies may only select US technologies once the US is at war. Russia cannot utilize this rule, nor may the Allies select any technologies only owned by Russia, even if they are at war.
Changes to technology:
Jet fighters no longer increases a fighter’s attack to 4. Instead Jet Fighters focusing on Air Superiority now have their attack and defense values reduced by 1 instead of 2.
Replace “Improved Shipyards” with “Resilient Capital Ships”: Battleships no longer require being adjacent to a shipyard to repair, and repair any damage immediately after combat ends. Carriers may now take off and land aircraft even while damaged.
Replace “War Bonds” with “Improved Mobilization” : During his Deployment phase, a player may nominate one territory that does not have a factory. He may place any purchased infantry up to the territory’s IPC value in that territory instead of placing them at a factory.
Radar now makes AAA guns reduce SBR combat rolls by 2. Additionally, AAA guns reduce one aircraft’s attack roll by 2 and up to 2 other aircraft by 1 to a minimum of 1.
The technology changes are to accommodate the other rules, and to remove technologies that only either give or save IPCs and replace them with techs that have a combat purpose. Additionally, the change to jet fighters is to prevent them from making tactical bombers obsolete and more in-line with what they were historically. The overall intention is to have players actually use fighters for defense in more than just capital fights. It typically benefits the Allies more as they are more willing to trade planes and usually in a better position to actually put fighters on the defense.
I’m definitely open to suggestions or comments.
