A&A Miniatures Re-write

[Motdc]

I dont know if you guys frequent the WotC forum, but apparently the brain-trust at WotC is working on a new set of rules for A&A Minis.

Why in the world they didn’t time such a seemingly drastic change for the release of the 1939-1945 re-release set is beyond me.

They must really be trying to get all their current players/collectors to leave the game…

[Half-Track]

Mot I read something about this but is it just rumor or is it official?

[Motdc]

Well nothing is official until you have something in your hands, but the WotC rep said something along the lines of “when its released it will be the rules”, so that implies its not another optional ruleset.

[Cobalt]

That’s concerning because I really like the rules as they are. I know it would be tempting to add more phases, like the old Avalon Hill Squad Leader “defensive fire phase” or a “morale” phase but the ease and speed of the current game rules override those considerations in my opinion.

WOTC doesn’t seem to place customer confidence in high regard.

[Motdc]

The types of changes they contemplating are along the lines of:

Player:  “It doesn’t make sense that a Mortar unit can try to attack an aircraft.  Realistacally, that would be impossible”
WotC:  “New rule, artillery-type units cannot target Aircraft unless they have the Anti-Air ability”

Player:  “In WWII, sniper-vs-sniper happened, I saw it in Enemy at the Gates”
WotC:  “New rule, units with superior camoflage can target other units with superior camoflage”

Player:  “These new 3 inch map hexes are really big, and my soldier looks lonely in there.”
WotC:  “New rule, you can now have three units per hex instead of two.”

Lather, Rinse, Repeat…

This can get carried away really fast and turn an 8-page rule book into an an 8-page rule book w/ a 32 page appendix.  :x

[Cobalt]

Those first two examples you listed didn’t sound so bad. I’m not so sure about the three soldiers in a hex idea though.

[Motdc]

Its not any one change thats bad, its the changes in total, which will amount to pages upon pages of new rules.

KISS, if you know what I mean.

Personally, I dont care it someone tries to shoot down a plane with a morat…it only hits on 6’s becasue its Inaccurate and gets a -1 because its not an anti-air unit.

[Half-Track]

@Motdc:

The types of changes they contemplating are along the lines of:

Player:  “It doesn’t make sense that a Mortar unit can try to attack an aircraft.  Realistacally, that would be impossible”
WotC:  “New rule, artillery-type units cannot target Aircraft unless they have the Anti-Air ability”

Player:  “In WWII, sniper-vs-sniper happened, I saw it in Enemy at the Gates”
WotC:  “New rule, units with superior camoflage can target other units with superior camoflage”

Player:  “These new 3 inch map hexes are really big, and my soldier looks lonely in there.”
WotC:  “New rule, you can now have three units per hex instead of two.”

Lather, Rinse, Repeat…

This can get carried away really fast and turn an 8-page rule book into an an 8-page rule book w/ a 32 page appendix.  :x

The rules make sense now although some of the aircraft rules could be improved.  They didn’t account for this because the first two sets had no aircraft.  Like the problem we’ll have soon on the Chalenge game, hull mounted cannon firing on an aircraft, never could happen.

I kind of like some of the expanded rules but they make things complicated.  Overwatch is a good one.  For you guys that don’t have the expanded rules, basically instead of moving during your movement phase or attacking during the attack phase you can declare up to two tanks or antitank guns on overwatch.  You may not move or fire these units and they must be faced in one direction.  If an enemy units moves in front of (that would mean just down the line of site, one row of hexes directly down the facing) you may attack that unit.

[Audacity]

Hear hear for KISS!

This is another reason that when I buy into a game I get enough that if it goes belly up or is mixed up by the corporate giants, I still have enough in the games room for my friends and I to play.

Audacity

[mateooo]

@Half-Track:

I kind of like some of the expanded rules but they make things complicated.  Overwatch is a good one.  For you guys that don’t have the expanded rules, basically instead of moving during your movement phase or attacking during the attack phase you can declare up to two tanks or antitank guns on overwatch.  You may not move or fire these units and they must be faced in one direction.  If an enemy units moves in front of (that would mean just down the line of site, one row of hexes directly down the facing) you may attack that unit.

Ive played a lot of games with overwatch (Mordheim, Necromunda) and while it is a cool and realistic feature, it really slows down the game, and would REALLY slow down a PBEM game, with more opportunities to interrupt the flow of the game in order to ask “do you want to shoot THIS target with overwatch?”

Kinda like drawing out defensive fire shots in order to clear the way for another unit, except now it happens even MORE often.

[Half-Track]

@mateooo:

Ive played a lot of games with overwatch (Mordheim, Necromunda) and while it is a cool and realistic feature, it really slows down the game, and would REALLY slow down a PBEM game, with more opportunities to interrupt the flow of the game in order to ask “do you want to shoot THIS target with overwatch?”

Kinda like drawing out defensive fire shots in order to clear the way for another unit, except now it happens even MORE often.

I see your pnt

[Der Kommander]

I see your point too,
but damn that’s a really cool feature that gives AT guns a real purpose in this game.