Techs

[Lynxes]

Techs in AA50

Each researcher costs 5 IPCs, each means you get one roll for R&D per turn until you succeed, at which time you must buy new ones. (Not as before where IPCs spent on R&D only bought one roll.) Once you succeed you choose from one of two charts and then roll a die to determine which tech you actually get (not as in AAR where you research a specific tech). All techs are now 100% confirmed. What will these new tech rules mean for the game? Join the discussion!

Land/Production

Mechanized infantry- tanks may now carry 1 inf each 2 areas.

Advanced artillery- each art may now support 2 inf to attack at 2

Rockets- as per AAR, one die free SBR/turn, 3 range from AA-gun

War bonds- add one die of IPCs each turn

Improved production- each IC may now produce two more units per turn and one IPC repairs two points of IC damage.

Paratroopers- Each bomber may carry one infantry to a combat, and it may also still participate in the conventional attack in that territory, but not do an SBR.  When doing this, it must attack the first hostile territory that it enters on its flight path.  Paratroopers may retreat normally during combat, as long as other attacking land units are in the battle that are eligible to retreat.

Air/ Naval

Heavy bombers- attack and SBR roll two dice

Improved shipyards- Your sea units are now cheaper to build.  Use these revised costs: Battleship 17, Aircraft Carrier 11, Cruiser 10, Destroyer 7, Transport 6, Submarine 5

Super subs- subs now attack at ‘3’

Radar- AA-guns now fire at ‘2’

Long-range aircraft- fighters now have a move of ‘6’, bombers ‘8’

Jet fighters - fighters now attack at ‘4’

[Guest]

Hmmm, my preferences for these would be War Bonds, Heavy Bombers, and Shipyards.

War Bonds increases your IPC output.  Heavy Bombers allow you to reduce the enemies production, and Shipyards make your use of IPC more efficient.

[Greand Stone]

Hello. I’m new to this forum, but I’ve been reading this forum for information about the new A&A game.

However I just had to comment.

I generally agree with your geussing about what techs are included. However I realy realy miss an upgrade to the tanks.

Could IC repair and Improved production be combined into 1 tech: Improved factories? Then one have place for new
‘heavy tanks’. Which I feel is missing.

I realy enjoy Improved Artellery tech. It gives the punch! Given that you have enough soldiers for support its equialent to
4 in attack and 2 in defence. Which is far supperior punch per cost compared to the tank!

Radar: isn’t this a air/navel thing? Maybe radar and rockets could swith places?

Jet: agree that jet technology needs something more than just +1 in defence. Either ignore AA-guns, or +1 in ofensive would be nice.
–-

I’ve played with the house rule in revised A&A that each nation gets a free shot at a random technology every round, and it plays out very very nice. Regarding balance the ‘free’ technologies changes very little actually. This is because the probability for someone getting something REALY REALY powerfull is realy realy low. Most probable you sooner or later get something nice, but no way gamebreaking. But what this rule does is add a lot of fun into the game. Typicaly russia get long-ranged aircraft, which is fun for russia but germany would not start crying. Or japan gets jets-planes, which is a very marginaly benefit.

What I’m trying to say is that the new way to get technology is realy fun, but be aware that getting a RANDOM technology
will probable not be a major swing in your direction.

[Flying Tiger]

I agree that some form of Heavy Tank Tech should be in the game. Does anyone remember that was there?

[Lynxes]

PLEASE restrict this thread to getting the details right about the techs and then possible strategies. If you want to discuss house rules etc start another thread. Heavy Tanks are surely not there since they would have reported that from GENCON.If someone who was at GENCON remembers more exact details, can that be corrected?

I find Heavy bombers very strong, but again techs are random within a chart so that is of course balancing together with the anti-SBR techs “Radar” and “IC repair”.

As for Rockets, they can really be on both sides I guess, this is just what I think it’s like given information so far. Unless more of the old techs than “Combined bombardment” were cancelled, but there’s no indication of that.

[axis_roll]

I don’t quite get the randomness of tech.

at least you will eventually get a tech when you spend money on it, but it could be 1 of 6 techs…

[Lynxes]

/axis_roll

Edited the post, hope it’s clearer!

[Greand Stone]

But Lynxes, is it plausalbe that Improved production and IC repair could be combined into one tec or would that be to powerfull.

I dont find any of those two extremly usefull. The beneifts of those two techs are very restricted to the situation you are in, and for many situations both of them would be extremly useless.

[Guest]

@timerover51:

Hmmm, my preferences for these would be War Bonds, Heavy Bombers, and Shipyards.

War Bonds increases your IPC output.  Heavy Bombers allow you to reduce the enemies production, and Shipyards make your use of IPC more efficient.

That would be brutal  :-o

I’m not sure how I feel about the randomness of tech in this game, however.  It is certainly the best tech system given to us from Larry so far, however, by a landslide.

[Imperious Leader]

Your buying researchers. Once you have them they will continue to roll every turn 1 die per turn hitting at 6 and they roll EVERY TURN until they get the tech.

The More researchers you got your chances improve. If you get a tech all your researchers are expended and you have to buy more. I think you can designate then into Land, Sea and Air categories and only lose the researchers from that specific category but i need clarification.

The way the new research system works is this: you buy research tokens. For each token you have, you get to roll one die. On a six, you get a research breakthrough. If your die roll misses, you roll again the next round. And the next, and the next, until you finally get a research breakthrough. Once you finally do, all your research tokens go away, and you get a new technology in their place. To determine which technology you get, you choose from one of two charts. (There are six items per chart.) After choosing an item, you roll a die. Whatever number comes up on the die is the technology you get.

Even if you buy just one research token, you guarantee yourself a tech sooner or later. But purchasing additional tokens before you get your advance will probably get you it faster. Examples of techs include radar (AA guns fire on a 2), heavy bombers (your bombers get two dice for strategic bombing raids and attacks), shipyards (your naval units cost less), mechanized infantry (each of your tanks can carry one infantry two spaces), improved artillery support (each artillery supports two infantry in any given attack), war bonds (each round, you roll a die, and receive that die roll in extra cash), increased production (each factory can produce two additional units), etc.

[Krieghund]

@Imperious:

I think you can designate then into Land, Sea and Air categories and only lose the researchers from that specific category but i need clarification.

Nope, all your researchers are in one “basket”.  You choose the chart after you get a success.

[Jennifer]

I’d have to say, without playing the game mind you, that it appears, to me, that the following would be the best techs to aim for:

Land:

• Radar (highly effective NA in AAR-Enhanced, can only assume it is as well in AA50)
• War Bonds (Mmmm, show me the money, daddy!)
• Impreoved Production (What Japanese player wouldn’t want to be able to produce 5 units in FIC and 5 units in India?)

Navy:

• Shipyards (for sure!  Save that cash!)
• Jets (if they also intercept SBR like they do in Enhanced)
• Heavy Bombers

Though, I wish they would have taken a few more of the enhanced features for these techs.  Bomber Escorts to negate AA Fire with LRA would really be a boon to the game as a whole.

Perhaps to reduce it to six techs they should drop IC Repair, Improved Artillery, Rockets, Super Submarines and Long Range Air (Give LRA abilities to fighters only and add it to Jets.)

That way you are back to 6 techs, not 12?

But that’s just my thoughts on it.

[squirecam]

@Rakeman:

@timerover51:

Hmmm, my preferences for these would be War Bonds, Heavy Bombers, and Shipyards.

War Bonds increases your IPC output.  Heavy Bombers allow you to reduce the enemies production, and Shipyards make your use of IPC more efficient.

That would be brutal  :-o

I’m not sure how I feel about the randomness of tech in this game, however.  It is certainly the best tech system given to us from Larry so far, however, by a landslide.

Larry wanted random tech. Thats why its back.

Whether thats a good idea or not is another matter. But it is what it is.

[Flying Tiger]

Can anyone confirm or deny that CAP or bomber escorts are in the game? I’d rather not see either.

[Krieghund]

@Flying:

Can anyone confirm or deny that CAP or bomber escorts are in the game? I’d rather not see either.

Then you’ll be pleased.

[Lynxes]

/Krieghund

Thanks for the correction, I edited my post. Are the tech specifications correct? I’m especially uncertain about HBMBs, at Smorey Swamp they wrote two dice in both attack and SBR but at BGG Ryan Hanson wrote that it’s only two dice in SBR!

That you choose chart when you succeed gives you some flexibility, but I guess Germany and Soviet Union will choose the Land/Production chart almost always. Japan would be the power that can make a choice, as “Improved production”, “Mechanized infantry” are techs that could bring the Tank factories in Manchuria and Kwangtung back from the dead and be as powerful as they were in AAR. Most of the time though, I think US, UK and Japan will pick Air/Naval chart. I don’t see how Italy can afford techs.

[Krieghund]

@Lynxes:

Thanks for the correction, I edited my post. Are the tech specifications correct? I’m especially uncertain about HBMBs, at Smorey Swamp they wrote two dice in both attack and SBR but at BGG Ryan Hanson wrote that it’s only two dice in SBR!

Some of them are correct, and some of them aren’t.  I’ll give out more info a little at a time.  Half the fun is speculation (at least for some folks), and I don’t want to ruin anyone’s fun.  (I’m sure I’ll get some negative karma from some of the other folks for this, but apparently that’s the price of being me.)

Heavy bombers get two dice in both SBR and combat, but only when attacking.

[Lynxes]

So, Krieghund, you’re teasing us…  :wink:

I think there’s something fishy going on with the HBMB tech. On land, “Radar” is a partial counter, as you can see:

BMB vs. AA
4 - 1/6X 4 = 3.33 effective attack

HBMB vs. AA
8 - 1/6X 8 = 6.66

HBMB vs. radar-AA
8 - 1/3X 8 = 5.33

But at sea, HBMB on their own would totally unbalance the whole tactical situation. If this has been countered in techs, you could have either of these;

“Supercarriers - carriers may now carry AA-guns”

“Jet fighters - when defending, fighters roll two dice”

[Krieghund]

@Lynxes:

So, Krieghund, you’re teasing us…  :wink:

In a good way, I hope.

Heavy Bombers have always been a “jackpot” tech (except in LHTR).  At least now they’re back to be acquired randomly.  Getting them specifically in Revised really was a game breaker.

Two dice in defense for Jet Power?  That’s too much.

[Lynxes]

Well, if Jet fighters still defend on a ‘5’, I guess a gang of those could be a counter to HBMB, but again only partially.

4 jet fighters= cost 40 IPCs, defence 20.
3 HBMBs=cost 39 IPCs, attack 24.

And you still have to buy carriers for those jets! I would have been more happy with HBMBs attacking at 5 and doing two dice of SBR damage.