@fantasticfan Allerdings! :grin: Since I could not (yet) find a PM function I started a chat with you (hope this works too).
Greetings from Schwabenländle
Technology
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But does a special retreat mechanism have enough utility to warrant being a tech?
War Bonds…
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Everyone can use extra IPCs but how often do you go into a combat expecting to get banged up and have to retreat?
Perhaps war bonds could be replaced with something that lets yo mobilize in any original territory worth 3 or more.
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The defender is at the mercy of the attacker. Due to limited technology in this day, it was much harder to coordinate orders to pursue the retreating enemy. The smokescreen was used alot in this war because it worked to mask the retreat, like Cavalry did in the age of Napoleon. It was a development in this war.
The Germans perfected a fleet maneuver which they trained for called Gefechtskehrtwendung, which allowed them to turn sharply as a whole fleet and this didn’t require elaborate communication between ships. The Allies didn’t have this training maneuver.
Having limited ships makes losing them even more devastating, so a tech to allow them to retreat would be of benefit.
Like trench raiders, this is specialized training and the result is the ability to retreat.
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Possible smokecreen replacement:
Blockade/Commerce Raiding - Instead of engaging in combat, each battleship or cruiser in an uncontested sea zone adjacent to an enemy territory may roll 1 die. For each roll of 1, the enemy power must surrender 1 IPC to the bank.
I know it’s not really a tech, but it’s a way of giving powers a reason to want ships dead.
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@Imperious:
The defender is at the mercy of the attacker. Due to limited technology in this day, it was much harder to coordinate orders to pursue the retreating enemy. The smokescreen was used alot in this war because it worked to mask the retreat, like Cavalry did in the age of Napoleon. It was a development in this war.
The Germans perfected a fleet maneuver which they trained for called Gefechtskehrtwendung, which allowed them to turn sharply as a whole fleet and this didn’t require elaborate communication between ships. The Allies didn’t have this training maneuver.
Having limited ships makes losing them even more devastating, so a tech to allow them to retreat would be of benefit.
Like trench raiders, this is specialized training and the result is the ability to retreat.
Don’t forget how we winced when we realized that the damaged Italian dreadnought was going to have to sit in the same sea zone as the Austrians until Italy’s next turn. Smokescreens could help mitigate this.
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Blockade/Commerce Raiding - Instead of engaging in combat, each battleship or cruiser in an uncontested sea zone adjacent to an enemy territory may roll 1 die. For each roll of 1, the enemy power must surrender 1 IPC to the bank.
After some thought, I think this is better as a house rule.
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Since submarines do not have first strike capability, the obvious replacement for smokescreens (if it needs to be replaced) is:
Super Submarines - During sea combat, submarines fire before all other ships, whether on attack or defense. Casualties from a submarine attack are destroyed before they can return fire.
(Modified to enhance clarity).
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Super subs sounds great.
Easy to implement. Useful for CP
The other naval techs, battle cruisers favors both teams.
ASW favors the allies. -
War bonds is the only clunky one left.
10% is very un-larry.An alternative tech? Or bring back dice.
Also, each 3 techs should follow this scheme.
One tech the allies prefer, one the CPs prefer, one both can use. -
The more I read this thread, the more convinced I am that I’d prefer:
About 6 unit techs, each represented by new pieces, or if you prefer counters placed under the unit.
and
A pack of event cards, including tactical events such as gas attacks, smokescreens, naval maneuvers etc.
The last is more balanced, as each side would have its own pack containing roughly the same or exactly balanced cards. It would be luck of the draw when each tactic becomes available. The pack would also contain a number of political event cards.
I do not want to have to remember which of 8 powers have which of 57 techs at any time.
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War bonds is the only clunky one left.
10% is very un-larry.An alternative tech? Or bring back dice.
Also, each 3 techs should follow this scheme.
One tech the allies prefer, one the CPs prefer, one both can use.We can go back to the die roll for war bonds. I don’t think there’s many alternate economic techs out there. On Increased Production, should artillery be 1 IPC cheaper too or should it just be tanks and fighters?
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Or, violate the 3 econ, 3 naval, 3 air, 3 land paradigm in favor of 2 econ, 3 naval, 3 air, 4 land. That way we can dump war bonds and add:
Advanced Tank Strategy - When you have 2 or more tanks in a battle, tanks attack at 3 (4 with artillery support) and defend at 2.
Not strictly a tech, but definitely a breakthrough, a way of representing the First World War strategy of using massed tanks to force a breakthrough in the enemy lines.
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I think an econ tech related to movement might be in order.
Other games have had mechanized infantry.The other two econ techs favor the Allies, a movement tech would favor the CP.
For now, a dumb name, because I can’t think of a better one:Mechanized Transportation - Units starting at your capital may move two spaces instead of one.
This tech helps the CP more because the US and UK don’t need it.
Id like to stick to 3/3/3/3 and of each 3 have a tech favorable to the allies, one favorable to the CP and one balanced tech.For naval techs, Super Subs favors the CP, battle cruisers is neutral, and ASW favors the allies.
For land techs, Stormtroops favors the axis, gas favors both sides, and wireless favors the allies
So on and so forth. -
Perhaps Motorized Transportation, Paris Taxis and all that.
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Tech should capture the most prominent ones:
1. Superstructure
2. Tanks
3. ASW (Anti-Submarine-Warfare) (which is Hydrophones and Depth Charges)
4. Chemical Weapons and Countermeasures (Chloric Gas, Mustard Gas, Gas Masks)
5. Fighters, Bombers
6. Heavy Artillery, Railway (or Longrange) Artillery1: Later in the war even more extensive defense systems were build. Massive concrete structures significantly improved defense because infantry and light artillery were significantly reduced in their offensive power.
Effect: Attacking Infantry/Artillery -12. Tanks were not introduced before 1917. At first they were extremely unreliable getting improved during the war.
Introduce some kind of “reliability” roll to determine which is inactive during a combat. Reliability gets improved with rounds.
Make them cost 4 therefore and to my opinion a tank should negate the “trench” effect for one infantry.3. ASW was introduced not before 1916 and even then UK had not the proper ship types to to use the technilogy in an effective way.
Submarines should not be able to be detected before ASW is researched. Submarine ruled the seas 1914/1915 almost uncontested.
If researched destroyers get a detection roll and a depth charge roll on 1.4. Chloric gas was the first gas attack to be used in WWI. It was blown towards the enemy trenches. Mustard gas was used later fired from artillery to eliminate the unpredictability of wind.
Both should be preemptive strikes before combat.5. All aircraft were reconnaissance planes 1914 with A0/D0 at the outbreak of war just improving artillery accuracy.
3 different steps of fighter research could get the combat values up. Bomber can be researched after you reched step3 of fighter development.6. Almost all artillery 1914 was light field artillery (except G and A-H)
Heavy Artillery rolls with 2 dice,
Railway Artillery rolls on 3, can shoot from one tt afar and is not affected by superstructure. Cannot support infantry though. -
Here’s what we’ve got so far. The remit for this board has been A&A style technology - techs that improve or modify existing rules and units without increasing the overall complexity too much. Most of them are based off A&A techs from previous games (Aerial Photography is just Advanced Artillery under another name, although Aerial Photography requires Air Supremacy).
E1 - Motorized Transportation - Infantry, Artillery, and Tanks that begin movement in your capital may move 2 spaces, subject to all other movement rules.
E2 - Improved Shipyards - Naval units cost 1 IPC less.
E3 - Increased Production - Tank and Fighter costs are reduced by 1 IPC.
N1 - Super Submarines - During sea combat, super submarines fire before all other ships, whether on attack or defense. Casualties from a super submarine attack are destroyed before they can return fire.
N2 - Battle Cruisers - Cruisers attack at 4 or less, but still defend at 3 or less. Additionally, cruisers may perform offshore bombardment at 3.
N3 - Anti-Submarine Warfare - Your cruisers prevent enemy subs from submerging in combat or moving through them at a 1:1 ratio.
A1 - Anti-Aircraft Guns - Artillery may target fighters before combat begins, hitting at 1, limited to the number of artillery available or the number of fighters present, whichever is smaller.
A2 - Advanced Aviation - Fighters attack and defend at 3 or less.
A3 - Aerial Photography - If you have air supremacy, your artillery can support 2 units instead of one.
L1 - Wireless Communications - During combats where friendly forces are also in the contested zone, roll a die. Up to that many friendly artillery are used to boost your attacking forces on a 1:1 ratio, but may not participate in combat.
L2 - Chemical Warfare - In one attack this turn, roll a die: 1-4 that many infantry do not roll defensively; 5-6: No effect. If used against you, halve the number of immobilized infantry.
L3 - Stormtrooper Tactics - Attacking infantry with artillery support roll at 4 or less.
The current sticking point: Should Anti-Submarine Warfare negate Super Submarines’ first strike capability? Perhaps it should only modify it. Perhaps Anti-Submarine Warfare should read:
Anti-Submarine Warfare - Your cruisers prevent enemy subs from submerging in combat or moving through them at a 1:1 ratio. Super Submarine casualties may return fire before being removed.
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I don’t think ASW needs to affect super subs, just to keep the techs clean and short.
Otherwise I am cool with all these techs, getting more people on board to support it for testing in its current form as a Wove/Oztea tech chart.
The next hurdle is how you get a breakthrough.
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Perhaps a blending of tech tokens at 3 IPC with an automatic, free die roll every turn. So, even if you don’t buy any tech tokens, you still get a shot at a breakthrough.
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Perhaps, for those who like more historical flavor to their optional rules, the number of free dice depends on the power rolling.
Greater Major Powers roll 2 free dice a turn.
Lesser Major Powers roll 1 free dice a turn.
UK, France, Germany are definitely Greater Major Powers.
Italy, Ottomans are definitely Lesser Major Powers.
Now, how about USA, A-H, and Russia.
Or, just give everyone 1 or 2 free tech rolls every turn, with more rolls being available at 3 IPC each.
Although, again, do we prefer tech tokens to tech rolls?
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If a power does not invest in research, why give it anything for free?
Everything costs money: Facilities, Laboratories, Researchers, materials, etc….No: 5 IPCs PER ROLL is perfectly fine!
Question is: How does progress in research happen? Yes, in reality!
There are 2 possibilities:
1. Slow Progress: You manage to proceed in a step-by-step-way until finally reaching your goal!
2. Breakthrough: a “flash of genius” delivers the decisive idea for the (almost) immediate breakthrough.SO:
- Research is a 3-step-process.
- a roll of 1,2,3 means research failed
- a roll of 4,5 proceed one step on the research chart
- a roll of 6 means immediate breakthrough
In WWI both forms took place on a regular basis!
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