@KraytKing said in Operational Realism House Rules:
I am playtesting this week for the first time, I will write up a comprehensive and detailed AAR. I suspect it will be illuminating.
Awesome :)
Fortunes of Victory: Mr. Andersson's House Rules for Spring 1942 2nd Ed
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Fortunes of Victory
Mr. Andersson’s House Rules for Spring 1942 2nd EditionVictory Cards
Once you have played a few games of Axis & Allies: 1942 2nd edition, you might want to add this card mechanic to the game in order to get more complexity or variable elements. The following rules for victory cards can be used in addition to the standard rules. If you decide to use these rules, Draw Victory Card becomes the last phase of the turn sequence.
Each turn you have captured at least one new territory, you may roll the victory die during your draw victory card phase. The victory die has two of each of the following three different symbols on it: Research (weapon card), Star (tactics card), and Clover (fortune card), two sides for each symbol. For every one of those symbols rolled, you may draw a card from the equivalent deck.
Players may not have more than seven cards in their hand at any time and no more than five of any one type. A card may not be played in addition to any other type of card that affect one and the same unit, i.e. you cannot play two tactics cards in one and the same battle. All cards that affect combat are played after the attacker finishes combat move phase, but before conduct combat phase. All cards are kept face down until they are played. If you have seven cards in your hand, you must discard one card of your choice before you may draw a new card.
Each draw deck is to have its own discard pile. A used card is removed to a discard pile, except for weapon cards that may be played once every turn. A played weapon card is turned face up until the draw victory card phase of your turn, in order to mark its status as unavailable for immediate play. Then at draw victory card phase, all weapon cards that a player holds are turned face down, making them available for play again.
Yellow-backed cards are weapons cards. These cards come with a development cost. Once you draw a weapon card, you may wish to develop that weapon. You do so by buying research dice that give you a chance for a scientific breakthrough. Each research die you buy costs 1 IPC. Buy as many as you wish, including none. If you roll at least one “6”, you have successfully made a technological breakthrough and you may keep the weapon card on your hand. If your research fail or you choose not to research, that weapon card is removed to the weapon cards’ discard pile.
Blue-backed cards are tactics cards. Tactic cards represent new maneuvers that give you an advantage when attacking or your enemy a disadvantage when you defending in a combat. Each card takes effect just once. You are never required to use a tactics card. Since they are one-use cards you must judiciously determine when they are to be used in the game.
Green-backed cards are fortune cards. Fortune cards represent good luck effect or misfortune of your opponent. With these cards, your opponent will be forced to change tactics at a moment’s notice to overcome or take advantage of events beyond your control. Each card takes effect just once. You are never required to use a fortune card. Since they are one-use cards you must judiciously determine when they are to be used in the game.
Weapons Cards
Rail Gun No of cards: 3
Before general land battle takes place you can choose to use one of your AAA units as a rail gun, to conduct a one-time bombardment from an adjacent territory. This AAA unit may fire up to three times, but only once per defending unit. For each “2” rolled, the defender must choose 1 unit as a casualty. These casualties are removed from play without being able to return fire.Rocket Strike No of cards: 3
During the SBR step of your conduct combat phase you can choose to use one of your AAA units as a rocket launcher, to make a single rocket attack against an enemy industrial complex within 2 spaces of it. This attack does 1D6 of damage to that industrial complex. Rockets may not be fired over neutral territories.Atomic Bomb No of cards: 2
One of your bombers rolls 4D6 of damage on a strategic bombing raid. If the bomber is shot down by antiaircraft fire, this card has no effect.Super Bombers No of cards: 3
When attacking, whether in a regular combat or a strategic bombing raid in one and same battle, you may designate up to two of your bombers as super bombers. Roll two dice for each of your superbombers and select the best result. In addition, these bombers’ range is increased by 1 space.Jet Fighters No of cards: 3
When defending, whether in a regular land combat or intercepting during a strategic bombing raid, one of your fighters may fire twice (roll two dice) in each round of battle.Long-Range Fighters No of cards: 4 - United States starts with one card
This card turns up to three of your fighters into long-range fighters. These fighters can move 6 spaces instead of 4. The fighters must move to the same space, but must not leave from the same space.Radar Fire Control No of cards: 4 - United Kingdom starts with one card
One of your antiaircraft artillery units or industrial complexes, hit air units on a roll of “2” or less in a battle or a strategic bombing raid.Heavy Artillery No of cards: 4 - Soviet Union starts with one card
In each round of play, one of your artillery units may attack OR defend on a “3” or less. For each hit scored the opposing player decides either to remove two infantry units as casualties, or one other unit as a casualty. This artillery unit does still support an infantry on attack.Heavy Tanks No of cards: 4 - Germany starts with one card
In each round of play, one of your tank units may attack OR defend on a “4” or less and require two hits to destroy. If a heavy tank is hit once, turn it on its side to mark its damaged status. If it survives a combat having taken one hit, return it upright to the game board.Powerful Torpedoes No of cards: 3 - Japan starts with one card
On the first round in a sea battles, whether you are attacking or defending, up to two of your submarine and/or destroyer units may fire twice (roll two dice) against enemy surface warships. Your submarines are still eligible for Surprise Strike if no enemy destroyer is present.
Tactics Cards
Air Supremacy No of cards: 4
if there are no defending fighters present, when you are attacking, your fighters hit on a roll of “5” or less on the first round of combat only. In the second round of battle this special ability is lost.Combined Arms No of cards: 4
On the first round of combat, for every combination of infantry, tank and fighter (matched one-for-one), you receive an extra die roll at “3” or less on attack. In the second round of battle this special ability is lost.Mechanized Offensive No of cards: 4
Up to three of your tanks gives one matching infantry unit one additional movement allowance and an increased attack value of 2 on a one-for-one basis. The infantry unit can blitz along with the tank, but the movement of all units must start and end in the same territories that can be friendly or hostile. Not eligible for non-combat movement.Combined Bomber Offensive No of cards: 2
You may declare a joint bomber strike with a fellow player of your choice, on your conduct combat phase. Your bomber units may not conduct combat during your turn, but may move on your noncombat move phase. On your fellow player’s turn, the fellow player can move any of your bomber units during his or her combat move phase and conduct combat with them, as if they belonged to the fellow player, but weapons cards have no effect on these bomber units.Airborne Assault No of cards: 2
Up to 2 of your infantry units can be assigned as paratroopers and move into a hostile territory 3 or fewer spaces away that is being attacked by your land units from adjacent territories and/or by amphibious assault. If attacking along with land units from adjacent territories, paratroopers may retreat as normal. If the territory being attacked has AAA units, the paratrooper infantry units are subject to AAA fire in the same way as air units.Scramble No of cards: 3
You may scramble up to 2 defending fighters from one adjacent territory into the space being attacked. Surviving scrambled fighters must return to the territory from which it was scrambled. If the enemy has captured that territory, the unit can move 1 space to land in a friendly territory or on a friendly aircraft carrier. If no such landing space is available, the unit is lost.Fortification No of cards: 3
On the first round of battle, when you are defending, only half of the hits rolled by the attacker (rounded down) counts as a “destroy” hit. In succeeding cycles of combat, you assigning hits as normal.Entrenchment No of cards: 3
Each of your infantry units in a territory of your control defends on a 3 for the first round of combat. In succeeding cycles of combat, your infantry fire as normal.Hidden Factory No of cards: 3
One of your industrial complexes only receives half (rounded down) of the total damage points rolled in a strategic bombing raid. Play before damage rolls against your IC.Signals Intelligence No of cards: 2
You may move any number of your units from a space being attacked into an adjacent friendly space, but you must leave at least one unit behind. This special move otherwise follows the rules for a noncombat move.
Fortune Cards
Fighter Ace No of cards: 4
Choose a friendly fighter during conduct combat phase that scores a miss and change it to a hit.Fog of War No of cards: 4
When an opposing player scores a miss in a battle, that player must choose one other unit from their force as a casualty from friendly fire. That casualty can fire at the normal time in the combat sequence.Donation No of cards: 3
Roll two dice, select the better result and collect that many additional IPCs during your collect income phase.Foreign Legion No of cards: 4
Place one infantry for free during your mobilize new units phase. The free infantry may be placed on any territory that you have controlled since the beginning of your turn.Military Support No of cards: 3
Place one additional unit at no cost during your mobilize new units phase as per normal placement rules. Roll one die:
1-2: You get a free artillery unit
3-4: You get a free antiaircraft artillery unit
5-6: You get a free tank unitMerchant Marine No of cards: 2
Place one additional transport at no cost during your mobilize new units phase as per normal placement rules.Spoils of War No of cards: 3
Place one free tank in a territory you captured this turn during your mobilize new units phase, if at least one enemy tank was destroyed in the contested territory.Severe Weather No of cards: 3
Enemy units involved in a sea or land battle must all retreat after the first round of combat, unless all of your defending units are destroyed.Force Majeure No of cards: 2
Place 3 damage markers under an enemy-controlled industrial complex of your choice during your combat movement phase.Eureka No of cards: 2
You gain a free weapons card during your collect income phase. No need to roll research dice to get the technological breakthrough.Up for grabs
Anyone who wants to design and sell these cards and/or the victory die can do it. I give this away, because I am too busy to make it my self. -
Very well thought out rules, I only play Global 1940 exclusively, but if there are enough members who want this rule set for their 1942 games… I would help them design a deck.
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Cool idea. I would like to try these out. I usually play Global 40, but occasionally I pull out 1942.
By the way, I think you had a misprint on your Military Support fortune card. It should be:
1-2 : Free Artillery unit
3-4 : Free Anti Aircraft Artillery unit
5-6 : Free Tank unit -
@Young:
Very well thought out rules, I only play Global 1940 exclusively, but if there are enough members who want this rule set for their 1942 games… I would help them design a deck.
These rules have been play tested for over 30 games. There are some considerations, but we find them balanced. I am pretty sure these cards “Fortunes of Victory” would sell quite a lot if they had nice design and could be bought easily. I can set up a link to the cards and how to order them from you if you wish. I guess you can take 15 to 25 USD per deck of cards and a victory die.
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Hey Dreadnaught,
I would never accept a monetary profit for any of my axis and allies customizations.
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Good set of rules, and I like the card-back coding system. I’ve provided a few suggestions below, if case they’re of any interest.
Powerful Torpedoes No of cards: 3 - Japan & Germany starts with one card each
Comment: “Powerful Torpedoes” is a little vague, so given that the advantage is limited to Japan and Germany, how about changing this to either Oxygen-Fueled Torpedoes (a technology which Japan might have shared with Germany) or Acoustic Torpedoes (a technology which Gremany might have shared with Japan)?
Human Wave Attack No of cards: 4
Comment: Technically this should only apply to Japan, since no other country (except perhaps arguably the USSR) used such tactics.
Underground Factory No of cards: 3
Comment: With the exception of the Mittelwerk slave-labour complex, I can’t think of any examples of large-scale underground factories. “Camouflaged Factories” would be a better alternative: concealing an existing factory can be done much more cheaply than building a new one underground; the technique was actually used in WWII (notably in California, where the roofs of factory buildings were camouflaged to look innocuous from the air); and it would explain the reduced damage on the grounds that some of the bombs would have been improperly aimed.
Flying Ace No of cards: 4
Choose a friendly fighter during conduct combat phase that scores a miss and change it to a hit.Comment: I think the phrase “Fighter Ace” is more commonly used and more precise.
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@Young:
Hey Dreadnaught,
I would never accept a monetary profit for any of my axis and allies customizations.
Love you for that 8-)
Looking forward to see the cards then.
Mr. Andersson
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@Young:
Hey Dreadnaught,
I would never accept a monetary profit for any of my axis and allies customizations.
Love you for that 8-)
Looking forward to see the cards then.
Mr. Andersson
I hope there wasn’t a misunderstanding, I said that I would help design the cards meaning that I would advise or point someone in the right direction with computer program questions. I’m far to busy with my own Delta project to create your card deck myself, and I’m not really interested in 1942 A&A games.
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I like the concept, but most of them are far too powerful for my taste, with the potential to completely alter the game with a single card. I might try them if I could seriously tone down about two thirds of the cards and play them with open hand to minimize surprises that can ruin the game.
I guess I like to have more strategy and less luck involved in my games.
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I like the concept, but most of them are far too powerful for my taste, with the potential to completely alter the game with a single card…
I guess I like to have more strategy and less luck involved in my games.
If you think otherwise, based on experience, I guess it is easy to get rid of those cards. I can actually say that the cards and the mechanic make these rules very much balanced, even if some of the cards are more powerful than others. These rules have been play tested by very much the same people who play test other new games/rules for A&A. Me my self have more than 25 years experience from developing rules for A&A, some that are official today. What I am trying to say, try these rules and you will find out that these rules actually brings more strategy to the game than luck - a lot more.
Enjoy!
Game Master
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Cool idea. I would like to try these out. I usually play Global 40, but occasionally I pull out 1942.
By the way, I think you had a misprint on your Military Support fortune card. It should be:
1-2 : Free Artillery unit
3-4 : Free Anti Aircraft Artillery unit
5-6 : Free Tank unitFixed it now, thanks!
Game Master
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When a player forgets to collect income some players count it is a loss to that player, but we play games were no one can “forget” to collect income but all players remind each others. It seems more fair, but we like the situation it sometimes brings to the game. Hence we have played around with a new tactics card that we call Siege. The Siege card means that you can stop an opponent 1 turn (no combat movements, but only noncombat movements) and cut 50% (round up) of the opponent’s IPC income that turn. Played during your collect income phase. Any thoughts? Impy, what do you say?
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The Siege card means that you can stop an opponent 1 turn (no combat movements, but only noncombat movements) and cut 50% (round up) of the opponent’s IPC income that turn. Played during your collect income phase. Any thoughts?
I assume this card is a “just for fun” concept that isn’t really meant to represent a realistic situation – but if that isn’t the case, what is the situation that the rule depicts and how can this situation be made to apply to every power on the board against which it might be used? Sieges are localized affairs, not global ones. The closest equivalent in realistic terms would be a blockade – let’s say, Britain being blockaded to such an extent that much of the wealth and resources being produced in its far-flung empire is being prevented from being shipped to the British Isles. That’s something I can grasp conceptually, since in many ways it’s what the German U-boat campaign was trying to achieve. But what happens in the case of a country like the US whose IPCs are largely generated within its own borders? Blockading such a country (without occupying it) would primarily affect its ability to export stuff and (to the extent that they are needed) to import things, but it would have no effect on its domestic food production or on its ability to manufacture finished products from domestic raw materials.
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We have played around with a new tactics card that we call Combined Bomber Offensive or Commerce Raiding to replace Human Wave Attack. Any thoughts?
Combined Bomber Offensive No of cards: 2
You may declare a joint bomber strike with a fellow player of your choice, on your conduct combat phase. Your bomber units may not conduct combat during your turn, but may move on your noncombat move phase. On your fellow player’s turn, the fellow player can move any of your bomber units during his or her combat move phase and conduct combat with them, as if they belonged to the fellow player, but weapons cards have no effect on these bomber units.Human Wave Attack No of cards: 3
When you move only infantry into a contested territory during the combat move phase, all those infantry attack on a 2. You may not withdraw from the human wave attack. This special ability also applies to any amphibious assault were you may include offshore bombardment support.Convoy Raiding No of cards: 3
Instead of engaging in combat, each battleship in an uncontested sea zone adjacent to an enemy territory may roll 1 die, the enemy power must surrender thatmany IPCs to the bank.Game Master
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Why do you think that this Fortune card would not be valid?
And what strategic elements do it put in play?Supreme Excellence
When attacking with a fire power that is at least three times larger then the defending enemy’s you will breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting. The attacker automatically wins the battle, but all defending units can fire once during the first round of combat before being destroyed. -
Why do you think that this Fortune card would not be valid?
Have a look at Lanchester’s Laws, a mathematical model of the effect of force ratios in combat. The one which pertains to combat involving firearms doesn’t say that the attacker magically suffers zero casualties if he achieves a 3-to-1 ratio (or any other ratio) in combat; it simply says that the side with the most men will gradually gain the upper hand, and that the attritional effects increase in an exponential rather than in inear fashion. Besides, the old rule of thumb which says that an attacker needs a 3-to-1 ratio to succeed exists precisely because it recognizes that a defender typically has the initial advantage over the attacker, and that the attacker will suffer more casualties initially. Defenders are often in dug-in or fortified positions, whereas the attacker typically has to stand up and go out into the open in order to advance, which puts him in a more exposed position.
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The interseting thing with the Supreme Excellence card is what it brings in for strategy, not so much about the numbers. If you attack and concentrate a force into one zone or territory, just to deplete an enemy on a stack of strategically interesting units, you might end up in trouble. What would happen if the defending player plays the Entrenchment or Signals Intelligence card! As you see, it will bring a second level thought to the strategy that we have never seen before. Make it more of a strategy game, and less luck, which is the opposite to what most people think at first sight. If you try these rules you will discover new insights about this second level thought in many other situations of the game play. Enjoy!
Mr. Andersson
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