Though if Japan could take India, they would’ve taken Yunnan already.
It’s virtually the only way to move from Europe to China.
Here is a thought on the matter of Radar.
Consider that it is a weapon breakthrough…that means it won’t be in every game of axis. I would suggest it would rarely come into play considering there are 5 other outcomes on its chart and tech rolls are no longer saved OOB. Even if you get a power a round, it might still take 3-6 rounds to acquire it and have an impact. Of course, your opponent could get lucky.
Also consider that it costs your opponent some IPCs to acquire it. If they spend too much researching it, its almost like extra bombing done, since they were not buying pieces to use on the board.
So, unless your opponent gets the breakthrough cheaply…5-15 IPCs and early; you will likely gain an advantage in pieces on the board, and in forward positions. I would rather spend 20 IPCs for 2 fighters to defend one complex and focus my air power and builds there.
I have to wonder how hard it would be to raid all of the factories that Germany can use, if they captured France and Normandy. If they bomb one, you can always build out of the other. Unless you have large bomber forces hitting each factory, I do not see how bombing is superior to transports and land units. It just takes too long to have a strangling effect: Time to build the bombers, deploy them, and build up damage on multiple factories…What would you say, 5-7 rounds of play before Germany is “forced” to pay for some repairs.
In closing, if you are a big fan of a Bombing strategy. The radar technology should not normally impact your plans, unless your opponent is lucky enough to get it early and cheaply in those select few games that this occurs. If I were bombing someone, I would want them to spend more money on rolls, its effectively extra “bombing” unless they get that 1/6 radar breakthrough, after getting their first 1/6 for the breakthrough. In effect, Radar does not break the game by removing or discouraging a strategy, as it is not a sure thing. Those games where they get it, are like those games when you lose multiple first round battles that you were counting on…every now and then, you just lose to die rolls.(assumes you can not change your plans mid game, which you could with a large bomber force)
Well, i haven’t seen much bombing raids happen in P40 /E40 / G40 in my group (maybe because we’ve thrown too many 1’s in the past and now there is too much fear :-D Escort rules making it even harder, bombers costing enough money), so they are more useful in other situations.
If then you get radar, you’re baxically safe! (on the other hand, i haven’t seen much tech either in the latest games).
Not that i mind, i’ve always considered tech a way for my opponents to spend money.
And for the rest i agree with all you said there.
Well here are some recommendations/house rules to help increase the effectiveness of bombing, first i agree that fighter escorts/defenders make bombing runs too costly. you have to dodge a roll of 2 for each enemy fighter, than dodge a roll of 1 for AA guns for a chance to roll 1 die to score 1-6 damage. And many facilities take at least 3 damage to put out of commission or even more 10+ till the owner is forced to spend IPCs to repair them. So maybe try implementing some or all of the folowing:
1. have escorting/defending fighter not destroy each other. A successful hit by a defender only forces a bomber to turn back and abort its run, not shoot it from the sky. As well successful hits by escort fighters cancel the “hits” from defending fighter at 1:1. Therefor you can confidently send your fighters after each other to respond to SBR without fear of loosing them, you just loose the chance to use them in other combat that round.
2. Bombers that make it through the fighter screens will be subjected to a roll of AA as usual and shot down (unchanged)
3. Any damage that is inflected on a facility immediately renders that facility un-operational until it is repaired (stops all this leaving 2 damage on everything rule)
4. Facilities are now repaired during the mobilize new units phase, this still allows factories to be repaired to their max then deploy their full amount all in the same phase but it will also make airbases/naval bases useless during that players combat/non-combat move. (now SBR have a purpose!)
4a. The repair of capital ships will still occurred before combat movement if the ship begins its turn at an operational naval base.
5. Tactical bombers can conduct SBR on naval/airbases as if they were strategical bombers but damage will be half the dice roll rounded up to whole number.
i am very pro-nr.4, which should have been the general rule, i think