Dijitz House Rules Part 1 - The Rules

Like some of you, my group and I expected more with the release of the 1940 series. More than what we got anyways. I have laid out my new set of house rules, but I cannot take all the credit for all of them. Many have been taken off this forum, and, to be honest, I don’t recall who you all are. So, if you see a rule you feel you deserve credit for, I will make a note of it. Some I’ve kept and others I’ve made some changes to. And some of you have just simply inspired me (Thanks IL). Others I have gotten from various documentaries, previous versions, and I have to take credit for some. Here it is. I’d like some feed back and maybe another rule or two I haven’t thought of or found, before we start play testing. I’ve had to split this article into four parts due to character limit on this forum. The links are posted on the bottom.

Phases
During a turn, a player performs some or all of the nine Phases in the following order:
Phase 1 Purchase Combat Units/Technology
Phase 2 Land Fighters on Combat Air Patrol
Phase 3 Combat Movement
Phase 4 Resolve Combat
Phase 5 Blitz Combat Movement
Phase 6 Blitz Combat
Phase 7 Non-Combat Movement
Phase 8 Place New Units
Phase 9 Submerged Submarines Resurface
Phase 10 Collect Income

Combat Sequence
1. Place units on battle board
2. Conduct opening fire
3. Remove opening fire casualties
4. Attacking units fire
5. Defending units retreat
6. Defending units fire
7. Remove casualties
8. Press attack or retreat
9. Capture territory

House Rules
Interceptor Rule
Fighters can only intercept when the defender has BOTH the Radar technology and an operational airbase at the same location as the facility being targeted by the strategic bombing run. Strategic bombers roll with your escorts (machine gunners) hitting on a 1.

Night Time Bombing Raids
Bombers may choose to conduct a night time bombing raid. The strategic bombing run may not be subjected to the “interceptors” rule but may still be targeted by AA guns as normal. Damage to facilities is halved, rounded up.

Establish Combat Air Patrol (CAP) (Europe/Pacific)
Combat Air Patrol is a special feature that involves fighter planes. During the Non-combat Movement phase, you may initiate a CAP by moving fighter planes that have not moved this turn from any territory to an adjacent sea zone. However, a CAP fighter may not be moved to a sea zone in which the presence of enemy pieces would cause combat. During the enemy’s turn, the CAP will stop all enemy naval units (except subs) from moving through the sea zone. Naval units that move into the sea zone must stop, and a battle will then be fought. An enemy player may move air units through the sea zone without being stopped by the CAP. An enemy player may move planes into the sea zone with the CAP to engage the CAP, or to fly to an island within the sea zone to engage ground units there. This may or may not be part of a planned Amphibious Assault. As stated earlier, your CAP must land before the combat move phase of your next turn. Fighters on CAP may land on any friendly land territory that is adjacent to the sea zone or any friendly carrier, island or island group that is within the sea zone. If a CAP fighter cannot land because there is no friendly landing place, then the fighter is lost and removed from play. Having landed, the fighter may then move as normal.

Dog Fight
While both sides have air units, these air units fight with dog fighting values (2/2); fighters raised to 3 if jet fighters. Air units’ hits must be first allocated on opposing air units. Bombers still attack ground units at 3 or less (during a dog fight) AND participate in the dogfight at a 1. Heavy bombers only roll 1 dice for the dog fight but still roll two dice for the ground combat (hitting on a 3 or less) If no ground units present, bombers still participate in the dog fight at a 1. When only one side has air units, the units fight with normal combat value. Does not apply to defending strategic bombers (considered on ground). Tactical bombers may conduct first round as normal (choose land/naval targets) before entering dog fight. Aircraft do not enter normal combat until the beginning of the combat round after the dog fight has been resolved.

Paratroopers
No tech required. In addition to AAG40 rules, cargo planes may drop two infantry or one infantry and artillery or one mechanical infantry into an enemy territory. All units must start from the same location.

Dive Bomb
Your tactical bombers may target all facilities the same way your strategic bombers do with the exception of industrial complexes. May be escorted on these bombing runs by fighters. Damage is halved rounded up.

Choose Your Targets
The following units may choose their targets on the first round of combat ONLY:

Attacking submarines (unless an opposing destroyer present) may choose only naval
units and may also choose transports (defender chooses which transport is taken
as a casualty).
Attacking/defending tactical bombers may not choose other air units except those that are to be
considered on the ground.
Attacking artillery (matched with one non-mechanical infantry) may only choose land
units and defending strategic bombers. Ignores pillbox/fortress for this attack.
Attacking/defending dreadnoughts

Scorched Earth
You may remove your facilities during your mobilize new units phase in order to prevent them from being captured by an opponent. You must have at least one military unit (Not AA gun or coastal battery) present.

Combined Arms
Mechanized Infantry may transport one land unit of lesser or equal value when paired with a tank. All units must begin movement from the same location.

Blitzkrieg
Your tanks and mechanical infantry that only moved one space in combat movement and successfully cleared the enemy land territory in the first combat round can perform either: A) attack a new enemy territory from the captured territory, or B) retreat to an adjacent territory during NCM to avoid possible enemy counterattack.

Scrambling
In addition to AAG40 rules, your fighters and tactical bombers may also scramble to adjacent sea zones from your non-island territories containing an operational airbase.

Fly Overs
AA guns fire every time enemy flies over them.
Your fighters can intercept whenever flown over if you have an operational airbase in that territory and radar technology.

Nothing’s Free
It now cost’s 1 IPC to repair your damaged battleships and aircraft carriers.

British Government in Exile
In the event that London is captured by the Axis, the Canadian government will function independently with Ottawa as its capital beginning on their next turn, allowing them to continue to collect IPC’s and purchase units. If London is liberated, the Canadian government will return to the control of the British Empire. Britain Pacific will lose the 1 IPC from British Columbia (Transferring to Canada). A Canadian Roundel will be placed on the IPC chart at 7 (assuming all of Canada is under Allied control). Canada functions the same as any other country.
Canadian roundels: http://www.mediafire.com/?01l8l828568sl4x

Victory Cities
Non-Original territories with victory cities need at least 15 IPCs worth of LAND units for the victory city to be considered “occupied”.

You may receive a bonus 1 IPC for each victory city you hold (conquered cities must be occupied), and a further bonus of 2 IPCs if you control all surrounding territories. In the case of an island (Manila or Honolulu) you must own each island in each surrounding sea zone. Also, in the case of a coastal city, you must own the island(s) shared in that sea zone (i.e. Rome, you must own Sardinia and Sicily) and vice versa (Tokyo, you must also own Korea).

If the enemy attempts to liberate a territory with a victory city within, and you are not occupying the victory city, they get two free infantry, one before the combat, and a second if the attacker is victorious. You may mobilize one of your purchased infantry at each victory city.

Spoils of War
When you take an enemy’s capital and his IPCs, you take his researchers (minus one) as well. Scientists purchased with UK-Pacific IPCs are located in Calcutta and scientists purchased with UK-Europe IPCs are located in London.

When you take an opposing victory city (or capital) you may steal a technology from the defending player. Defender chooses what technology falls into the enemy hands.

When you take an opposing victory city, you steal that territory’s IPC value from the defending player.

Defender Retreats
Half of each type of your remaining units (rounded down) may retreat instead of returning fire. E.g. Defender has 5 infantry, 3 artillery and 2 tanks with 3 hits scored against him. Choosing all 3 hits as infantry (who have yet to return fire), the defender may now choose 1 infantry, 1 artillery, and 1 tank to retreat, leaving 1 infantry, 2 artillery, and 1 tank to return fire (along with the 3 infantry taken as casualties). The defender may only retreat if he/she can do so to a friendly territory that is not adjacent to either an enemy controlled territory or one being/has been attacked in the same turn.

Collateral Damage
When an airbase or naval base receives full damage (6 damage) from a single strategic bombing run or rocket attack, 1 hit is scored on air/naval units present. For naval, must be a surface warship. Defender chooses casualty. If fighters intercepted this strategic bombing run (or another) this turn (not round), then those fighters cannot be chosen as casualties for collateral damage, because they are not considered on the ground during the strategic bombing run. If fighters/tactical bombers have been scrambled this turn (not round), then those fighters/tactical bombers cannot be chosen as casualties for collateral damage for the same reason as mentioned above.

Artillery Bombardment
Your artillery aboard your transports may conduct one round of bombardment during the coastal bombardment step of amphibious combat (The artillery and transport(s) must also be partaking in the amphibious assault). Artillery bombard at a two. Heavy artillery has no effect here.

You get what you pay for
If Britain gets the heavy artillery technology, the Chinese also get that technology.
If USA gets long range aircraft, the Chinese (Flying Tigers) also get that technology.
If USA gets jet fighters, the Chinese (Flying Tigers) also get that technology.

Edit: Added Dive Bomb Rule from Air Tech tree(Heavy Payload). Replaced Heavy payload with Rocket Projectiles on tech page.
Edit: Added Canadian Roundels and Victory City chips.

Part 2- The Units
http://www.axisandallies.org/forums/index.php?topic=21073.0

Cool, changed the tank para dropping and the hitch rule… going to have to keep the artillery bombardment though… It has historical basis (D-day footage).

I think you might be right about the retreating rule.

Um, for the collateral damage rule, I had originally thought of for every two or three damage, but then who would bomb factories… Was thinking every time a 6 was rolled maybe… might get a few more lucky shots that way… But the collateral damage rule combined with the RADAR/Air base for interceptors rule I think will gave the game the same feel that the Luftwaffe and RAF went through.

@lnmajor:

DOGFIGHTING INVOLVING TACS
The way i play it is all fighters pair off and resolve dogfight first. if tacs are involved in attack defending fighters can choose to go after tacs or attacking fighters. attacking fighters act sort of like escorts, they defend against fighters and         tie them up so the tacs can get thru and target their objectives. in this case the tacs can choose their targets. if you attack with tacs with no attacking fighters for support against defending fighters, the tacs can choose to defend themselves against fighter attack, or go after land/naval targets. the latter would be a bad choice thou becouse the defending fighters could go after the attacking tacs and just chew them up. after dogfighting is resolved combat as usual.

Can you give me a play by play for instance?

@dadler12:

Dijitz i like your rules a lot. My group has tried house rules too and you just gave me a bunch of new ideas. Thanks!

I only take credit for the following:

Interceptor Rule
Choose Your Targets
Combined Arms (Partialy… thanks oztea)
Fly Overs (no brainer… think that’s more of a rule every second AA release)
Nothing’s Free
Spoils of War
Collateral Damage
Artillery Bombardment
You get what you pay for

But thank you very much.

@lnmajor:

My post is pretty self explanitory. do you have a specific question?

Kinda, I can get the idea, but there was room for more explanation there. How’s this:

Dogfight Combat
All attack/defense values are unchanged.
All fighters pair off 1:1
    Any extra fighters may choose their targets (as long as they are airborne aircraft).
    Fighters are bound to dog fighting until there are no airborne aircraft left.
Tac bombers may choose to defend themselves against the fighter(s) pursuing them OR
    choose their land/naval targets.
    Tac bombers can leave/enter dog fight at any time.
Attacking strategic bombers get an automatic defense (machine gunners) against its
    attacker(s), hitting on a 2. Rolling only one dice. (is 2 OK? Not sure if 2 or 1, was even
    thinking an AA role of 1, 1 dice per attacker, think that might be OP… will have to
    play test these numbers).
    The attack value of attacking strategic bombers (4) can only be used against land
    units, naval units, or defending aircraft that are considered on the ground)
Defending strategic bombers are considered on the ground.

Is that what you had in mind?

Edit: Now, if the Tac bomber chooses to defend itself on the first round, does it forfeit it’s ability to choose a land/naval target? Or does it just choose a target when it leaves ground combat. Might need ammo chips for that (since I added Rocket Projectiles in the Air tech tree) but that may just over-complicate things.

Also, if the attacking strat bombers have an auto defense of 1 during dog fighting, then I should have it so in the escort/interceptor rule, no combat values are changed at all and the bombers stay at a 1.

@lnmajor:

You got it!
Pretty much dead on. Tacs would not lose first round targeting, i think they should be able to target a
ll the time. That would be their strengh. this can always be countered with
fighters.    think about this, fighters: attack 2, defend 2 against land and naval targets. but fighters attack 3, defend 4 against tacs and bombers. Tacs attack 2 and defend 2 against fighters and use normal attack values against land and naval targets.Strat bombers always defend from fighters at 1

Have you play tested that? How well does that work? We will have to change the values of the escort intercept rules as well then eh?

EDIT: I was thinking about tacs being able to choose at all times. BUT they were only equipped with one bomb to drop, but I added the Rocket Projectiles Technology (Your tactical bombers may choose its targets twice. Each tactical bomber can choose its target in the first and second round of combat). This, I think, is where we might have to add some ammo markers?? I think so

EDIT: Link for Ammo Markers
http://www.mediafire.com/?9k512hkknsh66ss

I’ll look into it, my group and I are going to start playtesting in a week or two. Thanks for the help

I added various links and made some changes to the first three parts of the rules, technology, and units.