New lend-lease idea

Sounds pretty cool! I’d watch the video haha. I have a lot of old pewters from the 80s, but mine are all high fantasy, dragons and the like. My uncle had some kick ass Napoleonic era pewters, and a great set of plastic army men from the early 60s that I always pined over.

My first serious attempt at the map concept was for the computer in tripleA, a few decades ago, so pretty limited by what the thing could do at the time. It worked for a bit, but was kinda wonky and used some gimmicky ideas for the naval movement and convoys, as a way to delay the USA. It had a kind of one direction flow from the Americas to support the Entente, but the game was basically decided by what happened in Europe with the CP. I was never very satisfied, but it was a fun project cause I like the era. You can see the map down at the bottom here…

https://axisandallies.fandom.com/wiki/Great_War

Then I tried to revisit the era again, but ended up not using the WW1 map abstraction concept, opting for something that just had the whole world on view and a more free form 1898-1918 vibe, so the factions could be less rigid. Basically I wanted it to include the Spanish American war, and Africa scrambles, or Boxer rebellion-y stuff with a kind of slow build into WW1. I split the Entente into Anglo-American and Franco-Russian sides, to see if I could find a way of dividing up the world and then tacked some others minors onto each team just to see how it would work. I think I had America-Britain-Portugal-Japan on one team, France-Spain-Italy-Russia on another. Germany-Austria-Ottomans-the Dutch and China on the last. Just so the spread would be evenly distributed with some fronts in each theater to tease out. I determined it as too simplistic and anachronistic though. It was basically the dilemma of the 3 faction game and being modelled more on the playscale of Risk than A&A that proved kind of intractable. The factions weren’t entirely satisfying, though I thought it kind of fun for make believe, and colonial competition. I just called it “Domination” lol. That one had a very limited unit roster, and simplified economy, but a much larger scale of territory divisions. I think it still would have worked on a 6 ft table, but only because of the limited units. Really it was just an excuse to draw a world map projection with a warp that I liked a little better than the traditional A&A map.

https://axisandallies.fandom.com/wiki/Domination

I wanted something a bit closer to Mercator, but which would still give a much larger Europe. The squish-blob challenge I found was in how to manage South Asia and Africa, where the map compression becomes more extreme due to what has to happen with Europe/Med in A&A style games, so there was some abstraction, but a bit different than the earlier idea. I abandoned that one too, but Hepster picked it up again and revised it considerably for a 1914 era game using the same base projection but focused more on politics and a much more highly evolved roster/ruleset for this one…

https://forums.triplea-game.org/topic/1063/power-of-politics-1914-a-wwi-scenario

I’m not sure if that one would work as a physical game though without a very large map. Perhaps 2x6 ft tables to make a large square with a more extreme warp in the map projection? But basically its better on a computer I’d imagine since you can map zoom and scale to micro with the imaginary sculpts. But work on it has gone a bit quiet since last year. Anyhow, it have a few of the abstraction concepts for stuff like convoys or how to handle the Bolshevik revolution (always a toughy), or things like cities through an abstracted scheme, but not so much with the playboxes ideas.

I’m definitely interested in different ways to push the map around though. I enjoyed the Classic playboxes in the first A&A map I picked up, even if they were just sort of cosmetic zooms in that one. I liked the look of it.

Our club has added technology rules that really speed up the game and offer much more variety. One of the most significant is that each country has rail movement. If you want to discuss, best way to reach me is by email at jonkrost@comcast.net

We do our technology country specific as such:

Germany
2 – The jet age begins and the ME-262 takes to the skies. Fighters defend at a 5 during ground attacks and scrambles, and defend at 4 during strategic and tactical bombing.
3 – King Tiger tank is developed and rolls off the assembly line. Armor now attacks on a 4.
4 – Type IX U-boat is unleashed upon the Atlantic. Submarines attack at 3 and defend at 2.
5 – Nebelwerfer rocket packs delivered to the front. All artillery can support 2 infantry or mechanized infantry.
6 – Waffen SS divisions now attached to regular army divisions. “4+1” For every 5 infantry in a combat or defense. One attacks and defends at +1. With an attached artillery the attack value is increased to 3.
7 – V-2 Rocket is developed. Airbases may now conduct one industrial or naval/air base attack on a zone within 4 spaces. One die of damage is rolled per German controlled operational air base.
8 – Long range aircraft. All aircraft flight range is increased by 1 movement.
9 – Advanced radar. AA guns hit at 2 during strategic and tactical bombing raids.
10 – Improved mechanized infantry. All mechanized infantry attacks at a 2. Artillery do not boost.
11 - Improved aviation engineering and manufacturing. Fighters now cost 8 IPC.

12 – Atomic weapons. A new age of terror begins as the Nazis harness the power of the atom.
Atomic bombs cost 24 IPC to build. Only two may be built per turn. May not be built on same turn as breakthrough turn.
Move as infantry by land or sea. If loaded on a strategic bomber, it can move the current range of the bomber
Due to a lack of trained technicians and engineers, a nation may possess no more than 2 weapons at one time.
Due to the size and nature of the airburst associated with the nuclear warhead, no attack roll is required to score a successful hit.
No air defense, such as fighter interception, is allowed due to the altitude of the strike plane and surprise of the attack. Only upgraded fighters may intercept. Long range aircraft or jet power technology must have been researched to perform interception.
An atomic weapon is treated as an AAA gun if the territory in which it is stored is attacked. 
No AAA guns are to be fired due to the altitude of the strike plane and surprise of the attack only normal AA gun with factory can fire. Airbase and naval base do not fire AA.
Any industrial complex is attacked with 4 dice disabled to maximum value of 20 for major and 2 dice disabled to maximum value of 6 for minor complexes.
Any airbases or naval bases are attacked by one dice of value.
One dice is rolled and that number of units of defenders choice eliminated. AAA guns may be chosen.

If used on a naval assault:
The nuclear strike cannot be combined with surface vessels.
Due to the altitude of the strike plane and surprise of the strike, aircraft on carriers and loaded troops on transports are considered to be cargo and provide no defense. The 5 hits are assessed and the attacking bomber returns to base. No 2nd attack is permitted.
Transports chosen last.

USSR is not permitted to develop weapons until they are in a state of war.
1 – IL-2 Sturmovik rolls off the line. All fighters now attack at 4 when paired with a matching armor.
2 – T-36 rolls off the line. Tanks now attack at 4.
3 – Katyusha rocket packs to the front. Artillery can support 2 infantry.
4 – Russian home guard. “4+1”, for every 5 infantry on defense one defends at 3.
5 – 6 Roll again

Japan
1 – Kaiten submarine is unleashed upon the Pacific. Submarines attack 3 / defend 2.
2 – Improved ship building. Battleships cost 17 and carriers cost 13.
3 – Ship radar. Battleships now hit and defend at 5.
4 – Improved capital ship design. Battleships and carriers now require 3 hits to destroy.
5 – Long range aircraft. All aircraft flight range is increased by 1 movement.
6 – Improved aviation engineering and manufacturing. All air units cost reduced by 2 IPC.

USA is not permitted to develop weapons until they are in a state of war.
2 – B-29 is developed by Boeing. Roll 2 dice for each strategic bomber in a combat or strategic raid. Range is increased to 8.
3 – Improved factories and manufacturing methods. Cost of all units except infantry, reduced by 1 IPC.
4 – Ship radar. Battleships now hit and defend at 5.
5 – Improved capital ship design. Battleships and carriers now require 3 hits to destroy.
6 – Improved ship building. Battleships cost 17 and carriers cost 13.
7 – P-51 Mustang rolls off line. Fighters now have a range of 6
8 – Rocket barges developed. Destroyers may now conduct shore bombardment at a 2.
9 – Improved mechanized infantry. All mechanized infantry attacks at a 2. Artillery do not boost.
10 – Long range aircraft. All aircraft flight range is increased by 1 movement. P-51 is not increased.
11 – Jet power developed. Fighters defend at 5 during defense and scramble and 4 during strategic and tactical bombing raids.
12 – Atomic weapons. See German section.

United Kingdom
1 – Sterling bombers developed. Roll 2 dice for each strategic bomber in a combat or strategic raid.
2 – Ship radar. Battleships now hit and defend at 5.
3 – Improved capital ship design. Battleships and carriers now require 3 hits to destroy.
4 – SAS Commandos. On first round only, of an amphibious assault infantry hit on a 2. Matching artillery boost to a 3.
5 – Anti-aircraft radar improvements. AA guns hit on 2 during strategic and tactical bombing.
6 – Spitfire III rolls off the line. Fighters now defend at 5 during defense and scrambles and 2 during strategic and tactical bombing raids.

Italy
1 – Long range aircraft. All aircraft flight range is increased by 1 movement.
2 - Improved aviation engineering and manufacturing. All air units reduced cost by 2 IPC.
3 – Improved mechanized infantry. All mechanized infantry attacks at a 2. Artillery do not boost.
4 – Mobile artillery. Artillery may now move 2.
5 – Frogmen commandos. On the first round of combat only, 2 extra dice are rolled prior to a naval attack. A roll of 2 or less is a hit. Hits are assessed prior to the main attack.
6 – Roll again.

Australia – due to lack of industry and supplies are limited to naval improvements only. ANZAC is not permitted to develop weapons until they are in a state of war
1 – Improved ship building.
Cost table
Battleship 17
Aircraft Carrier 13
Cruiser 9
Destroyer 7
Transport 6
Submarine 5
2 – Ship radar. Battleships now hit and defend at 5.
3 – Improved capital ship design. Battleships and carriers now require 3 hits to destroy.
4 – Long range aircraft. All aircraft flight range is increased by 1 movement.
5 – Improved aviation engineering and manufacturing. All air units cost reduced by 2 IPC.
6 – Royal Marines. Infantry may be transported by Anzac cruisers and battleships. 1 per ship. Ships can still bombard in amphibious landings and attack prior to a landing.

@Black_Elk:

Japan’s starting IC violates the island prohibition, even in the OOB game, which always struck me as inconsistent.

Japan is not an island, its a continent like Europe, Africa, Greenland or Australia.

I’ve been considering giving a try to the following in my next game:  (Someone posted this before, not sure who or where though)
-  Each destroyer can expose and negate the effects of one sub per sea-zone.
-  Destroyers now cost 6.

This would encourage the purchase of more destroyers rather than subs in fleets to be used as meat-shields since they also defend at 2.  Subs would be used more exclusively in their traditional roles as convoy raiders and opportunity hits rather than fleet screens as they are with the current rules.

I really like the idea of 1 IPC per valueless allied pacific island. I am going to propose that to the group I play with, because we are always looking for a way to balance the game, but at the same time try to keep it as close to OOB as possible.

What we have been doing for several games, and it is working well, is this:

Play “cry uncle” - so no Victory City win condition for Axis.
Germany not allowed to build factories in original German controlled territories.
USA can do whatever they want in the European theater only, right away in turn one.

Yea, but its a capital full of civilians hostile to them.

@Cobert:

It’s like when people try to incorporate the rules from Europe involving bomber escorts into Revised or AA50 - with each turn representing a period of several months and each territory representing miles upon miles of land or entire countries, I think it’s insane that they want a rule that makes a unit shaped like a fighter accompany a unit shaped like a bomber to actually mean that there are fighter escorts with the bomber.

Well I can see your point ref scale of the action and so I’d support the geographic boundary with no house rule for CAP or any FTRs defending adjacent space etc.

But otherwise, I’m leaning towards the optional escort / interceptor rule as it reflects the operational decision on whether you use your fighter resources defensively or base them forward to project air cover.