Bombing is back, Baby!

Glad to see this tactic back in it’s Historical role.

I definitely agree. The +2 damage ensures that you make at least 3 damage points, which will knock out an airfield or naval base. I almost never bomb a complex unless I have bombers that can do nothing else, but the +2 and new interceptor rules make it juicier for sure.

@Rammstein:

. The +2 damage ensures that you make at least 3 damage points, which will knock out an airfield or naval base.

Yes, USA can for sure knock out a Japanese base, so it cant scramble when UK attack it.
Japan on the other hand, can never knock out an Allied base as long as it gets repaired before combat move, unless Germany move a Bomber over to the Pacific map, and knock that bases out before Japans turn.

I love the new bombing rules.  More SBRs occurred in the last game I played than all previous alpha 3 games combined.

Convoy raiding on the other hand needs to be changed back to OOB with Germany’s +3.

The “new” SBR system is excatly same as one that was introduced in the orignal A&A Europe from ten years ago(minus the +2), so its great to see it again and I wonder why it took so long to bring it back (and I have just made myself feel old)

@mantlefan:

Don’t forget that in addition to superimproved bombers we have super-useless interceptors; they roll at one now, not at 2 like in Europe original.

Thats right! I missed that I thought the interceptors still fired a 2 and I think I will play them that way, espically if they are going to let bombers get to take shots as well. Even so, I still like the re-introduction of this system to A&A40, its well placed here.

What I have a bigger problem with is the changes made to the convoy rading system. I think it takes a potent weapon and completely over powers it. While being able to do 8IPC drain on the homeland British economy might not seem like much, imagine the damage you can do with a large surface fleet off the coast of the U.S.

I agree and disagree with the arguments presented. While I do like re-introduction of the escort-interceptor rules and allowing tatical bombers to take shots at air and naval bases, I disagree with these bases and ICs only needing one hit be done to them to knock them out. This dose over power it a bit and the older system, where you needed to do 3 hits on minors and 10 hits on major complexes to knock them out was much better and I will continue to use it.

I think Larry retreated on the bombing damage rules after many people objected.  I know the rules for damage to ICs are back to they way they were.  I think the reason he did that was to keep people from getting 3 hits on an air/naval base then only repairing 1 IPC of damage and getting full function again.  As for the ICs, I’m not sure what his intention was there.  I do think it is kind of silly for a Major IC to get 1 bomb hit and be totally useless.  Plus, I agree with you on air/naval bases.  They ought to be able to have some damage and still be operational.

@Young:

Everything now defends and attacks @1 during a SBR, and bombers get +2 to their damage rolls. I’m loving this modification, who agrees?

Agreed!

Now if I could convince Larry that Strategic Bombers should get +2 from Airbases instead of just +1 we’d really have something!  (Why?  So that America can engage in the historic bombing campaigns over Japan from some of the more distant islands.  You can GET there but seem to always end up being 1 movement point short getting back.)

I haven’t tried this (yet), but has anyone thought of stacking USSR’s 2 AA & 18 infantry in Siberia and using it as a place to land American bombers from Midway, Wake or Guam?  What do you think of having a US carrier fleet parked in z5 to provide escorts and protection for those bombers?

Why not have the US fleet in SZ 6 so they can convoy raid Japan and provide bomber escorts?

@knp7765:

Why not have the US fleet in SZ 6 so they can convoy raid Japan and provide bomber escorts?

I generally do at some point.  At the very least, American control of Korea with a naval base prevents Japan from putting any units on transports in SZ 6 (assuming you build a destroyer each round.)  That can be quite worth it depending on how your opponent plays!

Plus I think it would be better to put your US bombers on Korea once you’ve taken it so you don’t have to land them in Soviet territory.  Don’t trust those commies with my bombers.
With UK and Chinese forces pounding Japanese forces on the mainland, ANZAC navy could be convoy raiding any Japanese held islands or perhaps even taking them back from Japan and US bombers SBRing Japan into the stone age, poor Japan isn’t going to be building any destroyers, or transports or much of anything from then on.  Japan will be pretty much in check.
Off to Europe to deal with the Germans.

Iwo Jima, with an airbase, seems to be quite adept at housing my American bombers.  WEG  Guam might be better for sake of where you can hit things, but you can’t SBR Tokyo from Guam even with the Airbase there.  (If you play tech and have LRA then yea you can and in such a case, I would say Guam is the hands down best possible location for American bombers, if they can be defended.)

agree with matlefan. Bombers are overpowered now for america. I wonder if anyone will try sending 2 bombers a turn vs germany with america. As these rules read america can hurt germany enough just by bombing. the problem with america is how far she is from the war. Bombers can be brought from eastern to UK in 1 turn and begin bombing next turn. While tranny’s are less powerful as america now because of how far away america is from the actual battlefield. So the strategy employed with tech in revised of going 100% for heavy bombers with america, can in a sense be reached from the start now… Other countries can’t afford to build bombers, so this only really benefits America and overall the allies. I’d like to see bombing not be +2 and that would make it more fair.

Eh?  How is 12 IPC over priced for the United States?

Transports are 1 jump from Spain.  Might be a better option for you.  Load in SZ 101, land in Spain, and send transports from the Gibraltar Naval Base back to Washington.  It’s the same as in any other game of Axis and Allies…except you have to invade a True Neutral to do it now.