Yeah that makes sense
Antiaircraft Artillery
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Aircraft Artillery
The regular antiaircraft gun unit is dismissed and replaced by a more versatile artillery unit. In addition to its normal combat ability, artillery can choose to defend as an antiaircraft artillery, but never both in the same turn. Antiaircraft artillery defend during the first cycle of combat only. All regular antiaircraft guns on the game board are replaced by two artillery units.
Your artillery fire against an air unit during the opening fire step of combat. Roll one die for each artillery, but each attacking air unit may not be attacked more than twice. A roll of 1 destroys an attacking air unit. The attacker can pick any bomber or fighter as a casualty, a casualty cannot return fire. An artillery directed against air units may not be destroyed in order to satisfy a loss and are considered to be captured if the attacking player should conquer the territory.
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The reasons for the Antiaircraft Artillery rule
I find the Antiaircraft Artillery rule game balanced. In my case both kind of units (antiair and regular) will be used in the same combat, some will go for air and some for land*. That is one thing I wanted to achieve by this rule. The least of all this game need is more pieces of units on the game board, that was another reason to the Antiaircraft Artillery rule. I will prefer the special abilities approach instead. In such an approach one can use special abilities as optional rules. This is how the mismatch between the historical and play ability focus might be bridged in the very best way. For a player unfamiliar with A&A , it would be a more pedagogic way to successively increase the dimension and scope of the original game.
*If just two attacking fighters then no more than four artillery can be directed aginst air units. More over one has to consider air supremacy and the possibility of win or lose. These aspects bring balance to the game because it becomes more of an art than just statistics. I am talking about scenario analysis rather then just a static analysis of a singel scenario.
One can always mathematically figure out which type will inflict the enemy the biggest loss on average, but that is for a risk neutral case. The risk doeas play a role for people. It is easy to figure out a scenario were one choose to go for a regular hit on 2/6 chance and not a hit on 1/6 chance. No matter if the lsmall chance case will inflict a lot more damage (a fighter) then the big chance case (infantry casualty). How ever it is more of an exception.
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Direct as Antiaircraft Artillery or Regular Artillery?
When will a player choose to use his artillery to defend against air units?
In a SBR for sure, but not always in a land based combat! So under what circumstances will one direct the artillery on air units? To answer that question one need to take a closer look at the odds!
Artillery directed against air
Cost damage to attacker: 1/6 * 10 IPCs (15 IPCs if a bomber) = 1.67 IPCs (2.5 IPCs if a bomber)
Cost reduction to defender (opening fire): 1/6(chance) * 3/6 (fightrer) *3 IPCs (infantry casualty) = 0.25 IPCs
Total benefit: >2 IPCs **In fact the possibilty of targeting air units is also an advantage that will ad up for each cycle of combat after the first one, since one would never pick an expensive air unit as a casualty as long as there are cheaper units to pick. On the other hand an artillery directed against air units may not be destroyed in order to satisfy a loss and are considered to be captured if the attacking player should conquer the territory.
Artillery directed against land
Cost damage to attacker: 2/6 * 3 IPCs (Infantry casualty) = 1 IPC
Cost damage to attacker (air supremacy): 3/6 * 3 IPCs (Infantry casualty) = 1.5 IPCsBottom line
One will direct the artillery against air:
–As long as one think the combat will not last for more than 2 cycles*.
–And if one think he will win the combat so these artillery don’t fall into enemy hands.*If one can get air supremacy that will affect any other defending artillery directed against land. In that case one would always direct some artillery against air.
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Im not sure what this is about but i think you offer either function for artillery against air or land. On a d6 a one in six chance is still too much… Perhaps roll 2 dice if you get a 2 then a hit is counted. Or if you got 2 artillery then a 2-3 is a hit. This attack would be preemtive. (planes are removed from play). The artillery should then be allowed to participate in normal combat with ground units. the following are some ideas for air combat missions. They are my old versions but they can help you anyway.
Air Interception of Air Units
Defending fighters may intercept and AA guns may fire at moving air units leaving the airspace of the defender’s territory or sea zone. One round of air interception combat occurs in the defender’s territory or sea zone.Defensive Air Support
During Ground Combat Resolution, defending air units (including bombers) may move to an adjacent territory to participate in the defense of friendly ground units being attacked. Movement of these units takes one full combat round before they can be used. (Example: On round one, the defending player announces that he will dispatch fighters and on round two they are used in combat). Aircraft called up for DAS missions are not committed to fight a minimum number of combat rounds. For example: defensive Air Support was called in on combat round one and ready to fight on round two, but the defender rolled very poorly on his first round and decided to call off DAS and not risk losing his planes. At the end of ground combat resolution, surviving Defensive Air Support (DAS) units must return to their original land territory, if possible.Combat Air Patrol
During the Non-Combat phase, you may establish Combat Air Patrol (CAP) from any territory to adjacent sea zones. Simply move any air units in range to unoccupied sea zones. Any enemy naval units (except Subs) that move into this sea zone must now stop and engage the CAP and a battle will then be fought. An enemy player can move planes to either engage the CAP, or to fly to islands in the sea zone and fight ground units or support an amphibious assault. During the regular movement phase, all CAP planes must then land on the friendly Islands or Carriers.Coastal Defense
During Naval Combat Resolution, defending air units (including bombers) may move to an adjacent sea zone to participate in the defense of friendly naval units being attacked, or where defending naval units are conducting combat against enemy naval units that have ended their movement in the defender’s sea zone (including during amphibious assaults). Movement of these units takes one full combat round before they can be used. (Example: On round one, the defending player announces that he will dispatch fighters and on round two they are used in combat). At the end of naval combat resolution, surviving coastal defense air units must return to their original land territory, if possible.
Air units may provide coastal defense even if the land territory they are from is under attack. They may provide coastal defense, defend the land territory, or provide strategic air defense; they may not do more than one. At the end of combat resolution, if the territory a defending air unit flew from is captured, the air unit must fly to the closest friendly territory within its flight range. If no friendly territory is available, the defending air unit is eliminated.Strategic Bombing
Bombers may perform strategic bombing against enemy ICs within their range. Strategic bombers may be intercepted by defending fighters and attacked by strategic air defense. Each bomber that survives may roll one die; this is the number of IP that the IC is reduced by during the owning country’s next turn. An IC may lose more IP than its printed value.
Fighter Escort
Fighters may accompany moving bombers or naval units as far as their range allows them and participate in air interception combat, but they may only enter two sea zones to the target territory or two sea zones and two sea zones when returning from the target territory. Escorting fighters may escort either naval units or bombers (not both) and may not attack naval units or a territory during the same turn they escort bombers or naval units.Strategic Air Defense
Directly before strategic bombers roll for damage on an IC, defending fighters and AA guns in the territory may defend against bomber (and their escorts, if any) with one round of combat. Defending AA guns have a first-shot attack against each attacking air unit. The strategic bombers and their escorts can only target defending fighters (and not any ground units). Any surviving bombers may then bomb the IC.
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