House Rules: Master List

Anyone feel like helping me to distill 94 pages of material in this section into a reference compendium that players can actually use?
:-D

I’m interested in collecting HRs for use in the 4 A&A games still currently in print.

Something like…

1. Stated Rule, and the game it’s meant to cover. (G40, 1942.2, 1941, or 1914)

2. Brief summary of its intended effects on the gameplay  (stress brief.)

3. Link to threads with further discussions or analysis of the rule.

This section is hard to navigate, even with a proper search function, and I think something like this might be helpful. There are many threads with great ideas, and a lot of interesting rules proposals, but it’s just not presented in a way that’s very easy to reference.

I dont think I’m capable or qualified to take this task on alone. Basically I’d need a hand collecting worthwhile material. Stuff that people have actually tried, or more appropriately, stuff you’ve had some success in persuading others to try. This current thread could serve as a draft list, and once we have enough entries we could organize it into a document with a table of contents. Breaking the HRs down into different categories… Such as ease of implementation, overall scale/complexity, whether it requires outside materials to work etc. Or more generally by the basic type of rule, like…

Bid systems or bid substitutes for game balance (to determine sides)
Dice mods
Set up card mods (for starting units, cash, or territory possession)
Income collection mods
Production mods
Unit mods or New Units
Objective mods
Victory Condition mods
Turn order mods
Phase mods
Comprehensive mods that try to integrate multiple such HRs at once.

Things of that sort.

Basically going on the hunt for the most interesting HRs you’ve seen in action. So we can then make a easy to use list that players could reference at a glance. Ideally we could then carve out 4 main HR threads, one for each of the boards currently in print.

I feel certain we can find at least a couple dozen entries worth highlighting for each board. Probably many more.

Not really looking for a discussion thread here, but rather a bunch of brief overviews, in bullet point form. If you have a cool rule or HR system you want to share, which can be explained briefly or linked, feel free to put it here.

Ok I’ll take a crack at the first house rule entry.
:-D

Standard Descending Bid:
For all A&A games
(1940, 1942.2, 1941, 1914 etc)

Rule: the side or team perceived to be at a disadvantage will be awarded additional IPCs to place extra units onto the gameboard before the match begins.

Step 1: agree which player/team will open the bid. This can be done by a coin toss, dice roll, lottery, or simply by first acclamation.

Step 2: the player/team who opens the bid, chooses an amount in IPCs that they would like to receive in order to play as a given side (example: “We will play Allies with + 25 ipcs.”) The opposing team may either accept this bid, or make a counter offer, proposing to play at a lower amount (example: “We will play Allies with +18 ipcs.”) This process continues, with descending IPC amounts, until one team or the other declines to make a counter offer. The team who “wins” the bid, is awarded the amount of IPCs determined by the final offer.

Step 3: These IPCs (the bid) can be distributed among the various player nations however the winning team wishes, and are then used to purchase extra units according to the normal costs described in the game manual.

Traditional Restrictions: (These are not universal, but fairly standard in most play groups.)

-only 1 bid unit may be placed in a given territory or sz.

-bid units may only be placed in a territory or sea zone that is already occupied by a starting unit of the same nation.

-any remaining bid ipcs not used for unit purchase is either added to that nation’s starting cash, or returned to the bank (according the play group’s preference.)

The purpose of this rule, which is used widely in home games and tournaments, is to provide a way to balance the game so that both sides/teams have a reasonable expectation of winning. Or more simply just to determine “who plays who.” Often times, if the same players want a rematch, they will switch sides at the same bid amount, and then play for best 2 out of 3. In some cases the total bid amount on offer is pre-determined at some set amount or for specific units. Technically when you play that way you are not actually “bidding,” but some may refer to any additional IPCs or starting unit modifications as a “bid” of such and such, as a kind of shorthand for anything extra not explicitly described in the game’s set up cards.

There is currently no officially recommended standard for the opening bid amount, or the exact procedures or specific restrictions when bidding for any A&A game. There may be some generally agreed upon bid “ranges” to achieve a desired game balance for a given board, but these may be subject to change depending on various factors, such as player skill level.

Although this kind of modification to the boxed game is accepted by many play groups and tournament organizers, it’s still technically a house rule, in that it’s described nowhere in the official manual. Hence it’s inclusion here as the first HR entry.

Ps. Ok how’s that for a basic format? Maybe a little long for a normal entry, but bidding has a special status, so I wanted to cover the bases hehe. Now that that’s out of the way, I think we can open it up for whatever.

Here are a half dozen one-off house rules that I have used with varying success at different points. Plus a couple more recent HR proposals that I think might be promising.

Victory City Income Bonus:
For all games

Rule: “Victory City Capture Bonus: A power controlling an original enemy territory which contains a Victory City is awarded a 5 IPC bonus during the Collect Income phase of that turn.
Victory City Liberation Bonus: A power that liberates an allied Victory City is awarded a one time 5 IPC bonus during the Collect Income phase of that turn.”

The purpose: this forumulation was proposed by Larry in response to community suggestions at one point, as a simplified form of objective bonus. Its basic aim is to introduce more cash into the game, and provide a stronger relationship between the stated Victory Conditions and the game’s internal economic gameplay drivers.
http://www.axisandallies.org/forums/index.php?topic=34188.0

Game Round Ascending Income Bonus:
For all games

Rule: For every game round, each player/nation receives a number of IPCs in bonus income equivalent to the number of the current game round. Example: Round 1 = +1 ipc, Round 2 = +2 ipcs, Round 3 = +3 ipcs and so on.

The purpose: to introduce more cash into the game for all players as the game progresses, while also providing a simple tracking mechanism so that players know how long they’ve been playing.
http://www.axisandallies.org/forums/index.php?topic=35751.0

Battle Buck Income Bonus :
for all games

Rule: During the combat phase, if a Nation takes a land territory or liberates a land territory for their side, they will be awarded +1 ipc.

The purpose: to introduce more cash into the game throughout, while encouraging players to engage in combat whenever possible.
http://www.axisandallies.org/forums/index.php?topic=34266.0

Scorched Earth Factories:
for all games

Rule: Players may damage their own facilities up to the maximum value (twice the operation threshold) at no cost. During the repair units phase, rather than repairing their units at a cost in IPCs, the player will instead be dismantling them (placing chips under their facilities/bases rather than removing chips.)

The purpose: allows players to make a strategic withdrawal from their production centers, with less fear of their own factories/bases being used against them by the enemy.
http://www.axisandallies.org/forums/index.php?topic=34487.0

Free 1 ipc Factory:
for 1942.2

Rule: Each Nation gets 1 free factory to place at the outset, but the factory must be placed on a territory worth exactly 1 ipc!
Players write down their chosen location before the game begins, and then all 1 ipc factories are revealed at the same time.

Purpose: to introduce some novelty to the production spread for all nations.
http://www.axisandallies.org/forums/index.php?topic=35569.0

American Zero turn:
for 1942.2

Rule: America moves first in the turn order sequence with a “zero turn” = USA, Russia, Germany, UK, Japan, USA (back to Russia to start the next round.)

Option: America is restricted to purchase, non-combat, and placement (without a combat phase.)

Purpose: to invert the balance of the game, from Axis advantage to Allied advantage, allowing options for an Axis bid if desired.
http://www.axisandallies.org/forums/index.php?topic=39104.msg1618838#msg1618838

China First :
for G40

Rule: China now moves first in the turn order sequence = China, Germany, Russia, Japan, USA, UK/Pacific, Italy, Anzac, France (back to China to start the next round).

Purpose: to re-balance the land war in China somewhat in favor of the Allies, while providing minimal changes elsewhere.
http://www.axisandallies.org/forums/index.php?topic=35417.0

Defenseless Strategic Bomber (SBR Only):
for G40 and 1942.2

Rule: The Strategic Bomber is now defenseless with the following stats…
Attack 0, Defend 0, Move 6, Cost 5, SBR damage at 1d6, with no hitpoint in normal combat.
These bombers are now used exclusively for strategic bombing raids, and no longer have a role in regular combat. Outside of SBR they are treated much like the defenseless transport, placed to the side of the battle board. Optional intercept rules recommended.

Purpose: as corrective to the air umbrella or “dark skies” approach, where players use Strategic Bombers primarily in combat vs navies, and to streamline the SBR process to encourage more raids.

Global implementation: in addition to the above, the Airbase unit’s movement bonus is increased to +2 total for all aircraft. This is intended to maintain a degree of mobility for combat aircraft, while simplifying the movement count for air units, and increasing the range of fighters and tactical bombers to support the strategic bombers on escort duty.

Option. The AB+2 Movement bonus only applies to aircraft while on a raiding mission (only for sbr/escort, not combat.)

The damage bonus for SBR is removed. Strategic Bombers now roll damage at 1d6 (not 1d6+2).
http://www.axisandallies.org/forums/index.php?topic=36518.msg1624810#msg1624810

Ok those are few quick house rules that I dig. Now how about the rest of the gang?
:-D

Hit us with some of your favorite HRs if you get the chance! Hunt down those old threads and hook me up with some quick overviews, so we can try them out. Presumably this will go faster if people can track down what they remember from the materials they’ve posted to this section in the past, with the advantage of some hindsight too. What stuff do you still like? This way instead of scanning hundreds of threads and thousands of posts, people can come here for quick ideas, and follow internal links if they find something of interest.

In total agreement there Carolina!

Also thanks Baron! I fixed the cost typo and added a link, was writing it from my phone. Also great links!

These are great Baron! I know I can always count on you to help hunt down good discussions! It’s very helpful to have a kind of road map which shows the development of these thought processes.

This is an excellent first step to gather the info together in one place. I think to be truly usable for the more casual player who is interested in trying some HRs with their group, at some point we probably need a bit more in the way of editorial summary for some of these, like a final analysis with concrete suggestions. So for example, based on the discussions in a given thread, has any consensus developed? Or if no consensus, maybe we can at least find like the “top 3-5” ideas for a given unit.  So take the battleship or cruiser as an example, we have seen a number of different HRs in various threads that try to make this unit more attractive, so I wonder if we can make some generalizations? I can see two basic approaches here, when it comes to altering existing units.

Modified cost but keep OOB abilities.
Modified abilities but keep OOB cost.

The first is fairly straightforward, for example with Battleships using the ‘shipyards’ model for a cost reduction.

The second is more wide ranging, I’ve seen everything from adding aaafire, to combined arms, to limited transport capacity, to an increased movement rate etc.

Some of these solutions were more popular than others, but when we put together a final draft list, it might be worthwhile to consider each unit in the roster independently. First giving a suggested cost modification for the OOB abilities, followed by the top 3-5 suggestions for adjusted abilities at the OOB cost.

In addition to these approaches there are also suggestions for a total conversion of the unit roster, where adjustments to various OOB units might include changes to both cost and abilities, and which work best only when integrated together.

Finally we have proposals for new units. These likewise might be intended for use with the OOB roster, or a total conversion roster.

It’s a lot of ground to cover, no doubt, but it would be killer if we could organize all this material in a way that is easier for a “plug and play”, where players can run down the list and find the best option that fits what they’re trying to achieve. I think of all the HRs, unit mods are probably the least familiar for me, so I’d defer to your experience here, which is extensive, for suggestions about which individual unit mods are most interesting, which total conversion systems have the most promise, and where new units might best be added.

Just briefly I wanted to add a few more “one-off” House Rules that I think might prove interesting.

3 Movement for Ships (M3):
For all games

Rule: the base movement rate for all ships is increased to 3.

Purpose: to increase the range of all naval units, thereby decreasing the amount of time it takes to cross oceans and speeding up the play pace for naval powers. Opens up more shucks, and essentially resets the map from a naval perspective. This HR is largely untested at the moment, so it is difficult to say what the balance implications may be, but it has the advantage of a very simple implementation.
http://www.axisandallies.org/forums/index.php?topic=36518.msg1625814#msg1625814

M3 Transorts:
For all games

Rule: the transport unit now has a standard movement of 3.

In this HR transports get a movement upgrade, while warships retain their normal movement at 2.

Purpose: to make this defenseless unit a more strategically interesting purchase. To speed up the gameplay and put more VCs into contention.
http://www.axisandallies.org/forums/index.php?topic=36518.msg1628781#msg1628781

Shipyards for All (reduced cost for naval units):
For G40

Rule: all nations are awarded the “shipyard” tech advance for free.

Purpose: to make naval purchases more attractive for all nations, and somewhat more appealing vs OOB aircraft for the cost.
http://www.axisandallies.org/forums/index.php?topic=34709.0

OK also I really wanted to include a section for production expansion. This would include stuff like the land base idea, and the 3 tiered production concept for ICs in G40 (multi tier production ideas in general). Some of these have undergone several permutations, so I sense a longer winded post is needed. But before that I just want to toss out a few of the simpler production expansion concepts that I’ve tried. Some of these I am remembering off the top of my head, so I’m struggling to find discussion links at the moment. Though I’m certain these subjects have been discussed at various points.
Before talking about production expansions that require new materials beyond OOB (such as unit markers), I want to talk about ways to expand production purely via the rules. Here are a few that I’ve tried.

All Industrial Complexes have built-in production +2:
For 1942.2

Rule: Every factory on the board (including newly purchased factories), may produce 2 additional units over the printed territory IPC value on the game map. This production bonus is also included in the Max damage for a given factory, which is also increased by 2.

For example, under this HR, Karelia may produce 4 total units, Caucasus 6, Russia 10, India 5, Italy 5 etc. A newly purchased factory in Alaska could produce 4, Sinkiang or Hawaii could produce 3 total units etc.

Purpose: to expand the production spread across the entire gamemap, allowing for more possible entry points in all theaters, while simultaneously increasing the number of viable targets and max thresholds for SBR damage.

All Victory Cities may produce 1 extra infantry unit:
for all games

Rule: Any territory with a Victory City may support the placement of a single purchased infantry unit. In the case of VC territories with a factory, this infantry unit is in addition to the max production capacity of the territory.

Purpose: mainly for novelty, as a way of making otherwise low value VC territories slightly more interesting. The effect overall is comparatively minor since it is limited to infantry, but may make certain VC territories more useful, or more significant for staging even without a factory in place.

Bases may produce 1 extra unit of the associated type:
for G40

Rule: Operational Air Bases may spawn 1 purchased air unit at placement. Operational Naval Bases may spawn 1 purchased ship at placement.

Purpose: to increase the value of these bases all around, particularly bases at zero ipc territories, which would otherwise have no production potential whatsoever. The main effect is to increase the strategic value of all starting bases in both theaters, and to make the purchase of new bases more attractive. It also encourages the purchase of otherwise unattractive units in some instances (such as cruisers or battleships) owing to the strict production limit of 1 unit per base. Although it is only a single unit per base, the impact on the game-play is potentially very significant, creating new entry points for aircraft and ships and new deployment strategies across the entire gamemap.

@Baron:

Do you forgot to put links in your last post?

As I mentioned above, those last 3 entires were just off the top of my head. Much as I wish I could point to discussion threads, I’m having trouble searching them out. It’s possible the first two ideas originated in AA50 discussions, though I think they work just as well in the more recent games. The last idea concerning bases, I’m sure I’ve brought up before (probably in the Halifax or Redesign sticky, or one of the valueless Pacific Islands threads) though I’m not sure if it actually prompted much discussion.

Part of the reason I want to make a list, is because its so easy for these HR ideas to get burried or lost (especially the on-offs.) At this point I think its probably more important to get the actual rules written down. We can go on the hunt for origins posts later if need be, or create new threads to talk about individual proposals if we can’t locate the original post. If anyone has an interesting HR, even one that you haven’t seen mentioned before, by all means post the idea. If we can find a thread where similar topics were discussed at one point or another, we’ll try to find those as we can, and edit internal links for the final draft list.

This thread is more for gathering material at the moment. At some point we’ll need to edit it into a comprehensive document that is somewhat more manageable to read/reference at a glance.
I think it will be easier to categorize the HRs by basic type once we have enough in the list, but right now it’s sort of anything goes.

Ps. Anyone want to take a crack at describing the dice mods?
Low Luck comes to mind, or perhaps D12 systems. I don’t really play with either, so I don’t have a go to reference, but for the sake of completion it would be nice to have those in the reference doc as well. I’m definitely familiar with LL, but I’m probably not the right person to introduce the concept. I’m a dice masochist, so it would be better to find a player who really enjoys that style of play to present that HR dice system on the merits.
:-D

Oh good! I swear I was looking everywhere for that cheaper boats thread, but I kept searching ships rather than “boats” lol. Hang around this place long enough, and you’ll find a ton of solid HR proposals. They’ve just been buried under the avalanche of time hehe. I got about 20 pages deep into this section, and my eyes started glossing over. I probably missed an ace thread or two.

I’m interested in the land bases, and proposals there like military outposts for just inf, or rail bases, and also the 3 tiered factory scheme in g40. Trying to locate the earliest discussions, or the most recent. But most of those systems require additional materials.

Still just keeping with rules, another HR type worth mentioning is more about production restriction. I don’t know, maybe I just make one up as an example, to describe what I’m talking about haha.

Factories only at VCs:
1942.2

Rule: All Victory Cities get a starting factory. Only VCs on the map get a starting factory. The factory unit is removed from the purchase roster.

Purpose: to anchor the fighting around these territories and underscore the importance of the VC.

This is another one I recall from AA50, or maybe Larry Boards, but which could potentially work in 1942.2. It would be a dramatic shift for the production spread (introducing France, Kiangsu, Philippines, and Hawaii into the mix), so probably needs to be attended by another rule or large bid for balance. But it would result in a major incentive for Germany to stay oriented towards the west, possibly with a strong naval game. Might work with an American Zero turn order (full turn?). Anyway the basic idea is that you have a set number of select factories in the game, and no more, then adjust the balance from there. Something similar might work for G40. I believe some of YGs rules call for factories that cannot be purchased, or restored to full capacity once captured. That recalls to mind another production restriction concept which I feel certain has been mentioned before. The idea of factories that can be permanently removed from the board, like auto-destroyed upon capture. This is a bit like scorched earth, but more extreme. Something basic would be along the lines of…

Factory destruction:
1942.2

Rule: when an IC is taken by the enemy it is automatically destroyed.

Purpose: prevents the quick turn-around of production from a captured enemy territory. Now the conqueror must build the factory anew if they want to exploit it. Slows down the Axis, since it means that territories like Karelia, Caucasus, and Moscow don’t provide an immediate production boon when conquered.

Requires more money from the Axis if they want to hold the center. Similarly it opens up alternative territories as candidates for new production, with less fear that they will be used by the enemy. Rules like this one in a game such as 1942.2 would seem to recommend a cheaper factory unit at 12, but that could just be me. Again something like this might work in G40 as well. I’m sure its been discussed endlessly somewhere.
:-D

Oh one more before I forget about it again.

Standard Playing Cards (52 deck) income bonus:
for 1942.2

Rule: Players use a standard deck of cards, and draw during the collect income phase for a bonus in ipcs.

Aces high =15, Jack =11, Queen=12, King=13
All numbered cards (deuce-ten):  
Diamond =7, Clubs = 8, Hearts = 9, Spades =10
Joker =20

Purpose: to introduce more cash, and randomize each game round by purchase. Every nation has more average income per round, but Allies have more draws over all, so their economic advantage is built in as the game proceeds (at least until Axis can destroy one of them).

More units in play at the outset, potentially prolongs the endgame, or encourages early resolution, depending on the luck of the draw in a given turn. For a more wild swing you can assign the bonus to numbered cards by their printed value rather than by suit. But I like the way it works with the floor at 7 ipcs, just for overall economic parity. Cursed diamonds hehe! But even those are a whole lot better than nothing. Another method is to split the deck into Black and Red suits and give one pile to each side Axis or Allies with Joker. Facecards at the values above. For all numbered cards: minor suit (diamonds/clubs) =9 ipcs, major suit (hearts, aces) =10 ipcs. This is slightly higher income, but also ensures both sides have an equal chance at drawing the same number of facecards.

IPCs here could be assigned different values for the cards too, depending on player preference. Deuces Wild, Crazy 8s, whatever. But the basic idea is that your group assigns an ipc value to the cards in a standard deck, and then draw against each other for a bonus each turn. Similarly you can use a scheme like the above to award bonus units rather than cash, if that seems more interesting.
:-D

Those are a bit long winded. Still trying to summarize, since the og post is eluding me, but we can trim it down later with internal links.