WAR ROOM TECH (Optional House rule or Expansion)

War Room SE patron here and a bit disappointing that the game doesn’t have a Tech system out of the box. However, with direct inspiration from the 12 technologies Larry had used in Global 1940 (as they are some of the most pivotal advancements of the era) I have crafted a suggested technology rule-set. Perhaps some of the rough edges can be smoothed out and who knows, perhaps it could make it into the errata as an optional rule. (balance not guaranteed)

1. During the production phase you may purchase technology dice. Each die costs one (1) of each resource: Oil, Iron, OSR. A player may buy as many dice as they wish, but may only achieve one breakthrough per turn. Rolls of RED, WHITE, or BLACK yield a breakthrough. Rolls of BLUE are forfeit as failures. Any other dice that were rolled and did not display a breakthrough color (YELLOW/GREEN or A COLOR YOU HAVE ALREADY ACHIEVED) are converted to “Scientist Tokens”. (Place control markers or similar on your capital). In the event you roll more than one breakthrough color in the same turn, pick only one to achieve, and convert the other to a token. During any following production phase you will convert these tokens back into technology dice to be rolled, in addition to any others you purchase, following the same process as above.
   Technologies only apply to units of YOUR faction.(Powers do not share technologies).
   Technologies come into effect at the start of the NEXT game turn.

2. Areas of Research - Select ONE area of research per turn and roll all available research dice:

A] Air Technology
RED - Jet Engines - Your fighters (and carrier fighters) generate one more die of your choice in either combat stance. This may increase each fighter to 4 dice, or it may split them and become either 3/1 or 1/3.
WHITE - Long Range Aircraft - Your air commands may be ordered to move up to three spaces instead of only two. They may also rebase up to three spaces.
BLACK - Heavy Bombers - Your bombers roll one more die in the air battle step and treat their “damaged” box as if it was a “lightly damaged” box in both combat stances.

B] Naval Technology
RED - Advanced Shipyards - Up to two of the ships your purchase each turn cost one less Iron to produce.
WHITE - Super Subs - Your subs each absorb two yellow hits before being moved from the “Dive” box to “Destroyed”.
BLACK - Radar - Your Blue units (Artillery and Cruisers) roll the dice they generate during the air battle step as a separate preemptive batch… Assign these hits and remove air casualties accordingly.

C] Land Technology
RED - Advanced Artillery - Each of your artillery that is paired with one of your infantry adds one additional die to the surface battle step.
WHITE - Mechanized Infantry - Your infantry in either combat stance may take GREEN hits as if they had the “escort” special rule.
BLACK - Paratroopers - One of your air commands may contain infantry, limited to one infantry per bomber. If ordered to make an attack these infantry will be subject to YELLOW hits during the air battle step, then fight as if they has landed during an amphibious invasion.

D] Economic Technology
RED - War Bonds & Recycling - Roll two dice when collecting resources. Collect additional resources that match the colors rolled. Two GREEN dice reward a Civilian Good. BLACK and WHITE are wild.
WHITE - Strategic Rockets - You may launch one free and uncontested strategic attack per turn as an order against an enemy industrial area within three spaces of a port you control. This special attack rolls only two dice.
BLACK - Advanced Industry - Industrial areas you control count as having one more smokestack than normal. Also you may remove one bomb damage token from one territory you control for free each turn.

The names of the techs and their themes are supposed to be directly related to the techs in global 1940. Only changed to adapt to the war room Mechanics or balance reasons. So the name Jets will be staying, but what it does is up for debate.

FAQ and questions
Why set the price so low?
Initially the price was set at the trade value cost, either 2 Oil, 3 Iron or 5 OSR but that seemed too high. Perhaps one of each of the three is too low. However, it’s hard to find a middle ground for the cost because the potency of the techs themselves is still in flux.

Why have blue rolls count as wasted?
Axis and Allies technology has varied over time, with some editions awarding tokens for failures, and others awarding nothing. This hybrid makes tech seem more like an investment that has a risk associated, rather than a naked gamble.

How were the ratios for success decided?
Considering that Axis and Allies tech was only awarded on a 6. (17% chance) by using the three colors that show only once on the dice, Red, White, Black, that translates to a 3/12 chance of success. Or 1 in 4. Which is much better than the 1 in 6 chance. So technology may be more frequently gained, however, once one of the techs in a field of research has been gained, the likeleyhood of getting another falls to 2/12, back to 1/6. And to get all three of the techs in a field falls to 1/12. This will perhaps encourage players to bounce around and get a different tech in each of the 4 areas of research, rather than abusing one of them and gaining extremely strong combinations of techs, such as long range jet heavy bombers.

Lets talk techs?
Jets?
In A&A Jets has usually just been a raw combat power increase, so enhancing your planes, with also a possibility of combat flexibility can reflect jets
Long Range Aircraft?
Pretty cut and dry I’d say
Heavy Bombers?
Also, typically a combat power boost, however bombers in War Room are already very potent in combat, so this reflects more superfortress type bombers. More machine guns and more survivability.
Advanced Shipyards?
A tricky one, possible bonus to Port Advantage, however this gets messy to keep track of at friendly ports. Sticking closer to A&A as a cost reduction was a safe option.
Super Subs?
Also, instead of a combat power boost (from 2 to 3) this is a survivability boost. Since yellow hits will be common this allows subs to soak more before they are destroyed, thus saving other subs. Perhaps this is too weak and they should also get more combat power?
Radar?
Traditionally more an Air technology, War Room is too different. Radar equipped ground stations and Cruisers are what this tech can reflect. Allowing for a preemptive round of fire is a break from the mechanics of the game, but perhaps it works.
Advanced Artillery?
Basically a copy and paste from traditional A&A
Mech Infantry?
A tough one, without blitzing in this game, or Mech infantry pieces, then what can this tech represent? Infantry units able to keep pace with tanks and protect them. Reflected by being able to take hits for them. This makes tanks even more survivable, which might be too strong, but the tech requires infantry nearby, so the hits are only transferred if you have them. So not actually that strong. Somewhat situational.
Paratroopers?
Another typically air tech, but a compromise. Limiting this to ONE command only, and a maximum of 4 paratroopers with 4 bombers prevents this from getting out of hand, and the units are vulnerable to yellow hits across 2 rounds of combat, however, can get some men into unexpected places.
War Bonds & Recycling?
One of the only techs with a name change to reflect that you are getting more resources not industrial production. Perhaps a bit too weak considering the investment that may have gone into it. Perhaps it should be 3 dice instead of only 2. This is a tweak that would require balance.
Strategic Rockets?
Again, difficult to reflect, required map considerations to check for ports as launchpads so that almost all powers have a use for this tech. (USA can use North Africa or Caroline Islands) considered having this be a temporary unit like a carrier token or arrow token that can be shot at like V1 rockets, however that might make the tech too weak, Though it does suck up an order slot, so it better at least have a shot at doing something.
Advanced Industry? again, somewhat cut and try translation of the A&A version.