Is there and optional rule for atomic bombs


  • the atomic bomb played a huge role in WWII and the Germans were close to completing it themselves before the end and probably would have if the british didn’t disrupt heavy water production at the Norsk facility, so why doesn’t it make and appearance in A&A?

    it would have to be done in a way that avoided making it way to overpowered but not so underpowered that it becomes like another conventional weapon. Perhaps once u research the tech u can buy atomic bombs at a cost of say 30-60 and can be dropped from a bomber (still subject to AA) destroying all units in a territory?


  • @Petrucci08:

    the atomic bomb played a huge role in WWII and the Germans were close to completing it themselves before the end and probably would have if the british didn’t disrupt heavy water production at the Norsk facility, so why doesn’t it make and appearance in A&A?

    I don’t think that the atomic bomb played a huge role. The war in europe was over before the bomb was ready to drop, and japan would have beaten without the use of the bombs, too. It was not necessary to drop the bomb over inhabited area, a demonstration over an empty island would enough. It was not necessary to drop the bomb at all, but that’s another discussion …

    it would have to be done in a way that avoided making it way to overpowered but not so underpowered that it becomes like another conventional weapon. Perhaps once u research the tech u can buy atomic bombs at a cost of say 30-60 and can be dropped from a bomber (still subject to AA) destroying all units in a territory?

    It would be a game killer. As Germany, GB and US you would research the bomb fast, buy one and drop it over Berlin or London. After that you capture the capital, a quick game over.


  • heavy bomber rule i think origonally was this, but it got toned down for game balance in the new edition so it wasn’t the game winning tech that it once was.


  • Actually…. Germany never really develloped the atomic bomb. It’s just the USA that develloped it after Albert Einstein send a letter to the president telling how much this weapon could be dangerous if it was develloped by the Axis.


  • Yes but they did come close. They might have if Hitler had stayed his hand towards the end of 1941 or the British hadn’t disrupted the nazi supply of heavy water from Norway.

    I just thought it would be fun to play with but it does seem very hard to make balanced. But by making each bomb ridiculously expensive like 60 IPC wouldnt that be a bit balanced? if the US/UK want to use them then there will be little to no help for Russia because all their IPCs will be going into this. I’d like it as some last ditch move of desperation or a tech that you play with once everything is more or less decided.

    What about if they were used to destroy industrial complexes? Think of it as flattening the city. Does this seem a better option? It just an idea.

  • 2007 AAR League

    yes we do.  we use a variant of the little white books enhanced realism rules.

    america can roll 4 dice on turn 6  and then pay the amount of the roll.  you can use A-bombs immediately. 
    germany on turn 7 for 4 dice
    USSR, on 8 for 5 dice
    UK and Japan on 8 also for 6 dice

    A bombs cost $8 for US, $10 for everyone else.

    we use heavy bombers in that setup, so if you play with them, you gotta have them.  if not just use bombers.  i bomber can carry 1 nuke.

    nukes hit on 5 or less and you roll 3 dice per nuke.

    thats how we do it.  you can also SBR with them also if you feel like it.

  • '18 '17 '16 '11 Moderator

    We had one when I was in high school (Axis and Allies 2nd Edition.)

    First Atomic Bomb killed 50% (rounded down) of all units on that specific territory.

    Rationale:  Japan surrendered after TWO atomic bombs.

    We replaced heavy bombers with it.  Basically, we figured out long ago that heavy bombers meant you were going to win anyway.  So we just made it FASTER to win with it. :P

    The other version is to put four fingers from one hand under the lip of the board and jerk up at the elbow in a rapid manner.  Proceed to storm out of the room.


  • The other version is to put four fingers from one hand under the lip of the board and jerk up at the elbow in a rapid manner.  Proceed to storm out of the room.

    I actually laughed out loud at that one  :-D

    A cold war version of A&A would be interesting using ICBMs, countermeasures etc.


  • there is one by Imp Games. you just got to own other versions of A&A as it dosn’t come with enough peaces to set up… but rules are good.

  • Official Q&A

    @Cmdr:

    The other version is to put four fingers from one hand under the lip of the board and jerk up at the elbow in a rapid manner.  Proceed to storm out of the room.

    LOL!  Sounds more like an anti-matter bomb!

    The Nova version of A&A had the atom bomb as a weapons development.  It destroyed everything in one territorty or sea zone.  It cost the equivalent of 10 IPCs to make one, and you could only have one on the board at a time.  Even so, it was pretty much a game-ender.


  • At that point in history you couldn’t really mass produce atomic weapons.
    So it wouldn’t be related to IPC.

    In AARHE we have it basically as…

    atomic tech is about 3 times harder than other techs
    you may build one per turn, costs 0 IPC
    takes two turns to build
    need heavy bomber to carry it
    it is dropped in non-combat style
    destroy 1/3 units and 1/3 territory IPC level


  • in East and West (cold war version), it cost i think 10 IPC, the peace is on the board like other units. to drop it you have to have a bomber do it. the nuke kills 5 units on sea or land.
    you can develop the tech to fire them with a move of 4 i think, then you can upgrade again to have them kill 10 units.
    ether version also reduces the IPC of target teritory by 1 IPC for one or two turns per nuke used.
    nuking a teritory with a nuke causes the other nuke to blow giving the effects to stack.
    for all you also have to make a consiquence role. some cause anti nuke protest (can’t build nukes for a turn or two… USSR un effected), political strife with neutrals, or no effect.
    i think it was well balanced out for use, although the games i played the nukes turned into a game of who can do the most damage with the nuke and gain the most head way from it… nuke wars are no fun really and that was with nukes that wern’t over devistating.

Suggested Topics

  • 11
  • 5
  • 7
  • 6
  • 8
  • 21
  • 14
  • 8
Axis & Allies Boardgaming Custom Painted Miniatures

25

Online

17.4k

Users

39.9k

Topics

1.7m

Posts