Damaged BB

2d6+1 IPC to repair, or you could let it remain unimpaired was our house rule.

(Means it could cost between 3 and 13 IPC to fix it.  Boy did you hope you rolled ones then!)

Nope, left them at 24 IPC.

2d6 caps at 12 IPC which is half the cost of a battleship. (Add +1 so the maximum repair amount would be slightly more than half a battleship.)

We also had destroyers, cruisers and escorts though.

Destroyers: Cost 6, Auto Find Submarines, Attack 2, Defend 1
Cruisers: Cost 10, Attack 3, Defend 2, Shore Bombard
Escorts: Solo cannot attack or defend.  Coupled with up to 3 transports, defend at 4 (transports wouldn’t shoot.  Any “extra” transports would still defend at 1.  The “escorted” transports would fire in conjunction with the escort ship.)  Also automatically detected submarines

We also had special fighters for carriers.  Cost 10, Attack 3, Defend 3, when launched from a carrier had a move of 5 (to give them that extra oomph to get to their targets.) They were only for Japan and America though.

I now place the BB as a 18 IPC unit  ( under AA50). Damage is 1 D6, but if you roll a 6 you roll another die and combine the results and pay that in IPC. To repair you must touch the BB to a SZ adjacent to your factory.

That would work as well, IL, but I would prefer to give the BB more authority at sea instead of dropping the price.

For instance, I am absolutely fascinated with the concept of battleships that fire like AA Guns.  Other ideas we had was that a battleship took 2 hits to be knocked out of commission, but it could absorb 4 hits before it was sunk.  That means, you take two hits and you can no longer shoot back, 2 more hits and you were sunk.  Basically, it became a damage sponge.

We also changed tech a lot.  Germany got two hit submarines to reflect their water tight hatches.  Let me tell you, you NEEDED four hit battleships with those running around! (We made them Attack 2, Defend 0 units but they also only cost 5 IPC each.)

Why not use damage markers that can be removed in port during the purchasing phase?

@Cmdr:

Other ideas we had was that a battleship took 2 hits to be knocked out of commission, but it could absorb 4 hits before it was sunk.  That means, you take two hits and you can no longer shoot back, 2 more hits and you were sunk.  Basically, it became a damage sponge.

i really like that idea! makes sense too. i mean, think about how much firepower the Bismarck absorbed before going under

@tin_snips:

@Cmdr:

Other ideas we had was that a battleship took 2 hits to be knocked out of commission, but it could absorb 4 hits before it was sunk.  That means, you take two hits and you can no longer shoot back, 2 more hits and you were sunk.  Basically, it became a damage sponge.

i really like that idea! makes sense too. i mean, think about how much firepower the Bismarck absorbed before going under

Not just the Bismark.  The Mighty MO was a damage sponge too, I believe, but most certainly look at the firepower America had to bring to bear to bring down the Japanese Super Battleships.  America lucked out there too, considering the Japanese Admirals segregated their super battleships in a previous battle meaning they had less support ships when America attacked them later.

Of course, in this situation, you would have to roll 1d6 repair per damage point sustained. (Yes, sometimes repairing a vehicle costs more than building a new one.  Guess what, you get into a collision with your car and the insurance company may decide it is “totaled” and cut you a check for a replacement instead of repairing it because repairing it costs more than it is worth!)

And let’s not forget there was evidence of capitol ships, at least, being towed back to port to be repaired suggesting that they were so beat up they couldn’t even power their engines.  No engines to send power to the turrets, NO GUNS!  But just because you are beat to heck doesn’t mean you are not buoyant, right?

I think the factory requirement is a little harsh; one of the big mistakes the Japanese made at Pearl Harbour was not to bomb the naval repair facilities. Most naval bases had such facilities, regardless of their ability to build ships from scratch.  Should a damaged US BB have to dock in LA to repair?

Also, I make Carriers 2 hit ships, as these things seem to have been able to absorb as much damage as a battleship.

But I think a damaged Battleship should suffer accordingly, i.e 1/2 firepower (2/2), and only 1 movement point. Enemy fleets then have to decide if its worth going after “crippled” capital ships to finish them off before they can repair, perhaps over extending their own supply lines.

More radically, I’ve suggested that ALL ships should have to dock in a friendly port (to refuel) EVERY turn. This can be done at any time during the turn. This naturally limits the operating range of ships, and increases the importance of small and otherwise unimportant territories which can be used as refueling (“oiling”) stops. A further development of this is oil tankers, which can refuel ships at sea in deep waters.

Half-Firepower/Half-Movement is nice, but it complicates matters.  If you just assume it gets too damaged to fight and is towed to port, then it’s a little easier, I think.

Perhaps 3 hit battleships with 2 hits to knock out of commission, a 3rd to sink it.  Cost being 1d6 per hit to repair at any US owned territory (which satisfies your other complaint about an IC.)  Of course, unlike before, you couldn’t just float it to England to repair, you’d have to float it to Washington instead.