Well, that’s great, but so far you are in the minority (see the poll). (Response to Subotai)
If LH doesn’t like tech, why did he create it?
For many of us, unpredictability and variety in games is what we want.
It adds another dimension to the game.
I’m guessing you play with normal AA gun rules. Talk about game-breaking, and lottery playing. I’ve lost 4 out of 5 aircraft recently on 1 attack in the second round of a game. (It wasn’t radar-equipped, either) If you don’t like tech because of the randomness and “game-breaking” characteristics, why haven’t you tweaked the rules for AA guns? They can easily ruin a game at any point - early or late.
I take it the “game-breaking” and “lottery” you are speaking of is the really good techs - LRA, paratroopers, mechanized infantry, and Heavy bombers. The rest are often marginal in their benefits, at best. House rules can easily tone down the more powerful techs. Example - HB, take best of 2 dice. LRA, make it +1 range instead of 2. Mech infantry - takes 2 armor to transport 1 infantry, round fractions up. Paratroopers - can’t bomb at the same time.
One of the most fun things about playing Axis and Allies for me, is having units that are superior to my opponents. It’s also very fun to get those breakthroughs, and sometimes they turn the tide of the war.
And yes, sometimes your opponent is the one who gets the tech before you do. Then it tests your resourcefulness, and adaptability! And sometimes, you might even lose because of it! Boo hoo! :cry:
I think it’s hilarious when players say they don’t like tech because it adds more randomness to the game. :lol: You’re already resolving every single battle with multiple dice rolls! And when you fly 5 aircraft over AA, you may lose anywhere from zero to five planes. There are several rolls in each game that can swing from 20-80 or so IPC’s either way, depending on the dice. Sometimes tech actually serves to even out the game! It gives a player who got hosed on a conventional attack dice roll a chance to maybe catch up! So that point about “adding extra randomness” to the game just doesn’t really mean anything to me.
Tech is not a total crap shoot. There is strategy and shrewdness that goes into deciding if and how many researchers to buy.
I’m not writing to persuade anyone to change their mind. It doesn’t matter to me - I’ll just play people who enjoy tech, like me. It’s just enjoyable to outline the reasons I like tech in A&A.
And yes, sometimes I play no tech - when a prospective opponent insists, and I am desperate for a game. I enjoy the variety, so I enjoy going no tech once in awhile, too.