Posts made by wove100

Perhaps Motorized Transportation, Paris Taxis and all that.

Or, violate the 3 econ, 3 naval, 3 air, 3 land paradigm in favor of 2 econ, 3 naval, 3 air, 4 land. That way we can dump war bonds and add:

Advanced Tank Strategy - When you have 2 or more tanks in a battle, tanks attack at 3 (4 with artillery support) and defend at 2.

Not strictly a tech, but definitely a breakthrough, a way of representing the First World War strategy of using massed tanks to force a breakthrough in the enemy lines.

@oztea:

War bonds is the only clunky one left.
10% is very un-larry.

An alternative tech? Or bring back dice.

Also, each 3 techs should follow this scheme.
One tech the allies prefer, one the CPs prefer, one both can use.

We can go back to the die roll for war bonds. I don’t think there’s many alternate economic techs out there. On Increased Production, should artillery be 1 IPC cheaper too or should it just be tanks and fighters?

Given the more potent roll played by tanks in WWII and the more sweeping offensives, perhaps 2-4 rounds of combat?

@TheVenocWarlord:

@BJCard:

@wove100:

Proposed fix for Russian Revolution Rules:

Change:

All Russian units outside of original Russian territories or Russian-controlled territories are immediately removed from the board, and Russia will no longer have a turn.

To:

All Russian units outside of original Russian territories are immediately removed from the board, and Russia will no longer have a turn.

So, what to do with a hypothetical big Russian stack in Istanbul?  remove the units and then who controls Istanbul?

No one. It would be left open for any power to claim back.

I agree. Though not perfect, I think this solution is better than the one the rules are pointing at in which Russia would retain control of Constantinople but the Central Powers would not be allowed to even attempt to regain it.

I think he’s talking about the map picture on rulebook page 10. The one without any units on it or map creases or misaligned territory names.

Proposed fix for Russian Revolution Rules:

Change:

All Russian units outside of original Russian territories or Russian-controlled territories are immediately removed from the board, and Russia will no longer have a turn.

To:

All Russian units outside of original Russian territories are immediately removed from the board, and Russia will no longer have a turn.

@ossel:

Except for the fact that they have PPSH’s…I’ll probably be purchasing some ‘Early War Infantry’ from HBG.

That’s what I did, those Early War Russian Infantry will be right at home. Now if HBG would just ship them to me . . .

Since submarines do not have first strike capability, the obvious replacement for smokescreens (if it needs to be replaced) is:

Super Submarines - During sea combat, submarines fire before all other ships, whether on attack or defense. Casualties from a submarine attack are destroyed before they can return fire.

(Modified to enhance clarity).

In case no one else noticed, submarines do not have first strike capability. They may still submerge, but can be taken as casualties during the round in which they choose to submerge.

Interestingly, transports may be taken as casualties before submerging submarines:

“However, transports must be chosen last as casualties, after all warships have been sunk or have submerged (but they may be chosen before submarines that have submerged in the current round).”

The Russian Revolution optional rule is being used. Early in the game Russia had taken control of a neutral Holland upon a German attack and a few turns later was able, with British help, to drive the Germans out of Holland. Russian troops remain in Holland, which is controlled by Russia.

The next turn, the Russian Revolution occurs. Since Holland is Russian controlled, Russian troops remain in Holland, per the Russian Revolution Rules (“All Russian units outside of original Russian territories or Russian-controlled territories are immediately removed from the board, and Russia will no longer have a turn”).

Does this mean that Germany and the other Central Powers may no longer attack Holland?

May Allied powers still move freely through Holland?

If the Ottoman Empire controls Constatinople, but has no naval units in sea zone 20, can a British battleship move freely from sea zone 19 to sea zone 20, where it rolls for mines due to the Ottoman naval base, and then continue on to sea zone 21?

Won’t that throw the scale off when the two are combined, with the US being the same size as half of the world?

Will the expansion/alternate history map also include the Pacific, or at least part of the Pacific to allow Japan to take all of Germany’s Pacific colonies?

@wove100:

Blockade/Commerce Raiding - Instead of engaging in combat, each battleship or cruiser in an uncontested sea zone adjacent to an enemy territory may roll 1 die. For each roll of 1, the enemy power must surrender 1 IPC to the bank.

After some thought, I think this is better as a house rule.

@Imperious:

The defender is at the mercy of the attacker. Due to limited technology in this day, it was much harder to coordinate orders to pursue the retreating enemy. The smokescreen was used alot in this war because it worked to mask the retreat, like Cavalry did in the age of Napoleon. It was a development in this war.

The Germans perfected a fleet maneuver which they trained for called Gefechtskehrtwendung, which allowed them to turn sharply as a whole fleet and this didn’t require elaborate communication between ships. The Allies didn’t have this training maneuver.

Having limited ships makes losing them even more devastating, so a tech to allow them to retreat would be of benefit.

Like trench raiders, this is specialized training and the result is the ability to retreat.

Don’t forget how we winced when we realized that the damaged Italian dreadnought was going to have to sit in the same sea zone as the Austrians until Italy’s next turn. Smokescreens could help mitigate this.

Possible smokecreen replacement:

Blockade/Commerce Raiding - Instead of engaging in combat, each battleship or cruiser in an uncontested sea zone adjacent to an enemy territory may roll 1 die. For each roll of 1, the enemy power must surrender 1 IPC to the bank.

I know it’s not really a tech, but it’s a way of giving powers a reason to want ships dead.

@oztea:

The uk can build 2 cruisers and a battleship and move over the Canadian cruiser on UK 1 and have a pretty good fleet in sz 8.

Yeah, don’t forget, Britain can build ships in both sea zone 8 and 9. And, of course, don’t forget about the mines. Still, forcing Britain to buy more ships can’t be a bad move.

From A-H’s turn:

“If one side gains air supremacy either by being the only one with any fighters left, or was the only one to have any fighters at all, he or she gains air supremacy.”

That’s the only reference in Larry’s report to a battle for air supremacy. Could mean that they battle to the death, but the if could mean that they only fight one round.

You’re welcome for the terribly helpful post. :-)

Edited to fix spelling.

Here’s the placeholder iteration of the Tech Chart:

E1 - War Bonds - During your collect income phase, collect an additional number of IPCs equal to 10% of your National Production Chart level, rounded up.

E2 - Improved Shipyards - Naval units cost 1 IPC less.

E3 - Increased Production - Tank and Fighter costs are reduced by 1 IPC.

N1 - Smoke Screens - When breaking off a sea battle, attacking ships may retreat to a single adjacent sea zone from which at least 1 of the attacking ships entered battle.

N2 - Battle Cruisers - Cruisers attack at 4 or less, but still defend at 3 or less. Additionally, cruisers may perform offshore bombardment at 3.

N3 - Anti-Sub Warfare - Your Cruisers prevent enemy subs from submerging in combat or moving through them at a 1:1 ratio.

A1 - Anti-Aircraft Guns - Artillery may target fighters before combat begins, hitting at 1, limited to the number of artillery available or the number of fighters present, whichever is smaller.

A2 - Advanced Aviation - Fighters attack and defend at 3 or less.

A3 - Aerial Photography - If you have air supremacy, your artillery can support 2 units instead of one.

L1 - Wireless Communications - During combats where friendly forces are also in the contested zone, roll a die. Up to that many friendly artillery are used to boost your attacking forces on a 1:1 ratio, but may not participate in combat.

L2 - Chemical Warfare - In one attack this turn, roll a die: 1-4 that many infantry do not roll defensively; 5-6: No effect. If used against you, halve the number of immobilized infantry.

L3 - Stormtrooper Tactics - Attacking infantry with artillery support roll at 4 or less.

Changed radio to wireless given the era of the game, but didn’t change the tech.

Renamed proposed naval wireless communication tech to Smokescreens, but its under review.

Stormtrooper Tactics could be replaced with another land tech, but it was these tactics, combined with an increase in the available number of troops, that really broke open the stalemate on the Western Front, so I hate to leave them out.