I’ve been thinking about optional rules and additional units ever since getting the game a couple of years ago. After getting in quite a few games in the last several months, and organizing my thoughts, here’s what I’ve come up with as ideas. Some of them are completely my own; others are ideas that I had and combined them with things I’ve read here on the boards. I’m in no way trying to steal anyone’s ideas; I’m just trying to contribute to the dialog to make this game even better. As always, everyone’s thoughts, comments, suggestions, threats, etc. are welcome. At any rate, for better or worse, here’s what I’ve come up with.
UNITS
NAVAL AIR
Air to Air 2
Ground Attack 2
Ship Attack 3
Cost 4/4
Counts as fighter for production limits
Comment: Fighters are currently too effective against ships, considering that only some of the planes in a group would be carrying ordinance; the rest would truly be fighters with a mission of air superiority. Conversely, fighters on CV’s are too effective at air-to-air, since some of the planes carried by CV’s would be torpedo and dive bombers, and thus not effective at air-to-air. Several people have also commented on the lack of realism in naval combats when one or both players will designate all of their aircraft as either bombers or fighters, when in reality about half of a CV’s air group would be of each type. I always liked the dedicated Naval Air units in World in Flames, and wanted to bring something like that into the game. Several people have already suggested this type of unit in one form or another; this is my take on the subject. What I especially like about this unit is that creating a new unit for naval air introduces more decision making into builds, as players must consider which role a plane will be used for when deciding to build a fighter or naval air. When using this unit the anti-ship value of fighters should be reduced to 2, or even 1. Another idea would be to say that fighters have 2 against DD’s, subs, and transports; 1 against anything else.
Optional – Allow players to choose which to place on a carrier. For example, a player could put 1 each naval air and a fighter on a fleet carrier. This allows for mission-specific deployments.
GERMAN EARLY FIGHTERS
Air to Air 2
Ground Attack 3
Ship Attack 2
Range 3
Cost 4/4
Counts as fighter for production limits
Comment: When the war began, Germany was convinced that long-range two-engine “fighter destroyers” would be effective in bomber escort missions, and also be able to hold their own against single-engine interceptors. Experience proved otherwise, of course, but Me 110’s continued in front-line service as fighters into 1941. They did prove to be effective as ground-attack aircraft however, as well as night fighters.
Replace one of the fighters in the initial setup with a Me 110, and require that Germany must build one Me 110 for every 2 regular fighters (since Germany will start the war with 4 regular fighters and one Me 110, this means that the first fighter that Germany builds must be a Me 110). Germany must continue to build 1 Me 110 for every two regular fighters until they have lost two Me 110’s in air-to-air combat or until the winter 1940-41 game turn. Range for the Me 110 is 3 because these planes had considerably longer range than contemporary single-engine fighters. Me 110’s cannot be based on a aircraft carrier. For play balance purposes, since this will somewhat reduce the effectiveness of the German air force, I would suggest allowing Germany to begin the game with a Me 110 already in the 1 box of the production chart.
If using the Night Bombing rules (below), the Me 110 is considered to be a Night Fighter.
BRITISH NIGHT FIGHTER (if using Night Bombing rules)
Air-to-Air 2
Ground Attack 1
Ship Attack 1
Cost 4/4
Production limit 1
Comment: This unit represents planes (such as the Mosquito) specifically designed to defend against night bombing raids (see optional rule below).
ASSAULT GUNS (Germany & Soviet Union)
Attack 3
Defense 3
Cost 3/3
Production limit 2
Comment: Both Germany & the Soviet Union placed large guns on tank chassis for the specific purpose of assaulting fixed positions; they could also be used as regular artillery. These units may target fortifications (only) ala Stukas/Sturmoviks and one hit from an assault gun destroys a fortification unit, or they may be used as conventional artillery.
JAPANESE HYUGA/ISE HYBRID AIRCRAFT CARRIERS
Attack vs. Ships 3
Defense 3
2 hits to sink
Cost 5/5
Can carry one naval air (this unit has combat values of 2 for all combats due to small size of air group) or one Kamikaze.
Can only convert one BB to this unit
Comment: After the debacle at Midway, Japan frantically looked for ways to quickly get more aircraft carriers into action. One method was to convert the battleships Hyuga and Ise to hybrid CV’s. This was done by removing the aft main turret and installing a flight deck over the after part of the ship.
After the Japanese lose two fleet carriers, they may at any time convert a regular BB to a hybrid. To do this, pay 5 points and place a BB that begins the production phase in a sea zone adjacent to a production territory on the 1 box of the production chart. The conversion can be completed the next turn at an additional cost of 5 (total cost 10 for the conversion).
This unit will not be that effective; it’s really just an excuse to get a “fun” unit into the game (ala the Yamato).
US MECHANIZED INFANTRY
Attack 2
Defense 2
Cost 2/2
Production limit 2
Comment: Basically a copy of German Panzer Grenadiers. The US deployed mechanized infantry using halftracks for transport that were very heavily armed with machine guns, light and heavy mortars, and light artillery (in addition to the weapons carried by the halftracks themselves). As such, these units packed quite a punch, though their tactics weren’t as developed as those used by German Panzer Grenadiers. The US may deploy these units on a one-for-one basis with infantry (these units did not operate independently, but alongside regular infantry). They may move & attack in the Mechanized Phase and must take an infantry with them on a one-for-one basis the same as armor. If there is no infantry available to move with them in the Mechanized Phase, they may move but not attack in that phase.
US MARINES
Attack 1
Defense 2
Cost 2/2
Production limit 2
Comment: US Marines were trained for, and had special equipment designed specifically for, amphibious assaults. To reflect this in the game, marines hit on a “2” on the first impulse of an amphibious invasion. In addition, ALL marine units fire in the first round of combat. Marines may only be deployed in the Pacific Theatre.
US DESTROYER ESCORTS
Attack/Defense vs. ships & aircraft 0
Attack/Defense vs. subs 2 (both naval and strategic warfare)
Cost 2/2/2
Production limit 4
Comment: The US both built and converted large numbers of small vessels specifically to fight subs, ranging in size from destroyer escorts to merely large yachts with a depth charge launcher. This rule mimics reality by allowing the building of purpose-built ships to engage in ASW at the expense of being able to do much else.
OPTIONAL RULES
SEA ZONE ATTACK – In the current rules (if I read them correctly), a player may make an amphibious invasion against a territory, and if the sea zone doesn’t contain enemy ships, the defender cannot react, even if he has aircraft in the territory being invaded. This is unrealistic, because in real life in this situation the defender would send his aircraft to attack the fleet. This rule allows the defender to fly air support against an adjacent sea zone, regardless of whether there is a sea battle there or not..
Comment: Not being able to fly air support against a fleet invading an adjacent empty sea zone is one rule in the game that really bugs me. It’s also inconsistent with the rule that allows aircraft to fly air support into an empty land territory that’s being attacked.
NIGHT BOMBING – A player may declare that any strategic bombing attack is being made at night. This is safer for the player making the raid, at the cost of reduced effectiveness. Heavy Bombers using Night Bombing roll one D6 for damage; Bombers roll one D3. Anti aircraft guns/88’s may only make two shots instead of 3 to simulate reduced effectiveness. Only Night Fighters can be used to intercept the raid. Due to the US commitment to daylight precision bombing, the US may not use Night Bombing in Europe.
LONG-LANCE TORPEDOES – Japan had the best torpedoes in the world at the outbreak of the war, and were able to score hits at ranges not thought possible for torpedoes. In addition, Japan was very highly skilled at making night attacks. To reflect this, Japanese destroyers can make Long-Lance torpedo attacks. After setting up the naval battle board, Japan designates any destroyers that are using Long Lance torpedoes. The Japanese player designates his targets the same way as is done with aircraft, and rolls their attacks before any other surface combatant. Torpedoes hit on a 2 as normal and any damage is scored immediately – any ship sunk by a Long Lance attack does not get to return fire. Japan may make these attacks in any battle taking place prior to 1943; after that the growing number of Allied ships using radar helped offset this advantage. The target of Long Lance torpedoes must be a ship with surface combat values unless there isn’t one in the enemy fleet.
Comment: This is a rule I suggested in another thread and really like. Japanese destroyers were really effective early in the war, and the Long-Lance torpedoes were yet another nasty surprise for the Allies.
AIR BASE AA – When airbases were constructed, AA defenses were almost always assigned permanently to the base. To reflect this, Level 3 airbases have 1 intrinsic AA shot; Level 5 airbases have 2 intrinsic AA shots. These are in addition to any AA unit that may be deployed in the same territory. The intrinsic AA cannot be destroyed, but also cannot be used against ground troops. If the airbase is captured, the intrinsic AA is captured as well.
US ARMOR DOCTRINE – US tactical doctrine in WWII specified that armor was intended to support infantry, not fight toe-to-toe with German armor. When encountering heavy armor, US doctrine specified that they were to be dealt with by dedicated tank destroyer units. To simulate this, casualties inflicted by US light or medium armor do not have to be taken against German heavy armor.
Comment: I’ve been trying to figure out a way to work tank destroyers into the game, and can’t really come up with anything. I thought of trying to make them like anti-tank guns except that they could attack and also move in the Mechanized Phase – but then they’d basically be armor, which would make them redundant, and there’s no point in increasing complexity for something that doesn’t really make a difference. However, the guy I game with regularly reminded me that US doctrine in WWII was that enemy armor was to be engaged by tank destroyers; armor was actually supposed to avoid engaging enemy armor if possible. This rule attempts to simulate the tactical doctrines in place during the war.
EXTREMELY OPTIONAL RULE
Magic/Ultra – Disclaimer: I think this can be a fun rule, but I also think that it can also be a very unbalancing one, so try it at your own risk. This one is more of a “thinking out loud” proposal, so there may be issues with this that I haven’t adequately thought through. At any rate, here it is…
One of the things that greatly benefited the Allies, especially early in the war, was the ability of the Allies to break the codes being used by the Axis. Examples of where the Allies used this ability against the Axis include the Battle of Midway, shooting down Yamamoto, and interdicting supply convoys in the Mediterranean. To simulate this in the game, use the following procedure.
In the Purchase New Units Phase, either of the Western Allies may allocate up to 6 economic points on Intelligence; Germany (if Italy is still in the Axis, they and Germany are considered one combined power for this rule), and Japan may allocate up to 6 economic points on Counter-Intelligence. The US and Britain have an intrinsic intelligence value of 2 before spending economic points (so by spending 6 points they could have a value of 8 ). Each turn, after the Axis has completed their movement and declared their battles, but BEFORE resolving any combat, either or both US and Britain may attempt to break Axis codes. To do so they roll one die. If the result of the modified die is higher than the amount of economic points spent by the targeted Axis power, the attempt is successful. The result of a successful attempt is that the Allied power that succeeds (or both of both succeed) may move units from ONE territory (one for each power if both succeed) into any other territory, subject to normal movement rules. This movement may be strategic or tactical, just as long as it is a legal move. A fleet with transports may pick up units from an adjacent territory and transport them to another territory (presumably one that is being attacked), subject to the normal naval movement rules.
If an Allied roll fails and the result of the die is an unmodified 1, the Axis power that the roll was directed to changes their codes and the Allies may not make a roll against that power in the next turn.
Each time the Allies use Magic to redeploy forces, the Axis receives one permanent victory point. This is limited to one point per turn per targeted power; if both US and Britain succeed and use Magic to redeploy forces against Germany/Italy, the Axis receives one victory point. If the Allies roll against both powers, succeed with both rolls, and react to both powers, the Axis receives two victory points. Because the US and Britain shared much of their intelligence information, the success of one of them allows both to react; however, they can still only move units out of one zone per successful attempt.
Example 1: Japan invades Midway in the Spring 1942 turn. After movement and declaring the attack, the US rolls for intelligence against Japan, and succeeds. The US moves a fleet adjacent to Midway to engage the Japanese fleet. The Axis receive a victory point.
Example 2: Germany makes a surprise attack into Belgium in the Winter 1944-45 turn. After Germany moves their forces and declares their attacks, Britain and the US make rolls for intelligence and one of them succeeds. They use 3 transports in the English Channel to strategically redeploy 9 infantry into Belgium. The Axis receive a victory point.
If using this rule, the Western Allies may NOT use Magic against Japan on the first turn that they are at war with Japan.
Comment: Okay, I know this one is really out there. Still, I think it could be a fun one to play with. I’m suggesting that each reaction by the Allies result in a victory point because this rule has the chance to really affect the outcome of the game. Giving it such a high price keeps it from being a gimmick for the Allies to use every turn, but rather something you use at a critical point.
