Hey, where are the air transport planes?

[series]

Why doesn't A&A ever have air transport ideas? Paratroopers played a major part in the war after all. Maybe because 3 planes would get mixed up too easy? Well, I think it would improve the game a lot.

[Porter117]

I think it's because most of the spaces are so large, that its unrealistic to drop them off, cause it's so far away from other allies. But this is only true for if they have an enemy space between. And they would make sense with coastal landings. Too many scenarios that would be unrealistic. I think.

[TomJag3]

I agree, Porter. The distance covered in a paradrop is very small and has to be in order to resupply the troops. A&A is too big of a scale to include paratroopers. Paratroopers may be flashing, romantic, and all that stuff, but it's an inefficient way to get troops into battle. They don't have armor or medium/heavy artillery support when they arrive, let alone supplies for sustained combat.

[Clausewitz]

I agree that paratroop drops are unfeasible. It would force players to garrison every territory within bomber range which is unrealistic, as paras should never constitute such a large force as could take over a major land territory in their own right.

Only with the introduction of supply rules will air transport become a viable new unit.

[series]

well, paratroops would be good for getting infantry across maybe a single sea zone and dropping them off, like in the D-Day invasions? I agree, giving the planes too much range would make everything in the game in danger, but giving them limited range could help. Or maybe even just letting them move into an adjacent space with a special bonus? Hitler used paratroopers successfully in much of his war against... france I believe. Some fortress or something.

[sking500]

Hitler used Paratroops to secure a Belgian fortress (forget the name). However, this was a surprise attack supported by infantry, artillery and armor attacking along the Belgian border. In this case they were used for shock value.

He also used paratroops exclusively to attack and capture Crete, without follow-on infantry/artillery/armor support, but suffered such heavy casualties he never used them again in this manner.

[poague41stva]

Well, here is a section of my "personal rule book". We have used this for a while and it can really change the play of the game. If the paragraphs seem a little disjointed my apologies. I edited out some sentences that dealt with other alternative rules to make it only about paratroopers.

Air Transports
Air transports are used to drop paratroopers into battle and airlift units from an embarkation point to a destination point. The cost is 2 I.P.C.s each. Air transports are stock piled at your capital until they are used. If your capital is captured any air transports are destroyed. Air transports carry units from the territory that the unit is currently in to its destination. They do not have to start their movement from the territory were they are being stock piled. Air transports are good for one use then they are removed from play. Air transports have no attack or defense value. Air transports cannot move a unit that has moved this turn or a unit belonging to a friendly nation.
Paratroopers
The cost to promote an infantry unit to a paratrooper unit is 1 I.P.C., you must promote infantry units that you currently have. You cannot buy the infantry unit and the paratrooper promotion at the same time. Paratroop units must be used the turn you purchase them. Paratroopers must all have the same embarkation point; they can however attack different territories during a Surprise Attack. For a Sabotage mission all paratroopers must have the same embarkation point and the same target. So during your turn you can only have paratroopers leave from one territory, for all of their missions.
Paratroopers cannot sabotage or attack an enemy capital or the U.S.A. West coast.
Paratroopers cannot retreat from combat. After combat any surviving paratroopers are replaced by infantry units. Any attack that includes paratroopers cannot include artillery.
Surprise Attack
Paratroopers must be moved two spaces and can not land in a space adjacent to their embarkation point. Paratroopers are moved during combat movement. If paratroopers attack alone no A.A. gun can fire at them. If paratroopers are attacking with any units, any A.A. gun that is flown over can shoot at the air transports. If paratroopers attack alone, then they all attack on a two or less. If paratroopers attack with any other units, during the first round of combat all paratroopers attack at a two or less. Starting with the second round of combat only one paratrooper can continue to attack at a two or less the remaining paratroopers are demoted to regular infantry.
Sabotage
If paratroopers are going to perform a sabotage mission they must all have the same embarkation point and destination point. The paratroopers must start the turn next to their target area. This will be the embarkation point. The only units that can attack the paratroopers are any type of infantry unit in the target area. The defender only gets a one shot attack for each type of infantry unit. Any surviving paratroopers can complete their mission. Paratroopers inflict damage just like a bombing raid. Any surviving paratroopers are returned to the embarkation point as regular infantry during Action Sequence # 9a.

Historically I believe the German paratroopers did not take to the air again after mid 42. They still existed as an independent unit and were considered elite troops.

[Orillian]

Simple paratroop method: In place of their regular actions a bomber may be used to paratroop up to two infantry. These infantry MUST be dropped in an enemy territory adjacent to one of your territories. The only exception to this rule is seazones. A bomber may pass over seazones and paradrop to a territory not adjacent to one of their own.

The bomber MUST have enough movement left to return to a friendly territory and even though it does not participate in the combat it is still affected by AA fire. A bomber may also paratroop units into any friendly territory on the non-combat move phase. All movement rules still apply. The bomber can not land in the territory it is paradropping into. And must have a friendly territory to land it that is NOT a freshly taken territory.

Options to append to this rule.

1) The bomber must be able to return to it's starting territory? (may be too limiting.)
2) If the bomber is destroyed by AA fire the infantry still stay as they JUMP from the plane in the combat move phase and not the first phase of combat.
3) A paratooper can NOT be used alongside an artilery unit to allow it to attack at a 2, if there are other land units moved into the territory.
4) Paratroopers ignore the first round of combat. To signify them having to land and set-up. (may make them useless...someone will have to playtest this one.)

So yup, that's it. This satisfies everyone, (except those few that don't like house rules) ;). Those people that don't want to see paratroopers dropped deep behind enemy lines, don't have to worry, and for those of you that want over-land troop transportation, for improving infantry mobility. This allows that without getting to complex or overpowered. And for anyone that says it's to overpowered an option, look at it this way. If I'm using my bomber to rush extra men to the front...I'm not bombing the stuffing out of your IC's! ;) And the bomber is a rather expensive unit to use for troop mobalization, especially when it has more powerfull options that are being ignored to allow for two extra infantry at the front.

Done. :)

Richard

[thrasher]

This would add even another plastic playing piece to the game. There are lots of rules which use bombers as paratrooper carrying planes.

thrasher,

Claus von Stauffenberg: "Es ist zeit, daß jetzt etwas getan wird"
July 20 1944... Sixty Years Later... NEVER FORGET Von Stauffenberg!

[Clausewitz]

How about producing some flying boats for CAPs? Or armoured trains, or rail guns, or heavy artillery or cruisers or bunkers or torpedo bombers?
But most of all I want pieces to represent techs so that tech rules only apply to newly built units.

[thrasher]

But most of all I want pieces to represent techs so that tech rules only apply to newly built units.

That would be very cool. But then the amount of plastic in your box should double. And the prize would increase substantially.
While a lot of people maybe don't play with Techs at all...

But yes, I would buy an expansion pack for A&A 2004 with such units!

thrasher,

Claus von Stauffenberg: "Es ist zeit, daß jetzt etwas getan wird"
July 20 1944... Sixty Years Later... NEVER FORGET Von Stauffenberg!

[TomJag3]

I agree, pieces for new techs would be really cool. I kind of like the gradual phase-in of technologies used in Advanced Third Reich. Hmm... maybe I should play Advanced Third Reich... lol

New pieces would be great, Me-262's for the new fighters, B-29's for the Hvy Bmbrs, that would be awesome. I don't know what they'd use for super-subs. Maybe a Los Angelos class???

[Lobo]

Yes, and make the new units cost a little more to represent the cost of building more complex technology. Maybe reduce the cost of tech rolls to compensate for this.

[thrasher]

Yeah. I agree. Would be very cool. But still: a game containing so many different units would be very EXPENSIVE :(

thrasher,

Claus von Stauffenberg: "Es ist zeit, daß jetzt etwas getan wird"
July 20 1944... Sixty Years Later... NEVER FORGET Von Stauffenberg!

[Yoper]

Table Tactics has a set of parts that has units like the B-29 and the He-162. Check it out.