Flames and Steel: Rules Variants

Rules Variants

Many of the below rules variants had originally been intended as part of the main rules set; but were removed to reduce the game's level of complexity. I've included them here to spur discussion. Which of the below rules variants do people think have the best ratio of added richness and depth to added complexity? Should those variants be added to the main rules set? Should the below variants be used to create multiple scenarios? Do any of the below proposals spur other ideas about how this rules set might be improved?

Variation 1: A Neutral United States


Under this scenario, the game begins in the spring of 1941, when the United States is still technically neutral. As a result of this neutrality, there are limitations on the contributions it can make to the Allied war effort. While the U.S. is in neutral mode, it experiences the following rules set:

  • The cost of all American units is doubled. This is to reflect the constraints imposed by the American peacetime economy.
  • The U.S. may not have more than one research center while at peace.
  • The U.S. may not attack Axis units or territories while at peace, except for attacking German naval forces in the Atlantic. The Baltic and Mediterranean Seas do not count as part of the Atlantic for the purposes of this rule.
  • The U.S. is allowed to send up to 24 PUs of lend-lease aid per turn.
  • The U.S. may send aircraft, tanks, and artillery (but not infantry) to British or Soviet territory. It may also send fighter aircraft to Chinese territory. During the collect income phases of the British, Soviet, and Chinese players, all American units present become the property of the owner of the territory. However, American units in Canada are not converted into British units.
  • Normal rules regarding industrializations, transport requirements, etc., still apply to the U.S. 

Once an Axis nation attacks an American territory or naval force, the U.S. enters wartime mode. A German attack against an American naval force counts as such an attack, even if the U.S. had been launching attacks against German forces in the Atlantic. Immediately upon the U.S. being attacked, the following happens:
  • During the game round in which American neutrality has been violated, all American die rolls hit on a 1. (Exception: American land and air forces on North American soil fire normally.) Once the American player finishes his ensuing turn, this penalty disappears.
  • The U.S. loses all the PUs and MPs in its treasury. To make up for this, it performs a one-time collect income action immediately after the attacking Axis player has resolved all his battles.
  • The special peacetime rules regarding the U.S. are no longer valid. Its unit costs are now normal, the limit on research centers is removed, it is allowed to attack all Axis forces, it is limited to loading just 12 PUs of lend lease aid onto its transports each turn, and it may no longer send units to Soviet or Chinese territory. American units already on Soviet or Chinese territory will, of course, be converted to Soviet or Chinese units during the collect income phases of those players’ turns. 
  • British and American units may move into or through each other’s territory. American units which end their turn on British soil are no longer converted into British units.
Under this variation, the Soviets are forced to accept the initial confusion national attribute. 

Initial confusion. The Soviets must skip the combat movement and noncombat movement phases of their first turn. During the first two game rounds of play, all Soviet die rolls hit on a 2.

Under this variant, technologies which would are normally associated with a delay--"may not be researched until round 2"--for example, are delayed by two additional rounds. In the aforementioned case, that technology could not be researched until round 4. 

This variant is associated with a different game board setup.

Variation 2: Addition of Minor Nations

This rules variant treats Germany’s European allies as separate nations from Germany. Some of Germany's territories and starting units are turned over to its allies instead. Germany's European allies are Finland, Italy, and Romania. Finland includes its own territory and that of the Baltic States; Italy contains Italy proper, Yugoslavia, and Libya; and Romania consists of Romania and Hungary.

Germany’s European allies are considered close allies of Germany. This means they research at the same time, purchase units at the same time, attack at the same time, etc. They may combine forces and their units may share territories. When a mixed force conquers an enemy territory, the player controlling these teams chooses which nation gets possession. However, that nation must have at least one land unit in that territory at the end of the battle to obtain possession. Close allies may not use each other’s transports or aircraft carriers.

Finland has a gross income of 10 PUs and a starting penalty of 4. That penalty declines to zero in turn 5. It also receives 2 MPs (one from Finland, the other from Baltic States).

Italy has a gross income of 25 PUs and a starting penalty of 10 PUs. That penalty declines to 6 in turn 1; 3 in turn 3, and 0 in turn 4. It receives 4 MPs.

Romania has a gross income of 13 PUs and a starting penalty of 5. That penalty declines to 2 in round 3; and to 0 in round 5. It receives 3 MPs.

Finland

National traits

Inwardly-focused leadership. Finland may not load PUs from its factories onto transports. 

Molotov cocktail. Before combat begins, every five infantry you have destroy one enemy tank.

Winter War. Finnish regular infantry have 3 hitpoints and a land combat value of 2. 

Technology available for research

None

Italy  

National traits

Inefficient manufacturing. Italian artillery cost 6 PUs each; Italian dive bombers cost 12 PUs each, and Italian strategic bombers cost 20 PUs each.

Inadequate training. All Italian die rolls hit on a 3 instead of a 4. 

Inwardly-focused leadership. Italy may not load PUs from its factories onto transports.

Light infantry. Italian regular infantry have a land combat value of 1, 1 hitpoint, and cost 1 MP (no PUs needed). 

Light tanks. Italian tanks have one hitpoint, and cost 4 PUs each. Italian tanks are considered small for shipping purposes.

Rebel against Mussolini. If the Allies take control over all of Africa, and of Sicily, the Italians rebel against Mussolini. The Italians will also rebel if the Allies capture Rome. A rebellion causes Italy to stop producing manpower points for the rest of the game! 

Technology available for research

None

Romania

National Traits

Crush communism. The manpower points Germany receives from its crush communism tech are allocated to Romania instead.

Inwardly-focused leadership. Romania may not load PUs from its factories onto transports.

Technology available for research

None.

Variation 3: Nuclear Weapons

Under this rules set, both Germany and the United States can research the atomic bomb tech. That tech has the following description:

Atomic bomb. (May not be researched until round 5.) Receives two free nuclear bomber units per turn. Cost: 20 RPs and 20 PUs.

Nuclear bombers have the following definition:

Nuclear bomber. Germany and U.S. only; must research relevant tech first.

  • Dogfight value: 0
  • Strategic bombing value: permanent income reduction of 3 PUs. If a research center is present, the nuclear attack will destroy it, instead of causing an income reduction. 
  • Movement: 6. Note that this plane must have a legal landing space available, even though it is a kamikaze for gameplay purposes.
  • Special: assuming this unit managed to survive the dogfight phase; it makes one strategic bombing run. After dropping one bomb, the unit is eliminated from the game. The loss of the unit represents the loss of a very expensive nuclear bomb, not the loss of the comparatively inexpensive individual airplane that dropped it.
  • Cost: NA
  • Other: you are only allowed to possess six nuclear bomber units at any one time. If you would normally receive a nuclear bomber unit, but already have reached your limit, that additional bomber unit is simply lost. 
Note that American nuclear bombers will always have the same range as its strategic bombers, which means their nuclear bomber units are affected by its long range aircraft and Superfortress techs. 

Under this variant, Germany receives the rockets tech:

Rockets. Rocket attacks are launched from a research center and have a range of 3. Germany pays 3 PUs per rocket attack, and each attack deducts 2 PUs from the targeted player's cash. Rocket attacks may only be launched against industrial complexes. The amount of damage that may be inflicted per turn is capped at the territory value.

It also can research the following techs:

Space program 1. (The A-9. Cannot be researched until round 3.) Rockets have a range of 6. Cost: 5 RPs.

Space program 2. (The A-11. You must have researched space program 1 in a previous round.) Range restrictions no longer apply to rocket attacks. Cost: 10 RPs.

Space program 3. (The A-12. You must have researched space program 2 and Wasserfall previously.) If you have the atomic bomb tech, you now receive your nuclear attacks in the form of nuclear ICBMs. A nuclear attack from an ICBM reduces a territory’s value by 3 PUs. If a target territory has a research center, the attack will destroy the research center instead of lowering the territory’s PU value. Cost: 5 RPs.

Variation 4: Naval Electronics Tech

Under this variant, Germany, the U.K., and the U.S. may research the following techs:

Electronics tech 1. Cannot be researched until round 3. The naval combat value of your cruisers and aircraft carriers is now 3. Cost: 10 RPs.

Electronics tech 2. You must have researched electronics tech 1 in a previous round. The naval combat value of your battleships is now 7, and that of your submarines is now 3. Cost: 10 RPs.

Electronics tech 3. You must have researched electronics tech 2 in a previous round. The naval combat value of your dive bombers is now 4, the naval combat of your torpedo bombers is now 5, and the naval combat value of your improved torpedo bombers (if applicable) is now 6. Cost: 10 RPs. 

Under this variant, Germany must research electronics tech 3 before it can research Type XXI U-boats

Variation 5: Additional Axis Technologies

For Germany (a starting attribute):

Blitzkrieg. When Germany is fighting a land battle, enemy units may not withdraw until the end of the second combat round. German tanks fire twice against withdrawing enemy units.

For Japan (to be researched):

Kamikaze. May not be researched until round 4. At the beginning of a naval combat, Japan may announce the intention to use an aircraft of a specific type as a kamikaze. (A fighter, dive bomber, etc.) If at least one of the aircraft of that type survives the initial dogfight phase, Japan may use that aircraft as a kamikaze against an enemy ship of the Japanese player's choice. An enemy ship loses five hitpoints from a kamikaze attack. This ability may only be used on one naval combat per game round. Cost: 5 RPs.

Variation 6: Increased Allied Output

UK: experiences an increase in its gross income of 12 PUs. However, due to increases in early game penalties, it receives half that income in turn 3, and the other half in turn 4.
US: experiences an increase in its gross income of 24 PUs. Due to an increase in early game penalties, it receives 6 PUs of that increase in turn 3, another 6 in turn 4, 12 in turn 5.

Variation 7: More Allied Techs

The U.S. is allowed to research the following techs:

Pershing tank. May not be researched until round 6. American tanks have 8 hitpoints, a land combat value of 8, and cost 9 PUs each. For every three regular tanks the American player has on a specific territory, he receives one Pershing in its place. Regular tanks which cannot be converted into Pershing tanks are sold for 3 PUs each. Cost: 15 RPs.

Smart bomb. American strategic bombers have a land combat value of 2. Cost: 5 RPs.
The U.S. may research the Pershing tank tech.

Variation 8: More Unit Attributes

In this version, all units have an accuracy stat and a maneuverability stat (in addition to their other stats). Combat now works in the following way.

Step 1: Choose a stack of one of your units.

Step 2: Select a target for that stack.

Step 3: Compare the accuracy rating of your unit stack to the maneuverability rating of the target unit. 

 - If the two numbers are the same, your die rolls hit on a four or less. 

 - If the maneuverability rating of the target exceeds your accuracy rating, your die rolls will hit on a 3 or less (a difference of one), a two or less (a difference of two), or on a 1 (a difference of three or more).

 - If your accuracy rating is greater than the maneuverability rating of your target, your die rolls will hit on a 5 or less (a difference of one), or on a six or less (a difference of two or more).

Step 4: Hits are applied to the primary target until the primary target is destroyed. Additional hits may be applied to enemy units with the same maneuverability rating or lower. Note that previous restrictions about applying hits are still in force. You are still not allowed to apply an anti-land hit against an air unit, and so forth.

For example, you have eleven tanks present in a combat. They have an accuracy rating of 3. You target an enemy infantry stack, with a maneuverability rating of 2. Because your accuracy rating exceeds the defender’s maneuverability rating by one, all your die rolls hit on a 5 or less. If you get enough hits to destroy the stack, your excess hits may be applied to some other enemy stack with a maneuverability rating equal to or below that of the infantry stack you just destroyed. As usual, land units' hits must be applied to infantry first, tanks second, artillery third.

In addition, units now have an armor stat and a weapon damage stat. When applying hits, use the following sequence. Moreover, many types of units will be equipped with two weapon types. 

Step 1: Select the weapon you wish your unit stack to use. (Generally heavy or light.)

Step 2: Compare the weapon damage stat of the weapon you chose against the armor rating of the unit being fired on.

 - If the two numbers are equal, a hit does one point of damage.

 - If the damage stat of your weapon is one to two points greater than the target's armor, a hit does two points of damage. If the damage stat is three or more points greater, a hit does three points of damage.

 - If the armor rating of the unit being fired on exceeds the damage rating of the weapon being employed, hits do no damage at all. 

Under this rules modification, many units should have two weapons types. For example, infantry should have machine guns (many die rolls, low damage rating) and anti-tank weapons (few die rolls, high damage rating).

Version 9: Strategic Bombarding

Under this rules variant, some naval units have a strategic bombing value. Strategic bombarding occurs as follows:

Step 1: Movement. Insure that you have a naval force adjacent to the hostile industrial complex you want to bombard.

Step 2: Combat. If you wish to strategically bombard, you must destroy all hostile naval units in your bombarding force’s sea zone within one combat round.

Step 3: Strategic bombardment. If steps 1 and 2 were completed successfully, you may strategically bombard. Note that bombardment cannot destroy more PUs in cash than the value of the underlying territory. For example, if a territory is worth 8 PUs, the bombardment cannot destroy more than 8 PUs in cash. Also, a strategic bombardment can never reduce the value of the territory below 7 PUs (for major industrial complexes) or 3 PUs (minor complexes). An industrial complex must be present for you to strategically bombard.

Under this variant, Japanese Yamato battleships have a strategic bombardment value of 6 PUs and a permanent income reduction of 2. All other battleships have a strategic bombardment value of 3 PUs and a permanent income reduction of 1 PU to the underlying territory.

Variation 10: Naval bases

Under this rules variant, your naval ships’ movement is restricted to a specific range (see below). You may build or capture naval bases to increase that range.

Naval Base

  • Naval combat value: 0
  • Hitpoints: NA
  • Cost: 5 PUs
  • Special: Increases the range of your naval units (see naval movement rules). A naval base may be built on any territory you own. It does not  require an industrial complex for placement. However, you must have owned a territory since the beginning of your turn to build a naval base on it. Naval bases can be captured, but cannot be destroyed.
All naval units must end their movement within four spaces of a friendly industrial complex or naval base. A naval unit adjacent to a friendly territory is considered one space away from that territory’s naval base or industrial complex (if any).

Some circumstances may arise in which it is impossible for a naval unit to end its movement within four spaces of a friendly industrial complex or naval base. (Normally those circumstances would involve the loss of an industrial complex or naval base on an opponent’s turn.) If your naval units are unable to get within range of a friendly industrial complex or naval base by the end of your turn, they are considered lost at sea.

Under this rules variant, German type XXI U-boats may end their movement up to eight spaces away from a friendly naval base or industrial complex.

Variation 11: Raw Materials

Under this variation, territories produce two types of resources: production units (PUs) and raw materials (RMs). Production units reflect a territory’s industrial production capacity; and raw materials the raw materials available to it. If you would be prohibited from collecting PUs from a territory (for example, because of a missing convoy), you are also prohibited from collecting RMs from it.

Initially, all nations begin with the “production level 0” national attribute. 

Production level 0. For every PU you expend in your unit build phase, you must also expend 2 RMs.

All nations except China may research the production level 1 tech:

Production level 1. May not be researched until round 3. For every 2 PUs you expend in the build phase, you must also spend 3 RMs. If you spend an odd number of PUs, you must spend one RM for that last PU. 

The U.S., Britain, and the Soviet Union, and Germany may research the production level 2 tech:

Production level 2. May not be researched until round 5. For every PU you expend in the build phase, you must also spend one RM.

Variation 12: Ammunition

In the actual war, a significant percentage of nations’ production capacity was expended in ammunition production. To recreate this aspect of the war, the following variant can be employed.

Each unit has an ammunition requirement; which is expressed as a per-combat round figure. Units’ ammunition requirements are expressed below:

Infantry: 1 ammunition per combat round
Tanks: 2 ammunition per combat round
Artillery: 3 ammunition per combat round

Destroyer: 1 ammunition per combat round
Cruiser: 2 ammunition per combat round
Carrier: 2 ammunition per combat round
Battleship: 4 ammunition per combat round, 7 ammunition per strategic bombardment
Submarine: 1 ammunition per combat round

Fighter: 2 ammunition per combat round
Dive bomber: 3 ammunition per combat round; 2 ammunition per strategic bombing raid
Strategic bomber: 3 ammunition per combat round. 7 ammunition per strategic bombing raid.

Minor complex: 1 ammunition per raid
Major complex: 3 ammunition per raid

Every use of ammunition is deducted from your nation’s ammunition stockpile. Once that stockpile is expended, your units can no longer fire. You can build new ammunition during your build phase. Unlike other newly built items, newly built ammunition is usable immediately after your build phase is over.

Note that if you eliminate an enemy combat force, you do not expend ammunition during that combat round. Partially, this is because it is assumed that your ammunition expenditures are balanced out by capturing ammunition from the enemy. But this rule also exists to prevent someone from sending a lone unit against an overwhelming army in order to force the latter player to expend large amounts of ammunition. Ammunition costs are as follows:

Basic ammunition cost: 10 ammunition per PU

Armaments 1 tech (all nations except China). May not be researched until round 3: You now receive 15 ammunition units per PU. Cost: 5 RPs.

Armaments 2 tech (all nations except China). May not be researched until round 5. You now receive 20 ammunition units per PU. Cost: 5 RPs.

Armaments 3 tech (Germany and the Soviet Union only). May not be researched until round 7. You now receive 25 ammunition units per PU. Cost: 5 RPs.

More advanced units are associated with greater levels of ammunition expenditure. Costs are listed as follows:

German Panther tanks: 4 ammunition per combat round
Soviet heavy artillery: 4 ammunition per combat round
Japanese Yamato battleships: 5 ammunition per combat round; 14 per strategic bombarding raid
German Type XXI U-Boats: 3 ammunition per combat round
Improved fighters: 3 ammunition per combat round
Improved dive bombers: 4 ammunition per combat round
American Superfortress bombers: 6 ammunition per combat round; 14 per strategic bombing raid

Variation 13: Railroads

During the noncombat phase of his turn, a player may ship up to four infantry across his rail network. For a territory to be considered part of your rail network, it must meet two criteria: 1) you must have owned it since the start of your turn, and 2) it must be part of North America, Europe, among the starting territories of the Soviet Union, or Manchuria. During the noncombat phase of your turn, select up to four infantry that had not participated in combat, and move them through any number of contiguous territories that are part of your rail network. An infantry can move by foot or by rail during your turn, but never both.

Under this variant, you may research the following technologies:

Improved rails. You may ship up to 6 infantry a turn by rail. Cost: 5 RPs.

Advanced rail network. You may ship up to 8 infantry a turn by rail. Cost: 5 RPs.

Variation 14: Modified Industrial Complexes

Under this rules variant, major industrial complexes may be used to place up to five units. All players except China may research the advanced industrial tech 1 technology.

Advanced industrial tech 1. Major industrial complexes may now produce up to seven units per turn. Cost: 5 RPs.

The U.S., Britain, U.S.S.R., and Germany may research advanced industrial tech 2.

Advanced industrial tech 2. You must have researched advanced industrial tech 1 in a previous round, and it must be round 4 or later. Major industrial complexes may now produce up to ten units per turn. Cost: 10 RPs.

Variation 15: Advanced Industrial Development

Under this rules variant, all nations except China can research the following technology.

Advanced industrial development 1. You receive an income bonus of 1 PU for every minor industrial complex under your control; and 3 PUs for every major industrial complex you control. Cost: 10 RPs.

All nations except China may also research advanced industrial development 2

Advanced industrial development 2. You must have researched advanced industrial development in a previous round. Also, it must be round 2 or later (Britain and the Soviet Union), round 4 or later (Germany and the U.S.), or round 6 or later (Japan). You receive an income bonus of 2 PUs for every minor industrial complex under your control, and 7 PUs for every major complex you control. Cost: 10 RPs. 


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