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AXIS & ALLIES ENHANCED REALISM RULES


Entire contents © 1998 by R.D. Baker. Site created: 7-25-98. Our Axis & Allies Gamers Group welcomes players for face-to-face games in the Washington, D.C. area. Email: rdbaker43@yahoo.com

List of recent updates and rule changes in this section:
11-1-98: Clarification on FIGHTER ESCORT of BOMBERS.
10-7-98: Amend the ONE SEA-ZONE rule: Does not apply to BOMBERS bombing industrial complexes (Strategic Bombing).



IV. ADVANCED AIR POWER RULES

AIR COMBAT MOVEMENT & RESOLUTION

Air Combat Movement is now a separate part of the combat process. Air Combat Movement occurs BEFORE any other combat movement in a player's turn. Air Combat against enemy units and economic bombing take place in Air Combat Resolution. After Air Combat is resolved, players land their surviving aircraft. They may not take part in other combat in the current player's turn. [If keeping track of aircraft usage becomes confusing, flip used aircraft upside down to indicate their status. A player's aircraft should be flipped back to normal at the end of his noncombat move].

AIRCRAFT MISSION FLIGHT RANGE LIMITS

Carrier-based fighters and all aircraft supporting land combat have a maximum flight range of ONE to their target. Flight range for aircraft supporting amphibious assaults is 2 for fighters AND bombers. [This rule is modified in Section V: Advanced Naval Rules, where two different types of amphibious assaults are described]. Bombers conducting attacks on Industrial Complexes have a flight range of 3 to their target. All other fighter AND bomber missions have a maximum combat flight range of 2. Flight range is also restricted by the ONE SEA ZONE rule. After executing any mission, an aircraft's return flight range is the same as it's mission flight range.

THE "ONE SEA ZONE RULE" FOR AIRCRAFT COMBAT MISSIONS

Fighters and Bombers may only enter ONE sea zone when flying to a battle. When returning from a battle, they may only enter ONE sea zone. This rule does NOT apply to BOMBERS engaged in Strategic Bombing. Designer's Note: The "One Sea Zone Rule" is important in recreating some historical limits on the effective fighting range of aircraft. I have tried many different rules over the years to achieve this result, but this rule is the simplest, clearest, and cleanest I've been able to come up.

FIGHTER & BOMBER REDEPLOYMENT

Fighters and Bombers may move their entire flight range to a friendly territory during the noncombat movement phase if they were not used in any combat missions in that player-turn. They MAY land in newly captured territory.

FIGHTERS AND AIRCRAFT CARRIERS

Aircraft carriers may only carry fighters of their own nation. A fighter's flight range from an aircraft carrier to its target is always one. However, the carrier itself may move one or two sea zones before launching a fighter. A carrier must end its own move after launching a fighter in combat. After combat, carrier-based fighters MUST return to their original carrier if possible. Fighters may be assigned to or detached from carriers during noncombat movement only, and may not have participated in combat in the turn of their assignment (or detachment). In other words, if a carrier-based fighter takes part in an attack, it MUST return to its carrier after combat, if at all possible; and a land-based fighter that takes part in combat may NOT land on a carrier in that turn.

Placement of New Fighters and New Carriers: Newly built fighters MAY be placed directly on newly built carriers (if both are built at the same Industrial Complex). Newly built fighters MAY be placed directly on existing carriers that are in sea zones adjacent to the Industrial Complex that built the new fighters. Existing fighters MAY be placed on newly built carriers if the fighters are located at the same Industrial Complex that built the new carriers, and if the fighters did not take part in combat during that player-turn.

FIGHTER INTERCEPTION OF ENEMY OVERFLIGHTS

Fighters may intercept enemy aircraft overflying the territory in which they are based as the enemy aircraft attempt to LEAVE that territory. Interception combat lasts only one round. The intercepting player rolls as the attacker, the moving player rolls as the defender, for this single round of interception combat. Note: Aircraft RETREATING from a battle are NOT subject to interception from enemy units which were part of that battle. Also note that aircraft leaving a sea zone are not subject to interception; only when aircraft attempt to exit the airspace of a territory is interception possible.

FIGHTER ESCORT OF BOMBERS

To help protect bombers from enemy interception, fighters may escort bombers for all or part of their flight range. [Clarification 11-1-98]: If the bombers are intercepted as they attempt to LEAVE a territory containing their fighter escorts to ENTER a territory which is beyond the flight range of their fighter escorts, the escorts can provide defense, since the actual interception combat takes place in the airspace containing the exiting bombers, the fighter escorts and the enemy interceptors.

Fighter Escort Example

2 UK bombers leave England on a mission to bomb industrial production in Germany. They are escorted by 2 UK fighters. The flight path is: English sea zone to Western Europe to Germany. The UK bombers, with a mission flight range of 3, can make it to Germany, but the UK fighters may not proceed beyond Western Europe because of their mission flight range limit of 2. The Germans have three fighters in Western Europe that may intercept the bombers as they try to leave Western Europe; however, since the interception takes place OVER Western Europe BEFORE the bombers actually EXIT the air space, the 2 UK fighter escorts MAY take part in the defense against the three German interceptors. Let's say the German fighters roll a 1, 2, and 4; since they are intercepting, they are temporarily considered to be the attackers, so they score 2 hits. But one of their hits is a "one," allowing them to select a target. They choose a UK bomber as a loss, and the UK player chooses a fighter as his other loss. Replying to the interceptors, the UK bombers roll 1 and 2, (scoring 1 hit) and the UK fighters roll 4 and 5 (scoring another hit). The Germans lose 2 fighters and the interception is over. The surviving UK bomber enters Germany (which in this example contains no artillery or fighters) and bombs German industry. On the return flight, the UK bomber leaves Germany and enters Western Europe air space, rejoins the remaining UK fighter there, and both UK aircraft then exit Western Europe. The single surviving German fighter in Western Europe opts not to intercept the UK planes as they leave. The UK planes land back in England. Note that this type of mission is exempt from the ONE SEA ZONE RULE, so the UK bombers could select a flight path (English sea zone to Baltic sea zone to Germany) that would AVOID the German interceptors in Western Europe.

COASTAL & ISLAND DEFENSE OF NAVAL UNITS

Fighters based on territories adjacent to sea zones MAY participate in the DEFENSE of friendly naval units in those sea zones, at the defender's option. Fighters based on islands MAY participate in the DEFENSE of friendly naval units in the same sea zone as their island, at the defender's option. The defender may commit his fighters at the beginning of any combat round. If the defending naval units retreat or break-off contact, the fighters must also retreat (to their original bases).

COASTAL & ISLAND AIRCRAFT INTERCEPTION OF SEA MOVEMENT.

Aircraft based on territories adjacent to sea zones may INTERCEPT enemy naval units during their movement as the naval units attempt to LEAVE those sea zones. Aircraft based on islands may INTERCEPT enemy naval units during their movement as the naval units attempt to LEAVE the sea zones containing their island. Interception combat lasts only one round. The intercepting player rolls as the attacker, the moving player rolls as the defender. NOTE: A player whose naval movement is intercepted may use the Coastal & Island Defense of Naval Units rule (described above) to defend his intercepted naval units.

STRATEGIC BOMBING PROCEDURE (Economic Bombing)

Before strategic bombers drop their bombs, the defender fires an antiaircraft artillery barrage with any artillery located in the same territory as the industrial complex under attack. Losses are applied to bombers (and/or escorting fighters) according to the rules in Section III: Combat Losses. After any defending artillery fire is resolved, any defending fighters located in the same territory as the industrial complex under attack may INTERCEPT the attacking bombers and their escorting fighters for one round of interception combat. (This is an exception to the usual rule that says air interceptions take place as the enemy tries to LEAVE your airspace). Interception combat is resolved with the intercepting player rolling as the attacker, and the bombing force rolling as the defender. Losses are applied to aircraft of both sides according to the rules in Section III: Combat Losses. After interception combat, surviving bombers roll 1-6 for economic damage to industrial complexes. Bombers and fighters are NOT subject to interception when they leave the target territory, since aircraft RETREATING from a battle are NOT subject to interception from enemy units which were part of that battle.

APPLYING LOSSES FROM STRATEGIC BOMBING (Economic Bombing)

An industrial complex cannot lose more IPC per turn than its territory value. Players must keep track of losses inflicted at each industrial complex. Bombing Effects Dice: A simple way to keep track of bombing losses is to place dice next to the affected factory indicating the number of IPCs to be subtracted from the total collected in the next turn.


AXIS & ALLIES ENHANCED REALISM RULES
Entire contents © 1998 by R.D. Baker.

Introduction & Overview.
Section I: Basic Rule Changes.
Section II: Artillery.
Section III: Combat Losses.
Section IV: Advanced Air Power Rules.
Section V: Advanced Naval Rules.
Section VI: Advanced Retreat Rules.
Section VII: Industrial Capacity & Scenarios.
Section VIII: History & Politics.
Section IX: Revised Action Sequence.
Section X: Game Turn Time-line Analysis.
Frequently Asked Questions.


Email: rdbaker43@yahoo.com