Part Four: Optional Rules
This section consists of additional house rules of my own preference which are not directly related to the tech system. However, if I eventually progress to making a full TRO mod, these are rules that I would be aiming to integrate as checkable Game Options. Some will be familiar, some are my own designs.
Factory Limitations
Heavy Tanks, Armored Trains, Strategic Bombers, Battleships, and Aircraft Carriers must be built at a Major Factory, not a Minor Factory.
Placement limits for air and naval units are limited by default to 1 per turn at Minor Factories and 2 per turn at Major Factories. Each type has its own separate cap (i.e. you can build an air unit and a naval unit during the same turn at a Minor Factory).
If an Air Base exists in the same territory as a factory, that factory's placement restriction for air units is lifted, allowing you to build as many as the factory would normally allow. Likewise, if a Naval Base exists in the same territory as a factory, the factory's placement restriction for naval restrictions will be lifted to allow its normal capacity.
Scramble Extension
Air units are permitted to scramble from Air Bases to defend adjacent land territories as well as adjacent sea zones.
Defensive Retreats
Defending players are permitted to order a retreat after fighting at least one round of battle. Before a retreat can take place, one final round of battle will play out in which the attackers will fire again but the defenders will not return fire. The surviving defenders will then withdraw to an adjacent territory (or sea zone, in the case of naval units). All defenders must retreat to the same territory (with the exception of any scrambled units, which go back where they came from), and the destination must be a friendly territory (if on land), free of enemy units, and not currently under attack by another enemy force. If multiple allies are defending the same territory, they all must agree to retreat together, otherwise they stay and fight.
Enhanced Blitz
Blitz-capable land units are permitted to attack a second land territory after fighting and winning a battle in the first one if the defenders failed to eliminate at least one attacking unit. The blitz is still subject to the attacking units' normal movement allowance - they must have a free movement point left in order to carry on into the second territory. Follow-up blitz attacks are carried out only after all battles from initial combat orders have been resolved. In cases like Germany's Schwerpunkt or other techs that provide bonuses during blitz attacks, the bonus only applies during that second battle following the first, not to the initial attack.
Revised India
The UK (Pacific) Major Factory in India is replaced with a Minor Factory in the game's starting setup. The UK (Pacific) also receives a second Minor Factory in West India during setup.
Chinese Movement Freedom
China's default movement restrictions are permanently lifted if the Allies manage to gain simultaneous control over all of the territories to which China is initially restricted (that is, China's starting territories plus the Chinese mainland territories that start under Japanese occupation plus Kwangtung and Burma). When the restrictions are lifted, Chinese land units are now able to enter any mainland continental territory on the Pacific map. Chinese air units are permitted to fly out into sea zones on the Pacific map as well in order to attack, but must end their turn by returning to a mainland territory.
Playable Canada
This would have to be an alternate map rather than a checkable option. The Canada edition would require a modification of the British Commonwealth tech (or perhaps its replacement by Home Guard, a tech that ended up on my cut content list, which would give British Infantry a +1 first round defense bonus during German amphibious or airborne invasions of the UK or Scotland).
As a minor power, Canada would be given a set of six exclusive techs to match ANZAC. It would definitely receive Destroyer Escorts as a free unlock. Haven't finalized the rest of their research advantages, but likely ones would include Prime Movers, Self-Propelled Artillery, Special Forces, Torpedo Bombers, Fast Transports, Sonar, War Bonds, Heavy Bombers, Industrial Advancements, and Shipyard Improvements.
I have not finalized a set of Canadian exclusive techs yet, but some ideas that are on the drawing board so far:
BCATP / Commonwealth Air Training (something like Italy's Picchiatelli?)
Camp X (special action or bonus for Elite Infantry?)
Canadian Corps (regional fighting bonus for Canadian land units in Europe, maybe for Infantry/Tank or Mechanized/Tank pairings?)
CMP Trucks (discount package for Mechanized?)
Corvette Fleet / Newfoundland Escort Force (Discount package for Escorts)
Devil's Brigade (Discount Elite unit with limit of 1 at a time, like Maori Battalion or Foreign Legion - maybe also buys one for US player?)
Montreal Laboratory (Reduced cost for research level upgrades if UK/US has unlocked that level first)
Park Ships (Discount package for pair of Transport Ships?)
Polsten Guns (AA gun costs 4, takes infantry-type slot instead of heavy one on transports?)
Sexton (discount or bonus for Assault Gun - maybe UK gets one too if Canada buys one?)
Shadow Factories (move the British Commonwealth effect here - Britain can buy units in Canadian factories if UK falls? Britain can spawn its own units in Canadian factories by default? UK/US can buy factories/upgrades for Canada? Not sure yet)
Sherman Skink (Tanks get an AA shot, or cause first round debuff to enemy Fighters/Tactical Bombers?)
Ship Degaussing (first round debuff for submarine surprise strike against Canadian naval units?)
Suggestions or ideas would be welcome here. I'll update the Canada section whenever I get around to finalizing my ideas for them.
