Axis & Allies: North Africa

[RogerCooper]

I recently received Axis & Allies: North Africa. I have not had the opportunity to play it yet, but it looks interesting.

Can it be adapted to TripleA? In the broadest sense, in any wargame can be adapted to TripleA but it may lose fidelity to the original and interesting parts of the game in the process.

The game provides a convenient list of differences.

1. The North African Campaign was a war of logistics. You will need to keep your armies supplied to fight. Attacking requires more supply than defending.

The sophisticated supply rules of AANA are at the heart of the game and are not supported by TripleA. It would require a significant addition to the engine to support the supply rules. Such might be desirable, as the rules are good and could be applied to other situations

Some of the effects of the supply rules could be simulated by penalizing units far from their supply bases. Limited combat rounds would help as well,

2. Defenders can choose to not fight during a round of combat and then retreat. They must do so if they have no supply.

Defensive retreat is only supported for subs. This would be a good addition for TripleA and would not require engine changes.

3. There are new unit types and unit characteristics.

Most of the unit types are similar to existing unit types. Some of the powers are an issue.

Many units can move farther in non-combat movement along roads. The ability to have different non-combat movement factor should be added to TripleA.

The special abilities of Scout cars would require engine changes, such as mandatory retreat after 1 round, movement after combat and the targeting of air units.

Bombers have the ability to choose their targets. This would be useful thing to add to TripleA.

4. Some units of the same type have different statistics and/or unit characteristics for different powers.

No problem

5. There are no industrial complexes. Reinforcements all arrive by sea convoy.

No problem

6. There are no transport sea units in this game. Reinforcements may only land at specific ports, so the flexibility of landing from a transport anywhere is not needed.

No problem

7. There are no amphibious assaults (except for Operation Torch) or naval bombardments. This means you can’t invade Malta, Greece, etc.

No problem.

8. Territories have a stacking limit. Sea zones have no stacking limit.

TripleA allows an overall stacking limit. Different limits for each territory should be easy to implement and useful in many scenarios.

9. Control markers are only placed in territories with income values and in convoy sea zones.

No problem
10. Each power’s “income” is determined at the start of each of its turns. There is no “Collect Income” phase at the end of the turn.

No problem

11. There is no battle strip. There is a double-sided unit reference chart; Axis on one side, Allies on the other, that will aid you during combat.

No problem

12. Land units attack from territories adjacent to the territory they’re attacking, and only move in if they clear the defending territory of combat units.

TripleA doesn't support this but as combat requires the use of a movement point, same area combat is not very different.

13. 10-sided dice are used for all rolls.

No problem

The rules can be found at https://www.axisandallies.org/forums/topic/40992/north-africa-rules-are-here

[wc_sumpton]

@rogercooper said in Axis & Allies: North Africa:

The sophisticated supply rules of AANA are at the heart of the game and are not supported by TripleA. It would require a significant addition to the engine to support the supply rules. Such might be desirable, as the rules are good and could be applied to other situations

This "supply" requirement is almost the same as Axis & Allies World War I 1914 "Infantry" requirement, and could be handled in about the same way with unitSupportAttachment. Thus, armor/artillery etc.. have an attack/defense value of 0/0 and can only attack/defend with the presences of the supporting unit, supply/infantry.

These unitSupportAttachment are strait forward, with the exception of the bonusType stacking rules, which at present are quite funky in their workings. (This is why I don't suggest this for WWI '14.)

"supply" cannot move and can only be transported by the truck, which cannot move during combat movement. "supply" could utilize the specialCombatMove to allow these units to enter combat. This would require the attacker calculate the number of "supply" to move.

Just some thoughts..

Cheers...