White Ensign - Rising Sun Optional Rules, Houserules: 1) Anti Aircraft Fire Rule 8.7, 3rd paragraph, simply is wrong: There are no AA values present in this game (at least there were none present in my copy!). Thus: Any CV, CVL, BB, BC, CA, CL or DD-Flot. step provides 1/2 AA factor, thus any 2 step unit provides 1 full AA factor (e.g. an undamaged BB will provide 1 AA factor, while any DD-Flot. will only provide 1/2 AA factor, regardless of the number of ships it still contains). Add all AA factors and round up any remaining 1/2 factors to the next full number. Any detached DD only provides 1/4 AA factor and will therefore only provide an AA factor if no other ships are present. Any port on the map has an AA factor of 1. Any ships in port may add 1/2 of their AA defense to the port defenses (count single step units as 1/4). 2) Submarine Attacks: With a 55 miles per hex the scale of this game is too big to grant any submarine an attack if it succeeds to locate an enemy ship/fleet. Therefore each side rolls 1d6 and adds the result to the current speed (in this turn) of the ship/fleet or submarine (add 1 for any Japanese submarine commanded by an ace commander). The side with the higher modified result wins (i.e. either the ship/fleet escapes or the submarine managed to sneak into attack position). In case of a draw any Japanese submarine wins. 3) May submarines being detected? If players wish they may adopt the following rule: Any time an air search manages to search a hex in which a submarine is present, the player owning the submarine may secretly roll a 1d6. On a result of 6 he must reveal the fact that a submarine is present in this hex. (So if this rule is used, players may roll a die any time a hex is searched by the opposing player to confuse him - on a result of 6 he must admit the bluff). 4) Rule 8.72: To qulify for a die roll on the Ship Raiding Table, each force must consist of at least 3 warships (to prevent players to separate their forces to collect VPs). These warships must not be involved into any kind of combat (including being target of an submarine or air attack) or shadowing. Searching is allowed. 5) Rule 8.72: Players may wish to include both sides submarines into the search for merchant ships. If doing so, any Japanes submarine at 3 hex (or less) distance to Ceylon or the Indian coast or any Dutch submarine adjacent to any Japanese base may roll on the Ship Raiding Table. Substract 2 from the die roll (but add 1 again if any ace commander is present). Submarines must no have attempted to attack any warship during this turn when going after merchant ships. By using this rule no side's submarine(s) may setup on the first game turn within the restrictions qualifying for such a die roll. 6) Any aircraft squadron may be relocated but only at twice it's normal range and up to twice of the normal complement of the base to which it relocates. During relocation no searching or attack is allowed. 7) VP Clarifications (optional) Additional VPs are given to the following ships (as they don't seem to have any VP values in the game): - Monitor Erebus: 5 VPs - AMC Hector: 2 VPs - Japanese Merchant Ships: 5 VPs - per destroyed plane step: 1 VP Additionally the Allies receive 1 VP for any Allied air step (either land or naval based, cumulate all unit's results) that bombs any Japanese base. 8) Allied Radar To reflect the presence of British long range air search radar any Japanese attack on land or naval targets must include that the Japanese player indicates the hexes adjacent to the target through which the attacks come in and leave. (This might give the Allied player a clue where the Japanese forces may be, unless the the Japanese player includes this into his plan and does not attack on maximum range). 9) British Night Fliers The following British aircraft may search at night: Any Task Force A markers, both Catalina units and of course the 2 free serach counters (the Japanese free search counter may search as well at night, of course). Any British aircraft capable of attacking at night (only Swordfish and Albacore units, but also land based!) receive a +1 modifier for all night attacks. 10) Convoy damage is rolled on the "CA, CL, AMC, CV, CVL" column on the Gunnery Table (no convoy entry is present on the original Gunnery Table). 11) Air units fire per step, not per counter! This is valid for air to air combat as well as for air to ground combat. 12) Task Forces may be splitted and/or rejoined in any desired manner. 13) Task Forces being in a hex adjacent to any located enemy task forces may attempt to shadow the spotted enemy. To do so roll on the Evasion Table but with the following changes: * The Ships desiring to shadow are 2 or more MF faster than the ships to be shadowed. To shadow the ships desiring to shadow must roll a 2,3,4,5,6,7,8 or 9. * The Ships desiring to shadow are 1 MF faster than the ships to be shadowed. To shadow the ships desiring to shadow must roll a 2,3,4,5 or 6. * The Ships desiring to shadow have the same speed as the ships to be shadowed. To shadow the ships desiring to shadow must roll a 2,3 or 4. * The Ships desiring to shadow are 1 MF slower than the ships to be shadowed. To shadow the ships desiring to shadow must roll a 2. * The Ships desiring to shadow are 2 or more MF slower than the ships to be shadowed. Just forget it, ok?! 14) Players may wish to use the following variant to qualify the quality of any contact results. Roll 1d6 (add 1 for any submarine searching, add 2 for any night search attempt): 1: Players must reveal the type and the exact number of ships per type. 2: Players must reveal all ship types and the exact number of ships, but not ships per type. 3: Players must reveal the type but may vary the total number of ships by +/-1. 4: Players must reveal the type but may vary the total number of ships by +/-2. 5: Players may elect not to reveal a type of which only 1 ship is present. They also may vary the total number of ships by +/-3. 6: Players may elect not to reveal a ship type of which up to 2 ships are present. By doing so they must the next higher or lower class on the ship type importance table (see below). 7+: Players may elect not to reveal a ship type of which up to 3 ships are present. By doing so they must use the next higher or lower class on the ship type importance table (see below). Ship Type Importance Table CV (including CVL) BB CA CL DD (treat any AMC, Convoy, MON always as CV,BB,CA)