ACTA - Squadrons & Supporting Ships

[Alexb83]

Okay, a couple of questions:

Armageddon says you can now have 6 ships in a squadron. Has the number of fighter flights allowed in a squadron now increased also, or does it remain at 9 (as per the revised rules).

You cannot mix ships with flights to make squadrons. But can you have supporting auxiliary craft attached to ships which are in squadrons?

 

[Burger]

Armageddon says you can now have 6 ships in a squadron. Has the number of fighter flights allowed in a squadron now increased also, or does it remain at 9 (as per the revised rules).

I don't see how squadrons are relevant to auxillary craft, since they all move and fire together anyway. Winner of initiative chooses who moves first, that player moves all aux craft.

You cannot mix ships with flights to make squadrons. But can you have supporting auxiliary craft attached to ships which are in squadrons?

Yes, up to 4 fighters can fly in support of any capital ship or 1 in support of an aux craft, no matter of squadroning.

 

[Alexb83]

It is a bit odd, isn't it? I suppose you could squadron them if you had a better CQ for flights from one ship, for example, and wanted it to extend to flights from another ship or ships. The only restriction would be the 6 inches apart rule.

Good to know that you can still support squadroned ships.

 

[Burger]

CQ for all auxillary craft is fixed at 4, in Armageddon, except ISA and Vree get their usual bonuses.

 

[Alexb83]

Well, in that case I guess it is absolutely pointless to allow them to squadron, except for in campaigns (I get the impression that you can give higher CQ to wings through the campaign Other Duties table.

 

[Burger]

I get the impression that you can give higher CQ to wings through the campaign Other Duties table.

Nope, not in Armageddon.

 

[Alexb83]

So in Armageddon where it states: (page 5)

All auxiliary craft are considered to have a CQ score of 4, no matter what the CQ of their parent ship. The ISA and Vree receive their normal +1 bonus (giving their Auxiliary craft an effective score of 5), and CQ can also be raised through certain rolls on the Other Duties tables in campaigns.

Mongoose were lying?

 

[katadder]

you cant raise their CQ. however you can be gifted a cq6 i think it is elite squadron.

 

[Burger]

Well they're certainly lying about the Vree bonus. The Vree bonus gives a +1 to CQ checks, not to CQ. Vree fighters still have CQ 4, but get a +1 bonus to all checks. For example they get the +1 bonus when they try to perform Scanners To Full, but for dogfights they just get CQ 4 added to their dogfight score, no +1. This is one for the Armageddon typos, I guess!

But as for campaign increases, I stand corrected

 

[Alexb83]

you cant raise their CQ. however you can be gifted a cq6 i think it is elite squadron.

I guess this would only apply to wings which you've bought, rather than ship-based flights. Since as noted, the flights are always CQ4 regardless of the CQ of their parent ship (or does the duty say that the onboard fighters are switched to CQ6?)

For Vorlons and Minbari (and anyone else with very small fighter wings) in campaigns this is potentially very handy - if you're lucky enough to roll to get an elite wing, you can squadron it with the entire contents of a fleet carrier to make them all CQ 6.

For the EA, I guess the same can be said for using Sinclair's Alpha Flight in the Early Days fleet. Mind you, I'm struggling to find the Alpha Flight in SFOS or armageddon... is it from the E-M war campaign only?

 

[Alexb83]

Hmm.. here's an interesting point. Sinclair's alpha flight is not in the Armageddon Early Years fleet list, but according to the E-M war FAQ:

Fleet Lists
Sinclair’s Alpha Flight may be used with an EarthForce
fleet in any game set between 2244 and 2251.
Sinclair’s Alpha Flight may either replace three flights
(one wing) of Starfury Fighters from one ship’s Craft
Rating at the cost of an additional Patrol level, or cause
an additional wing of Starfury Fighters to be chosen for
one higher Priority level (Skirmish instead of Patrol).

Does this remain true for Armageddon, or are they intended only for use in E-M war scenarios? The in-service date thing seems to place them clearly in the later years of the Early Years fleet.

 

[Wulf Corbett]

Does this remain true for Armageddon, or are they intended only for use in E-M war scenarios? The in-service date thing seems to place them clearly in the later years of the Early Years fleet.

For official tournaments, they aren't available as far as I can tell (nor are any of the 'specials' in the E-M book). For your own games, make your own mind up.

Wulf

 

[Burger]

For official tournaments, they aren't available as far as I can tell (nor are any of the 'specials' in the E-M book). For your own games, make your own mind up.

Yeah, only things appearing in SFOS and Armageddon books are allowed in tourneys. But, since Sinclair's Alpha is in Armageddon, would this be allowed?
Similarly for the Dusk Coutari, etc? They are in Armageddon FAQ, and it does not explicitly say "these FAQ only apply to the E-M war book"... so I can't really see a valid arguement for disallowing them.

 

[Alexb83]

I suppose that goes for General Lefcourt, too. Handy addition to any EA fleet (although I would've thought he might have died of old age or retired by the crusade era?)

 

[Wulf Corbett]

Well they're certainly lying about the Vree bonus.

Actually, in a pre-Armageddon Rulemasters answer (which I can't find, may be deleted), Matt confirmed that the Vree didn't get the bonus, but that that would change as of Armageddon. So, it's NOT an error, Vree DO get the +1 Dogfighting.

Wulf

 

[Burger]

Actually, in a pre-Armageddon Rulemasters answer (which I can't find, may be deleted), Matt confirmed that the Vree didn't get the bonus, but that that would change as of Armageddon. So, it's NOT an error, Vree DO get the +1 Dogfighting.

What? This is not mentioned ANYWHERE in Armageddon except the aforementioned paragraph about supporting ships. It says "ISA and Vree get their usual bonuses". No mention of any change of the bonus.

By the letter of the rules, the Vree bonus is still a +1 to crew quality checks. Since dogfighting is not a CQ check, no bonus.

 

[Alexb83]

Since it says 'their usual bonus' I guess that has to be whatever's in the second most recent iteration of their rules - SFOS?

p144, under special rules.

They gain +1 on all CQ and damage control checks.

 

[Wulf Corbett]

By the letter of the rules, the Vree bonus is still a +1 to crew quality checks. Since dogfighting is not a CQ check, no bonus.

By the letter of the rules, to quote Alexb83, "The ISA and Vree receive their normal +1 bonus (giving their Auxiliary craft an effective score of 5)".

Wulf

 

[Alexb83]

Heh, I seem to be contradicting myself. Their 'normal bonus' for the Vree, is a +1 to CQ checks. Is this the same as +1 CQ, when considering SAs and Dogfighting (one is a CQ 'check', the other is not, as it states 'add your CQ to your dogfighting bonus')? I'm happy to go with the Armageddon wording, but it seems to be another rule which poorly references an old one.

 

[Burger]

By the letter of the rules, to quote Alexb83, "The ISA and Vree receive their normal +1 bonus (giving their Auxiliary craft an effective score of 5)".

"Their normal +1 bonus" does not give a CQ of 5. Its a contradiction.
I've put it in its own thread. Official answers only please.