DM do you have any reasonable aircraft Mods ?

[DSV1]

You seem to be well clued up so I thought you would be the man to ask!

After a couple of games with aircraft trying to hit ships we have realised along with others that aircraft seem very underpowered against ships so have you any reasonable suggestions to "up" their effectiveness without imbalancing everything else.

Are the flight numbers on the Carriers to low ?

Are the AD vs ships to low ?

I dont want to get into a massive debate over this just need some simple help until MG publish some if any errata etc.

 

[DM]

I posted somewhere else this morning about this (but I'm down with the flu at the moment and I can't for the life of me find it). Basically I tried tripling the number of flights in play (taking a flight as 2 aircraft insytead of 5 or 6), and also ran with my torpedo belt mods posted elsewhere. My simulated attack on the Bismarck ran pretty close to form, with the swordfish scoring three hits, two expending themselves for no real effect against the side protection system, the third hitting in the stern, causing damage and taking out the rudder (I guess its a bit like Hood becoming a 15" shell magnet in other games!). I've not tested the mod to destruction yet but it feels OK.

 

[Wulf Corbett]

Are the flight numbers on the Carriers to low ?

Generally, the number of flights is low (on larger carriers) for the optimum number of aircraft carried. Whether that is therefore too low, or just realistic given the problems of supply, repairs, etc. is another matter.

Are the AD vs ships to low ?

Generally speaking, aircraft rely on crits, thus the torpedo rules. I can't remember if there is a similar rule for dive bombing, but counting dive bombers as Plunging fire would help.

Wulf

 

[Lord David the Denied]

I'd have thought bombs would be plunging fire anyway. I really ought to buy the rulebook...

 

[Captain Kremmen]

I don't remember aircraft getting any big bonus on crits. As I remember dive bombers get nothing and torpedoes get to re-roll ONE of the location dice for the crit which my limited experience showed actually made relatively little difference. (virtually none actually)

I do like the idea one poster made of saying that torpedoes always crit on a 6 you don't need a 4,5,6 afterwards. But then I like that idea for all fire myself.

Cpt K

 

[Captain Kremmen]

I posted somewhere else this morning about this (but I'm down with the flu at the moment and I can't for the life of me find it). Basically I tried tripling the number of flights in play (taking a flight as 2 aircraft insytead of 5 or 6), and also ran with my torpedo belt mods posted elsewhere. My simulated attack on the Bismarck ran pretty close to form, with the swordfish scoring three hits, two expending themselves for no real effect against the side protection system, the third hitting in the stern, causing damage and taking out the rudder (I guess its a bit like Hood becoming a 15" shell magnet in other games!). I've not tested the mod to destruction yet but it feels OK.

My idea of 3AD per flight instead of tripling the number of flights has almost the same effect and means you don't have to buy millions of model aircraft...

Cpt K

 

[Fitzwalrus]

At six planes per flight the VAS carrier capacities are about right historically except for a very few ships (Yorktown and Bearn), and those are easily corrected.

Based on our "Carrier Clash" results from last week, I also think the solution is to increase the damage capability of the Flights rather than increase the number of flights. I was the one who posted the "no confirmation roll for Crits" idea for torpedoes (that was actually suggested by one of the other players in our group). I like the "Plunging Fire for dive-bombers" suggestion, and would be willing to consider increasing the AD per Flight as well: one AD per flight is awfully low, particularly when coming up against Torpedo Belts and some of the other rules issues that have been discussed lately.

 

[mbtanker]

Dive bombers get the +2 for Super AP.

 

[Fitzwalrus]

Dive bombers get the +2 for Super AP.

Good point. No rulebook handy....