Dogfights

[hyndridge]

Came across a different interpretation tonight of how the dogfight rules work.

I thought that a player could choose to activate his planes instead of a ship.

All his planes would then attack including dogfights.

When the second players decides to activate his planes he then only has his bombers left to attack with because the fighters have fought during the other players dogfight phase.

My opponent thought that you would also fight with your fighters during your aircraft phase thus giving you potentially two two dogfights per turn.

Which way do you think is correct?

Roland

 

[hyndridge]

Nobody prepared to attempt an answer or even an opinion?

 

[lastbesthope]

Dude, it's only been a day. Be patient.

LBH

 

[Faron Bell]

Nobody prepared to attempt an answer or even an opinion?

See page 13 under "attacking w/ aircraft"

"All attacks by aircraft, be it by bomb, torpedo or dogfighting are made at the same time in a turn. A player may nominate all his aircraft to attack instead of a ship at any point in the attack phase."

This would indicate that you do resolve all air combat (of any type) when nominated in a turn.

I would tend to agree with your opponent. But there will be precious few times when you will have surviving fighters locked in a dogfight to shoot a second time.....

I wonder if a better sequence of play would be:

1. Conduct AA
2. Resolve Dogfights (simultaneously, but only one combat per turn)
3. Nominate Ships or ALL planes (bombers or torpedo planes), by alternating as per the rules (remember that planes still locked in a dogfight cant bomb or torpedo)


That way fighters act more like they should....

 

[Court Jester]

It happened quite a bit in a game against my USN aircraft carrier fleet when my Wildcats were dogfighting superior dogfighters... IN the game where this happened we forgot on a couple of turns to resolve the dogfights twice and others we did...

Resolving a dogfight twice makes 2 damage points kind of irrelivant against better dogfighters, but I guess it all balances out.

Someone best email Matt for a real answer though.

 

[hyndridge]

Why should fighters be the only thing in the game to fight twice in a turn?

There are often dogfights that drag on from one turn to another due to draws or one of the planes having two damage points, fighting a dogfight twice in a turn would mean that the planes with two damage points could be shot down in one turn just the same as a plane with one damage point.

When one of you activates their aircraft he is effectively activating your fighters at the same time.

It is irrelevant when in a turn a fighter fights so maybe all dogfights should be resolved after AA fire but before the normal sequence of shooting.

Roland

 

[Court Jester]

There are often dogfights that drag on from one turn to another due to draws or one of the planes having two damage points, fighting a dogfight twice in a turn would mean that the planes with two damage points could be shot down in one turn just the same as a plane with one damage point.

Exactly my point...

The other side to this argument however is that there are now two chances for the superior single damage fighter to get unlucky and loose.

But I would much prefer it if you only resolved each dogfight once per turn... My Wildcats would last much longer that way... 8)

 

[Keith]

A dogfight is a quick and nasty affairover in under 10 minutes (I believe the current recking for the length of a turn). Most fighters only carried ammo for around 10 seconds of firing. Even if planes were not shot down they tended to end scatterd over a wide area after the event.

IMO whether aircraft ar "shot down" or not is more about whether ther remain in a fighting formation after the engagement.

Most bombers are 2 hit and it seems unrealistic for their formations surval to be garenteed for a turn (assuming they are only attacked by a single fighter).

Hence, I feel there should be two rounds of air combat in a turn. This is in line with the ACTA rules where two rounds are fought in a turn.

 

[hyndridge]

Sorry I have never played ACTA so was unaware of the two combats per round in that game.

If I had played i would probably not have queried it!

Roland