minor rules queries

[gazman]

As usual, we ended up with a couple of queries from our two games.

1 - Flank speed - can you use it when crippled?

2 - subs - can they stop or are they subject to the 1" rule?

3 - Rolling 1 on damage dice - the rules say a NATURAL 1 just bounces off the armour. Does this mean all 1's rolled have no effect, even if you have a positive modifier to add? Let's say you have super AP that adds 2 to your DD. If you roll a 1 it still causes no damage?

4 - Sitting ships edge to edge - can you overlap ship models? If four ships are placed touching in a 2 x 2 block, can a sub pop up between them?

5 - Detecting - once a ship detects then the detected ship is visible to all, we got that bit. But if a ship fails to detect and then the next ship detects, can the original ship join in the attack, or has it lost it's chance?


Regards
Si

 

[Soulmage]

Those are all reasonable questions. . .

With the exception of item #2, which I've seen no exception for subs so I would assume the 1" minimum applies. . . I think you'll find my house rules document addresses all those issues.

I'm still tweaking my torpedo rules. . . played a game last night that prompted me to want to make a couple small changes to them.

 

[ebar]

Isn't the answer to 1 No, on account of no special actions once crippled


(although arguably there should be an automatic Make Smoke when crippled )

 

[gazman]

Ebar
That was our conclusion - but we couldn't find and actual text reference (although I am probably the worlds worst proof reader and i did have a very mild set of beer goggles on)

Si

 

[gazman]

Like the 'make smoke' idea for crippled ships!!

 

[gazman]

Soulmage
I was really after references and clarifications from VAS/OOB rather than house rules. I like to understand the basic rule mechanics before modifying.
I did read through them though, some nice ideas. However I can't find any reference to detecting submersibles re my query number 5. If a ship fails to detect is that it for that ships attack phase?


Another one while I'm on the subject - I had a sub on the surface and it became crippled, I rolled for fore and aft torpedoes in the same manner as turrets, was this correct...?

Si

 

[Wishbone]

i think so.

as to the movement of subs, yes, I believe the 1" rule applies. this also works in common sense - subs would have to maintain speed under water to stay submerged, and on the surface if they weren't moving they would be wallowing around too much to use their weapons anyway.

 

[gazman]

Read through the book again and solved a few of these myself..

4 - page five, para seven - ships may never sit on top of each other.

5 - page four - attack phase - you must select, detect, fire, then move on to another ship.

 

[gazman]

Reading the skeleton crew and crippled sections it states specifically in the skeleton crew section 'no special actions may be attempted'.
It doesn't mention special actions in the 'crippled' section, so I'd infer from that that crippled ships CAN do specials.

Noticed a weird one in the special actions section - Silent running...

Subs get -1 to detection but must move only half speed. Apart from the Gato class, pretty much every sub as 1" as submerged speed - so half of that is an illegal 1/2" - as you have to move at least 1" per go....I guess that's what makes it special.


Si

 

[MektonZero]

Isn't the answer to 1 No, on account of no special actions once crippled


(although arguably there should be an automatic Make Smoke when crippled )

Skeleton Crew explicitly states no special actions. Crippled doesn't prohibit them so I'd have to say they are allowed.

It does make sense though. A 10 knot freighter has a speed of 1", with Flank it can make the expected 2. A crippled ship loses 1/2 of it's speed. The rules don't specify but I'd round the speed loss up. Then a crippled freighter has a base speed of 0, capable of 1" with Flank Speed.

 

[MektonZero]

Another one while I'm on the subject - I had a sub on the surface and it became crippled, I rolled for fore and aft torpedoes in the same manner as turrets, was this correct...?

Si

Correct. p3 OOB. Torpedo tubes are treated as turrets when applying damage results due to being crippled.

 

[MektonZero]

Like the 'make smoke' idea for crippled ships!!

Probably wouldn't hurt to make it also apply to ships on Fire either.