Questions after my first game

[GeekEGuy]

Played my first game tonight. I only have the core rules and not OOB. I had a ton of fun. This game is the perfect mix of simplicity and realism (mostly). I had a Kongo class battleship and 4 Fubuki destroyers vs a New York class battleship and 4 Fletcher destroyers. Long Lance torpedos are nasty! I have a few questions for the group if you don't mind.

Turning:

1. As I read it a ship must move at least half its speed characteristic if it wants to turn. So a fubuki destroyer MUST move at least 4" before it can turn? What if it takes damage and can only move 4"? Can it turn after moving 2"?

2. Can a ship move in reverse?

3. What happens if my fubuki destroyer is 3" away from a shoreline? The rules say he can't turn unless he move at least 4". So does this mean he runs aground?

I'm not sure I like that Fubuki's can not be hit if they moved full speed and not presenting their beam. I've read some "house" rules about making secondary weapons "Fast Tracking" so they ignore the +1 modifire for hitting fast moving ships. I must say I like this idea.

I also like what I read about using the GW rule of 7+.

In any case, I really enjoyed my first game and appreciate your responses to my questions.

Regards,

Rick

 

[Brass]

Rick,

Pop over to the downloads section for VaS and download the FAQ. I'm not sure whether it will answer all your questions (don't have my copy available at the moment) but it does clarify the situation regarding turning: although the rulebook reads as though the unit's Speed characteristic is the measure used when turning, the actual number you use is the unit's current speed. Makes a huge difference.

Hope this helps.

 

[GeekEGuy]

Thanks for the info. I found the errata and the FAQ which cleared things up for me. Still don't see anything about being able to reverse so I'm going to assume you can't.

 

[steveburt]

No, you cannot go backwards.

You have to move half your move before turning - but you are not obliged to go at maximum speed every turn, so your destroyer can choose to go only 4" and turn after 2".

The 'unhittable destroyers' problem is fixed in OOB, along with a bunch of other issues. Basically small weapons (6" and below) suffer no penalty when firing at fast moving targets.
I'd recommend getting hold of OOB as it improves the game a lot.

 

[GeekEGuy]

Thanks. That's the third time I've been pointed to getting the OOB book. Guess I'll have to suck it up and buy it.

Thanks again.