SST rules questions - flyers & tunnelfighting

[Col. Hammer]

I was reading the SST air rules and I have few questions:

1- Tac UAV says that it can attack with up to 3 ordnance weapons in a single attack. But it has only 2 bombs (ordnance) and twin-fifty (not ordnance). Why the ability to use 3 ord.weapons when it has only 2 bombs to use. Can it fire the twin-fifty as well during the Shoot (Bomb) action? Or is the Twin-fifty used only with Shoot (Strafe) action and the ability to use 3 ordnance is a typo?

2- Several Fleet units (Slingshot & fighter IIRC) can be equipped with Blizzard missile packs. How are they fired?

Blizzard needs ready action before firing. Airborne Slingshot/fighter always must use Move(Fly) action as their first action. So they can use Ready as their second action. Then comes next air phase and the weapon is readied. BUT now the fighter HAS TO do Move(Fly) action as it's first action. The ready action gets wasted because of this. Second action comes , but the Blizzard cannot be fired because it is not readied anymore...
So, is the need for ready ignored when the Blizzard is mounted on an aircraft or is the weapon useless?

3 - Can the Slingshot fire BOTH it's rotary cannons when it does Shoot (Strafe) action while in air?

Tunneling question:

If I have 5 Pathfinders underground and a bug tunneling marker (say 5 warrior bugs) moves in contact with the Pathfinders tunneling marker. How is the fight done? It's a bit unclear to me.

Do the 5 bugs roll for their close combat attacks while the Pathfinders roll for their shooting attacks. Then the casualties are removed SIMULTANEOUSLY from both sides? Who gets to choose which Pathfinders are killed, bug player or MI player? (Since in normal charge the bugs get to choose who they attack as long as they can reach those figs in the charge...)
Then (assuming neither side were wiped out) what happens? Wait for next turn and then continue the fight or continue the fight right away until one side is wiped out?

 

[JoseDominguez]

for the close combat underground..... you roll all of the hits for both sides (shooting or close combat) then remove models as if it was all shooting simultaneously. You don't place the models as it's marker to marker fighting.
Then you keep going until one unit is gone

 

[Col. Hammer]

Then you keep going until one unit is gone

I'm assuming you can fire Pack weapons (and other one-shot-per turn weapons) only once? Then the Javelinist/Triplethudder/whatever has to use his close combat die if he survives the first "round"?

 

[JoseDominguez]

Only if you aren't reaction firing. As no pack allowed
But that's the way we play it, yes.

 

[sirchristopher2]

bump - i am curious about all the other questions as well...

 

[Alexb83]

The TAC UAV 'lock and load' ability states that it can fire 'three weapons in a shoot action, but cannot create separate fire zones'. I think that's pretty straightforward... you can do a shoot(bomb) action and drop both bombs, as well as firing the twin 50, but it must be into the same firezone.
See p.46, MI Army book.

As for the other air units, this has come up before IIRC. Air units are considered to be readied for the purpose of shooting ready weapons, during their initial move phase, as the crew are activating the targeting computer etc. whilst on the fly.

Since the slingshot does not have the 'lock and load' ability, I do not think you can fire both sixguns, curiously enough.

I think some official clarification is needed as to whether the air units all have the 'linked deployment' and 'lock and load' ability...

Taking it literally, the TAC UAV does have lock and load (can fire 3 weapons) but does not have linked deployment (again, MI Army book).
Whereas the slingshot does have linked deployment, but doesn't have lock and load.

It isn't clear whether these rules are exclusive, since one refers to ordnance weapons, and the other to shooting weapons.

 

[sirchristopher2]

book says a flyer's shoot action can fire "any" weapons... could this mean any and all? I have seen the book state "any one" in other places...

 

[tneva82]

(Since in normal charge the bugs get to choose who they attack as long as they can reach those figs in the charge...)

In normal charge MI player can swap models to ensure specialists don't die as per arachnid army book. Only arachnid that gets to snipe MI is the mantis assasin