Welcome to the Open Playtest

[MongooseMatt]

This is certainly an area to look at and, agreed, there is a step too many in evading torps.

The one balancing factor on all of this is that I feel we have got the damage of torps right (good chance of sinking a cruiser, and they will ruin a battleships day), and so we need to make them difficult to use - if not, the game will become all about torps and nothing else. As it is, you have to weather the incoming fire of most of the enemy fleet before you get to launch your nastiest weapon. Which works.

 

[MongooseMatt]

Okay, I have been pondering this...

In the next revision, the Evading Torpedoes mechanic will be removed entirely, for a number of reasons...

1. It was a mechanical step too far, requiring the players to go through too many actions.
2. In a game that is supposed to be simple, deleting rules is a Good Thing.
3. The Evasive action, when applied to torps, works perfectly well.
4. By pushing this onto the Evasive action, players now have to predict when torps may be coming in, and pay a price in the inaccuracy of their own weapons when they get it wrong (still inaccurate when they get it right, but the benefits of causing a torp to miss will far outweigh that!).

By all means try this out in your games now, and let me know how you get on!

 

[dacis2]

Just noticed that Fletcher does not have Agile. Is this a mistake?

 

[MongooseMatt]

Just noticed that Fletcher does not have Agile. Is this a mistake?

Probably not, but I'll look into it.

 

[dacis2]

Just noticed that Fletcher does not have Agile. Is this a mistake?

Probably not, but I'll look into it.

Thanks, it's the only destroyer I've seen that doesn't have it, and it seems odd for them to be less maneuverable than US heavy cruisers which do have the rule.

 

[MongooseMatt]

Thanks, it's the only destroyer I've seen that doesn't have it, and it seems odd for them to be less maneuverable than US heavy cruisers which do have the rule.

Okay, I have consulted the Official Naval Boffins on this one, and they sent me a fair bit of text back covering tactical diameters and rudders. The upshot is... it is not Agile because it does not turn very well

 

[dacis2]

Thanks, it's the only destroyer I've seen that doesn't have it, and it seems odd for them to be less maneuverable than US heavy cruisers which do have the rule.

Okay, I have consulted the Official Naval Boffins on this one, and they sent me a fair bit of text back covering tactical diameters and rudders. The upshot is... it is not Agile because it does not turn very well

Thanks for looking into it. If that's what the numbers say then that's that.

 

[kamenski]

Well, I don't want to be insulting, but when I read all the comments, and all the questions about VAS II, it seems to be an untidy draft copy.
I'll keep on with VAS I and OOB rules which seem to me to run well and to call for no question, just needing common sense. Even if the first rules system is based on luck and is not of great simulation, it's very pleasant and immersive enough to enjoy it.

 

[MongooseMatt]

Well, I don't want to be insulting, but when I read all the comments, and all the questions about VAS II, it seems to be an untidy draft copy.

It is an untidy draft copy - that is all part of the playtesting process By the time the book is printed and released, it will be ship-shape and Bristol-fashion!

 

[DSV1]

Matt

am I missing some of the download as I cant see any stats for aircraft anywhere so how are people playtesting them ? I can see the points cost in the fleet list but that's all

I have the aircraft doc but that only gives the barracuda as an example

thanks Pete

 

[Greg Smith]

Matt

am I missing some of the download as I cant see any stats for aircraft anywhere so how are people playtesting them ? I can see the points cost in the fleet list but that's all

I have the aircraft doc but that only gives the barracuda as an example

thanks Pete

Aircraft are at the end of each fleet document, after all the ships.

 

[DSV1]

oh thanks Greg

that will teach me to read all they way to the bottom !

 

[AdmiralGrafSpee]

Well this is a pleasant surprise! Glad to see VAS2 is back to life.

Downloading now...

 

[MongooseMatt]

Just to let you all know, the latest Playtest Pack is now available for download: http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/pdf/vasplaytestpackaugust.zip

Quite a few changes and tweaks in this one, but things are beginning to look ship shape!

In the background, we have been doing a lot of work over the past few weeks on the 'historical fluff' sections of the books, but we continue apace with the rules themselves. The priority this time round is a focus on the current suggested points values of ships - by all means continue to review the rules sections, but let's find those ships that are too powerful or too weak for their cost!

We are due to begin preliminary layout in the next couple of weeks, so expect future playtest packs to look a lot prettier!

 

[dgraz]

I'm admittedly very late to the PT. I didn't realize it was happening.

I just have one (probably silly) question.

Is the only point of bringing large carriers for the scouting rule? You obviously can't launch 20-30 aircraft only launching one per turn.

 

[Greg Smith]

Is the only point of bringing large carriers for the scouting rule? You obviously can't launch 20-30 aircraft only launching one per turn.

Not quite. Scout well enough and carriers can start in deep deployment and all those planes start in the air. Scout really well and the carrier can start on the table with all its planes in the air. Which means you have to use some panes to scout - but it is only 2 scouting points to get everything up.