Space Combat Phase - Turn Sequence

[Blackronin]

Space Combat Game Turn Sequence

1. Initiative Phase
2. Movement Phase
2.1. Line Ships Movement Phase
2.2. Fighter Squadron Movement Phase
3. Firing Phase
3.1. Line Ships fire simultaneously
3.2. Surviving Fighter Squadrons fire simultaneously
4. End Phase
4.1. Check for Ship Explosion
4.2. Ships that were destroyed leave game table
4.3. Check for Fleet Moral
4.4. Check Victory Conditions if pertinent

[cgutzmer]

2.1.1 AOO if applicable
2.2.1 AOO if applicable
4.2.1 Pilots/gunners that deliver killing blow gain one point towards Veteran status

[Blackronin]

AOO?!
Can you explain it or am I being too dumb?

[cgutzmer]

oh, sorry - Dungeons and Dragons reference - Attack of opportunity. Its when you get an attack based on another unit moving through your attack range. We can utilize or not based on complexity added

[Blackronin]

It was me being dumb...

[lehcyfer]

Why so complicated?

1. Rally fleeing units, declare repairs*
2. Move - one ship/squadron** after another (if it triggers AOO resolve it immediately)
3. Attack - one ship after another, destroyed ships (0 structural points) roll on destruction table and are removed (may explode - resolve damage to surrounding ships immediately)
4. Repair results are rolled and applied. Critically damaged ships (below half structural points) roll on critical damage table - explosions are dealt with immediately. Damaged ships make leadership tests - some may flee. If more than half of units to begin with are destroyed or fleeing commander makes bottle test - if failed the entire fleet escapes into warp (he may declare it failed and end the game).

* ships making repairs can't do anything except moving
** fighter/bomber squadrons move as one model

[Blackronin]

A ship in a fleet does not flee by its own decision. It stays with the fleet the best it can unless the admiral of that fleet orders it to abandon the engagement.

An admiral might order a retreat if things are going the wrong way, but unless its ship is crippled beyond help, never a ship's captain will go against the order of battle. With necessary exception given.

So I don't believe in rally when we are talking about ships. Soldiers yes, ships no.

A player may choose freely if his crippled ship stays in game or tries to leave to be repaired. It's a conscious decision, not left to luck.

Ships firing simultaneouly means that each ship will fire as it is in the begining of the firing phase and only after all ships have fired that damage will take place. But ships will fire one at the time. Fighters, because they have shorter range weapons will be fired first and only after that the surviving fighter squadrons will fire back.

I always had a prjudice against games that had my turn, I attack, if you survive, your turn, you attack. It's very mechanical and unlogical.

It's in the movement phase that the game is decided, unless one of the players is a lucky roller. But if the game is decided by lucky rollers than its a game that people will not want to keep playing except maybe... the lucky rollers.

[lehcyfer]

A fleet is manned by sentient beings (well, unless they're manned by artificial intelligence) so ships have their leadership value against which they check if the situation is behind their treshold line for escaping.

An admiral gives orders to his captains. The orders may or may not get through, may or may not be applied. The crew of a ship can mutiny under loyal captain and so on.

I agree that attacked ships should have option to return fire - so lets make it simultaneous - but only attacked ships may fire - and only to ships that attack them. And only once - if another ship opens fire to the a ship that returned fire it can't return fire for a second time.

The damage should be applied immediately, not at the end of phase

[Blackronin]

That's not what History tells us. It is very rare for a ship in battle to mutiny. On the contrary, each sailor (space sailor) will look up for its captain to take him to good port. And a captain will not (almost never) disobey its orders. That's a given. The opposite are very few exceptions.

With simultaneous firing phase, all ships fire at the same time, so there is no reason to give special rules as you are stating above. The only rule is for stating all firing decision before actually starting rolling the dice.

[lehcyfer]

Why do you want all ships to fire at once - if so then let's make moves all at once too, no turns. And how do you want to find out the effects of firing after all firing is done? By placing marbles after each shot?

This seems to me an extremely uncomfortable method of playing...