[FT] Fighter Screen

6 posts ยท Jul 14 2000 to Jul 17 2000

From: Brian Bell <bkb@b...>

Date: Fri, 14 Jul 2000 13:18:56 -0400

Subject: [FT] Fighter Screen

When can a fighter group start/join a fighter screen for a ship?
When can a fighter group exit a fighter screen?

Fairly obvious:
A fighter group can declare itself part of/not part of a fighter screen
at the beginning of the fighter movement phase.

Not as obvious: Can a fighter use its normal movement to join a fighter screen
before the ship moves? Can a screening fighter attack a fighter group that is
in range, but not attacking the ship it is screening? Can a screening fighter
use secondary movement to leave the screen and attack a fighter group or ship?
Can a fighter group use secondary movement to join a screen? Ca a fighter use
secondary movement to "chase" an attacking fighter group that has used
secondary movement to break off from the dogfight?

From: Eric Foley <stiltman@t...>

Date: Fri, 14 Jul 2000 11:47:45 -0700 (PDT)

Subject: Re: [FT] Fighter Screen

> When can a fighter group start/join a fighter screen for a ship?

> Fairly obvious:

> Not as obvious:

I'd say so. If you declare that a set of fighters is screening, this is done
as part of fighter orders; if they're not in immediate proximity of a ship
they need to get there to do so.

> Can a screening fighter attack a fighter group that is in range, but

The answers to these two questions go together: the rules on fighter screens
pretty specifically state that, as long as they're not firing on anything
attacking their own ship, fighters in a screen are free to attack anything
else within their range.

> Can a fighter group use secondary movement to join a screen?

I'm not sure... I think that the order of events in a turn state that you have
to declare fighter screens during the regular fighter movement, which would
seem to prevent them from joining a screen.

> Ca a fighter use secondary movement to "chase" an attacking fighter

Not sure on this one... I think you just get a free shot.

From: Laserlight <laserlight@q...>

Date: Fri, 14 Jul 2000 17:25:02 -0400

Subject: Re: [FT] Fighter Screen

> > Not as obvious:

So my fighters can move 24" to a ship and join its screen, then move whatever
my ship is moving as part of the screen, then use secondary
movement to move and attack.  Pretty nifty.   I'll start with a Corvette
moving speed 40 or so...they'll never know what hit'em.

From: KH.Ranitzsch@t... (K.H.Ranitzsch)

Date: Sat, 15 Jul 2000 21:16:32 +0200

Subject: Re: [FT] Fighter Screen

> So my fighters can move 24" to a ship and join its screen, then move

This goes a long way make a good argument for using basically the same
movement rules for fighters as for normal ships as I have occasionally seen
suggested in the archive, i.e. record a fighter groups speed and change
course/speed as for a thrust-12 (or so) ship

Greetings Karl Heinz

From: Charles Taylor <charles.taylor@c...>

Date: Sat, 15 Jul 2000 22:27:19 +0100

Subject: Re: [FT] Fighter Screen

In message <004201bfee91$32ae1000$4bb59e3e@ranitzsch>
> KH.Ranitzsch@t-online.de (K.H.Ranitzsch) wrote:

> > So my fighters can move 24" to a ship and join its screen, then move
I recently had some thoughts on this - If we treat Fighters as Thrust-12
ships (Fast fighters as thrust 18?) - and we give a fighter 'advanced'
manoeuverability (as Kra'Vak) - and we're using Cinematic -

A fighter could perform the following movement: P12 (or S12):
begining of move - fighter does a 6-point (180 degree) turn.
Moves back along its path for half current speed.
Does another 6-point turn.
Moves back to its starting point!

What I think this represents is that the fighter is 'circling' - with
the size of the circle proportional to its current thrust.

If you don't allow advanced maoeuverability, then the fighter can move in a
square, at a rate of two sides per turn.

The point of this is: for very high value turns (far higher than normally
achievalble) the standard movement system begins to break down
- something to bear in mine if we use ship movement for fighters.

Of course, in Vector its a whole new situation, ignore all of the above.

From: Brian Bell <bkb@b...>

Date: Mon, 17 Jul 2000 08:52:02 -0400

Subject: RE: [FT] Fighter Screen

> -----Original Message-----
[snip]

> I recently had some thoughts on this - If we treat Fighters as
[snip]

> Of course, in Vector its a whole new situation, ignore all of the

For vector let them alter thier current heading by 1 clock face per 2 points
spent (maximum 3 clock faces). And then apply andy normal
vector turns/thrust.

OR

A while back someone suggested having fighters maintian velocity.
Fighters could increase/decrease velocity by upto 12. However they
would still have to make turns like ships (1/2 at begining, 1/2 at
middle). This would still work with the advanced drive rules (all MD may be
used for turns). It also works for vector. Fighters may apply upto 12 thrust
in any direction and then face any direction for fire (no puches). When we
playtested this, we did not have fighters write order, the orders were
announced just prior to moving a fighter group (Thrust 7, turn 5). It worked
OK, but added a little time to the game. And it made fighters less effective
in a slow game (fighters were out of range more often). but more effective in
a fast game on a floating table (where fighters normally could not keep up
with thier targets). It also works good for PBeM games.