Rules Questions

[Eric Fontaine]

Have a specific rules question, let’s hear it. Let’s chat about it. And lets get the official ruling. Who will be first.

[Tony C]

Hi chaps,
Does anyone know if this game is playable solo?

[Renko]

I would say you could set up a Bomber formation and they would run on auto pilot so yes in theory, but in practice the fighter v fighter stuff would be hard to do solo

[Carl]

The rules say you can shoot at a target in your front arc and a lower adv. level. Then the example shows a direct line from the arrow. So my question is…can you shoot at something that is in your front arc but not in line with your arrow?

[Eric Fontaine]

The Arrow on the base is so you can determine where the center of the arc is. Straight line is for the head to head reaction. Hope I worded that right.

[leopard]

Thinking for fire arcs you have two conditions, as illustrated

By my reading and by the diagrams in the rules in Example 1 Aeroplane A cannot shoot aeroplane B, as it is not facing it. In example 2 Aeroplane B can shoot aeroplane B as it is facing it.

My reading is that the 90 degree arcs on the base don’t determine if you can fire, but do determine the aspect when you are shot at and are used to determine tailing.

This is how we have played it locally and it seems to work very nicely and makes movement matter.

I.e. in your movement you line up on an aeroplane that has already moved, using a manoeuvre if required, disadvantage it (either by tailing or by out manoeuvring it with a wingman first) then fire – you will also fire again in the following turn before your movement (and if far enough back to stay behind a third time).

If you just need to be in a 45 degree arc apart from breaking the visual aspect of the game (WW2 fighters didn’t have “tracking” weapon mounts, but fixed forward ones) it seems to remove a lot from the manoeuvring aspect as now its gone from having to be precise on whom you are setting up as a target to being a lot wider

[Tokhuah]

Nothing is static during air combat so being in another airplane’s arc means they will be able snap off some shots as their opponent move through it. Besides, the actual printed rules state:

You can shoot an enemy plane that is in your front
arc, within the range template distance and is at a
lower advantage level.

The only limitations are the front 90º arc, 6″ template, and lower advantage.

More:

To be able to declare a shooting action, the target must be in the forward 90˚ arc of the firing plane, and at a lower advantage level.

This restates the previous text, sans the 6″ because that is covered by the shooting distance rule anyway.

I could not find rules text that would indicate why Example 1 cannot shoot.

[leopard]

Thats something of a pity, would also help if the diagrams actually showed this and not had every shooting aeroplane directly facing another.

also seriously dilutes the requirement to actually set shots up through movement when you can in effect gain 45 degrees by shooting off facing across the whole arc.

ahh well, the games not quite as good as I though then

[Blipvert]

The tailing rule:

A plane counts as tailing an enemy when it finishes its movement with its facing arrow pointing directly towards the rear arc of an enemy plane, and within the range templateʼs length.

Several videos indicated that there is an additional requirement; specifically that the attacker’s direction arrow points directly at the targets stem.

Which is correct?

[Tokhuah]

Tailing has an additional rule so both are correct.

[Tokhuah]

Tailing has an additional rule so both are correct.

Warlord could intend the interaction to occur the way leopard is interpreting but then the rules would not be as written and require errata. I assume there will be a robust FAQ at some point.

[Blipvert]

The rest of the tailing rules are:
Tailing reduces the enemy plane to a Disadvantaged state immediately. There is no ongoing effect from tailing, and it only comes into play when a plane ends it move and before it takes its pilot action (so you cannot Climb for Advantage and then claim a tailing position).
A plane can only claim to be tailing one enemy plane per turn.
Tailing is most commonly used to set up an immediate shooting attack.
A plane cannot claim to be tailing an enemy if it is Disadvantaged* itself, or if it is in the front arc of a Neutral or Advantaged enemy plane within 6”. We call this “The Wingman Effect.”

No where does it say the direction arrow must point at the target’s stem.

[leopard]

I think the confusion is simply down to IIRC every diagram showing the aeroplane that is attacking pointing directly at its target – this implies its needed, which is obviously not the same as stating it is but does appear to be over an above what the text says. ditto with tailing, the diagram shows aeroplanes pointing at the potential target of the action.

So far that is how everyone I’ve played as interpreted it as well.

It is what it is at the end of the day, could do with being clarified though.

My issue is that while the game may well be dynamic, if I’m turning left as hard as possible, to be able to turn an additional 45 degrees to fire, but then not to be able to fly in that direction feels wrong – I thought thats why you had the 45 degree turn – to line up the shot, if its just in the forward arc you in effect gain a 180 degree arc once that turn is included.

Given the game appears to be won/lost by maximising the number of dice thrown and hoping for sixes it would seem sensible to require actual effort to line up such shots, also to require effort to commit to a single target.

Shrug, ahh well, I think it plays better needing to focus, but if thats not what it says thats not what it says – would suggest the FAQ needs to clarify this and for any V2 the diagrams changed to make this clear.

[Carl]

I think I like the idea of only shooting in a straight line from your front arrow. One of the long discussions on FB in the BRS Ready Room group is over the tactic of ganging up multiple shots at one target. This problem becomes more difficult to pull off with a limit on atraight line shooting. As far as the stem goes that is only mentioned in the tutorial videos. So yes, there is some confusion. Especially when you look at the wingman diagram on page 15. The white plane is not looking directly at the enemy in front of it and yet it is only considered to be not tailing because of the wingman so this implies that it is still able to shoot, albeit not from a tailing position.

[Mark Barker]

Hello, when you have several aircraft in close proximity it is possible for an activating aircraft not to have a legal move that does not end up with it touching or overlapping another aircraft’s base.

What to do in this position ?

Two schools of thought in our group – use X-Wing rules (the activating aircraft moves until it is touching the opposing base but then cannot shoot that target) or say that an aircraft must try to avoid this by all means possible (including burning initative to manoeuvre and playing of cards even if this puts them in a really poor position) and if they cannot then roll a manoeuvre test to avoid collision.

Secondly, do you need direct line of sight to shoot or can you shoot through other friendly or enemy bases ? The rules are not clear here. We have been applying the outmanoeuvre modifier of +1 to target pilot value for dodging hits if the target selected is not the closest in the attacking fighter’s arc.

Again, an official position would be welcome.

Many thanks,

Mark Barker
West Sussex UK

[Author]

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