Rules Questions

[Koin-Koin]

I noticed the following in today’s newsletter’s BRS article:

“A flight of Hurricanes from No.6 Squadron have been bounced by Bf 109s scything out of the sun. Off in the distance, Tommy Atkins and the 8th Army are in desperate need of air support – a strafing run of 40mm cannons might change the course of the battle!

Play any scenario of Blood Red Skies you like. For every Hurricane that survives the battle unscathed, gain a free Air Strike in your game of Blood Red Skies.”

Is this a typo as we should read “gain a free Air Strike in your game of Bolt Action” instead or is this a hint of what’s going to be in BRS:AS?

[Mark Barker]

Air Strike has been out of print for more than thirty years

Now I feel old 🙂

Bit like I felt when an enthusiastic bod in Games Workshop tried to sell me this fantastic new game called ‘Bloodbowl’ and gazed at me blankly when I said I’d got the original !

Mark Barker

[Cat Shot One]

Andy,
that’s great news for summer!
If I may add my two cents to “Air Strike” or other future BRS publications:
– Personally I prefer to have a single book instead of three booklets like in the Battle of Britain box. It keeps you searching since all three contain rules, even the Scenario booklet (e.g. clouds, high cover).
– Speaking of scenarios, I would be delighted to find balanced, play-tested (perhaps even historical) scenarios in it with a given force list, action card list instead of a points-based and perhaps vague set-up.
(“Transport Hunt” looked more like the latter to me. Use essentially as many points for your squadron as you like and pick your preferred number of transports.)
– Please use the opportunity to include corrected versions of the movement template and the quick reference sheets (-> tailing diagram).

[Zibbo]

Odd question but this came up in a recent game: do you play Radar support before or after you roll for advantage status? I had assumed that you would roll Radar before and anyone that failed is subject to the Scenario’s setup, but now I’m not so sure.

[Andy Chambers]

I usually roll for starting advantage first and then test for Radar support on those aircraft that need it. I find that slightly quicker in practice as the rolls for starting advantage are just one die each and it gets rid of about 33% of the Radar Support tests you’ll need to make.

[Cat Shot One]

Another Escort Duty-scenario bomber question:

Have two people read a rulebook and you have two games for the price of one 🙂

Does an advantaged bomber lose one or two advantage levels if it gets hit AND fails the dodge test?

[Andy Chambers]

Assuming it’s a multi-engine plane. It drops one advantage level if it fails to dodge, none at all if it dodges successfully.

Keep in mind that unless a multi engine plane has the Agile Positive trait (used for Mosquitoes etc.) Pilot Skill doesn’t get added to Agility for the dodge. That means it’ll likely be rolling to dodge on one dice at best, or none at all in a lot of cases.

[Alan]

I am sure asked somewhere before me, but couldn’t find a direct answer. Action cards, is there a reason that the backs are different when we shuffle them together? I would figure that the ace cards and the action cards would carry a same back so that there isn’t the ability to know what is coming? Does that make sense?

[Cat Shot One]

Some more questions about multi-engine aeroplanes

Expanded rules, p. 10, second last entry:
“When a multi-engine aeroplanes completes ist activation, it may shoot with ist defensive armament against a single enemy aeroplane in range and arc.”

1. Does this defensive armament shooting count as a Pilot Action?

2. If not, when does it take place exactly? After the Pilot Action phase, as the very last thing?

3. Does this defensive armament shooting on own initiative require the shooting aeroplane to have a higher Advantage Level than the target?

By the way, is there a new version of the FAQ file out (since the one from December)?

[Cat Shot One]

One more question on multi-engine aeroplanes:

Leaving the Battle Area (scenario rule)
If a multi-engine aeroplane fails a test to re-enter the table, how many Boom chits does this inflict on its squadron?
Let’s take a Bf 110 for example. 1, 2 or 3 boom chits?

[Cat Shot One]

Sorry lads, another one:

Can the Accurate Skill Card be played on turret/rear gunners of an Ace multi-engine aeroplane (e. g. Bf 110)?

[Nat]

1,2 + 3 – Defensive fire is in addition to the pilot action carried out after the pilot action.

As you said, its after the activation completed.

I dont know if there is a later FAQ

4, 1 Boom chit for loss of aircraft + any boom chits that the aircraft was carrying.

5, ??? dont know

[Andy Chambers]

From the FAQ, it was actually updated with these turret questions last month so we’ll make sure the newer one is made available:

Turrets
Q: Aircraft with Turret firepower can shoot at the end of an aircraft’s activation – does the turreted aircraft need to have a higher advantage level than the target?

A: No, turret shooting doesn’t need to have Advantage to target an enemy aircraft.

—————————————————————————————————————————
Q: Does turret firepower shooting provoke a head-on attack if the target’s forward arc is towards the shooter?

A: It does not

—————————————————————————————————————————
Q: Do turrets act as ‘wingmen’ for the purpose of preventing tailing?

A: No they do not prevent tailing, much as their real life crews wished that were true.

Q: Do turrets have the opportunity to shoot at the beginning of an aircraft’s activation?

A: No they do not. Turrets only get a shot at the end of the aircraft’s movement.

—————————————————————————————————————————

[Andy Chambers]

On the card backs; the fact they have different graphics on the back kind of lives in the ‘it’s not a bug it’s a feature’ category. It’s imagined you’ll be cycling cards through your hand pretty fast under normal circumstances so knowing what you’ll get off the top of the deck next is not a big factor and more than balanced off by your opponent being able to see what cards types you currently have in your hand (theatre and doctrine cards have different backs too btw). If you find it off-putting some players use card sleeves with paper inserts to blank off the card backs for full fog of war.

[Andy Chambers]

Aaand on the two additional multi-engine/ turret questions.

A multi-engine plane returning to base would inflict one boom chit plus whatever booms it was already carrying as Nat says.

The Accurate Ace skill could be applied to the turret I guess, but it is not a reaction card so it could only be played on the turret shot taken at the end of the aircraft’s activation.

[Author]

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