Re: Summary: EFSB questions

Felix asked:

> Thanks to those who responded to my EFSB questions.  I'd like to see
> if I understand your answers by constructing a couple of simple
> illustrative examples.
> 
> Fighters:
> 
> (These examples ignore anti-fighter weapons on ships)
> 
> 1.  Two groups of Starfuries pounce on a Centauri cruiser screened by
> two groups of Centauri fighters.  Each Starfury group must engage one
> Centauri fighter group.  The screening fighters will dogfight back
> against their attackers.  Any surviving Starfuries "penetrate" to
> attack the Centauri cruiser the same gameturn.  Correct?

Yes.

> 2.  As in (1), but there are three attacking Starfury groups.  The
> third group can "double" up on a Centauri group, or directly attack
> the cruiser. If it doubles up, the defending Centauri fighter group
> can only dogfight back against one of its two attackers.  In either
> case, all surviving Starfuries can attack the cruiser.  Correct?

Yes.

> 3.  As in (1), but the Centauri fighters are not actually screening,
> but are within range 6 of all attacking Starfuries.  Assume the
> Starfuries engage the cruiser and the Centauri engage the Starfuries.
> The Starfuries will dogfight the Centauri "defensively", and all
> surviving fighters will also attack the cruiser this gameturn.
> Correct?

No. A fighter caught in a non-screening dogfight uses up its attack in
that
fight... (Think of it like this: the non-screening Centauri squadrons
attack the 'Furies from behind, forcing them to at least swivel around
to
meet the new threat and probably change their vectors quite a lot. A
screening squadron meets the attacking fighters head-on instead. It's
not a
way of thinking I like, but it makes the rules seem less odd :-/ )

> If these three cases are right I don't see a real benefit to screening
> per se because (3) gives much the same defensive ability as (1).
> There would be a distinct benefit if in (1) the attacking fighters
> were unable to attack to attack the cruiser this gameturn.

It depends on how many fighters you have in the battle. If the Centauri
fighters are screening the cruiser, they are guaranteed to catch at
least
two of the figther groups. If they move independently and the EA player
holds the initiative (or has more fighters) so he can move his 'Furies
after one or both Centauri squadrons have moved, he can place the
'Furies
so that only one, or none, of the Centauri squadrons are within 6 MU and
thus able to intercept. Furthermore, if the Centauri ships move faster
than
20 MU per turn, their fighters have to be screening to have a chance to
keep up :-/

Still, IMO a fighter forced to dogfight with a screen should _not_ be
allowed to attack the screened ship too.

> 4.  An unlucky Earth Star Liner takes massive damage as fire from a
> single ship does 16 points of damage at once, wiping out four damage
> rows.  Roll once for catastrophic damage.  Correct?

Yes. If you fail this roll, the ship is dead so you don't need to take
any
more checks; ie, it dies 67% of the time in this case.

> 5.  As above, but now the Star Liner takes four points of damage from
> four separate attacks (different ships).  It'll roll for catastrophic
> damage after the second, third, and fourth attacks.  The odds of a
> chain reaction are far greater than in (4).  Correct?

Yes. The probability that it will die in this case is a grand 89%. The
"additional" damage screws up the damage control work etc.

> If this is right you need to carefully define "single attack", i.e.
> all damage from a single ship or energy mines or all fighters.

This is exactly how I interpreted the rule...

> 6.  An energy mine detonation destroy all fighters within range 6.
> This isn't so bad since fighters move after energy mines are placed,
> but you've got to watch out when launching new fighters.

Yes.

Later,

Oerjan Ohlson

"Life is like a sewer.
What you get out of it, depends on what you put into it."
- Hen3ry