Re: Targeting Missiles

Tony Wilkinson wrote:
> 
>	  The mates that I play FT with really don't have a problem with
batteries
> not be able to shoot missiles which we all assumed were about the same
size
> as a fighter. What we did do is allow ADAF's and PDAF's to attack any
> target within their range.

>	  The side effect has been that this has rendered fighters
almost totally
> inefective against capitals and tight flotillas.

Oh, I dunno, I did reasonably well at Cancon with a 2-CV and 1-CVL
fleet. The trick is to take a reasonable mix of fighters, not just
bog-standard ones. 

Consider: the traditional USN Aircraft mix has been: 2 Fighter
Squadrons, 2 Attack Squadrons, and a Torpedo Squadron. These days, it's
2 F-14 Fighters, 2 F-18 Fighter-Bombers, and 1 A-6 Intruder Heavy
Bomber.

I had 2 Dogfighters, 2 Heavy fighters, 2 Torpedo fighters on each CV,
and 2 Heavy  and 2 Torpedos on the CVL. Basically, the Heavy Fighters
strip away the screen while the Torpedo bombers hit the Capitals. 72
incoming fighters means he can't get all of 'em. You DO take losses
though, heavy ones. But with enough fighters, you can saturate the
defences. Take half as many, and none will get through, it's very much
an "all or nothing" situation.

Given the points/mass costs for ADAFs and PDAFs though, it's reasonable
to have them shooting at anything within range. As well as being
simpler.

One thing that may make things simpler still is to treat Missiles as
"Missile Swarms" of 6 fighter-like things, using all fighter rules, with
the exception that if they fire, either in dogfight or at a ship, they
evaporate. This makes them much like the salvoes of Styxes, Harpoons etc
of today. It also means you can have fewer rules.
 
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