re: Exiting a dogfight (was Re: Using FTFB interceptors)

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Channing Faunce <channing@glasscity.net> Wrote on 
Fri, 02 Jul 1999 16:06:14 -0400
 ------------------ 
>>>
Tom McCarthy wrote:
> From: Sean Bayan Schoonmaker <schoon@aimnet.com>
>
> >A dogfight keeps going till one side decides to leave
> >and take the "parting shot" is how I read it.
> >
> >They can start the turn in dogfight status (if that's how
they ended last
> >turn) but then they adhere to the Fighter-toFighter Combat
rules (FT p.17).
> >
> >"...he may move his Group away provided it has not already
moved that turn;
> >if he does this, however, the attacking Group gets a free
round of attack
> >rolls before contact is broken."
>
> Which brings me back to the point of contention.  Can the >
attacking Group follow (assuming it hasn't moved yet this
> turn) ?  Can it initiate another dogfight ?  With the
> same group ?

Page 17 of Full Thrust 2 ed. last column states that if a group
breaks away from a dogfight the other may take a parting shot,
then move as normal, but *may not* attack a second time that
turn. One attack by a fighter group per turn.

Chan Faunce
<<<

One way to resolve this situation is to apply the initiative
movement rules to the dogfighting units as a separate unit. 
In FTFB, the initiative loser has to move first, while the initiative
winner is allowed to move last.  This makes it easy to figure
out how to exit a dogfight as follows:

Case 1: Initiative loser ("Group A") attempts to exit the dogfight.
 Since Group A must move first, the Initiative winner ("Group
B") has the following three choices:

  a) Group B can take their parting shot and allow Group A
     to exit the dogfight, then move elsewhere.
  b) Group B can decline their parting shot and move to
     reengage Group A in another dogfight.  If Group A is
     faster than Group B, they get away clean.	If Group B
     "catches" them again, another dogfight is created.
  c) Group B can decline their parting shot and move
     elsewhere to attack another target.  Group A gets
     away clean.

Case 2: Group B (initiative winner) attempts to exit the dogfight.
 In this case Group A is considered to have "passed" on their
movement - since they were supposed to move first - and would
be wise to take their parting shot.  Group B exits the dogfight
and Group A is not allowed any movement.

This is just a slight variation to the written rules, but it
does clear up how to leave a dogfight.	The only other sequencing
issues are taken care of by requiring all groups of dogfighting
units to resolve their movement before any non-dogfighting fighter
groups are moved.  This allows other unengaged units to possibly
intercept a group that exits a dogfight.

Mark "Hauptmann" Shurtleff

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