Re: Fighter groups other than 6 was Re: Fighters and Hangers

On 5 Mar 2004 at 11:02, Jared Hilal wrote:
> --- Steve Pugh <steve@pugh.net> wrote:
> > On 3 Mar 2004 at 20:44, Jared Hilal wrote:
> > > 
> > > So isn't a fighter group that has lost 2 fighters to combat just
> > > as "unbalanced" as one that started with 4 fighters? 
> > 
> > No. The group that has lost fighters needs to pass morale tests, the
> > group that started with four doesn't.
> 
> But only if you are using the OPTIONAL morale rules.

The morale rules were optional when given in MT, but the points costs 
used in the Fleet Books assume that they are in use. If you do not 
use the morale rules you should increase the pionts costs of all your 
fighter groups. 

> On combat between large groups and small groups:
> 
> --- Steve Pugh <steve@pugh.net> wrote:
> 
> <on the 4x6 vs 24x1 example>
> 
> > So you can destroy at most 4 of Jack's fighters per turn (and you
> > most probably will kill 4). Jack can in theory kill all of yours on
> > the first turn and on average will kill at least 13 of them (the
> > average for 24 die rolls is 19.2, but taking into account casualties
> > who don't get to fire and wasted re-rolls towards the end of the
> > turn the actual figure will be lower than that - but even if the 20
> > who can't be engaged don't make any re-rolls they still average 13
> > kills). 
> > 
> 
> However, just as "Jack" will try not to let you engage more than one
> group at a time in dogfights, FT prohibits firing INTO a dogfight. 
> (FT, pg 17, right hand column, 3rd full paragraph)

True, however.

> Thus any of the 6-strong groups that can manage to get into a dogfight
> are immune from the long range fire of all of the other single groups,

Only so long as the dogfight lasts...
Where in the FB2 turn sequence are dogfights resolved? As Oerjan has 
pointed out already, this is not at all clear from the existing, 
scattered, rules. 

On the other hand Jack can just make sure that the first four 
fighters he activates can't be intercepted by Bob's groups. Bob now 
has to dogfight unactivated fighters who have the choice of not being 
engaged. So Bob get's a free shot at one of Jack's fighters. No big 
deal, we assumed that any single fighter was toast anyway.

> Thus Mr.Pugh's numbers are an inaccurate representation.

At worst it means that Jack has 16 fighters to shoot at the two 
groups instead of 20. So it's an average of 10 kills instead of 13 
(again assuming that all of Jack's fighters fail to make any re-
rolls, it's 13 vs 16 is re-rolls are factored in). I'd still rather 
be in Jack's shoes than Bob's.

	Steve
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