Re: Salvo Missles vs. MT missiles

"Flak Magnet (Tim)" wrote:
> 
> On Thursday 02 September 2004 01:30 pm, Indy wrote:
> > Third, salvos do more than *damage* an opponent. Unless you want to
> > run straight through them, and risk taking it on the chin, you will
> > very likely maneuver your ships so that the salvos launched are
"wasted";
> > i.e., don't hit *any*thing. But what if that is what your opponent
wants?
> > He has just taken the initiative away from you, forcing you to move
where
> > he wants you to, maybe not necessarily where you wanted to (this can
be
> > used to break up fleets into two or more smaller parts, allowing one
to
> > be defeated in detail while the other attempts to come about to
engage).
> > So in *this* capacity, salvos can be used as terrain to force an
opponent
> > to maneuver elsewhere from where they might have originally
intended.
> 
> Whoops, kindly ignore that incomplete message I just send.  Nothing of
note to
> read there...
> 
> As I was saying:  I thought the turn sequence precluded reacting to
the salvos
> because movement orders are written before the salvo markers are
placed on
> the table.  So how can salvos be used to force an opponent out of
position,
> either they hit and damage him, or he's moved to where he wanted to be
> anyway...

Exactly. However, your opponent has to take into account (if they are
thinking about it, that is) where salvos MIGHT be placed when they are
writing their movement orders, no? So it becomes a guessing game: does
your opponent think you are going to launch salvos now, and if so, where
might you stack them, and if you do, where can *they* move to avoid
them?
Or do they call your 'bluff' and charge on in, thinking you are holding
back on the salvos until later?

So, what I wrote earlier still holds. Salvos can be used as 'terrain',
but
your opponent has to be thinking about what you might be trying to do
and
react accordingly. Otherwise they might get smacked around a little. ;-)
Of course it takes some thinking on the part of the salvo player, as
well,
to try and anticipate where the opponent might move, whether they are
avoiding salvos or if they are ignoring them.

Mk