Loading Transports in Hostile Seazones

[freh]

So, when I was putting the rules back last night, I discovered another document: Rules Clarifications from General M. Bradley, Supreme GameMaster. It’s dated 1991; the game manual was dated 1986. Note that the rules are second edition and says that both transport and amphibious assault rules have changed (presumably since the first edition). So it’s possible that the OP was using First edition rules? To be honest I’ve never seen those, although now I’m curious…

So in the rules clarifications, there’s no specific clarity on whether a transport can load in a hostile or enemy-occupied sea zone. But it does say that bridging is as the OP said: you can bridge with a transport after it moves. So I was wrong on that front.

But, it does say again that for an amphibious assault the zone must be cleared before a transport can unload units. It doesn’t say or load and then unload units.

There does seem to be some evolution of thought from the 2nd edition rules to the rules clarification. In the 2nd edition rules, there is an example of units moving from Japan to Manchuria and the transport could do so “without ever leaving the sea zone”, which suggests that it would have started the move there, because in the paragraph before, it states in bold caps that a transport’s move is over once it unloads. But then in the clarification, it says that the transport can move before bridging.

Also, in the 2nd edition rules, under the section “how they fight”, for amphibious assaults, it says:

“If you are launching such an attack and the sea zone adjacent to the target area is enemy-occupied, then your naval force including your cargo-laden transports must engage in in combat before the amphibious assault can occur”.

To me this suggests that the transports had to have been loaded prior to the battle, not after, and such a move has to be done in a friendly sea zone, not an enemy-occupied one.

Anyways, hope I’m not putting anyone to sleep - I just find this issue really interesting!

L

[General 6 Stars]

Can we continue to play now ? :confounded: :confounded: :confounded: :confounded:

[Cernel]

@freh said in A&A Global 1940: Amphibious Assaults, Bridging, and Sea Zones that Start the Turn with Hostile Ships:

Also, in the 2nd edition rules, under the section “how they fight”, for amphibious assaults, it says:

“If you are launching such an attack and the sea zone adjacent to the target area is enemy-occupied, then your naval force including your cargo-laden transports must engage in in combat before the amphibious assault can occur”.

To me this suggests that the transports had to have been loaded prior to the battle, not after, and such a move has to be done in a friendly sea zone, not an enemy-occupied one.

The matter at hand is not if a transport can make combat, then bridge (that is make combat, then load, then offload). This has been officially clarified as not allowed (and, in my opinion, it has always been fairly clear it is impossible).

The question is if a transport that started its turn into or just moved into a hostile sea zone can load, then make combat, then offload.

In my opinion, missing a statement that units cannot load in hostile sea zones, this should be allowed for units that have done nothing (units starting in hostile sea zones (which can happen with optional rules or under the 3rd Edition rules)). Therefore, the matter left would be whether or not a sea unit that is blocked by enemy units from moving any more is also blocked from loading.

We are waiting for Larry… I find it quite amazing that, after a quarter of a century, and how many games played, in which this would have been relevant, this matter is yet to be sorted out.

[Krieghund]

OK, I have an official answer. It was never Larry’s intention that transports in Classic should be able to load in a hostile sea zone, but the rules as written do not reflect that intention. However, he’s not going to revise an FAQ for a game that’s been around for as long as Classic has and is now out of print for something this minor.

The bottom line is that in Classic, per the rules, you can load transports in a hostile sea zone during combat movement, though this was not intended. This ruling does not apply to any other A&A game besides Classic.