• Can you screen one navy force called ‘A’ through a sea tile, then have that navy force ‘A’ do a screen in the next tile for an amphibian assault? In other words, can you do two screening forces with one being dependent on the other?


  • @fdr No.
    This is illegal according to section 8.10 and 9.7b
    If the screening force wins…the moving force immediately moves into the next sea zone where it may conduct a second regular combat OR a amphibious land (but not both).
    It is a way to slow down your enemy and keep them at arm’s length, but is quite costly in sea power.
    Also you cannot screen and move more than one space. For instance, after Screen A, you could not move two spaces to fight enemy C. (You can move to B and then land on adjectn land zone D, if there is no more stretching forces.


  • To piggyback a bit on what @Trig just said, the screening force rule was an added part to V3, that is useful. But not with the same initial force.

    As he said, you can have a force in a sea zone, Force A, and split that force in two, Force A1 and A2. You can then combat move Force A1 into a sea zone to engage Force Z. At the same combat movement phase, you can also declare that Force A2 is is going to move past the sea zone of Forces A1 and Z combat to engage in an amphibious assault elsewhere. Obviously, this move can only happen if Force A1 defeats Z in combat. If they lose, Force A2 has to stay put and cannot follow through on the amphibious assault.

    It’s a way to stop a single destroyer from blocking an entire fleet. I tend to like the rule. But yeah, it requires you to decide ahead of time how to split that initial force between what is going to attack the screen, and what will move past it.

    It’s not unlike having to chose which ships engage in a sea combat in a sea zone where you are also hoping to amphibiously assault. You need to split the naval forces between what kills the defending ships. and what you want to have engage in the amphibious assault via shore bombardment.

    I hope that all makes sense.


  • @chris_henry How do you stop “double screening” by multiple moves? Take 3 forces A, B, and C. Force A is a standard force attempting to invade Sumantra. They move into the sea zone around Sumantra establishing a screening force and an invasion. Force B moves into the sea zone around Sumantra and announces they wish to continue into the seazone around Calcutta to engage in a naval action. Group C moves into the sea zone around Calcutta and announces a amphibious assault.

    If force A wins both B and C complete their moves. The phasing player nominates Force B to conduct their combat first and if they win Force C can invade. Effectively producing a double screen.

    If both B and C must contribute a ship to screening in the Sumantra sea zone then a single ship can be assigned and as long as Force A wins the move still completes. The current rules needless complicates movement with this either or logic which is not very enforceable as the rules are written.


  • @warwick Sorry if I’m misunderstanding your question here! So, I think what your example shows is not possible with the current rules.

    In your example, are forces A, B, and C all starting at the same sea zone? Or saying that force A is just trying to invade Sumatra, while force B screens in the sea zone adjacent to India, while force C invades India, right? Are there enemy naval units also in the Sumatra sea zone? I believe so if I’m understanding correctly.

    If no enemy naval units there, this isn’t even a screening move that requires the rule to come into play. That’s just a standard divide your forces to attack wherever you want rule, and then splitting an amphibiously assault force between what kills an existing navy and what would then amphibiously assault India.

    If there are enemy naval units in the Sumatra sea zone, I would say that above example isn’t possible. The rule 9.7(b) states that: “The screening force engages in combat with any Enemy units present during combat phase. If the screening force wins (i.e. it eliminates all Enemy units or they retreat), the moving force immediately moves into the next sea zone where it may conduct a second regular naval combat or an amphibious invasion (but not both) To move into another sea zone each ship must have remaining movement points and expends them all in doing so”.

    This move would require a screen of the naval units in the Sumatra sea zone, making the next move to the adjacent India sea zone one where you can conduct another naval combat or an amphibiously assault, but not both. What would happen here is Force B screens the naval force in the Sumatra sea zone. Assuming Force B is victorious, Force A amphibiously assaults Sumatra, and Force C then moves to the adjacent India sea zone and can conduct a naval combat there if one is possible, and if no naval combat is possible, may amphibiously assault the mainland (but couldn’t do both).

    Regardless, I can certainly see how clarification could be needed!

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