AARHE: Phase 2: Naval Combat


  • right no preemptive on that.

    “draft” was a slip. sorry.

    make it so.


  • @Imperious:

    “draft” was a slip. sorry.

    lol I am just saying it for fun
    well, its good to imply the level of progress with a new term over “draft”

    by the way I notice you capitalise your “WE” often
    I used to think you were really putting emphasis
    but now it seems quite common  :wink: so you probably don’t mean it


  • oh…that “we” thing:

    the W and E are close… and when i hit the cap function i usually hold it to cover the E as well.

    Thus the We is coming out WE.


  • CURRENTLY:

    SS (Submarine) 8IPC Move2 Attack2 Defense2 = 33%

    before ASW tech
    DD (Destroyer) 10IPC Move3 Search3 Attack2 = 17%

    after ASW tech
    DD (Destroyer) Search4 Attack3 = 33%
    Air Search3 Attack2 = 17%

    Without ASW tech submarines are very powerful.
    UK starts with 1 of 3 progress boxes.
    UK can put 2 develop weapons rolls on ASW per turn. (1 free + 1 purchasable.)
    Thats 6 turns on average.

    IDEA1:

    before ASW tech
    DD (Destroyer) Search3 Attack3 = 25%

    Destroyer slightly improved. Now its 8IPC 33% vs. 10IPC 25%. Submarine’s edge is still perserved.

    IDEA2:

    before ASW tech
    Air Search0 Attack2

    Air units still may not attack submarines on their own until ASW tech.
    Before ASW tech (bouy, seach lights) planes can still bomb submarines right?


  • I think Idea 1 is better. Subs should not be able to attacks subs until ASW is achieved. Until then they can only scout.


  • @Imperious:

    Subs should not be able to attacks subs until ASW is achieved.

    Subs have no ASW search nor ASW attack value currently.
    I am guessing you meant to say “air units should not be able to attacks subs until ASW is achieved”.

    Until then they can only scout.

    Actually air units cannot perform ASW at all currently, until ASW tech.
    But fair enough considering Leigh Light was from June 1942, which is pretty much straight after the game start.

    If I extropolate from existing system of….
    *air unit ASW weaker then destroyer ASW
    *BMR cannot hit naval units
    *ASW tech gives +1 to both search and attack rolls

    then the system would be…

    before ASW tech
    DD Search3 Attack2 17% -> Search3 Attack3 25%
    Air Search0 Attack0 -> Search2 Attack0
    BMR Search0 Attack0

    after ASW tech
    DD Search4 Attack3 33% -> Search4 Attack4 44%
    Air Search3 Attack2 17% ->Search3 Attack3 25%
    BMR Search0 Attack0

    before SS tech
    SS Attack2 33%

    after SS tech
    SS Attack3 50%


  • air units should not be able to attacks subs until ASW is achieved

    yes thats what i meant.

    also, you call the shot on what to do and make the changes necessary.

    Until you get ASW only bombers can scout

    after ASW fighters can also scout and fight subs.

    Bombers cant fight subs

    before ASW dd and cruisers can search for subs

    after ASW they can fight them with +1 attack and search

    after SS tech they fight at +1 and negate any modifiers for ASW for any fighter or warship


  • ok I would adjust it to…

    before ASW tech
    DD/CA search 3 attack 3
    BMR search 2

    after ASW tech
    DD/CA search 4 attack 4
    FTR/NAV search 3 attack 3
    BMR search 3

    before SS tech
    SS attack 2

    after SS tech
    SS attack +1, ASW search -1 attack -1


  • ok great make it so.


  • now for the naval combat simplification…

    *as mentioned I wanted to make it you always dogfight if both side has planes, so no more CAP.
    For air units allocation you now only choose between 2 things (normal combat and ASW) rather than 3 (those +CAP)

    *let Anti-Air work against all enemy air units (because making CAP air units immune to enemy AA fire is only realistic is naval engagements were mostly standing-off assaults)

    *last simplification, wonder if damaged Battleships could fire in opening-fire too…could say

    existing summary

    Pre-Combat
    1. ASW search rolls (1st cycle only).
    2. Air units are allocated to naval attack, CAP, or ASW.
    Opening-fire
    1. Undetected Submarines fire, selectively (1st cycle only).
    2. Other naval units perform Anti-Air against naval attack air units.
    3. Remove casualties.
    Mid-Combat
    1. Undamged battleship fires. Remove casualties.
    2. Naval units are allocated to normal combat or ASW.
    Main Round
    1. Detected Submarines fire.
    2. ASW naval and air perform ASW attack against Submarines.
    3. Other naval units fire.
    4. Naval attack and CAP air units fire.
    5. Remove casualties.
    Retreat Decision
    1. Defender
    2. Attacker

    new summary

    Pre-Combat
    1. ASW search (1st cycle only).
    Opening-fire
    1. Undetected Submarines fire, selectively (1st cycle only).
    2. Naval units perform Anti-Air.
    3. Remove casualties.
    Mid-Combat
    1. Battleship fires. Remove casualties.
    2. Units are allocated to normal combat or ASW attack.
    Main Round
    1. Detected Submarines fire.
    2. ASW attack.
    3. Other naval units fire.
    4. Other air units fire.
    5. Remove casualties.
    Retreat Decision
    1. Defender
    2. Attacker


  • ok at least its streamlined.

    Since battleships can be targeted or hit by other battleships first. I guess it would be alright to allow their preemptive shot to stay even if damaged. ill go with that.


  • hehe you forgot again
    we already got rid of the class system

    hits don’t have to be allocated according to class

    but, hits are allocated on damaged units

    so is it still ok for damaged battleships to fire preemptively?


  • yes it is.


  • I could use a little clarification on the wolf packs.  Do submarines get the Wolf Pack bonus if there is only 1 or does this bonus require a minimum of 2 subs in the zone?

    It seems to be a very powerful advantage.  Maybe too powerful.  With Super Subs tech they become as powerful as BB.

    In my first attempt at Naval Combat yesterday, an undetected SS selectively hit (with Wolf Pack bonus) my BB causing it to be damaged and list.  I hadn’t read this forum yet so was operating on “damaged BB don’t get to fire in Mid-Combat”, so the enemy BB sunk my BB using “Whenever possible hits are allocated on damaged units first.”.

    So I lost a BB without ever firing a shot which was rather painful.

    I was a little dumbstruck, and couldn’t come up with a viable defense against marauding “Wolf Packs”.

    Any insights or thoughts appreciated.

    • Bierwagen

  • You need two subs to get the bonus bringing the attack at 3.

    You need to buy ASW units to protect the BB or its a gonner

    You need to develop ASW tech and all related techs, so subs can be hunted down by planes and the search roll to locate goes up.

    When you have nothing and no defense the Germans have what they called the “happy time” of the kreigmarine. The rules are
    deliberately written where everything becomes a defense, counter defense , counter counter defense, etc…

    So don’t let your BB float alone in the water w/o destroyer escort. Everytime they build a sub you need to worry about making a destroyer… this is the give and go of the possible German strategy that they can develop… which will deny UK from building transports because they have not established a proper navy by allocating purchases to land units. UK is a naval power and to defeat the U-boats you need lots of ASW.


  • you need no. of submarines to exceed no. of destroyer(+crusier) by more than one to get wolf pack

    so yeah you need minimum of two submarines to get wolf pack bonus

    no lone wolf packs hehe

    the more submarines Germany buys the more destroyers UK needs to buy
    though destroyers are cheaper in AARHE at $10
    this reliance be reduced by getting ASW tech


  • Oh yea thats right!..

    good call.


  • Is Naval Combat like Land Combat in that FTRs must retreat if there are no naval units left at the end of a combat round?

    I think this is answered by “At the end combat cycle air units that cannot land on aircraft carrier [ on page 6] or excess to Aircraft Carrier capacity must retreat.” but it seems odd.

    e.g., my American FTRs in Hawaii (n.b., willing to brave the withering Japanese naval AA guns) scramble to engage Japanese air in the surrounding sea zone, but only get one round of combat before they have to retreat to Hawaii?

    Same with Hawaiian DAS that scrambled to support the fleet under attack.  One cycle of combat and they have to land?  I’m having a hard time with this one – I tried to justify by saying o.k. you have to land on CV to refuel for the next cycle of combat, however we don’t make that distinction in Land Combat.

    I saw some earlier discussions on this.  It sounds great on paper, but once I started rolling dice and lost a nice navy while aircraft just sat in Hawaii, I didn’t understand it anymore.

    Any insights appreciated.

    Enjoy the day!

    • Bierwagen

  • Is Naval Combat like Land Combat in that FTRs must retreat if there are no naval units left at the end of a combat round?

    Yes correct. Planes fly back to carriers as the carriers retire from battle.

    I think this is answered by “At the end combat cycle air units that cannot land on aircraft carrier [ on page 6] or excess to Aircraft Carrier capacity must retreat.” but it seems odd.

    In the event that your carriers are allocated as hits, and you have a situation where you have more planes then carriers to land on them, your required to retreat excess planes, because it now becomes a question of a quasi- kamakazi run, because the planes have no place to land.

    e.g., my American FTRs in Hawaii (n.b., willing to brave the withering Japanese naval AA guns) scramble to engage Japanese air in the surrounding sea zone, but only get one round of combat before they have to retreat to Hawaii?

    If its just air vs air and no naval below, then yes its one round. Remember the air combat is always aerial combat values.

    Same with Hawaiian DAS that scrambled to support the fleet under attack.  One cycle of combat and they have to land?  I’m having a hard time with this one – I tried to justify by saying o.k. you have to land on CV to refuel for the next cycle of combat, however we don’t make that distinction in Land Combat.

    This is different: AS long as you have naval combat you can perform concurrent air combat rounds over the sky, eventually air superiority will occur and you get to attack ships until they retreat or are destroyed. So this may be multi round affair.

    I saw some earlier discussions on this.  It sounds great on paper, but once I started rolling dice and lost a nice navy while aircraft just sat in Hawaii, I didn’t understand it anymore.

    Huh? why didnt the carrier just retreat? If the enemy bring in a fleet and has no air cover, he will be chewed up if the other side has air cover. Thats the way its supposed to be. Perhaps im not getting what happened. Provide an example.


  • @Bierwagen:

    I’m having a hard time with this one – I tried to justify by saying o.k. you have to land on CV to refuel for the next cycle of combat, however we don’t make that distinction in Land Combat.

    Yes that was the reasoning. Refuel and rearm.
    Actually we have that reasoning in land combat too, you just don’t have the capacity limit thats all.
    (For the land combat case you asked a question in another thread.)
    Its a bit easier on ground because you use captured air fields or make-shift runways.

    Same with Hawaiian DAS that scrambled to support the fleet under attack.  One cycle of combat and they have to land?

    Yes if you have no carriers left (or no carriers to start with) the fighter will have to retreat.

    The idea is that air units without carriers to land can only fight on a limited basis in the sea. Hence we make them retreat at end of cycle.

    Flying back and thru between the enemy fleet and the airfield at the lsand is no where as effective as having a mobile airfield that hunts the enemy.

    But I see your concern. It would make no difference if the action is very close to the island coast anyway, eg. defending an amphibious assault.

    @Imperious:

    This is different: AS long as you have naval combat you can perform concurrent air combat rounds over the sky, eventually air superiority will occur and you get to attack ships until they retreat or are destroyed. So this may be multi round affair.

    Note the retreat rule applies regardless.

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