Per several requests, following are the rules as posted on the old SG boards.
These are NOT intended as a NetEA rule change.====
4.1 AEROSPACE UNITSIn Epic there are two types of aerospace units:
Aircraft: The unit type includes all ‘fixed wing’ aircraft that can operate in a planet’s atmosphere. Most aircraft are powered by powerful jet engines and are capable of carrying heavy payloads and of flying at thousands of kilometres an hour. Aircraft can range in size from small single-seat fighters to huge transport landers that can carry entire formations of troops. Aircraft belong to one of three manoeuvre classes that determine how easily they can turn when they move, as described below. The three classes are: Fighters, Bombers, and Fighter-Bombers. An aircraft’s manoeuvre class is noted instead of its speed on its data sheet.
Spacecraft: This category includes all of the interstellar spacecraft used by armies to move from one star system to another. These craft can vary in size from small escorts to huge battleships armed with enough firepower to level a hive city! In Epic they are assumed to be operating from low orbit where they can land drop pods and provide long-range support for ground troops.
4.1.1 Aerospace FormationsAerospace units are organised into formations just like any other unit. However, although aerospace formations do receive Blast markers, they cannot be broken or suppressed. In addition, they can’t be assaulted, lend support to an assault or be used by another formation to claim a crossfire, etc, while in the air. Once landed, an aerospace unit may be assaulted and be used in a crossfire, and is affected by Blast markers normally.
4.2 AIRCRAFTAircraft formations are not set-up with other units. They are kept off table (where it can be imagined they are in orbit or stationed at a nearby airbase) but can be set up on the board when they take an action. Aircraft that are capable of transporting other units may be set up with the these units already on board. The aircraft (plus any units they are transporting) may only enter play using the following rules.
Aircraft formations can only take the following actions:
Ground Attack, Combat Air Patrol, Air Assault, Evac or Stand Down. Aircraft formations that fail an action test must take a stand down action rather than a hold action.
Ground Attack: Take an action test for the formation and if it passes set up the formation touching your table edge. The formation may then make an approach move and then attack enemy ground units. In the end phase, the formation must make a disengagement move and exit the table.
Combat Air Patrol (CAP): Only fighters and fighterbombers can choose this action. Take an action test for the formation and if it passes set up the formation touching your own side’s table edge to show where it will enter play. Formation remain on CAP orders remain on CAP until they intercept or undertake a new action in the following turn in the same fashion as a ground formation on Overwatch.
Interceptions: A formation on CAP may choose to carry out an interception in reaction to an enemy ground attack, air assault or evac’ approach move. In effect CAP allows you to interrupt an enemy air action and ‘bounce’ the enemy aircraft before they finish the action. No action test is required to carry out the interception. It takes place after the enemy formation has made its approach move, but before AA weapons are fired at them. The intercepting formation must then make an approach move and may attack enemy aircraft units that are within range and arc of fire. After it has completed any attacks it must make a disengagement move and exit the table. The enemy formation that triggered the interception may then complete its action. No more than one formation that is on CAP may intercept an enemy formation.
Air Assault: Only aircraft that are set up at the start of the battle carrying ground units may take this action. Take an action test for the aircraft formation and if it passes set up the formation touching your table edge at any point. The formation must then make an approach move and may then disembark any ground units it is carrying. The ground units may fire with the aircraft or make an assault if desired (see 4.2.7). After all units have disembarked and any assaults have been resolved the aircraft must make a disengagement move and exit the table.
Evac’: Only aircraft that are capable of carrying ground units may take this action. Take an action test for the formation and if it passes set up the formation touching your table edge at any point. The formation must then make an approach move and may then embark any ground units within 15cms (see 4.2.
. After all units have embarked it must make a disengagement move and exit the table.
Stand Down: The formation may do nothing this turn. An aircraft formation that fails its action test must choose to take a stand down action.
4.2.1 Aircraft Approach MovesAircraft carrying out an interception or ground attack action are set up touching their own side’s table edge (choose an edge randomly if your side doesn’t have a table edge in the scenario being played). After the formation is set up it carries out an approach move. Aircraft making an approach move may travel an unlimited distance over the tabletop when they move. Aircraft are assumed to be travelling high enough above the ground to fly over terrain, zones of control, and other units (in other words they ignore all three things!) By the same token, other units may ignore aircraft and aircraft zones of control when they move. Note that aircraft may not assault other units.
Aircraft must generally travel straight ahead in the direction they are facing, and can only change direction by turning. Aircraft belong to one of three manoeuvre classes that determine how easily they can turn when they move, as described below. The three classes are: Fighters, Bombers, and Fighter-Bombers. An aircraft’s manoeuvre class is noted instead of its speed on its data sheet.
Fighters: Fighters may make one turn of up to 90º after moving at least 30cm. Once the fighter has made a turn it must move another 30cm before it can turn again.
Bombers: Bombers may make one turn of up to 45º after moving at least 30cm. Once the bomber has made a turn it must move another 30cm before it can turn again.
Fighter-Bombers: Fighter-bombers manoeuvre as bombers when making an approach move if they are carrying out a ground attack action (because they are laden down with bombs or rockets), and behave like fighters under any other circumstances.
4.2.2 AA AttacksAA weapons are designed to fire defensively against an attacking enemy aircraft, and may therefore shoot immediately after an enemy aircraft formation makes an approach move but before it makes its attack. This is sometimes called a flak attack. Note that this means that aircraft carrying out a ground attack, air assault or evac’ mission may use any AA weapons they are armed with to shoot at enemy interceptors after the interceptors make their approach move. Attacks made against disengaging aircraft are resolved once the aircraft reaches the table edge, but before it is removed to ‘fly back to base’.
Flak attacks may not be carried out by units belonging to a formation that is marching or broken. This aside, flak attacks are a ‘free’ or bonus attack, and making a flak attack does not stop the unit attacking again later in the same turn. What’s more, a flak weapon can make any number of flak attacks per turn against different aircraft formations, as long as it does not attack the same aircraft formation more than once in a turn. Making a flak attack does not remove overwatch status from a ground formation.
No line of fire is required when firing at aircraft, as it is assumed that they are high enough above any terrain features to be seen by all units. Make flak attacks one unit at a time, in any order you like.
AA weapons are designed to track and shoot at enemy aircraft as they move past them, and because of this they may shoot at an aircraft formation that moved within their weapon range at any point during their move, even if the aircraft is no longer within weapon range when the attack is made. Attacks made against disengaging aircraft are resolved when the aircraft reaches the edge of the table, before it is removed to ‘fly back to base’. Units that shot at an aircraft formation as it approached may not shoot at them again as they disengage.
4.2.3 Aircraft Interception AttacksAircraft carrying out a interception are allowed to attack any enemy aircraft that are in range of their AA weapons after the interceptors have made their approach move. The attack is carried out in the same manner as any other AA Attack, but takes place after the interceptors have been fired at by ‘defensive’ AA fire (see 4.2.5). Aircraft making an interception may add +1 to their to hit rolls with any AA weapons that they fire. After the attack has been resolved the interceptors must disengage, and then the formation that was intercepted may complete its action.
4.2.4 Disengagement MovesAfter an aircraft has either attacked or embarked/disembarked units, then it must exit the table. Aircraft may exit along ANY table edge. Simply move the aircraft as you did when it made its approach move, until it reaches a table edge. This is called the disengagement move, and it takes place at the start of the end phase before any ground formations rally. Note that the Disengagement Move must begin with a 30cm move in a straight line just as an Approach Move does. Movement in the Approach Move is not “carried over” to fulfill the requirement in the Disengagement Move.
4.2.5 Aircraft Ground AttacksAfter aircraft carrying out a ground attack have made their approach move they are allowed to make a ground attack after they have been fired at by any AA weapons (see 4.2.5). Aircraft carrying out a ground attack action may attack an enemy ground formation
Aircraft are assumed to be flying high enough in the air to ignore any terrain that might block the line of sight when they shoot at any targets, and the crossfire rule does not apply to aircraft attacks. If the aircraft stops over the target formation the direction of the attacks is considered to be from the direction of the approach move.
The above changes aside resolve the attack using the normal shooting rules. After the attack has been resolved the aircraft must disengage.
4.2.6 Transporting Ground UnitsAircraft with a transport capacity are known as transport aircraft and are allowed to pick up and drop off ground units. Troops being transported are kept off-board embarked on the transport aircraft until it is deployed. Transport aircraft are treated in the same manner as war engine transport vehicles, and are only allowed to transport units from another formation as long as the whole formation can fit inside the transport aircraft (see 3.1.3). If a transport aircraft is destroyed while carrying ground units, then any transported troops are lost with it (no saves in this case!)
Transport aircraft can drop off and pick up their cargo by making an Air Assault or by Evac, respectively.
4.2.7 Air AssaultsGround units may be set up embarked in the transport aircraft at the start of the battle, but can then only be deployed by carrying out an air assault action.
An aircraft with loaded troops can disembark troops after making their approach move and having being fired upon by any enemy flak. After the aircraft has completed the approach move, any units being transported may disembark and are placed within 5cms of the transport aircraft (skimmers and units with jump packs can be placed within 15cms, to represent them dropping from the aircraft). Note that the limitations that apply to units disembarking from a war engine transport vehicle also apply to units disembarking from an aircraft (ie, they can’t take an action on the turn they disembark but can shoot with the aircraft – see 3.1.3). The aircraft and disembarked units may then fire normally.
Transport aircraft and any units that disembark are allowed to fight an assault instead of shooting. If this option is chosen then any units that disembark may enter enemy zones of control as if they were charging. Aircraft always ignore Zones of Control. The aircraft and any units that disembark are treated as a single formation for the duration of the assault, in the same manner as units disembarking from a war engine taking an engage action (see 3.1.3). If the aircraft loses the assault it is destroyed unless it is Fearless, but any units that have disembarked may withdraw normally.
The transport aircraft must disengage after all units have disembarked and any resulting firing or assaults have been resolved.
4.2.8 Evac’Transport aircraft carrying out an Evac mission may pick up any ground units that are within 15cms and it is capable of transporting (see 4.2.1). The units embark after the transport aircraft have made their approach move and being fired upon by any AA weapons or interceptors. Evac moves by ground units do not trigger Overwatch fire. After the units have embarked the aircraft must make a disengage move and exit the table. Evacuated units may not return to play later on. It is possible for an evacuation move to split up a formation (see 1.7.4).
4.2.9 Blast MarkersAircraft collect Blast markers in a similar manner to other units, but are effected by them rather differently. The following fairly simple rules reflect the time it takes to rearm and refuel aircraft after a mission. Aircraft in a formation that has come under heavy attack and therefore have a lot of Blast markers will take longer to get ready, and so there is an increased chance that they may not get to carry out a mission.
Aircraft formations collect Blast markers under the following circumstances:
• Any aircraft formation that suffers any AA attacks receives one Blast marker for ‘coming under fire’. The formation can only receive one Blast marker during the approach move and another Blast marker during the disengagement move, no matter how many different units from however many different formations attack it.
• The aircraft receives one Blast marker for each aircraft unit that is shot down or point of damage that is suffered if it is a war engine.
• The aircraft receives an extra Blast marker if it exits from any table edge other than its own table edge, to represent the possibility of it being attacked while flying back over enemy territory.
Aircraft are not suppressed or broken by Blast markers, but are not allowed to rally in the end phase either. Instead, the next time that you want to take an action with the formation, take the action test as before, but apply a -1 modifier for each Blast marker on the formation (this modifier replaces the modifier for having one or more Blast markers).
All of the Blast markers are removed from the formation immediately after it takes the action test, whether it passes the test or not. If it passes the test, it may carry out an action, and if it fails it may not.
Aircraft that land are affected by any Blast makers they have picked up normally, and are allowed to rally in the end phase. Any additional Blast markers they pick up will be ‘carried off ’ with them if they later take off again.