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Understanding Air Sorties in EW

 Post subject: Understanding Air Sorties in EW
PostPosted: Tue May 07, 2013 8:34 pm 
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OK trying to grok how airpower works in this rule set. I have some clarification questions

Quote:
Start your attack run by placing the sortie Stands upon the tabletop within 30cm of the target enemy formation, on the line and on approach to the first formation you want to attack (that is, in front of it, not already past it).

OK so this tells me I don't have to enter from a table edge but can start right in the middle of table. I expect this is the representation of air power dropping from high altitude (or low orbit) into an altitude appropriate for close air support and that doesn't be the edge. So far so good. However this says "within" so is there a minimum range to this or basically allowing me to drop right on top of the unit in a dive bomb stukka style?

Quote:
Next, ask your opponent to check to see if he or she has any anti-air (AA) Stands within range to shoot at your sortie now or at any point along the line to that point. If so, your opponent takes his or her shots at your sortie before it will launch its own attacks. If the sortie is removed as a casualty following these AA shots, the sortie’s attack run is over before it began and the sortie does not get to make its attacks.

So basically I have no recourse but to roll a save then, right? I think it might be interesting to consider some form of evasive manuver for the aircraft that adds a bonus to the save but enacts a penaalty for their atttack run. It would seem to add another bit of tactical depth to the game. However let's not discuss rule changes yet. It's just something to chew on for now ;)

Quote:
it fires its ordinance as if they were normal shooting attacks (see Shoot Action on page 21). Once your sortie’s shooting has been resolved for the first enemy formation contacted by the line, place your sortie Stands upon the tabletop within 30cm of the next target enemy formation along the line, again on approach to the formation you want to attack.

So as I read this I have to follow a straight line across the table but can "hop" across any formation as long as I come down within 30cm of the target formations each time? So I could in theory attack formation A, escape to altitude and cross formation B that has AA with impunity and then drop down and attack formation C (provided A and C were out of AA range). Is this a correct reading?

Quote:
Repeat these steps for every contacted formation along the line until either the sortie is removed as a casualty or until it reaches the end of the line at the tabletop edge.

Every formation or every formation I want to attack along the line? I believe the latter from the rules about air mobile landings
Quote:
Every enemy formation that either has a Stand touched by the line or for which the line passes between two of its Stands are said to be contacted by the sortie during its attack run and the sortie may fire at it


This leads me to see that airpower is well...powerful as you get multiple attacks across the table with your full weapons kit. It also means that AA is even more important in EW than other games such as EA. In addition, air mobility is far more of a one way trip as you activate and drop and then that's it for your air craft.

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 Post subject: Re: Understanding Air Sorties in EW
PostPosted: Thu May 09, 2013 11:21 am 
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Hey Jimmy,

I'm just bouncing the response to this off Mark, but in general you are correct.

I'll get a proper response up shortly.

Do you mind if we feature your questions in a Q&A in the newsletter?

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 Post subject: Re: Understanding Air Sorties in EW
PostPosted: Thu May 09, 2013 5:53 pm 
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Yeah go for it! I expect I am going to be poking the ever living crap out of the rules over the next few months :)

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 Post subject: Re: Understanding Air Sorties in EW
PostPosted: Thu May 09, 2013 5:57 pm 
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Tangential Question:
Air Transport is a one shot deal as well, yes? Basically if I wanted to Air Drop a formation, blow the ever living crap out of something, and then get picked up for another airdrop that requires multiple support purchases or how does that work?

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