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Europa Games and Military History

FAQ Topic: Second Front FAQ (Page 3 of 13)

Frequently asked questions about rules of the EUROPA-game Second Front

Rule 23G: Why are there NA air units if no tactical bombing missions can be flown at night?

Question:
Why are there NA air units if no tactical bombing missions can be flown at night?

Answer:
Obviously, type NA air units can fly transfer missions at night without fear of crash landing! Actually, if we ever allow (some) tactical bombing missions at night, then these air units are already rated and will automatically retrofit. Don’t hold your breath waiting for night tac bombing, however. The case for this having any appreciable effect at Europa scale is rather tenuous. Still, someone someday may marshal enough data to convince me otherwise. [TEM 38/39, Errata1]

Source:
Errata published at http://www.hmsgrd.com/Files/Europa/Second Front/Second Front.pdf

Note:
Modify the success table die roll by +2 for day air units checking for crash landing after flying night air missions. (Source: TEM 59/60)
 

Rule 23C: Patrol Attack on Transfer Missions

Question:
An air unit is doing a transfer mission using triple range. It is patrol attacked and returned to base. Does it return to base using triple range, or just normal range?

Answer:
Triple range, which means it may well “return” to its desired, destination airbase. It is very difficult to interfere effectively with enemy transfer missions.

Source:
TEM 66

 

Rule 23C: Transport Units laying Mines

Question:
Rule 20F3 clearly says transports may air transport, but not lay mines. Rule 23C (3rd bullet) says a transport may fly extended range minelaying missions. Which is correct? (Laying mines is a transport mission which only B and HB types can perform, but so why not say ” a bomber may fly extended range minelaying missions”?)

Answer:

In essence, a B or HB laying mines is acting as a transport and thus 23C is technically correct, but I see your point. Note also that the second bullet of 23C covers this situation implicitly, since aerial minelaying is one of “most bombing missions”, in that it is not explicitly stated as a mission wherein air units may not fly extended range, in the specific mission rules. Since the rules do not disallow extended range aerial minelaying missions, it follows that the rules do allow them.

Note also that transports may carry mines at extended range, as a transport mission, so the third bullet of 23C is correct as well.

Source:
TEM 53

 

Rule 23B: Staging Escort Missions

Question:
Staging is not allowed for DAS missions. However, the RAW allows a fighter flying escort for a DAS mission may stage, since escort is a different mission from DAS. Was this intended?

Answer:
Yes. Escorting fighters may stage prior to escorting a DAS mission.

Source:
TEM 59/60

 

Rule 23B: Staging as a Mission

Question:
Rule 23.B, Staging, states the initiating players units fly a “1-legged transfer mission”. The transfer rules state that transfer missions occur only in the movement and exploitation phase. I assume that this restriction does not apply to staging, otherwise the prohibition against staging of DAS missions would not be necessary. Is this correct?

Answer:
Staging is not a “mission” in itself Staging is a separate concept from transfers and while it operates similarly to the transfer mission, it is not exactly the same. The staging rules detail any restrictions upon this mission and staging may be performed during combat phases.

Source:
TEM 59/60

 

Rule 23B: If I would read the SF or FWtBT staging and transfer rules, what would I discover?

Question:
If I would read the SF or FWtBT staging and transfer rules, what would I discover?

Answer:
Per the SF and FWtBT RAW, staging consists of flying one single-leg transfer mission prior to initiating another mission, and per the transfer rules, a single leg of a transfer mission uses three times the air units printed range. So… an air unit may stage to a friendly airbase within three times its printed range and then initiate another mission.

Source:
TEM 50

 

Rule 23A2: Taking out enemy Fighters

Question:
It seems almost impossible to take out enemy fighters if they don’t want to fight, since even inoperative ones can scramble. This seems too generous; fighters certainly did get caught on the ground from time to time; it is actually easier to overrun them with tanks! Perhaps they should have to make some kind of escape die roll in order to scramble?

Answer:
Inoperative fighters must be able to scramble. Otherwise, players would resort to the ahistorical tactic of waiting for enemy fighters to become inoperative and then immediately flying to bomb their airbases.

Source:
Errata published at http://www.hmsgrd.com/Files/Europa/Second Front/Second Front.pdf

Rule 23A1: Fighters Jettisoning their Bombs

Question:
You have mentioned that fighters on ground support missions that jettison their bombs when intercepted do not become escorts. Scorched Earth Rule 24A states the fighter is treated as if it were flying an escort mission. Is this a Second Front rule?

Answer:
Yes this is a SF rule, or more correctly a rule that goes along with the other rules associated with the “new” air rules.

It is an important change. Under the new rules, if the owning player uses the fighter as part of the mission force, then it is stuck as part of the mission force. It can get its regular air combat ratings back by discarding its bomb load, but it can not switch from the mission force to the escort screen by doing so.

One look at the Allied OB and the TB ratings of Allied fighters should illustrate why the change was needed and apporpriate. Without it, Allied players would never bother to fly escort, they would always carry a bomb load and only jettison it if they had to — that is simply wrong and not the way tactical air forces operated, for the most part. Interceptors and dedicated escorts did not routinely carry full loads of bombs.

Older games, like SE, use different rules for dividing up combat and for controlling who is and who isn’t in the escort screen. However, to those who want to use the “new” air rules in old games, this is certainly one nuance it is especially important to remember to incorporate.

Source:
TEM 74

 

Rule 22: Are intrinsic AA values affected by being out of supply?

Question:
Are intrinsic AA values affected by being out of supply?

Answer:
Intrinsic map features are not units, therefore they are not affected by supply; intrinsic AA strengths of units are affected by supply, since they are a component of the unit, which is affected by supply.

The supply rules specify that they affect the abilities of units in movement and combat; there is no mention of it affecting the abilities of map features.

Source:
TEM 67

 

Rule 22: Are position AA counters “ground units” for purposes of supply?

Question:
Are position AA counters “ground units” for purposes of supply? In both SF and WitD position AA units are defined as having “neither a printed combat strength nor a unit size… Position AA units function somewhat differently than do regular combat units.” Therefore, are position AA values affected by being out of supply?

Answer:
Yes.

Source:
TEM 67

 

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