Talk:Fleet Action

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Quick Guide

Operation

When using Advantage roll twice, use higher. When rolling at Disadvantage roll twice, use lower.

Units locked in Melee can not be affected by Attack or Support actions. At the end of the Round, the tokens will do flat firepower damage to each other. Units that enter the Broken state are automatically Overrun. Melees continue until one side is defeated or broken contact.

Fleet

Stress Gauge usually starts at 0. Every turn two fleets are locked in battle adds +1 Stress. If Stress goes over its limit, the Fleet is no longer capable of fighting.

Cohesion refreshes every turn up to its rating, + free Cohesion. Free Cohesion generated by Characters carries over from Round to Round until used.

Fleet Train refreshes every turn up to its rating.

Example Fleet
Screen
Wall of Battle
[First Wing] [Second Wing] [Third Wing]
Stress Gauge: 8, Cohesion: 5, Fleet Train: 5

Characters

Flag and Line officers require a flagship (see Units).

Staff have two special actions every round.

Set Piece Battle

Battles go in four phases. Headquarters rolls all Fleet Actions unless a Line Officer is controlling an Element.

  1. Initiative: Screens roll. (Sum EW, TN 6)
    Loser of roll must go first in Planning and Execution phase. Actions applied second in Results phase.
    Winner of roll goes after in Planning and Execution phase. Actions applied first in Results phase.
  2. Planning: Flag plans the next stage in the battle.
    1. Transfer Units between Elements for one Cohesion.
    2. Describe a Tactic, on successful roll provides bonuses to actions or special results such as adding Stress directly to enemy Fleet.
    3. Fleet Train can Support for one Cohesion.
    4. Staff Officers in Headquarters can choose two Actions:
    • Add a flat bonus to the Tactics roll.
    • Roll to add Cohesion or clear away Stress.
    • Roll to identify Advantage or overcome Disadvantage.
    • Roll to reform additional Units & rally Broken Units.
  3. Execution: The Fleet Elements perform their actions. Each action costs one Cohesion:
    • Attack (Sum Firepower, TN 6)
    • Defend (Sum Firepower, TN 6)
    • Charge (Sum Mobility, TN 6)
    • Barrage (If Barrage trait Sum firepower, TN 5)
  4. Results: GM describes overall results.
    1. Group statuses are updated.
    2. Any ongoing Melees are resolved.
    3. Stress is added.

Full Design doc

Command

At the Operational level there are three different roles for Characters: Flag Officer, Staff Officer, and Line Officer. By default a character with a large number of ships is assumed to be the Flag Officer while those commanding smaller units are assumed to be Line Officers. Characters without a specific field command are usually assumed to be Staff. However, Characters can pick whichever roles they feel are most appropriate to the narrative.

Only one Character can act as the Flag Officer in a given Fleet, and every Fleet must have one. As the chief commander they direct the overall battle by setting the Fleet's tactics and formation. (e.g. Jellicoe or Speer)
A Staff Officer is active throughout an operation advising the Flag Officer, organizing the Fleet, and ensuring orders are carried out effectively. (Admiral Fischer in LoGH or [])
The Line Officer controls a single Element and can play a major role in its performance, attack other Characters, and can even choose to disobey the orders of Headquarters. (e.g. Beatty or Hipper)

The Flag Officer and their Staff form the Flag which directs the overall battle but is not involved with more localized actions. Line Officers may comment on a situation for the benefit of Headquarters but cannot directly act.

Characters with their own independent Fleets may elect to unify their command, forming a Combined Fleet which acts as one large Fleet with a single Flag Officer.

Fleets

A Fleet is represented on the table by a Token. Fleets are made up of Elements, and Elements are made up of Units. Both are also represented by Tokens on the table.

Fleets have a Stress Gauge, a Cohesion pool, and a Fleet Train.

The Stress Gauge represents a mix of morale, fatigue, and equipment. A Fleet going over the limit is no longer controllable and is it at the mercy of a still formed enemy.

Cohesion represents the potential for coordinated action. The Cohesion pool

The Fleet Train is responsible for supplying the fleet and reducing system defenses. . It is also determines the Fleet's efficiency in sieges.

No two fleets are alike, as they all have different purposes and levels of support.

Elements

Elements are the major tactical divisions of a Fleet: a Screen, the Wings of a Wall of Battle, and a Fleet Train. There can be only one Screen and Fleet Train. The Wall of Battle is divided into three Wings. An Element without any active Units is Collapsed, requiring a point of Cohesion to reform.

The Screen is the independent avant-garde of a Fleet that protects it from surprise attack, performs reconnaissance, and hunts their enemy counterparts often across a very dispersed frontage. The Screen is active in the Initiative and Execution phase of a set piece battle.

  • The Screen can not use the Barrage action.

The Wings of the Wall of Battle.

The Fleet Train an element is special. It can not be targeted until a Wing of the Wall of Battle has Collapsed, if so every point of damage will take out one point of Fleet Train. It can only perform a the Support action in the Planning phase.

  • Support: Disrupted Units cost one point to restore. Broken Units cost two points to restore.

Units

Units are the small groups of ships, that make up a Fleet.

A group has four stats: Mobility, Firepower, Defense, and EW. Mobility determines how many and affects Charge actions. EW affects Initiative.

Frigate Flotilla: 3 Mobility, 1 Firepower, 1 Defense, 2 EW
Cruiser Flotilla: 2 Mobility, 1 Firepower, 1 Defense, 1 EW,
Heavy Squadron: 1 Mobility, 2 Firepower, 2 Defense, 0 EW, [Barrage]

Units have three damage states: Ready, Disrupted, Broken. Ready is the default state. Fatigued units can still function but are now vulnerable to becoming Broken. Broken units no longer count to the Element, but can still be moved.

If a unit takes further fire it is Overrun and taken out of play permanently.

Operations

An operation begins long before the fleets are locked in battle.

Advantage & Disadvantage

Advantage & Disadvantage represent factors that strongly affect the conduct of a battle. A field of asteroids, for example, may offer cover against enemy fire or frustrate an assault. A well-aimed volley of missiles might disperse the field. Careful analysis of an enemy formation might reveal a major gap in the formation. However, that gap may actually be the bait for a minefield. Characters can both identify, overcome, and neutralize Advantages & Disadvantages.

Characters can Identify an Advantage on a successful roll. The difficulty is affected by its scope and permanence. Scope in this case means who and what is affected; an Advantage that covers an entire Fleet is a much bigger deal than one which covers only a single element. Permanence is the length the effect lasts.

The simplest kind of advantage or disadvantage is a transient one turn single-sided effect that is only relevant to one Element.

Overcoming a Disadvantage or neutralizing an enemy Advantage works on similar terms.

Melee

Units locked in Melee can not be affected by Attack or Support actions. At the end of the Round, the tokens will do flat firepower damage to each other. Units that enter the Broken state are automatically Overrun. Melees continue until one side has broken or broken contact.

Battle

The

Screening

Planning

Units are moved between Elements during the Planning phase. Moving Units costs a single point of Cohesion. Additionally, Units can only move in accordance with their Mobility:

  • 2 Mobility to Move from the Screen to any of the Wings.
  • 1 Mobility to move from one Wing to an adjacent Wing
  • 1 Mobility to move from any of the Wings to the Fleet Train.

A Tactic is . A convincing Tactic may require Units be moved around.

Execution

Elements can perform multiple actions, however, they can not perform the same action twice.

Attack (Sum Firepower, TN 6)

The Element attacks. Each success does one damage.

Defend (Sum Firepower, TN 6)

The Element defends. Each success negates a sux of an enemy Attack or Charge. Any leftover sux are applied as damage to the attacking Element.

Charge (Sum Mobility, TN 6)

The Element attempts to close the distance between it and its opposite as quickly as possible. Each success locks a token on either side in a Melee.

Barrage (Sum Firepower values of Units with Barrage trait, TN 5)

Like an attack in most respects, however, a Barrage can target any Element.

Results

Each round, every fleet involved takes 1 Stress. Additionally,

(draft material)

Fleet types have different basic statistics that represent their authorized materiel as dictated by naval legislation and their general expected level of support, readiness, and training.

Capital Ship Ratio (assuming fleet size 200) 1/4 (Guard) = 40 1/8 (Normal) = 25

  1. Initiative: In the Initiative phase the Screen attempts to gather data on the enemy’s maneuvers and prevent their counterparts from doing the same. Their respective success or failure determines who, if anyone, has initiative. Engagements that have become too chaotic or frenzied (such as a general melee) may not have this phase.
  2. Planning: Headquarters analyze the situation and issue their orders. Both sides describe the overall formation they want their fleets to adopt to the GM. The GM approves the and assigns any bonuses.
  3. Execution: The Fleet Elements choose and begin their Actions.
  4. Results:

Set Piece

Whenever two fleet groups mutually agree and commit to pitched battle, bringing the full weight of their numbers to bear on each other. In a Set Piece engagement there are two major lines.

Test Characters

Use stats from Talk:Not Created Equal.

2 in all attributes, 2 in all stats.