• From: Denver, CO
  • Registered: 2005-03-27
  • Posts: 3,578

Topic: Line-Ahead Movement

dergrossest1 wrote:

> Maybe I missed this in the rules, but what happens to command
> status when a squadron is in Line-Ahead formation and a ship
> in the middle of the chain is sunk?  For instance, let's
> assume that a squadron is in the Line-Ahead formation
> pictured in the example on page 16 of the rules.  If the
> third ship in the chain were sunk, would ships 4-8 be
> considered out of command?  If so, would they be out of
> command for the rest of the game or could they get back into
> command?  Thanks.

Ick... don't get Kevin started on this one... many a debate raged during the writing of the rules about just this situation. wink

Anyway, the answers to your questions are "Yes" and "They can get back into command".

Specifically, if a ship does not meet the criteria for being in command at the beginning of the turn, it is out of command for that turn... but it can move so that it is back in command so the penalty only lasts for one turn.

Some people have argued that "Well, the captains of the trailing ships would know to close the gap!"

Perhaps, and perhaps not. But at the very least, if the ship in front of you in a line-ahead slowed, veered off course, or was even sunk, it would take some time for you to get your bearings, so to speak... which is simulated by the need to move "out of command" during that one turn.

At least, that's the theory behind the rules. Having never been on the bridge of a WW1 battleship, I can't be certain... smile

Daniel Kast
Majestic Twelve Games
cricket@mj12games.com

mj12games's Website

  • From: Denver, CO
  • Registered: 2005-03-27
  • Posts: 3,578

Re: Line-Ahead Movement

kevinsmith67206 wrote:

> Okay, hopefully I'll make sense when I answer this.
> A squadron flagship may issue one command per turn. In your
> example, the flagship could issue a command to ships 1 and 2,
> or issue a command to ships 4 through 8.
> If it wants each partial squadron to move in line ahead formation.
> So one of those two groups will be out of command.
> OR...
> The flagship could issue the same order to all of the ships,
> if every ship is going to execute the same order. The problem
> with that is that the squadron will really become disordered.

Indeed. I ignored this possibility in my initial response, because the poster wanted to know how to get his ships back into a line-ahead formation.

Technically, ships don't -have- to be in a formation to move in command... they can all execute identical movement orders -- but if those orders involve any sort of turning at all, things get ugly really fast.

The best bet is to spend one turn with part of the squadron moving in the "out of command" segment and getting back into line.

Daniel Kast
Majestic Twelve Games
cricket@mj12games.com

mj12games's Website

  • From: Denver, CO
  • Registered: 2005-03-27
  • Posts: 3,578

Re: Line-Ahead Movement

kevinsmith67206 wrote:
dergrossest1 wrote:

> These responses were helpful, but lead to one last question:
> When a squadron is in line-ahead formation, do all of the
> ships still have to be within the command radius of the
> flagship, or does the line- ahead formation effectively
> lengthen the command radius of the flagship?  Thanks.

> Hmmm...
> Good question.
> smile
> I'm not sure if we spelled this out in the rules, but I think
> the way we've always played it here is that as long as the
> lead ship in the line ahead formation is in command then
> every ship counts as being in command. In essence, the
> command is given to the lead ship in the line, and then every
> trailing ship is entitled to follow, regardless of the actual
> distance of each trailing ship from the squadron flagship.

I'm all for house rules and such, but I should go on the record as saying 'officially' the answer is no. The command radius is what it is, regardless of formation.

Note that historically, it was necessary to station destroyers alongside the line of battle to relay orders from the flagship -- implying that it wasn't enough to just "follow the leader".

Daniel Kast
Majestic Twelve Games
cricket@mj12games.com

mj12games's Website

  • From: Denver, CO
  • Registered: 2005-03-27
  • Posts: 3,578

Re: Line-Ahead Movement

kevinsmith67206 wrote:

> I'm all for house rules and such, but I should go on the
> record as saying 'officially' the answer is no. The command
> radius is what it is, regardless of formation.
> Note that historically, it was necessary to station
> destroyers alongside the line of battle to relay orders from
> the flagship -- implying that it wasn't enough to just
> "follow the leader".
> ==========
>
> We probably ought to clarify this in the rules then, because
> we haven't ever really viewed it as a house rule.

Perhaps, but then I thought it was quite clear... ships have to be within X hexes of the squad leader. Period.

smile

> Or maybe we could have some optional rules where a capital
> ship squadron could have light shps attached to it to extend
> the command radius.

I was thinking the same thing as I typed my last post...

Daniel Kast
Majestic Twelve Games
cricket@mj12games.com

mj12games's Website

  • Registered: 2005-04-02
  • Posts: 34

Re: Line-Ahead Movement

cricket wrote:

Note that historically, it was necessary to station destroyers alongside the line of battle to relay orders from the flagship -- implying that it wasn't enough to just "follow the leader".

Yes.  "Just following the leader" only works as long as you know you are just supposed to follow the leader.  But there needs to be a way to know when you aren't supposed to follow any more and, for example, turn together.

-Eric