1. Rule 5.17 - Can you speed brake on the last FP of one turn and the first FP of the next? Yes -- however, remember the clarifications about speed brake use in play printed up to date; mainly that FPs used by speed brakes simply vanish and cannot be counted toward shooting or turning or maneuvering prerequisites. Also in the case of proportional moves with missiles, a point or half point bled off by speed brakes only acts at the end of a turn. If it is your time to move, you can use speed brakes to kill a point, but you still have to expend a point in movement before the missile makes its next move. Example: you have two movement points left and the missile seven (moving 3 for I of yours). It is your move so you kill a point with speed brakes. Now the missile waits ... (what! you say waits?). Yes, as you must still make a proportional move. So now you must expend your last point realizing the missile still has 7 to do you in when it moves. (another rules lawyer trying to find a game system flaw to dodge missiles with no doubt). 2. What are the requirements to drop unwanted loads such as empty FTs and such? Are you restricted in flight type? Can you use the FP required to jettison stores toward climbs and dives or turning? No requirements or restrictions are set forth in the rules. You simply declare that you are doing so and after one FP's worth of movement has been done since declaring the act, the unwanted stores are considered jettisoned and the new configuration takes effect. Note however, that since power is set before movement, you will still be stuck with the accel of your starting configuration even if your first act is to immediately jettison stores. If you are in a turn in this case, the higher decel also applies. 3. Rule 10H: You start a game turn with some SSGT built up. The target moves and changes facing. You are still on an SSGT line but not the same one. Do you keep your accumulated SSGT points or do you have to start over? In this specific case, you may keep your accumulated SSGT (obviously your angle-off modifiers will be different). However, if the target moves and/or changes facing such that you are no longer on an SSGT line, you lose any accumulated SSGT. The same applies if you move off the SSGT line you started on originally during your move. 4. Rule 10: Is a gun shot from one hex of range with one altitude level of difference a range 1 or range 2 shot? This would be a range 1 shot. 5. GLOC Rule: If your RIO is screaming in your ear to allow early recovery from GLOC, can he still perform visual sighting at the start of the game turn? No - however he may keep previously sighted aircraft in view if desired. Basically, a pilotless aircraft may not participate in sighting, the crew has more dire concerns. 6. Rule 10: Your opponent selects diving flight and you select climbing flight. He is one level below you and you dove last turn. You have to spend time to change the nose up/down status and so will remain level for some part of your move. Can you still shoot while level at the lower opponent before using VFPs to climb? No - this is a confusing question and it also appears that your group is playing such that everybody announces their climbing/ diving/level flight decision before anybody moves. This is wrong. You only announce your general flight type the instant your aircraft moves. This allows players with initiative to see the other aircraft's nose commit somewhere before deciding and where to go themselves and is my intent for the rules. The cannon combat rules clearly state that if you choose climbing flight, you may only fire on targets at the same or higher altitudes (whether expending HFPs or VFPs during your move). No reading between the lines. Special Feature Q & A 1. For the Genie and AIM-26 presented in the missile charts in issue #3, how do you use them and play the Nuclear warhead? I knew some morbid Canadian would eventually want to try those! Okay, here are the rules for them: AIR-2A Nuclear Rocket Launch - Prerequisite= aircraft must have a radar lock-on to target (for ranging) and end its flight wings level (i.e. not in turn or maneuver). Roll for Genie launch in Air to Air Missile Phase. Flight - The Genie is unguided. It cannot turn or maneuver. It simply flies forward for its entire movement expending all FPs as HFPs unless the firer climbed or dived on the turn of launch. In that case, the Genie must climb or dive respectively, expending some VFPs to change altitude in a proportion equal to that the aircraft used (i.e. aircraft expended VFPs = to 1/4 its total FPs, then Genie must expend 1/4 also (+-one). Each Genie VFP must gain or lose 2 full altitude levels always. Scatter - The Genie wasn't very accurate or reliable. After completing the Genie's move, and after all aircraft have completed their moves, its position will be randomly changed as follows. If the Genie is on a hexside, shift it to either hex it is adjacent to, if in a hex leave it be. Now roll one die until a number between one and six results. Going clockwise from North, the die result indicates the direction along a row of hexes the Genie will scatter, (i.e. I=N, 2-- NE, 3=SE, etc.). Roll the die again and halve the result dropping fractions. This is the number of hexes the Genie will scatter in the determined direction. Genie Attack - After the Genie is scattered, roll one more die. On a 10 it is a dud, on a 1-9 FOOOMPR!! It explodes creating a nuclear blast zone extending from its hex out to a range of six in all directions (count two altitude levels as one hex of range). Any aircraft in the same position as a Genie is vaporized and the crew killed. Other aircraft in the zone are automatically hit and attacked with a rating equal to 12 minus 2 for each hex of distance from the exploding Genie it is. Aircraft on a hexside are considered in the hex nearest the Genie. AIM-26A Nuclear Falcon Launch and Flight - In all respects, treat the AIM-26A as a regular radar homing missile. AIM-26A Attack - The nuclear Falcon has the same blast zone as the Genie but detonates upon entering the target's position or when within 3 hexes upon the guiding player's command. The blast immediately affects the target and any others which have already moved that turn if they are in the blast zone. Other aircraft which move later are attacked upon completing their move if still within the zone. Back to Table of Contents -- Air Power # 14 Back to Air Power List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 1991 by J.D. Webster This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. 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