Ares Games
Results 1 to 32 of 32

Thread: Rules clarification and reminders - things to remember as you play...

  1. #1

    matt56's Avatar May you forever fly in blue skies.
    Major

    Users Country Flag


    Name
    Matt
    Location
    Ohio
    Sorties Flown
    4,107
    Join Date
    Sep 2014

    Default Rules clarification and reminders - things to remember as you play...

    Having run several games of T&T now at conventions and read through the rules twice and typed out 'crib notes' to help during game play, I think I can suggest a couple of things to watch out for as you start playing against the Martians and their invasion in your neck of the woods...

    Special Damage to tripods - these icons are found in the A, B, C, and D decks - special damage to Martians is ONLY applied if you are firing through an UNSHIELDED side of the tripod base (the black sections). They are only applied through a SHIELDED side (the orange sections) when the shields have been 'knocked down' (that is, when there are no energy cubes left). The special damage can be quite debilitating to the tripods. In fact, special damage is like the points damage on the plane decks - it's only effective when hitting UNSHIELDED Martians. As a reminder - if the tripod is TOPPLED, then it is considered SHIELDLESS for the 2 maneuver cards it takes to stand back up again.

    Recharging Energy - can ONLY occur if the tripod is 'standing still' - this means you have to plot one of your three 'stop' cards as your maneuver card and intend to recharge on that plotted maneuver phase. Depending on what's happening in a game, energy can be used up pretty quickly! The A, B, C, and D decks have a certain number of cards that cause energy loss when drawn as damage, so energy management can be really important for the tripod player.

    Martian weapons - the Heat-Ray can ONLY fire every OTHER maneuver phase, at most. Once a Heat-Ray has been fired, it must take one maneuver phase to recharge - this recharge affects all Heat-Ray 'projectors' on the tripod. You cannot, for example, fire the front Heat-Ray on the first maneuver card and then fire the right front Heat-Ray on the second maneuver card. Firing any Heat-Ray effectively 'drains' all H-R projectors for the next maneuver phase. Similarly, when you fire Black Smoke, you must wait two maneuver cards before you can fire it again. Like the H-R, firing one BS launcher drains the other launchers for two maneuver cards. It is easy to lose sight of these restrictions during a game, and these limitations also affect how you might want or need to manage your tripod from turn to turn.

    Hope these help smooth out your gaming experience with these beasties! I am sure folks can add more as we become more acquainted with the game

    All the best,
    Matt

  2. #2

    Default

    Thanks, Matt.

    Another point to clarify - the damage from the heat-ray at short range.

    At long range..."The player of the target airplane draws one damage card from the deck that matches the firepower of the firing tripod without revealing it."

    At short range..."The player of the target airplane draws and reveals one damage card from the deck that matches the firepower letter of the firing tripod; if it is a '0', the player draws a second card (this time without revealing it to the opponent).

    The clarification for short range....

    1) The first card is revealed whether it's a '0' or not; and
    2) If it is not a '0' that card is kept as a damage for the tripod

    The clarification is that this is a similar procedure as AA guns, except first card is only used to determine if there's a 'hit' and a damage card is drawn but otherwise it's ignored. In the tripod heat-ray rule it doesn't actually say what is done with the first card it it's not a '0' and they're usually pretty detailed about that in the rules. Plus there's always the possibility that the rule was intended that the heat-ray is less likely to damage an airplane at close range. Although I'm assuming it's more likely.

  3. #3

    Default

    Still awaiting my box of goodies - Do the special damage cards not cause energy loss to the Tripod if taken through the shields ? The print and play version of the damage cards suggested they did, not sure if they are the same of course.

    "He is wise who watches"

  4. #4

    Default

    New official rule book says as long as a damage card inflicted on a tripod has a small energy icons (0, 1 or more) on the top left then energy is lost even if through a powered shielded side. A BOOM card will take away half of the energy from it's starting rating, rounded up.

  5. #5

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by flash View Post
    Still awaiting my box of goodies - Do the special damage cards not cause energy loss to the Tripod if taken through the shields ? The print and play version of the damage cards suggested they did, not sure if they are the same of course.
    If the damage card has a Martian special damage icon on it, it usually has an energy icon as well. IIRC, this means that the shield repells the hit, but at the cost of one energy. This is the reason that I suggested all Human players always shoot at the tripods, even on shielded sides. If there is special damage, it costs the Martian enery. Eventually, it will drop the shield, and the end will be near...
    Mike
    "Flying is learning to throw yourself at the ground and miss" Douglas Adams
    "Wings of Glory won't skin your elbows and knees while practicing." OldGuy59

  6. #6

    matt56's Avatar May you forever fly in blue skies.
    Major

    Users Country Flag


    Name
    Matt
    Location
    Ohio
    Sorties Flown
    4,107
    Join Date
    Sep 2014

    Default

    Paul, we play that at short range, when you expose that first card and it is NOT a zero, you keep it as your damage. Even though the rule is sort of vague, it seemed the sensible thing to do.

    Some of the cards in the A - D Decks have 'lightning bolt' symbols in the upper left-hand corner, Dave. When firing at a shielded side, those cause the tripod's energy to lose one or two cubes (depending on how many bolts are shown). The points of damage on the card do not count against a shielded side UNTIL the tripod's energy is at zero.

    When firing at an UNSHIELDED side, the points and special damage count. There is nothing in the rules (I will check again to make sure) that says if you are firing against the UNSHIELDED side and draw a card with the lightning bolt symbol that the tripod loses energy. I think that the bolt symbol should only have an effect on SHIELDED sides, as it would be a measure of 'overloading' the shield in that spot and causing 'energy damage'...but like I said, I will check later this afternoon when the opportunity allows.

    Hope you get your Martian 'fix' soon!
    All the best,
    Matt

  7. #7

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by matt56 View Post
    Paul, we play that at short range, when you expose that first card and it is NOT a zero, you keep it as your damage. Even though the rule is sort of vague, it seemed the sensible thing to do.

    Some of the cards in the A - D Decks have 'lightning bolt' symbols in the upper left-hand corner, Dave. When firing at a shielded side, those cause the tripod's energy to lose one or two cubes (depending on how many bolts are shown). The points of damage on the card do not count against a shielded side UNTIL the tripod's energy is at zero.

    When firing at an UNSHIELDED side, the points and special damage count. There is nothing in the rules (I will check again to make sure) that says if you are firing against the UNSHIELDED side and draw a card with the lightning bolt symbol that the tripod loses energy. I think that the bolt symbol should only have an effect on SHIELDED sides, as it would be a measure of 'overloading' the shield in that spot and causing 'energy damage'...but like I said, I will check later this afternoon when the opportunity allows.

    Hope you get your Martian 'fix' soon!
    All the best,
    Matt
    I am going to have to read all the 'new-to-me' rules, and look over the 'new-to-me' components. There have been some interesting changes to the rules that were not passed on to me during play-testing. It appears that all my play-test damage decks are now obsolete.

    Yes, there are now multiple energy icons in the top left corners of some cards. Usually the higher damage cards, or special damage cards. And the rules say that if the tripod is hit on a shielded side, it looses the corresponding number of energy counters. It also says that if hit on an unshielded side, it takes damage normally, which I would take to mean just physical or special damage, with no energy reduction (as Matt suggested above, indicating a shield overload when hitting an active shield).
    Mike
    "Flying is learning to throw yourself at the ground and miss" Douglas Adams
    "Wings of Glory won't skin your elbows and knees while practicing." OldGuy59

  8. #8

    Default

    having face the tripods (once at origins this year), as far as tactics. i would suggest tripods must move and fight using a buddy system (dare i even suggest a triumvirate?) when moving and shooting. one stops and recharges whilst its buddies move and fire. and dont be afraid to use their weapons "danger close" to tripods being swarmed.

  9. #9

    Default

    Two to three tripods, working as a team, laying down Black Smoke offensively and defensively, is very deadly on Human planes. If the planes are trying to get in close for short range shots, the Black Smoke is almost impossible to avoid, if the Martian doesn't automatically hit on launch. Then, add in overlapping Heat-ray shots.
    Two together means either double hits, or hits every phase, as the Tripods alternate their shots/launches. Oh. OK, I have to go back and check the new rules, because Black Smoke is now every third phase? It won't be good, in any case...
    Mike
    "Flying is learning to throw yourself at the ground and miss" Douglas Adams
    "Wings of Glory won't skin your elbows and knees while practicing." OldGuy59

  10. #10

    Default

    I should re-read the rules again and I will but I'll throw this out before I do. At the moment a few things are not clear to me.

    Does a tripod recharging come before the firing phase? Example is if a tripod has no energy, it stands still and recharges so it will have one energy cube. If an airplane shoots at the tripod while it is recharging, which happens first, the recharging or the shooting? Big difference in outcome.

    If a one card shot at a tripod takes out it's last energy cube, does any other damage get through?

    Another question, say a tripod has energy cubes. It then takes a close range shot from an airplane. The card combination removes all the tripod's energy. Does any other damage get through? (sort of like above)
    If one of the cards is enough to take out the last energy, does the other card's damage get through?

    Should we play the damage cards in chosen sequence. (This opens up a can of worms if there are multiple planes!)
    If one of the cards removes the last energy on it's own, can the other card's damage count? The sequence matters if the first card does not take out any energy.

    Ok, I'll go read the rules again....

  11. #11

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Teaticket View Post
    I should re-read the rules again and I will but I'll throw this out before I do. At the moment a few things are not clear to me.

    Does a tripod recharging come before the firing phase? Example is if a tripod has no energy, it stands still and recharges so it will have one energy cube. If an airplane shoots at the tripod while it is recharging, which happens first, the recharging or the shooting? Big difference in outcome.
    It is pretty clear in the description of thre Recharge action, that the energy is gained at the end of the phase, after all firing is resolved. I have lost a tripod, or two, due to not getting that energy while being attacked.

    Quote Originally Posted by Teaticket View Post
    If a one card shot at a tripod takes out it's last energy cube, does any other damage get through?

    Another question, say a tripod has energy cubes. It then takes a close range shot from an airplane. The card combination removes all the tripod's energy. Does any other damage get through? (sort of like above)
    If one of the cards is enough to take out the last energy, does the other card's damage get through?

    Should we play the damage cards in chosen sequence. (This opens up a can of worms if there are multiple planes!)
    If one of the cards removes the last energy on it's own, can the other card's damage count? The sequence matters if the first card does not take out any energy.

    Ok, I'll go read the rules again....
    This has been answered elsewhere, IIRC, but I don't remember where. If even one energy cube remains, all firing in a game phase is simultaneous, including rockets, bombs, and guns. Unless there is something in the description of the weapon, all the damage will bounce off the active shield, until the energy cube is removed at the end of the firing phase. Now, if the last remaining energy cube is removed due to the result of damage by a pilot using the Itchy Trigger Finger Ace Skill, then all other damage in that phase will be on an unshieled tripod. That is in the description of the Ace Skill.
    Last edited by OldGuy59; 08-17-2019 at 08:21.
    Mike
    "Flying is learning to throw yourself at the ground and miss" Douglas Adams
    "Wings of Glory won't skin your elbows and knees while practicing." OldGuy59

  12. #12

    Default

    Thanks Mike. All fire is simultaneous clears it up. (except itchy trigger finger!)

    I just reread the rules and saw that the recharge comes after firing, so hopefully I now have it all cleared up. Trying to learn all the new T&T and BSG rules has been a challenge.

    Your avatar should have 3 metal legs beneath the BSG symbols!

  13. #13

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Teaticket View Post
    Thanks Mike. All fire is simultaneous clears it up. (except itchy trigger finger!)

    I just reread the rules and saw that the recharge comes after firing, so hopefully I now have it all cleared up. Trying to learn all the new T&T and BSG rules has been a challenge.

    Your avatar should have 3 metal legs beneath the BSG symbols!
    Thanks for the vote of confidence, but I'm not the appointed moderator of the T&T section of the Forum. I have been appointed as the moderator of the BSG section, however.

    PS:
    Itchy Trigger Finger:
    Aces with this skill are faster to shoot than everyone else.
    When they fire all the damage they cause is resolved before the simultaneous fire of the other airplanes that do not have an ace with this skill.
    With this skill, it is possible to take out an opponent before they do any damage to you. If used in T&T, it would have the same effect, and if it did energy damage, before others take their shots, the tripod would be unshielded.
    Last edited by OldGuy59; 08-17-2019 at 08:59.
    Mike
    "Flying is learning to throw yourself at the ground and miss" Douglas Adams
    "Wings of Glory won't skin your elbows and knees while practicing." OldGuy59

  14. #14

    Default

    From the rules - each phase a tripod can choose one action and only one action unless the manoeuvre card disallows actions that phase. Heat-Ray and Recharge are both actions. If the manoeuvre card sallows you can recharge OR use the heat-ray nut not both.

    Again from the rules....when a tripod is hit across a side protected by electrified armour and the tripod has AT LEAST ONE ENERGY CUBE ALL DAMAGE CARDS ARE REVEALED and:

    The numerical damage is ignored;

    If the card shows one or more energy icons, the tripod must discard the appropriate amount of energy counters;

    If the card is an explosion the tripod must discard an amount of energy equal to half its original energy rating.

    Pretty clear actually.

  15. #15

    matt56's Avatar May you forever fly in blue skies.
    Major

    Users Country Flag


    Name
    Matt
    Location
    Ohio
    Sorties Flown
    4,107
    Join Date
    Sep 2014

    Default

    If I remember correctly, there is at least one Martian 'pilot' special skills card that allows the Martian to make more than one action in a phase...

    The recharge of energy is kind of like the jam counter - it is replaced(energy)/removed(jam) at the end of the phase...well-played, Mike! And the tripod shields are awesome when they're working

    All the best,
    Matt

  16. #16

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by matt56 View Post
    If I remember correctly, there is at least one Martian 'pilot' special skills card that allows the Martian to make more than one action in a phase...

    The recharge of energy is kind of like the jam counter - it is replaced(energy)/removed(jam) at the end of the phase...well-played, Mike! And the tripod shields are awesome when they're working

    All the best,
    Matt
    Not quite, Matt. The 'Quick Reactions' skill allows the Martian to choose two actions at the beginning of the phase. Then, once all manoeuvre cards and action cards are revealed the Martian gets to choose which of the two action cards to use. This skill can be used once per game.

  17. #17

    Default

    I ran and played in my first Tripods & Triplanes game at the local club I attend last night. We started simply: two mats, two Locusts versus four A firing fighters ( Siemens Schuckert D.III, Albatros D.Va. SPAD XIII and Hanriot), no special damage, no black smoke, no altitude, no ace skills, four objectives to destroy. I had intended making a proper A.A.R. but I was too busy playing and running the game to take photographs.

    When running a game, keep reminding the Tripod players to announce their 'Actions' and place markers before manoeuvre cards are revealed.

    Queries from play: Can a Tripod with no energy cubes still move? I decided "Yes, as long as the move does not require expending an energy cube".
    The rules state "Special Damages are ignored when a tripod is attacked through a side protected by electrified armour." - does that apply to gun jams? No, because the gun jam is on the aircraft and has nothing to do with the tripod's shield.
    There was also the problem discussed above about exactly when recharging took effect.
    I treated recharging a tripod from an objective and destroying the objective as two separate actions, requiring two phases. Clearly, the recharging must be done first.


    The Tripods won the battle by destroying all four objectives. One took 16 points of damage the other 10 points. The SPAD XIII, and Albatros D.Va were shot down. The Hanriot pilot made a mistake and flew off the edge of the mat. Only the Siemens Schuckert D.III survived. It lasted about 2.25 hours.

    The players said that they had enjoyed the game. So, I will try something a bit more elaborate next time.

  18. #18

    matt56's Avatar May you forever fly in blue skies.
    Major

    Users Country Flag


    Name
    Matt
    Location
    Ohio
    Sorties Flown
    4,107
    Join Date
    Sep 2014

    Default

    Sounds like you all had a good time, David. We ran the tripods who had zero energy cubes the same way when we last played - could still move but could not do anything that required them to 'spend' energy. It's too easy to get caught up in the action and forget to take pictures (at least, it is for me...)

    All the best,
    Matt

  19. #19

    Default

    Yes, we did have a good time, Matt.

    Another thing that I overlooked at first was that when an aircraft fires at a side protected by a Tripod's shield all the damage cards are revealed and after any energy losses have been applied the damage cards are shuffled back into their deck.

  20. #20

    Default

    Something which came up in the second game I ran, is that the symbol printed on the damage cards for 'damaged black smoke launcher' is slightly different from the way the symbol is printed in the rulebook. This needs to be shown to any Tripod pilots, who do not know about it, because such damage is concealed.

  21. #21

    Default

    Well received my Starter Set from Keith last week. I have read the rules a few times and you guys have cleared up some the questions I had. The biggest thing I see is what I call HOUSEKEEPING for the Martians. Used to flying the planes but now have to get used to the things you have to keep track of for the Martins. Haven't played yet but have the Starter Set and this gives me 2 LOCUS/2 Neuports/2 energy cubes/2 damage decks and yesterday went to my LGS and bought 2 SCRABS. Looks like the end of the month will bring 2 more models and the WWII counters.

    Thanks for all your input about the game.

  22. #22

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Naharaht View Post
    Something which came up in the second game I ran, is that the symbol printed on the damage cards for 'damaged black smoke launcher' is slightly different from the way the symbol is printed in the rulebook. This needs to be shown to any Tripod pilots, who do not know about it, because such damage is concealed.
    Noted in the Black Smoke section of the tactical walk through David.

    "He is wise who watches"

  23. #23

    matt56's Avatar May you forever fly in blue skies.
    Major

    Users Country Flag


    Name
    Matt
    Location
    Ohio
    Sorties Flown
    4,107
    Join Date
    Sep 2014

    Default

    I have discovered that I have been somewhat overwhelmed by all of the symbols on the A - D Damage cards and consequently did things I shouldn't! Perhaps you are finding yourself similarly bamboozled from time to time...

    The damage the planes are dishing out to the tripods basically has three aspects to it (potentially) - energy (located in the upper left corner), physical damage (central on the card), and special damage (below the damage number) - and sometimes there is a little tiny 'traditional' WoG symbol in the upper right corner...I have caught the squirrel part of me looking back and forth between (occasionally) all of these symbols on one card and asking myself, "Which ones do I choose?"

    I think I finally have it figured out - experience has been a harsh mistress.

    The energy icon(s) in the upper left corner only come into play against a shielded side of the tripod - otherwise, ignore them.

    The damage number in the center of the card is used when firing against an unshielded side of the tripod or when a normally shielded side no longer is, due to energy loss.

    The special damage icon below the damage number only comes into play in a similar fashion to the damage number - when firing against a tripod's unshielded side or when energy is no longer powering a shielded side.

    The traditional WoG icon in the upper right corner would be used if you are using the Martian A - D decks to fire plane-to-plane. I guess that could happen depending on the scenario you are running, but since Earthlings unite to face the extraterrestrial menace, I would imagine ignoring that icon would be the usual order of business.

    As with any game, the more I play, the more adept I become with the ins and outs of the rules

    All the best,
    Matt

  24. #24

    Default

    Question about OBJECTIVE MARKERS.
    I see that Objective markers serve 2 purposes.
    1. Destroy to get victory points and
    2. Used to regain energy points.

    After using the marker to regain energy the marker is turned over to show the RED WEED and indicate that it can't be used to regain energy again. My question is since this marker has been used to regain energy is it out of play? What I mean is can it be destroyed to get victory points or has its value been used to regain energy ?

  25. #25

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by BobP View Post
    ... My question is since this marker has been used to regain energy is it out of play? What I mean is can it be destroyed to get victory points or has its value been used to regain energy ?
    It can be still be destroyed for victory points Bob, drawing energy from the site has no effect on it's value.

    "He is wise who watches"

  26. #26

    Default

    This question came up in play-testing.

    If you destroy an objective before recharging, the objective is not useable for recharging. Cause you 'destroyed' it.

    So, if you want the energy, you need to plan two stationary maneuver cards, and choose two actions in separate phases, to recharge from the objective marker, then destroy the objective marker. This does cause issues, when there is only two sides for the marker, and three conditions. The three states being: unused; exhausted; and, destroyed.

    You may need a house rule, or extra token. You could put an energy cube on an objective in scenarios where destroying objectives is a victory condition. That way, when a Tripod recharges, the energy cube is removed to indicate its 'exhausted' condition. If destroyed, turn the objective marker over. If the objective marker is destroyed before being exhausted, the cube is removed as well.

    Note: the single energy cube does not represent the available energy, as different tripods can recharge to different amounts, only that there is energy available from a given objective.
    Mike
    "Flying is learning to throw yourself at the ground and miss" Douglas Adams
    "Wings of Glory won't skin your elbows and knees while practicing." OldGuy59

  27. #27

    Default

    What I did at Council of Five Nations was to turn the marker over to it's red weed side if it the tripod had drained it of energy. When the objective was destroyed I removed it from the table.

    No real need for using an energy cube. One less piece on the table for me to lose!

  28. #28

    Default

    Played in Teatickets game and that's how he did it. I was just wondering as it seems to give the Martian player an advantage by getting back energy and then a victory point. Then I thought that it also gives the earth player an advantage since the Martian can't do any other action and that sort of gives the earth player shots with no adverse action by the Martian.
    So as the Martian player during the turn I would move (1)-move(2) and hit the objective marker-stand still(3) and use the recharge action (if needed). Then in the next turn stand still and destroy the objective(1)-move(2) and move(3).
    Maybe for a house rule the Martian player would have to choose to destroy the objective or use it to recharge but not both. More of a challenge on what to do.

    One other thing is that the only time the RED WEED is mentioned is when you turn over the objective marker after you recharge. Does the RED WEED have any other purpose ?

  29. #29

    Default

    I think letting the Martians recharge is a balancing tool. If the Martians didn't have that possibility they would be hard pressed to do what they need to do. Once they are low on energy they lose options like using weapons and running. They are loath to let their energy run out as with downed shields they won't last long.

  30. #30

    matt56's Avatar May you forever fly in blue skies.
    Major

    Users Country Flag


    Name
    Matt
    Location
    Ohio
    Sorties Flown
    4,107
    Join Date
    Sep 2014

    Default

    Looks like we are on the right track here. I just reread the rules on 'Destroy Objective' and 'Recharge' and you are correct - if you 'Destroy Objective' then no energy can be gained from it, period. If you 'Recharge' then you recharge up to your limit for that purpose as indicated by your tripod card and you flip the card over to the Red Weed side. Once it is Red Weed, no one can recharge from it but it is not destroyed.

    So if one tripod wants to do both things, 'Destroy Objective' and 'Recharge', then recharging first and destroying second is the way things have to go. Well played!

    All the best,
    Matt

  31. #31

    Default

    Good point Pete. So I see the earth tactic would be to have 2 planes attack in an unshielded area while the Martin is standing still then the Martin playerhas to decide on what action to take.

  32. #32

    Default

    Three things from recent games, which can be overlooked in the heat of the action: (1) Tripod pilots not waiting for all the recovery counters to be discarded before firing again; (2) Tripods not placing the indicator counter to show, which projector is being fired and (3) a plane after firing a 37mm cannon has to have a stall manoeuvre inserted as its next move.



Similar Missions

  1. Bombing Rules Clarification for Fighters
    By Woof in forum WGS: Rules Help
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 05-12-2019, 17:14
  2. Ace rules clarification
    By JanW in forum WGS: Rules Help
    Replies: 4
    Last Post: 02-02-2019, 15:49
  3. Rules clarification
    By DGH in forum WGS: Rules Help
    Replies: 16
    Last Post: 10-21-2015, 07:43
  4. Simple Aviation Rules and Reminders
    By Horse4261 in forum Officer's Club
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 08-11-2010, 14:36
  5. Bomb rules help/clarification
    By ste_marthe in forum WGS: Rules Help
    Replies: 6
    Last Post: 11-11-2009, 14:53

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •