@Sig
Lock-down, not shut down. Why is a ship not being fired at weakening its fire and sealing preassure doors? The mechanic I object to specifically is a squadron-mate going on BFI because another ship in their squadron is being fired at. I don't think the whole squadron should panic. But I don't think they should just go on their merry way either.
I realize that fluff-wise there is little to keep another ship in the squadron from going on another SO, but there is also little reason in fluff for them to have to stay within 15cm. Same is true for taking a LD test to fire at a ship other than the closest. Or not being able to issue orders after you failed a test. Or for not being able to fire turrets against both torpedos and bombers in the same turn. Or a hundred other little thingsin the game. Some want BFG to become a naval combat simulator. I want it to remain a well bslanced game. I'm willing to suspend my disbelief to an extent to make the game function correctly.
If you want realism, squadrons are really just an administrative entity anyway. Do away with them completely. Youre doing away with the major benefit and drawback to squadroning anyway. Why maintain the arbitrary unit coherency rules that also make no sense in fluff?
You could brace one and target another ship, but then you will have to knock shields down again, resulting in a net decrease in the effectiveness of your firepower. And then that just braces too, so youve wasted 2 hits that could have damaged the first one for a second ship on brace.
@Admiral
The whole squadron ruleset is quirky both in the existing version and the proposed versions. Not my doing.
How often do you get to LO in a game? LO is very situational, BFI is not. Throughout the course of the game, BFI will absorb a lot more firepower than the LOs can put out. Unless you LO every turn, BFI is far more effective.
Plus, the increase in damage output for WBs on LO is less than BFI's save. As WBs are the most common weapon system in the game, and lances merely equal the damage resistance of BFI, there is still a net decrease in damage.
You do realize that these rules make Chaos a stronger fleet, don't you?
@Plaxor
There is no reason not to brace with these proposed rules. Every ship you fire at will just brace if it might take damage. Its an easy choice and has very little effect on the overall strategy of the fleet, so why not brace? It will be like squadrons don't exist at all. The game gets dumber and is more dependent on luck because its more dependent on failed LD tests to cause damage. And since everyone is bracing all the time, the potential for damage is decreased and the damage resulting from recieving fire is further decreased. Games will take a long time.