Halving firepower rule

[Phoenix90]

Hi all, im new to BFG and I have a question about how the halving firepower/launch bay capacity rule works.
Do I have to halve the TOTAL amount of firepower a ship has (for example 8 lances divided by 2 in the case of a Gothic cruiser) or halving EACH weapon side (4 divided by 2 for each lance battery, having so 2 lances on each side)?

Thanks


PS: Sorry for my english, I hope it is understandable what I'm trying to ask.

[fracas]

halve the total

[horizon]

Half the broadside. 


What's the difference?

(4:2) + (4:2) = 4
8 : 2 = 4
You cannot suddenly have 4 lances fully functional on port and 0 on starboard.

[Phoenix90]

Ok thanks, I suppose you must be right.

I got confused because the FAQ2010 bring this example, where the total strenght is divided: "(...) a Styx heavy cruiser that is both braced and crippled has a total launch bay strength of 2, or 6/2 =3, then 3/2 =1.5 (rounding up) =2. If it suits you, assume it is a quarter, rounding up."
And also because this way lance batteries of some Tau ships (like a Custodian, Protector, Emissary), which have two strength 1 lance batteries, would remain unaffected even by being crippled + brace for impact.

Just another quick question: Are the teleport attacks resolved before or after damage control?

[ehlijen]

I think you halve every volley your ship fires as it fires them.

So if your Tau cruiser has two single lances and it fires each at a separate target, each volley is 1/2=0.5 rounds 1 shot. But if it combines them into a single target it gets 2/2 = 1 shot total.

And I second the question, in which order do things happen in the end phase? Is there a set order? I've always just been doing it top to bottom, left to right on the cheat sheet that came with the box (which makes it damage control then blast marker removal then teleport attacks then boarding actions). Is that right?

[Sigoroth]

Total all firepower firing at a specific target then halve. So, if you had a cruiser with 3 lances on each side you could fire 2 lances at a target on each side. You would not be forced to fire 2 lances at one and 1 lance at another. Similarly, if you had 4 lances each side and you had only one target you would get 2 lances at it and the 2 lances of the other side would be wasted. You could not get 8 / 2 = 4 lances at the one target (essentially losing nothing).

The only caveat here is that you must halve before splitting your firepower. So if you had say 6 prow WB and you wanted to split it among 2 targets you could not split it, say, 5 / 1 and then halve to get a total of 3 / 1. You would have to halve first (6/2=3) and then split it (say, 2 / 1).

[Sigoroth]

I think you halve every volley your ship fires as it fires them.

So if your Tau cruiser has two single lances and it fires each at a separate target, each volley is 1/2=0.5 rounds 1 shot. But if it combines them into a single target it gets 2/2 = 1 shot total.

Halve before splitting fire.

And I second the question, in which order do things happen in the end phase? Is there a set order? I've always just been doing it top to bottom, left to right on the cheat sheet that came with the box (which makes it damage control then blast marker removal then teleport attacks then boarding actions). Is that right?

No, boarding actions and teleport attacks are conducted before damage control and blast marker removal.

[AndrewChristlieb]

I dont buy that. If one is halved and still one on either side your a cheat if you say that they're only one when combined and not two.

[Sigoroth]

I dont buy that. If one is halved and still one on either side your a cheat if you say that they're only one when combined and not two.

Them's the rules. You halve all firepower before splitting fire, it's in the FAQ. Otherwise you could simply halve firepower per hardpoint which would mean you'd lose sod all fire. Consider a squadron of Hemlocks. They have 1 pulsar each. Halve 1, round up and you get 1. So that's 1 pulsar each still. No loss in fire. So you total and then halve. But you could then split your fire. So if you, say, 3 squadrons of 2 Hemlocks, all braced, you could split your fire between 2 targets and this would give 0.5 pulsars per squadron per target, rounding up to 1 each meaning 3 pulsars per target or 6 in total. Again, no loss of firepower. So they made the rule, halve before you split.

So if two weapon hardpoints can be added together to fire on a single target, such as prow and dorsal WBs, then you must add them together and then halve before deciding to split fire. So a braced Emperor would have 5WB from its dorsal/prow mounts and another 3 from each broadside, for a grand total of 11. You could not put the prow guns to fire one way and the dorsal guns to fire the other side to get 6WB each side for a total of 12.

These rules are there so that you only gain the benefit of the rounding rules once.

[AndrewChristlieb]

Escorts are the exception, thats why they have the exception listed. If what your saying was the case then capitol ship squadrons would have to combine their totals together then halve but they dont.

[horizon]

We always played it like Sigoroth says (and I previously stated as well). These points also showed up when the ha designed the dorsal admech lance. The ha saw it as well and kept it like that.
Actually I missed one part.


We play that brace / crippled halves each hardpoint on its own. And from that point on you fire.
So yes, an Emissary will have 1 lance on port even if crippled/braced (0,25 rounded up) and 1 lance on starboard. Making a total of 2 in the prow.
Yes, it seems fishy, but that is the rule as I interpret,

[Sigoroth]

Escorts are the exception, thats why they have the exception listed. If what your saying was the case then capitol ship squadrons would have to combine their totals together then halve but they dont.

Look up the FAQ.

[AndrewChristlieb]

It says to total all strengths and halve.

Ive chosen to self edit myself because I felt Im coming off a bit too hot on this. Im sorry, thats the rule despite my opinion. I will chose to ifnore it myself tho and i would recommend others do the same.

[Sigoroth]

It says to total all strengths and halve.

Ive chosen to self edit myself because I felt Im coming off a bit too hot on this. Im sorry, thats the rule despite my opinion. I will chose to ifnore it myself tho and i would recommend others do the same.

Why do you think that it should not be like this? What circumstances do you foresee that this will matter for? The only one occurring to me off the top of my head is for the Tau, on ships like the Emissary with a single port and starboard lance which can both fire forward. Do you think that it should be allowed to get 2 lance shots even when braced or crippled?

[AndrewChristlieb]

The handful of examples I can think of are either largely considered overpriced or just plain bad, except for the strike cruiser which never had te option before the faq and doesnt gain much anyway.

So yes, the Emissary and Merchant having two lances wither crippled or not seems perfectly reasonable, just like with the Dauntless (which I know is a different story). The main thing for me is that if your shooting broadsides you have one each so how should they suddenly be unable to do the exact same thing just because they have swung their guns forward? Or why should it be ok to (presumably) launch a fighter and a bomber from one side each of a braced Styx but not one wave with two of each? Or of course as it stated in the Faq the Styx just gets 3 without an option so why is it that a Merchant gets two lances at all if theyre shooting in different directions. Its just doesnt add up.