Solo 1/600 Jet Combat Pt. 4: Movement

Solo 1/600 Jet Combat Pt. 4: Movement

Movement in my homebrew solo jet game Our Space Age Air Force is pretty straightforward.  The order of movement is NOT the same order as established in the Initiative Phase and used during the Energy Management Phase.  Now that each fighter jet has its Altitude and Speed values determined, the order for actual movement depends on Altitude.

The jet with the lowest Altitude must move first and its entire movement is completed before proceeding to the next lowest fighter.  If two or more jets share the same Altitude value then determine first which table-edge indicates direction to the sun.  The jet farthest "down-sun" i.e. looking into the sun (farthest from the sun table-edge) must go first.  If multiple jets at the same Altitude are equally down-sun or the dogfight is at night, resolve ties with a die roll.

A jet must move a number of hexes equal to its speed value.  Fighter jets normally move into the hex directly off their noses but turns may also be attempted.  To attempt a turn roll 3d6 and discard two of the dice.  The dice discarded depends on the fighter's Maneuverability value (described in the first post).  Low Maneuverability fighters must discard the two dice with the highest scores.  Medium Maneuverability fighters must discard the die with the highest value and the die with the lowest value, leaving only the middle value die.  High Maneuverability fighters discard the two dice with the lowest scores.  The remaining die score, whatever the fighter's maneuverability, is compared to its Speed.  If the die value exceeds the Speed, the jet miniature may be rotated one hex-side (60 degrees) clockwise or counterclockwise.  If the turn roll fails to exceed the jet's Speed, the fighter's nose remains pointing at its initial hex-side.

If a jet pilot chose any Hard Turns during the Energy Management Phase, a bonus is applied directly to the roll.  The magnitude of the bonus may be +1 to +3, depending on just how many dice the solo player decides to sacrifice during the Energy Factor roll (see last post).  Note that this bonus is applied to every turn roll during the respective jet's Movement Phase.

Regardless of whether the turn roll is successful or not, the miniature must be moved forward one hex after each turn attempt.  Therefore a jet only has a number of turn attempts equal to its Speed.  Aerobatic maneuvers provide an exception to this rule allowing jets to turn two or three hex-sides before proceeding forward; aerobatics are covered in a future post.

And that's all there is to the Movement Phase.  The turn rolls may seem like a lot of dice rolling but I've found it leads to suspenseful solo play.