Port Attack

[warspite1]

Is this correct (I can see nothing to confirm in the rules)?

I am undertaking a port attack. The column of the AA CRT employed is the most extreme left of the table. I get to decrease the AA column by one. Does that mean no AA throw or is the extreme left a sort of default position and you use that?

Thank-you.

[Orm]

You can reduce the AA fire "out of the chart" and then that is a automatic 'no result' from the AA fire.

[warspite1]

Thank-you. That is the way it is coded - just not clear in the rules (unless I've missed it).

[composer99]

The closest explicit call-out to such a thing in the rules is in the section on surface naval combats §11.5.8:

You can increase your column by spending 2 surprise points per column. You can decrease your opponent’s column by spending 2 surprise points per column. You can’t move off the right-hand end of the naval combat chart. If you are moved off the left-hand end, you inflict no result on your opponent.

That's in the discussion of determining combat results. The rules for determining the damage inflicted by naval bombers explicitly calls upon this rule, while those for AA fire don't. I suppose in revisions of the rules that would be a good idea for the sake of thoroughness.

[paulderynck]

That rule quote is about spending surprise points, or shall we surmise it only applies to surface naval combat?

[warspite1]

It would make sense for it to be in 11.5.9 too. I was conducting a port attack so in searching for an answer to the rule query on AA fire I did not think "I know I'll check surface naval combat"!

I suspect writing completely clear rules in exactly the right place is a damn sight harder than it first appears [:)]

[composer99]

It's reasonable to expect the process for spending surprise points (in this case, how column shifts work) to be described completely in §11.5.6 ("Surprise Points") (or equivalent section in RAW8 if the numbering changes) rather than spread out through multiple sections of text.

[paulderynck]

Welcome to the rules for WiF.