Amphibious transport

[jlopez]

I'm having issues playing Sealion as the Axis. I can load units from Le Havre and Cherbourg onto amphibious landing craft and unload them on the south coast of the UK in the same turn. However, in order to do that I have to block all sea hexes around the ports except the northern onse with my own ships to guarantee the units loads into the northern hexes.

If the designer's intention is to allow the Axis to embark and disembark across the Channel on the same turn, then it would be nice if the player could choose where the transport goes. If it isn't then just place the transport in the port and if it's occupied you can't embark.

One thing I don't understand is why troops can't move their full move on the turn they embark. It removes all chance of surprising your opponent and on top of that you may end up having bad weather the next turn leaving your units without air cover and support!

Julian

[Hubert Cater]

Typically you embark on one turn and disembark on the next turn. From memory, and this was based on player feedback from one of our earlier versions of SC, the main reason for this implementation was to give opponents the chance to at least intercept/react to an amphibious invasion as otherwise it was impossible.

However, since then we did add the ability of Naval units along the coast to automatically fire against enemy amphibious units that brush up adjacent to them, so perhaps this original implementation is no longer as necessary... but this is something we'd have to test from the start and I'd be hesitant to make any changes to it now for this game as a result.

That being said, with the design of the channel and by using naval units to fill the ports, there is a way to work around this game mechanic, as you've discovered, and have the amphibious units embark and disembark on the same turn... but even here it is only 1 or 2 units if I remember correctly.

If we didn't allow units to embark if there was a naval unit in port then this would I fear be too limiting and tedious to have to always move a naval unit out of the way when I unfortunately can't really think of a good reason to enforce this type of rule.

[xwormwood]

I would like to suggest to leave the system the way it is.
For a change naval units would first need a long ranger intercept ability, just like fighter planes.

[Bmorgan077]

I agree the system as is works fine.
I think you can embark and disembark 3 units from Calais to Dover in one turn, if you have the
space to move 2 of them 1 hex out of Dover, and 2 from Cherbourg to near Portsmouth if you
fill all the sea hexes except 144,81 with ships. and 1 from Le Harve if 146,81 is only open
sea hex.
of course you need at least 6 anfibs and a bunch of mpps

[Leadwieght]

I agree that it should stay as is. It's not as if the British can't defend Dover if they try. The Germans can get across the Straits of Dover without being intercepted by the RN, just as they planned in the real war, but only with heavy commitment of air and naval resources (unless the Allied player is either inept or very unlucky). Makes for interesting strategic choices on both sides.

[MemoryLeak]

you don't need amphibious transports to invade England. There are so many British ships clogging up the channel
and occupying every hex that your troops can just walk across on top of them.