Rules BUG: Enemy control of a fleet's port
Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2007 8:04 am
EiA rules state:
6.2.6 ENEMY CONTROL OF A FLEET'S PORT: If a port in which a fleet is located becomes enemy-controlled, the fleet must be moved immediately ... into an adjacent sea area or the port's blockade box...
6.2.6.1: If the port is blockaded by an enemy fleet at the time, the fleet in the port is scuttled instead and all its fleets and ships are lost. Alternately, if desired, the blockaded fleet(s) may choose to fight the blockading fleet(s), with the wind gauge automatically going to the blockading fleet(s). The blockaded fleet(s) remains in the blockade box if it wins the combat. The blockaded fleet(s) must be scuttled if it loses the naval combat.
5.1.4.1: Each fleet "scuttled" that contains one or more ships causes the loss of "-1" political point (record on the POLITICAL STATUS DISPLAY on the Status Card). Removing a fleet that contains no ships costs no political points.
The EiANW rules state:
8.7 Enemy control of a port
If a port in which a fleet is located becomes enemy-controlled, the program will automatically attempt to evacuate the fleets in port before the next Naval Phase. In this case, the program will resolve the naval blockade battle without user input. ... The blockading fleet(s) remains in port box if it wins and the blockaded fleet(s) must be scuttled if it does not win the naval combat ...
Two points here:
* There is an inconsistency in that the power owning the fleet does not get a chance to scuttle the fleet(s) leaving the port rather than fight the naval battle. If I was France or Spain, with a fleet containing a single ship, facing Nelson and 120 ships in the blockade box, I would scuttle rather than fight and give GB +2PP (also remembering that fleets in the blockade box automatically get the wind gauge, and so even a fair fight is tilted in favour of the blockading fleet).
* More importantly, the EiA rules state that each time a fleet is scuttled that contains ships, -1 PP per fleet is lost. In other words, if you have two fleets in a port box that becomes enemy controlled, and you evacuate the port and elect to fight the battle in the blockade box, you are going to lose probably 4 PP, not 2 PP -- -2 PP for losing the fleet battle and *another* -2 PP for scuttling your fleet.
Having played this through, it appears that the program does not deduct the extra 2 PP for scuttling the fleet. I had Nelson and most of the GB fleet sitting outside Brest, which contained the two French fleets. I invaded Brest, took the town (why the AI player made no attempt to stop this is another question), and the french fleet was defeated in the blockade box battle. The combat resolution showed +3 PP for GB, and -2 PP for France, when it should have showed +3 PP for GB (+2 for the battle and +1 for Nelson) and -4 PP for France (-2 for losing the battle and -2 for scuttling the fleets).
I think that both the board game rules and the EiANW rules clearly state that the losing fleet has to be scuttled, and although the EiANW rules don't contain anything about scuttling fleets (at all) I think it should give the controlling player the option of scuttling the fleet rather than fighting the battle. Also since the EiA rules state that -1 PP per fleet is lost if a fleet is scuttled, that should either be reflected in the EiANW rules or stated as a variation in the FAQ.
6.2.6 ENEMY CONTROL OF A FLEET'S PORT: If a port in which a fleet is located becomes enemy-controlled, the fleet must be moved immediately ... into an adjacent sea area or the port's blockade box...
6.2.6.1: If the port is blockaded by an enemy fleet at the time, the fleet in the port is scuttled instead and all its fleets and ships are lost. Alternately, if desired, the blockaded fleet(s) may choose to fight the blockading fleet(s), with the wind gauge automatically going to the blockading fleet(s). The blockaded fleet(s) remains in the blockade box if it wins the combat. The blockaded fleet(s) must be scuttled if it loses the naval combat.
5.1.4.1: Each fleet "scuttled" that contains one or more ships causes the loss of "-1" political point (record on the POLITICAL STATUS DISPLAY on the Status Card). Removing a fleet that contains no ships costs no political points.
The EiANW rules state:
8.7 Enemy control of a port
If a port in which a fleet is located becomes enemy-controlled, the program will automatically attempt to evacuate the fleets in port before the next Naval Phase. In this case, the program will resolve the naval blockade battle without user input. ... The blockading fleet(s) remains in port box if it wins and the blockaded fleet(s) must be scuttled if it does not win the naval combat ...
Two points here:
* There is an inconsistency in that the power owning the fleet does not get a chance to scuttle the fleet(s) leaving the port rather than fight the naval battle. If I was France or Spain, with a fleet containing a single ship, facing Nelson and 120 ships in the blockade box, I would scuttle rather than fight and give GB +2PP (also remembering that fleets in the blockade box automatically get the wind gauge, and so even a fair fight is tilted in favour of the blockading fleet).
* More importantly, the EiA rules state that each time a fleet is scuttled that contains ships, -1 PP per fleet is lost. In other words, if you have two fleets in a port box that becomes enemy controlled, and you evacuate the port and elect to fight the battle in the blockade box, you are going to lose probably 4 PP, not 2 PP -- -2 PP for losing the fleet battle and *another* -2 PP for scuttling your fleet.
Having played this through, it appears that the program does not deduct the extra 2 PP for scuttling the fleet. I had Nelson and most of the GB fleet sitting outside Brest, which contained the two French fleets. I invaded Brest, took the town (why the AI player made no attempt to stop this is another question), and the french fleet was defeated in the blockade box battle. The combat resolution showed +3 PP for GB, and -2 PP for France, when it should have showed +3 PP for GB (+2 for the battle and +1 for Nelson) and -4 PP for France (-2 for losing the battle and -2 for scuttling the fleets).
I think that both the board game rules and the EiANW rules clearly state that the losing fleet has to be scuttled, and although the EiANW rules don't contain anything about scuttling fleets (at all) I think it should give the controlling player the option of scuttling the fleet rather than fighting the battle. Also since the EiA rules state that -1 PP per fleet is lost if a fleet is scuttled, that should either be reflected in the EiANW rules or stated as a variation in the FAQ.