Looking through the rules and movement dials, I didn't see an option for simply standing still. The slowest an xwing can go is 1 forward while the TIE fighter is limited to 2 forward unless you ion stun it. Did I miss something or is this a side effect of "aircraft in space" style dogfighting rules?
Can you just stay still?
I didn't even consider this. My thoughts are that it wouldn't make sense for the flow of the game. Instead of thinking of it as one move at a time, think of it as a series of fast maneuvers on the same flight. The motion would be continuous like a real dogfight.
herozeromes said:
I didn't even consider this. My thoughts are that it wouldn't make sense for the flow of the game. Instead of thinking of it as one move at a time, think of it as a series of fast maneuvers on the same flight. The motion would be continuous like a real dogfight.
I can't blame them for using the WWII style dogfighting as their mechanic given that they've already got two games using it and that Lucas himself used it as a basis for SW dogfights in the movies. Its just something wierd that I noticed reading through the ruleset. If anyone doesn't know what I'm talking about, watch some dogfights on the 90's scifi show Babylon 5 to see starfighters heading in one direction while flipping backwards to shoot in the opposite (as opposed to the immelman required here or large bank and turn seen in aircraft dogfights).
The rules state that : "Players must assign a dial to each ship." So technically you could stand still if it happens to be on your dial, but none of the current ships do.
Sanguinary Priest said:
herozeromes said:
I didn't even consider this. My thoughts are that it wouldn't make sense for the flow of the game. Instead of thinking of it as one move at a time, think of it as a series of fast maneuvers on the same flight. The motion would be continuous like a real dogfight.
I can't blame them for using the WWII style dogfighting as their mechanic given that they've already got two games using it and that Lucas himself used it as a basis for SW dogfights in the movies. Its just something wierd that I noticed reading through the ruleset. If anyone doesn't know what I'm talking about, watch some dogfights on the 90's scifi show Babylon 5 to see starfighters heading in one direction while flipping backwards to shoot in the opposite (as opposed to the immelman required here or large bank and turn seen in aircraft dogfights).
the space phsyics of star wars has never really utilized the sci in sci-fi, i never watched babylon 5 but i know the battlestar vipers do what you mention, but that just doesnt feel right in star wars somehow
When will people learn, there is no physics in Star Wars
That still doesn't explain why you can't simply put the engine in park.
Sanguinary Priest said:
That still doesn't explain why you can't simply put the engine in park.
There could be stalling/hiding rules for the Falcon and Slave I. Think about it.
Sanguinary Priest said:
herozeromes said:
I didn't even consider this. My thoughts are that it wouldn't make sense for the flow of the game. Instead of thinking of it as one move at a time, think of it as a series of fast maneuvers on the same flight. The motion would be continuous like a real dogfight.
I can't blame them for using the WWII style dogfighting as their mechanic given that they've already got two games using it and that Lucas himself used it as a basis for SW dogfights in the movies. Its just something wierd that I noticed reading through the ruleset. If anyone doesn't know what I'm talking about, watch some dogfights on the 90's scifi show Babylon 5 to see starfighters heading in one direction while flipping backwards to shoot in the opposite (as opposed to the immelman required here or large bank and turn seen in aircraft dogfights).
Interestingly, this very maneuver was used by Corran or Wedge in one of the X-wing books. They stepped on the "ehteric rudder" and pulled around, allowing them to make a sharp turn that allowed them to face backwards along their trajectory to shoot their pursuit. It was pretty cool in that instance, but if this was a standard tactic nobody would worry about having a fighter on their back ("Blasted, Biggs, where are you?").
Now that you mention it I do recall seeing it a couple of times on BSG (the new one, not the classic 70's version) as well. For those who don't know still what we're talking about, check out the video below at 3:25 and you'll see some very maneuverable capital ships from the old show doing it. Basically, they can turn and fire/act while moving in the original direction. This isn't possible on earth in the atmosphere which is why I suspect we don't see it much in Star Wars with its WW2 style dogfighting. Sure makes strafing runs a whole lot easier and safer!
Sanguinary Priest said:
Now that you mention it I do recall seeing it a couple of times on BSG (the new one, not the classic 70's version) as well. For those who don't know still what we're talking about, check out the video below at 3:25 and you'll see some very maneuverable capital ships from the old show doing it. Basically, they can turn and fire/act while moving in the original direction. This isn't possible on earth in the atmosphere which is why I suspect we don't see it much in Star Wars with its WW2 style dogfighting. Sure makes strafing runs a whole lot easier and safer!
The video is from the "Babylon 5" TV series, not the old "BSG".
Um, yeah, I know. I specifically searched for b5 combat videos on youtube.
There are several games out there where you can do this, but the inertia rules get cumbersome. I think the general idea behind X-Wing speed of play.
It's also easier to use physics that most people can grasp. Without a 0 on the dial, i also agree this should not be allowed.