@Krieghund:
@cousin_joe:
eg. 1 Cruiser attacks 1 Sub
- Does the Sub still get 1st strike?
Yes. Only a DD will cancel a sub’s special abilities. However, submarine first strikes only occur in the first round of combat. After that, they fire at the same time as all other units.
@cousin_joe:
- Is there any mechanism for the Sub to avoid the combat since there is no enemy DD present (eg. diving before the battle in lieu of it’s 1st strike?)
Yes, if there is no enemy DD present, a sub may sumerge instead of firing. This happens at the beginning of each combat round, before any dice are rolled. The attacker submerges first, then the defender.
I really like these rule changes Kreighund
SUB viability is dramatically improved from Revised
It’s actually very close to what we had in A&A Enhanced, where SUBs were very viable and a big factor in most games. There are 2 keys though that are still missing…
1. In AA50, SUB detection with Destroyers is automatic, whereas in Enhanced, destroyers needed to make a SUB detection roll (1@3/DD (higher with modifiers, 1 success detected all SUBs).
2. SUBs did Convoy damage to “Island” nations (UK, Japan, US)
On the flip side, AA50 SUBs are cheaper than in Enhanced (6 vs 7). So the question will be whether the cheaper SUBs in AA50 will be enough to overcome the lack of Convoy Raiding and the decreased viability.
A big factor that will determine this is whether Germany will be able to break out of the Baltic, which will be in turn largely be determined by the opening setup. If UK is able to buildup their Navy just outside the Baltic, and essentially hem the Germans in, then SUBs will not be viable.