Scrambling

Thank you Panther

@Luxor:

Can scrambled planes choose not to return to the territory they scrambled from? (Assuming there’s place for them on friendly carriers in the seazone they scrambled to)

No, as long as the territory they have scrambled from has not been taken by the enemy, the planes have to return there:

@rulebook:

After all combat is completed, each surviving scrambled air unit must return to the territory from which it was scrambled. If
the enemy has captured that territory, the unit can move 1 space to land in a friendly territory or on a friendly aircraft carrier.
If no such landing space is available, the unit is lost. Surviving scrambled air units land during that turn’s Noncombat Move
phase, before the attacker makes any movements.

Correct, but no interpretation is needed.

At the moment the decision where to land has to be made, the scrambled fighters are in the seazone where they scrambled to.
So it is one move from there.

@rulebook:

After all combat is completed, each surviving scrambled air unit must return to the territory from which it was scrambled. If
the enemy has captured that territory, the unit can move 1 space to land in a friendly territory or on a friendly aircraft carrier.
If no such landing space is available, the unit is lost.

You’re welcome  :-)

I think the rule would be more clear if scrambling only applied to island airbases (including England and japan). If sealion is more difficult then so be it. Sealion seems like it is a little too easy anyways.

@KillOFzee:

I don’t know if people aren’t reading the rules or what, but fighters in England CANNOT SCRAMBLE!!! Scrambling only takes place on Islands (A land territory within a SINGLE body of water), and the rule book SPECIFICALLY points out that England is not an Island. Is this an alpha 2 rule or something?

Be aware as well that in Alfa+2, you may only scramble up to 3 fighters per air base.

another example of this in action is attacking an enemy sub.  He might (and probably will) submerge, but its up to the defender so the attacker needs to send enough hardware to the sz to win if the enemy defends.

@Gargantua:

So there is a DEFINITE seperation between invading a Friendly Neutral, and a friendly/allied territory.

That is what we’re currently trying to determine.

@kcdzim:

A) if the US controls finland (or has fighters there), it’s no longer neutral.  It MUST be at war to be in Finland, no other way around it.
B) if any axis power declares war on Russia on the Europe side of the map, Russia is no longer neutral (it’s at war with someone, so it’s a friendly power to the Allies).
C) Declaring War occurs at the beginning of the move phase, and scrambling occurs at the end (at which point Russia is at war with at least one Axis power).

So in your example, as Russia is not neutral, and the US is not neutral, US planes in Finland can scramble to the seazone against an attack on Russia.

Correct, except that TheDefinitiveS said “UK”, not “US”, but that is a minor point.  Either way, the scrambling power is at war.

@kcdzim:

Neutral non player powers are different, in that they never automatically flip to a side, they just change to “friendly neutrals”.

Not exactly true.  When attacked, they join the opposite side from the attacker.

@kcdzim:

And even “friendly neutrals” require a non combat move into them to take control, even after they’re forces have been activated by a failed enemy attack.

After being attacked, they are no longer neutral, but friendly to the opposite side from their attacker.  However, the territory and forces are uncontrolled, as you say.  The question at hand is the timing of this status change.

@kcdzim:

And a friendly neutral is not the same as a player power not yet at war - they have completely different diplomatic rules.  For example, if Russia is not at war on the Europe map, Britain CANNOT noncombat move through their spaces.  It is NOT the same as a friendly neutral, for lack of a better term it’s a Neutral Power, completely different than a Friendly Neutral or a Strict Neutral.

Correct.