Must all targeted attacks be declared against each individual enemy before you roll? Or can you pick and choose after seeing how the first roll turns out.
Bombers
So I was playing the Axis, and my two friends were playing the Allies. I had a space which had one artillery and a tank. They sent both bombers into that area and the Americans rolled first and hit my artillery, the British rolled next and hit my tank.
My question is: Since bombers are targeting their attacks, must they declare what they are hitting before placing the bombers on the map and hold themselves to that decision, no matter the outcome of the American bomber roll? Otherwise what my friends were doing was to place both bombers in the same place saying they wanted to get my artillery. The Americans would roll for the artillery and if he got it, then the British bomber would move to something else. What I believe should be done is that before they even place their bombers on the board, they need to declare what they are targeting and hold themselves to that. If the first bomber hits the artillery, then so be it, the second bomber is just placing another bomb in the same crater as the first one.
My reasoning is that in Axis & Allies: Revised (which I have played many times) you have to declare all combat moves across the board beforehand and then roll them out to see what happens. You can’t do one combat at a time and ‘see how it turns out’.
Blockhouses
So when I told the American this he responded, “But your remaining blockhouses do the same thing when they fire to sea.” The Germans go right down the line and if the first blockhouse doesn’t get that tank, then the second one will get a try, and if the second one doesn’t get it, then the third can (so long as the firing arcs allow it).
But I responded, “When you bombard my blockhouses, you roll the dice one at a time and decide if you want to move to the next one or not, so you’re doing the same thing too”.
He responded, “Exactly, that’s why I can do what I was doing with my bombers.”
My opinion: He does have a point. :oops: If the Allies have to declare their bombers and stick to that decision no matter what, then I should probably have to declare all of my blockhouse attacks before rolling, and he should have to pick how many dice he wants to spend on each of my blockhouses during the naval bombardment turn.
Fighters
With glee I can point out to my friend that the next time he plays the Axis he can’t move his units into territories with Allied fighters one at a time to see how the fight goes. You have to declare the Axis moves before moving them, the D-Day FAQ’s support this, and this is traditionally how Axis & Allies is played. You have to make your choice and see how the dice fall.
Conclusion
I believe that for any targeted attack both the Axis and Allies must declare what they are going to hit and stick to that decision no matter if it has already been destroyed. This would go for Naval Bombardment, Anti-aircraft Fire against both Fighters and Bombers, Bombers Strike, and Blockhouses Fire to Sea.
What do you all think?
Well? Am I right, or is my friend right in the above situation?
:lol:
I haven’t made time to double check the FAQ and rulebook. I do have an opinion though. :-)
I think mostly it isn’t that important one way or another. But a more helpful detailed opinion is forthcoming.
I’m a bit behind on my more thought out response to this. :oops:
First off I think you can play in your home games any way you want. House rule anything you want.
Second I think that for simple ease targets do not need to be declared before hand for either Bombers or blockhouses. For simplicity sake I think that is easiest. Page 15 of the rulebook supports pick roll a die and pick again “the same blockhouse can be chosen more than once.”
As to the bombers again on page 15 “Each hit removes one land unit of th Allies player’s choice from play.” So if you have two bombers in the same zone you would roll for your hits and pick the units to remove. Although the word target on the order card suggests pick before you roll but for consistency there is no reason not to do it the same as blockhouses and this is how I have usually played.
This is also along the same lines of the blockhouses fire to sea order which targets and page 16 says “each blockhouse can fire on a different target. Roll dice one at a time.”
So for consistency I would go with target-roll-repeat till out of dice.
I think the pick all targets and then roll is more to the Axis favor than the Allies favor. I have never lost as Axis and tend to think the target-roll-repeat is a better way to go.
Target all first is probably more real for Aircraft (harder to change course midstream and end up on a dime) than for blockhouses. If you are sighting visually on a landing craft you will be able to see if it has been hit from somewhere else and can change the target.
Sorry for the tardy reply. :oops:
