Aerospace Strafing clarification check & quibble

[snrdg091012]

Hello all,

I've attempted a search of the forum to check to see if my understanding of strafing per TW p. 243 and the example on p. 244. The search did not find anything that would confirm that I understand strafing.

1. Clarification
My understanding of Strafing from TW p. 243 is:

An aerospace/conventional fighter can if it is at altitude level of 1 to 3 above a ground can performing a strafing attack that is from 1 to 5 hexes long using one, some, or all forward direct fire non-ammo using energy weapons. Each target, friendly or hostile, in each of the hexes designated for strafing are targets for each weapon fired during the attack. Each To-Hit roll is modified by a number of factors and any that are successful check to see what damage, if any, results. The fighter's use of its energy weapons count as one attack that combines the heat generated that is noted as one heat build-up phase.

In normal combat a weapon that misses the To-Hit roll the round/beam/missile disappears form play. A successful To-Hit roll moves to the next phase of determining  the location hit and damage taken.

The strafing example has a fighter hitting five hexes with four large pulse lasers. In Hex A there is a vehicle and infantry, B has a Mech and BattleArmor, C has a ProtoMech, and D has a VTOL.

I'm not grasping on how a successful To-Hit roll is handled for the following hexes being strafed. Here is what makes sense to me.

The fighter makes a To-Hit roll for each target in Hex A and hits the vehicle with one of the four lasers and failed to hit the infantry.  Hex B the three lasers that missed targets in Hex A make To-Hit Rolls against the two units. This time the BattleArmor troops and the Mech is missed leaving the beams from two of the lasers moving into Hex C. One of the two remaining lasers make a successful To-Hit Roll on the ProtoMech and the final laser makes a successful To-Hit roll on the VTOL in Hex D.

Is the above in side the ball park is am I lost in the woods?

2. Quibble

From the Aviation/Space Dictionary 7th Edition 1st Printing 1990 by Larry Reithmaier
Strafing p. 311 The delivery of automatic fire by aircraft on ground targets.

Based on the definition above and the strafing video clips on the Internet direct fire ballistic weapons should be allowed to strafe. Of course when the weapon makes a successful To-Hit roll the shot/round would not be available to hit any other targets.

[Weirdo]

You're off. The way it works is as such:

Roll four lasers against each target in Hex A.
Roll four lasers against each target in Hex B.
Roll four lasers against each target in Hex C.
Roll four lasers against each target in Hex D.

It does not matter if a weapon hits a unit early in the line, that weapon still gets a to-hit roll against every unit in the line, and does full damage to each one that it hits. Don't think too hard about how it still only generates heat for a single shot.

Regarding ballistics: How many ballistic weapons can affect every target within a 30 meter by 150 meter area? I assume that what the real world things off as strafing doesn't last for much longer than a single hex and that any modern fighter pilot would be shocked at the lengths Battletech fighters can strafe down. As a result, you can strafe with ballistics, but rules-wise it's effectively a strike.

And of course, you should never forget: Strafing is with very few exceptions a VERY BAD IDEA, so there's little point to thinking too much about the mechanics of it anyway.

[Tai Dai Cultist]

And of course, you should never forget: Strafing is with very few exceptions a VERY BAD IDEA, so there's little point to thinking too much about the mechanics of it anyway.

It IS a good way to try to start a whole bunch of fires, though.

[Weirdo]

Hmm...trees are immobile, so the odds of you actually hitting something approach useful odds. Trees don't usually have guns, so the odds of you dying go down noticeably from 'almost certain' to 'maybe, maybe not'. Fire is pretty.

...upon careful consideration, using a strafe attack to start a fire may not be as dumb as strafing actual combat units. Approved! :)

[snrdg091012]

Hello Weirdo and Tai Dai Cultist,

Thank you for the replies and my apologies for not responding sooner. I forgot to click on Notify.

My first reading of the rules I had the right meaning per Weirdo's clear explanation and then I watched a station that had a program on WW II that showed strafing and then checked out clips on the Internet.

I have however in an off-the forum when asked about strafing followed the rules as described by Weirdo and also used my out to lunch concept.

Back in time when I played a BT campaign I strafed an area and was very successful until I failed to pull up to miss the raised terrain feature. ;-)

Thank you again for the help.