Aerospace Thrust Rating vs Move Rating

[Cache]

Thrust – Aerospace units in Alpha Strike have a Thrust rating instead of Move. This rating is a point value, rather than a measure in inches, due largely to the mechanisms that govern aerospace combat in this game.

If aerospace units don't have a move rating, why is MV on the cards rather than Thrust? I've been half asleep for the last hour or so while trying to learn the in's and out's of aerospace combat in Alpha Strike. For whatever reason, the entire time I thought the TH (beside armor and structure boxes) meant thrust. Which confused me as that made no sense whatsoever because under Hovering in Place on p. 180 it states that, "Any aerospace unit with the Airship (i) or Spheroid (p) movement mode codes beside its Thrust rating may hover in place during the Movement Phase."  :D Not my finest moment, I know, but the cards don't read how the rules say they should, IMO. Should MV on the cards be replaced with Thrust? A two-letter abbreviation wouldn't be so easy with TH already being taken by Threshold, but there's plenty of room for more than two letters.

[Cache]

Thinking about this a bit more now that I'm of (fairly) sound mind.  I'd abbreviate thrust as "TH" and change the abbreviation for threshold to "DT", as in "Damage Threshold."

[sadlerbw]

We could also just re-word the sentence in the ASCE to be something like:

Thrust – Aerospace units in Alpha Strike have do not list their movement in inches. They instead list their movement as a Thrust Rating. This rating is a point value, rather than a measure in inches, due largely to the mechanisms that govern aerospace combat in this game.

Would that satisfy you?

[Cache]

Would that satisfy you?

Not really. It doesn't address my concern.

The Aerospace Movement section (p. 180), par. 3, states, "...or it may shift its miniature along the edge in either direction up to a number of inches equal to its Thrust." That's self explanatory and I have no problem understanding that Thrust is a value to be multiplied by 1 inch (or whatever scale you're using). There is also the part in Hovering in Place that states, "Any aerospace unit with the Airship (i) or Spheroid (p) movement mode codes beside its Thrust rating..." So we're looking for a movement mode code in parenthesis beside a Thrust rating. Simple. Here's the problem: I look at the card and don't see Thrust anywhere. I see a TH, which doesn't stand for thrust, but Threshold--something I didn't realize at first. I also see MV, which is a hold-over from ground unit cards and rules (p. 27 has a beautiful example of them) but is not called out anywhere in the aerospace rules. There is nothing in the rules that states Thrust = MV on the cards, and that's not necessarily a simple deduction for a beginner.

Why does the card not match the rules?

I suggested the changes to the card because that appears to be the simpler option. There are two cards in the back of ASCE, and (presumably) one template in the MUL. Change Thrust to Move in the rules and you've got to go through the entire section of ASCE and possibly AS Companion as well. (Not sure if that was superseded by ASCE as I've only seen the post that AS is no longer being updated.)

On the cards, change MV (Move) to TH (Thrust) and change TH (Threshold) to DT (Damage Threshold).

[Scotty]

On pg. 26 when defining what goes into a unit card:

Thrust – Aerospace units in Alpha Strike have a Thrust rating
instead of Move. This rating is a point value, rather than a measure
in inches, due largely to the mechanisms that govern aerospace
combat in this game.

The movement capabilities of a unit are in the same place on every card.  The damage taking characteristics of a unit are in the same place on every card.  Thrust and Threshold are exactly where they need to be, and their definitions are self-explanitory if you're looking at the rest of the card.

The far simpler solution here is to not change anything, especially since the major hurdle appears to have already been cleared.

[Cache]

The far simpler solution here is to not change anything, especially since the major hurdle appears to have already been cleared.

Obviously the hurdle has not been cleared. It is confusing.

Thrust and Threshold are exactly where they need to be, and their definitions are self-explanitory if you're looking at the rest of the card.

They are where they need to be, no argument there. The definitions, however, were not self-explanatory.

[nckestrel]

Obviously the hurdle has not been cleared. It is confusing.

Are you still confused?

[Cache]

Are you still confused?

I am not, now. Nor do I expect others who are fluent in the rules to find it confusing. I approached the rules as a noob and found the way they were written to be confusing.

[nckestrel]

I am not, now. Nor do I expect others who are fluent in the rules to find it confusing. I approached the rules as a noob and found the way they were written to be confusing.

It would certainly be better to have it listed as Thrust instead of Move.  I don’t know when we will be able to do that though.

[Ben]

I just looked at the PDF for the second printing of Commander’s Edition and saw that the blank Fighter card in the back shows “THR” instead of “MV” now. :thumbsup:

[nckestrel]

Yeah, hopefully we'll get the MUL site switched over "soon" as well.