F-Lighters and torpedos

[Bill Smith]

I torpedoed an F-lighter in game last night. My opponent objected because it says in the latest product write up that they are “invulnerable to torpedoes”. (Not so in reality – but they were less vulnerable)

They are classed as Large ships in the rules and there is nothing in their stat line (even in the erratta) to say that they cannot be torpedoed, or that the normal large ship modification should not be applied.

Some clarification here would be useful – personally I think they should be hit on a base 4, without the large ship +2 modification.

• This topic was modified 5 years, 1 month ago by Bill Smith.

[Big Al]

The F-lighter is a barge and has a shallow draft. Look at the little info box on page 13 with the US captain. It tells you that boats of a certain size and barges are immune to torpedoes. It does go on to say that the rules include a -2 modifier for those who want to make these vessels prone to torpedo attack.
It doesn’t need clarification because it is right there in the book. Admittedly, it would help if it was on the card and stat line for the vessel

[Chris Salander]

Even when the shooters adjusted their torpedoes to run shallow, torpedoing a lighter was a rare event. But if you don’t allow it at all, up front, it changes the way the players behave. They need to believe that they have a chance to torpedo the lighters to attack. Otherwise they complain and dither. I prefer to allow a hit on a natural (unmodified) roll of 1 or 2. And a 1 in 5 chance seems about right, compared to my reading. I suppose you could include crew quality, but a 40% chance is just too much.
Another approach would be to not tell the Allied players that their torpedoes will not hit, until the moment the first torpedo passes under a lighter.

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