@bayder said in AA-fire/casualty selection issues in Revised (and other versions):
There is still zero reason for the rules to indicate that AA fire should occur in the Combat Move phase. The rules could easily state that AA fire occurs in Conduct Combat and Noncombat Move phases only. If this had been done, then there would be no questions regarding this rule.
What I understand is that here you believe that Revised OOB and LHTR work the same way, for flyovers during the Combat Move phase, as there would be no difference between saying that they are resolved at the end of the Combat Move phase or saying that they are resolved during the Conduct Combat phase, but the second formulation being clearer.
What I understand, instead, is that, by moving the AA fly over resolution from Combat Move to Conduct Combat, LHTR makes a practically relevant behaviour change, as in Revised OOB you would know the results of all Combat Move fly-overs before resolving any battles, as they already happened in a previous phase, while in Revised LHTR you know then only for the units involved in the current battle, and all the already resolved ones.
For example:
I have a fighter that flies over an AA gun in a territory "A", then flies over an AA gun in a territory "B", then end movement in a territory "C" (to take part in a battle in there).
I also have another fighter that flies over an AA gun in a territory "A" (the same territory that the other fighter is flying over too), then flies over an AA gun in a territory "D", then end movement in a territory "E" (to take part in a battle in there).
In Revised OOB, you would resolve the fly overs for:
The first fighter in "A"
The first fighter in "B"
The second fighter in "A"
The second fighter in "D"
In only one of the following only two possible orders, at your discretion:
1A, 1B, 2A, 2D
2A, 2D, 1A, 1B
Then, after resolving all fly overs, you would resolve the battles (with all other units involved in the same battle), comprising, at this point, any battle AA fire, if an AA gun is present in the embattled territory, for:
The first fighter in "C", if surviving the fly overs
The second fighter in "E", if surviving the fly overs
Assuming both fly overs miss, then, during Conduct Combat, either first resolving the "C" battle or first the "E" one, then the other one, at your discretion, no matter if you previously resolved the fly overs for the first fighter (that is now in "C") or the second one (that is now in "E") (of course, if the a fighter is shot down during fly over and was the only attacking unit, then there is no battle, instead).
Consequently, in case all fly overs miss, considering Combat Move and Conduct Combat together, you would have all and only the following possible resolution sequences, across the two phases:
1A, 1B, 2A, 2D, C, E
2A, 2D, 1A, 1B, C, E
1A, 1B, 2A, 2D, E, C
2A, 2D, 1A, 1B, E, C
(where, for example, "1A, 1B, 2A, 2D, C, E" literally means "at the end of combat move, resolving the flyover in A for the first fighter, then resolving the fly over in B for the first fighter, then resolving the fly over in A for the second fighter, then resolving the fly over in D for the second fighter, then, during Conduct Combat, resolving the battle in C, then resolving the battle in E")
In Revised LHTR, instead, during the Conduct Combat phase, fly-overs are all integrated as part of the specific battles where the flying over units are heading to, so you only decide whether first to make the battle in "C" or first to make the battle in "E", and, in this case, you cannot even decide in what order to resolve the fly overs, for each battle, since having only 1 fighter involved in any, for each one, thus being restricted to resolving all fly overs, by their zones movement sequence for the same unit, before resolving the battle that unit may be part of (if surviving all fly overs).
Meaning you can only resolve all fly overs and all battles as "1 then 2" or "2 then 1", where 1 and 2 are the following sequences:
1- Making the battle in "C", you first resolve the fly over for the first fighter in "A", then (if surviving) resolve the fly over for the first fighter in "B", then resolve the rest of the battle in "C", with the first fighter participating, and possibly being hit by an AA gun in the embattled territory, if surviving both fly overs.
2- Making the battle in "E", you first resolve the fly over for the second fighter in "A", then (if surviving) resolve the fly over for the second fighter in "D", then resolve the rest of the battle in "E", with the first fighter participating, and possibly being hit by an AA gun in the embattled territory, if surviving both fly overs.
Meaning that you have only the option of resolving them in any one of only the following two sequences:
1A, 1B, C, 2A, 2D, E
2A, 2D, E, 1A, 1B, C
(where, for example, "1A, 1B, C, 2A, 2D, E" literally means "resolving the flyover in A for the first fighter, then resolving the fly over in B for the first fighter, then resolving the battle in C, then resolving the fly over in A for the second fighter, then resolving the fly over in D for the second fighter, then resolving the battle in E")
The substantial difference being that, as said, in Revised OOB you know all fly over results, for Combat Movement, before resolving any battles, but you never know battle outcomes before resolving any fly overs, while in Revised LHTR, you cannot know all fly over results before resolving any battles (unless only one battle has any fly overs and you resolve that battle first, but, even in this case, the flyovers are technically part of the battle itself, not happening before it), but you may have or decide to resolve battles before fly overs, which is going to be actually inevitable if you have more than one battle with fly overs or if the battle with the fly overs is also an amphibious assault from an hostile sea zone, meaning, in the example, that, if you decide first to resolve the battle in "C", you have to do so without knowing the fly over results for the second fighter, until after that battle is over, while, if you decide first to resolve the battle in "E", you have to do so without knowing the fly over results for the first fighter, until after that battle is over.
However, I have to say I'm not sure of what I'm saying, so please @Panther check this all out, and let me know if my understanding is fully correct.
Of course, other than what above, if all correct, the only other difference for Revised OOB, over Revised LHTR, is that, in Revised OOB, you practically have the exactly same fly over resolutions for Non Combat Move, as well, to be resolved the exactly same way as the ones happening during Combat Move, except only that you must resolve those of air units coming back from battles before plotting any other, or rather actual, non combat movements, thus any other fly overs, this being factually realized by having the fly overs for air units that participated in battles happening during the Conduct Combat phase (but, in practice, they are all non combat movements too, merely anticipated during the Conduct Combat phase), but only after all battles have been resolved. In practice, the whole system is exactly like having two Non Combat Move phases, after Conduct Combat, that work under exactly the same rules except only that, in the first one, you can only move air units that took part in battles (and must move them, if having any possible landing spots, possibly plotting carrier movements happening in the next phase), while, in the second one, you can move anything else, and having the fly overs resolved at the end of each of these two Non Combat Move phases, under the same dynamics as when resolving them at the end of the Combat Move phase.
