Action Economy

Action economy: optimizing the number of game actions that can be performed at a given moment. The basic three tier system of Dog Fight: Starship Edition offers plenty of options to command your ship but there are ways of leveraging these options to enable even more action in the game.

There are opportunities for cramming more action into a tier without having to do anything fancy and there are other ways to enhance what a tier can do or even add extra tiers. In this article we'll start with basic cards that add more bang for your buck.

Attack Cards

The ATTACK cards "Pursue" and "Hit and Run" add a little movement into an attacking action. With "Pursue" you first move 1 space, then declare an attack. With "Hit and Run" you declare an attack, then move 1 space. Exposure has already been addressed a little in the previous article Combat Simulation Part 1. With a little foresight these two cards can amp up your tactics to weave in and out of attack Range to help you dominate the map.

Tactics

One easy tactic is to hide inside an obstruction (blocking ordinary attacks) and move out of the obstruction with "Pursue" for a hit on an unsuspecting target. Alternatively, "Hit and Run" allows you to move back into an adjacent obstruction after shooting your target, potentially moving you out of effective Range all in one card. Don't underestimate the effectiveness of positioning.

Move Cards

The previously mentioned MOVE card "Attack Position", when used in combination with any ATTACK cards, but especially with "Pursue" and "Hit and Run" it can enhance this dance by allowing a layered effect: move 1 space after resolving an attack.

Another useful multi-purpose card is the MOVE card "Repair and Retreat". This card allows removing an overheat counter, moving 1 space (with the possibility of an extra space), and repairs 1 Hull point. Any number of situations could make vital use of either of these effects. Are you about to overheat to death? Do you need a face up MOVE card in a tier to dodge an attack with "Evasive Maneuvers"? Do you need that 1 Hull point for something else to work? When customizing your deck, consider the numerous ways this card can serve your ship.

Doubling Up

Extra Action
INTERVENE card | Jump

Few cards allow more than one action in the same tier. Doubling Up, as it's called, has been addressed before but we'll cover it a bit more here. With "Extra Action" or the inherent ship ability of the Brutus Magnus, allowing two cards in the same tier is a powerful way to maximize action economy. Just to get you started, imagine using the already mentioned cards in any combination of 2 in a tier. With two cards in a tier, one is in primary position and the other in secondary position.

Tactics

With 2 copies of "Pursue" in the same tier, you'll be able to move 1 space then shoot and repeat these actions while you control the tier. Repositioning in the midst of combat often proves a vital capability, as your opponent can react in a number of ways, such as moving 

Or with a "Pursue" and "Hit and Run" in the same tier, you can move out of an obstruction and attack, then attack again and move back into the obstruction before any other player gets a tier action. Or with 2 copies of  "Hit and Run" you can attack then reposition either closer to or further from the target.

With "Attack Position" set in primary position and any ATTACK card set in secondary position, you can move up to full distance then attack, then move 1 space. But if you use "Pursue" or "Hit and Run" in secondary position, you can really leverage the combination of moving and attacking all in the same tier.

Quadshot

Double Shot
ATTACK card | Normal

The infamous Quadshot technique (declaring 4 attacks in one tier from one ATTACK card) provides an immensely powerful way to maximize action economy. The ATTACK card "Double Shot" allows two attacks if played in secondary position, cramming two attacks in one tier. A very limited number of cards allow an ATTACK card to be duplicated.

Doubling up plus duplicating an ATTACK card's effect makes for an explosive combination. Check out the article The Long Game: Part 1 for further detail on this option.

Crew Cards

Crew cards typically provide more than one effect. The more crew equipped to your ship the more than can be done even without playing more action cards.

Another advantage to Crew cards is that, as EQUIP type cards (green cards) they can be included in the opening complement rules. There are two alternate rules included in the Standard Environment that permit cards to be equipped to your ship from the beginning of the game. Read the article on Skeleton and Full Complement rules.