Air

What do planes do?#

Rule of thumb: each plane adds +3 to one battle within 3 provinces of its city, every turn, without being in that battle.

A strike works for attacks and for defense. Like artillery, planes are never hurt in a battle they strike from their city. Unlike artillery, they reach far: 3 provinces in any direction.

Can planes move?#

Rule of thumb: planes never move. They stay in the city where they were built.

Planes are built in a city and fly every mission from there. Pick the city with care: you want it close enough to reach the fighting and far enough back to stay safe.

What is air cover?#

Rule of thumb: to defend a province, strike that province, your own city included.

A strike counts in any battle fought in its target province, whichever side you're on. So a plane that strikes its own city adds +3 to the city's defense if anyone attacks it. The order list calls this AIR COVER.

4 armor attacking 4 dug-in infantry in a city win 66%. With 2 planes covering the city (+6), the same attack wins only 43%.

How do I give a strike?#

1. Select the stack in the city with the planes: click it, or tap it on a phone.
2. Set how many planes to send with the Air slider.
3. Press Strike. Every province in range is outlined.
4. Click (tap) the target.

Why didn't my strike count?#

• There was no battle in that province. A strike only adds to battles fought in its target province.
• The battle was a border clash. Strikes never help when armies swap places.
• The planes were lost. If their city falls earlier in the turn, they're gone.

What happens to planes if their city falls?#

Rule of thumb: keep planes in a safe city behind the front.

When an enemy takes a city, every plane in it is destroyed. And when a city is attacked, its planes are part of the garrison: they defend at 0 and add to the number of units it loses (infantry go first, planes last). Planes on their own defend at 0, so a city held only by planes falls to any attack that air cover can't beat.

A plane in a rear city still reaches 3 provinces, so it doesn't need to be at the front.

What is scouting?#

Rule of thumb: scout where you can't see, before you attack.

Instead of striking, a plane can scout a province in range. On your next turn you see that province and all its neighbors, stacks included. A plane that scouts doesn't strike that turn.

Without scouting you see enemy stacks next to your own stacks exactly, those next to your provinces as types and a size range, and nothing further away.