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There's a defensive tactic for stopping plasma that's only available to the Feds; the "wild SWAC". (This assumes the base defense forces have a SWAC, of course.)

A wild SWAC attracts all seeking weapons except Type-VI "dogfight drones", regardless of target, within 15 hexes. (This includes friendly seeking weapons so be careful you don't wreck your own drone wave.) If the SWAC is 14 hexes behind the base, any plasma targeted on the base will transfer to the SWAC when it reaches range-1 from the base.

SWACs are rare and expensive. But if the plasma is launched from 18 hexes (per Vandar's 11:46 AM post) and the SWAC is 14 hexes behind the base, any torpedo short af a sabot Type-R or Type-M will completely dissipate before it reaches the SWAC. And even a sabot Type-R or Type-M will be so weak that it can probably be eliminated with phasers, preserving th SWAC. A possible Romulan or ISC (or, non-historically, Gorn) counter would be to kill the SWAC with massed phaser fire. But if you're firing in excess of 30 hexes, you'll need to commit a lot of phasers to kill the SWAC. And any plasma that has already accepted the SWAC as target will still continue toward the hex in which it was destroyed.

By Gregory S Flusche (Vandar) on Wednesday, December 11, 2024 - 06:46 pm: Edit

uhmm alone shuttle launched away from the base. Yes i can send a little frigate to kill it.

By Alan Trevor (Thyrm) on Wednesday, December 11, 2024 - 11:24 pm: Edit

But can you?

Per your previous post, your force is standing back from the base at a range of 15 or more hexes. Let's suppose it is "east" of the base. Suppose my supporting carrier group is "west" of the base at approximately the same distance (or slightly less), but sending fighters forward. As the plasma is approaching the base, I launch an unmanned SWAC in "wild" status. All plasma within 15 hexes starts tracking the wild SWAC and even if you do kill it at that point, the plasma will continue to track it.

And how does your frigate get past my carrier and its escorts to attack the SWAC? To get close to the SWAC it will have to go around the base (with its phaser-IVs and photon torpedoes) at a sufficient distance that the base doesn't kill or cripple it. Then it will have to deal with the carrier and its escorts. A Fed CVA has 4 photon torpedoes, 4 Type-G drone ranks, and 6 phaser-Is, approximately heavy cruiser firepower at long range. But it has dreadnought shields and, with 4 gatling phasers, massively more firepower than a CA at short range. Some of the escorts will also have photon torpedoes and all of them will have gatling phasers. I just don't think your frigate lives long enough to get near the SWAC.

There's an intrinsic problem with discussing tactics online. Each player is making assumptions about what the other is doing. But each player will also make adjustments during the battle, followed by counter tactics and counters to the counter.

"If you do A, I can defeat that by doing B."

"But if you do B, I would do C instead."

"But if you're doing C, I would do D rather than B."

and so on...

It's also worth pointing out that only the larger and more important carriers will have a SWAC in the first place, so this is not a tactic that the Feds could use routinely. It will only be relevant for defense of major bases; bases important enough to commit a powerful carrier group for its defense. Of course, a CVA group or similarly powerful carrier group might be patrolling a sector and react to an enemy assault on a BATS, because nothing more important is happening in the carrier group's AOR.

By Alan Trevor (Thyrm) on Wednesday, December 11, 2024 - 11:40 pm: Edit

Non-Federation bases can use a somewaht similar tactic if the base has a PF module. A PF scout can also go wild. But while a wild SWAC attracts all seeking weapons within 15 hexes, a wild PFS only attracts those tracking PFs in the same flotilla or tracking the PF scout's own original tender. So a base with no PFs, but supported by a mobile PF tender couldn't use this tactic. But if the base has its own flotilla, the base is the tender for that PFS and the PF can go wild and attract the plasma.

Note that a PFS used in this role is more survivable than a wild SWAC; both because it has shields and because it can move faster (12, versus 4 for a wild SWAC), giving it a better chance of extending the range to dissipate the plasma.

By Mike Grafton (Mike_Grafton) on Thursday, December 12, 2024 - 07:43 am: Edit

A small scout is probably cheaper than a SWAC.

Or you use th4 SWAC to drag seekers past the base a ways then turn it off and then use the base special sensor in the same way. I think this is called the YoYo

By Alan Trevor (Thyrm) on Thursday, December 12, 2024 - 11:30 am: Edit

Mike,

I believe "normal" scout channels can attract drones in the way you suggest, but not plasma torpedoes. I'll check my books when I get home, but I think that's the case.

Also, I believe if you "turn off" a wild SWAC, any seeking weapons tracking it will continue to track it. The turned-off SWAC just won't attract any new seeking weapons that come within 15 hexes after it has been turned off.

By A David Merritt (Adm) on Thursday, December 12, 2024 - 02:56 pm: Edit

Correct on Scouts and Plasma.
You need two SWACs to do the Yoyo.

By Gregory S Flusche (Vandar) on Thursday, December 12, 2024 - 06:39 pm: Edit

The only true test of a tactic is cardboard hitting the map.

Is always good to talk about tactics. I so hate WWs

By Mike Grafton (Mike_Grafton) on Friday, December 13, 2024 - 12:58 pm: Edit

I thought you could get a scout to go wild.

By A David Merritt (Adm) on Friday, December 13, 2024 - 05:35 pm: Edit

Not in Captain's Edition.