Barry Kirk: I could use a one-sentence thing about this event for CL41. Get it to me in the next day or two please. I cannot write one for you as I cannot figure out what you're doing in the time I have available. Something about the number of players and the ships being used would be fine.

By Barry Kirk (Barrykirk) on Wednesday, May 26, 2010 - 05:52 pm: Edit

Steve,

I'll write you a one paragraph thing... Can't compress down to one sentence.

By Barry Kirk (Barrykirk) on Wednesday, June 02, 2010 - 06:47 pm: Edit

Here are the matchups for Round 3 of the OLT

3.01 Lord Goofy (Hydran) versus Bye
3.02 Andromedan(Lyran) versus BaldnForty1(Eneen)
3.03 Andy (Kzinti) versus Bye
3.04 Ken_Burnside(Maghadim) versus RacerX2 (Romulan Firehawk)
3.05 Tugger (WBS (BB)) versus Bye
3.06 EOL (Lyran) versus RacerX1 (Alunda)
3.07 Up_All_Knight (Fed_CF) versus BaldnForty2(Archeo-Tholian)
3.08 Bakija(Gorn) versus BanTheFed(Vari)
3.09 Lord Goofy (Baduvai) versus Bye
3.10 Ken_Burnside(Hydran) versus Bakija(Chlorophon)
3.11 Up_All_Knight (ISC) versus RacerX2 (Probr)
3.12 Andromedan(Andro Playtest) versus BaldnForty1 (Klingon)
3.13 Tugger(Drex) versus Bye
3.14 BanTheFed(Gorn) versus BaldnForty2(Maesron)
3.15 Andy (Koligahr) versus Bye
3.16 EOL(Trobrin) versus RacerX1 (Klingon)

By Robert F Estrada (Daredevil) on Thursday, June 03, 2010 - 11:47 am: Edit

EOL(Lyran) vs RacerX (Alunda)
Friday night 9:30 PST / 7:30 Hawaii time

By Barry Kirk (Barrykirk) on Sunday, June 06, 2010 - 09:56 am: Edit

Did I matchup RacerX and EOL for both their games?

Ooops... missed that until just now... On the plus side, the time difference isn't that bad

By Robert F Estrada (Daredevil) on Sunday, June 06, 2010 - 11:40 pm: Edit

we didnt get to play

still reading the alunda rules

should be able play next Friday

By Marcus J. Giegerich (Marcusg) on Monday, June 07, 2010 - 10:37 am: Edit

"still reading the alunda rules"

That always takes a while. One of the largest and oddest rule sets in the game.

By Robert F Estrada (Daredevil) on Monday, June 07, 2010 - 11:00 am: Edit

reading = processing and digesting in its application toward using correctly

ARF
Whipcrack torps
BioBolts
ink Cloud?
Adrenline BAtt's

wow!

By Paul Franz (Andromedan) on Thursday, June 10, 2010 - 07:30 pm: Edit

Round is posted above.

By Barry Kirk (Barrykirk) on Sunday, June 13, 2010 - 08:52 am: Edit

Marcus...I did a tactics guide for the alunda.... That might help a bit.

By Barry Kirk (Barrykirk) on Monday, June 14, 2010 - 05:47 pm: Edit

Considering changing the Maesron once again... sigh... This has to be the ship that has seen the most changes ever.

What got me started down this road is the following. The current type one and type two missiles are incredibly powerful, but against a drone user you wouldn't take them since they are vulnerable to drones. Against drone users you would take the type three or four missiles. Type threes and fours are far weaker, but are much less vulnerable to drones.

Therefore, drone users have the incredible advantage that even if they launch their drones against the Maesron ship itself, they are facing far weaker missiles.

Also, the fact that all the missiles are speed 26 makes it impossible to run from them. I'm thinking of switching to a speed 28 propulsion module which would reduce the effective speed.

So... I'm going with only two missile types and they will both have drone resistance of some kind.

Here are the new types. Both are large frame with 10 space points.

Type 1

Propulsion Module : Speed 28 effective speed 20 ( 2 spaces of prop module )
Armor : 12 ( 2 spaces of armor )
Explosion : 16 ( 2 spaces of explosion )
Anti-Tractor : 1 takes 2 point tractor to grab it. ( no space points )
Phaser Defense Module : has three PW-3 ( 4 space points )


Type 2


Propulsion Module : Speed 28 effective speed 20 ( 2 spaces of prop module )
Armor : 12 ( 2 spaces of armor )
Explosion : 12 ( 1 space of explosion )
Anti-Tractor : 2 takes 3 point tractor to grab it. ( one space point )
SEF Module : Subspace energy field that can be activated under complete control of launching ship. SEF field lasts 16 impulses and is AK against drones and does three points against seeking shuttles. ( 4 space points )

By Robert F Estrada (Daredevil) on Wednesday, June 16, 2010 - 12:14 am: Edit

EOL (LYR) over RacerX (Alunda)


battle lasted 2 turns


horrible mismatch


Racer

By Peter Thoenen (Eol) on Wednesday, June 16, 2010 - 12:22 am: Edit

Ja nothing much to say, it was such an atrocious mismatch really didn't get a feel for the Alunda ship (like Selt v. Fed). The Alunda seems like decent ship, might need two more power as it seems to need speed to live and saber dance.

Basically Turn 1: Speed 20/26 and close. Eat 8 bio's and 4 torps (different shields).

Turn 2: Speed 27/20 and close. Eat 6 bio's and 4 shuttles, hit range 1 and kill him with 4 OL's + 8 ph1 + 2 ph3 + 2 ss. Not sure why he didn't launch for four more torps but wouldn't have mattered in all honesty as would have just ate them on another full shield. Game ended with him dead and me with a nearly down #1/#2/#3

By Barry Kirk (Barrykirk) on Tuesday, August 03, 2010 - 06:57 pm: Edit

Paul,

Can you mark up the chart to show that EOL ( Lyran ) defeated RacerX1 ( Alunda )

By Barry Kirk (Barrykirk) on Tuesday, August 03, 2010 - 06:58 pm: Edit

Everyone,

This Tournament has been totally dead for the last couple of months. Of course, I'm just as guilty as everyone else.

Let's try to get your games in please.

By Peter Thoenen (Eol) on Friday, September 03, 2010 - 01:37 pm: Edit

Rob:

We still need to do our Trobrin/Klink game .. what's good for you? (Saturday's usually work for me)

By Barry Kirk (Barrykirk) on Monday, October 11, 2010 - 12:56 pm: Edit

Had a playtest game this past weekend at Council of five nations.

Hydran (baldnforty) defeats Drex (Andy Sackett)...

Not to many details remembered from this battle although I suspect that both of us were playing substandard.

Turn one:

I drove up the center at 17/31 with both Hellbores at standard levels. I skipped charging the fusions and had a pair of suicide shuttles warming in the the shuttle bay.

Sackett, moved at fairly low speed counting on the fact that he always moves last.

I managed to maneuver in such a way to stay at least one hex off of a hex row. This is critical versus the Drex, because the heavy hypercannons have a +1 modifier to the die rolls for each hex off the hex row.

I think that he could have ensured that he stayed on a hex row by using a battery to accelerate at the appropriate point.

Any case his first two shots at me with heavy hypercannons missed. Also his light hypercannons didn't do too well either. Since, it was a playtest game, I told him to re-roll his light hypercannons.

Either way, he managed to badly damage my #1 shield.

Turn 2, I was chasing him and had him about 8 hexes from the wall. Plotted a 31/16/8 split figuring that I could overrun him. He TACd, in order to charge as many weapons as possible.

I had overloaded both bores, and launched the fighters from a little too close. He didn't too well when he fired at the fighters and did six points of damage to each of them.

He also managed to take out my #2 shield and my #6 shields and did about 20 internals taking out one of the hellbores and three of my phasers.

At range one, I launched the suicide shuttles and fired the following at him.

One overloaded hellbore, two phaser ones, two standard fusions, and four P3 from the LS gatling.

Did about 20 or so internals.

He crippled one of the suicide shuttles and destroyed the other.

When he conceded, he had taken about 20 internals, had a suicide shuttle coming in which he could not stop, and both uncrippled fighters were about to overrun him which he also could not stop. I had also launched another pair of manned shuttles which would have gotten to fire at range zero or one. I also had the RS gatling which I could have fired at him at range one.

Turn 3 both fighters would most likely have gotten a second volley on him at range one or zero on impulse one.

Given the fact that I mauled him so badly, even with his bad dice rolling. We decided that it's probably a good idea to reduce the Drex a little more.

The proposed change is to reduce the enveloping and imploding ammo, to only 2 enveloping charges and 4 imploding charges. Also, the four front light hypercannons should be reduced to two.

By Scott Moellmer (Goofy) on Monday, October 11, 2010 - 05:21 pm: Edit

===
Not following the end of that. If the Drex got mauled, why is it 'a good idea to reduce' it??

By Kerry E Mullan (Nomad17) on Tuesday, October 12, 2010 - 03:25 pm: Edit

Right as well did you use the drex super computer -1 to hit?

Staying off a hex row against someone who moves after you and still closing is a real trick. As well I did not see any use of enveloper or imploding charges.

As well did the Drex even use his shuttles as spd bumps, ftr cripplers etc?

I don't see how a hydran trouncing a Drex calls for further reductions to the drex. As it is only one game I would not reduce anythig especially seeing asa what you are reducing doesn't seem to have been used and the Drex lost badly therefore not calling for a reduction.

By Barry Kirk (Barrykirk) on Saturday, October 16, 2010 - 10:28 pm: Edit

The Drex didn't use any shuttles.

I think that the problem was the Drex wasn't playing that well which allowed me to stay one hex off the row and provided me with a +1 to most of the die rolls.

As for the super computer, the -1 die roll modifier was used for all rolls. This didn't seem to help since the only thing he was rolling were 5s and 6s for his hyper cannons.

If the Drex had rolled half way decently, the Hydran would have been eaten alive, even though he was playing for better.

As for the enveloping charges, the Drex used all of them. I've never seen anyone use an implosive charge yet.

Although the Drex got hammered, the Hydran got hammered too. When the Drex conceded, the Hydran was down three phasers, a hellbore, and a fusion.

Problem was that the Drex had taken about 30 internals at that point, was at low speed, and had no weapons left to fire. He was going to get overrun by both un-crippled fighters around impulse 22 or so.

That means he would have to eat two volleys from each uncrippled fighter at point blank range. He was also running out of shields.

By Barry Kirk (Barrykirk) on Thursday, November 04, 2010 - 08:05 pm: Edit

New Drex is posted....Removed two of the front Light Hyper Cannons...

Was thinking about the Maesron Tachyon Missiles once again.

What if I removed the limitation of the phaser defense module on not being able to fire at the target of the tachyon missile and not being able to fire at anything larger than SC 6.

If I remove that limitation, I'm going to increase the space cost of the phaser module from 4 space points to 8.

That would make for a missile with the following characteristics.

1. Speed 20
2. Armor 8
3. Explosion 8
4. Anti-tractor 1
5. With 3 PW-3.

Depending on the circumstances, you may not get the range 1 shot and may have to shoot at range 2.

Also, with the FA firing arc, it may be tricky to get a shot in.

I'm also thinking of reducing the space cost of the SEF module from 4 to 3. That would allow me to increase the explosion of that varient.

The SEF missile would then be

1. Explosion 16.
2. Armor 12
3. SEF module
4. Anti-tractor 2
5. Speed 20.

Let me know what you think guys.

By Barry Kirk (Barrykirk) on Saturday, November 20, 2010 - 05:55 pm: Edit

Possibly redoing the tachyon missiles once again.

I've eliminated the phaser defense module and the SEF module.

Instead I've created a new module type a chaff pod for seeking weapon defense.

The chaff pod would take one space point each so these missiles have two chaff pods each.

Chaff pods use D11 and if dropped, it would cause the missile to go myopic for 8 impulses.

The new types would include a type 1 and a type 2.

All the missiles must be type 1 except that two can be type 2.

Type 1...

Normal Frame ( 8 SP ) Note I've gone to a smaller frame size.
Speed 28 Prop Module with effective speed 22 ( 2 SP )
Qty 2 Chaff Modules ( 2 SP )
Explosion 16 ( 2 SP )
Armor 12 ( 2 SP )
Anti-Tractor 1 ( 0 SP )

Type 2...

Large Frame ( 10 SP )
Speed 28 Prop Module with effective speed 20 ( 2 SP ) Since I have a larger frame I used 2 more SP and reduced the speed by 2.
Qty 2 Chaff Modules ( 2 SP )
Explosion 20 ( 3 SP )
Armor 14 ( 3 SP )
Anti-Tractor 1 ( 0 SP )

By Andy Vancil (Andy) on Saturday, November 20, 2010 - 11:19 pm: Edit

Barry,

Why do you keep reworking TMs with munchkin loadouts and new module types that aren't even in the rules?

The TM is a minor system that gives flavor to the Maesron. There's no reason why we can't have a balanced Maesron TC, even with standard (0 BPV) TMs. The TG is a perfectly viable weapon, as is the PW.

Throw in some upgraded TMs using propulsion-24 and 4 spaces of stuff if you want to add a little more flavor.

But these bizarre TMs you keep insisting on don't belong on a tournament cruiser.

By Barry Kirk (Barrykirk) on Sunday, November 21, 2010 - 04:12 pm: Edit

Andy... It's simple.

The Maesrons are the only major Omega power that uses a drone style weapon. And the only race I've done so far that has a drone style weapon.

I would like that with it's two tachyon missile racks, the Maesron should match the two drone racks of the Klingon.

The tachyon missiles have half the firing rate of drones. Therefore, I would like tachyon missiles to be about twice as deadly as a drone. Also, keep in mind that with the 4 impulse myopic time, tachyon missiles are very difficult to use at close range.

The klingon has 16 drones including the SP assuming that it takes both type IVs. The Maesron has 10 missiles and I'm thinking of reducing it back down to A racks which would give it 6 missiles.

Now you say, Armor 12 versus 4 to kill a drone sounds like 3 times as nasty. But, in many cases, it takes 4 P3 to kill a pair of drones and 4 P3 to kill a single tachyon missile.

Problem is that with drones, many times they end up getting seriously overkilled.

So let's compare a pair of type I drones to a single tachyon missile.

Drones take 2 to 4 P3 to kill.
Tachyon missile takes 3 to 4 P3 to kill.

Drones take 2 points of power and 2 tractor beams to hold them.
Tachyon missile takes 2 points of power and a single tractor to hold it.

Drones do 24 points of damage if they hit.
Tachyon missile does 16 points of damage if it hits.

Drones are speed 20 with speed 32 as an option.
Tachyon missile is speed 22.

The new module type while not in the rules does make sense.

I consider the tachyon missile to be a heavy anti-ship missile, whereas drones are lighter general purpose missiles.

Tachyon missiles have one purpose anti-ship.

Drones can be used for anti-ship, anti-drone, anti-fighter/shuttle.

Lets also do this from a common sense point of view. Tachyon missiles are huge, much larger than a drone. That means that the missiles and their launcher are going to take up a lot of space on board ship. If they aren't big and nasty, Maesrons would not use them. Other systems taking up the same mass/size budget would be much more effective.

Problem is that if tachyon missiles are that big and nasty, most other races should have counter missiles of some kind. The ideal counter missile for a tachyon missile... is a drone.

Drones do about the right amount of damage to kill a tachyon missile. They are relatively small and cheap and quick firing.

Ergo, tachyon missiles need some sort of drone defense. If they don't have it, then they are severely disadvantaged versus anyone with a drone rack. If they are set up to be about even with a typical drone chucker using wimpy missiles, then they will be way overpowered versus anybody without drones.

The chaff modules provide that drone/counter missile defense for the tachyon missile. In the standard Omega universe, you could use that module, but it would only be effective versus suicide shuttles or possibly the FRA. They would also be marginally useful against other tachyon missile users.

As for the small variant I've described, the only difference between it and the version you would like me to use, other than the chaff modules, is a speed increase from 20 to 22. That's a slight improvement, but not much.

My large variant isn't that much more powerful than the standard variant. Certainly not as different as the difference between a type I and a type IV drone.

Although the type IV drone takes up two spaces in the racks. But it doesn't slow down the firing rate.

Hope that makes sense... If the firing rate of the tachyon missiles was the same as the firing rate for drones, I would agree that I'm describing munchkin missiles.

Can you explain to me why with the low firing rate, these are munchkin missiles?

Actually with A racks on the Maesron, I would think that the tachyon missiles would be about as dangerous as the drone racks on the Wyn Black Shark, if it has phasers in the option mounts. Again, please let me know where I've screwed up my analysis.

By Barry Kirk (Barrykirk) on Sunday, November 21, 2010 - 04:31 pm: Edit

One more thing...

The larger variant of the tachyon missiles I've proposed are only slightly more deadly than the standard variant. And like type IV drones, I'm limiting the Maesron to just two of them... Well, now that I re-thought things... just one. Since, I'm going to A racks.

The standard variant takes 3 to 4 P3 to kill it. The large variant takes 4 to 5 P3 to kill it.

The standard variant does 16 damage. The large variant does 20 damage... still less than a large drone.

The standard variant is faster at 22 than the large variant which is only speed 20.