Against an experienced Klingon player this fight is only balanced on a fixed map, IMO. Otherwise, on a floating map you can go for broke and move at max speed to close, take damage on anything but your number 1 until point blank and then slug it out within tractor range. Conduct hit and run on disruptors as soon as opportunity arises. In order to take advantage of his larger number of disruptors and make them count the Klingon may oblige you in getting close.

By Richard B. Eitzen (Rbeitzen) on Wednesday, March 13, 2019 - 12:04 am: Edit

I'd watch out for a Klingon using mid turn speed changes and 'letting' the Kzinti get to range 8 only to smash a front shield with overloads and then stay out of range 5 and open the range until he is far enough away to try to set it up again. Using batteries, the Klingon can use 40 power on the turn he does this, which will allow a good amount of movement to try to time things to his advantage.

By Daniel Eastland (Democratus) on Wednesday, March 13, 2019 - 09:07 am: Edit

Thanks for the advice, all. I'll try to get to grips with my close-range weapons and preserve Shield #1 till it really counts.

Fortunately, the scenario centers around a freighter full of loot that we each want to beam aboard. That means we will both have to get very close if we want the VP.

Perhaps a mid-turn speed change could catch the enemy off guard and get me to point blank.

By John Stiff (Tarkin22180) on Thursday, March 14, 2019 - 10:50 am: Edit

Now you tell us about the freighter? That changes the tactics.

By Jeffrey George Anderson (Jeff) on Thursday, March 14, 2019 - 11:39 am: Edit

Indeed, particularly if the victory conditions revolve around that ship.

If the objective is to get your boarding team (a term I use for the whole compliment of Boarding Parties used to capture a ship) and capture the unwilling target, I think you have a serious edge. Either one of you can drop a shield on the freighter with phaser fire, but your opponent will probably wish to keep at least a couple phasers unfired to protect himself from your drones, where you don't have quite the same problem to worry about. Also, with all of your phaser threes, you have more opportunity to drop the aforementione freighter shield without having to worry as much about overkilling the shield as he does.

What's more, the need to get/stay within transporter range of the target means your enemy will have to be too close to a potential Kzinti Anchor for comfort.

Is tractoring the freighter and dragging it off the map a potential angle for victory? If so, he'll have to sacrafice his superior mobility to do so, and you'll be able to overrun him (or again, use the Kzinti Anchor).

By Daniel Eastland (Democratus) on Friday, March 15, 2019 - 09:13 am: Edit

We've created a new SFB group in my home town and have many new players. This is our second session and I wrote this mission to get players comfortable with transporters (no BP rules yet).

There is a large freighter going speed 1 down the middle of the map with it's shields down (it's a "drop point" set up by Orion smugglers). Each cargo box in the freighter holds a unit of dilithium worth 2 VP (so a total of 100 VP on the freighter). One transporter action pulls one unit of dilithium onto your ship. You can also try to steal dilithium from an enemy ship (roll on Hit-and-Run table for success).

If the freighter is destroyed, the team that did the final point of damage loses the game. While the freighter could be tractored, pulling it off the map isn't possible in this scenario (I want the players to mix it up, not just grab and run).

Otherwise it's regular victory conditions. The battle actually has 4 ships: Fed OCA & Kzinti CS vs. Lyran CA and Klingon D6. The year is Y125.

By Steve Zamboni (Szamboni) on Friday, March 15, 2019 - 03:54 pm: Edit

Ha! I'm actually using a speed-1 drop point ship in a story I'm working on.

I wonder if I can get at least the OCA into the story somehow...

By Steve Petrick (Petrick) on Friday, March 15, 2019 - 04:08 pm: Edit

Well ... while it is a "player design scenario," it is not one that can be made "historical. There is a place where three of the four warships can appear (the neutral zone hex between Federation, Kzinti, and Klingon space), but there is no way in that year to get a Lyran ship there. Other than that, only two of the ships can appear (the WYN Cluster prevents a Lyran ship from operating with a Klingon ship). And there are just not any valid alliances in that year that would see a Lyran ship deep in Klingon space. So there is no real way to create a historical background to use the four ships to write a fiction story (short of all four ships having been ship-napped by "The Masters" of course).

By Randy O. Green (Hollywood750) on Friday, March 15, 2019 - 09:48 pm: Edit

I hate it when the Masters do that.

By Daniel Eastland (Democratus) on Monday, March 18, 2019 - 08:44 am: Edit

We played out the battle and it ended up being a win for the Fed/Kzinti side. The two 'coalition' ships decided to play a saber dance while the 'alliance' ships orbited the freighter and scooped up lots of VP.

The next day, I took the Kzinti CS solo against the Klingon D6 and managed to pull off a win by cornering the enemy and anchoring him.

When the D6 launched his scatter pack, I launched my own with drones set to randomly target enemy drones - thus cancelling out the only real enemy drone threat. (At least I think this was a legal tactic.)

Most of the drones in my SP were ATG, so the enemy was surprised when I rolled up and launched from racks as well.

All the drones on the board had a psychological effect on my opponent and he moved to avoid them, right into the corner of our fixed map.

I kept my power curve up by leaving the disruptors un-armed until the turn following the anchor.

Thanks to everyone for your advice and comments.

By Jeffrey George Anderson (Jeff) on Monday, March 18, 2019 - 12:31 pm: Edit

Congrats, Daniel! A win ALWAYS feels good.

... at least that's what I've heard...

By Ted Fay (Catwhoeatsphoto) on Monday, March 18, 2019 - 12:56 pm: Edit

Classic Zin tactics. Well done.

/Sir_CatWhoEatsPhotons

By Steve Petrick (Petrick) on Monday, March 18, 2019 - 05:55 pm: Edit

Daniel Eastland:

Launching a counter-scatter-pack is legal. You do not even have to launch such a scatter-pack after the opponent launches his. You can launch a scatter-pack with the drone release trigger before your opponent launches his scatter-pack, you just have to remember that it might be triggered early by a normal drone launch.

But if your opponent tosses out a shuttle, and you suspect it is a scatter-pack, you can launch your own scatter-pack with release set on drones and random targeting so they will go after drones that appeared after you launched your scatter-pack.

After that, it is all timing and release parameters. That is to say if the opposing scatter-pack is set to release its drones when it is close to your ship (a risky tactic as the shuttle is more likely to be shot down as it gets closer), and you are closing on the enemy ship, you could actually be in a situation where you get hit by both the drones of the enemy scatter-pack AND YOUR OWN DRONES. (Both the enemy scatter-pack drones and your own counter-scatter-pack drones enter the hex of your own ship on the same impulse.)

By John Stiff (Tarkin22180) on Tuesday, March 19, 2019 - 12:08 am: Edit

Have you thought about playing the Klingon instead of the Kzinti in the same scenario? It is sometimes fun to put on a different hat and see how things go.

By Daniel Eastland (Democratus) on Tuesday, March 19, 2019 - 09:16 am: Edit

Thanks, Steve Petrick.

I'd hoped I had read the scatter-pack rules correctly. I launched my shuttle on a ballistic course, set a timer, and the random size 6 targeting. Good to see I wasn't being a cheat-weasel.

John Stiff:
I'd really like to try flipping the sides and trying the scenario again. Klingons are fun to fly, and a challenge before speed 20 drones.

I flew an F5 against a Fed FF last weekend. No commander's options, so I just had speed 8 drones and a scrappy attitude. We played on a single fixed map, so the FF managed to catch me drop a couple of photons on me. Ouch.

One thing I really like about SFB is that each loss carries concrete lessons that make you better in following games.

By John Stiff (Tarkin22180) on Wednesday, March 20, 2019 - 05:03 pm: Edit

Yes, it is fun. One does respect the good players that can play both sides and win.

I did not know about the suggested tactic that even though tractored, the Klingon could outrun speed 8 drones.

When I play the Klingon I almost automatically kill a launched Kzinti shuttle with my disruptors, preferably at range 8.

You were most tricky targeting enemy drones with your scatter pack.

Since there was a Lyran, presumably with ESG, perhaps they should have charged the freighter as you did.

So many possibilities regarding tactics. It will be tough to drop a shield to use transporters to gather victory points when both sides are almost nose to nose with each other.

By Daniel Eastland (Democratus) on Thursday, March 21, 2019 - 08:38 am: Edit

John Stiff,

We had Commander's Options and it was Y125. So the drones were speed 12. Not super fast, but fast enough that they could catch the tractored Klingon. Especially with my ship pushing in the opposite direction.

I'm also a big fan of taking out shuttles at range when possible. It's important to sometimes throw out an admin shuttle first and then a scatter pack (or vice versa) just to keep the opponent guessing.

By John Stiff (Tarkin22180) on Friday, March 22, 2019 - 10:58 am: Edit

The Scenario keeps changing....

Let us not forget the suicide shuttle or even the decoy seeking shuttle.

Lyrans have been know to ram an opponent with ESGs, do an alpha strike, and after the opponent returns the courtesy, tractor you and then launch two suicide shuttles. Sometimes, they mix in the decoy seeking shuttle(S). (I've been a victim of this tactic...)

By Steven Hecker (Sjhecker) on Saturday, January 25, 2020 - 03:02 pm: Edit

We are going to play SL351.0, "All Our Plans Torn Assunder" from captain's log 53.

Year is 138 and the Kzinti are trying to capture a fed base station. Kzinti have a drone bombardment of 18, 6, 6. I have never mapped out a drone bombardment before. Any Thoughts?

Thanks!

By Richard Eitzen (Rbeitzen) on Saturday, January 25, 2020 - 04:28 pm: Edit

Try to avoid clumping together the drones.

By Jeff Anderson (Jga) on Saturday, January 25, 2020 - 05:28 pm: Edit

Remember that the bombardment drones are on a ballistic course; turns aren't allowed. I can't remember about sideslips (if they are, it can make a "Talon Maneuver" approach pretty easy), but I do know that they can only change course to home in on a target if they detect them; the target HAS to be in their FA tracking AND be within eight hexes for that.

Another thing; they're slow drones. Your Federation opponent is going to have a LOT of time to stop them, so maybe the best use of them is to soak up Federation firepower; if he's blasting your bombardment drones, he ain't blasting your ships.

By Jeff Wile (Jswile) on Saturday, January 25, 2020 - 05:34 pm: Edit

After you decide on a bombardment plan, take the time to play against it.

Find out if you have a “built in” flaw.

If you find it challenging, perhaps your opponent will as well.

By Richard Eitzen (Rbeitzen) on Saturday, January 25, 2020 - 05:35 pm: Edit

I don't remember, but they might be moderate speed drones. Ballistic targeted drones can utilize a regular pattern of sideslips if I recall.

The Kzinti ships themselves will also be using drones, so stopping ALL the drones from reaching the base (while still shooting Kzinti ships) may or may not be a tricky proposition.

By Steve Petrick (Petrick) on Saturday, January 25, 2020 - 06:43 pm: Edit

1: Type-III drones are Speed 12, see (FD2.11), especially the paragraph at the end.

2. Type-III drones launched on a bombardment mission can be programmed to make turns. See (FD2.255). Basically you need to decide where the given drones will enter the map, what they are programmed to see, and what their way points are. An example might be to have the drones "overfly" the base (if you can plan on something to occupy defensive fire). This might cause the base to launch a wild weasel to deal with the drones, but the reality is that only one is targeted on the base )activated its fire control), the rest pass over the base, moving forward long enough to allow the wild weasel effect to end (say two hexes since they are Speed 12), where they reach the programmed way point, then do a high energy turn at that way point (expending a hex of movement) and then move back to the base which is no longer protected by the wild weasel.

While the way points are tentatively intended to be used to allow the bombardment drones to enter the map from multiple directions (they were used off map) they can be plotted to be used on the map (they can be "up to 1,000 hexes" apart, but nothing stops them from being side by side by side. And each drone can have its own way points (just to confuse the defenders if for no other reason).

Generally, you can assume that (if the bombardment drones do not all arrive on the map in the same hex) that at least one way point was used off map (the drones were launched with different facings to later turn and move towards the target to approach from different directions). Your drone bombardment planning staff will make sure that each drone is launched at the appropriate time such that there is enough "off map" delay that they all (each turn's arrivals) at the same time, even if not in the same hex.

After that, you just need to designate for each drone which hex on the map will be its entry hex and its facing when it enters that hex, its last "ballistic movement hex" (and it must move in a straight line from its entry hex to that hex if you do not have an intermediate way point between then) to its "activation hex" where it will activate its own guidance (after making any final turn, i.e., this may be its last way point, or it might just be its activation hex), and will then straight line from that hex until it is destroyed, locks on to a target (which might entail multiple turns as it pursues the target, or a straight line movement towards a stationary target), or exits the map. Note that once the drone gains lock-on (target must be within eight hexes to lock-on to it) if the target is destroyed before the drone reaches it, or if the target manages to get more than 12 hexes away from the drone, if will go inert and be removed form play as any other self-guiding drone that has lost lock-on. And, yes, a target such a drone has locked onto might launch a wild weasel to fool it.

By Jeff Wile (Jswile) on Saturday, January 25, 2020 - 09:37 pm: Edit

If I read your post correctly, I am taking the “18,6,6” to mean that the first wave of IIIXX drones has 18 such drones (all entering together in the same hex?!!). Wave2 has 6 more IIIXX, entering the map 1 game turn later, and Wave 3 has 6 more drones also entering the map board, but 2 turns after the first wave.

I would respectfully advocate spreading the drones out instead of combining them in single hex formations. Such concentrations encourage transporter bomb use to kill all the drones in one single action.

Linear formations might be helpful. Either three columns of 6 drones each, separated me or two hexes apart Will complicate the drone defense challenge significantly.

Or one long line of 18 drones long. Followed by a 6 drone long line 32 impulses, followed by another 6 drones 32 impulses later.

Since the target is a Federation BaseStation, year 138, the best mobile defense it can muster is a adhoc admin shuttle squadron, each armed with a phaser 3... (depends on what base modules are present.) plus what ever other forces are available in the scenario. I do not have captains log 53 yet, so I can’t look it up.

Does not sound terribly difficult, but I expect there are complications I am not aware of.