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Next time we have an AOA tourney I will add a civil war clause so if we have one and both players are happy to pick another ship we can stop having them.

I hates me some civil wars.

By Jack Taylor (Jtaylor) on Tuesday, May 05, 2026 - 10:31 pm: Edit

Madjack versus Madman got through 3 turns.

Orion is pretty beat up with 35 internals and down 10 power. Shark has 21 internals which is mostly a love tap on the Shark. Shark is down 5 power and 1 disruptor. Still has all its phasers. Shark is 2 hexes behind the Orion ready to fire. Finishing the game tomorrow around 7p eastern.

By Jack Taylor (Jtaylor) on Wednesday, May 06, 2026 - 04:53 pm: Edit

MadJack (Shark) wins over Madman (Orion) in 3 turns.

Dana's situation was pretty hopeless at the end of turn 3 so he decided to concede there.

MadJack advances to the tournament final winning tree B. Yay him!

The other tree final is planned for tomorrow

MadJack (Gorn) versus Gregg (Gorn) 5pm eastern

By Ted Fay (Catwhoeatsphoto) on Wednesday, May 06, 2026 - 07:21 pm: Edit

Somebody is wearing new boots after the MadJack/Gregg game...

By Jack Taylor (Jtaylor) on Thursday, May 07, 2026 - 11:29 am: Edit

Todays game is delayed. Rescheduling

By Jack Taylor (Jtaylor) on Saturday, May 09, 2026 - 10:58 am: Edit

MadJack (Gorn) versus Gregg (Gorn) 5pm eastern Monday 5/11.

By Jack Taylor (Jtaylor) on Saturday, May 09, 2026 - 01:12 pm: Edit

MadJack (Shark BB) vs Madman (Orion Hellbores) write up.

Ok here is short summary of this game.

Orions bug me. I ain't gonna lie. I have recently got my clock cleaned by Seth in this matchup cause I am not really sure what to do but at least this time I had a bit of plan.

Observations about Orions:

1. Hellbore Orions don't really have bricks unless they are stopped. It's not a thing. When they double the warp engines and overload hellbores, with tractor, and a allocated HET, going 31 most of the turn, they just cannot have a huge brick. Do the math and you will see. That being the case, you don't need to worry about shooting a brick they don't really have much of. Make your own decisions.

2. They are extremely dangerous on the turns they don't have hellbores to fire. So be ready, a good Orion will come for you and your down shield(s) on the turn you are charging batteries and phasers and nothing else.

3. Orion P3s are just about as scary as hellbores. Definitely scary every turn. Het+tractor+ gatling in a shield that is down one phaser at a time is nightmare stuff.

My T1 plan in the Shark. I expect Dana to double 1 warp this turn. If he doubles both he could probably reach overload range t1 even if I dive into the corner but most likely that isn't going to happen. I plan like it might and so arm 4 overloads with a 26/14 plot. Mostly what I want here turn 1 is that the Orion isn't at range 9 at the end of the turn. So I am thinking if I go fast for a few impulses he would turn off towards his corner. If he did that I would still be slipping right or turn away. My only goal here is maybe range 15 turn 1, that way he has to to use power t2 to get to me and won't be able to do crazy run me over tractor me internals with rear P3 things. T1 Dana doesn't double anything and has a 19/26 plot. I am not fast so I am not going to get range 8 and decided to give him the middle of the board while I dive to my corner. I have a good reason for this. I launch drones on different impulses trying to force him turn 2 to have to fire P3s on drones.

T2. I am close to the corner and he is maybe 15 hexes away ish. I arm 4 overloads again and hold 2 suicides. My plot is a 14/26/14 sort of thing. My idea here is to stay near my drones during the battle pass so that he really can't juke them. T2 he overloads just 1 engine which was a surprise and just confirmed that he would not have much if any brick. All good. He approaches me but has to turn toward the corner I am in to get a shot. Of course he can het away anytime I would guess but I am going to try everything I can here to make sure he doesn't. I don't want him to het back to the middle of the board. I want to end up there. I will tell you why later. He ends up sliding around my drones, uses his drone rack to kill a couple, a suicide to kill another, and ends up using several phasers to kill the rest. We arrive at range 2 on the oblique. I fire and do like 72 for 35 ish internals after a 7 point brick (batteries I think). He shoots me back a little lite on phasers 3's and with 1 overload & 1 std hellbore. I take 22 ish internals. He gets pretty messed up-10 power, only 2 phasers, the drone rack, ALL THE SHUTTLES. I lose 2 p3, 5 power, disruptor. A love tap.

That's all ok but what really happened you might ask? -- I ended up in a place near the left middle where I could run all day T3 if he doubled everything and was trying to come get me. He ended up near the map edge with nowhere to go and me not all that far away. So I can run, or I can hunt. That there folks is secret sauce. I move toward my corner T1 so my opponent has to turn into the corner to get a better shot turn 2 plus he is running right toward my drones to get to me. Turn 3 I am out of the corner and he is in corner. See? I have options.

T3 - I prepare to run cause, scared. Or hunt. Either way same plot. I made 20 moves, 2 suicides, charged the batteries. That is it. Absolutely nothing in phasers. He only doubles one warp and being down 10 power he can't possibly go real far. I charged batteries so I could speed up even more if I needed to. I look at the situation like I can probably run him down and end up at range 1. He turned into my corner even more probably protecting the down shield and thinking I can't possibly sit on him. That would have been true had I charged phasers and standard disruptors but instead I am speed 20 all turn and can speed up. He is speed 14 all turn. I end up behind him at range 2 to end the turn. I have every weapon on my ship but 1 disruptor ready to roll. I would have been firing impulse 2 at range 1, I think. No matter what he does I am doing internals and I have 8 seeking weapons he has to deal with. He would have to het to get anything in arc. He has to shoot seeking weapons or take a thousand internals. IF he shoots them he can't shoot me and 2 hellbores alone no matter what are not going to hurt me enough as he would be for sure gutted. He conceded before we started turn 4. He was smoked.

I could have rolled worse t2, that would have helped but at range 2 disruptors hit 1-5 so it wasn't outrageous they all hit. My phaser roll was below average I think. Certainly not above average. So I don't know -- I think it pretty likely I am going to do 68-74 with 4 ov, 6 p1, 5 p3 at range 2. So dice were not likely the diffeence maker. If he had doubled both warp T2 he would have possibly had more of a brick maybe, but he did not. Maybe that was the difference between a longer game and a game over sooner. Don't know.

It was a very tense game again with a very skilled Orion. I am glad to make it through. GG Dana!

By Peter Bakija (Bakija) on Saturday, May 09, 2026 - 04:37 pm: Edit

Yeah, Shark at R2 is generally very murdery. I'm surprised the Orion got that close.

By Gregg Dieckhaus (Gdieck) on Monday, May 11, 2026 - 06:00 pm: Edit

so if I manage to beat MadJack in the gorn civil war, then I get him again!

By Peter Bakija (Bakija) on Monday, May 11, 2026 - 06:48 pm: Edit

You can do it!

By Jack Taylor (Jtaylor) on Monday, May 11, 2026 - 11:00 pm: Edit

Peter I don't think I appreciate your point of view on things, all I am saying. He could not in fact do it and that would be fine! He might could do it too, that would be worse, and less fine.


We played 3 turns I think. I bolted him and did like 25 internals t1. I was bolting the whole way. He has launched a couple envelopers and scraped my shields up some. He is down 6 power and a couple phasers. I am struggling to rearm and not get mangled. It is still a game, picking it up on Thursday.

By Carl-Magnus Carlsson (Hardcore) on Tuesday, May 12, 2026 - 07:56 am: Edit

If players want to use fed tactics they should fly the Fed.

By Gregg Dieckhaus (Gdieck) on Tuesday, May 12, 2026 - 08:29 am: Edit

Carl... in this case its a gorn v gorn matchup, I seriously considered the bolt option... This game went wonky impulse 10 when I realized I put the EPT on the wrong line on the EA...
Gregg

By Peter Bakija (Bakija) on Tuesday, May 12, 2026 - 08:30 am: Edit

Carl wrote:
>>If players want to use fed tactics they should fly the Fed.>>

Yeah, see, the point of bolting is that you have options; as the Gorn, I'll generally launch some plasma to push folks around, bolt an F or two with phasers to break a shield, and then launch more plasma when it is viable and helpful to do so. Once in a while, I'll go into a game with the plan of an Alpha Bolt (usually against a WYN or a Romulan), where launched plasma is difficult to get milage out of.

This is one of the reasons that plasma is good. You can launch it to chase people off, you can launch it when they are likely to run into it, you can launch it when you have an anchor, and you can bolt it when it seems like the best thing to do at the time.

By Peter Bakija (Bakija) on Tuesday, May 12, 2026 - 08:31 am: Edit

Jack wrote:
>>Peter I don't think I appreciate your point of view on things, all I am saying. He could not in fact do it and that would be fine! He might could do it too, that would be worse, and less fine. >>

You can do it!

By Ted Fay (Catwhoeatsphoto) on Tuesday, May 12, 2026 - 10:21 am: Edit

You can do it!

Waterboy

By Carl-Magnus Carlsson (Hardcore) on Wednesday, May 13, 2026 - 04:32 am: Edit

Gregg, I use to fly the TKR so I know what you are talking about. Double checking arcs and launchers is a must, and an unwelcome burden in a duel. Still, the Gorn and the Kestrel have their particular abilities that the Firehawk lacks.

By Jack Taylor (Jtaylor) on Wednesday, May 13, 2026 - 10:30 am: Edit

I always plan to bolt against other plasma ships. Always. Against cloakers I will run out of weasels before they run out of cloak. Usually, it's a KR where the batteries go fast if I hit at all. Any internals basically make the cloaking device useless either power or a shield is down for phaser 1 at range 0. Against another Gorn I don't want to play a 15-18 turn game hoping to scrape a few more shield boxes off a turn. I can win that game, I just refuse to play it. I only hit with the S's on a centerline at range 4. It's still a game he can win.

By Peter Bakija (Bakija) on Wednesday, May 13, 2026 - 02:10 pm: Edit

Yeah, vs Romulans, I generally have had more success with bolting than launching plasma; the cloak really changes what you can do, and those games always end up at "I took a bunch of damage to corner the Romulan. Oh, wait, now he can just cloak and make the game go for another 10 turns", which is a terrible game. I don't always bolt vs Romulans, but I do a lot, and it tends to be more successful.

When I won the first PH tournament, I won basically 'cause I got myself in a bad spot, bolted at R6 and lucked out, hitting both both S+F and some hot R6 P1's on a rear shield, did, like, 15 internals to the KR, and had a leg up for the rest of the game.

By Gregg Dieckhaus (Gdieck) on Wednesday, May 20, 2026 - 03:37 pm: Edit

For those following along... Jack has run into some issues that has caused this tourney to take a pause. Hopefully he will be able to return soon.
Gregg

By Peter Bakija (Bakija) on Thursday, May 21, 2026 - 09:57 am: Edit

Thanks, Gregg.

By Peter Bakija (Bakija) on Wednesday, June 10, 2026 - 09:13 am: Edit

Any updates?

By Gregg Dieckhaus (Gdieck) on Wednesday, June 10, 2026 - 03:56 pm: Edit

Jack had a serious health problem, he contacted me that he is now out of the hospital and thought he would be able to play in the next week or so.
Gregg

By Peter Bakija (Bakija) on Wednesday, June 10, 2026 - 04:38 pm: Edit

Ok, thanks. Fingers crossed that Jack is ok!

By Jack Taylor (Jtaylor) on Wednesday, June 10, 2026 - 09:42 pm: Edit

I am ok thanks! Was in the hospital for 16 days with near death heart stuff. I lived! Recovery however is tough going so far. I think I should be able to pick my game up with Gregg next week sometime. Just taking it one day at a time but my body is growing stronger and my spirit is good!

Thanks Gregg and everyone for your patience. Warm regards to everyone, Jack

By Ted Fay (Catwhoeatsphoto) on Thursday, June 11, 2026 - 11:58 am: Edit

Jack, I'm grateful you're doing better. Be well!