Hello Star Fleet Battle Aces- My name is Jack Taylor (MadJack). I am looking for 9 Ace caliber players to join me in a new tournament called the Ace of Aces Invitational.

The format will initially be round robin. Two groups of 5 where everyone will play 4 games. The top two players from each group will advance to a semi-final game. The finalists will play a best of 3 series to determine the overall Champion.

I would like to run this tournament every year for as long as I can. The Champion will get an engraved trophy that will be held for a year by the winner and then returned to me. I will replace the original with something like it for the Champ to keep going forward but every year the original Trophy goes to the new Champion.

Please let me know if you are interested and your initial ship selection and options. (Yes Fed+G rack, no other playtest, no Andromedan).

First 9 to respond get in and I will be number 10. If for some reason we can not get to 9 players we will go with the first 7.

Hope you all want to take a crack at this. Regards, Jack.

By Jack Taylor (Jtaylor) on Wednesday, September 22, 2021 - 10:41 am: Edit

The 2021 tournament is already under way. I invited 11 guys I have played a lot via email to sign up and we had 10 within 36 hours and have 1 alternate. I did not know at the time we could use the bulletin board or would have broadcast here and invited all Aces in the World to play. No disrespect intended for those who did not get a chance to sign up. Next year this will be easier!!

By Jack Taylor (Jtaylor) on Wednesday, September 22, 2021 - 10:48 am: Edit

WELCOME TO THE INAUGURAL ACE OF ACES INVITATIONAL!

This year we will have 10 players who were specially invited for their obvious sportsmanship, skill, and commitment to the game. Thanks to everyone for participating!

The first round will be round robin. With five players in each group, I suspect we will have multiple players with identical records. In the event that happens we will use head-to-head records for breaking ties. If that still does not solve for it, we will have playoff games to determine who will move onto the semi-finals. In order to participate in the semi-finals, players must make every effort to complete all 4 round robin games.

I know we have some time zone challenges, family challenges, holidays, work schedules, all of that and more. I would however like to run the tournament to a schedule so that everyone is treated fairly and to maintain excitement. I hope you find it reasonable to ask everyone to finish these 4 games in 10 weeks with the round robin stage ending on November 30th. If anyone is unable to manage to this schedule, please let me know and we will look for a replacement player.

My plan is to launch a website to help manage this tournament and archive the history of it. There will be a “Wall of Honor” and such so that twenty years from now we can still see who won and in what. Until I can do that, please send me your wins and losses. I will compile game results and send them out to everyone periodically until I can get the website up and you can view the results yourselves. Round Robin Bracket in next message!

By Jack Taylor (Jtaylor) on Wednesday, September 22, 2021 - 11:03 am: Edit

Group A

captainron
Shark (B1)

bakija
Gorn

kingzilla
Hydran

madman
Orion (HHG1B, FFGff)

CrashandBurn
Aux (HHBB)

By Jack Taylor (Jtaylor) on Wednesday, September 22, 2021 - 11:11 am: Edit

Group B

Spartan
TKR

BS
Klingon

MadJack
Kzinti

Sir_Hood
Neo-Tholian

Droid
Aux (HBGD)

By Jack Taylor (Jtaylor) on Wednesday, September 22, 2021 - 11:16 am: Edit

MadJack versus Spartan

Scheduled for tonight 9/22 at 6p eastern.

By Andy Koch (Droid) on Wednesday, September 22, 2021 - 01:27 pm: Edit

I am playing Jason next week Tuesday 7 am eastern.... I think.

By Jack Taylor (Jtaylor) on Wednesday, September 22, 2021 - 09:49 pm: Edit

MadJack and Spartan got through 3 turns. Both have some minor shield damage. It's going to be a long dance.

Scheduled for round 2 next Monday 9/27 6p eastern

By Mike Erickson (Mike_Erickson) on Wednesday, September 22, 2021 - 11:22 pm: Edit

The title of this topic reminds me of the old WWI airplane combat game where each player had a book of sketches looking at the enemy plane from different angles, and would pick their aerial maneuver and then jump to specific page, and so on. I believe it was called Ace of Aces. Yes, I may be dating myself.

Best of luck with this (perhaps?) similarly named SFB tournament.

--Mike

By Peter Bakija (Bakija) on Thursday, September 23, 2021 - 07:25 am: Edit

That was indeed the name of the game (it was just like Lost Worlds, where you had a book for your warrior, and your opponent had a book with their warrior, and you shaped books and made attacks).

By Geoffrey Clark (Spartan) on Thursday, September 23, 2021 - 12:10 pm: Edit

MadJack's ZIN vs Spartan's TKR

MJ's comments, while true where pretty sparse, so I'll fill in some details.

Turn 1 - ZIN has a 20-26-27 (?) move plot, and comes out with standard DISR. TKR plots 28-15, and launches 2x30 about 1.16 in the middle of the map. ZIN fires standards and hits with 4, then turns out. TKR fires back with 5xph-1 at range 8 on the flank shield, and gets 3xph-1 back. TKR slips out a bit, the turns in to pursue. Late in the turn ZIN launches 4xfast drones.

(note, my T1 shield reinforcement was all wrong ...)

Turn 2 - ZIN plans to run and high speed, turns out again for a circle back towards his starting position, and hitting the offside plasma with 4xph-3. THR moves up to cut off the map, moving 21 most of the turn, 4xph-3(+1xph-1-as-3) to kill what seems like 4xIF. ZIN takes the plasma at roughly the end of the movements to see one fake, one real. ZIN launches a shuttle ... TKR moves in to about range 6 with the ZIN about to turn out of the corner, and launches 70 pts, then turns out. ZIN moves a bit, then HETs back to run back across the corner. Phaser fire between the two ships at range 5. Scatterpack blossoms with 4 drones. As the ZIN runs away from the plasma stack, the TKR and drones close, TKR increases speed to 30, moves past drones and tractors empty shuttle at range 3 to death drag it. ZIN runs out 2xF, phasers the S, and takes only about 8 points. Meanwhile TKR turns out and increases range to 8, and gets out of FA. ZIN launches another 2xmedium drones to augment the scatterpack swarm.

Turn 3 - TKR runs at 31, dropping to 15 mid-way. ZIN plots ~20-16 ? ZIN fires 2xOL and 3xph-1s, misses with both OL, moderate phaser damage to TKR's #4. There is big chase across the map, additional 2xStandard-DISR both hit ...

Turn 4 is upcoming.

By Jack Taylor (Jtaylor) on Tuesday, September 28, 2021 - 08:07 am: Edit

Sapphire 9 is open for registration. Go sign up!

By Andy Koch (Droid) on Tuesday, September 28, 2021 - 12:29 pm: Edit

Jason and I got two turns in this AM.
He is being very webby and we are both being bad at shooting.
Continues Friday 7 am EST

By Randy Green (Hollywood750) on Tuesday, September 28, 2021 - 09:21 pm: Edit

Sounds like he is being a "stickler" for movement.


I'll show myself out now.

By Jack Taylor (Jtaylor) on Wednesday, September 29, 2021 - 05:41 pm: Edit

MadJack's ZIN vs Spartan's TKR

Continues tonight at 6p eastern

By Geoffrey Clark (Spartan) on Thursday, September 30, 2021 - 07:17 am: Edit

MadJack's ZIN vs Spartan's TKR

(This is kinda from memory, so if I forgot some detail, sorry!)

Turn 4 - ZIN is about 16 hexes behind the TKR, with 4 drones from SP, and 2 ship-launched drones in pursuit. TKR has a 21-28 plot, ZIN has a 19-26/27 plot. Impulse 2, TKR turns and launches enveloper from B, and ZIN turns south to run it out. TKR also moves south, and eventually skirts around drones to make a circle back up to the middle of the map, firing some phasers at 2 drones to keep movement options open. The ZIN meanwhile has run the plasma out, maybe some phasers, and is circling back up towards the middle of the map as well. ZIN gets within range 8, ends up off the TKR's full #5. I don't think there is any DISR fire or discharge? There was one or two fast drones launched ~imp 31.

Turn #5 - ZIN plots 31 (with some decreases later), TKR plots 28-14-13-14. Impulse #1 sees an enveloper from A, and ZIN soon thereafter announces emer decel (!). ZIN blasts with 4xOL + 4xPh-1, hits with 2 OL and does a total of about 26, sees 3 reinforcement to leave a one-box #5 (TKR shields now 30-30-9-12-1-9). ZIN stops, pops WW#1, drones come off, power is allocated, collateral taken, (ZIN shields now 30-30-9-17-11-30). TKR circles around, after speed changes, there are a few drones launched, and phaser-ed down (?). ZIN announces speed 4 in reverse ~imp 25. TKR ends turn at range 5 off the #2, facing ZIN's #6.

Turn #6 - ZIN plots -9, -4, -14, and TKR plots 0, -9, -4, -9. TKR launches two shuttles as fighters. There is some tight manuevers with the ZIN trying to spin around to get on a weak #3, and the TKR trying to align plasma arcs ... around imp 11 (?), TKR launches two F's about range 6 ... ZIN launches WW#2 (now only 1 remains), and points the weak #5 as he turns in to close the distance. There is a moment when the TKR is at range 4, but out of FA of the ZIN, so blasts with 5xph-1, does 21 damage, and 6 internals ... (1 power, 1 phaser, and fluff). ZIN turns out to bring FA, and blasts at range 5 (?) on the #2, 3xOL, 1xStd, 4xPh-1 and does 29, sees 5 reinforcement, yields a six box #2 (now 30-6-9-12-1-9).

Turn #7 - ZIN plots -14,-13,-14, TKR plots 0, -9, -4, 0. Seeing the ZIN's speed, TKR launches enveloper from B on imp #1, and ZIN has some tricky speed plots to get it out to the 11th move, and after the phaser hose, does about 27 damage. There is reinforcement, but the general comes off the top, and there are four more internals (drone, warp, fluff), and ZIN wheels around to come back towards the middle of the map (where TKR is parked). To do this, he points the weak #3, so TKR takes a range 12 phaser shot to try to get lucky, rolls hot and scores 7 damage, of which 5 is blocked for no internals. ZIN shields are now 24-21-3-13-1-25, after a powered repair of 1 box on the #5, and a CDR on a ph-3.

Turn 8 is upcoming, Monday 18:00 EDT / Tuesday 07:00 JST

By Ronald J. Brimeyer (Captainron) on Friday, October 01, 2021 - 02:44 pm: Edit

captainron Shark (B1) over Crashandburn AUX (HHBB)

Turn 1: We both corner dodge and set up drone waves.

Turn 2: Aux plots 17/24 and Shark plots 14/25. Part way into turn the Sharks drones pass over the Aux drones revealing the Aux as the target. The Aux has just slipped and the drones are 2 hexes straight ahead. Both ship and drones move next imps. John decides to direct fire a standard and overload Helbore at R8 before turning them out of arc. Misses with the OV and does 6 to the #2 shield. He then turns off and deals with 3 turn 1 drones and 3 more turn 2 drones. I destroy 6 drones with 4 stand disrupters and 5 p-3s. Late in the turn I get all 7 P-1s in arc at R8 and do 16 to John's #3. John rolled poorly on p-3s and had to use one drone as counterdrone so I now have 5 drones coming at me. John was holding 2 drones with tractors at the end of the turn. I forgot to turn them towards his ship so he was able to drop tractor and get 2 shots at them on turn 3. As it turned out he killed both drones on imps 1 with p-3s so my mistake did not hurt me.

Turn 3: We mostly maneuver for position. I deal with 11 drones and try to stay out of his FA. We end the turn at R8. Me outside his FA. He fires 4 p-1s and does 8 damage to my #6. I stop 4 with bats. No drones on the map at EOT.

Turn 4: Shark plots 26/25/14. Aux plots 12/17/12. Imps 3 Aux turns and speeds up. Shark is just out of arc. Shark tries to cut the corner but on Imps 10 I do not move. The Aux turns and has me at R5 just inside FA. John holds fire. We continue to circle. When we get to R4, John fires 4 P-1s and does 15 to my #5. With my slow down I get a chance to turn to R3 with him straight off my #6. He will be forced to move to R4 on the next imps. He launches 6 drones but does not try to tractor me. I arm 2 disr off bats and fire them and 5 P-1s doing 31 to his #5. 7 int net 2 drone racks. Next imps he moves to R4 and I do 4 more int with a P-1. Hit all fluff. Next Imps drones are at R1 but do not move. I fire 4 p-3 and roll 1,6,6,6. This will force me to kill 5 drones with my last p-3, 2 SS, and 2 Drones. At this point John attempts to HET his ship. He rolls a 3 and breaks down. We both agreed that at this point it was his best chance. I was behind him and he was down to only 4 drone racks with at most 8 drones. Plus I still had my HET if I needed it.

By Peter Bakija (Bakija) on Sunday, October 03, 2021 - 07:56 am: Edit

On a different, but connected front, signups for Sapphire 9 are now happening (check the Sapphire 9 thread).

By Peter Bakija (Bakija) on Monday, October 04, 2021 - 10:57 am: Edit

Seth and I are playing tonight at 7:00 pm ET.

I think he's a Hydran and I'm a Gorn.

By Peter Bakija (Bakija) on Monday, October 04, 2021 - 08:07 pm: Edit

Kingzilla (HYD) over bakija (GRN)

T1: I move 15/17/24 with an enveloper in tube B. He moves 16/26/27 (27 might have been a battery). We close some, him slipping in a bit. At R13, I launch my off side enveloper. He turns off, launches fighters, tractors them. I turn in chase, following my plasma. We end at about R10, me facing F, him facing D, me out of his FA, him off my #6. His fighters are facing me. My enveloper is at R2, so he blasts it with 3 gatlings and 3P1s, blowing 26 off the warhead.

T2: I plot 30/26/17. He announces zero, drops the tractors on the fighters. I stay out of R8, he speeds up to 4, I get out to R10. I turn off, he speeds up to 10. I HET directly back at him and close. We get to R4, my #6 facing his #6. I fire 4xP1 and bolt facing S+F. He fires the fusions off his fighters, doing 8 to my #6. I roll 5, 6 on my bolts, and do 15 damage to his #6. Next impulse, I turn off, getting to R4, my #5 to his #6. I fire my rear 2P1s, do 7 more. He hits my #5 with 12xP3, 5xP1, 2 ship fusions, 2 standard HB. Both HB hit, my shield is down, I take 13 in, losing a plasma tube, a P3 and a couple power. I surrender here.

We checked to see what happens if both my bolts hit on the previous impulse, resulting in him taking 10 internals and then 7 more, which kind of demolished him (he'd of lost a HB, fusion, and 2P1 before he shot me, and then 2 more P1s and a fusion on the next volley. In theory).

If I guessed right that he was going to stop, I probably make a game of it there (as I probably have 10 in tractor and get on top of him). If I do exactly what I did there and luck out on the bolts, I'm likely winning at that point. But, well, I guessed wrong, and then rolled 5, 6 on my bolt shot.

That is why they call me Bolty McBolterson.

By Peter Bakija (Bakija) on Tuesday, October 05, 2021 - 07:27 am: Edit

(It is worth pointing out that he emergency decelerated and stopped by the time I reached 5 hexes again, so just launching plasma at him wasn't an option on that exchange on T2).

By Andy Koch (Droid) on Wednesday, October 06, 2021 - 07:25 am: Edit

I like Fisty McFisterson better....

By Andy Koch (Droid) on Wednesday, October 06, 2021 - 07:26 am: Edit

Put me down for a loss vs. Jason Gray.
He was very Webby when I expected him to be more Fisty

By Jack Taylor (Jtaylor) on Wednesday, October 06, 2021 - 08:05 pm: Edit

Spartan (TKR) over MadJack (Kzinti)

Geof played great. I got outplayed by a great player. I am sure he will elaborate on his greatness in a write up.

By Geoffrey Clark (Spartan) on Friday, October 08, 2021 - 02:03 am: Edit

MadJack's ZIN vs Spartan's TKR

It was a great battle. Sometimes, things just go your way, and this battle was a good example. Jack fought very well, up until the end it was close, only a few choices make the difference.

Carrying over from Turn 7 above, the TKR is parked and was moving in reverse, in the middle of the map. The ZIN was moving about -14/13, and is on a trajectory to pass in front of the Romulan about range 4-6, without turning the weak flank shield in.

Turn #8 - TKR plots zero, then ten forward, tac-ing and pursuing the ZIN with the #1. Launches two shuttles as fighters. ZIN moves -14 for a while, then up to -26. Ultimately, there is a play to get off the Rom's #1 shield on to the 9-box #6. It is close to this time that the ZIN is about range 5, so an enveloper comes out. The ZIN gets to range 6 on the Rom's #6, fires overloads and 3xph-1 (?), does 18, sees 9 reinforcement and takes the 9 box shield down to zero. Later it was revealed that this was 8 in general, plus 5 btty. The ZIN shortly thereafter has a speed change to -14, and so declares emer decel again, pops out WW#3 (last shuttle). Rom can now close to range 4, hiding behind the #1, which takes the last ph-1 for 5, leaving 25. There are two medium drones launched, and one fast drone ... ship and shuttles kill one medium.

Turn 9 - ZIN is stopped until ~9, and TKR plots speed 0, launches 2xF, pops his own WW, which attracts the two drones, and then begins to cloak. ZIN blasts the F-torps, and tacs to a good shield, but takes eight internals, including a DISR, some power and one btty. ZIN speeds up to nine forward, and comes in to range 1, off the TKR #1, which has been kept facing my tacs. ZIN rolls poorly with three overloads and misses while TKR is under cloak. Shuttles orbit at range 6, firing ph-3s into weak shields, but also miss.

Turn 10 - TKR moves ten in reverse, ZIN moves zero then 4 forward, speeding up to nine, while the TKR slows to eight reverse. TKR slips a bit, and ZIN slips out to range six to get a shot at the six-box #2, and hits with two overloads,. which are halved due to cloak to score exactly six on that shield. TKR moves to get the ZIN back on the #1, ends the turn at range five, with shields 25-0-9-3-1-0. ZIN has shields 24-0-3-13-1-19, and 18 internals, two of which are repaired.

At this point, Jack conceeds. TKR can uncloak and have two S-torps online, can probably avoid even fast drones at speed ~18 in reverse for a while, or (as is revealed) does have a final shuttle armed as WW.

We debriefed a bit, there were two plasma launches that elicited emer decel this game. Also, the early use of the scatterpack (and the destruction of that shuttle) left only three other shuttles for WW.

It was a great game, thanks Jack!