Archive through August 18, 2023
Star Fleet Universe Discussion Board: Star Fleet Battles: Star Fleet Battles Online:
Sapphire Series Tournaments:
Sapphire Star 14 (June 2023):
Archive through August 18, 2023
Yes, PPD was not guarded, in fact, no guards were assigned at that point. Jack is pulling out all the stops in this battle, he is playing uncharacteristically aggressively. Jack or myself will give a full battle report at some point, but this is a short preview.
T1 WBS had zero reinforcement, instead closes in with OL. He decided to run upstream through each plasma launched, and by the time the "reinforcement finder" EPT hits, ISC did not get a chance to fire the PPD, and turned out to avoid a close range DISR strike. The range 5 strike rolls well enough to do 8 (?) internals, and gets Plas-D (which was just launched).
T2 - ISC Plots 24-12-6, WBS plots 26-13. More plasma and running, the chase sees the ISC turn one way, the WBS turns a little bit early, ISC HETs the other way, the WBS follows suit, but WBS has almost no shields on the facing side. Towards the end of the turn, ISC has decel-ed, so WBS is headed into close range, but a slip out puts the WBS at range 4 to show a relatively strong #2.
T3 involves the ISC tac-ing, launching twin plasma from G-mounts, and then accelerating into reverse on imp 3 (with some significant braking energy to permit that), and firing the PPD to get off three pulses (and 5 internals) before WBS gets into range 3 again and avoids the 4th pulse. WBS decides to emer decel and ISC HETs plasma the wrong way (a bit of overthinking that the WBS must have a speed change) ... alas the plasma ran around the WBS for 1/2 turn, before finally hitting the WW. The DISR and phaser strike takes down the ISC #1, about range 3-4, there is some mizia that misses, but WBS ultimately decides to do 3xHit&Run as described above ... gets the PPD. That of course kinda sucks, WBS has some shield problems, which make the PPD very effective. I guess the PPD takes 15 to repair. Should I assign guards in every game? Yes. Do I do that normal thing every time? Umm ... there is some evidence the answer is No.
T4 start sees the ISC at range 9 from WBS, with 3x plasma tubes intact and one G-torp ready, and the WBS to be recovering from emer decel.
Even without the PPD, ISC plasma and phasers can be effective, especially if your opponent has very few shields. So, it is still a game.
T1 - yep that all happened. I did get 3 drones out there. I missed with my mizia overloaded disruptor from batteries. T1 phasers rolled good.
T2 - somewhere I made a movement error and took some internals on my damaged #1 I did not need to take. I launched more drones and my 2 suicides thinking he would not move much. He launched a couple shuttle that were killed by drones.
T3 - I scared him into thinking I had a speed change to screw up his last plasma launch. I wish I could say that was intentional because I would be a genius if I did that. Instead, I am a lucky moron because my speed change was the following impulse but Geof assumed I was smarter than I actually am. Again, I missed with my mizia overloaded disruptor with batteries. T3 phasers rolls were horrible. But hey, I got an unguarded PPD on a crazy hit and run raid!
T4- it's a game. It's not won yet or lost yet by anyone. The most intense game I have played in a while. Every little decision by us both has mattered a lot. ISC Sucks.
Jack--are you a b1 Shark? Or a bb Shark?
Never mind. Jack's a 1b Shark. It's on the tree :-)
I have played the Shark (BB) since forever. This is my first time playing it (1B). I think it is even tougher this way myself. I rarely get all the drones off my ship anyway. It's pretty rare drones end up killing somebody. That extra 4 points of damage most turns from that P1 adds up though. I can see now why Ron plays it this way.
Interesting Jack Dice examples:
Odds: the odds of hitting with 2 out of 4 disruptors on a 1-4 are 29.63%
The odds of rolling 6 phaser 1's like this where only 1 is less than 5 are:
6, 6, 1, 6, 6, 5 = 3.29%
The odds of both these things happening at the same time are 0.6487%. In case you are interested this equates to 38 points of damage at range 3 on 22 points of power. At range 3. Don't ask me how I know.
Additionally: the odds of rolling 4 disruptor dice twice and having 2 hit (1-4) each time are: 8.78%, again you don't wanna know how I know.
Also, on 28 p1 and disruptor rolls I have not rolled a single 4. The odds of that happening are 0.01327%.
Never tell me the odds!
On my next alpha of 4 overloads and 6 p1's here are my rolls range 4:
P1: 6, 3, 6, 6, 4, 4
Disr: 5, 5, 5, 5
Grand total: 18 points of damage, r4. I was forced to concede after this happened, again. Geof played great throughout. Congrats Geof!!!
Fyi and I am certain no one cares:
The combined probability of rolling 3 sixes on 6 dice and having all 4 of another set of dice show 5 or 6 is approximately 0.000661, or about 0.0661%.
Well, that sucks. But congrats on a solid second place!
Jack, might I suggest giving F&E a try? Rolls like that you would be brutal as hell. I ought to know, FEDS was rolling like that at StratCon and beat on me pretty good. At one point I was (playfully of course) confiscating the dice he was rolling sixes on, hoping to improve my odds…. Had ten set aside before it was noticed and I fess’d up.
Can F&E be played online?
Yes, it can. Usually via Vassal or Cyberboard. There is a provision for it in SFBOL too, though I don’t know how well it’s implemented.
Yeah, F+E is generally played via email using Vassal (a downloaded board game engine that has a good F+E module) or Cyberboard (which is F+E specific). In theory, you can play live online, but I only ever played via email (i.e. move a bunch of stuff on the map with notes in an email, send a map file to your opponent, they react with notes in an email and move stuff on the map, and send you a new map file, etc.) Works fine.
Last one I promise. Then I move on with my life:
So, the combined probability of rolling 4 dice where 2 are 5 or 6, rolling another 4 dice where 2 are 5 and 6, and rolling 4 more dice where all 4 are greater than 4 is approximately 0.006944%.
Hey Jack,
Firstly, you played a great game. Both of us had some mistakes, but your plots and maneuver were really great. I'm so happy that I hit you with so many plasma, and made you emer twice. You convinced one volley of plasma to circle your ship rather than impacting on the down shield, which I clearly should have done in retrospect! A memorable moment in a great game!
Next, I know you are hurting over dice. As I recall, you did roll 1,1,1,1 ... when you fired standard DISR at range ~10? Not that this is any consolation, but there are moments of what seems like crazy improbability both ways. It does seem like at the critical moment, when the game is on the line, the dice fail you. It is the gods saying that you should have been at range 1.
I'm also reminded of our previous Shark vs RKR battle, when you had a down/weak shield with 6xPh-1s ... and you rolled many if not all sixes at ~ range 8. As we both know, it did not matter, and you won that game anyway.
I think the point of the DISR game is that for any individual blast, sure it is nice if it hits hard, but you are going to be able to do it again in 8 impulses or so.
I'm reminded of what Paul Vebber, a wargaming analysts at the DOD says ... "the plural of anecdote is not data!".
And, just to repeat what I already said for the benefit of the forum, I don't feel sad for your luck in the game at all, you took a total of 3 pulses from the PPD in eight turns, after your magic hit & run raid, so I don't feel sorry for your occasional whiff with the OL volley.
Congratulations on a very strong tournament showing, and second place!
Best,
Geof
Hey Geof- I did roll 1,1,1 with 3 std disruptors at like range 11'ish and made a crazy hit and run attempt I tried only because I wasn't hurting you with weapons. I literally dropped a shield towards 5 unfired p1's to even try it. Desperate times my friend!!
I am not looking for sympathy, just venting. I have bad dice karma and no game I remember hurts more than this one. Geof played great with an unexpected braking energy maneuver that probably got him through turn 4 in one piece where otherwise he probably doesn't.
Geof just played too well for me to overcome truly horrendous dice. As many folks point out, it is my own fault, I don't have to be shooting disruptors. After this game, I won't for a while. Geof earned it - I'll get the next one in a ship with no disruptors on it 
Congrats Geof!
Congrats Geoffrey on the Sapphire Star 14 win.
Ok lets get the next one going
Sapphire Crown appears to be in the offing. Ron Brimeyer, Seth Shimansky, Dana Madsen, and Cadet Stimpy are up. Geoffrey Clark is next if any of the previous four are unavailable. But we must have at least four players.
I'm available
Hello Tournament Players,
Friendly Reminder...
SFB at Council Gaming Convention starts five weeks from today. More info posted in the Convention area of this BBS.
Friendly Reminder #2
This the second-to-last SFB event that the SWA will sponsor, after many years of carrying the torch through the darkness. If you don't make it this year, then Summer 2024 will be your last chance.
Hope to see some of you next month.
Hope to see ALL of you next year!
-DC
I am available for the crown
& the crazy drive to upstate NY
I can play