This is a General War game between Ted Fay (Coalition) versus Bill Steele (Alliance) and Richard Eitzen (Hydran only). All expansions, including Minor Empires, are being used. No optional rules are being used. The lone house rule is that we are not playing with drone raids or fighter/PF raids.

Given the primary players' real life names, the game name is "awesome!". Thanks to Richard Eitzen for coming up with it.

By Richard B. Eitzen (Rbeitzen) on Sunday, February 26, 2017 - 11:34 pm: Edit

It was actually Bill's idea.

By Ted Fay (Catwhoeatsphoto) on Thursday, March 02, 2017 - 10:28 pm: Edit

C1 is complete.

Builds fairly standard, though Klingons buy a third diplomat. Lyrans build SAF, FRD, MB. Lyrans convert a couple of FFs into DWS and a CA in Far Stars into a CF. Klingons convert a couple of D6's to D6Ms and a couple more into D6Ds. Klingons and Lyrans each convert survey ships, purchase survey slots, and later send the survey ships all offmap.

Operational is straightforward. Home fleet attacks 803. No reaction. Red claw attacks 703. Counts fleet reacts. Both reserves dogpile 703.

Combat is by fiat. I have a JGP+V in 803 and massive fleet. We agree Zin BATS 803 goes down for fighters. In 703 he decides not to come out to play. I decide not to come into play. So I retreat to 603 without a shot being fired.

During retrograde movement I send a few units from Red Claw back to SB404. Otherwise, I stay forward deployed (603 and 803) in an aggressive posture.

Strat movement sees Klingon new construction joining North fleet in 1407. Lyran new construction ends up at 404 to defend the SB.

Lyran diplomats go to the LDR, Klingons, and Romulans. Klingon and Romulan Diplomats are distributed to the three neutral border planets on each respective border.

Over to Bill for A1.

By Bill Steele (Bill83501) on Saturday, March 11, 2017 - 07:39 pm: Edit

A1 complete, Kzinti build a SR, a LAD, and the standard stuff, 4xPDU etc. The 30 some ships 703 circle around the SB, avoiding reaction, and end up on the planet behind the SB.

back to Ted

By Paul Howard (Raven) on Sunday, March 12, 2017 - 03:28 pm: Edit

Was there no chance to burn 40+ fighters to cripple several Lyran ships?

(I am guessing Reserve Fleets would have been brought a lot further forward)?

A LAD - wow - haven't seen one of those built in a while!

By Bill Steele (Bill83501) on Sunday, March 12, 2017 - 06:36 pm: Edit

I haven't had much luck with that. The Lyrans seem to see that coming and start directing.

By Ted Fay (Catwhoeatsphoto) on Monday, March 13, 2017 - 12:33 am: Edit

Paul, no. There was one major battle over a BATS on C1. He declined approach and I declined to come in, so that was the end of that.

By Peter Bakija (Bakija) on Tuesday, March 14, 2017 - 11:14 am: Edit

Paul wrote:
>>Was there no chance to burn 40+ fighters to cripple several Lyran ships?>>

I don't wanna derail this thread (so please feel free to say "Hey! Stop having that discussion here!" if it keeps going :-), but the concept of "burning 40+ fighters to cripple several Lyran ships" is one that is vastly overstated in this game in general, and on AT1 in particular. The Lyrans are sitting in a forward deployed spot. The Kzinti go to get them. The Lyrans react a hex forward, send reserves forward, fight for as many rounds as they feel is advantageous for them, shooting down escorts (and/or any cruisers that the Kzinti put on the line), don't really engage the fighters, and then retreat a hex back to where they started.

The Kzinti can't burn 40+ fighters unless the Lyrans let them. And the Lyrans have no incentive to do so. Especially not here.

By Ted Fay (Catwhoeatsphoto) on Tuesday, March 14, 2017 - 03:43 pm: Edit

What Peter said.

By Andrew Bruno (Admeeril) on Tuesday, March 14, 2017 - 11:40 pm: Edit

Yup.

By Ted Fay (Catwhoeatsphoto) on Tuesday, March 21, 2017 - 11:07 am: Edit

C2 is done.

I noted that he left the two starbases relatively underdefended on A1. Most of Count's fleet ended up on 1001 on A1, I suspect to prevent me from reacting onto the starbase and initiating a big battle there on A1. Duke's also only had 11 ships. Most of Home was on the capital as I started the turn threatening Kzintai with something like 90 ships.

So, I pinned counts on 1001 with some fancy maneuver so that it could not react onto Count's starbase. Concerned about reserves, neither of which I could pin (on Kzintai and Marquis SB), I did not destroy all the border BATS. Only destroyed the necessary targets or BATS reachable with rear-deployed ships (like Klingon new construction). Following my own advice in a recent tac note I did not attack Zursk, favoring continued integration talks.

The bulk of my forces went to Count's and Duke's starbases. Because 2 reserves were within range of 1304 (Duke's) I sent 70+ Klingon ships there. I sent about 40 Lyran ships to 902 (Count's). I figured that both starbases were doomed with these numbers.

I think Bill figured the same. So, to ensure a pound of flesh from each SB, he sent one reserve to each SB. At each SB he fought very hard. Rolls generally favored him, and mostly he rolled high.

Paul Howard: Yes, he made me kill every last fighter in both cases.

He took substantial casualties, but he let the damage fall mostly so I took *a lot* of cripples at both starbases.

However, now both Duke's and Count's starbases are down - which on Coalition turn 2 is a "good thing" in the Coalition's book. Most games I play in only one, or sometimes neither, go down until a few turns later when I'm putting intense pressure on the capital.

During retrograde the Lyrans remained forward deployed. The Klingons retrograded to 1407, mostly, to ensure that the Lyran MB going up there will stay going up. Cripples retrograded to various bases, and I had already built a couple of extra Lyran FRDs, so my repair capacity is only slightly overwhelmed.

During strategic movement I setup Klingon reserves in 906 and a good Lyran reserve in 705. Far Starts migrated to 109, forming a big reserve there.

While he could easily plant a bunch of ships on Red Claw SB, which is essentially undefended with 4 FRDs and 20 crippled ships, reserves and rapid combat repair would exact a heavy, heavy price for a reprisal strike.

It is now turn A2. We shall see whether he goes after Red Claw starbase, any Coalition BATS, or if he plays defensively and mostly turtles up in the capital. I see good reasons for going both ways. Maybe Bill will come up with a different strategy. Only time will tell.

But this I know: there are *a lot* of angry Kzinti who remember the destruction of two major starbases, and the Klingon flag planted on Zelkrat (1105), and are now hungry for vengeance...

Tale of the tape:
-Kzinti KIA (most of the ships died over 1304 where I had the reserves to take damage while directing): 2*SB, 3*BATS, 2*PDU, FKE, 3*EFF, 2*SAD, SAS, SAV, LAV, LAS (7SE, 6AUX). Some 100 fighter pilots gave their lives to the defense of the Hegemony.

-Kzinti WIA: 3*BC, BF, CL, DD, FFK, 2*FF, BCE, 2*CLE (38 Repair points).

-Klingon KIA (required kill): F5 (1 SE)

-Klingon WIA: D7C, 3*D7, D6, 9*D5, 2*F5L, 9*F5, 2*E4A (76 Repair points); plus 1*SAV which I field repaired.

-Lyran KIA (self kill): CL (1 SE)

-Lyran WIA: 4*CA, 12*CW, 2*CL, 1*HDD (self killed, made depot), 3*DW, 2*DD, 2*HFF, 3*FF (81 Repair points); plus 1*SAV which I field repaired.

[EDIT] Lyrans setting up MB in 1407, 1411, and 1013.

By Michael Alan Calhoon (Mcalhoon2) on Tuesday, March 21, 2017 - 12:29 pm: Edit

Note: I do not believe the Lyran HDD CAN make depot as it has not depot eligibl being an obsolete ship.

Keep in mind that the Kzinti Hegemony is a real estate agent in the early General War, needing to sell their territory at the highest possible price!

By Ryan Opel (Ryan) on Tuesday, March 21, 2017 - 01:14 pm: Edit

(440.8) The HDD depots as a DD.

By Ted Fay (Catwhoeatsphoto) on Tuesday, March 21, 2017 - 03:30 pm: Edit

Thanks, Ryan.

By Bill Steele (Bill83501) on Saturday, March 25, 2017 - 12:32 am: Edit

So, A2 is complete. I looked long and hard at the Red Claw SB, but after pinning, there would not be enough ships to get more than 1 FRD. That coupled with the only retrograde point being BATT 0701 made me abandon the idea. I then looked at Northern Reserve SB, but the only thing I saw happening there was moving his reserves to the pin battle in range of 1401. I told the populations in the outer planets that the fleet was going for pizza and would be right back. 7 ships did set up in 1501, the rest of the fleet is in 1401 and 2 good reserves off map.

By Ted Fay (Catwhoeatsphoto) on Saturday, March 25, 2017 - 01:16 am: Edit

It's true I created an opening and invited him to come into the spider's lair. Bill declined.

Alas. Will make 1401 a tougher nut to crack!

By Paul Howard (Raven) on Friday, April 07, 2017 - 07:49 am: Edit

What happened to all those killed Aux ships?


The SAD's, LAV and SAV are not cheap to replace!

By Richard B. Eitzen (Rbeitzen) on Friday, April 21, 2017 - 10:14 pm: Edit

A3 Hydran builds. The Hydrans have 4 EP from diplomatic income, 74EP from the normal economy and borrow 14.8EP.

They roll 12 for survey but get an SR crippled during high risk survey.

Production is 2DE 2CU TG TR 2FFT FCR 3CU and activate or callup or acquire for free ENG PT MMG POL PV. They convert 4LN to DE, an HN to SC and a DG to THR (at 0215). Hydran setup most of 2nd fleet at 0114 (along with PWC) and most of 1st Fleet at 0915, monitors are at 0519 and 0718.

The Hydrans do no raids or prime team missions.

By Richard B. Eitzen (Rbeitzen) on Tuesday, June 20, 2017 - 11:39 pm: Edit

C3 came and went, Hydrax got attacked. I'll let Ted post more details...

By Ted Fay (Catwhoeatsphoto) on Wednesday, June 21, 2017 - 01:00 am: Edit

Heh. Guess I never posted more details.

Fire the left particle cannons. Fire the right particle cannons. You know, both barrels!

By Ted Fay (Catwhoeatsphoto) on Wednesday, June 21, 2017 - 01:01 am: Edit

C3: Econ was the usual. I kicked some more Kzinti butt. Drove them off the minors mostly. He saved 1502 with a reserve. I took out PDUs on some capital planets. The usual.

By Ted Fay (Catwhoeatsphoto) on Wednesday, June 21, 2017 - 01:10 am: Edit

C4: Econ was unusual for me as I decided to go into ADS for the Klingons, maximum hoc for the turn at 30 EPs. That allowed me to repair all my cripples, produce a full load, do some nifty conversions, and buy a COE (the big ticket item). So far I've got one B10 in the slipways.

C4 I hit the Hydrans hard, though I ignored western Hydran space. I destroyed SB1017. I elected to pin Expedition at 716 and went straight for the jugular: 617 and 718 as well. Richard had, of course, arranged sufficient defenses so I could not actually take 617, and a reserve saved 718. However, I stripped all but 3 PDUs on the outer planets (2 PDU on one major, 1 PDU on the other), and I even took out 3 PDUs on Hydrax major (which of course was very painful as always). I destroyed all the border East of hex 415. Casualties were heavy, but manageable.

In the ZTO I didn't press *too* hard. I did attack Kzintai and destroy 3 PDUs, and I also devastated all the outer planets (again). I also captured 1504 and 1502. Now all Kzinti provinces except Marquis and 1401 are captured, and I left the bulk of my fleet parked at 1402. Again, casualties were manageable because I deliberately did not go hot and heavy after Kzintai.

During retrograde I've got 1013 and 1407 heavily fortified, and enough of a fleet at 411 that if Richard's Hydrans want to kill the starbase they will pay dearly (I have some 30+ ships, an FRD, and some cripples). I have an AUX park in 916 which includes some SAFs and AUX CVs.

Still relatively easy times for the Coalition, but it's pretty early in the game.

Over to A4.

By Richard B. Eitzen (Rbeitzen) on Friday, June 23, 2017 - 06:10 pm: Edit

A4 Hydran eco.

Borrowing some more EPs, the Hydrans manage to produce their full line of ships, do 4 DE conversions and build 4 PDU.

They activate a POL, FLG, PT and PAL and build TG 3HR 3CU 3HN 4PDU.

I considered building a MON-V but did not, in the end, do this.

The Hydrans began constructing a MSY-CW in the offmap using an ENG.

In the raid phase, the Hydrans raid three Lyran provinces (with an HR LN and LNG). A Pol rolls very well and drives off the HR. Got lucky with a T-bomb vs stingers!

By Ted Fay (Catwhoeatsphoto) on Friday, June 23, 2017 - 06:47 pm: Edit

Frankly, a POL simply can't defeat a HR unless HR were caught under the surprise rules (e.g., The Surprise Reversed). But given that this was a fast raider, I don't buy that.

For me it's easier just to work the variance into the idea that F&E abstracts out a lot of stuff. In real life, errors get made, the HR could run out of fuel, suffer a critical breakdown. Or maybe the POL managed to hit with a ph-1 at range 50 while the HR is coming out of strategic warp speeds. Or maybe there were local defenders no accounted for on the map that helped the POL drive off the HR.

But, yeah, I don't see a classic SFB scenario in which a POL takes on a HR and survives to tell the tail - at least unless you use the surprise rules (and even then...)

Meh. Whatever. To me it's just F&E. If you try to overthink it or get too much into the "why" you go nuts. That way lies madness...

By Richard B. Eitzen (Rbeitzen) on Friday, June 23, 2017 - 07:01 pm: Edit

The POL obviously killed the stingers with a lucky t-bomb, and when the HR dropped a (facing) shield to recover the surviving pilots, a narrow salvo volley from the POL rolled ones and got a critical hit of some kind.

Or something.