This is a game between me, Poli Fabio (we’re the only ones here in the forum), Marengo Andrea, Daverio Andrea, Gianluca Montanari and Casotti Fabrizio that will be played on real, old school, cardboard map every Thursday evening at No Fair Play Club in Reggio Emilia, Italy (for the many that might not know Italian geography, it’s in northern Italy, more or less halfway between Milan and Bologna), starting this Thursday.
English isn’t my first language. Linguistic inconsistencies are to be expected.

Me, Poli and Marengo will be coalition, specifically Poli will be Lyran, I will be Klingon, Marengo will help me with klingon till turn 10 when he will turn Romulan; Daverio (kzinti), Montanari (Hydran) and Casotti (federation) will be the alliance (Gorn and Tholian will be taken by the allied player pushed out of map).

The game will be a full Great War, using all the expansion, including minor Empires. (Vudar will be inactive and gobble provinces when time comes, Tholians will join alliance permanently but Seltorian will come hunting them, joining coalition, assuming any Tholian is still on map).
We will use almost all optional rules, including the new advanced raid ones.
Every ship that has an existing token will be available, excluding BB for non Klingon Players (1 federation BB will be available if federation reaction will be activated), all limited production ships will still be limited normally.
ADS will NOT be used (I lost the vote on that).
Variable admirals will be used (I lost the vote on that too…)
We will also play with the following house rules (these are either a little leg up for alliance, since it tend to be crushed in all our games, excluding the last one we played, or a little push to things that tend to be underused):
- Diplomat conversion of neutral planets will be a peaceful conquest. The planet will only give 1 EP, and will need a garrison like a conquered planet, once the other border power is active or the planet will revert to neutrality. No peaceful annexion.
-Hospital ship will not cost EP to operate, with the exclusion of federal CLH operating in other powers territory that will cost normally.
-Monitor will cost 6 ep instead of 8.
-Normal megafighters will cost 3 instead of 5 ep
-Heavy megafighters will cost 2 ep instead of 3.
-Diplomats cannot be assassinated. Everyone else is free game.
-We will NOT use the common sub everything for an FF rule, just regular 2 downsub every turn.


In the unlikely case the game will not fizzle or end for 3 capital capture rule, we will use the variable ending rule, hoping that a better one come out before we have to use it. The plan is to do half turn every Thursday, so we should theoretically need one and a half year to complete the game, but realistically the game will bog down and get slower from turn 12/15 and two years or more will be needed instead. So plenty of time for a new variable end rule!

By Stefano Predieri (Preda) on Tuesday, January 28, 2020 - 08:32 am: Edit

Set up, done last Thursday after option choice:

Here a link to Coalition production:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vRGuc0v59drwC91or1IqSh_8ljer4-9fQQN8HMt6uCOnhgBeLNBMFD0IfMQWs8DWXYaAb3oeM2iyRUs/pubhtml


Lyrans set up all Home fleet traditionally, with 1 CA in capital, 6 allowed ships on bat 0707 (2 CL, 2x HDD, 2 FF)all the rest on Foremost starbase. Red claw is placed a bit less traditionally with all fleet on bat 0705, ecxcluding a CL to be converted in CLS on the SB.

Kzinti respond with all Count fleet on count SB and Duke with 11 pin, scout included, in 1008, all the rest at Duke starbase. Both kzinti tug are outfitted with double V pod. Both reserve fleet are missing a BC, left out on the SB and duke reserve has no scout.

Klingon set up all northern fleet in 1507, excluding a F5L right next to Win territory.
East fleet is all on the planet in 1714, excluding 2 E4, one each in 1812 and 1914.
Western fleet is all on bat 1013, Home fleet is splitted with 15 pins poor on quality in 1413 and all the rest in 1212. The engeneer is in 1412.

All is ready for the guns to start firing on Thursday.

By Stewart Frazier (Frazikar3) on Tuesday, January 28, 2020 - 09:07 pm: Edit

Kiznti Duke fleet in 1008 …

Starting in Klingon space, that's why the war started!

By Richard Eitzen (Rbeitzen) on Tuesday, January 28, 2020 - 10:29 pm: Edit

Good luck!

By Jason Langdon (Jaspar) on Wednesday, January 29, 2020 - 06:46 am: Edit

"Linguistic inconsistencies are to be expected."

Made me laugh. Seems like your grasp of English is pretty good !

All the best for the game.

By Stefano Predieri (Preda) on Wednesday, January 29, 2020 - 06:46 am: Edit

Ops wrong exe. Part of Duke is in 1003, not 1008...

By Stefano Predieri (Preda) on Friday, January 31, 2020 - 09:42 am: Edit

CT1 is done.

No raid on turn 1 but a Klingon blocade run with an E4T loaded with 4 Ep to the win.

Lyrans call up an FLG on Enemy blood starbase, Klingon call a POL on 1013. Colonies get started for free by engeneers both in 1412 by klingon and in 0608, under foremost starbase, by Lyran. An FF, an FFT and the new SR produced by lyran, carrying the Home fleet FRD, go and get all the neutral exes between Klingon and lyran (FFT with 4 EP finishes it's move depositing it's EP on Klingon count in Wincovia, SR+FRD stops in 0809, FF in 0913). One Klingon D6 from west fleet goes to SR Starbase to be converted next turn, a CL from enemy blood moves to the capital for the same reason.
A Lyran DD and a Klingon F5L got sold to the Win.
Then the fighting moves start.
Home fleet minus 5 assorted small ship moves north till 0704, sends 4 ships (CC, JPG-V, 2 HFF) to attack bat 0703, and ends it's move with all the others ships on bat 0803.
Unexpectedly all Count but Reserve and a BC and all Duke in 1003 React in.
With no more reaction but reserves to contend to, the 6 ships from Bat 0707 go to engage Bat 1004 and the whole Red claw fleet moves to Bat 1205, leaving a pinned DD on planet 1105.

All Klingon production but the SAF and an F5L go to bat 1507.

Both Kzinti reserves got sent to 1205.

Combat.

Bat 0703 dies for 2 crippled HFF.

Bat 0803 falls after approach and 1 round of fight on the bat (and another round with the Bat alone).
11 crippled Lyran ships, against a destroyed bat, a crippled EFF and 2 dead ships, EFF and BF. Lyran
uncovered a -1 admiral, Kzinti uncovered a 0 one.

DD on planet 1105 Runs crippled to 1004 after approach with PDU fighters.

Bat 1004 falls for 4 crippled ships.

Finally Red Claw offered approach on 1205, Kzinti refused, and Lyran immediately retreated. Kzinti retreated too, to 1105, first. But Lyrans, instead of following homeward, terribly frightened by Kzinti might, decided to retreat instead in 1306, to then move immediately to 1307 and be interned by Klingons...
Kzinti received firm assurances from Klingon ambassador, in his last communication before shipping back to Klinshai to be replaced, that those Lyran ships, after a brief period of quarantine on Bat 1307, will be moved away from Kzinti border, to never bother Kzinti again.

In retrograde, all Lyran ships got moved back to Lyran territory, all whole ships to 0705, all crippled ones got to SB 0404, bat 0504,0705 and 0707 (each base has just enough repair capacity for everything there) but 2 that go to foremost starbase. Not a single enemy ship remain in Kzinti territory.

Lyran use all their strategic moves but 2 and all new production but a SAF to build 2 reserves (a full one, including a LAV and an half-full one including a sav) both on Red Claw starbase. Last 2 moves are used by klingon to send out their survey ships. Saf goes to 0810, klingon saf goes to 1013, klingon F5L goes to the bat near Win.

Next thursday A1 and possibly C2.

Coalition rolled really bad on single bats, getting 2/3 crippled ships more than expected, but rolled really well (6 and 4) in 0803, where Kzinti rolled bad instead (2 and 3). That and a tactical error in the second round of battle over 0803 (the dead BF was in line, while a CC was in protected position even if another CC was in line too) lead to low Kzinti morale, that lead to no approach in 1205 where there should have been one.

All counted was a really good turn for Coalition, with 29 unassailable good Lyran Pin in range of Kzinti capital.

Lyran KIA: none
Lyran WIA: 2 CW and 16 smaller ships
Kzinti KIA: EFF, BF, 3 BATs
Kzinti WIA: EFF

By Paul Howard (Raven) on Saturday, February 01, 2020 - 03:22 pm: Edit

First - good luck with the game.

With a large force in Klingon space- one assumes the Kzinti can do a lot of damage to the Lyrans this turn?

Also - I don't play with Engineers but I believe they are part of the Home fleets - so need to move (once released) from the relevant starting hexes (i.e. you can't use them on turn 1 - as they need to be in the hex you want to build the Colony's for example).

Might be wrong though

By Thomas Mathews (Turtle) on Saturday, February 01, 2020 - 05:47 pm: Edit

ENGs are in the capital hex of the owning Empire. They must move to the hex in question where a legal construction project is to be constructed.

The 2nd Klingon ENG unit is released when the 2nd IWR Squadron is released. Turn 8 if they attack the Federation on Turn 7. Turn 11, if they wait until Turn 10 to attack the Federation. Otherwise it is only released if an Alliance unit or units get within 1 hex of the Klingon capital causing the immediate release of all 3 IWR Squadrons at the same time.

By Stewart Frazier (Frazikar3) on Saturday, February 01, 2020 - 08:58 pm: Edit

Hmmm, 1105 has 2 PDUs and 12 fighters, 2 ships should have been pinned …

ENGs cannot start colonies in 608 or 1412 [adjacent to planets (446.11)] …

By Peter Bakija (Bakija) on Sunday, February 02, 2020 - 09:11 am: Edit

>>Hmmm, 1105 has 2 PDUs and 12 fighters, 2 ships should have been pinned …>>

Command Rating advantage. You always gotta leave one ship behind, but as the fighters have a assumed CR of 3, pretty much anything is going to have a Command Rating advantage.

By Fabio Poli (Fabio) on Sunday, February 02, 2020 - 09:22 am: Edit

First, thank for your support guys!

@Turtle@Raven@Frazikar3

"(446.13)The player developing a colony must pay 2EP when the tug/convoy ARRIVES...." The cost has been downed to 1EP by ADB.

The ENG will be "activated" in the capital, that right, and moreover only powers at war (not just in wartime economy) could build colony. Then the klingon can't build the colony on turn 1 (he can build other things if he had money... that is not going to happen..).
And you can't build colonies adjacent to planets and other colonies, right again, and this will put a stop on the Lyran (me) as i don't want to build it too far away from the SB.

@Raven
"With a large force in Klingon space- one assumes the Kzinti can do a lot of damage to the Lyrans this turn?"
Not really. For 2 reasons:
1) It will not happen cheap as Lyran retreated on his BATS. Kzinti could do damage but he will take more.
2) The Lyran BATS are 8hex away form Kzintai and the only BAT where the former reserve fleets can go is the one guarded from the Lyran Fleet left (and in range of reserves, aux too).

@Frazikar3
"1105 has 2 PDUs and 12 fighters, 2 ships should have been pinned "
My fleet got 1 BC and 1 BT, more than enough to take away all my ships but one

By Richard Eitzen (Rbeitzen) on Sunday, February 02, 2020 - 12:03 pm: Edit

The Klingons can do anything a full wartime empire can do on turn one, except actually go attack someone. They can do colonies (which were changed to 1EP a turn, incidentally).

By Fabio Poli (Fabio) on Sunday, February 02, 2020 - 03:48 pm: Edit

@Rbeitzen
are you sure? where i can find this rule?

By Thomas Mathews (Turtle) on Sunday, February 02, 2020 - 04:17 pm: Edit

(446.11) Excerpt: Each race may start construction of only one colony per turn (two for the Federation and Romulans). A race must be at war or limited war to build colonies. (This means actually at war, not just on a wartime economy.)

The Klingons cannot start a Colony on turn 1.

By Richard Eitzen (Rbeitzen) on Sunday, February 02, 2020 - 04:23 pm: Edit

Turtle is not corrrect.

Here are the rules governing turn one. Explicitly stated that the Klingons are under no restrictions other than those stated below. They are not merely at a 'wartime economy', such as the Romulans and Hydrans on turn one.

(601.1611) During Turn #1, there are no restrictions on the
Klingons except that they cannot leave their territory (and only
new production ships can leave their fleet deployment zone) and
their Lyran allies cannot enter their territory. The Lyrans cannot
send Economic Points to the Klingons (and vice versa) during
Turn #1. Because they cannot leave their own territory, the
Klingons cannot begin survey operations. See (503.611) regard-
ing neutral zone hexes between Lyrans and Klingons.
(601.1612) The Klingons on Turn #1 can build and convert
ships (as well as non-ships such as an FRD), use accelerated or
overproduction, accumulate Economic Points, receive and buy
Command Points, raise and buy Prime Teams‡, and anything
else that an empire “at war” could do.

By Fabio Poli (Fabio) on Sunday, February 02, 2020 - 06:39 pm: Edit

Thank you!

By Stefano Predieri (Preda) on Monday, February 10, 2020 - 10:00 am: Edit

I've had little time to write up the report, but the game has gone to the end of CT2.

First, we corrected the placement of Klingon engeneer in turn one, the engeneer has been strategized under SR starbase and started a colony there.

Then A1.

Kzinti built:

TGC
DD
2 EFF
SF
FCR
Mon (placed on capital planet)
4 PDU
SAS

Conversions:
BC->CV in capital
BC->CD on both count and duke starbases
BC->BCE 2x CL->CLE on marquis starbase
2x CL->CLE FF->EFF out of map.

After loading 6EP on 2 FFT to be sent to Win Kzinti finished production with 0.6EP.

Given the situation Kzinti decided to do no attacks and only redisposed ships.

They finished their turn with 21 Ships on Count starbase, 16 on Duke starbse, 27 in capital and 2 full reserves 1 out of map the other on Marquis starbase. All marquis fleet but 2 ships on 1802 planet are on marquis starbase.

By Stefano Predieri (Preda) on Monday, February 10, 2020 - 10:34 am: Edit

CT 2 Production

Kilingon:
1 C8 16
1 D7 TGB 6
1 D7 D6M 10
7 D5 35
1 D5 D5S 8
2 F5L 8
1 D5 LTT 5
4 F5 12
1 E4 E4R 3.5+6
1 E4 E4G 2.5
1 E4 E4T 2.5
2 POL 0
1 E4A free

The klingon also built a convoy on THB Starbase.

They activated the usual full round of ships and converted:
D6CAP D6M 5
D6CAP D6S 4
D6NR D6V 2+5FF
D6SR D6V 2+5FF
D6THO D6D 3
D5CAP D5S 3

After Blokade-running another E4T with 4 EP to the win, selling them another F5L and starting a new colony with the convoy in 2419, end with 5.5 Ep and 3FF left.

Lyran:

1 DN 16
1 CA TUG-P 6
3 CW 15
1 CW 5
3 DW 12
2 FF FFT 5
1 FF 2.5
1 FRD+ 10+6FF
2 APT 2
1 DIPLO 10

They repaired 15 EP of ships (2 CL backlog) and converted:
1 CL BC 6 (Enemy blood CL moved to capital for that purpose)
1 CL* CLS 2 (CDR)

Than after 4EP blokade-runned to Win, another sold DD finished economy with 21.6 EP.

This evening rest of C2 report.

By Stewart Frazier (Frazikar3) on Monday, February 10, 2020 - 06:45 pm: Edit

So where's the Lyr Col (ENG has speed-3 so could move to 0107-0110, 0208-0210, or 0310 to start one)?

By Richard Eitzen (Rbeitzen) on Monday, February 10, 2020 - 07:49 pm: Edit

They can use strat move and then start a colony.

By Fabio Poli (Fabio) on Tuesday, February 11, 2020 - 05:56 am: Edit

No Lyran Colony started, for now..

By Stefano Predieri (Preda) on Tuesday, February 11, 2020 - 07:44 am: Edit

CT2 Move and combat.

The lyran tug in 1307 become suply point.

A Lyran DD and a Klingon F5L go to the Win and get sold, A klingon E4T from win territory moves out with 4 EP to Bat 1009 and make a satellite stockpile there. The Lyran SR in 0809 caries it's FRD to 1407. The 2 Lyran SAF in 0810 move to 1011, the klingon convoy moves to 2419 and start another colony there. 6 ships, including a BC and a tug move from EBSB to bat 0413.

Than a BC and 4 small ships go attack 0701 bat. A kzinti Pol react to 0801 to keep the province.

5 small ships led by a D5 from klingon production go attack bat 1405. 4 small ships repaired on bat0707 and 0809, joined by the Klingon C5 from NR go attack bat 1205. The whole NR fleet go and attack Duke starbase, joined by the Lyrans coming from bat 0705. Northern fleet moves straight north till 1502 (leaving behind an F5 pinned on 1504), detach an E4 to 1602, another to 1603, leave on Kindlai 8 ships led by a D7 and moves in foce on the kzinti capital. Red claw fleet similarly goes straight north till 1302, detach 2 FF to 1201, 4 small ships led by a CF to 1202 and than plunges into 1401 too.
No other attacks.
There are 54 quality heavy coalition ships on kzinti capital and 46 on Duke starbase.

The kzinti send the better reserve to the capital, and the other one to Duke starbase.

All the bat and outer planet combat got resolved first. Coalition with a series of not so great rolls get to cripple 5 ships on 1502, 4 on 0701, 4 (all but the CF) in 1202 and 2 each on 1405 and 1205.
Then the capital fight starts first.
Coalition, after declined approch and fixed/mobile fleet separation (all fixed got on capital sistem) start with a single 99 (6 fighters) line on a single small planet. Kzinti decline to come fight. No one used command points.
Coalition repeats as needed on all the minor planets excluding the capital system one, cleaning all but one to devastation (the last one remained with exactly 1 fighterless pdu). The coalition also used this attack to uncover their admirals, a 0 one for klingon and a +1 for lyrans.

Than 3 lines, an 86 Lyran lead one and an 83 and 84 Klingon lead, each with a Mauler, lines attack simultaniously all the major planets. The kzinti, with their not so big mobile fleet could barely put up 2 lines (102 and 103, planet included) to defend aganist the 2 klingon lead lines. On the undefended planet one single fighterless pdu remained, on the others, 2 and 3 pdu got mauled.
Than in a series of single line attack where the coalition directed a CL and all outer escorts of the 2 only carriers groups and kzinti let damage fall, ALL the planets excluding capital system ones got devasted.
Than the Coalition retreated behind a -6 and a penal cruiser, without getting any more damage than the 28 crippled ship taken in the devasting work. The coalition conduced a separate retreat, putting klingon fleet in 1402, and Lyran fleet in 1302, cutting off the capital from everything excluding out of map area.

Then the starbase fight got fought (without drone capability for the kzinti due to cut off status).

After declined approach the Coalition opposed a 110 line (D6D got here) aganist a 130 (after dealing down the starbase once to negate the -1 EW would have given them) Kzinti one. Both side choose 4 Bir. Both side uncovered a +1 admiral. Variable got up by 2. Coalition rolled 5 (50%!), zkinti rolled 3. Both side let 55 damage fall...

After a second round, with coalition line still at 103, Bir 5 (null variable), the coalition rolled 5 again getting 33 damage and an autokill (the Kzinti let 42 damage fall), the kzinti decided to cut their losses and selfkilled their SAS in scout position and the starbase and run away. With only a CL crippled first round and kzinti with still a lot of fighters, coalition declined pursue and killed only the FTS in the slow retreat (the SAD got pulled away by a rescue tug). Kzinti retreated in 1404 in marquis partial grid.

Coalition retrograded the BC from 0701 and other 3 ships to bat 0906, 4 ships including a D6V on bat 1707, and every other uncrippled ship on 1407. Crippled ships got retrograded on every possible repair point in range, but all the capital crippled could only get to 1407, where, despite the other 3 FRD strategized there, they surpass the repair capability of the coalition.
The only coalition ships left in Kziti territory are a lyran ff in 1202, an ff in 1205, a D7, D6, D5, F5L,e4 group on 1502, 3 E4 and 2FF around the kzinti capital to keep it cut off from the rest of the on map Kzinti territories (kzinti production will be cut to low forties).

In strategic movements, 2 lyran tugs and a klingon LTT get 3 FRD (2 lyran, 1 klingon) to 1407, a Lyran tug go to 1013, all THB fleet but 5 ship that moved operationally to SR SB got used, togheter with klingon production, to build the two thoughest possible reserves the klingon could build. That reserves got placed one in 1407, the other in 1209. the lyran Keep the reserve on SB0404 and reinforces it with repaired crilpled ships and build another though reserve and put it in 0809. The Klingon E4R goes to 1707.

On to AT2, to be played Thurday.

By Paul Howard (Raven) on Tuesday, February 11, 2020 - 01:05 pm: Edit

With close to 40 ships in the Capital - I am surprised the Kzinti didn't defend put some of the Fixed ships at one of the other systems (to help defend the Major) as that would have helped take the pressure of the mobile fleet having to defend 3 systems.

Alas for the Kzinti - by doing nothing turn 1, it ensures the Coalition can keep the direction of the war in their favour - and there isn't much they can do, but they need to do something!

With a large element of the Lyrans in Klingon space - the Kzinti had to do something.

(As a side note, allowing the Lyrans to be interned in Klingon space, within 6 hexes of 1401 is perhaps not the intention of the rules - and with luck either a penalty will need to be paid or stopped fully).

By Stefano Predieri (Preda) on Tuesday, February 11, 2020 - 02:10 pm: Edit

In this game we coalition didn't leave a single ship in Kzinti territory. Every target they had was at least 8 exes away from capital and anything other than 0705 was also 8 exes away from duke SB, and in 0705 there was all the home fleet but crippled ships.

I agree that kzinti should be generally proactive and attack. But in this situation it would have only harm them.

Neither I nor Poli will not comment more on strategic choices made yet, since too many things still have to unfold, and the enemy is reading too...

But you all are free to comment everything at any time!

Regarding internment, I'm not the one to make a choice here. I don't know the game designer intention, but as the rule is written it not only explicitly allow what we've done, it even encourages it... Also there are easy countermoves for the Kzinti aganist it, since even trying that is clarely announced by the ship placement.