Archive through February 15, 2020
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Archive through February 15, 2020
You can use the OC fighters for conversions or builds not at the OC SY. The IC is not built at the OC SY and is allowed to use them.
Pretty sure that's incorrect. Certainly don't think the IC is being built at the SB which can only manage FFs. That makes no sense.
Rob
511.32 confirms the general of the 3 Hybrid fighters can only be used on ships built in the Old Shipyard.
AO (525.316) introduces the IC and includes a Specific Rule that the IC can use the Hybrid Fighters (i.e. Specific rule overrules the general rule).
In effect the IC is a special construction rule, which partly uses the OCY (as no other ship can be built that turn there) and the rule 'blurb' confirms this - "While details are unclear - it was apparently built at the Old Colonies Shipyard based on an incomplete hull."
In other words ,it uses a bit of 'Handwaviem' and an existing started, but not finished DN hull 
The Feds have been skipping builds every turn for a while. On turn 10 it was just the three expensive escorts. The amount skipped increased every turn up to last turn. In terms of raw hull count, this turn's skipped builds are the same as last turn's. But if one counts the CVA conversion as a "build", they obviously built more this turn.
Fair enough, and I can't see any FF being built at the SB wanting/needing to use FFF, though I suppose a CW Minor SY gets the shaft a bit since it can't use the free fighters from the OC SY.
Richard after seeing your note I looked up the Lancer-V. Seems it's in the wrong ruleset for this game. But I'm curious what is a COG? The rule is the first I've heard of it.
Rob - The OCY can build LN's (which can be sub'd for DE if needed) and the RN now takes 4 1/2 Fighters - so a LN and a RN a year takes all the Hybrid Factors anyway - so if your playing with the Minor Shipyards, it probably doesn't make much difference.
On a practical basis also, a LN for 4 Ep's and a RN for 6 1/2 Ep's is probably better than 2 HR's at 10 EP's anyway
The modular ships (HDWs and LNH and less so the Lyran JGP) can be cheaply and quickly outfitted as numerous variants, but to make the variant costs make sense, you have to pay for an "X Operations Group", which makes the modular ships cost the same as a non modular version, but you can also swap the missions around.
So a COG is a "Carrier Operations Group" that allows you to turn a HDW into an HDWV (or an LNH into an LNV). It is just a thing that represents the 6 fighters you put on the HDW to make it a carrier (and costs the same; either 12EP or 6FFF or whatever; it probably is a little less due to the HDWs having some fighters already). You can't have more modular CVs than you have COGs, but their is a minor advantage in that you can change one modular ship on one side of the map from a CV to something else and then magically change a different modular ship on the other side of the map into a CV on one COG.
There is also the PFOG (to make a modular ship into a PFT; costs 5EPs plus the PFs, just like changing a non modular ship into a PFT), and possibly some other OG that supports a ground attack variant.
This is all mostly overly complicated shenanagins to make the modular ships work, but in practice, I suspect that very few COGs are ever actually made, and very few modular carriers are ever actually made, as HDWs are generally just best employed as indestructible, incredibly good escorts. The Lyran JPG is a good way to use early Lyran fighters up (but never gets converted into anything else, and stays a sub-optimal carrier the whole war, I'd imagine, most of the time). The Hydran LNH-V might be worth making, but I suspect it is probably also just better used as an escort.
Honestly the LNH in Escort mode is equal to the NEC, except that the NEC is a point cheaper after you pay to make the LNH an escort. Just use the NEC. The LNH in K mode does have one more attack than a HR, but again it costs 1 EP more. And no leader bonus, so it's barely an upgrade. It is a slightly better CV than a LTT with a CV pod though, but 2 compot.
LNH-E is available a year earlier than the NEC.
BUT the LNH-V does not have to pay to upgrade the three hybrid factors of the base LMH hull to carrier fighter factors - they get this upgrade for free. This makes it cheap for a 13 compot carrier with 8 fighter factorrs). You can sub it for the LN (or RN) twice during this time period. Compared to the CV (13.5 compot) it is MUCH cheaper, doesn't use up a cruiser hull and it's fighters count as oversized. You can pair it with two TGVs or a ID (later on).
Of the early options for Hydran medium carriers, it is overall the best deal.
I think you can sub HRs for RNs which would let you sub an NEC for an RN in the OC Shipyard.
Can we take the LNH-V debate elsewhere please as it's not available in our game?
It will only confuse us both
Thanks!
Alliance turn 15 op move is well underway. The Hydrans are picking 4 fights where they have an advantage. The B10 reserve will turn one of these around in a big way. Richard's post actually brings up an interesting point. A drawback of the way I've played the Hydrans so far is that their only true carriers are still carrier tugs. Until now, the Hydrans have worked around that without too much trouble. But this turn it's actually pretty annoying. Their CA line is actually just sitting in place because it doesn't want to fight the B10 reserve and doesn't want to move back towards the Old Colonies during the Hydran turn. (Paul can push them back a hex on his turn, and I probably can't prevent that).
The Feds are attacking all but the Southernmost Klingon-held planet in their space. They have good chances to retake a lot of them. Actually the 2106 attack is mostly Kzinti.
No movement on the Romulan side yet.
Op moves are complete and reserves have been dispatched. The Alliance have an advantage at every Klingon-held minor in Fed space except for 2915, which they are not attacking. There is a retreat that may strengthen the Klingons at one minor.
The Feds are also attacking the minors and BATS at 2216, 2215, and 2214. The retreats here currently appear to favor the Feds, as their supply source is the 3rd fleet SB, due north of all of them. But if the Feds lose enough ships/fighters, the retreat advantage might be reversed, with the Feds lacking the ship count to retreat North into further battles.
The Gorns are attacking a bunch of Romulan fleets in their space. They are also trying to kill BATS 4609. If successful, this will leave the Romulans with three BATS on the Gorn border, but none of them will be adjacent, meaning they won't be able to support each other with reaction movement.
It is possible that the Fed 6th fleet may be unable to retro to that SB. This would certainly be annoying.
Lots of fun going on.
With the Feds repairing so many hulls, he was able to easily pin the bulk of the Klingon reserves - one reserve helped unpin afew ships (which in turn helped unpin afew ships) allowing 3 ships to reach 2216 - but probably not enough to alter anything.
2216 was devastated (but not captured) - and 2215 is next.
A lot of battles are done, including the entire Klingon-Fed-Kzinti-Lyran front.
Alliance won all the planet battles in Fed space, which was highly likely after reserves.
Feds devastated Klingon minor planet 2216. However, with the 3 ships that reserved to 2216, Paul was able to hurt them enough that combined with his retreat from there to 2215, the Feds needed a good roll to be in a position to kill that BATS. That didn't happen, so the BATS lives.
The two F/K neutral zone planets were also occupied by the Alliance, which may now retreat off of both.
The Lyrans held Kzinti planet 1902.
The Coalition lost 7 more ships than the Alliance did on this front. Considering the advantage the Alliance had in a lot of battles, this is actually not bad for Paul.
We also started the Gorn/Romulan battles. So far, the Romulans have lost 2 ships to none for the Gorns, while the Gorns have 10 cripples vs 7 for the Romulans. There are three G/R battles left to fight, plus a surprisingly small number of F/R battles and four battles on the Hydran front.
The dead ships are mostly small, though the Gorns did bag a KE.
Combat is done! Some bigger ships died on the Romulan side of the map, with two FAL traded for a Fed CC and a Gorn BC. In addition, the Gorns bagged a KE as mentioned above.
Total ships killed were 16 Alliance and 25 Coalition, with each side capturing something they can scrap.
The Gorns did manage to kill Romulan BATS 4510. The Romulans have three remaining BATS on the Gorn border.
Cripples are relatively light all around, maybe 30-odd ships for the Alliance and about 40 for the Coalition.
Even though they are up to five carrier groups, the Gorns are still severely feeling the lack. They fought three battles without any fighters in their fleet.
I am just too nice!
William nearly made a possible mistake which could have resulted in a battered/modest Gorn fleet, being cut off - as it would have turned a Pinning action in deep space (with 24 Romulan Fighters) into a must win battle for the Gorns - as if the Gorns lost the other battle the modest Gorn fleet would have been cut off.
Dice (I always comment ) have been (hope everyone is sat down) been pretty fair this turn.
William failed several Persuits - and I failed several cloaked attempts.
I'll let William enjoy posting the turn update.
The Federation also got to kill 2 PDU's and devastate a planet, but had to retreat to avoid being cut off.
Good news for the Coalition - a small Hydran fleet is cut off and another small group, although back in supply was unable to more due to the risk of being reacted to.
Hydrans and Federations will have reasonable reserves - although it looks the Kzinti and Gorn reserves will be abit slim.
Elsewhere, good news for the Coalition as a Lyran PDU has been successfully set up in 617.
A shame the Klingons lost 3 of the 4 planets they held and the plan to cut the Alliance attack on 4112 off from supply failed.
Atleast the Romulan held the planet and the Klingons saved a BATS.
The turn is done! Because there are so many Fed ships for reserves, a lot of other races made reserves with N of their own ships and N-1 Feds. The Gorns have a grand total of 4 ships for reserves, giving them two 3-ship reserves. A 5-ship Kzinti reserve in the Survey area also came out of this. I'd rather have it further forward, but can't because some of its ships came by strat move from the Barony. Even in the survey area, it is in range of the two minors that lost their defenses during Coalition turn 15.
One 9-ship Fed reserve is at Gdhar 3 because the Gorns need a medium-large reserve. Another big one is at 3210 where it can defend the 6th fleet SB or Sigma Draconis. One smaller Fed reserve is at Earth, and one is at Pacifica, which puts it in range of the 4th fleet SB and the planets behind it.
Admiral Ch'ange looked down at the reports again.
So it was true, the Klingon War Economy was failing and the initial reports she had received afew months ago and had dismissed was an indication of what was to come.
After touring several systems on her personal D6, after firing (via Disrupter) the current Governors of planets in attempt to demonstrate the value of 'hard work', she has seen with her own eyes, critical war material production was down.
Dilithuim production in the Mines of Krvang had initially been done 40% until they found a new seam of ore - now it was dowm just 20%.
Most output was down 20% to 30% - and it wasn't going to get better until war materials are directed back into the domestic economy - and the Council of Ministers will not like that.
Worryingly, reports from the Lyrans and Romulans have indicated similar issues - the Romulan modernising of their forces seems to have bankrupted them - pretty more before the joined the war.
Idiots!
About the only good news was that the reports she had 'acquired' from the Ministry of Intelligence shows the Kzinti and Hydran economy was in tatters - with the Hydrans attempt to build a new ship yards having a similar effect to that of the Romulans.
So, more hard work was required by all in the Empire - so be it!
…..and Coalition turn 16 starts.
The first turn of partial Exhaustion.
The Lyrans, with the lowest production are OK currently and they build :-
DN, CV, 3 x CW, 3 x DW and 3 x FF.
A CL is converted to a BC and 40.5 Ep's are spent on repairs.
8 Command Points and 10.65 Ep's remain.
The Klingons build :-
C8V, D6M, AD5, 8 x D5, 7 x F5 (one subbed from D7) and 3 x E4.
One D6 is de-mothballed (leaving 1 D6 left) and 27 Ep's are spent on repairs.
6 Command Points and 0.35 Ep's remain.
The Romulans build :-
2 x FH, SP, SPB, SPH, SPF, 3 x SK and a BHE.
2 Ships are de-mothballed and 46 Ep's are spent on repairs.
Due to a slight oversight, 5 Klingon ships are out of supply and so 4 are Homeless Supply paid.
9 Command Points and 1.1 Ep's remain.
So that's the first skipped ship build, with no WE/FAL built.
A 10 Ep hull, which is easy to kill (although it can kill easier) turned out to be a easy option to drop, to repair a larger number of ships.
As the Alliance player, the annoying thing about this is that we've had the big event that helps the Alliance economically . . . and I'm still behind by roughly 50EP! Coalition economy is about 340, while the Alliance is around 290.
The completion of the Hydran shipyard will help a bit as it will give us 12EP a turn in free fighters that the Coalition won't match.
Other than that, it's up to me to maximize province raider kills and to push the Coalition back a little.
Well, due to the Feds delay entry to the war, the Coalition will drop to 50%..and the Feds then drop to 75% - so not ideal, but the Feds will avoid the 50% level.
The Kzinti and Hydrans economies are not huge and so the numeric value of lost Ep's will be a lot lower than the Coaliton lost too.
Although going from say 28 Ep's to 21 Ep's, will make it even tougher on the Hydrans.