Even if the Feds go to war on turn 7, they drop to 75% beginning on turn 28. It would be turn 38 before they drop to 50%. Only in the most bizarre circumstances would the Feds drop to 50% in a given game.

By Paul Howard (Raven) on Saturday, February 15, 2020 - 03:35 pm: Edit

Somehow I worked it out as 15 turns at 100% for the Feds....

And so war on turn 10 made that turn 25!

Doh!!!

By Kosta Michalopoulos (Kosmic) on Saturday, February 15, 2020 - 03:41 pm: Edit

Well, if you play with the standard rule on ending the game (i.e. the game ends on a roll of 1, rolling at the end of the Alliance player's turn, starting with Turn 31), then on average you will get to play Turn 38 about 27.91% of the time. So not exactly rare or bizarre.

By William Jockusch (Verybadcat) on Saturday, February 15, 2020 - 06:38 pm: Edit

Just focussing on the present here.

C16 op move is underway.

The Hydrans escaped from their offmap prison on turn 14. Paul is trying to put the genie back into the bottle. It won't happen this turn.

On the Northern Fed front, thus far the Coalition has pinned the various forward SB and also major planet 2306. They have enough strength for one serious assault, or maybe 2 at the outside. Unclear where that will land.

Two midsize (D5-D6) ships that were crippled at forward locations last turn are pushing still further forward to serve as province raiders before likely expiring on the Fed turn.

By William Jockusch (Verybadcat) on Monday, February 17, 2020 - 05:29 pm: Edit

Op move has continued . . . with assaults on Gdhar 1 and 3! Devastation of 1-2 side minors seems likely.

By Paul Howard (Raven) on Monday, February 17, 2020 - 05:30 pm: Edit

Operational movement continues and my plans keep changing....darn Alliance reacting!!

2211 may or may not be properly attacked....

About the only surprise for the turn is the Romulans have breached the Gorn middle defences and have reached Gdhat I and III.

Gdhar I has 3 Gorn ships (and 2 extra Squadrons of fighers) with 15 Romulan Eqs attacking there - and Gdhar III has a lot more defending Alliance forces and 24 Romulan Equivalents.

Interesting times we live in!

By Paul Howard (Raven) on Saturday, February 22, 2020 - 02:43 pm: Edit

Operational Movement for C16 is completed and we have

Kzinti space - 3 Deep Space Battles
Hydran space - everything is currently in supply and 5 Deep Space Battles
Federation space - everything is currently in supply, 5 SB Assault, 7 Planetary Assaults (plus 2 v undefended planets) and 7 Deep Space Battles
Gorn space - 2 Capital Hex Assaults, 2 SB Assaults, 1 BATS Assault and 2 Deep Space Battles.

4309 is also under attack by the Romulans.

So going to be a lot of dead and crippled ships this turn!

The Alliance has 8 Reserves which can move (2 are pinned currently) - which will make a lot of difference in Hydran, Gorn and Federation space.

By William Jockusch (Verybadcat) on Saturday, February 22, 2020 - 04:14 pm: Edit

Reserves have been dispatched. The Hydrans used their reserves to gain an advantage in space battles in 115 and 517.

The Kzinti have some space battles that could be rather hairy. But they needed to use Barony reserve to defend the Fed 9th fleet SB (2103).

The Kzinti reserve in the Fed survey area is reinforcing Fed planet 2403.

The Feds sent small reserves to the 3rd fleet SB and to 3210. The latter unpinned a portion of the 3210 reserve, which then went to major planet Chicago.

The Gorns had two small reserves and sent both to Gdhar 1. This leaves a motley collection of 9 ships, plus 24 fighters, available to defend the minor there. The Romulans have 13 ships with 24 fighters, but it's unclear if they will press the attack.

The minor at Gdhar 3 is likely to be devastated. The defending Fed fleet can put up a reasonable battle force, but it is badly outclassed by the Romulans in the hex.

Minor planet 4309 has managed to remain neutral until now. But it appears the Romulans have decided to change that.

By Paul Howard (Raven) on Sunday, February 23, 2020 - 07:38 am: Edit

4309 - indeed!!! Finally felt it was worth while to liberate them from their 'neutral' evil overlords.

Hydran space combat has been completed.

Tactically, the Coalition won, but Strategically, the Hydrans Won, as everything that is on Map, is in supply.

Due to the location of the forces and 2 Hydran reserves, I didn't think there was a way to cut anything off - and that was proved to be correct.

(Basically, to block supply would have required me to leave ships in 117 - thereby allowing the Hydrans to send a reserve fleet there as 115 was a valid 'Out of Supply' force to use a reserve fleet to unblock it - and I didn't have enough forces to win 117, 118 and 119).

Hydrans have lost a LB, NSC, DE and 2 x CU - Coalition have lost a D5, E4 and E4A (plus several crippled) - but A16 should be fun for them.

By Paul Howard (Raven) on Sunday, February 23, 2020 - 04:05 pm: Edit

Combat continues....but firstly, the Klingon High Command has offered the chance for Two Federation Crew to join the Elite Klingon 'Imperial Attack Squadron. which only offered to true brave warriors.

The Federation CVS and FF successfully persued a Coalition fleet of over 40 ships - and both lived to tell the tale - crippling a Klingon D7C in the confused retreat.

We Klingons Salute true bravery!!

(OK, it helped the Coalition was doing a fighting retreat - but they rolled a 1 to catch the Coalition and only lost fighters against the huge fleet!!)

Elsewhere, in about the only successful Coalition grand strategic plan for several years, the Federation 4th SB was finally surrounded and destroyed in a grim battle for both sides.

(I was able to retreat onto it with 40 more ships....)

Also Elswhere, one Romulan Admiral is seeking new employment (or life as the rest of us call it), after a visit by the Tal'Shiar.

For some reason the Romulans just wandered onto SB 4806 (I think I just got carried away on movement....!) and before I realised I wasn't going to attack it - 5 ships was already on it!

But some success was gained by the Romulan Capital Assault forces - with 4 PDU's destroyed on two minor planets (with 1 also being devastated).

Alas, the Plasma banks were empty when we then visited Geydar and I missed killing a PDU by 1 point (19 damage done!).

Gorn incoming fire has yet to target a ship..... (40 damage done in exchange).

By Stewart Frazier (Frazikar3) on Sunday, February 23, 2020 - 09:46 pm: Edit

I missed killing a PDU by 1 point (19 damage done!)

A PDU takes 3 points of voluntary damage and 5 points (ten directed) of attacking damage (508.122), plus up to four can be targeted in one combat round (total of 40 damage points [30 with mauler]).
So how did you miss (one PDU) with 19?

By Richard Eitzen (Rbeitzen) on Sunday, February 23, 2020 - 10:55 pm: Edit

By not being able to kill it because you need 20 (presumably he did kill another one with the first 10 dmg)?

By Paul Howard (Raven) on Monday, February 24, 2020 - 02:39 am: Edit

I was able to kill 1 PDU... and missed the 2nd by the 1 point

I overlooked a roll of 1 would only get 19 damage - should have spent the Command Point!

By Paul Howard (Raven) on Monday, February 24, 2020 - 07:41 am: Edit

To add to the Hydran front kills, we have so far

Lyran - BC, CC, CL and DD
Klingon - AD5 and E4A
Romulan - KE and SP

Kzinti - FF
Federation - CL, ECL, 3 x DE, 4 x FF and SB
Gorn - DD and 5 PDU's

Not too many big ships have gone bang, but heavy escorts are being targeted fairly often now, due to the lack of Light Escorts!

By Paul Howard (Raven) on Tuesday, February 25, 2020 - 01:38 pm: Edit

Well after being fairly nice* to the Coalition in Hydran Space - the dice have been pretty brutal against the Romulans and a KE and FH have been killed - with the FH being captured (Alliance extend their luck in capture rolls).

* - The Coalition rolled pretty well actually, but in most battles just more fighters died due to a better roll!

Cloaking Devices are being re-checked, as they just don't seem to work (3 or 4 offensive uses this turn so far, no successes and 1 failure - against a 140 compot Gorn line!)

Total losses to date are therefore : -

Lyran - BC, CC, CL and DD
Klingon - D5, E4, AD5 and 2 x E4A
Romulan - 2 x KE, FH and SP

Kzinti - FF
Hydrans - LB, 2 x CU, DE and NSC
Federation - CL, ECL, 3 x DE, 4 x FF and SB
Gorn - HD, DD and 8 PDU's (1 Minor Planet Devastated)

Several battles in Federation and Kzinti space remain to be done.

By Paul Howard (Raven) on Tuesday, February 25, 2020 - 02:37 pm: Edit

And capture luck again goes to the Alliance... with a D7 being captured.

So 14 Dead Coalition (1 killed in pursuit) gets 2 captures and 17 Dead Alliance (with 1 killed in pursuit with a Mauler aiding capture) gets 0 captures.

Alliance are massively ahead with capture luck

By William Jockusch (Verybadcat) on Tuesday, February 25, 2020 - 06:37 pm: Edit

The Romulans have destroyed a total of 14(!) Alliance PDU -- 8 Gorn and 6 Fed on various planets. However, only one of the planets was devastated this turn. The others will be vulnerable on future turns.

The Alliance have taken the opportunity to cut into the seemingly endless Romulan supply of 9-compot ships. I believe we killed four of them this turn, one of which the Gorns captured. But I did a quick count and it seems the Romulans still have 17!

By Paul Howard (Raven) on Thursday, February 27, 2020 - 09:04 am: Edit

Well, William got his third capture of the turn... and I am still waiting for one.

So that's a D5 to added to the capture pile.

Combat dice were pretty good for me over 2103.... but William again got a key pursuit roll (50/50) and then a 50/50 to kill one of the crippled Lyrans BC's in pursuit.

Over 2103, Klingons lost a D5, Lyrans lost a BC and the Kzitni lost a TGT, MEC, CLE and 2 x FF - plus the SB took 2 SIDS (5 in total). The Lyrans also spent 2 CP's and I felt the SB would fall.

But alas not.

So we have 16 Dead Coalition Ships - netting 3 captures...

and 22 Dead Alliance Ships - with no captures.

Average would have been 0 and 1.....

The worst is that's basically 6 1/2 Eps the Alliance has gained.

I think it would be fair to say in 'key dice' William is pretty lucky!

By William Jockusch (Verybadcat) on Thursday, February 27, 2020 - 07:24 pm: Edit

Sigh. I prefer to get bad dice to stave off the complaining. But apparently even that doesn't help.

By Paul Howard (Raven) on Friday, February 28, 2020 - 03:15 pm: Edit

...and combat for C16 is over.

I think this turn has been the most bloody by far - don't know if it was both sides rolling 'good' dice more often than not, a desire to kill a Base or PDU greater than normal, or just the tactical situation, but the dead pile has :-

Lyrans : 2 x BC, CC, CW, CL and DD.

Klingons : D7 (captured), 3 x D5 (1 captured), AD5, 2 x F5, E4 and 2 x E4A.

Romulans : 2 x KE, 2 x FH (1 captured), 3 x SP and SPF.

Kzinti : TGT, MEC, CLE and 5 x FF.

Hydrans : LB, NSC, DE and 2 x CU.

Federation : 2 x CL, ECL, 3 x DE, 10 x FF, FFE, SB and 6 PDU's.

Gorn HD, DD and 6 PDU's.

So 24 Dead Coalition and 32 Dead Alliance.

Pretty much an entire turn of full production for the Alliance and 2/3rds of a turn for the Coalition - ouch!!

By William Jockusch (Verybadcat) on Friday, February 28, 2020 - 06:43 pm: Edit

There are a couple of bright spots for the Alliance. They killed seven 9-10 compot ships while losing mostly FF's. They also inflicted a moderate pile of crips while taking few.

The Lyrans in particular have 15 crips from the failed assault on the 9th fleet SB, plus additional crips from various other battles.

Still a lousy turn overall.

By Paul Howard (Raven) on Thursday, March 05, 2020 - 08:41 am: Edit

I know it's a poor excuse, but real and work life clobbered me this week - so Coalition have only just been able to finish C16.

Retro sees most Coalition forces in the Fed NW area retrograde back to 'True Kzinti' Space.

Significant forces remain in the Fed SE and Gorn space though.

Reserves cover pretty much the whole front with 1 Lyran Reserve covering the Hydrans, 2 Lyran Reserves covering the Kzinti, 2 Klingon reserves covering central Klingon space, 1 Klingon reserve covering the South, 1 Klingon space covering the Fed SE and 3 Romulan reserves covering the Gorn border.

Lyrans send 10 Ep's to the Romulans and Klingons spend 3 Ep's Field repairing a D5V (it wasn't able to get back to a base this turn!).

On to the Alliance turn 16.

By Stewart Frazier (Frazikar3) on Thursday, March 05, 2020 - 06:26 pm: Edit

Hmmm, aren't repair ships restricted to SMNs (bases, planets, & FRDs)??

By Richard Eitzen (Rbeitzen) on Thursday, March 05, 2020 - 06:41 pm: Edit

Presumably it was at a qualified strategic movement node (for a repair ship) other than a base?

By Paul Howard (Raven) on Friday, March 06, 2020 - 02:42 am: Edit

Yes - the D5V is at 2715 which was captured on turn 13.

Alas their is no Friendly BATS, FRD or SB close and so it would be out of action for 2 turns - so should have said no repair base within range