MountainWest is a F&E GW campaign beginning in Y168F between Ray Hoffman (Coalition) and Chris Gazaway (Alliance). The seemingly uncreative name ‘MountainWest’ of the game references that Ray lives in the Rocky Mountains in Arizona and Chris lives near the Rockies in Colorado. We are using F&E 2010 Rulebook + AO+CO+FO+ME+PO+SO, meet once weekly and play through however much time allows. I am still refining my formats for record-keeping and reporting so greater details will be provided going forward.

Y168 Summary (CT1 and AT1)

The Lyran opening attack was preceded by two attempted province disruption raids and a ground raid on Zamyan. A monitor was orbiting Zamyan which fended off the ground force raid; temporarily called-up local police vessels reacted to the two province disruption raids, one of which was fended off while the other was successfully conducted. During the Lyran fleet attacks which soon followed, the BATS 071, 0703, 0803 were destroyed, however the Lyran fleet withdrew from the approach battle at SB 0902. A subsequent Kzinti counterattack prompted a second battle at SB 0902 during which the Lyran fleet again withdrew, this time before the approach battle. Kzinti military raids disrupted the Lyran provinces 0501 and 0503. By the end of Y168, Duke’s Fleet (13 SE) had retrograded to SB 1304, Knight’s Fleet (3 SE) was orbiting Zimdars and Home Fleet (51 SE)- which had absorbed the rest of the active Kzinti ships- had retrograded to 1401. Crippled Kzinti ships retrograded to the Barony. Lyran Red Claw Fleet (39 SE) remains in 0802, while Foremost Fleet (19 SE) remains in 0903.

Lyran ships crippled: BC, 3x CL, 3x CW, 3x DD, DW, 3x FF.
Kzinti ships crippled: 3x BC, [CVL, CLE, EFF], CL, 2x DD, FF, 2x EFF.

By Ted Fay (Catwhoeatsphoto) on Monday, March 20, 2023 - 11:35 am: Edit

Good luck Chris!

By Chris Gazaway (Catofglory) on Monday, March 20, 2023 - 07:03 pm: Edit

Hi Ted and thank you!

By Chuck Strong (Raider) on Monday, March 20, 2023 - 11:37 pm: Edit

No TO?

By Chris Gazaway (Catofglory) on Tuesday, March 21, 2023 - 01:26 am: Edit

Well, the VASSAL module is not updated for TO, so I am led to understand. If I had my druthers, we would go through the ISC War but Ray has to agree to that. I have TO but am not sure if Ray has it or not.

By Richard Eitzen (Rbeitzen) on Wednesday, March 22, 2023 - 08:25 pm: Edit

Lyrans are doing well.

By Joseph Jackson (Bonneville) on Thursday, March 23, 2023 - 04:11 pm: Edit

Would you say that they're. . . purring right along?

By Mike Erickson (Mike_Erickson) on Thursday, March 23, 2023 - 04:35 pm: Edit

It looks like a real cat fight.

By Chris Gazaway (Catofglory) on Friday, March 24, 2023 - 07:05 pm: Edit

Very puny, guys! We played on Thursday, Ill update tomorrow.

By Chris Gazaway (Catofglory) on Sunday, March 26, 2023 - 02:03 pm: Edit

Y169S

With the Klingon invasion of Kzinti space in Y169S, following the Lyran invasion beginning the previous year, consensus at Kzinti Battlefleet Command was trending overwhelmingly towards the idea that what was occurring was more serious than the earlier Four Power’s War. While it was the case that communications from the Hydran Kingdom gave no indication that that the now so-called Coalition powers had not opened hostilities in the Hydran regions of the Galaxy- only slightly elevated levels of Coalition fleet activity had been detected along the peripheries of Hydran space- the strength and determination evinced by the rampaging enemy forces evoked great concern. Limited information concerning the attacks, along with the associated concerns, was shared by various Kzinti officials with the diplomats, political and military representatives and business associates of the UFP and Gorn Hegemony. However, thus far the foreign observers have prudently kept their interactions with the Kzinti Hegemony at pre-war levels. For their part, the Kzinti Battlefleet has thus far endeavored to keep the fleet-in-being intact as much as possible, certainly taking casualties but so far preferring to accept ships to be crippled as opposed to willingly losing Fleet elements to destruction or being cut off from supply. This strategy focus has played out by the Fleet falling back towards more populated- and well-defended- areas of the Hegemony, frequently leaving more distant planets and bases to fend for themselves. To date, Kzinti fleet actions against the Coalition have been rather small-scale, if dynamic, actions.
The Coalition attacks have been very objective-focused, well-planned assaults seemingly oriented to prioritize: 1) degrading the Kzinti economy; 2) capturing inhabited planets and 3) destroying Hegemony defensive infrastructure. Destruction of the Kzinti fleet has not appeared to be a major concern thus far, as the attackers are proceeding with such force as to be able to, mostly, brush off offered resistance. At present, the Patriarch has ordered Battlefleet to concentrate defenses around the Capital sector and Kzintai; carriers are being converted as quickly as possible along with escorts and ground defense construction proceeding as fast as economic conditions allow. Crippled fleet elements fall back to the Barony for repair, refit and reorganization as necessary.

By Chris Gazaway (Catofglory) on Sunday, March 26, 2023 - 03:21 pm: Edit

Lyran Empire activity Y169S

*Economy: 119.10 EP
*Survey vessels completed exploration of a new
province in the Far Stars region.
*Construction: DN, Tug-P, 4xCW, 3xDW, 3xFF
*Conversion: BC, 3xDW
*Combats: Battle of Zamyan (1001); Battle of SB
0902; a Kzinti reaction forced battle in 1302 but
the Lyran fleet withdrew before combat.
*Results: by the end of CT2 the Lyrans had
captured Zamyan (1001) and Kzinti province 0901
and all four hexes of the Kzin-Lyran NZ, and were
disrupting Kzinti provinces 0903, 1104 and 1203. *Total Lyran cripples: BC, 2xCA, 8xCL, 2xCW, 5xDD,
DW,2xDDG.

Klingon Empire activity Y169S

*Economy: 146.5 EP
*Construction: C8, Tug-A, D6M, D5S, 8xD5, 2xF5L,
4xF5, 2xE4A, E4R, FRD
*Conversions: D6M, 2xD6D, 2xD7C, D6V
*Combats: Klingon forces captured the neutral
minor in 1506 and the (undefended) Kzinti BATS in
1405 and 1605, losing only fighters and suffering
an E4 and F5 crippled; capturing the Kzinti minor
in 1504 cost them a D6M, 2xD6 and 2xE4 crippled;
a Klingon force withdrew from combat before a
Duke's Fleet-defended SB 1304.
*Results: While their initial entry into the war
saw relatively light casualties, by the end of
CT2 the Klingons had very definitely made their
presence felt to the Kzinti. Klingons captured
the minor in 1506 and were present in Kzinti
province 1203, with the 38 SE- North Fleet
sitting in 1402. As well, there is a Lyran-
Klingon FRD park in 1407 that greatly vexes the
Kzinti high command.
*Total Klingon cripples: D6M, 2xD6, F5, 3xE4.

Kzinti Hegemony activity Y169S

*Economy:87 EP
*Survey vessels completed exploration of a new
province in the Barony region.
*Construction: MON, 4xPGB, 2xCM, FFT, (14 EP
Repair)
*Conversion: CV, CVL, CVE, FKE, SF
*Combats: Most of Marquis' Fleet reacted to the
Klingon attack on the 1504 minor planet; Earl's
Fleet (new construction from the previous turn)
Reserved into the Zamyan fight; Duke's Fleet was
sitting at SB 1304; a Police ship reacting to
Foremost Fleet's movement sparked Knight's Fleet
to Reserve into 1303, triggering the Lyran
withdrawal before combat.
*Results: There were multiple raids back-and-forth
between the three combatants, with the result of
two Kzinti, one Lyran and one Klingon provinces
being disrupted. There were no Kzinti
counterattacks as defending the Capital hex is
most important at this time. That said, Kzinti
casualties were higher than they would have
liked.
*Total Kzinti cripples: MON, 4xDD, 2xBF, 3xFF,
2xEFF. (Of this, DD, 2xFF were crippled in Y168F
but exceeded Barony SB+FRD repair capacity).

By Richard Eitzen (Rbeitzen) on Sunday, March 26, 2023 - 06:36 pm: Edit

"the Lyran fleet withdrew before combat"

I don't think they can do that; the attacking player doesn't normally have the option to withdraw before combat, only the defending player.

By Chris Gazaway (Catofglory) on Sunday, March 26, 2023 - 08:40 pm: Edit

Thank you for the comment! The combat at issue was an open space battle and therefore approach battle rules did not come into effect. What I think happened was that because all of the other combats that turn were either bases or planets we operated on 'auto-pilot' in this particular fight. We'll have to be more vigilant going forward.

By Richard Eitzen (Rbeitzen) on Sunday, March 26, 2023 - 10:19 pm: Edit

Note that even in battle hexes where the attacker must offer an approach battle, the defender can always accept and fight at least one round. The attacker (generally) cannot avoid battle if the defender wants one.

By Chris Gazaway (Catofglory) on Sunday, March 26, 2023 - 11:39 pm: Edit

Good to know, thanks again!
BTW- is "It's Full of Stars!" still going?