GENERAL ANDROMEDAN COMBAT
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The KEY problem is that a rare max Andro battle force cannot tackle a 140-point Xship/PF battle force. They need some special rules to balance this. It is NOT time for you to take part in that discussion, but just so you know that the staff IS discussing it, here is a list of the fixes we might pick from, and nobody said this is a complete list.
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Andros do not use battle force rules. They use the two-DisDevShip limit. Could a Mothership out of battle zone sending satellite ships into the battle?
I vaguely remember mention of some way Andros could preposition ships and bring multiple DisDev ships by non-DisDev movement. I think that might be handled by letting out of battle force motherships transfer satellite ships between rounds. We could also allow a third or fourth mothership but prevent it from using DisDev during combat.
Other ideas:
DisDev removing enemy ships from the battle line,
pseudosats canceling some directed damage,
energy modules protecting motherships from some damage.
Power absorber panels might absorb some of the enemy damage and also reflect some damage points back at the galactic fleet.
Perhaps it takes triple damage to DirDam and uncrippled Andro?
Andromedans can raid all they want, they don’t have a formal raid pool, every ship is in the raid pool all the time.
Maybe Galactics cannot pursue a retreating Andro?
Drone bombardment probably will not work?
prime teams wont be effective against Andros.
Rules specifically say that the Echelon bonus is dropped against Andros.
PLAYER SUGGESTIONS TO BALANCE BATTLEFORCE MISMATCH
Jeff Laikind suggested that in an open space battle the galactic forces would be required to form several battle forces and the Andros could pick one to fight (or perhaps roll a die). This doesn't seem practicable if there is a fixed object the Andros want to kill such as a base or a planet they want to capture.
Scott Tenhoff suggested that galactic battle forces might be organized in sections and the Andros have the ability to attack any one section. I don’t think this is needed or supported.
Scott Tenhoff later suggest that after 3 combat rounds, Andro player could pick any galactic ship in the next and insist that it be included in the galactic battle force. I don't like this one, but I have done other things I didn't like.
Scott Tenhoff suggested self-repair for Andro cripples. I think it more likely that a mothership could repair some satellite ships.
Scott Tenhoff suggested that motherships could carry MWPs externally, improving their battle line density. While an amusing thought, I do not see Steve Petrick approving the idea. Even so, I won’t rule it out at this juncture. Gary Carney reminds me that the Concretor and Immobilator are in Module R11 and use this procedure.
Chris Fant suggested motherships repair satellite ships between rounds, up to some limit.
Alan De Salvio had a whole bunch of suggestions (I list here only the ones nobody else suggested): Only X/F-ships can react to Andro movement. Non-X-ship reserve movement cannot be used to an Andro combat hex. Andros can choose to avoid any approach battle (unless arriving without using DisDev). Andro fleet using all DisDev motherships pics both halfs of the BIR and get a BIR bonus or impose a BIR penalty. Andros within four hexes of an RTNB could retrograde to it without pursuit.
David Lang suggested that since Andros are fast they could nullify some seeking weapons. I think speed is good everywhere and we can just factor that into defense factors. I really don't want another table of shis that are and are not affected to some degree.
David Lang suggested that Andros might have an innate ability to damage fighters but I don’t think so. David suggested that the type of satellite ships might not be known before combat starts, but I’m not clear what going to that bother would accomplish.
Chris Fant noted that you cannot capture an Andro, and that Andros should get a bonus on the capture die roll.
Edward Reece noted that the tactical benefits of web are nullified against Andros.
Everyone noted that Andro BPVs cannot really be used to establish F&E Factors but SFB battle results could be.
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I SAY AGAIN, this is NOT the time for you to chime in on this discussion; I am just showing you in good faith that the staff is aware they must find an answer. Everything here came from the now-deleted earlier posts in this folder. I haven't consulted SPP, the staff, or the balance of the old posts, but I will.
THE TAKEAWAY is that obviously there are enough ideas that balance can be created. We won't pick the ideas we will actually use for some months.
THIS IS NOT THE TIME FOR YOU TO DISCUSS THIS AND IF YOU START TRYING TO TELL THE STAFF WHICH IDEAS TO PICK YOUR POST MAY DISAPPEAR.