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FC: War And Peace - Andromedan vs Federation play test repor
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mjwest
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Joined: 08 Oct 2006
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Location: Dallas, Texas

PostPosted: Mon Jun 14, 2010 10:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The biggest mistakes the Feds made were:
1) "Rolling" their photons. Had they tried to fire all four photons on a single turn, instead of splitting it across two turns, the Intruder would have take real damage.
2) They completely failed to concentrate fire.

The four Fed ships should have stayed closer together in the beginning and hit the Intruder with everything they had at the best range they could muster. If they all fired at range 8, they would have averaged 128 points of photon damage. Phasers would be extra.

Once the displacement starts, the Feds can start popping the Cobras. But even then you have to hammer each one with a full photon strike, not sprinkle it with extra energy for the next turn. Also, concentrate fire; don't each pick your own target.

But, in the Fed players' defense, they didn't know the PA rules. They didn't know how they worked. If you expect PAs to work like shields, you are probably hosed. Add in some bad die rolls, and the battle gets really hard. But the Fed players' biggest mistake was rolling the photons.
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pmiller13
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 14, 2010 11:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

If I recall right the Andros were not that great at dishing at a lot of damage. Sure the TRH do a lot of damage but they are two turn arming weapon and there are not a lot of them. Plus they only have phaser-2's and not a lot of them. What the Andros were really good at is taking a pounding and coming back for more. There is definitely something to be said for popping the satellite ships as you are removing a good percentage of the overall firepower of the squadron with everyone you destroy.
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Dan Ibekwe
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 14, 2010 11:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for the report!

It sounds as if the Andro port to FC has been very successful - just as powerful, alien and brittle as they are in SFB.

I'd go with killing the SatShips first - silenceing enemy weapons is always my priority.

Thankfully, at ranges that matter, Fusion Beams don't miss...

If the factors for TR beams are similar to those in SFB, EM is your friend, at least until the Andros get seeking MWPs or some such horror.

Do Andro bases get the TE in FC?
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DirkSJ
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 14, 2010 11:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

With Andro's if you aren't doing a full court press you are just helping them by shooting them. Especially if you shoot them just before turn break. Hey, free power, thanks! I cringed when I read that they were each shooting a different Cobra for a while.

I'll disagree with the folks that say shoot the little ones before the big one. Even if the Feds had popped each of these they would then be all moderately damaged against a full Intruder. Killing an Andro is about putting a lot of fire out all at once. It's all about burst. If you are short a bunch of weapons or power you may not have enough burst left to kill them.

This report makes me very excited to pick up W&P though! I hope more reports get the green light to be posted!
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Steve Cole
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PostPosted: Tue Jun 15, 2010 12:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The way to win is to reduce the enemy faster than he's reducing you.

I don't know if Cobra first or Intruder first is a better way. It may depend more on the squadron you have to work with.

Let me confuse the hell out of you with a few random snippets of rules.

(3G1a) PANELS: Each “bank” consists of a number of “panels” and can absorb ten points of power for each panel in the bank (and has ten boxes on the bank array). As with other ships, the strength of the banks (the number of power absorbers) varies from ship to ship; generally speaking, larger ships have stronger banks (i.e., more power absorber panels).

(3G2b) BURN THROUGH: As with shields, if a given volley scores ten or more points of damage, one of these points is not absorbed by the power absorber bank but is instead distributed by the Damage Allocation Chart as internal damage. If the volley includes damage caused by disruptors, then every tenth damage point “burns through” the panels.

(3G4a) DISSIPATION: Each panel bank can (but does not have to) “dissipate” some power into space. This power is just erased from the panels (just like a point of shield damage being repaired would cause one damage point to be erased).
(3G4a1) Each panel can dissipate one point of power for every undisabled panel (i.e., for every ten boxes of the strength of the bank). Thus, a bank of three panels (30 boxes) would be able to dissipate up to three points of power, one per panel.

(3G5c) TRANSFER: If a bank is deactivated, any damage/power in that bank has to go somewhere. [This procedure is also used if a panel box is destroyed by combat damage, reducing the capacity of the bank below what it currently holds.] See (3G6b2), which notes that all power in any panels of a bank is a function of the bank, not of individual panels (as it is in SFB rules). This must be, in strict order of priority:
1. An energy module (5V2) in the hangar (until it is full).
2. The ship’s other power absorber panel bank (or any of a starbase’s other banks) until it is full.
3. The batteries of the ship (until they are full).
4. The power absorber banks of any satellite ship (5V1c3) in the hangar (until all the banks of all such satellite ships are full).
Any power which cannot be sent to one of these places is resolved immediately as internal damage.
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Steve Cole
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PostPosted: Tue Jun 15, 2010 12:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

(4S2a2) Each TR beam requires energy on each of two consecutive turns to charge (2+2 for TRL, 3+3 for TRH). All TR beam arming energy must be allocated during the Energy Allocation Phase of the relevant turn; non-allocated power cannot be used to fire TR beams.
(4S2a3) If the TR is armed on the first and second turn, it can be fired at any point during the second turn. If not fired during the second turn, the energy from the first turn is lost and the second turn’s arming energy is treated as the first turn of a new arming cycle. (The weapon cannot be held in an armed state.)
(4S2a4) A TRH can be armed as a TRL, and can be changed from a heavy TRH charge to a light TRL charge. If the TRH is given three points on the first turn and two on the second, it can fire as a TRL.

(4S2a6) TR beams cannot be overloaded.
(4s2a7) TR beams can be pre-armed at the start of the scenario with no effect on the amount of power in an Andromedan ship’s batteries.

(5U3b) PROCEDURE: There are three cases in which a displacement device can be used. Each has a slightly different procedure, but all of the procedures use two steps: the first to determine IF the unit was displaced and the second to determine if it was displaced in the intended direction (and distance). If an Andromedan and a non-Andro ship are docked together, and another Andromedan attempts to displace the combination, (5U3b3) is the operative rule.
(5U3b1) NON-ANDRO DISPLACEMENT: When used against a non-Andromedan unit, the first step is to determine if the displacement worked and the second is to determine (if the displacement was successful) where the target was displaced. Modifiers (4A4) do apply.
Whether or not the device has functioned successfully against a non-Andromedan target is determined by the DISPLACEMENT DEVICE SUCCESS TABLE (5U3c). Roll one die and compare the result with the stated numbers for the range from the ship using the displacement device to its target. This will show whether the device has successfully displaced the target or not. If the result is a success, proceed to (5U4a) to determine where it went. If it is a failure, there is no effect (the target is not displaced; the energy that armed the displacement device is lost) and play proceeds.

(5V1b) LAUNCHING SATELLITE SHIPS: Satellite ships can only be launched by transporter or by displacement device, and can only be recovered by transporter. The hangar has no external hatch and cannot launch or recover satellite ships by any other means. Launching by displacement device is covered by (5U); the rules below cover transporters.

(5V3a) BATTERIES: Each Andromedan battery holds up to five points of power and can carry it from turn to turn. As there is no “shield reinforcement” for Andromedans (who have no shields) the batteries have no role in that function.
(5V3a4) An Andromedan ship may begin the scenario with any amount of power (up to the maximum allowed) in its batteries. Andromedan captains should gain some experience before assuming that full batteries is always the best idea.
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Bolo_MK_XL
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PostPosted: Tue Jun 15, 2010 1:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I saw he did break up the Fed formation once with DDs, personally when fighting a fleet -- instead of pushing some of them you bring one to you or have your satellites a few hexes beside you and dump a NCL or equivelent ship into the pack --

IIRC in SFB you designated a direction and hoped the die roll assisted in moving it that way --

Question is will displacing a ship cause control issues ---


Last edited by Bolo_MK_XL on Tue Jun 15, 2010 1:23 am; edited 1 time in total
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Dan Ibekwe
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PostPosted: Tue Jun 15, 2010 1:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
Let me confuse the hell out of you


Roger that...

Quote:
(3G4a1) Each panel can dissipate one point of power for every undisabled panel


"Each *panel bank* can dissipate..."?
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Scoutdad
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Joined: 09 Oct 2006
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PostPosted: Tue Jun 15, 2010 3:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

MJWest and SVC are correct. Had the Federation players concentrated fire on eh Intruder every impulse, they would have taken it out relatively easily.

Sure the Sat Ships would have had free rein to shoot up the Feds, but once the Int was gone, it'd still be a fairly even battle and COB go quick if you concentrate on them.

So the big question remains, mother ship or satellites first? Who knows?
The most important thing is to pick one and pound him til he goes boom.
These Fed captains were just providing the Andros with extra power.
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Scoutdad
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PostPosted: Tue Jun 15, 2010 3:26 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Krellex wrote:
Without giving away the farm, what are the percentages of power you can dump from panels into batteries, and dissipate from panels to space? And no degradation? Means your going to have to hit the Andro hard, and keep the pressure on him until his ship folds. Ugh, now I have to justify to my wife that I need to buy a new FC Module! Laughing

one point per undisabled panel in each bank can be transferred to batteries and the same dissipated.
Ergo, the Int in our game with 7 PA Panels could have (and usually did) transfer 7 points to the batteries and dissipate another 7 into space.
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m1a1dat
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PostPosted: Tue Jun 15, 2010 3:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Great report, thanks. Can't wait to see the full Andro rules and how they work out for FC. Just from this little taste it seems like the Andros can't dissipate as fast, but then they also aren't getting degregated and getting filled up as fast. I really wonder how the power burning ticks for the Adros are going to work since generated and battery power isn't differentiated and it's all just "power" for FC.
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Scoutdad
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PostPosted: Tue Jun 15, 2010 3:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Dan Ibekwe wrote:
Quote:
Let me confuse the hell out of you


Roger that...

Quote:
(3G4a1) Each panel can dissipate one point of power for every undisabled panel


"Each *panel bank* can dissipate..."?

Nope each panel.
The panels are grouped into banks, Front Bank and Rear bank on ships, six banks on Bases.

The INT for example has a forward bank with 7 panels and a rear bank with 4 panels.
Each panel can hold 10 points of power. This means the INT can absorb the first 70 points to hit it (minus burn through) in the forward hemisphere, then turn around and store 7 of those in the batteries, dissipate 7 into space - leaving 56 points in the panel.
These can then (if you can deactivate the forward bank for 2 full Impulses) be handled as such...
Enough go into the batteries to completely fill them (and since each battery can hold 5 points of power... if they were empty at the start of the turn - the batteries will hold another 33 points) and then the final 23 go into the rear bank.
This means that when the panel comes back up on Impulse 3, you can still absorb 70 more points of damage (minus burn through) and you have 40 points of power in your batteries; which can then be used for movement, weapons fire, ships systems, etc...

Still confused?
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terryoc
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PostPosted: Tue Jun 15, 2010 4:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Wow, from what it looks like, seems to capture the essence of Andromedan systems from SFB with a reduction in complexity.

Quote:
If the volley includes damage caused by disruptors, then every tenth damage point “burns through” the panels.


So if you score even one disruptor hit in a volley, every tenth point burns through? Interesting... The best tactic for disruptor boats may be to maintain high speed and keep the pressure on with disruptors.

Since leak damage can be targeted, targeting an Andromedan's weapons could be a good option. You'll be damaging systems that help the Andromedan use up power (phasers and TR beams) and also store it (PA panels, hit on drone of course), giving the Andro "too much power" headaches.
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djdood
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PostPosted: Tue Jun 15, 2010 4:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Andros in SFB were w-a-y beyond the weird and crunch I wanted to deal with. Sounds like they made the transition to FC with the spirit there, without the crazy. I've only seen preliminary stuff, but I'd hazard they are less "weird" than the Tholians.
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terryoc
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PostPosted: Tue Jun 15, 2010 4:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
*notices something in an earlier comment*

There are going to be Energy Modules in FC?


Yes, I think they were on the published ship card list in the W&P topic.
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