ericphillips Commander
Joined: 16 Apr 2009 Posts: 702 Location: Los Angeles, CA, USA, Sol, Gould Belt, Orion Arm, Milky Way Galaxy, Local Group, Universe Beta
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Posted: Sat Oct 09, 2010 9:06 pm Post subject: Round 2 FCOL Tourney Results: JimDauphinais vs. ericphillips |
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On 29 September, Kim Dauphinais and I had our second round games. Both of us camein with a first round loss, so both of us needed a win. Jim played the Tholians (NCA and 2 x CA), while I was the Lyrans (CC and 2 x NCA).
[Note: This was a week and a half ago, and I am pulling this from memory, so I might have a detail wrong. But overall, it should be correct].
Going in we both had a plan. Jim’s was to eliminate my ESGs by launching suicide shuttles and moving with them at speed 8, keeping me away but hopefully close enough that his web fist would really smack me up. My idea was just not to get to close and kind of play like a Klingon. After my first round loss I was very discouraged in the use of ESGs. Limited to range 0 or 1 makes them hard to use in FC with the 4 subpulse move system, so I came in with the mindset not to use them except as defense unless the enemy cannot really fire at me, then maybe use them as a coup de grace.
Turn 1: Tholian moves at 8, the Lyran at 24. As the distance closes the Tholian launches some suicide shuttles and he nests in the middle of them. For me, I was unsure of a strategy and kept changing course, until about impulse 5 when I decided to just charge in. On impulse 8 we exchanged distance fire, doing moderate damage to each other #1 shields on our big ships, his NCA and my CC.
Turn 2: Again the Tholians go speed 8, and I am zooming at speed 24. Impulse 1, we move closer. I wait for his fire decision and he says no, so I also agree. Impulse 2, we close again, head to head, but my priority is the winner here, as he follows my slip to keep our #1 against each other, but I turn, putting my #2 shield for him to hit. I am still just beyond the sweet spot for his web fist and we fire. He downs my #2 with minimal internals, but his NCA is hurt. I realize if I had dropped to 16 I might have inflicted more damage because I would have had more power, but c’est la vie.
For the rest of turn 2 we maneuver, him moving his NCA away, and keeping the other two ships in his nest of suicide shuttles.
Turn 3: This is where I make my mistake and leave my almost down #2 on my CC turned to him. He takes the shot and does a lot of internals. Luckily, he rolled no 1’s or 6’s for the DAC, leaving me without a lot of LABs, Trans, etc., but with a lot of weapons, and while there is power damage, there might be a chance…
Back to maneuvers. His NCA moves away more, my CC moves South and begins to turn West as his CA’s follow. To do so, they leave the nest of suicide shuttles that continue to follow the NCAs. My NCAs head East, then begin to loop to the South.
Turn 4: He comes in to give the death blow to my CC with his 2 x CA’s. He moves to speed 24 for the first time, and my NCA’s drop to speed 16 as they continue to loop back towards the Tholian CAs. But I surprise him by choosing speed-0 for my CC. A expend 1 move point to turn more to turn North and we end up at a range of 2. He unleashes everything, blowing up my CC, but not before my CC hits one of his NCAs, having 13 points of power and most of my PH-1s and DISR active. I overload all the facing DISRs, then back it up with as many PH-1s as I can. I get his #2 shield down, and do a few internals. If this was baseball I would call it a good sacrifice.
We maneuver. My NCA’s are turning North-West out of the loop. Then Jim makes a mistake. He turns and opens his down shield on his CA to me. Range was 5-7, I think. Anyway, I fire, and he cannot return because he fired everything before. I roll good, and he takes a tone of internals. My damage rolls hit all 1’s and 6’s on the DAC, leaving only a couple of non-essential systems left. At the next turn, it will be dead in space.
Now, he begins to run. Status: His NCA and one CA is crippled. My CC is destroyed, but my two NCAs are pursuing, and they have no internal damage and barely any shield damage. Essentially It is two on one, and I am maneuvering behind him. My idea is to catch up, fire, then ESG him (as all 4 ESGs are full power).
Turn 5 is coming up, but outnumbered and outgunned, Jim retires.
Overall, it was an interesting fight. I think one of the big differences was strategy. He had a great idea to keep my ESGs off me, but I had chosen a strategy that negated it: to play as if I had no ESGs and adopt a Klingon style offense.
But what it all came down to was errors. We both made errors, both turning weak or down shields to the other, but I was able to capitalize better. |
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