Federation Commander

Meeting engagment AAR.

By the time we got sorted for the campaign round it was getting on a bit, so we choose to play this battle first, as it was likely to end whereas the other 2 are likely to be multi evening battles.

I can't quite remember all the detail, but this is my rough recollection of events. Targ commanded the D6 and Capt jack commanded the E4s, as ever Jack brought his side kick - the 'elite rear gunner'.

The battle looked fairly even to me, but I did have the higher pointed fleet. My perception probably skewed by the fact that I'm having to use the CL which I just can't bring myself to like. The DD packs a punch but has serious power problems, and obviously I'm outmanouvered.

Turn 1 - Sees the fleets close, the klingons take some phaser pot shots and launch drones at the back end of the turn after turning away. I manage arming a few overlaods with spare energy at the end of turn. The klingons look like they are concentrating on the DD - it has power issues and most of my firepower, so any damage to it could be bad. The Feds fired Ph1s, but reports cast doubt on what they were shooting at!

Turn 2 - I start to pursue, the klingons are clearly looking to maintain range whilst whittling me down, so I look to keep out of his FA (disrupter) arcs whilst shepherding them against a map edge from the inside track. I keep to speed 16+ - partly due to turning concerns, and partly down to power issues on my DD. I have to pass 2 drone waves on the way which prove no great issue. The klingons engage in what will be long loop around the map wth me in pursuit. I take the chance at the end of the turn to fire at range 12 with my 3 remaining standard photons along with a volley of ph1s at an E4 which fails to even take down a 12 pt shield, in return Capt Jacks phasers hit my front DD shield hard.

Turn 3 - The loop and pursuit carries on, but the fire is little more interesting - Just before turning around to keep on the intercept path the Feds fire all Ph1s about to go out of arc, these put a nice hole in an E4, however in return Capt Jacks phasers also take out the front shield of the DD. This isn't good - if I can't get the photons out soon then the DD is in trouble. The DD is forced to drop back a bit at the back end of the turn due to lack of power for accels. The E4 I've damaged turns off to loop around and either split me or come in behind. I leave it to come in behind once it has pulled back round, and concentrate on the D6 instead.

Turn 4 - the FF and CL have full overloaded photons by now, so they hit speed 24 and the DD stays at 16. I'm now in a postion where I'm sure that I can intercept the D6/E4 at very clsoe range in the coming turn with the CL/FF, and the DD will come in slightly behind to finish off or be available to cover any attempt to turn in and behind my faster ships. The D6 and remaining E4 see the problem and go EM, but I launch my last drones that ensure that the E4 at least cannot turn inside of me. Right at the end of the turn, the 2 enemy ships are caught in my corner and we fire everything we can at that point with the CL/FF. The D6 is badly damaged, though EM has saved him from over 40 extra damage as half my photons miss at point blank range. The DD is still closing as well.

Turn 5 - the D6 is lacking power to outrun the DD and is left with little choice but to risk disengaging of my map edge and take the extra damage roll. The Fed ships therefore fire everythng at the EM E4 before it gets away, photons and mass phasers take out its shield and do some internals, as my rolling lets me down again. The E4 captain then panicks as he manouvers to avoid photons, until it is pointed out we have already fired them. This ends the battle on a bad note for the Feds - There can be nothing more insulting than an E4 not noticing that we have already fired photons at it.


End: The D6 rolls another 10 damage for disegaging, enough to push him to cripple status, but at least not dead (which a 6 and maybe a 5 would have done). The E4s are both damaged (3, 8 ). The Feds are all pristine.

VP:
Feds - crippled D6 = 65VP, 2 damage E4s = 12VP, bonus for not conceding any whilst scoring myself = 300VP.
Klingons = 0VP.





Not a bad game, I probably had a slight edge force wise. The next 2 games are going to be much more awkward. The Assasinate in particular is very much a good klingon scenario, as the Romulan can choose to run and make it a high speed chase battle, whilst throwing aout plasma and having his better long range ships make life awkward. I can't afford to manouver much in that situation or the Romulan will disengage. The BATS has also probably come out in favor of the klingons, I think they are almost a ~BC up in points, and with plasma fighters to get past. I can't see me 'winning' those fights, but as the klingon will be missing 2 cards in the supply phase I am wanting to pile on the damage as much as possible before disenaging (if I decide I need to).


PS: Capt Hooker of the Federation Police vessel 'TeeJay' reports an engagement against a Klingon 'D7C' caught behind our lines. Whilst the enemy cruiser was damaged already, the bravery of the local police force in tackling a such a powerful battlecruiser has saved the lives of many freighter crews in the area. According to news reports the TJ pursued the enemy for several days in a running battle towards enemy lines, where only the appearance of further klingon forces resulted in withdrawal.

Yet another imaginative discription of a Campaign game by The Federation Ministry of Propaganda! (FMP)

I think the next 2 games will be interesting. In the BATS game, I will command the D6, D7 and a C8! I have no Fear unlike my Federation opponent. But my nominal superior Targ, does have some misgivings?

I will have to watch Targ closely. he appears to be exhibiting signs of battle fatigue!

Capt. Jack definately needs to post more often.

Sorry Jack, which part did you not recognise? Was it the way I tried to make out there was some sort of actual fight rather than Clucking Klingons running around the map?

By the way, your elite rear gunner is pretty good, you might want to promote him to disrupter gunner - or is the fact that they have FA arcs problematic


PS - I would love to see the official klingon version of the battle - by all means post it

I will not get into an arguement with a man, who could sell ice on Rura Penthe! Never mind someone who obviously works for the FMP

I will post more often, as I now have broken the Jamming Signal.Origin
Unknown, but I suspect just another Fed dirty trick

If I was going post an AAR.

I would be posting The True Version of the Q ship ambush! You remenber the one where my E4 chased your Dreadnought halfway round the map for 1 or 2 or was it 3 the turns?

Or possibly The Upcoming Heroic Defence of the BATS!

I will also be re-reading Sun Tzu "The Art of War" (which is best read in the Original Klingon)

Unfortunately unlike Capt. Jack I don’t see Storelf AAR as a work of fantasy and would say it is a good and concise report of the last battle.
Main lesson learnt, and to be honest it’s an old one.

STICK TO THE ORGINAL PLAN! We were around 50 pt.’s down and on a fixed map. The original plan was to manoeuvre at high speed and to use EM to stay away from the enemy. Then disengage at the beginning of turn three, as the campaign rules state that been the min a ship has to stay on the board in a scenario. But what happened was we got sucked in by the fact there was less pt.’s difference than we thought there was going to be (when you think about it is almost another E4) and the Capt. Exceptional shooting on the DD.

The other problem I think we had was that although we were looking to cut back across the Fed ships to end up behind him towards end of a turn the opportunity never really came up, at least we didn’t see it. Also in retrospect we wasted the initial 2 batches of drones and should have saved them to help dictate the Fed’s manoeuvring.

On another subject Storelf has problems’ about the Fed CL and even though the D6 is probably a better ship I feel the same way about it, but that was one of the campaign objectives, to make us have to use ship that we would normally avoid. The lollipop DD on the other hand is gaining my healthy respect.

THE BAT’LETH

Report: Fed strike force heading for Bats -14/10

Admiral Trag is recorded as saying

‘This will be a turning point on this front and the loyal citizens of Boston III have no worries; not only that but it will show how we can work with are stalwart allies the Romulans. ‘

Our sources have indicated that certain members of the high commands staff (although they may be junior members) are prepared to spend every drop of Romulan green blood to defend Bats-14/10


Editorial comment:
To quote a turn coat Klingon from an alt universe.

‘It’s a good day to die’.

Well at least if you are a Romulan fighter pilot.

Capt. Jack I have just gone over some old intl reports (i.e. back post on this thread).

Yes

‘Keep your friends close…..etc.’

But please, lets bear in mind that you might be running For the WYN cluster and, let’s hope that your green skinned friend are understanding.

Update of campaign situation after VP adjustement for requesting new ships and last meeting engagement.

Fed VP = 11287
Klingon = 8935

The OOBs are:

Fed OOB (damage status)
DN
BC
CC
2 * CA
3 * CL
2 * DD (cripple)
2* DD
FF (10)
2 * FF
CVS [12* F-18]

Klink OOB (damage status)
C8
C8 (in repair, out of action)
D7C (in repair, out of action)
D7 (in repair, out of action)
D7
D6 (cripple)
2 * D6
F5 (in repair, out of action)
2*F5
2 * E4
E4 (3)
E4 (8 )
Rom SPH-B [16 fighters (8 + 8 )]

BATS assault AAR, part 1.

As expected this is a 2 parter at least. We started play today, and will be continuing on Thursday all being well.

Fed forces: BC, CC, CA, CA, CVS
Klingon forces: C8, D7, D6, Rom SP-CV, BATS.

So my 921 pt force faces off against 1088 pts in a base assault. The base has its sensors. We both have a carrier, mine with 12 F-18s, the enemy with 16 plasma fighters ( 8* Fs, 8* Ds). Targ commnds the Base and carrier, Jack the other ships.

I've been thinking on and off all week about what to do, The klingons have Sensors, Ph4s, Plasma fighters and a good heavy criuiser extra in points - not looking good for me as the attacker. I didn't want to just hang around for the required couple of turns and bug out.

I entered the battle with the intent of attacking and looking to hit what ever target best presnted itself as hard as possible, the BATs would be nice for the extra VP or the ships given that the convoy raids last turn have left the klingons quite vulnerable on supplies this round.


Turn 1 - I start outside range of the BATS, pre-arm photons and fully load then tootle up to the 26 line ready to move in next round with as many fully overloaded photons as possible. I do start to wonder about staying with standard photons for the range as it looks like the klingon vessels are hovering in front of the base, I'm not overly keen on attacking close up against everything waiting for me, however the sensors would make anything outside range 12 auto miss, and even at range 9-12 only 1 in 6 would hit. I stick with going for full overloads. Fighters are launched on both sides.

Turn 2 - I'm fully overloaded, the fighters are EM and we move over the attack line at speed 16 so as not to pull to far ahead of the fighters. The defenders have clearly learnt from their commerce platform defense and are not moving out to meet me. We fire a few long range phasers over the first few impulses in order to try and pull out the sensors (BATS only has 4), they get 1 sensor used. Not much happens as I advance up to about range 15/16 to the BATS and a little less to the klingon ships, when everything fires at at the end of the turn. My mass phasers at the D7 are hopeless in the face of sensors and batteries, but my CC takes a pounding on the front and some minor internals (losing 1 photon). 12 drones are launched by the klingons at the fighters, they aim 3 drones per fighter in order to try and allow for 2 impacts after any ADDs that get in the way en-route. I launch 7 drones at the D7. The romulan carrier has hung back behind the base cloaked, and their fighters have only moved a little in front of the base.

Turn 3 is the major turn of todays play. I accelerate all bar the CC to 24. I'm planning on hitting range 8 to the BATs on impulse 2, before he can actually launch from the fighters - it will mean he will be able to launch at about 3 hexes or so from me at that point (I'm expecting to go from range 9 to range 3 vs the fighters). At this point I'm still not totally sure what I'm going to shoot at at that point. At range 8 I will still only be hitting on 1-2 with photons in the face of sensors. I have to turn the CC to the right on the appraoch to present a new shield which flusters Capt Jack who had just manouvered to hit it.

My plan goes more or less as expected and we reach range 8 with the BC and 2 * CA, the CVS is a couple of hexes back, and the CC is a hex or 2 to the right, the fighters coming in behind. The plasma fighters force my decision, I can fire 3 ships at the BATS but the CVS and CC are still out of 8 and could be facing mass plasma trying to get any closer - so we decide to pick on the C8 as the prinmary target as that is within 8 of all Fed ships. First we have to deal with the PL-D fighters, they are auto hits if I let them launch, so we put most of our phasers at them - enough to almost guarantee cripples on each of them, then fire 19 overloaded photons at the C8. Capt Jack wets himself. The romulan fighters fire all phaser 3s (24 of them) and the C8 unloads all weapons it can as fast possible. The other klingon ships hold fire hoping to then close and do better at close range as I'll be out of power/weapons after my shooting. My anti-fighter shooting is excellent - 3 kills and 5 cripples. The fighters more or less drop the BC front shield with Ph3s, but the C8 doesn't hit quite so well as several disrupters miss, but the BC is still taking quite a few internals. The 19 photons (and a few ph1s) hammer home, 8 out 19 photons hit and the C8 is left not far of crippled.

The Pl-F fighters then launch at the BC, but all my ships have just enough power to accel away for a couple of impulses so they will fail to hit. The rest of turn sees my ships run back for the range 25 line, the CC on his own to my right, and the rest of the fleet to left. The D7 and D6 pursue the CC, but whilst they can accel longer they are not going to catch it unless they allow themselvess to follow towards the rest of my ships, which will suite me.

My fighters meanwhile are following in, half the drones that were aimed at them have been ADD'd, unfortunately the ones that remain are grouped 3,2,2 against 3 fighers. They are unable to survive as I charge in to intercept the D7/D6, so I'm reduced to 9 F-18s. To late the klingon cruisers realise that they are being targeted and 9 DF drones are launched, but at a 2 impulse impact range (I'm not going to get closer due to the angle of approach). The klingon vessels therefore turn in on the drones/fighters in order to maximise drone defense, my fighters turn on the D6 and fire at close range, whilst the D7 fires at the fighters. It is at this point that we suddenly realise that the earlier romulan Ph3 fire ignored the stacking limit, and mine was about to do the same, as we were getting caried away with no such limit on launches. My opponents insist that I take an equally illegal volley in order to 'even out' the illegalites. The D7 kills 3 fighters and hence their drones drop, my fighters brutalise the D6. The remaining drones impact but the ADDs and disrupters and phasers left between the 2 ships swat them down.

The rest of the turn sees the fighters and D7/D6 circle around as the klingons try to head back towards the BATS.

Turn 4 - My ships head over the 25 range line and manouver to face to regroup and prepare for another possible assualt. The fighters just behind the D6 strip its rear shield down but are wiped out in response. Romulan F fighters land on the carrier ready to rearm next turn.

To be continued.....



As things stand the game still feels close, 2 of my ships are looking at badly dented front shields and minor(ish) internals, but I have lost all my F-18s. The klingons have a badly mauled C8 and D6, but both are short of being crippled, the plasma F fighters are rearming and will again probably be able to get in front of the base and make the close range attack (that is really needed in the face of sensors) very awkward. There may be a Plasma D fighter repaired and back out in time to help. I can't make up my mind on whether to head back in or call it a day, I have a horrible feeling that I could lose a couple of ships if I go back in again, whilst being far from sure of killing anything myself.

The Moon
Extra! Extra Read all About it!

Our intrepid reporter has received News of a major battle near our Bats at Boston 3.

It is yet unclear what happened!

Was Capt Jack Ambushed by the dastardly Feds on route to the Bats
or more likely did he rush to the aid said Bats.

What is clear is CJ,s Dreadnought survived a volleys of 19 overloaded photons ! Bravely defending the Bats and letting his other ships get a better tatical position.

Unbelievablely this reporter has heard reports of Captain Jack (armed only with a small fruit knife due to the armoury being destroyed) and a few marines in Evo suits Destroyed several Squaderns of Fed Fighters!

The allied Fighters have been roughly handled by the Feds.

What of Doubtful Commander Targ? Sorry, the Redoubtable Commander Targ, he has been repairing allied Fighters ASAP. He also has sent some military advisors to the Romulan carrier (to advise and if need be steel their resolve for the decisive engagement)

P.s The Klingon Technical Acadamy have been looking into a revolutionary power transfer shield repair system!

P.s The Klingon Technical Acadamy have been looking into a revolutionary power transfer shield repair system!

Ah yes, Our science officers did report some weird shield fluctuations when the C8 Emergency decelerated - at first it was thought there was a new method of shield repair via dumping all that kinetic energy into the front shield. But no, Capt jack misunderstood power available for shield 'reinforcement' as power available for shield 'repair'.

The remaining drones impact but the ADDs and disrupters and phasers left between the 2 ships swat them down.

I did not think that disruptors were allowed to shoot in the defensive fire phase?

My fighters meanwhile are following in, half the drones that were aimed at them have been ADD'd, unfortunately the ones that remain are grouped 3,2,2 against 3 fighers. They are unable to survive

Did you choose to hold the squadron's phasers to shoot Klink ships, accepting the death of 3 of the fighters?

JonPerry wrote:

The remaining drones impact but the ADDs and disrupters and phasers left between the 2 ships swat them down.

I did not think that disruptors were allowed to shoot in the defensive fire phase?

With DF drones any allied ships nearby can use offensive weaponary at impact to help the target ship, representing the fact that they could have used such weapons against normal drones during flight.

My fighters meanwhile are following in, half the drones that were aimed at them have been ADD'd, unfortunately the ones that remain are grouped 3,2,2 against 3 fighers. They are unable to survive

Did you choose to hold the squadron's phasers to shoot Klink ships, accepting the death of 3 of the fighters?

I didn't get the chance to get the shots in on the drones before impact, at which point the impacted fighters were unable to shoot down the incoming drones.

[quote
Ah yes, Our science officers did report some weird shield fluctuations when the C8 Emergency decelerated - at first it was thought there was a new method of shield repair via dumping all that kinetic energy into the front shield. But no, Capt jack misunderstood power available for shield 'reinforcement' as power available for shield 'repair'. [/quote]

The klingon Technical Acadamy and Klingon Ministry of Science state that area around Boston 3 is well Know for sub-space anomalys. This can, as I am sure will be comfirmed by commander Targ (Hero of Umboato Gorge).
The afore mention anomalys affect all fighters and strangely larger ships such as C8.

That hopefully clears up the matter and puts to rest scandelous Fed propoganda to Smear the Honour of Capt Jack!