ShoutingMan 100 Posted December 15, 2018 (edited) Last week I played the first 400 pt game I've played in a number of months -- it's been mostly Taskforce 200 pt skirmishes lately due to time. My regular adversary @racknut has gotten the bug for Big Ship fleets. While I do really like squadron-heavy fleets, and like experimenting with Sloane, and find the attractive the allure of the MSU, I'm a slow player and those games really bog me down. So I've been trying for BSF. I want to try the Triple Cymoon...but I don't have a third ISD model yet. So I set out to try a dual ISD, and had created a 2xISD-II fleet that looked fun...and re-discovered that I only had one ISD-II set of cards from the one ISD kit I have (and of course nothing the Chimaera kit). Well, an hour of scanning and editing and printing later, and I cobbled a home-printed second ISD kit. This is my Gladiator Wants To Be a Big Boy fleet, led by Screed. Thematically, I'm happy with this fleet. I wanted to use Heavy Ion Emplacements, which I've owned for months but haven't used yet. So I built a fleet around that, which led me to Screed to ensure Critical rolls so HIE could be used every attack. The GSD isn't perfectly aligned since OE all but guarantees a critical. @racknut flew a 3xMC75 fleet led by Rieekan, and centered around ACM with Pylons to slow the enemy down to keep them in black-dice range. Quote 20181209 - Name: Screed + 2xISDII + GSD Faction: Imperial Commander: Admiral Screed Assault: Advanced Gunnery Defense: Planetary Ion Cannon Navigation: Solar Corona Imperial II (120) • Admiral Screed (26) • Heavy Ion Emplacements (9) • Enhanced Armament (10) = 165 Points Imperial II (120) • Strategic Adviser (4) • Heavy Ion Emplacements (9) • Enhanced Armament (10) • Avenger (5) = 148 Points Gladiator I (56) • Ordnance Experts (4) • Engine Techs (8) • Assault Concussion Missiles (7) • Demolisher (10) = 85 Points Squadrons: = 0 Points Total Points: 398 (I hope the images post. I can never remember how to get imgur images into an FFG thread.) Ultimately I lost the game. But reflecting on it, my fleet wasn't hopeless. I made some strategic and tactical errors. And even going in to the rounds 5 and 6, had i made one decision differently, I might have gotten a lucky couple rolls and won. So, I view this as good loss and good game with a fleet I'm interested in iterating. On I won the bid with 398 to 400 pts and took second player. Solar Corona was picked. Deployment is show, and the Corona was placed on the Imperial's left side. Looking at it, I think SC may be my first strategic error. It doesn't fit my fleet well. The big front arc of the ISD is tough to keep out of the Corona. Tactically, I didn't think it through: I tried to keep my GSD out of the Corona; but that's not needed. Black dice don't have accuracies. I should have placed it to force attacks on it to be into the Corona. Round 1: we advanced mostly at speed 2; his flagship (middle) was speed 1. Round 2: we're engaged at Long and Medium ranges as ships advance. Some attacks are traded. Round 3: Entering Medium and Close range. But I hadn't re-read HIE carefully when thinking over my fleet and I forgot it is an "exhaust" card so I only got one use per attack. I'm not sure this card is balanced compared to ACM, but that's a different thread I suppose. Strategically, my basic error is revealed, having the GSD in the middle of the fleet instead of outward to run flanking. It got pincered and killed before it could be used. I love the idea of the Demolisher, but it's hard to get the small ship in close to do anything. But I have some thoughts on my failed navigating here, so perhaps another go will help. But HIE is pricing its value, as I strip 6 shields from the left MC75, and deal a killing blow. But my right hand ship was Avenger, which never was used. Not sure I'd keep Avenger on this fleet. Round 4: Two to one though my Flagship is in good shape. Long Range shots are traded, I think. Round 5: Here is where I made a tactical error. I had double-arc on the upper MC75, but I used side arc on the lower and front on the upper. I was feeling hopeless here and didn't think it mattered. But Screed survived the round Round 6: More shots traded, but no on dies. I lose on points. This is where my prior error was realized: I had double arc again on Rieekan. Had i double-arc'd in Round 5 and again in Round 6, and also optimally used HIE to strip shields in the first of the two attacks, there was a real chance I could have killed Rieekan. My non-optimal play left it with 8/9 hull down. And I think I'd have more points on the table in my flagship ISD than the non-flag MC75...and that would have won the game for me. An interesting game. @racknut played well with good navigating and smartly killed my GSD early given the chance. Screed and HIE are a decent combo, and I think I could have pulled out a victory had been a bit savvier. That's a good game for me. Have a few lessons to try and apply in the future. I need a different objective selection. And I still struggle with deployment and nav. https://imgur.com/a/TwE7BOh <blockquote class="imgur-embed-pub" lang="en" data-id="a/TwE7BOh"><a href="//imgur.com/TwE7BOh">1L Armada 2018-12-09</a></blockquote><script async src="//s.imgur.com/min/embed.js" charset="utf-8"></script> Edited December 15, 2018 by ShoutingMan 1 racknut reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
racknut 25 Posted December 17, 2018 Here's my fleet. It's not the most well-rounded fleet, but it was a lot of fun to fly. Name: Rieekan 3xMC75OC Q7 Faction: Rebel Commander: General Rieekan Assault: Opening Salvo Defense: Planetary Ion Cannon Navigation: Solar Corona MC75 Ordnance Cruiser (100) • General Rieekan (30) • Ordnance Experts (4) • Reinforced Blast Doors (5) • External Racks (3) • Assault Concussion Missiles (7) = 149 Points MC75 Ordnance Cruiser (100) • Strategic Adviser (4) • Ordnance Experts (4) • Phylon Q7 Tractor Beams (6) • External Racks (3) • Assault Concussion Missiles (7) = 124 Points MC75 Ordnance Cruiser (100) • Bail Organa (7) • Ordnance Experts (4) • Phylon Q7 Tractor Beams (6) • External Racks (3) • Assault Concussion Missiles (7) = 127 Points Squadrons: = 0 Points Total Points: 400 1 ShoutingMan reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DunaMoose 92 Posted March 22, 2019 Never seen 3 MC75s. Very cool indeed! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
