From:           	awarwick@southcom.com.au
Date sent:      	Mon, 7 Sep 1998 10:34:49 +1000
To:             	babylon5-wars@CSUA.Berkeley.EDU
Subject:        	[B5W] Sharlin vs Bin'Tak
Send reply to:  	babylon5-wars@CSUA.Berkeley.EDU



I carried out the second and third test of the Narn's claim a Bin'Tak can
dance with a Minbari Sharlin.  (The first last week was a test of sheer
firepower and damage soaking, no real tactics.  The two ships just did
circling flybys - the Sharlin one reasonably comfortably).  For the second
two tests, both ships were going to use tactics as much as possible, the
first without jammers, the second with jammers active.

Sharlin vs Bin'Tak (No jammers)
The Bin'Tak started off a Spd 4.  Though this gives a slight init penalty,
it allows the Bin'Tak to use its extra thrust to turn twice a round.
Bin'Tak that can do that are scary...you can bring the rear arc HLs into
play, and share the damage around sides and front.

Turn 1.  Both ships began closin the distance, Bin'Tak lobbing off E-Mines
and Ion Torps, but otherwise defensive.  One EM did minor damage to the
side of the Sharlin.  Two Neutron Cannons hit the Bin'Tak, also doing
minor damage, including to the Mag Gun, but not destroying it.  (Is it
just me, or do Mag Guns seen to attrack damage like magnets?  Shots seem
drawn to it..) Turn 2.  Ships continued closing.  Narn open up, hitting
with TAs, 4 Heavy Lasers and the Mag Gun, a combination of good rolls,
high OEW and close range.  The front of the Sharlin buckles and only just
holds on.  5 Fusion Cannons rip the Mag Gun and 1/3 of the front of the
Bin'Tak off. Turn 3.  Closing to near point blank, the Bin'Tak slams
E-Mine, Ion Torp and TA shots into the damage Sharlin, ripping the front
clean off and taking out 50% of the primary structure.  6 Fusion Cannon
shots rip number of weapons off the Bin'Tak, and damage the reactor,
forcing the Bin'Tak to deactivate an LPC. Turn 4. Both ships fly past each
other, opening up with rear batteries.  The Sharlin losses both rear
Neutron Cannons in lucky rolls, while 1/2 the Aft Structure of the Bin'Tak
flies off. >From this stage on, the Bin'Tak used it superior maneouvering
to stay inside the Sharlin, out of NC arc most of the time and continuing
to bump shots into the Sharlin.  The Sharlin couldn't shake the Bin'Tak
and was left to fend off the Narn with limited Fusion Cannon shots.  In
the 11th turn, a Heavy Laser shot cut through what remained of the port
structure, then destroyed the primary structure (which had been holding on
by 1 box since turn 7).

End Result:  The Bin'Tak won in the 11th turn, though badly shot up. 
2/3rds of the fwd, aft and stbd structure were gone, and 1/2 the port.  1
main thruster was gone, and the other barely hanging on, and 3/4 of the
retro and stbd thruster were missing.  The sensors were down to 1/2
structure, and 8 power had been lost due to two reactor hits.  Of its
weapons, 5 Heavy Lasers, 1 Ion Torp and 2 TA were left (one damaged),
while 2 LPCs and an EMine were deactivated due to power loss.  It had
taken 5 Neutron and 47 Fusion Cannon hits. The Sharlin had lost its fwd,
port and primary structure and 1/3 its aft. Its main thrust was barely
hanging on.  Its reamining weapons load was 1 Neutron Cannon, 7 undamaged
and 6 damaged Fusion Cannons.  It had taken 13 Heav Laser, 22 Twin Array,
4 Emine, 6 Ion Torp, 1 Mag Gun and 3 LPC hits.

Sharlin vs Bin'Tak (Jammers active)
The Bin'Tak started at Spd 4 again, leaving 1 EW locked onto the Sharlin
and 9 EW defensive from the start.

This clash took 11 turns as well.  The Sharlin tried to keep its distance
more than the previous turn to take advantage of is longer range weapons
and higher EW, but the better maneouvering of the Bin'Tak allowed to take
off the front of the Sharlin with a lucky Heavy Laser/Mag Gun volley, then
onto the back of the Sharlin and whittled away the rear Sharlin, while
shifting from side to side, allowing the rear lasers to come into play, as
well as spreading the damage around between the sides and front.  Finally
in the 11th time the Sharlin went down.

End Result:  The Bin'Tak had lost its front, 3/4 primary, 2/3 stbd and 1/3
port structure and had 3 HL, 1 IT, 2 LPC, 1 TA and 2 damaged TAs left.  It
had taken 47 Fusion cannon and 5 Neutron Cannon hits. The Sharlin lost its
fwd, aft and primary structure and 1/3 of is stb structure.  It also lost
its jammer in the 10th turn, allowing the Bin'Tak to crank up the EW and
offload a large finishing into the Sharlin.  It had 1 undamged Neutron and
5 fusion cannons left, and 1 damaged neutron and 4 damaged fusion cannons
left.  It had taken 2 Mag Gun, 3 LPC, 31 TA, 9 HL, 5 Ion Torp and 4 Emine
hits.

The current jammer rules don't seem to work completly.  The Bin'Tak had 9
DEW most of the time, forcing the Sharlin to have a fairly high OEW to try
and get by it.  This resulted in a low DEW for the Sharlin, which more or
less canceled each other out.  Of course, when Minbari get ELINT ships,
breaking that 1 point lock on becomes feasible, which will force Minbari
opponents to push more into OEW to prevent it...

Conclusion:
The Bin'Tak does have a chance one on one against a Sharlin, if it can
uses it better maneouvering at low speeds to get inside the Sharlin.  Of
course, once fighters are involved, the Bin'Tak will be cut to shreds
rapidly...

Bin'Tak.  Sitting on 4 speed is a very good idea.  Being able to turn
twice a round by burning extra thrust to shorter turn delays makes the
Bin'Tak very potent.  You have a slight init penalty, but usualy in fleet
engaments you'll be able to get something in arc.  Arcing from one side to
the other, you'll be able to keep up a constant volley of HL shots
(including from the rear batteries), added to the torps, mines, twin
arrays, mag gun and LPCs. You can increase to speed 5, put you'd need to
deactivated 9 points of power to buy the extra thrust you need.  The
Emines can make good offensive weapons, espcially against poor maenovering
ships (ie 1 or more turn delays) as you have a good idea where they are
headed. (Nova's are prime canditates for Emine barrages...) Sharlin.  A
Sharlin has to try and stay at range, otherwise ships who can turn more
often (ie most) can get inside its Neutron cannon arcs and pound it. 
Against Narn with their ion torps and emines, this is slightly more
difficult, as those weapons have great range and in the case of the torps,
better chances of hitting at extreme ranges (unless the Sharlin puts a lot
of DEW into play, cutting their chance to hit considerably).  If the
Sharlin does come in close, it is best done against light ships where
fusion cannon volleys will reap havoc.  (Per turn the fusion is more
damaging than the nuetron, and there are a lot more of them..)  Against
the Bin'Tak, while it good do lots of damage, the Dreadnaught could take
it and dish it back.  You have to hope the Sharlin is the largest ship in
the Minbari fleet.  A Minbari battleship or dreadnaught is too scary to
contemplate...

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Andrew Warwick
awarwick@southcom.com.au

There's too much blood in my Caffine System............
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