Message-ID: <004601bdf4cc$d993f4e0$77d0a0cd@regnar>
From: "Aaron Mays" <regnar@inav.net>
To: <babylon5-wars@CSUA.Berkeley.EDU>
Subject: [B5W] battle report, fighter costs.(long)
Date: Sat, 10 Oct 1998 23:08:47 -0500
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Ok, first off I like the idea of A) making fighters less tough to reflect
what we see in the show and B) either reducing the cost or giving fighter
carrying ships a BPV with fighters included, and a conversion factor or
something for races with more than one viable fighter (EA and Narn, since
Razi is not viable and Rutarian requires a Dargan).

Next, the promised battle report, which featured EA vs EA.  Note that
missile fire may have been mishandled, I didn't have the missile rules
handy, and we used the pulse cannon option wherein you get extra pulses for
every 4 under your too hit roll.  All other rules per core, save that all
fighter guns were resolved individually.
BLUFOR commanded by yours truly, was 2xOlympus, 1xNova, 6xThud with two
missiles@ and 12 thrust, and 18xFuries.
OPFOR, commanded by a newby friend, 2xOmega, 6xThud with 4 missiles @, and
24xFuries.

We set up in opposite corners.  BLUFOR set up with the Oles three hexes
either side and 3 forward of the Nova, all caps speed 6, fighters forward
and dispersed with Thuds in the middle, all fighters speed 9.  I planned to
initiate with the Oles, hit one flank or the other with thuds and fury
escorts, and hey diddle diddle straight up the middle with the Nova, this to
minimise the Nova's extreme lack of manueverability.
OPFOR deployed Omega 1&2 adjacent to each other, fighters in tight formation
just ahead, thuds in the middle of the fighter group.  All ships were at
speed 12.  OPFOR command planned to engage with forward guns, blow through
and engage with SPBs and aft guns while all fighters attacked the weak
points opened up by the DHs.
In both cases, the battle plan failed to survive the enemy's appearance on
the field of battle.

Turn 1: Omegas turtle, Nova goes full offensive.  No fire, out of range of
probability of hit (pH) too low for Nova to waste shots.  BLUFOR caps slide
left.  BLUFOR fighters swing right a bit, to see how OPFOR fighters will
react.  OPFOR fighters stay in formation with superfast Omegas, all flying
straight ahead.

Turn 2:  OPFOR:  OH SHIT! as he realises that he is too fast.  Plunges
straight in, decelerating as BLUFOR caps slide left again and Nova starts
turn to port.  OPFOR still mostly turtle, a little OEW on Nova.  This hurt
when he started lighting up the Oles...  Ole 2 centerlines Omega 2.  BLUFOR
fighters hedghog 'round thuds as they set for missile attack on port side of
Omegas.  Oles fire 6 missile at Omega 1, three hit (SPBs enagage non-locked
thuds, damaging two, very low pH).  Nova bow and some port slice up Om 1
front a bit, most guns held in reserve.  Ole fire rail guns and Ole 2 snipes
Om 1 reactor, completely destroying it and knocking Om 1 out of the fight.
No shit, there I was, freak shot from hell...  Several OPFOR furies damaged
by lockless MPC fire, Ole 2 defronted by mass Omega, thud missiles, and fury
fire.  (Wait... he's not quite dead!)  11 Blue Thud SSMs and 6 furies hack
off half of Om 2's port side. Om 2 finally finishes Ole 2 with last HPC
shot.

Turn 3:  Last Omega continues to decelerate, still going straight.  OPFOR
furies gang up on Nova port side for a truly awesome number of shots (12
missiles, 44 fury gun hits) (ow).  Ole 1 turns port and slides starboard,
setting up MPC/ missile shot on Om 2 aft, accepting HL shots.  Nova turns
port as well, firing up Om port with 3 ML and 2 MPC.  Finishes port sides,
causes many primary criticals, including one to C&C that deadlines ship for
next turn.  Ole wings Omega aft with MPC, and snipes at fighters with
missiles, hitting (and killing) one.  BLUFOR fighters gang up on OPFOR
fighters.  When the smoke clears, Ole 1 is moderately damaged by two HL, but
still 80%+ combat effective.  Nova port side completely destroyed, primary
very shaky.  6 OPFOR furies destroyed, all thuds seriously damaged, and 4
more furies hurt.

Turn 4:  Ate pizza, AAR and gave BLUFOR a probable win.  Decided that the
surviving Olympus had enough left to take on the last Omega, especially with
missing SPBs and big gaps in interceptor coverage.  OPFOR fighters would
probably not finish Nova, especially since Thud missiles were expended and
BLUFOR fighters were about to execute surviving, mostly damaged Thuds and
Furies.  We figured that if nothing else, the Nova would roll, fire off
every gun on the starboard and starboard aft sections, and finish the Omega.

OPFOR mistakes:  ignored Olympii and fighters, did not hold SPBs for missile
intercept.  Started WAY to fast.  self explanatory, I think.

BLUFOR mistakes:  waited too long to attack enemy fighters with friendly
fighters.  I should have held two flights of Furies for CAP.  Should also
have slowed Oles and then pivoted turn two to keep Omegas in missile arcs,
or else hit Thuds with missiles on the way in.

OPFOR credits:  Concentrated fighters nicely on Nova.  Did fairly well for
first game.

BLUFOR credits:  Damn, hot dice!  Plan allowed enough flexibility to adapt
to the unexpected.  My forces were deployed to take advantage of perceived
task force strengths that wound up matching reality fairly well.

End notes:  Fighters are definitely too hard to kill.  Thuds were unable to
kill other Thuds, with average hits and damage.  For that matter, SPBs
didn't kill any fighters.  Fighter damage vs capital ships was not
unreasonable.  Sheer mass of fire was more important than relatively weak (6
armor all systems) primary armor on the Nova.  Pulse cannon worked well.
The new hit determination streamlined play and was seen as fair by both
sides.  Railguns are nice, freak shots aside.  Thud missile swarms worked
well, though thud was proved useless against capital ships once missiles
were expended.

Finally could one of you, say Graves or Fulton, please repost the new heavy
weapon damage, PC recharge rates and max hits, sequence of fires, and
fighter drop outs?  I seem to have deleted those.  Oops.

Aaron Mays
Go guard!  Where we make kick ass grunts like Rodger Young.


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