5pt Patrol or Skirmish: Can the Shadows win???

[Kakkarotto_san]

Scenario:

5 pt Patrol: Shadows vs Gaim; can the Shadows win and if so, HOW? I'm looking for specific tactics here.

5pt Patrol: Shadows vs Psi Corps; what strategy to you use to neglect psychic crews?

Thanks!

 

[Grimbart_Kriegsaxt]

I dont believe that Shadows are suited to win a 5 point patrol game..
Sorry im not much of help but Shadows need bigger battles.

 

[katadder]

depends on the fleet obviously. yours is limited to a scout and a fighter wing. so always depends what the enemy bring. but i dont think 5 patrol pts of Gaim have the firepower to take on a scout. basically they will be relying on their fighters, however a shadow scout will probably get attacked by 6, on average thats 2 in 3 hit so 4 can hit but 3 will be ignored by your shields. basically ignore the fighters (unless they are obviously sitting in front of your accurate guns) and try take out whatever ships he has. your fighters will not last long.
same pretty much applies to psi-corps although if they have a mothership it will try and boresight you, so APTE double speed it right over then get behind it and you win. anything less than a mothership for the corps cannot win as it doesnt have the firepower.

 

[Kakkarotto_san]

I know, any strategies for winning smaller battles?

 

[Ragewind]

I suggest using that double movement we have to get some range on the fights so you will have a chance to fire on them. Otherwise they will just end up attaching to your back and staying there, use your fighter to escort the Scout and then once the dogfight commences shoot into it. I don't remember the exact rules (as I have never done it) but I know once they hit dogfight they stay there for one full turn.

 

[Burger]

Well you could take lots of fighter wings. Matt says they are great at taking down enemy ships :lol:

A bit more seiously... at 5 Patrol you'll be using 1 scout. This may be able to win depending on the opponent. At 5 Skirmish you'll have 2 scouts or a stalker, which also may be able to win depending on the opponent. If they have interceptors go for the stalker, if not then 2 scouts. Use your SM to its max, use scenery, and don't be afraid to run away to self-repair for a few turns.

In a campaign game remember that losing a strategic target costs you 15RR, but losing just one scout loses you 24RR. So even if you only lose one scout to win the game, its a phyrric victory. If you're going to lose a scout, bug out.

 

[Banichi]

once the dogfight commences shoot into it. .

I don't think you can shoot into a dogfight, even if all your fighters died that turn. (a friend has got my rulebook, so I can't check)

 

[Ripple]

Yeah, last edition it was a tactic to use poor dogfighters to lock fighters in place lose your flight and then kill theirs, not valid anymore as a fighter in a dogfight can't be shot for the rest of the turn.

Ripple

 

[Banichi]

It was one of the best ways to thin out your enemies fighters in 1e, even if it did mean that your scouts would get a little bit too close for comfort to the enemies fleet. It's just that little bit harder to deal with fighters now, espesially since the slicer beam lost turret.

 

[Burger]

I wouldn't bother taking wings of fighters in a campaign game. You're just throwing RR away. There's really no point in wasting 6 RR. Just take 1 Scout in a 5pt Patrol game.

Against Psi Corps, don't bother turning up. You'll lose dismally. Its the classic rock-pape-scissors scenario. He'll have 5 shadowcloaks, which will almost guarantee to disrupt you and you'll lose.

 

[Ripple]

Yeah, still think the Shadow ships should be able to use there beams in an AF mode. Exchange beam dice one for one for AAF dice, maybe even usable to full range, but maybe not... Would seem a fair trade, and fix the long death of a small stack of fighters on a ship. We even see a shadow ship shoot down a flight of frazi's with its beam... which should never happen under the rules.

Ripple

 

[Burger]

It's not really a problem unique to Shadows though. You get the same thing with Drazi, and Thunderbolts attacking a F-only race such as Vorlons or White Stars. AAF range 2 makes it useless, and the fighters are invulnerable.

 

[Ripple]

True, but in the shadow case we have show evidence that it shouldn't be that way... just always want in show stuff to have it's place if at all possible.

I find I wish escorts just had eight inch antifighter as a Drazi player, would make more sense then the current I can shoot eight inches but only if you get close to my breeching pod routine.

Ripple

 

[Burger]

True, I have seen shadow ships shoot down fighters though, in fact Hash did it last weekend. Just badly positioned ones...

 

[Methos5000]

My thought on it was that escorts could loan out 2" AF to any ship within 8" but the AF the escort uses for itself should have a 4" range. It does however leave at least 3 fighters that can still shoot with impunity though, The Firebolt, the pak'ma'ra fighter and the Thorun Torpedofighter (I think those are the only ones).

If escorts had the 8" AF it would feel a bit more like the 1st Ed AF guns (much better range on those but then they only negated dodge, not shields and stealth)