Democratus
Mongoose
Recently I have finally been able to get back to playing ACTA. Our last campaign was aborted because life got in the way and one of our number moved out of the city.
Well, he's back now and we are throwing dice on the table again! We have decided to dust off our skills with a mini campaign. 5 battles at 5 points each. The battles will escalate from Patrol to War.
Battle 1 (5 Points Patrol)
Forces
My opponent chose to go with his favorite, Earthforce 3rd Age. I decided to try the Drazi, as I never got to run them through our last campaign.
Here was our fleets for the 5-point Patrol battle.
Earth Alliance:
Artemis Heavy Frigate
Hermes Transport x 3
This gave the EA a solid flagship, several missile launchers, plus 3 starfury fighters.
Drazi Freehold:
Warbird Cruiser
Sunhawk Battlecruiser
Sleekbird Assault Cruiser
Guardhawk Battle Escort
My approach was a bit less coherent than my opponent. I feared that there would be fighters, so the Guardhawk escort was a must. The Sleekbird seemed interesting because it has a 12 AD gun at patrol level. I wanted a good damage dealer as the flagship, so I went with the ubiquitous Warbird. And to round out my fleet I took another general hull in the Sunhawk.
Set Up
The board was empty except for a single planet in the center.
I won the initial roll so the EA set up first. He deployed on his left, with a line of 3 Hermes in front of his Artemis. Simple but effective.
I set my ships up directly opposite (boresights make subtlety difficult) in a diamond formation. Sleekbird in front, Warbird on the left, Sunhawk on the right, and Guardhawk in the rear. My hope was to keep the Escort protected yet in range to cover all my ships.
Turn 1
EA won initiative
This was a closing turn. The EA came straight forward while I manuvered my formation further to my right, hoping to angle for a flank attack in the future.
No fire this turn.
Turn 2
Drazi won initiative.
The EA moved his Hermes forward one at a time. I responded in kind with each of my ships, making sure they were out of range of the Hermes missiles. After all Hermes had moved I saw that I could just reach beam range against one of them with my Warbird. So I charged forward and boresighted one. All my ships were on Close Blast Doors! (CBD)
The EA captain then suprised me by declaring All Power to Engines! with his Artemis, charging forward 15" to get my Warbird just in range of its forward battery.
At this point, my Warbird was facing a pile of missiles plus some railguns. But I was happy that I got to shoot.
As luck would have it, my Beam attack ran away and did 10 damage. CBD reduced this damage to 7, just short of crippling the little ship.
The EA responded, hitting with only 3 missiles and 1 railgun AD. I dodged all 3 missiles and reduced the railgun damage to 1 with CBD.
Turn 3
EA won initiative
Now was time for the scrum. I realized that loosing initiative meant that one of my ships would have no shot this turn. So I attempted Start Attack Run! order with my Guardhawk and failed. The ship sailed past the EA frigates. Then the EA had to move a Hermes. I made this my target for the turn. The Sleekbird ran up to 3" away and boresighted the target. The EA responded by moving another Hermes to support its friend. Then I moved the Sunhawk to boresight the same target as the Sleekbird. Another EA hermes moves. Finally I moved my Warbird to boresight the second Hermes. The EA moved his Artemis to broadside my Warbird and put the Sleekbird in his aft arc. Clever monkey.
His fighters were able to surround my Sleekbird as it was out of Escort range. I was already finding it difficult to maintain a supporting formation due to the presing need to boresight my enemies. Luckily, the fighters scored only 1 point of damage after Dodge rolls.
A flurry of fire followed between the various ships. The Sleekbird and Sunhawk managed to cripple the first Hermes, with the Sleekbird doing the lion's share of damage. The Warbird managed to score moderate damage against another Hermes, with many hits stopped by Interceptor fire. The Artemis captain had his gunners sacked as he scored exactly one hit on the Guardhawk (Dodged) and one on the Warbird (1 dmg, bulkhead hit).
Turn 4
EA won initative
At this point, 3 of my ships (Warbird, Sunhawk, Sleekbird) are nose-to-nose with the line of Hermes. The Artemis is to my left showing its broadside. And I have to move first.
I again declare Start Attack Run!, this time with my Sleekbird, and succeed. Firing 12 AD (loosing Twin-Linking) I scored 7 hits and reduced the Hermes to a flaming hulk as the Sleekbird sailed forward past the other Hermes and out of their forward arcs. The EA moved the only Hermes in the FA of my Warbird, leaving it nothing to attack without serious manuver. I failed a "Come About!" roll and so sailed instead forward to join the Sleekbird behind the Hermes. The Sunbird lined up a shot with one of the Hermes. And the Artemis then moved to keep a broadside against the Sunbird.
Now that my formation was truly scattered, fighters began to harrass my Warbird. Scoring 2 more hits including a -2 Speed critical. I determined that I would get my fleet back under the cover of my Escort before I was chipped to death.
The Sunhawk scored minor damage and an Adrift! critical against a Hermes. In return, it took 6 damage from the Artemis. Those AP/DD guns were dangrous.
Turn 5
Drazi won initiative
This turn saw little action. My Guardhawk was pointed at the planet, so I moved it behind and into cover while the rest of my fleet circled around to try and join it. The drifting Hermes kept...drifting. The last Hermes and Artemis banked left to intercept my formation.
Again fighters harrassed my Warbird and there was nothing I could do about it. Lucky dodges meant I took only 2 more damage.
No significant fire.
Turn 6
EA won initiative
My fleet made best speed for the planet, using its gravity to pull closer to the Guardhawk. Everyone managed to make within 8" of cover. Whew. The Artemis and undamaged Hermes circled around to face the planet. The Hermes just managed to get a peek around the planet at my Guardhawk.
The fighters wisely stayed clear of my protected ships, hovering about and waiting for an opportunity.
The only fire was the the missile launcher from the Hermes. Luck was with the EA, as he scored two hits (none Dodged) and two criticals - destroying the ship in a single blow.
The Adrift Hermes fixed its engines. The Warbird also repaired it's -2 Speed critical.
Turn 7 and beyond
There ensued a scrum around the planet, with each of us struggling to manuver for superior position. My Sleekbird took heavy damage but in exchange I managed to cripple and skeleton crew one Hermes and destroy another.
The fighters continued to harrass my defenseless Warbird, chipping away and hoping for a lucky critical.
At this point we both withdrew from battle. The EA commander wanted to keep his last 2 ships alive for the next fight (and spend their experience), but I knew that the fighters would eventually bring down my ship like a pack of wolves. So we both exited the table and called it a draw.
Final Casualties
EA
Hermes Destroyed - 10
Hermes Destroyed - 10
Hermes Crippled - 3
Artemis (undamaged) Withdrawn -5
Drazi
Guardhawk Destroyed - 10
Sleekbird (heavily damaged) withdrawn - 3
Sunhawk (heavily damaged) withdrawn - 3
Warbird (heavily damaged) withdrawn - 5
Score:
Drazi - 28, EA - 21
We called it a draw because we both left without claiming the planet and with his fighters there I would have been destroyed if I had stayed.
Notes and Observations
Playing at patrol level gave a completely diffent feel for flying ships that are usually an afterthought. My Warbird was my flagship and it felt like I was "Dropping the Hammer" whenever I could line up a shot with it. Similarly, the EA's Artemis Frigate felt like facing an Omega. It was the big, tough ship that I decided to avoid for as long as possible to avoid sinking too much firepower without a VP return. Five dice of AP/DD is spooky when half your ships only have 12 damage points.
All the ships on the board were speed 10-12, so the knife fight was fast and furious. The addition of the planet in the middle added even more chaos as we both struggled to use its gravity for more manuverability. Numerous times we both thought we had completely avoided damage only to have our opponent say, "and then I slingshot 5 more inches". Great stuff.
Seldom have I had so much fun as with this battle. There was little overhead to track (few, small ships), the action was fast, and every critical was terrifying as it could be the end of a ship. Clever maneuver and timely execution of special orders dominated play - making it feel much more like I was playing my opponent and not just his fleet roster.
Close Blast Doors! combined with a Dodge trait can make a fragile ship quite difficult to kill.
Beam weapons are very, very fickle. More so when they have no other triats like DD.
Lessons Learned
The Boresight weapons of the Drazi make it incredibly difficult to maintain any kind of fleet formation. Attacks have to be made when and where they present themselves, which can leave elements of your fleet isolated. I think I'm begining to see a justification for the Star Snake. It may not be the best fighter in space but it can move fast and provide cover for ships in need.
Speaking of fighters...I think I'm going to need Guardhawks in larger numbers. Drazi ships really are helpless against organized fighter attacks unless they bring along dedicated protection. Once my Guardhawk was gone in this battle it was only a matter of time before a mere three flights of Auroras would have worn me down.
The Start Attack Run! order can be very useful in the right circumstance, plus it is easier to execute than Come About!. My opponent kept his fleet in tight formation, so I couldn't just move from one target to the next. Shooting at ships with a weak hull (like the Hermes) can offset the loss of the Twin-Linked trait. The Sleekbird, with its 12 AD of TL guns, is particularly good at this if it can manage to get close enough.
I often feel like I'm being led aroud by the nose when init sinks are being used. If I want to do damage, I have to point straight at a ship which has already moved and head right at it. An opponent can use this against me pretty well if he has significantly more ships. I spend the first portion of the engagement trying to kill the init sinks for lack of other targets to engage. Track That Target! is too difficult to count on as a baseline tactic.
I'm enjoying playing the Drazi. They are very much an all-or-nothing kind of fleet. The fleet has a pile of fragile ships that must always be moving closer to the enemey. This means you need to inflict massive damage early or else loose the battle of attrition. Certain ships - I'm looking at you, Guardhawk - are absolutely critical and the enemy will focus fire on these.
Well, he's back now and we are throwing dice on the table again! We have decided to dust off our skills with a mini campaign. 5 battles at 5 points each. The battles will escalate from Patrol to War.
Battle 1 (5 Points Patrol)
Forces
My opponent chose to go with his favorite, Earthforce 3rd Age. I decided to try the Drazi, as I never got to run them through our last campaign.
Here was our fleets for the 5-point Patrol battle.
Earth Alliance:
Artemis Heavy Frigate
Hermes Transport x 3
This gave the EA a solid flagship, several missile launchers, plus 3 starfury fighters.
Drazi Freehold:
Warbird Cruiser
Sunhawk Battlecruiser
Sleekbird Assault Cruiser
Guardhawk Battle Escort
My approach was a bit less coherent than my opponent. I feared that there would be fighters, so the Guardhawk escort was a must. The Sleekbird seemed interesting because it has a 12 AD gun at patrol level. I wanted a good damage dealer as the flagship, so I went with the ubiquitous Warbird. And to round out my fleet I took another general hull in the Sunhawk.
Set Up
The board was empty except for a single planet in the center.
I won the initial roll so the EA set up first. He deployed on his left, with a line of 3 Hermes in front of his Artemis. Simple but effective.
I set my ships up directly opposite (boresights make subtlety difficult) in a diamond formation. Sleekbird in front, Warbird on the left, Sunhawk on the right, and Guardhawk in the rear. My hope was to keep the Escort protected yet in range to cover all my ships.
Turn 1
EA won initiative
This was a closing turn. The EA came straight forward while I manuvered my formation further to my right, hoping to angle for a flank attack in the future.
No fire this turn.
Turn 2
Drazi won initiative.
The EA moved his Hermes forward one at a time. I responded in kind with each of my ships, making sure they were out of range of the Hermes missiles. After all Hermes had moved I saw that I could just reach beam range against one of them with my Warbird. So I charged forward and boresighted one. All my ships were on Close Blast Doors! (CBD)
The EA captain then suprised me by declaring All Power to Engines! with his Artemis, charging forward 15" to get my Warbird just in range of its forward battery.
At this point, my Warbird was facing a pile of missiles plus some railguns. But I was happy that I got to shoot.
As luck would have it, my Beam attack ran away and did 10 damage. CBD reduced this damage to 7, just short of crippling the little ship.
The EA responded, hitting with only 3 missiles and 1 railgun AD. I dodged all 3 missiles and reduced the railgun damage to 1 with CBD.
Turn 3
EA won initiative
Now was time for the scrum. I realized that loosing initiative meant that one of my ships would have no shot this turn. So I attempted Start Attack Run! order with my Guardhawk and failed. The ship sailed past the EA frigates. Then the EA had to move a Hermes. I made this my target for the turn. The Sleekbird ran up to 3" away and boresighted the target. The EA responded by moving another Hermes to support its friend. Then I moved the Sunhawk to boresight the same target as the Sleekbird. Another EA hermes moves. Finally I moved my Warbird to boresight the second Hermes. The EA moved his Artemis to broadside my Warbird and put the Sleekbird in his aft arc. Clever monkey.
His fighters were able to surround my Sleekbird as it was out of Escort range. I was already finding it difficult to maintain a supporting formation due to the presing need to boresight my enemies. Luckily, the fighters scored only 1 point of damage after Dodge rolls.
A flurry of fire followed between the various ships. The Sleekbird and Sunhawk managed to cripple the first Hermes, with the Sleekbird doing the lion's share of damage. The Warbird managed to score moderate damage against another Hermes, with many hits stopped by Interceptor fire. The Artemis captain had his gunners sacked as he scored exactly one hit on the Guardhawk (Dodged) and one on the Warbird (1 dmg, bulkhead hit).
Turn 4
EA won initative
At this point, 3 of my ships (Warbird, Sunhawk, Sleekbird) are nose-to-nose with the line of Hermes. The Artemis is to my left showing its broadside. And I have to move first.
I again declare Start Attack Run!, this time with my Sleekbird, and succeed. Firing 12 AD (loosing Twin-Linking) I scored 7 hits and reduced the Hermes to a flaming hulk as the Sleekbird sailed forward past the other Hermes and out of their forward arcs. The EA moved the only Hermes in the FA of my Warbird, leaving it nothing to attack without serious manuver. I failed a "Come About!" roll and so sailed instead forward to join the Sleekbird behind the Hermes. The Sunbird lined up a shot with one of the Hermes. And the Artemis then moved to keep a broadside against the Sunbird.
Now that my formation was truly scattered, fighters began to harrass my Warbird. Scoring 2 more hits including a -2 Speed critical. I determined that I would get my fleet back under the cover of my Escort before I was chipped to death.
The Sunhawk scored minor damage and an Adrift! critical against a Hermes. In return, it took 6 damage from the Artemis. Those AP/DD guns were dangrous.
Turn 5
Drazi won initiative
This turn saw little action. My Guardhawk was pointed at the planet, so I moved it behind and into cover while the rest of my fleet circled around to try and join it. The drifting Hermes kept...drifting. The last Hermes and Artemis banked left to intercept my formation.
Again fighters harrassed my Warbird and there was nothing I could do about it. Lucky dodges meant I took only 2 more damage.
No significant fire.
Turn 6
EA won initiative
My fleet made best speed for the planet, using its gravity to pull closer to the Guardhawk. Everyone managed to make within 8" of cover. Whew. The Artemis and undamaged Hermes circled around to face the planet. The Hermes just managed to get a peek around the planet at my Guardhawk.
The fighters wisely stayed clear of my protected ships, hovering about and waiting for an opportunity.
The only fire was the the missile launcher from the Hermes. Luck was with the EA, as he scored two hits (none Dodged) and two criticals - destroying the ship in a single blow.
The Adrift Hermes fixed its engines. The Warbird also repaired it's -2 Speed critical.
Turn 7 and beyond
There ensued a scrum around the planet, with each of us struggling to manuver for superior position. My Sleekbird took heavy damage but in exchange I managed to cripple and skeleton crew one Hermes and destroy another.
The fighters continued to harrass my defenseless Warbird, chipping away and hoping for a lucky critical.
At this point we both withdrew from battle. The EA commander wanted to keep his last 2 ships alive for the next fight (and spend their experience), but I knew that the fighters would eventually bring down my ship like a pack of wolves. So we both exited the table and called it a draw.
Final Casualties
EA
Hermes Destroyed - 10
Hermes Destroyed - 10
Hermes Crippled - 3
Artemis (undamaged) Withdrawn -5
Drazi
Guardhawk Destroyed - 10
Sleekbird (heavily damaged) withdrawn - 3
Sunhawk (heavily damaged) withdrawn - 3
Warbird (heavily damaged) withdrawn - 5
Score:
Drazi - 28, EA - 21
We called it a draw because we both left without claiming the planet and with his fighters there I would have been destroyed if I had stayed.
Notes and Observations
Playing at patrol level gave a completely diffent feel for flying ships that are usually an afterthought. My Warbird was my flagship and it felt like I was "Dropping the Hammer" whenever I could line up a shot with it. Similarly, the EA's Artemis Frigate felt like facing an Omega. It was the big, tough ship that I decided to avoid for as long as possible to avoid sinking too much firepower without a VP return. Five dice of AP/DD is spooky when half your ships only have 12 damage points.
All the ships on the board were speed 10-12, so the knife fight was fast and furious. The addition of the planet in the middle added even more chaos as we both struggled to use its gravity for more manuverability. Numerous times we both thought we had completely avoided damage only to have our opponent say, "and then I slingshot 5 more inches". Great stuff.
Seldom have I had so much fun as with this battle. There was little overhead to track (few, small ships), the action was fast, and every critical was terrifying as it could be the end of a ship. Clever maneuver and timely execution of special orders dominated play - making it feel much more like I was playing my opponent and not just his fleet roster.
Close Blast Doors! combined with a Dodge trait can make a fragile ship quite difficult to kill.
Beam weapons are very, very fickle. More so when they have no other triats like DD.
Lessons Learned
The Boresight weapons of the Drazi make it incredibly difficult to maintain any kind of fleet formation. Attacks have to be made when and where they present themselves, which can leave elements of your fleet isolated. I think I'm begining to see a justification for the Star Snake. It may not be the best fighter in space but it can move fast and provide cover for ships in need.
Speaking of fighters...I think I'm going to need Guardhawks in larger numbers. Drazi ships really are helpless against organized fighter attacks unless they bring along dedicated protection. Once my Guardhawk was gone in this battle it was only a matter of time before a mere three flights of Auroras would have worn me down.
The Start Attack Run! order can be very useful in the right circumstance, plus it is easier to execute than Come About!. My opponent kept his fleet in tight formation, so I couldn't just move from one target to the next. Shooting at ships with a weak hull (like the Hermes) can offset the loss of the Twin-Linked trait. The Sleekbird, with its 12 AD of TL guns, is particularly good at this if it can manage to get close enough.
I often feel like I'm being led aroud by the nose when init sinks are being used. If I want to do damage, I have to point straight at a ship which has already moved and head right at it. An opponent can use this against me pretty well if he has significantly more ships. I spend the first portion of the engagement trying to kill the init sinks for lack of other targets to engage. Track That Target! is too difficult to count on as a baseline tactic.
I'm enjoying playing the Drazi. They are very much an all-or-nothing kind of fleet. The fleet has a pile of fragile ships that must always be moving closer to the enemey. This means you need to inflict massive damage early or else loose the battle of attrition. Certain ships - I'm looking at you, Guardhawk - are absolutely critical and the enemy will focus fire on these.
