[ACTA:SF] Question before I try to playtest new materials

[billclo]

Matt,

Is there some particular format or type of testing you want us to do? I don't want to just play a few games without some formal way to structure the testing, etc. Being as local players are few and far between, I don't have many opportunities to play, so I don't want to waste valuable time doing testing that isn't useful to you.

For example, to test escorts vs drones or plasmas:

Play say 3 ships attacking a target with plasmas, and have an escort ship between the enemy and target, resolve and report results.

Play say 3 ships attacking a target with plasmas, and have an escort ship on the far side of the target, resolve and report results.

Repeat the last sequence with some drone armed ships, resolve and report.

Use various escorts to see how they fare, especially the Phaser-G armed ones. Use them as defensive escorts, and try using them to over-run attacking ships instead of using them to defend with.

Or are you more looking for large fleet battles, with and with out escorts, resolve and report results?

 

[billclo]

Clearly no one gives a hoot what I playtest, so...should I even bother?

 

[McKinstry]

I think tests with substantial proportions of Phaser-G escorts in an offensive role were certainly disucssed heavily. Also a bit curious as to what level of plasma a Fed escort can render harmless.

 

[scoutdad]

Bill:
When we playtest a given situation - we first establish a "standard" force. Note that in this instance, standard means everyone uses the same force / opposing force.

We then pair off and play ,then reverse sides and play again. The results of both sessions are then reported...
Next, we discuss the odd-ball, or contrived situations that are raised on teh forum and play them. I'e., escorts suing APtE, closing to point blank range, and firing every phaser. Then we reverse sides and play again... then we switch partners and continue.

And if someone feels a particular force is broken, we play that as well.
I'e., a force comprised entires of Federation DWEs... or Orion Pirates with all Phaser-1/Phaser-G.
We play this out, reverse sides and play again.
Then we play against an entirely different enemy empire... and so on.

We strive to only change one factor between individual rounds and we try to play each game twice with each player taking both sides.

 

[billclo]

Thank you, Tony. Now that's helpful.

 

[McKinstry]

One thing that came up Saturday was realizing that an Orion all-phaser Light Raider could, while in the middle of a furball, boost shields every turn which given a starting shield value of 20, made them not just nasty on offense but hard as nails.

 

[billclo]

One thing that came up Saturday was realizing that an Orion all-phaser Light Raider could, while in the middle of a furball, boost shields every turn which given a starting shield value of 20, made them not just nasty on offense but hard as nails.

Given that, of what real value is their "engine doubling" ability if you don't need it? :mrgreen:

 

[McKinstry]

Our Orion player never used their engine doubling.

A force of four all-phaser LR's with average shields of 27 running around within killzone range was ugly enough.

 

[billclo]

Our Orion player never used their engine doubling.

A force of four all-phaser LR's with average shields of 27 running around within killzone range was ugly enough.

That just seems WRONG. I realize that it's an artifact of the power drain rules, but really, when a ship that carries all phasers can ignore power drain while a ship that carries a mix of phasers and drones, which use no power by the way, cannot do the same.

Why would an Orion ever choose anything but all phasers? I hope they fix this before the release of the rest of the Orions.

 

[Keeper Nilbog]

This might be fixed when the 'full' Orion fleet (?) is released Q4 in Battleships (? name - ActA:SF 2). But generally you won't see LR with anything other than Phasers (and now the assualt version - 5xPh-1/1xPh-G).