Campaign questions B5 ACTA

[Anbar]

hi all, seeking advice again:

1: Say we have a campagin map with 10 objectives on it, players roll for initiative and P1 wins. s/he then gets to chose strategic targets first, do they chose just a single target and that is then gamed, or do they chose, f.ex "I'm going to attack 1, 3, 5, and 7", then the other player says they will also target them, and then you game them in sequence?

2: Having got to the actual scenario within the campaign, how do you determine who is the atacker and who is the defender in each scenario? OK in some cases it will be obvious, such as where the strategic target is already owned by a player (surely they must be the defender?) but in cases where both players go for the same strategic target, which is held by nobody, how do you decide who defends and who attacks?

 

[Burger]

1. Just 1.

2. Whoever gets there first (ie. best initiative) is there first, therefore defender.

 

[Rick]

hi all, seeking advice again:

1: Say we have a campagin map with 10 objectives on it, players roll for initiative and P1 wins. s/he then gets to chose strategic targets first, do they chose just a single target and that is then gamed, or do they chose, f.ex "I'm going to attack 1, 3, 5, and 7", then the other player says they will also target them, and then you game them in sequence?

2: Having got to the actual scenario within the campaign, how do you determine who is the atacker and who is the defender in each scenario? OK in some cases it will be obvious, such as where the strategic target is already owned by a player (surely they must be the defender?) but in cases where both players go for the same strategic target, which is held by nobody, how do you decide who defends and who attacks?

Each player can only nominate one strategic target to attack each campaign turn. So, P1 nominates target 4; if the target is not already occupied, every player in initiative order has the option to fight P1 for the target - but only the first one to declare it will fight P1. P2 then nominates a different target (with P3+ having the option to fight) and so on. Each player may nominate only one strategic target per turn and they must all be different targets. It is possible to end up with a couple of strategic targets in one turn if you've gained your own and fought someone else for one.

On the second point it's not explicitly stated in the book, but as a rule of thumb, I'd say that if the target belonged to nobody, the acting player (the one that nominated the target first) is the defender and his opponent is the attacker. Alternatively - just roll a dice to decide!

 

[Democratus]

In the rare case of an unclaimed objective being selected by two players - we always just decided that there was no attacker and no defender. Thus we only allowed scenarios which did not require such: Annihilation, Assassination, Call to Arms, Carrier Clash, Planetfall (a favorite for this situation!), Rescue, Space Superiority.

 

[Anbar]

thank you everyone, most helpful.

 

[Anbar]

Can Crew Quality in a campaign (or scenario) go above 6?

 

[Greg Smith]

No.

Though Vree do get a bonus to their roll on top of that.

 

[Anbar]

Thanks Greg.

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With regard to Space Stations in a campign:

Do you have to ahve the Space Station in your original fleet list for you to then be able to draw them into the game (either directly form the fleet-pool or via reinforcements)... i.e. they act the same way as ships do.

Or

Can you simply pull any design in whenever you want to purchase a space station in a campaign?

(assuming the latest Powers & Principalities rules being used)

 

[Greg Smith]

I don't think you can have a space station sitting in your fleet unused. It has to go somewhere.

 

[Anbar]

I don't think you can have a space station sitting in your fleet unused. It has to go somewhere.

Yeah, it can only be used once deployed, and can only be deployed at a strategic point you control.

But now that they are essentially immobile ships (in P&P) surely they also have to be part of the original fleet list for you to be able to chose them for deployment or select them as reinforcements (as reinforcements have to come form the ship selection in the original fleet list)?

I have no idea if the above is correct, its just how i've interpreted it from P&P.

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In "backstory mode" You are taking a number of pre-built space stations with your force, waiting to be deployed/activated once there is a strategic spot for them, so they really just need towing into place.

Otherwise you are talking about building entire space stations at whim, and of any design, at any point in a campaign regardless of you have made any strategic planning toward their use... which seems a bit flimsy to me.

 

[Democratus]

We've run into the "instant fortress" issue with space stations in our campaigns. So we have created some of our own custom rules.

Essentially, we only allow a player to deploy a Patrol-level station on a given turn. In each subsequent turn this station can be upgraded to the next higher level. Thus it would take 5 turns to get a War-level station built, giving players an opportunity to try and destroy the station before it becomes too powerful.

This has become a great device for driving scenarios and stories in a campaign.

 

[Anbar]

I like that solution, makes sense story-wise and in terms of game mechanics... get in and attack that station before its too big and deadly!

 

[Greg Smith]

That is indeed a good solution.

 

[Anbar]

If I have a Carrier in my Fleet roster, that has not been used this turn, can i take a Wing of fighters from it and use them in a scenario as a Fighter Wing i.e. a patrol point.

Or do i have to have a separate patrol point/wing of fighters in my fleet roster?

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Can that carrier then be used, (less that fighter wing) in a follow-up scenario in the same turn?

 

[Greg Smith]

If I have a Carrier in my Fleet roster, that has not been used this turn, can i take a Wing of fighters from it and use them in a scenario as a Fighter Wing i.e. a patrol point.

Yes.

Can that carrier then be used, (less that fighter wing) in a follow-up scenario in the same turn?

Yes.

 

[Anbar]

If you then took that Wing of fighters, and swapped them for Breaching Pods (with troops from the original carrier)...

and had a scout on the table, and another ship in hyperspace with Advanced Jump Engines.... along with those 4 breaching pods...

could you open a jump point with the AJE ship, then fly the breaching pods in right on top of the enemy?

 

[Mean Mutton]

If you then took that Wing of fighters, and swapped them for Breaching Pods (with troops from the original carrier)...

and had a scout on the table, and another ship in hyperspace with Advanced Jump Engines.... along with those 4 breaching pods...

could you open a jump point with the AJE ship, then fly the breaching pods in right on top of the enemy?

Generally, yes, although you'd have to have the breaching pods be able to be deployed in advance of the scenario (Fleet Carrier, for instance, or separately purchased pods). You can't launch while in hyperspace. Also, you can't send anything through the jump point the turn it's created. However, it's a great way to target a lumbering or just super slow ship (because you know about where they'll be next round).

Another ship to look at is the Drazi Claweagle -- they're like giant breaching pods. If they're part of a Raiders fleet, you get to add on a Raiders customization (I personally like Afterburners).

 

[Anbar]

Also, you can't send anything through the jump point the turn it's created.

Why not?

 

[Mean Mutton]

Also, you can't send anything through the jump point the turn it's created.

Why not?

It's against the rules.

There was a clarification of the rule in the FAQ that's floating around here. If you dig through the forum, you'll find it. I think it's in the new player resources.

 

[AdrianH]

If you then took that Wing of fighters, and swapped them for Breaching Pods (with troops from the original carrier)...

and had a scout on the table, and another ship in hyperspace with Advanced Jump Engines.... along with those 4 breaching pods...

could you open a jump point with the AJE ship, then fly the breaching pods in right on top of the enemy?

Generally, yes, although you'd have to have the breaching pods be able to be deployed in advance of the scenario (Fleet Carrier, for instance, or separately purchased pods). You can't launch while in hyperspace. Also, you can't send anything through the jump point the turn it's created. However, it's a great way to target a lumbering or just super slow ship (because you know about where they'll be next round).

Deployment won't be a problem - the idea is that, although the breaching pods belong to the carrier, they're being deployed as an independent wing during this scenario.

The main drawback I see is that after the breaching pods have been used or destroyed in the scenario, you need to pay RR points to replace them, and you also need to pay to replace the troops they took from the carrier. So don't put breaching pods on the carrier - pay the same RR points to buy an independent breaching pod wing in advance, which comes with its own troops included, and save yourself the cost of recruiting troops.