Help with starting Minbari

[fluffy05]

Hi All,

I am also looking at starting Minbari.

I was going to start with the Reinforcement boxed set which contains:

1 Morshin Carrier
2 Troligan Armoured Cruisers
3 Leshath Heavy Scouts
6 Torotha Assault Frigates

If you had to add 2-3 ships to this what would they be?

I'm on a budget

 

[prelude_to_war]

2-3 ships? I'd go with the following:

- Sharlin (also used for the Sharkaan and Sharoos)
- Tinashi (which could also be used as Ashintas, Shantavis, the anti-fighter frigate)
- Tigara (also used for Teshlans)

Get one of each and you can field 9 different variants. The Sharlin is probably highest on the list if it were me.

 

[fluffy05]

Thanks Prelude.

I was looking at the 2-3 ships as a start with the Re-inforcement boxed set.

I can't afford to fork out for the fleet boxed set so I will buy it a bit at a time

 

[Chernobyl]

the fleet box is sharlin heavy, anyway, which is a lot of redundant ships, unless your typical game is war level or better.

Chern

 

[prelude_to_war]

Too true. Shame really since the Sharlin is such a great looking & iconic ship. I bought the fleet box 2 years ago and have only ever used a single Sharlin a couple of times.

And you've spelled 'Minbari' correctly. That's ALWAYS a good start :wink:

 

[Chernobyl]

exactly - I doubt I'd ever see the need for more than two, unless its a REALLY huge scenario, like several armageddon points!

Chern

 

[JayRaider]

The Tigara is a highly effective attacking force when used correctly , which can be difficult at times.
Definitely worth your consideration.

 

[H]

surely step one in any minbari fleet is to kill your angel fish, mount them on matchsticks and spray them blue?

 

[Locutus9956]

That's not how you spell Nimbaloney.....

Seriously though...

SHARLIN!!!!! Also I would recomend a Morshin (not sure if you get one in the reinfocements box or not though) and lots of Nials. Tinashis are also very very good ships and Tigaras despite their vulnerability with the changes to stealth are devastating if used right (stay out of range and then close fast in a squadron CAFing and obliterate the target in one huge volley)

 

[Morgoth]

I agree with the other ships to get, i.e Sharlin, Tinashi and Tigara. The various Tinashi and Tigara options and variants are most effective and many a time I have seen ships of mine erupt in to flame becasue of them! Good selection from raid level upwards, but heh any Minbari player will tell ya that.

 

[Silvereye]

I'd probably pick the Minbari up peice meal (I added a fleet box to an old AoG Sharlin and Neshatan so I have a stupidly top heavy fleet) From the Reinforcemens Box, you will probably use some of the Torotha, 1 or 2 of the Leshath and the Morshin. Troligans are pretty much desperation choices.

Hulls to get - 2-4 Tinashi (have Raid and Battle variants), 2-3 Tigara (have a Raid Variant), some Torotha, 1x Morshin, 1-2 Sharlin (for War variants), 1-2 Leshath. Use counters for the fighters until you can afford or want metal ones.

The Tinashi and Tigara will probably be your most used Hulls so make sure you have some.

 

[Locutus9956]

Yep the Tigara varients (and also the Leshath are pretty much your staple ships for lower pl games, Torothas can be useful as initiative sinks and I personally quite LIKE them but they are potentially very weak and fragile if used wrongly (much like the Centauri Vorchan actually...)

The Tinashi has impressive weaponry and is quite tough for a Minbari ship but it should be noted it carries no fighters at all (still with all those twin linked fusion beams it arguably doesnt really NEED them )

A couple of 5 pt raid fleets I like are:

1 Tinashi, 2 Tigaras and a Leshath

3 Tigaras and 4 Torothas

The latter one is surprisingly effective. The Torothas are kept well away from the main fight out on the flanks and serve initially as initiative sinks and close in to finish off damaged ships, the Tigaras can be used as a Squadron or not depending on who you are fighting and how much damage you actually need to do in one go!

 

[TGT]

Veshatan class rocks so that means you need a couple of Neshatan Gunship's. I'd skip the Tinashi's as all the variants are poorer than the Veshatan or Tigara.
I'd then pick up a few (five !) Tigara's and finally a Sharlin is a must.
The latter means you'll need some fighters

 

[Silvereye]

Veshatan class rocks so that means you need a couple of Neshatan Gunship's. I'd skip the Tinashi's as all the variants are poorer than the Veshatan or Tigara.

I don't beleive that is accurate, especially as the Shantavi is a Tinashi variant. The Veshatan's not bad, its faster and has more damage/crew than a Tinashi. However, the Tinashi packs better firepower and is more manoeuvreable. It also does not suffer from an In Service Date of 1989-2207 (if you use ISDs). The Ashinta is also a very useful variant of the Tinashi at Raid level and certainly one I have made extensive use of as an escort vessel. The Tigara (Teshalan) are good ships, Tigara suffers a little from the new Stealth rules and it is probably not quite the superb knife fighter it used to be, however it is still just as brutal when used from ambush.

Skirmish level your stuck with Torothas, they really need to be looked after as any mistake is fatal for them. They are pretty good in a Patrol or Skirmish game. In higher PL's I'd probably use them in a squadron or in support of Tigaras
Raid level is where the Minbari get most of their fleet choices, all of them are very good: Ashinta, Leshath, Teshlan and Tigara. I'm not too keen on the Esharan, as its fluff description says, it's over specialised.
Battle level for me is the option of Tinashi/Shantavi or Morshin. Troligan is lacking in comparison and Veshatan does a better job, but I prefer Tinashi.
War level is the Sharlin (Neshatan probably needs its Fusion Cannon Twin-Linked to make it a worthwhile choice in any fleet, other then those that have to take on the Narn.) The Sharlin variants are also worthwhile using when circumstances are right, but for versatility vanilla Sharlin wins.

I'd then pick up a few (five !) Tigara's and finally a Sharlin is a must.
The latter means you'll need some fighters

I'd pick the Tigaras up first, they will be more useful to you. Sharlins have that ulp feeling for your opponent. It is a ship to be scared of, because you know it'll cost you to try and take it down.

 

[Enalut]

I highly recomend getting several Tinashi models, although the Sharlin, Tigara and Lesath's are also necessary.

The Tinashi is arguably (as I have in other threads) the best ship in the game. It combines manourvverability, speed, endurance, and effective heavy firepower.

Equally, if not more important for fielding a fleet, the Ashinta, its principal raid level varient is eqaully good for its price. Don't be put off by its relative few AD--the Ashinta plays like the super advacned Nova it is. A raid level ship with approximately 38/6; 42/7 damage points and 6 AD 18" TL AP MP in every arc means that it is the ideal Minbari inititive sink or even main line warship at lower levels. It might not have the dice of other ships, but its weapons are more likely to hit thatn any other.

My typical 5 Pt. Skirmish fleet includes 2 Ashintas (the other point depends on who I face), typical 5 pt Raid fleet is 2 Tinashis and an Ashinta, and my typical raid 5 pt. Battle fleet is 3 Tinahsi's (squadroned) and 4 Ashintas.

I would's worry about the reinforcement's box set, but would recomend getting only a single Sharlin (always usefull but 2 Tinahsi's generally packs significatly more firepower); a couple of Leshaths a coupel of Tigaras (never take against flets with interceptors) and 7 Tinashis.

--NOTE I only use counters because I think they are generaly more useful--and I am now payign back my student loans--College, the best 7 years of my life--too bad it did nothing for my spelling...

 

[Locutus9956]

Well all else aside you really HAVE to have a Sharlin, they're THE iconic Minbarengi ( :wink: ) cruiser and are truly awsome ships in every way (and they look fantastic too )

 

[Green_Knight]

I would consider 1 Sharlin and 2 Tigaras it should well
round up your fleet.

All you could need later would be 1 Neshatan and 2 Tinashi and
you are complete.

btw. when we play campaign games the minbari often need those
3 Sharlin from the boxed set.

 

[Iain McGhee]

Get 2 Tinashi and 4 Tigara models as these have plenty of variants and will see action in most of your games. A Sharlin or two would be nice since they look great and are very useful in campaigns, less so in one offs due to their cost.

 

[Vertexx69]

I have found that I have never needed to field more than 2 of the leshaths ever at one time so just clip the turbine off of one the leshath models from your reinforcements box and you have a tigara for free, and most non-minbari players are so afraid of us that they will never let you field more than a skirmish level campaign game without a natural 9+ dice roll, so you should pick up 2 tigaras and a tinashi to start and get a sharlin later. And you will need to pick up at least a blister or two of nials with some extra bases.

 

[fluffy05]

Thanks very much for all the good advice guys. I really appreciate it as it saves me some $$$ while I set up a fleet that is more playable to start with before getting more minis.

Thanks again to everyone.

Happy Gaming