How to escort/cover a Victory Destroyer

[lastbesthope]

So what ISA ships would make good support escorts for a VCD? I'm talking about offering cover, particularly when it's dead in the water after firing the Lightning Cannon.

The ISA lacks any slugger ships like the Nova that could sit nearby, though I guess a Tara'Lin could do a decent job. I've asked on Rulesmasters if a Nolo'Tar could lend a VCD its AF dice during the co action turn but I'm still waiting on an answer.

So does anyone else have ideas for ISA/Allied escorts for a VCD in this case?

LBH

 

[Da Boss]

As the ISa can use ships from many fleets - you have a vast choice of ships including the Nova!

 

[lastbesthope]

As the ISa can use ships from many fleets - you have a vast choice of ships including the Nova!

#

Well I only have 1 Nova, and 3 VCDs, but I'm looking for an ISA solution wihtout allies if possible.

I suppose a small fleet of Nolo'Tars could do it, or even another VCD in tandem (a la Sheridan's plan for the tag team strike on the Shadow Cloud)

But I'm not spending that much on Nolo'Tars and I so want to pull off a triple LC strike one of these days.

:twisted:

LBH

 

[CZuschlag]

The best escort is the absence of a remaining living enemy. The Vic's Heavy Cannon is absolutely capable of that task!

I'd suggest:
-- cheap non-weak fighters to replace your down Interceptors. This strikes me as fairly fundamental, so independent Starfuries or such (or Novas to provide the Starfuries) seem direct.

-- Close range dice-laden ships to make approaching a marginal idea. Too bad fast Dilgar aren't an available ally (with the Thoruns as interceptors, the Targrath might have been perfect). Next best might be the close-range mugger Kabrokta. Honorable mention goes to the terrifying Xonn. Squadroned pak'ma'ra Gunships would be an option with you, as you don't eat the massive -3 to your initiative. Too bad we lost the special action "Maneouver to Shield Them!". Why did we lose that interesting order, anyways? I always thought it was underused and suited the skill player nicely....

-- The Gaim Assault ship is tempting. DD beams in all directions, along with hordes of Breaching Pods to make approach suicidal. It'd work, but too bad the ship and most of the fleet is pure Gouda.

-- Comm Disruptors might remove inconvenient CAF attempts on the parked Victory; the same might for uncovered ships who Launch Breaching Pods and Shuttles. I'd stay away from the Abbai for this, and use the Brakiri instead, where you may be able to cycle the Slow-Loading Graviton Beams with the Lightning Cannon to provide covering fire.

-- I'm having a very hard time finding a suitable defense when facing slow Dilgar or Mass-Driver armed Centauri for the Victory, which should be a sitting duck for the hail of Scout-Redirected Mass Driver fire.

Just thoughts.

 

[Taran]

If you trip-fire Lightning cannons and still have an enemy to face, you've got real problems completely aside from a weakened VCD...

 

[GhostRecon]

Ashinta Heavy Escorts for AAF, if Escort can be provided to a post-Lightning Cannon VCD...

An Avenger Carrier might be good, for the Starfury cover.

A Squadron of Olympus, Artemis, or Chronos hugging the VCD's (So the VCD is within their 2 inch AF sphere) would work too, and they'd have the firepower to keep the enemy back...

As a Pure ISA solution, I imagine having a squadron of White Stars "sweep" past the VCD to break up any enemy's attacking it would be effective...

That, or just chain the VCD's so one is firing, one is drifting, and one is covering.

 

[No. 1 Bear]

or go for the death or glory aproach fire all three lightning cannon gun thingys in one turn.

 

[Lord David the Denied]

Am I the only one that thinks it's a bit cheeky using EA 3rd age ships in an ISA fleet that has Crusade-era ships? Strikes me as going for an advantage without considering the "spirit" of the game. Rules-lawyering, if you will.

 

[Iain McGhee]

Agreed, it's mainly another ISD Vs no-ISD issue. By right you should at least have to pick one list or the other for EA allies or, better still, stick to the one appropriate for the battle or campaign. The Early Years list should be completely out of the picture. Not that there's actually a rule that limits your selection (other than racial type) other than the optional ISD one.


As to escorts, your White Stars be effective enough against other ships and the Victory's fighters could provide interceptor cover if neccessary. Don't see any reason ships with Escort couldn't lend dice to it as it's not actually the Victory which is doing the intercepting, in which case adding pretty much any Escort capable ship would be useful against any race with large numbers of fighters. Guardhawks would be my choice as they are dirt cheap and fast enough to keep up with virtually everything in the ISA fleet.

 

[lastbesthope]

If you trip-fire Lightning cannons and still have an enemy to face, you've got real problems completely aside from a weakened VCD...

Well I'm thinking of using it as an Alpha Strike rather than a game finisher. For instance, nuking a Drakh Mothership or Carrier before it can begin emptying it's Huge Hangars.

The Early Years list should be completely out of the picture. Not that there's actually a rule that limits your selection (other than racial type) other than the optional ISD one.

Early Years EA is out of the picture, the list of allies the ISA can choose from doesn't include Early EA.

LBH

 

[Lord David the Denied]

It does include the 3rd age, though, obviously to represent Sheridan's Army of Light with its renegade EarthForce units. However you're not barred from using it with widly different ISDs, or, as far as I know, using a raid point from 3rd age and a raid point from Crusade in a battle level game.

 

[nekomata fuyu]

On a similar note, I usually try to make sure that my fleets have a common in-service date, but I have considered a Crusade era Psi Corps fleet along with 3rd Age EA acquisitions. It makes sense in some ways that certain organisations could cause a few ship to get "lost" in the decommisioning process and start using them for themselves.
Whilst such an explaination probably wouldn't work so well for our oh so well behaved ISA (although it might, they can be pretty hypocritical), I wouldn't be surprised if there are other explainations which could have the same effect.

 

[Da Boss]

well I suppose EA black opps have used ships since they went to space and the ISA (or the Rangers if earlier) may have got hold of older EA ships for specific missions..............I must admit it would be odd to have a Ea fleet facing ships it can't have from the Ea list but then it could be made sense of..........

 

[Joe_Dracos]

well, I use a squadron or two whitestars as cover vessels to cause as many criticals on enemy ships that would pose a threat (I love those triple damage precise beams). The Victory's own starfury's are used as interceptors.

If you have the space in your fleet, use a second Victory and alternate which fires the Lightning cannon, keeping them close together so that they can use each others Anti-fighter dice to kill B-pods that attempt to lock on and dump there troops in addition to your escorting fighters.

 

[akenatum]

Haven't read the other posts yet but honestly i would say omega pulse destroyers.....


Edit: after reading on from the isa list I would suggest the white star's then to try and cripple any threats.

 

[Locutus9956]

havent read all of the other posts fully but:

1) This is of course just my oppinion but I would say with regards to your rulesmasters question that you absolutely CAN cover a 'powered down' Victory with fighters or escorts to lend interceptors/AF dice. Its not the ship doing anything its another nearby ship/fighter using THEIR abilities.

2) Wanting to do pure ISA is all well and good but to be perfectly honest the ISA fleet is designed with Allies in mind, furthermore the ISA doesnt really DO slugger ships, they do agile gunships in general (and the Taralin I consider little more than an ally anyway since its basically just a modified Minbari ship anyway). If you want sluggers I'm afraid you really do need to go down the allies route, I'd suggest EA or Brakkiri since they both produce some tough as nails ships (EA probably slightly better due to interceptors and all round fire arcs (and better fighters).

As for the tripple nova cannon strike, well, yes its nasty but in a fair fight your looking at AT LEAST 3 Armageddon points then firing back at you (well probably about 2.5 Armageddon points after a tripple lightning cannon but you get my point ). Realistically your probably talking 5 pt Armageddon before fielding 3 Victories is remotely viable..... that is to be blunt, a fracking HUGE game....

 

[lastbesthope]

Locutus, yeah the obvious escort choices are some Novas or some Chronoses.

And yeah it would be a huge game, but wouldn't it be cool to fire off a triple LC salvo at a target.

Or even better, you don't need to fire all 3 LCs, just imagine the look on an opponent's face if you declare all 3 boresights, just because you declare the boresight doesn't mean you have to fire the LC.

LBH

 

[Taran]

If you trip-fire Lightning cannons and still have an enemy to face, you've got real problems completely aside from a weakened VCD...

Well I'm thinking of using it as an Alpha Strike rather than a game finisher. For instance, nuking a Drakh Mothership or Carrier before it can begin emptying it's Huge Hangars.
LBH

Well, I think I can see you nuking a Drakh Mothership with it, but I would like to point out that a quartet of WSs, or 2 WSs and a WSG are more than capable of taking out a Ma'Cu all on their lonesome...

In fact, those ships even have an even chance of outright killing an Adira, and better than 60% chance of either killing or skeleton-crewing it...

 

[Da Boss]

Also the Victory does have a triple damge precise beam as well plus all the other guns 8)

 

[lastbesthope]

Yes, but that's not quite so satisfying.

LBH