ISDs do you use them?

Do you use ISDs?

  • No

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Yes in campaigns and one off games

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Yes for campaigns

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Yes for tournaments

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    0

katadder

Cosmic Mongoose
as the topic says, do you ever use these and for what?
would you use them more if there was differant incentives?
 
No, but we have never played any games or campaigns that are linked to a particular year in the B5 universe.

Also there seems to be a few inconsistancies between the ISDs and fluff, the xill being a good example.
 
I voted "Yes for tournaments", though I've never actually played a game using them. However, if someone is running a "historically" themed tourney, (e.g. Earth-Minbari war) I'd expect to see them employed.

Regards,

Dave
 
Foxmeister said:
I voted "Yes for tournaments", though I've never actually played a game using them. However, if someone is running a "historically" themed tourney, (e.g. Earth-Minbari war) I'd expect to see them employed.

Regards,

Dave

This is mostly my position - I'd rather see "accurate" supplements giving fleet lists for the various periods in B5 history than the inaccurate and silly ISDs we have in the fleet book, but I also understand not everyone wants to use them. I don't mind seeing the Dilgar take on Crusade EA, but I do mind seeing Saggis backing Warlocks and Appollos.
 
For the most part, I try to make sure that my fleets consist of ships that could have been used in the same year. My group does also run the occasional campaign using in-service dates.
 
This is mostly my position - I'd rather see "accurate" supplements giving fleet lists for the various periods in B5 history than the inaccurate and silly ISDs we have in the fleet book, but I also understand not everyone wants to use them. I don't mind seeing the Dilgar take on Crusade EA, but I do mind seeing Saggis backing Warlocks and Appollos.

More or less how I feel. I like the split of Early/Third Age/Crusade EA fleets and can happily see something similar for most other races

(e.g. Independance, Expansion, and Post-Occupation for narn)
 
We don't use them exept for campaigns, as they usually kick out many ships or entire races as no ships for the appropriate Era exist
 
These used to get a lot of push as a way to balance fleets and that really killed them for me.

I always wanted folks to be able to use any ships they owned so didn't like them or use them much to start with. But using them as a band aid fix for balance bugged me to death. If a ship isn't balance it isn't, and I'd hate to see ships being argued as balanced because it can only be used against x ships or with x ships.

Ripple
 
never seen ISDs used to balance ships throughout playtesting. seen them as a reason for fleets not getting past certain PLs (early EA and Dilgar).
quite surprised theres as many that do use them as there are though.
 
The balance thing was talked about, not something I had actually seen done. I guess I'm just being preemptive here... it was talked about that G'Vrahn should be better than a Bin'tak because it's later even though they are the same pl... that Dilgar ships should all be worse than their counterparts in later fleets etc.

Ripple
 
Ripple said:
The balance thing was talked about, not something I had actually seen done. I guess I'm just being preemptive here... it was talked about that G'Vrahn should be better than a Bin'tak because it's later even though they are the same pl... that Dilgar ships should all be worse than their counterparts in later fleets etc.

Ripple

Which is nonsense. If we're going to use the arbitary and limited PL system, ships of the same PL must be balanced with each other.

My point about ISDs was stopping ships that never existed together fighting together, such as Saggitarius cruisers and Warlock destroyers. It's only really a large issue for the EA, who retire most of their older ships. Every other race is seen in "modern" form only.
 
Lord David the Denied said:
My point about ISDs was stopping ships that never existed together fighting together, such as Saggitarius cruisers and Warlock destroyers. It's only really a large issue for the EA, who retire most of their older ships. Every other race is seen in "modern" form only.
How about, each player must select an ISD and form their own fleet according to that date. That would stop that kind of silly combo, yet still allow Dilgar to fight Drakh in tournaments etc.
 
Burger said:
How about, each player must select an ISD and form their own fleet according to that date. That would stop that kind of silly combo, yet still allow Dilgar to fight Drakh in tournaments etc.

So Narn,Centauri, Abbai, Gaim, Drazi players just chose 2269 and have their entire fleet lists available to them because nothing is ever retired according to the ISD on those list. I'm sure the same is true for virtually everyone else except for EA, Shadow and Vorlon.

Regards,

Dave
 
So, nothing changes immediately for those fleets, whilst EA gets a more sensible system. It also opens up the possibility of phasing in older ships and varients for those fleets, so that they also have to start making choices. I'm failing to see a problem here...
 
Looking at the EA list, I'm not seeing any retirement dates either - so with your more "sensible" system you can just chose a really late ISD and use any ship from the 3 periods. That'd make the EA the cheesefest list of the century you play pick'n'mix with the 3 lists!

Regards,

Dave
 
The lists themselves have ISDs...
Early Years: 2220-2249
DotTA: 2250-2266
Crusade Era: 2267+
These can be used again as a starting point until the ships get their correct ISDs. Also, I wouldn't be surprised if the EA list was rereleased with the correct ISDs right from the very beginning if ACTA switched to such a method.
 
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