NA: Kurgen Fighters?

[Lancer X]

N00b question:

The description of the Kurgen fleet claims that they have a greater reliance on fighters than other fleets. However, the weaponry in the Kurgen fighters is Weak, and the larger ships have no Burn-Out weapons.

So, how does one go about knocking out a target vessel's shields such that fighters can be sent in? Will you simply rely on potential crits to the Shields location? I know that the martyr fighters have Devastating +1, but they are not included in the fleet box set.

Or, are the Kurgen fighters intended as anti-enemy-fighter defense?


Sorry if I'm missing something simple here - very new to the game.

 

[starbreaker]

The Multirole fighters carry a Microtorp each - which is Slow, Guided, Multihit 2. It doesn't care a whit about shields, like most of your fleet. The kamikazes are also Slow, and ignore shields. If you're thinking you're going to hurt ships with your point slug guns as a primary tactic, forget it. Even on fleets with Burn Out weapons and multiple-AD point slug guns on their fighters, you can't chop up the enemy fast enough to be worthwhile. Weak as a weapon trait really does stink that badly. The Attakhan's are dogfighters, pure and simple - and very good at it.

Personally, I'd rather field Bogatyrs than Attakhans - dogfight +1 is good enough, and the microtorp is well worth 5 extra points. The Khangard are still your main "punch" craft, but the Bogatyr does offer some anti-shipping threat while keeping a decent dogfight rating.

Incidentally, you'll notice that none of the Kurgan fighters have shields. That's a fairly serious drawback compared to the Houses, whose bombers and heavy fighters all have 1 shield each. Fortunately your dodge saves are pretty good, but you're often easier to shoot down than the equivalent attack craft on the other side of the table.

Fluff aside, you'll need to buy blisters of Khangaard and Bogatyrs (and carriers) if you really intend to rely on craft for striking power. I suspect you'd be better off spending the points on frigates, destroyers, and galliots instead, but to each their own.

 

[Lancer X]

Thanks!

 

[locarno24]

As noted, saying they rely on fighters means fighters in the sense of fighters (as in the general class of things with no damage points launched by other ships), rather than Fighters (dedicated dogfighters like the Attakhan specifically), if that makes sense*.

The Bogatyr is a nice craft. Don't think of it as a bomber, think of it as an okay dogfighter which can still do something (slightly) useful once enemy fighters are dead.

As noted, the real punch is the Khangard. A Khabir-load hitting a destroyer will do about thirty-odd damage and leave three systems seriously impaired.

Note that you're expending about 120 points to do that, though.

Kurgan will struggle to win with purely fighter/carrier fleets - not because they struggle to do the damage but because a Khangard is very much a one-way proposition. In using a wave of eight of them you will give away 120 points. If they don't make it to the target, they're dead. If they do make it to the target, they're dead. Bombers, by comparison, stand a reasonable chance of making it back alive.

On the other hand, a Khangard wave gives you half again the impact of even the lethal Mumit torp bomber for less points. The trick is understanding that they are going to mess up the enemy fleet and you need to follow up with actual warships whilst your opponents is reeling.
You'll still need destroyers and gunships. The Arigaba heavy carrier is a good one, too, carrying as it does 2.43 metric arse-tonnes of heat blasters.

I think there's a lot to be said for the Kublai here - it's a thoroughbred dreadnought but has launch bays - the advantage of this is allowing you to head straight into an enemy fleet and then launch a pair of Khangard at point blank range - if they launch at the end of one turn, then slam into a target in the following movement phase, then if you've got initiative (or the enemy has no dogfighters) then they don't even get a chance to stop you, and a pair of Khangards hurts. This is doubly effective because once the fleets close to close range, they'll want to be using all of their guns, or firing grapples, or anything other than closing blast doors - which is an annoyingly effective response to fighter strikes at range on a closing fleet. Timing the attack wave to hit at the same time as the rest of your fleet makes them much deadlier (but of course is risky).













* If so, please inform my psychiatrist - he'll be ever so proud.

 

[starbreaker]

Kurgan will struggle to win with purely fighter/carrier fleets - not because they struggle to do the damage but because a Khangard is very much a one-way proposition. In using a wave of eight of them you will give away 120 points. If they don't make it to the target, they're dead. If they do make it to the target, they're dead. Bombers, by comparison, stand a reasonable chance of making it back alive.

All pure-carrier forces struggle to win against an opponent who realizes how important shooting up the attack craft is. The one-shot aspect of the Khangaard isn't that much of a factor - IME very few bombers manage even one reload-and-attack cycle during a game, especially slow or fragile ones. Mumits might as well be suicide fighters for all the likelihood of them making two strikes in a game against a good opponent. Bringing Bogatyrs (possibly lots of Bogatyrs) not only covers your Khangaard in dogfights, it gives you a reloadable late-game torp threat, however light - and unlike the Mumits, Bogatyrs are fast and dodgy enough that they can expect to strike twice or even three times in an 8 turn game.

I think there's a lot to be said for the Kublai here - it's a thoroughbred dreadnought but has launch bays - the advantage of this is allowing you to head straight into an enemy fleet and then launch a pair of Khangard at point blank range - if they launch at the end of one turn, then slam into a target in the following movement phase, then if you've got initiative (or the enemy has no dogfighters) then they don't even get a chance to stop you, and a pair of Khangards hurts.

Usually a good trick, but that's not going to work if your target has fighters supporting your targets. They can react to a fighter attack by initiating a dogfight, which will murder a Khangaard far more often than not. Another reason to bring multiroles or even interceptors - scrubbing off escorting fighters. Your Bogatyrs also make good escorts themselves, if you're concerned about enemy bombers.

You'll still need destroyers and gunships. The Arigaba heavy carrier is a good one, too, carrying as it does 2.43 metric arse-tonnes of heat blasters

The Arigaba is a trap choice. Take two Khabirs instead. The Arigaba costs 300 and brings 3 heavy heats and 3 mediums off one side - total multihit of 15 between the lot. Two Khabirs cost 250 and bring 10 medium heats off the side - multihit 20 all together. They also have far more troops, more total hull, and even when one's stomped to death, you still have Command +1 off the other hull. The only thing you're getting off an Arigaba is 30" range on 3 heavy heats - not worth 50 points and all the other drawbacks - including being a big fat juicy target for rams or boarding.

Doesn't hurt that they cost 1/3rd as much as the Arigaba fig in real-world $ either, and they're not going to have the miscast gun barrels issue every resin Arigaba I've ever seen does. Better to save your money for all the Bogatyr and Khangaard packs you'll need to buy.