New Campaign with some ideas and need help for EarthForce EY

Sock said:
from a fluff standpoint why would the EA or any group ever send an explorer into combat, IIRC the explorers primary function is to scout systems out toward the rim and if there is anything of use out there, to build a jump gate to allow access to that area.

Indeed. There's no fluff reason to do so, and I don't see much use of it rules wise either. I think it's just one of those things that's there to simply provide a little fluff...or perhaps to use in special scenarios.
 
The explorer is not an attack ship, it's the ship that the rest of the fleet has rushed over to protect.

The other function of the explorer is building jump gates. I know during war time you might very well need new gates being dropped in as you advance into enemy territory, kind of like the airfields being throw down in the island hopping campaigns in WWII (not that I know much about it... but seems similar.)

Tethys vs Hermes is a tough choice, because you don't compare one to one, its two to one. With the new beam mechanic in particular the tethys laser boats are vile... we tend to advocate three to four free move ships to any EA force... so avengers, explorers, olympus largely, hermes and missile tethys... beyond that stack up the beamy goodness and go to town with the slow loading beam tethys, more beam per point that anything going.

Ripple
 
Explorer is a damage sponge. And it has Scout and 6 more flights of fighters.
Gamewise, that's why.

CBT taught me, more than any other game, that you Must have a unit you can throw in the way to take damage away from your main combat vessels. And with the fighters, well...
 
Taran said:
CBT taught me, more than any other game, that you Must have a unit you can throw in the way to take damage away from your main combat vessels. And with the fighters, well...
Since there is no blocking LOS in ACTA, anyone who shoots at an Explorer that is quite obviously being thrown forwards (at an astounding 6" with APtE) as a distraction, deserves what they get! ;) Anyone with an ounce of tactical brains will take out the big threats, then mop up the explorer at the end.
 
Burger said:
Since there is no blocking LOS in ACTA, anyone who shoots at an Explorer that is quite obviously being thrown forwards (at an astounding 6" with APtE) as a distraction, deserves what they get! ;) Anyone with an ounce of tactical brains will take out the big threats, then mop up the explorer at the end.

I would love to play you, Burger.
 
If you don't like the swarm tactic play something else Or put everything in large squadrons. I do agree with what everyone was saying. However the nova is not the best in my opinion once you break those interceptors it just goes down too quickly. I feel the model is great just don't like it that much.

The one thing that is really really great is the olympus gunship. Its a one trick pony but its a very big pony. Very very big pony. Squadron 3-5 of them (watch the fireworks) add in a scout a few rail hyps and a command hyperion and you've got a great fleet. 5pt raid would be.

4 Olympus gunships.
Explorer
2 Rail hyperions
Command Hyperion.

Then thats just how i play.
 
would it not be better to change the Rail Hyperions for Artemis-Class Heavy Frigate? Railguns all the way around and a bit more speed?
 
it's the toughness on the Hype that trumps the Artemis.
Course, I prefer the Assault Hype for Skirmish Hyperions.
 
No. 1 Bear said:
If you don't like the swarm tactic play something else Or put everything in large squadrons. I do agree with what everyone was saying. However the nova is not the best in my opinion once you break those interceptors it just goes down too quickly. I feel the model is great just don't like it that much.

The one thing that is really really great is the olympus gunship. Its a one trick pony but its a very big pony. Very very big pony. Squadron 3-5 of them (watch the fireworks) add in a scout a few rail hyps and a command hyperion and you've got a great fleet. 5pt raid would be.

4 Olympus gunships.
Explorer
2 Rail hyperions
Command Hyperion.

Then thats just how i play.

Just ask anyone that's played with me as to what Novas are capable of. I've taken on White Stars using nothing more than Novas and that was back when their beams were Super AP. I have to ask what you, or the EA player you were paired against, was doing wrong with them. They have hull 5, just like the other Raids for EY EA, but with a higher damage score and MUCH higher crew score. Novas are tanks pure and simple. I've never had one go down "easy". The Hyperion is the raid that folds easy, though it has gotten tougher than it was...
 
I don't know how this is represented in the game, but wasn't the Hyperion preferable to the Nova in the series? I mean outside the Minbari War of course. And a fleet typically have more medium warships than heavy ones. The dreadnoughts were very heavy ships and often unwieldy.
 
Usually what goes wrong for the Nova is maneuver, if you were beating old style whitestars I have to ask what he was doing wrong...=), he should never have been inside 15 on you.

The nova's lack of turns, speed and now lumbering really make it very predictable. Combine that with only medium to short range, and the ship can often be denied a firing opportunity. The benefit of the ship is it's a durable sink that does space denial while throwing out a credible fighter threat (though less so in early EA). Great ship to run the center of the board in bigger fleets, but smaller forces do better with more maneuverable hyperion in my opinion.

Ripple
 
SylvrDragon said:
No. 1 Bear said:
If you don't like the swarm tactic play something else Or put everything in large squadrons. I do agree with what everyone was saying. However the nova is not the best in my opinion once you break those interceptors it just goes down too quickly. I feel the model is great just don't like it that much.

The one thing that is really really great is the olympus gunship. Its a one trick pony but its a very big pony. Very very big pony. Squadron 3-5 of them (watch the fireworks) add in a scout a few rail hyps and a command hyperion and you've got a great fleet. 5pt raid would be.

4 Olympus gunships.
Explorer
2 Rail hyperions
Command Hyperion.

Then thats just how i play.

Just ask anyone that's played with me as to what Novas are capable of. I've taken on White Stars using nothing more than Novas and that was back when their beams were Super AP. I have to ask what you, or the EA player you were paired against, was doing wrong with them. They have hull 5, just like the other Raids for EY EA, but with a higher damage score and MUCH higher crew score. Novas are tanks pure and simple. I've never had one go down "easy". The Hyperion is the raid that folds easy, though it has gotten tougher than it was...

The nova lacks one thing. Range and true toughness. I feel that if you want a tank a really hard tank at raid level look at the t'loth. Thats a tank. The novas not really enough of a tank for the role that you say it should play and the one i feel it should. Also if anyone let you get within range when using a whole fleet of whitestars they were doing something terribly wrong.

I would much rather field a hyperion. I know the hyperion is a glass hammer but when the hammer comes down on you it hurts. Plus its that much more manouvarable and the range is better.

It is just how you like to play though.
 
No. 1 Bear said:
SylvrDragon said:
No. 1 Bear said:
If you don't like the swarm tactic play something else Or put everything in large squadrons. I do agree with what everyone was saying. However the nova is not the best in my opinion once you break those interceptors it just goes down too quickly. I feel the model is great just don't like it that much.

The one thing that is really really great is the olympus gunship. Its a one trick pony but its a very big pony. Very very big pony. Squadron 3-5 of them (watch the fireworks) add in a scout a few rail hyps and a command hyperion and you've got a great fleet. 5pt raid would be.

4 Olympus gunships.
Explorer
2 Rail hyperions
Command Hyperion.

Then thats just how i play.

Just ask anyone that's played with me as to what Novas are capable of. I've taken on White Stars using nothing more than Novas and that was back when their beams were Super AP. I have to ask what you, or the EA player you were paired against, was doing wrong with them. They have hull 5, just like the other Raids for EY EA, but with a higher damage score and MUCH higher crew score. Novas are tanks pure and simple. I've never had one go down "easy". The Hyperion is the raid that folds easy, though it has gotten tougher than it was...

The nova lacks one thing. Range and true toughness. I feel that if you want a tank a really hard tank at raid level look at the t'loth. Thats a tank. The novas not really enough of a tank for the role that you say it should play and the one i feel it should. Also if anyone let you get within range when using a whole fleet of whitestars they were doing something terribly wrong.

I would much rather field a hyperion. I know the hyperion is a glass hammer but when the hammer comes down on you it hurts. Plus its that much more manouvarable and the range is better.

It is just how you like to play though.


What is your other choice though? Sometimes you just need to field a brick and when it comes to EarthForce-EY the only other really brick option is the Orestes which is very slow and Battle level so much more expensive than putting a Nova out there.
 
Timestheus said:
What is your other choice though? Sometimes you just need to field a brick and when it comes to EarthForce-EY the only other really brick option is the Orestes which is very slow and Battle level so much more expensive than putting a Nova out there.

Now here's a man that knows what the heart of EA is! The Nova has 4 flights of fighters, which in case some of you have forgotten is the max you can use as interceptors, and it has 36 damage with 45 crew! It's one of the toughest, and most self reliant, raids out there! The Novas have long been the core of my pre-Crusade EA and that will never change. They're just too functional. Though I have played with fleets of nothing but Novas, mind you these were also small raid level games and the game that comes to mind was in a campaign so I was limited on ships, they're not all that I'd choose to run with. They're the hammer that I'd drive straight into the core of my enemies fleets. Running alongside these beasts would be Hyperions, most likely missile variants if available due to them having the highest damage output of any Hyperion, as well as a couple of those oh so nasty Olympus Corvettes; and I due mean the standard Corvette and not the Gunship. On a final note, any raid with hull 5, 36 damage and 45 crew, as well as 6 interceptors is a bonafide tank!
 
umm the nova only has 2 inteceptors.

As for my choice. I don't really see the point in the tank much. The EY excel at skirmish with the Olympuses and rail hyperions. I don't see much in the Nova just my opinon.
 
No. 1 Bear said:
umm the nova only has 2 inteceptors.

As for my choice. I don't really see the point in the tank much. The EY excel at skirmish with the Olympuses and rail hyperions. I don't see much in the Nova just my opinon.

He was talking about using the starfurys as interceptors which would give it the equivalent to 6 interceptors.
 
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