Planet killer scenario

[mollari_uk]

[Moved scenario to the top]

This is always an armageddon level scenario and the attacker can only be either Vorlon or Shadows.

FAPs
Defender - 5 FAPs (plus planetary defences from the planetary assault scenario)
Attacker - 4 FAPs (plus a planet killer ship)

Setup
Vorlons come on from a short edge, Shadows from a long edge. A planet is setup as per the following table, in the centre. No other stellar debris is used. Distance from edge depends on the attacker:

Shadows planet = 48" table width - 30" move/range in 10 turns = 18" from short table edge
Vorlons planet = 72" table length - 58" move/range in 10 turns = 14" from long table edge

The defender sets up anywhere in the deployment zone (An area anywhere on the board 6" from the edge, 24" from the attackers edge)

The attacker keeps all his ships off the board and moves on from their edge or via hyperspace.

Scenario rules
The planet killer will turn up on turn 3, moving on from the edge of the board. The attacker can bring any of his other ships on from turn 1 as normal and can come on either from the edge of the board or via Hyperspace.

The defender acts normally from turn 1 (they know that the planet killer is on it's way).

Victory conditions
The game ends when there are no remaining ships on the table from one side, or the planet killer is destroyed, or the planet is destroyed. The scenario is won via the condition of the planet at the end of the game. Obviously if it's destroyed then the defender loses, however if the attacker is the only force on the table and the planet killer is still alive, the attacker wins (it is considered to have destroyed the planet in a later turn). If the planetkiller is destroyed then the defender wins.

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Design notes
With this scenario I wanted to avoid the defenders simply sending everything at the planetkiller and either them dying or it dying. Hence the planetkiller taking time to arrive.

The scenario is kind of a combination of planetary assault and ambush. The reason for the changes to FAPs in those scenarios are as follows:

Planetary assault - normally Att = 7 FAPs, Def = 5 FAPs + defences.
- The attacker in this case has to land troops on the planet and therefore has to whether the storm of defenders. Hence the advantage in ships. Including the defenders free defences the attacker only has about 1 FAP extra.
- In the new scenario there's no need to approach the planet so closely and risk ships against the defences. Hence I feel a reduction in attacker FAPs is needed.

Ambush - normally Att = 3 FAPs, Def = 5 FAPs
- The attacker gets almost a free first turn to cause as much damage as possible. If not the defender has the upper hand once his ships turn to face. hence the difference if FAPs.
- In the new scenario the first turn is not free and the defender also has planetary defences to contend with, hence an increase in FAP's is required. I'm not sure just the inclusion of the planet killer is enough so I feel 1 extra should be ok.

In total the FAPs are 2 more than ambush and 2 less than planetary assault. Hopefully this balances out fine.

Tactical notes
The chances are once the planet killer comes on the board all defending ships will simply attack it and nothing else. So the attacker has the option of making a first strike to take out any weaknesses in the defences or they can wait until turn three for when the planetkiller comes on the board and attack from the rear, or support the planet killer.

The defender simply has to kill the planetkiller, but they also need to defend effectively against the attcking ships other wise they'll have free reign to take out the big guns.

Ship choice is interesting as the defender needs firepower to take out the planetkiller but fast manuberable ships to handle the other ships.

There's a lot of points here so anything is possible. With the new FAP breakdown in P+P it should interesting to see the mix of ships taken.


Timings

Shadows' move 3
Vorlons' move 5

Turn up on turn 3

Shadows' range is 6"
Vorlons' range is 18"

Shadows planet = 48" table width - 30" move/range in 10 turns = 18" from short table edge
Vorlons planet = 72" table length - 58" move/range in 10 turns = 14" from long table edge

This should make the game 12 turns on average before the planet is destroyed.

Balance notes
Shadows have better hit and run tactics due to hyperspace mastery and SM movement. However there planet killer is limited and will not partake in the battle much.

Vorlons planet killer has a boresight beam on it at 18" range so can partake in the battle but may take longer to get to the planet if it deviates from it's course.

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[Original post text]
I was thinking it would be cool to use one of the Vorlon/Shadow planet killers in a scenario and I'm wondering if anyone has any ideas.

I'm thinking of something like the defenders have to destroy the planet killer before it destroys the planet. The balance comes with VP's to show at what cost have the defenders saved the planet.

Anyway, I'm not that great at coming up with the detail so I'm hoping for some ideas.

 

[H]

i'm reasonably sure someone has done one of these, also ID gaming had a huge participation game involving a very slow moving shadow cloud

 

[AdrianH]

As I recall, there was a tournament with a scenario based on the battle of Coriana VI. Fleets present were Shadow, Vorlon and ISA. The Vorlons had to destroy the planet; the Shadows had to stop them and also kill Sheridan's White Star; the ISA had to stop the Vorlons destroying the planet and also keep Sheridan's White Star alive for a certain number of turns, at which time the other Ancients turned up and the game ended.

The battle at Earth from the film which gave the game its name could also provide a scenario. EA or ISA against Drakh plus a Shadow Cloud, major win for Drakh if they destroy Earth, minor win if they lose the Cloud but drop a virus bomb on Earth, win for the defenders if they stop both Drakh attacks. At least one Drakh ship will need to be nominated as a virus carrier and lose its weapons in exchange for the virus.

Burger's Ship Viewer has stats for a Shadow Cloud, but it's for Armageddon, not 2nd Ed. You could adapt it, maybe give it shields and self-repair, then knock off some of its damage points to compensate. Or you could go insane with the new space station rules in P&P.

 

[mollari_uk]

...Or you could go insane with the new space station rules in P&P.

This is why I wanted to do a scenario. I believe the planet killing weapons need 3 turns of fire to destory a big planet?

 

[Da Boss]

sounds fun - Triggy already made up the stats for it in P+P

A proper scenario along the lines already suggested could be good fun to play

Maybe having VPs based on how many turns the defender has to evacuate the planet.

A shadow station in orbit may also make it interesting (or have a Shadow ship/s on the planet that need time to awaken and becoem active)

 

[mollari_uk]

My problem is making it interesting. Lets say it takes 2 turns for the planet killer to get in range and 3 turns of firing to destroy. That's 5 turns to kill it.

Not sure how you can create more tactics than simply target the planet killer until it or you are dead.

 

[Da Boss]

How about this:

A Vorlon Planet Killer has been awoken and is rampaging about on predetermined attack programme.

Have a ISA and "other" fleet trying to board it to take control / deactivate it whilst it still continues on course to destory a planet. You can determine the game length by the distance it starts from the planet as it has to get in range.

Make it that you need X number of troops on baord to take control and give the PK a troops score to represent auto defences ?

could work?

 

[tneva82]

How about this:

A Vorlon Planet Killer has been awoken and is rampaging about on predetermined attack programme.

Have a ISA and "other" fleet trying to board it to take control / deactivate it whilst it still continues on course to destory a planet. You can determine the game length by the distance it starts from the planet as it has to get in range.

Make it that you need X number of troops on baord to take control and give the PK a troops score to represent auto defences ?

could work?

Dunno how sensible it is. How would they even get inside living ship? And how are they supposed to be able to control it? It's living ship. It's unlikely to have controls like we have...About best you could hope is blow the thing up by blowing up big explosives inside it.

IMO plain old destroy it with ships before it reaches makes more sense. Just IMO but I can't imagine anybody being able to CONTROL Vorlon planet killer. It almost certainly isn't controlled by old fashioned buttons...

 

[basaint]

There's probably some black tendrils they can grab on to-but they better be carefull.

You know the saying, once you go black.... :twisted:

 

[mollari_uk]

I just thought of an idea, heavily inspired by some comments so thanks.

The planet killer is initally off the table, the defenders are all on the table. The attackers have a smaller force to initially try to destroy some of the defenders before the planet killer arrives.

This means that the defenders can't simply throw everything at the planet killer from the word go. They have to protect their own ships best used to take out the PK from the smaller attack force.

Seems like it should work with a chance for strategy in fleet choice.

 

[mollari_uk]

[Moved to top of topic]

 

[Triggy]

That looks like a really good scenario actually. You'll need to get the distance of the Planet Killer to the planet right too for a balanced game

 

[mollari_uk]

Cheers Triggy!

I haven't played it yet but I realise the details need tweaking. I've just looked at the planet killers and they are sloooow! So I think either the planet needs moving, perhaps to the center, or the planet killer could turn up from hyper space perhaps at a set distance from the planet due to it's huge size.

I'll hopefully play test it soon so I'll report back.

 

[mollari_uk]

I've made some changes to this, still haven't played it but I worked out that the planet needs to be in different positions depending on the attacker. It also makes the game last around 12 turns.