What do you think of the EA Apollo?

[fluffy05]

I am adding to my growing EA Fleet and am curious what players think of the EA Apollo?

I can see it is worth sitting back at long ranges and pounding the enemy fleets or

May even make a good flanking unit Jump Point set up to shoot next turn.

I am planning to purchase 2 EA Apollos for some bigger games 5 point Battle?

How do you guys protect them?

 

[alien027]

The Apollo is great ship, think about it.8 missiles from the EAS list in all turns. You could give nightmare to anyone in the game.

 

[phoenixhawk]

I recently had an Apollo get a lucky crit on a Centauri battleship, peed 0, no SA crit which allowed the larger, boresight equipped ships to target it and blow it out of space. I like the missiles, but don't like that it relies exclusively on them and why does it have no fighters when the mini clearly has at least one fighter bay. Overall, I think it is pretty cool.

And the mini is my favorite type, the kind that come in one piece

Chris

 

[Slightly Norse John]

I like them; at one point, frustrated with the Omega's tiny fire zone, I was using Apollos as my main ship of the line. This, it has to be said, was an experiment with mixed success. They lack a little survivability and a lot of secondary firepower to be main fleet units, and it's certainly not a flanker- Like the Chronos, it's not as much weak as it is a hgh value target attracting a lot of enemy attention.
Heavy support does seem to be their rightful place in the fleet lineup, and their best protection is distance, with the main body of the force in front of them engaging whatever might try to get past to them.
Used to be, blow 2 Battle, get an Apollo and a pair of Novas, one of the Novas acts as rearguard- in the mid/end game, reserve ready to intervene- the other leads the attack of whatever is in the rest of the fleet.
Can't do that under Armageddon. I'm still trying to put together an effective fleet for the crusade era, and for that matter trying to avoid the unpleasant thought that there might not be one.

 

[fluffy05]

I have to admit the new EA "era" lists don't make me all that happy either the Early Era is ok then it turns to poop from there.

 

[fluffy05]

Would you take an Apollo over a Marathon?

 

[Slightly Norse John]

If there were only enough points available to squeeze one in, I have to admit I'd probably go for the Marathon, largely because it's more fun to fly. Bold, aggressive moves are generally a mistake with an Apollo, unless you get backed into a corner; for the Marathon they're not so much advised as mandatory. It's a lot easier to make mistakes with, too. Part of the challenge, I suppose.
In a large enough fight, Battle-4, War-3 or better, I'd probably try to fit them both in and possibly use them as a combination, the Marathon's LPAs dropping interceptors for the Apollo's missiles.

 

[meglos]

i only play games of 5pts war + i would take 1 apollo in 5pts and 2 in 6pts and up but i would rather take a marathon over a apollo any time and when my 4 marathons arrive oooooh theres going to be some pay backs for all my defeats at the hands of those minbari with 2 /45 turns i should be able to get boresight on them
but back on thread i like the apollo but i think they are doomed to die as any enemy will know what they can do and knock them out at first chance but this then buys time for your marathons to destroy your enemy

 

[dant164]

Im intening to use one today in a 4 point raid fleet against my nemesis... a Narn player. Ill be using 2 Chronii and an apollo which means im probably going to be horribly outnumbered.... i have faith....


And i know he'll be targetting the chronii over the Apollo. In previous games he has lost numerous ships to me overshooting his ships into the back arc then opening up with the railgun and pulse weapons. so with any luck my apollo should go unoticed, hanging at the back firing off flash missiles.

 

[fluffy05]

Im intening to use one today in a 4 point raid fleet against my nemesis... a Narn player. Ill be using 2 Chronii and an apollo which means im probably going to be horribly outnumbered.... i have faith....


And i know he'll be targetting the chronii over the Apollo. In previous games he has lost numerous ships to me overshooting his ships into the back arc then opening up with the railgun and pulse weapons. so with any luck my apollo should go unoticed, hanging at the back firing off flash missiles.

Let me know how you go. My Nemisis is Evil Bob playing Narn. That and CTAF from Narn :shock:

 

[Lorcan Nagle]

Would you take an Apollo over a Marathon?

it really depends on the fleet. An Apollo supporting a pair of Marathons/Omegas would be nasty.

 

[dant164]

A VERY useful addition to the fleet, one shot put 37 crew damage on an octurian. 8 Ads worth of flash missiles put a dent in anything. And for once i didnt merely beat my nemesis, i trashed his fleet. 4 Ships went down in one turn, with 10 damage on a thentus as well.

 

[CodeofArms]

A good tactic is to keep an appollo in Hyperspace with an Adv. Jump ship, give it heavy missiles and by the time its entered the board your usually in good firing range and in an ideal position to us Concentrate all fire power.

 

[fluffy05]

A good tactic is to keep an appollo in Hyperspace with an Adv. Jump ship, give it heavy missiles and by the time its entered the board your usually in good firing range and in an ideal position to us Concentrate all fire power.

I thought unless a ship had AJP it could not fire when it enters realspace from hyperspace - At least that is the way I read it on pg 20 of the rule book in the Revised box set?

 

[CodeofArms]

What i meant by my previous post was that Advanced jumppoints are more accurate than regular ones; that way you can plonk the Apollo onto the field of battle with greater precision and in optimum firing conditions. Sorry for confusion.

 

[fluffy05]

What i meant by my previous post was that Advanced jumppoints are more accurate than regular ones; that way you can plonk the Apollo onto the field of battle with greater precision and in optimum firing conditions. Sorry for confusion.

Thanks for that. I am only new to B5 and I thought maybe I had read it the wrong way

 

[Shadow Queen]

 

[CodeofArms]

Nice pic. I considered red underhulls for my own crusade era vessles.

Baby-blue and Military Grey just don't cut it anymore since earth now fly pringles cans rather than bricks!

 

[Arcadia]

Apollo needs defensive weapons on the port and starboard arcs: Heavy pulse cannon’s (12/P,S/4/T-L) and starfury flight (2) would be nice.

Arcadia.

 

[CodeofArms]

Maybe some Starfuries and 2AD secondary missile tubes along the backs and sides.