Re: [FT] Re: Small vessels and the Line of Battle

Imre A. Szabo wrote:

> Hi Guys,
> 
> I really don't like the idea of 1d3 salvo missiles.  The reason is
that it 
> screws up the averages. [snip]

True. The small salvoes are also better at bypassing point defences
(since you don't get as many re-rolls if there aren't any missiles in
the salvo for the re-rolls to kill), so the better defended the target
is the further ahead the smaller salvoes will be of the larger ones.
(Hm... Either I'm tired, or I've seen Yoda too much on the screen...). 

All in all, these half-size missiles are worth approx. 5*Mass (assuming
they're launched from normal SMLs).

> On top of that, they can also cover a larger area...

Which, if you use that option, either means that more of them miss
completely or that more PDSs will be able to shoot at them before they
fire  :-/

> I don't have a problem with just 1xSMR (or 4xSubMunitions), 2xClass
1, > and 2xPDAF's on a DD.  It acurately represents a torpedo
destroyer.  Not > much endurance, but one ugly punch.  Too much to
ignore if there close.

In my book, "close" means the 1st or at most 2nd range band - certainly
no more than 18 mu. If a  single-SMR DD gets that close without having
launched already, it has screwed up. (SMP-armed DDs need to close in
order to be dangerous, but when you fly at the speeds necessary to
suddenly close through a couple of range bands in one turn you have to
be a very good helmsman to aim your short-ranged, single-arc weapons at
the enemy... been there, tried to do that the last five years, and I
still don't get Needle beam and subpack attack runs right more than
about half the time.)

If is that close *after* launching, I can usually knock down more than
2 Class-1 batteries by inflicting the 10-12 damage points necessary to
kill the DD on a nearby cruiser or capital instead anyway...

> How to use them?  I would like to try WWI fleet tactics.  Keep the
DD's 
> about 12" off the side of your battleline AWAY from the enemy.  Close

> enough that they can turn in when they need to, but far enough away
to 
> discourage the enemy from shooting at them (one range bracket farther
> away).  If anybody tries this, tell us what happens.

See above. This has been the main doctrine for my main fleet (the
Eldar, who else) for five years now... SMRs work better than subpacks
IMO - they're easier to defend against of course, but more of my SMR
strike craft survive than the subpack ones used to do :-/

Regards,

Oerjan Ohlson
oerjan.ohlson@telia.com

"Life is like a sewer.
  What you get out of it, depends on what you put into it."
- Hen3ry