> In the circle i play in, if you are in a position where there is no=
 clear=20
> objective (in most scenarios with an objective, the retrograde tact=
ic falls=20
> flat on its face),

> Yeah... that's basically it.	What wartime operation is a skirmisher 
> going to be able to fulfill?	

In _your_ game universe, possible very little. In other, some might
argue
more practical systems, they (skirmishers in general) have multiple
roles,
some already described by others on the list. Are other (tweaked)
dreadplanets going to escort the fighter replenishment convoy and the
food
shipments to the outer colonies? Is a "Fast/Heavy/Needle BC fleet" going
to
be defending each listening post and scout squadron? 

I can think of another "skirmish" fleet that could conceivably give all
your
BDN+ fleets bad dreams. Vs. a Fighter overload group, think of 38 or so
destroyers, each with a Needle beam, Cloak, Thrust 8, 5xPDS and ADFC.
Vs. a
more "conventional" group, How about 56 Cloaked, Thrust 8 Needle
Frigates,
with only 2 PDS/1ADFC per. Sure they die like flies, but 1) they waste
plasma shots, b) no two dreadplanets have enough firecons to prevent
them
from taking out drives + FTL. They're produced as fast as any 5-7
fighter
groups, they cripple ships an order of magnitude larger, and survivors
jump
out, leaving the immobile behemoths for cleanup forces. Yes, this tactic
is
gimmiked. Yes, yes, It has its own fatal flaws. But one could, if they
wanted to devote the energy to it, make the case that in a pseudo
campaign
such as yours, such a civilization (perhaps a combination of Beam-6
heavies
and these Little Pricks) would be a major contender. 

> If you need to provide cover while you're conducting troop landings or
>
evacuations, skirmishers are useless. 

Depends, I would think, on a number of things not enumerated in your
example.

> If you need to defend a planet under concentrated attack, the only 
> reason they'd be any use at all is if they had the luxury of a week 
> between FTL and planetfall, and they lose even that if the enemy has 
> fast drives, cloaking devices, or reflex fields.

As already stated, some game universes give you that kind of time. In
FT,
All you need is a number of hours. A dreadplanet taking 10 points a turn
can
be reduced to zero in half a day. Less time if it's got to devote mass
to
faster drives or other systems. Reflex fields would be more of a
challenge,
and I suppose I'd consider them more if they got re-added to FT3 (sure,
call
that a hedge). I have some trouble with all the FT2 and MT weapons
combined
with fleet book rules. Again, your universe, your rules.

Another note. You talk about defending hard targets here, but the
descriptions of your games so far all seem to be open space combats.
Hard to
have a coherent/consistent line of discussion or debate when the rules
keep
changing.

IMO, cloaking devices in this context (what I understand of your
universe)
are wholely unbalancing, since there's nothing preventing a planetary
assault force from FTL-ing in, cloaking until within 12" of the target,
wasting it in one turn of fire, then cloaking out. Talk about boring. 

Noam