Re: [FT] FB2 Balancing Corrections Proposed

Hi Guys - just responding to your post

> Alan Brain wrote:
>
> >>I still don't think you have a leg to stand on here, and I think
> >>Brendan is reacting to the Phalon weapons just like the general FT
> >>community reacted to the SMs two years ago - ie., with an temporary
> >>bout of panic before proper counter-tactics have been worked out.

I'm not prone to knee jerk reactions - I used NAC to defeat all comers
two
years ago after the 1st book came out and wasn't bothered by SMs - this
last
years gone by I used FSE to do the same thing only with a higher enemy
body
count than before - interesting weapon with many tactics for use with
and
against.

> >
> >We shall see on this one. I agree that we should wait, but think a
bit
> of
> >playtesting wouldn't do any harm.
>
> Playtesting on *very* small tables, yes.
>
> >Thanks for the details of your long and very informative post BTW.
> >The bits I found particularly interesting were:
>
> >>I fought four playtest battles with all-C fleets, two each in July
> and
> >>October. What happened was that the non-C ships managed to stay
> >>outside the Pulser-C range until the all-C force was reduced to a
> >>managable size and finished them off after taking some losses.

We play at our club and in tournaments on 96x48 mu table (8x4 ft -
measure
in inches). No float - victory in previous years was based on points
from
damage inflicted and points from scenario objectives.

> >
> >>OK. In my experience (ie., with higher speeds and more space in
> >>which to maneuver) the all-round arc alone doesn't compensate for
> >>the 12mu range even when the enemy doesn't deliberately keep the
> >>range open. If the enemy *does* try to keep the range open, I'd
fully
> >>expect you to lose about one-third of your fleet before you can fire
> a >>single shot.
> >
> >>Note that the NAC now have *more* close-range
> >>dice than the Phalons at all ranges, after only one turn of shooting
> in
> >>the 12-24mu bracket.
> >
> >This is very much contrary to my own experience. I've found that
> >closing the range to 12" is not that difficult. What _is_ difficult
is
> doing it >without overshooting the target, and getting in the rear
side
> arcs for >both, or worse he's in your rear side, you're in his front
> side. Often you >go straight from 25" to 11".
>
> Unless your opponent expects you to try it, and does something about
> it. He needs to plan a turn or two in advance to pull it off, though.
>
> >Maybe I've been playing KV too long :-)
>
> Or you're playing on a very small table, or against an opponent who
> isn't used to deliberately staying away :-/
>
> >>Question: Does anyone on the list know how large tables the CanCon
> >>FT competition uses? (Since Brendan Pratt is one of the organizers
> >>for that tournament, and it is his testimony which worries Alan :-/
)
> >
> >6ft x 4ft

see above

> 72x48mu, since they don't measure in cm AFAIK - and also AFAIK they
> don't use floating edges. A single 3-arc Class-2 battery covers over a
> quarter of that table... doesn't exactly promote maneuvering, and
> maneuver is exactly what you have to do to defeat the Phalons. OK, I
> see why they have problems.
>
> My recent NAC/PHC battle featured 1500-pt fleets on a 96x60mu table,
> ie. just over half the size of their largest fleets on a table 67%
> larger than theirs - and for us, even that was rather cramped :-/
>
> >Forces:
> >Attack 2750 pts, no more than 50% capitals
> >Defence 1800 pts, no more than 50% capitals
> >Patrol: 1200 pts, no capitals
> >
> >VPs = No of opponents crew factors killed
>
> They'll need to change that to something related to the points value
of
> the destroyed enemy. Phalon and Kra'Vak forces of a given points value
> usually has only 80-90% as many crew factors as a human fleet of the
> same points value, and the Sa'Vasku don't have any crew factors at
all.

Scoring this year will be altered to take into account the new races and
the
differing elements therein.

>
>
> >Normally, there'd be 2 Attack vs Attack "No retreat, No surrender",
> >2 Attack vs Defence + Base Station, 1 Defence vs Defence in Nebula
>or
> Asteroid field, 1 Patrol vs Patrol, 2 Patrol vs Patrol + Convoy, and
> >one or two others (eg Have to deliver supplies in Orbit)
>
> Thanks for the info,
>
> 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
>
Brendan Pratt
bastard@oalink.com.au