RE: [GZG] Phalon meaness and how to beat it

The last opponent I had that tried that was in a tournament.  He ramped
the
speed up to about 45-50 and dumped plasma all over the place.

There are several ways to deal with it:
1.  High speed and random course changes with close-in firing passes;
2.  Long range weaponry (36+) and stay outside his plasmabolt placement
range;
3.  Screen-2 and double normal PDS batteries;
4.  Fighters (especially at high speeds); and
5.  <sure there's more ways, can't think of off-hand>

Usually that sort of fleet doesn't have many beam-based weapons as
backup,
so you just need to out-manouvre him and accept that you will take some
damage.  Lots of Plasmabolt-1s are not a big threat; you only need to
worry
about the larger bolts.  Plasmabolt-1s are only good as point defence
and to
channel you into his bigger bolts.
A single firing pass with beams will decimate his fleet (make sure to
target
the ships that DIDN'T fire plasmabolts that turn).

I have a short summary of the tournament results here:
http://home.pacific.net.au/~southernskies/ft/conquest.htm

The real damage of plasmabolts is that they regenerate every 2 turns, so
you
need to go in hard and fast before the endurance outlasts you.	This is
partly what happened in the big FTJava game that finished a few weeks
ago.
The formations interpenetrated, which gave the plasmabolts time to
recharge
between firing passes.

Brendan
'Neath Southern Skies

> -----Original Message-----
> From: On Behalf Of John Tailby
> Sent: Tuesday, November 15, 2005 11:23 AM
> To: gzg-l@lists.csua.berkeley.edu; gzg-l@csua.berkeley.edu
> Subject: [GZG] Phalon meaness and how to beat it
> 
> 
> At a recent game at out club one player designed a phalon 
> fleet based heavily on the Plasma bolt launcher.
> 
> His fleet had 4 capital units mounting multiple PBLs and a 
> squardon of small frigates and corvettes all mounting a class 1 PBL.
> 
> Being able to deposit about 20 PBLs to carpet the table area 
> took the opponent by surprise.
> 
> Massed PBLS are also very hard to kill.
> 
> We have placed a limit on the number of PBLs a ship can carry 
> to no more than one launcher per 50 mass of ship, otherwise 
> you get a capital ship with 12 size 1 PBLS that can carpet the table.
> 
> It still looked pretty mean though.
> 
> have other people done this in their game groups and what was 
> the consensus on a fleet based around the PBL doctrine?
> 
> Regards
> 
> John

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