Re: Still Lousy After All These Years

Mark A. Siefert wrote:
>	They had changed the house rules since the last time I played:	
>	*First, they changed the fleet points.	It was originally 2000. 

>Now it's double that.	

4000 points for one short game!?  

>	*Secondly, they don't allow fighters.  They didn't tell me this 
>until AFTER I launched my fighters.  They claimed that it's not because

>they think they're unbalenced.  It's because they think they take up
too 
>much weapon space.  (One ship had 12 A batteries!)  They made an 
>exception in my case, because I wasn't around when they made up the new

>rules.
>	Third:	We have to wait 3 turns before any fire can take place.

Just to get ship to close faster before firing?  Kinda hurst the
effectiveness of long-range weapons(missiles, AA-bats, etc.).

>	Finnaly:  They came up with a new maneuver:  the slipside.  
>Operates the same as a 2, 3, or 4 point turn, however the facing is
just a 
>little different in the end (i.e. the same direction as ship started).

Just when you got the basic movement mastered!	

>	I didn't have time to build a fleet, so I used stock ship 
>designs.  I had:
>	1 Fleet Carrier (equiped with attack and torpedo fighters)
>	1 Battleship
>	1 Battlecrusier (which got whiped out by Mr. 12 Batteries)
>	2 Heavy Cruiers
>	2 Torpedo Destoyers
>	
>	In the end both my destroyers got dusted and my CA and BC died
an 
>undignified death.  I had to leave early in order to get to bed at a 
>reasonable hour.  I only killed a couple of dinky ships that were 
>swarming me.  Other than that, I barely scored a point of damage. 
Maybe 
>the problem isn't with me, but the people I game with.  These people
take 
>4000 points and make monster ships that can total my largest ship 
>(usually a SDN) in a single beam salvo.  (Don't ask me what our Kra'Vak

>player fields!  10 "3" railguns and 15 scatterpacks!)

If your not in a campaign, this usually seems to happen.  Many players
will
try to build the largest ships possible - turns a fleet battle into a
slugfest of heavies.  Of course it helps to know your opposition.  If
they
tend to build monsters, you need to plan your ship designs and strategy
for
it.  Some friends I played FT with built some very large ships(all
capitals), and I countered them with cruisers armed with long range
weapons
that destroyed one and left one crippled before their weapons were in
range.

Here's something else fun to try:  Mount reflex fields and sub-packs on
escorts and drive them right up to your opponents heavies with the field
on.
When they unload the 12 A-batts or so, they might get quite a surprise.
After they learn about this, they will tend to target something else
first
next turn.  On your next turn write the order to shut-off the reflex
field
on the ship closest to the enemy and unload all your sub-packs at the
same
target.  Try not to do this with all the escorts, since the enemy will
think
they all have their fields down and are planning to unload their
sub-packs
as well.  When they fire on another escort with the field up, surprise
again!	This will help warm up the opposition before your own reserve
ships
come in range, hopefully with the enemy a little weaker.

:
>	A:  This FT group is the only one in the bloody state!	The only
>thing people do here in Wisconisn is drink beer, eat bratwurst and
potato
>salad, and talk about "da Packers...ainna hey?" (This, from a native.)

Don't forget the cheese! ;)

>	Q:  Why don't you start your own?
>	A:  I tried.  The trouble is that there is no real fan-base for 
>FT in this state.  (All the other space gamers are into SFB.)	The few 
>times I attempted to start a group I wind up sitting in the gaming room

>while the 12 year old play with their Magic cards and pay no attention
to 
>me.  Yes, I posted eye-catching annoucements.	No one pays attention to

>them either.

Why does this seem so familiar?  Ah well, sometimes this happens, but at
least at the Cons, FT is very popular!

Mike Miserendino