Re: [FT] SMLs, Type 3 & Tactics

Well, definately a lot of neat ideas/opinions.	Although I guess I'm the

extreamist in the group.  I agree that sml's need to overwhelm your 
opponents to be effective.  However I've been playing with the cinematic

movement rules.  They don't allow you to pass your opponent and just 
rotate to face... instead you've got to turn.  Usually plays havoc with 
your weaponry.	I usually find that class-1 beams usually end up acting 
as second rate pds systems in most of my battles.  Typically you need 
class-3 beams to really effectively hit your opponent most of the time.

However reading bob's post about his opponent John, I found it 
interesting that you stuck with the rather lame amount of sml's / ship 
that the FB uses, and instead made up by using class-3 beams.  I 
typically found that my opponent, who after getting throughly trashed a 
couple o'times by my sml fleets, started getting his speed/pds/adfc 
systems a higher priority.  Typically my missle ships are packed to the 
gills with sml's.  Small ships have 2 sml's and larger ships have 4-5 
sml's /each.  I tyipcally though stick with only 2 rounds of sml fire.	
Sometimes I sub in ER sml rounds in some of my larger ships which have
at 
most 3 rounds of normal sml fire.  I work on the strike hard and fast in

an overwhelming manner and then flee if they're not dead yet.

Addressing John C, regarding Agesis ships... my opponent ( mark ) has 
really gotten into this.  His tactics, are tyipcally 4 pds/large ship.	
2+ on his smaller ships.  However he usually has 2 class-1's or so/ship 
that act as additional pds.  Many of his cruiser+ ships have adfc to
help 
others that are under attack.  He does have one stand out ship agesis 
ship....  I'm not sure what the specs are... but its:

light cruiser ( fairly cheap )
thrust - 6
screen-1 or about 3 pts of armor.... ( he keeps going back and forth on 
this )
adfc, 12 pds,

I think its about hull 44 or 48 and its around 160 pts or so.
Its really effective in the center of a fleet.	And let me tell you 12 
pds at range 3" can scrap a destroyer...

Typically though mark has switched tactics in light of my rapidly 
changing fleet compositions.  He's gone to a lot of thrust-2/4 large 
ships with some small screening frigates/destroyers.  He keeps them all 
closely grouped within 6" or so under each others adfc coverage.  He 
loads each large ship with 4 pds, 2 class-1 beams or so.  Most of the 
small ships have 2+pds.  He usually has 1 agesis light cruiser somewhere

in the mix.  All of his large ships use adfc.  The result has been quite

impressive.  Typically you're sml's go for the little ships that are out

front in a screening role.  The massed afdc pds/class-1 fire power of
the 
tightly packed formation means that a lot of sml's vaporise before they 
hit the small ships.  Mark typically allocates about 3 pds + 1 class-1 /

ship for defensive fire/sml salvo.  Tyipcally this stops the salvo.  
Usually I lose a good 1/3 of my sml fire of a combined fleet.  A mixed 
sml fleet wouldn't get through this probably... I wouldn't have enough 
sml's to do the job.

Oh...... Bob, getting back to your Rhomaioi missle ships.  It seems to
me 
that you don't pack the ship with launchers but more missle carrying 
capacity and beams.  Kinda the way that the fleet book works.  Have you 
experimented with serious massed sml fire power?  I think I posted some 
of my free cal-tex designs previously.	I have a kenedy class missle 
cruiser ( a mass 90 ca ) with 4 smls ( I had a math error previously and

had 5 sml's in it... whoops. ).  Its very effective.  I also have a
light 
cruiser that's got 4 sml's but nada for defenses or beam armement.  I 
guess I swing to 1 extreame or the other.  I agree with the fighters 
being a good complement to sml's... they're quite effective for 
overwhelming the defenses.  Do you find that your beams are used a lot
in 
your sml fleets?

Chuck