Re: [FT] SMLs, Type 3 & Tactics

Charles Choukalos wrote:

> 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.

> 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.  

In the Tactical Exercises vs FSE fleets we've been conducting, the
result is exactly that. Please bear in mind one of the starting
conditions is only designs in Fleet Book 1 are allowed, and the whole
fleet must be of one of the 4 major nations - NSL, FSE, NAC or ESU. No
mixing, not even of allies.

Such fleets look something like:

(NB This is one we've looked at and discarded..)

2 Valley Forge Superdreadnaughts
2 Vandenburg-T Heavy Cruisers
2 Furious Light Cruisers
4 Minerva-A Escorts

This is an impressive 21 ADAF-PDS, plus 4 fighter groups. 10 Torpedos,
and all bar the Minervas are shielded. The Furious class on its own is a
tough, well-rounded opponent, a very superior light cruiser indeed.

Similar fleets might be
3 Maria Von Bergund Battleships (Note: Speed 2....)
6 Kronprinz Wilhelm - A Light Escort Cruisers
1 Radeztky Escort Cruiser
12 Falke-Strike Class Scoutships (ie disposable SML attractors)

Which has a useful 33 ADAF-PDS. Neccessary as insurance, because
although
the close (as in 1 cm distance) escorting Falkes SHOULD attract all the
SMLs, well, sometimes you miscalculate. The additional ADAF-PDSs only
cut down the firepower by 6 Class 3's, and virtually guarentees immunity
from the combined and co-ordinated Fighter-SML attack. The MVB
Battleships have a thrust of 2 - not enough to avoid an SML launch under
almost any conceivable circumstance, if the ESU player knows what he's
doing. However, by jinking left-right, accelerating or decelerating,
enough uncertainty of position is generated so that many of the missiles
will miss by 6 mm (1/4 inch) or more - in which case the first lot of
Falkes soak them up. The second lot then accelerates from a safe
distance back to take the place of the Dear Departed, just in time for
Salvo 2 - which should be considerably weakened due to both Missile
Racks being depleted, and casualties from the Massive firepower at 24"
of 40 or so dice.... even at 30", there's 15 dice and 3 Torpedos.

Those SMLs that don't get decoyed get some PDS's on them, while the
remainder of the ADAF-PDS is allocated about 4 to every fighter group,
so they only get at most one attack at half effect.

Since these are "Competition Fleets", which are going to face a lot of
NSL and FSE fleets (because the minis for those two ranges look so
good),	they must be able to hold their own vs both an all-SML and and
all-Beam fleet. The Falke-Strikes are particularly good for this, as
they have a 1-shot punch of 3 dice at short range, and a useful "blow
through and get on his 6" capability vs a beam fleet.

Now a similar NSL fleet which has those additional 3 Class 3 beams will
have a slight advantage. But if it ever faces an FSE fleet, they'd have
problems from fighter attacks. 7 squadrons unphased by ADAF will just
sweep up the Corvettes before combat is joined, and then the NSL is
History.

Ah, the joys of designing fleets, and the tactics that they'll use... I
originally thought that FT2 was pretty good, and was unlikely to be
significantly improved. But the few changes have made things a lot more
fun.

Oh yes, if anyone has any spare SFB Andromedan Pythons or Conquistadors,
I'd be interested in acquiring them.
 
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