Re: FT tactics vs slow ships, tiny ships are toast

Glen Bailey wrote:

> Someone suggested using small ships to make a high speed pass,
> to either 1) needle beam his drives, 2) knock out his "bonzai
jammers"
> and then launch missiles.  I see this as a waste of points.

You don't need small ships to use needle beams or knock out Banzai
jammers. I used small ships to knock out BJs in the recent - well, not
so recent now - FSE vs NSL battles I reported to the list, but that was
mainly because the FSE doesn't have any larger ships which don't use
SMs :-/
 
> 1) against any large ship, especially with us, 4 FC is not uncommon.
> So he'll destroy 4 tiny ships with his first ship.  The next 4 with
> the next big ship if the fleets are large enough.  Figuring on a
> 1 hit point ship with its special weapon, mass of 6 or 7, costing
> about 25, means to have any chance you need 8 (or more).  
> There's goes 200 points.  *poof*  gone.

If those 200 pts can kill enough of his BJs to allow your Salvo
Missiles to kill 150 pts of battleship each, it's still worth it.

> 2) Fast ships don't gain any defenses from speed.

Completely wrong IMO. Fast ships gain the ability to not be in the
range bands where the slow ships outgun them - range band 3 (24-36 mu)
in your case. Being able to avoid getting outshot definitely counts as
"defenses" in my book.

> It's not that easy to keep ships in narrow arcs when close.

In Cinematic, and if "narrow arcs" means a single arc, I agree
(particularly if that arc is (F) - I find broadside arcs to be easier
to use).

> I've designed 360 degree all class-2 beam ships, so I can outbeam
him.  

C2-3 batteries (ie, 3-arc) are almost as easy to aim, and give you 50%
more firepower to boot. If you are afraid of overshooting, use off-set
arcs (all weapons covering the F/FP/AP arc) and roll ships if the enemy
is uncouth enough to be on your "blind" side.

> One was used
> once by another and it dished out some damage.  We still lost due to 
> other factors.  I don't use them cause it's cheesy.

C2-6 batteries cheesy? And you don't think his units to be that?
Jeez... The C2-6 is a decent weapon, and it is certainly very easy to
use, but it's not exactly all-conquering.

> You don't leave a dangerous enemy in your rear area.	What about your
> assault ships waiting off somewhere while the fleet tries to drive
off the
> enemy?

I don't consider it dangerous to leave a thrust *1* enemy force behind.
It can't catch anything anyway - not even my assault transports or
fleet train units, since they are thrust 2 or faster.

Regards,

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