Re: Fleet Escorts

On Sat, 31 Mar 2001 20:54:43 +1000 "Andrew Ayres"
<ftshipcreator@bigpond.com> writes:
>In my fairly limited experience with larger fleets, my escorts played 
>an
>important role as I use ADFCs and PDSs to shield the capital ships 
>from
>missiles and fighters.  This proved useful as one opponent played a 
>fleet
>with primarily SMLs (luckily with inadequate magazines) and the 
>escorts
>literally saved my skin, through the ADFCs or by being closer to the
>missiles and drawing them away from the more 'important' ships. 

 <snip>

I have heard  about /seen situations where the players dice off all
ships
within range for each salvo.  Plus it allows a PSB that says the
inherent
ECM/ECCM of the individual ships were more/less effective for that salvo
and avoids the which is closer	measurements when two+ ships are
minimally farther apart.  Also avoids appeals that a larger but
minimally
farther ship is 'the real target/more likely to be detected/etc.' (
i.e.,
the time killing  techno-argument.)
 
>
>Ultimately, the usefulness of escort vessels is determined by what you 
>do
>with them and wether you make the most of them.  I have to agree with
>whoever commented on the common tactic of leading them into the 
>battle. They
>will tend to get in range first, and so ripped to shreds first.  Give 
>the
>opponent something bigger to hit first, that can take it, then bring 
>the
>escorts up to take their part ( I led them first in one battle and 
>learnt my
>lesson then ).
>

A friend of mine who played SFB for many years (but is turned off by FT
-
it's a genre thing) said his best successes, such as they were, involved
screening his smaller ships ("Popcorn ships" - hit them and they pop)
for
single short but decisive strikes with his big ships.  He commented,
"Not
al all 'historical' and illogical from a traditional naval/air war game
view but it worked better then "...move small ships, move large ships,
watch small ships die to his large ships, be out numbered, die
horribly..."  Never did SFB but it reinforces what you said worked for
you in FT.

Of course he is far and away more an RPG player (or card player) then a
war game player - "Can't afford another hobby, would lose the
miniatures/board games in Sue's junk, dog would eat the rules..."

and one centavo is your change <grin>

Gracias, Glenn/Triphibious (American Mongrel)
You don't have to be French to be a 'frog', or even human!
Nektons - Real Marines! (Die, Ralnai, Die!)
Starguard, Dirtside 2,	Ratner's Space Marines, Stellar Conflicts
and Uprisings, and Full Thrust/2nd.  Resistance is everything!

>Well, there's my 2 peneth worth,
>
>Andrew Ayres
>www.ftsc.atfreeweb.com
>

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