Re: [FT] Fighter thoughts

Grant A. Ladue wrote:

>Sure, but as the rules stand, a fighter group burns no CEF moving with
the
> ship they're screening.  They'll only burn CEF when they shoot at
incoming,
> which gives them 6 shots if I'm remembering correctly.  How often does
a PDS
> manage to get off more than 6 shots?	Of course, when the fighters are

> screening a BDN/SDN, they can always just land and reload as well.  
>   When I first asked the question, I assumed that it wouldn't work. 
Now I'm
> starting to wonder.

Bear in mind that your fighters won't be able to fire until after all
the vessels have fired. Having used the new rules on several occasions I
found PDS very useful, via Fire control direction, at taking out enemy
fighter groups thus freeing up my fighter groups to fire on enemy
ordinance. As all the PDS got to fire before the fighters I was able to
minimise the number of fighters I lost to enemy fighter fire, and use my
fighters in the roll you suggested. In these cases my fighters were
escorting my own vessels, I only peeled them off to attack enemy vessels
once all the enemy ordanace and fighters had been delt with.

As for sending fighters ahead screening a fast escort...it just lets the
enemy fleet concentrate all their fire on the fighters who then have to
use up CEF's jinking or risk being destroyed. All you have to do is
hammer the fighters, ignore the escort they were hitching a lift on and
burn in at max thrust and chase the carriers down/off. Any fighters left
will have used up most of their CEF jinking and maybe getting a shot or
two in, and will now risk being stranded with their carriers absent. I'm
not saying that the tactic you sugests couldn't work, I just do not
believe it to be viable enough to work that often against a sensible
enemy.

Regards,

Matt Tope