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Drones

 
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storeylf
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Joined: 24 Jul 2008
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 06, 2012 12:41 am    Post subject: Drones Reply with quote

So I was at a local wargaming fair and saw this game there, along with the mongoose stall running a demo, which I had a quick go at.

Love the minis.

So I bought the game (and so did 2 others who I play with).

Had a quick read through the rules.

Am I missing something. Kzinti look extremely powerful. As drones are fired and resolved immediatley as auto hits, with a huge range, and defenses run out pretty quick (be it anti drones or phasers) it appears that they will deliver huge amounts of damage very quickly, vastly outdamaging anything the enemy is likely to do.
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Scoutdad
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 06, 2012 3:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Lee: I (well, actually all of Battlegroup Murfreesboro) was in on the playtest.
Kzinti seem extremely powerful from reading the rules, but there are many ways to counter the drones. As with all other SFU games, tactics will dictate the way the game plays.
Also, when you start using terrain (which is a common aspect of almost all ACTA games), you'll find that nearly every type of terrain degrades the effectiveness of drones.

Although, if you throw a Kzinti fleet at a Romulan fleet - it's not pretty...
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Savedfromwhat
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 06, 2012 5:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Scoutdad wrote:
Lee: I (well, actually all of Battlegroup Murfreesboro) was in on the playtest.

Although, if you throw a Kzinti fleet at a Romulan fleet - it's not pretty...


Good thing there won't be tournaments... Oh wait.
I think what happened was that the old SFU Mentality reared it's ugly head and it was just assumed that Romulans would never fight anyOne except Gorn and Federation. Let me know I am wrong, but I would be surprised if there wasn't much thought given to drones vs. plasma. Though on the other hand we seem to be told over and over that "drones only look strong, but plasma even though it looks weak really is strong..." yeah lee I don't get it either.

Just stick to Fed Klink games and it is an OK system.
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Dal Downing
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 06, 2012 6:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Many of the same counters work equally well aginst drones or plasma. Phasers work much the same every hit scored reduce a attack die from in coming damage as well as all power to engines or evasive maneuvering both can ruin a seeking weapon users day.

There are things I do not agree with but I am finding out that if you forget what you think you know you will be quite suprised by the game. Is it perfect no. Is it hopelessly broken no.
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storeylf
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 06, 2012 9:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Dal Downing wrote:
Many of the same counters work equally well aginst drones or plasma. Phasers work much the same every hit scored reduce a attack die from in coming damage as well as all power to engines or evasive maneuvering both can ruin a seeking weapon users day.


I had thought of those or boost shields (drones don't go through them), but that means every turn your special action is pretty much dictated for you. Feds seem pretty screwed, unlike many other weapons which arm as part of normal operations they need a 'special' action to rearm photons. It appears they can't readily use power to engines to avoid drones (that only works if you are not facing the enemy), and anything else they do prevents rearming photons. Neither can they overload without giving up drone defense.

Ayway, I realise I haven't played it enough to get a proper feel for the game, but I am a bit concerned by the balance on first appearance.


PS - it was a klingon vs fed demo I played. That appeared to be ultra tough for the feds as well. Those Klingons have a small turn mode AND agile AND an initiative bonus AND reinforced shields. Couldn't see any way of beating the klingons without using a HET to try and get a chance to use the photons - that failed and left me dead in the water and simply dead moments later.
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Scoutdad
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 06, 2012 2:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Lee:
One of the things we found that would work is to group ships in pairs.
Combine a smaller ship using the Intensify Defensive Fire while the other reloads photons.
It's not a perfect system, but in a large enough game... it works.

The thing about ACTA (and many of the demos going on) is that it works better as you add more ships.
3 on 3 or less is pretty much broken.
4 on 4 works, if you have a good mix of ships.
9 on 9 or more is where it really shines.

Next weekend, we're going to do 30 per side to see how that goes.
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storeylf
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 06, 2012 2:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Scoutdad wrote:

The thing about ACTA (and many of the demos going on) is that it works better as you add more ships.
3 on 3 or less is pretty much broken.
4 on 4 works, if you have a good mix of ships.
9 on 9 or more is where it really shines.

Next weekend, we're going to do 30 per side to see how that goes.


That might be a bit bad, those minis aren't cheap, not sure I want to go splashing out that sort of money just to get balanced games. I'm not really a mini gamer at the best of times.

Though for the first time I do actually finding myself liking the minis, they are soooo much better than the old stuff.
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Scoutdad
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 06, 2012 3:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You can use your Fed Com counters for the game, you know.
It's not as appealing visually, but since measurement is made from center of mini to center of mini, you can go center of counter to center of counter.

Although I have several hundred ST2400s, I think this game will most likely see me collecting 2 (maybe 3) 1500 to 2000 point fleets only. One for me and one for an opponent, in case no one else locally buys a fleet.
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storeylf
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 06, 2012 4:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Scoutdad wrote:
You can use your Fed Com counters for the game, you know.


True.
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storeylf
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 08, 2012 11:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I note you can use drones against drones, but apparently not plasma against drones, is that correct?
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Scoutdad
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 08, 2012 1:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Plasma-Ds... in the next expansion maybe.
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Bolo_MK_XL
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 08, 2012 2:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Will they add Shotgun Plasma also --

Always useful against massed drones (though a bit of overkill),
and with Fighters on the horizon also ---
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