Federation Commander

The scenario of a Dragoon (148 points) vs Andromedan Satellite Base (100 points) was mentioned in another thread, and it caught my imagination.

At first glance, it looks as if the Satellite Base is going to be hard for the Dragoon to beat, despite the 50% advantage in points. Basically, the problem is this: the SatB can dump power from its panel banks faster than the Dragoon can fill them. With 12 power absorber panels in two banks, the SatB can get rid of 24 points of damage per turn: 12 dissipated to space, 12 transferred to batteries. So staying at range and plinking with the Hellbores is just not going to overwhelm the panels.

If the Dragoon can get to Range 0-1 and hit with four overloaded Hellbores, that will fill both panel banks and phasers (especially the G's) will gut the SatB like a fish. If the SatB fires back at that range, you have a dead SatB and a seriously crippled Dragoon. Typical Hydran "You should see the other guy!" tactics. Trouble is, the heavy tractor-repulsors have a maximum damage range bracket of 0-3, and 4-5 is next: the SatB will fire first and has a reasonable chance of crippling the Dragoon before it can get to Range 1. And the power cost is prohibitive for the Dragoon too. Flying in fast under EM uses too much power needed for weapons.

I can see two problems for the SatB, however. Power and damage control.

The SatB's panels cost 6 points per turn to run. Arming all six TRHs every turn costs 18 power. Firing all ph-2s would cost another 8. That's 32 all up. It generates 18 power/turn. It has up to 30 points of battery power stored at the start of the game. If the SatB runs panels and arms all TRHs for five turns, it's out of battery power and cannot arm phasers or all TRHs. So just by sitting there and doing nothing the Dragoon can run the SatB out of power. The SatB can conserve power by arming the TRHs as TRLs (2 points/turn/TR instead of 3), but halves its potential damage. That makes an overrun by the Dragoon much more attractive.

The damage control issue for the SatB is this: it has only a rating of 2, and hardly any "stuffing". The base rules combined with the lack of stuffing means that the first column of the DAC for a SatB looks like this:

1. Reactor (3 repair)
2. Reactor (3 repair)
3. Transporter (2 repair)
4. Phaser (4 repair)
5. Hull/Cargo (1 repair)
6. Phaser (4 repair)

Average repair cost is just under 3.

So even if the Dragoon only averages one point of burn-through damage per turn (and I think it can do better than this), the SatB will eventually turn to junk if the Dragoon salvoes its weapons in such a way that it causes as many burn-through hits as possible. The Andromedan will probably fire back, but the fact that the Dragoon can fire two HBs through five of its six shields helps here. I think the SatB will get worn down first.

If there is no time limit nor reinforcement I guess the ship will always win against the base.

Question is: if there is a time limit, what tactic could he use to kill it fast enough ?

Waiting for the battery to deplet seems a good thing to do.

On the other hand I fail to see how the scenario: destroyed base against crippled ship fail to be a satisfying result :p

technically, if you break through a shield and destroy a pa panel, the whole SatB is toast

Flying in fast under EM uses too much power needed for weapons.

So fly in slow and under EM!

Move up to range 9 under EM at the end of a turn. Get your position correct - 1 hex off directly in front of the base (so he rotates INTO you). Only 2 TRs can shoot and 4 ph2s. If the TRs shoot they will be rearminig next round.

Next turn go speed 8, directly ahead, under EM. You have exactly enough power to get to point blank, centerlined and fire everything on overload. Or choose to drop firing 3 ph2s and get there even more intact, still with enough firepower to win.

Accelerate from imp 2, direct ahead through range 8, 6, 4, 2. Throughout this he only has 2 TRs that can fire at you, and 8 ph2s (4 at range 8 under a +2) and another 4 with the TRs at close range (still under +2). You still have an impulse spare before the next rotation. His fire will be on your front shield. His average is 40 (7 internal) if he waits till range 2. You can afford Ph2 losses as you are short of power for 3 of them anyway. You might lose a hellbore. If you lose a HB but not the phasers then you shoot the phasers instead.

Accelerate on impuse 5 to see you at range 0, centerlining him, and out of arc of everything of else of his. If he waited until now to fire then he does more damage, and you blow him away. On a bad day you will fire 3 HB overloaded, 2 gatlings, 2 ph1s and a ph2. 45 to each PA bank, and a further 48 average to the facing bank. That is 33 internals, with little spare capacity in the other bank to absorb drone hits. On a good day he can but hope he you roll boxcars on a couple of HB.

On average you come away with 7 internals, if he survives and gets a chance to fire again he hits you in the rear and may do some more damage, yiou finish him with gatling next turn.

It is possible that he rolls uber well at range 2, and does 50 odd damage to you. but even that on average is still leaving you in a decent position. Whilst things can go wrong, the dragoon does on the whole win.

Move up to range 9 under EM at the end of a turn. Get your position correct - 1 hex off directly in front of the base (so he rotates INTO you). Only 2 TRs can shoot and 4 ph2s. If the TRs shoot they will be rearminig next round.

Lee, the Satellite Base's TR arcs are all 180 degrees (Forward Half, Right plus Rear Arc, Left plus Rear Arc). I don't think there is any arc that at least four TRs cannot bear on simultaneously. So if the Andromedan holds fire until range 2, that should average 70-odd damage for around 30 internals (firing four TRHs and four Ph-2s at an EM-ing target). Since none of the weapons are overloaded, the Andromedan can declare directed damage, and will get three bites at the cherry to knock off weapons.

Hydran still wins I think, but not as easily.

terryoc wrote:
Lee, the Satellite Base's TR arcs are all 180 degrees (Forward Half, Right plus Rear Arc, Left plus Rear Arc). I don't think there is any arc that at least four TRs cannot bear on simultaneously.

Correct, they have 3 pairs of 180 degrees each.

But if you look at that on a map you will note that within the FA only the FH pair can fire , until the ship is at range 1. The first rotation will still leave one side of the FA being only covered by that same pair (I can't remember whether it is LF or RF, as I can't remember off hand which way the base rotates).

So if you come at the base 1 hex off the center line with the base centerline due to rotate through you, you are safe from 4 TRHs. And you can be safe even on arrival at range 0 if you get there on impulse 5 coming in from outside the arc of the unfired TRHs.

Impulse 6 is a different matter, but by then you have fired at range zero, and it may not be such a big issue.