Post by TheDreadnought on Jun 20, 2011 10:56:28 GMT -5
Here is a battle report from one of the groups currently playtesting the next Colonial Battlefleet supplement: Empire Space.
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1500 pts of CXXXXXXXXXXX (*C*) vs 1650 pts of TXXXXXX (*T*).
The *C* had one BB, one CA with Appocalypse Cannon, one CLS and two DDR outfitted as missile boats with two RFM launchers with 4 round magazines each.
The *T* had a BBB, two BCR, a large DDR with a hvy and light plasma bolts and a smaller DDR with a light plasma bolt and grapeshot. All three capital ships had Death Spitter cannons.
I randomly placed two asteroid fields but they ended up at either end of the board were they weren't likely to affect the game. I didn't feel this was enough terrain for a game with inertaless drives so I rolled a D6 and added 2 dust clouds to the table.
The *T* started with their capital ships behind the asteroid field in their left hand corner and moved up from there to the cover of a dust cloud halfway to the middle of the board. Meanwhile the destroyers advanced up the other side of the board to the cover of the other dust cloud were they could threaten the rear of the *C* as the advanced up the middle of the board. The BBB launched 3 gunships that began the long trek across the board.
The *C* dispatched their CA to chase off the DD's while the missile boats and CL began a long range missile bombardment in an attempt to flush the capital ships out of hiding.
The *C* BB managed an awesome display of long range shooting rolling 5 10's to destroy the smaller DD despite its cloak and the cover of the dust cloud.
After several turns of cat and mouse the *T* DD managed to get into the rear arc of the CA and strip its shields then broke off to recharge its plasma bolts, however the CA managed to duplicate the battleships example of long range firing and destroyed the DD at extreme range.
By now the gunships were most of the way across the board and it was clear that they were targeting the CA rather than attempt the BB's flak batteries, 6 marines vs 6 security troops seemed a sure thing. A pair of salvo missiles from the CLS destroyed one of the gunships and in a move of desperation the CA turned through the thickest part of the dust cloud stripping its front shields but forcing the gunships to take the long way around while it attempted to return to the protection of the fleet. Strung out in a stern chase by the CA's move the gunships arrived seperately on successive turns and the first pair of marines were killed instantly by the security forces (that or they mistook the spinal mount for a docking tube). The second pair of marines were tougher and they killed all but one squad of security troops before they we re exterminated.
The *T* capital ships remained behind their dust cloud moving only to avoid the *C* missiles that were beginning to circle like seagulls around a dump.
Finally the slow moving *C* fleet arrived just outside the *T*'s 'pounce' range and sent the CA forward to flush them out with the spinal mount. The *T* fired a wide array of grapeshot in an attempt to deny the *C* CA the necessary firing arcs for its spinal mount but it was able to manuver around them so the *T* made their move swinging around the dust cloud and a single Death Spitter cannon shot destroyed the CA while the *C* battleship was unable to repeat its earlier display of accuracy and caused only minor damage to a single BC.
The *T* lost the initiative and were forced to tactical while the *C* escorts scattered so as to avoid presenting a single target for the splinter cannon. The *T* BC's advanced to within firing range of the *C* BB, if one of them survived its Death Spitter cannon could shut it down for their own BB to finish off the following turn.
Unfortunately the *C* BC had enough fire power to destroy one BC and score a critical against the spinal mount of the second. Neither the *T* BB nor the *C* escorts scored any significant damage as they exchanged fire but one of the missile boats launched its final two RFM's.
The final turns initiative roll was going to be critical, whichever battleship fired first could destroy its opponent. The *T* won the roll and chose aggressive but before they could move that last pair of RFM's ran in, the PD took down one but the other made it through the screen taken down by the CLS and penetrated the bridge shutting the ship down and leaving it a sitting duck.
A very close game with several times when the whole shape of the game hung on a single dice roll. Both fleets performed according to their background and I think we're getting close to balanced.
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1500 pts of CXXXXXXXXXXX (*C*) vs 1650 pts of TXXXXXX (*T*).
The *C* had one BB, one CA with Appocalypse Cannon, one CLS and two DDR outfitted as missile boats with two RFM launchers with 4 round magazines each.
The *T* had a BBB, two BCR, a large DDR with a hvy and light plasma bolts and a smaller DDR with a light plasma bolt and grapeshot. All three capital ships had Death Spitter cannons.
I randomly placed two asteroid fields but they ended up at either end of the board were they weren't likely to affect the game. I didn't feel this was enough terrain for a game with inertaless drives so I rolled a D6 and added 2 dust clouds to the table.
The *T* started with their capital ships behind the asteroid field in their left hand corner and moved up from there to the cover of a dust cloud halfway to the middle of the board. Meanwhile the destroyers advanced up the other side of the board to the cover of the other dust cloud were they could threaten the rear of the *C* as the advanced up the middle of the board. The BBB launched 3 gunships that began the long trek across the board.
The *C* dispatched their CA to chase off the DD's while the missile boats and CL began a long range missile bombardment in an attempt to flush the capital ships out of hiding.
The *C* BB managed an awesome display of long range shooting rolling 5 10's to destroy the smaller DD despite its cloak and the cover of the dust cloud.
After several turns of cat and mouse the *T* DD managed to get into the rear arc of the CA and strip its shields then broke off to recharge its plasma bolts, however the CA managed to duplicate the battleships example of long range firing and destroyed the DD at extreme range.
By now the gunships were most of the way across the board and it was clear that they were targeting the CA rather than attempt the BB's flak batteries, 6 marines vs 6 security troops seemed a sure thing. A pair of salvo missiles from the CLS destroyed one of the gunships and in a move of desperation the CA turned through the thickest part of the dust cloud stripping its front shields but forcing the gunships to take the long way around while it attempted to return to the protection of the fleet. Strung out in a stern chase by the CA's move the gunships arrived seperately on successive turns and the first pair of marines were killed instantly by the security forces (that or they mistook the spinal mount for a docking tube). The second pair of marines were tougher and they killed all but one squad of security troops before they we re exterminated.
The *T* capital ships remained behind their dust cloud moving only to avoid the *C* missiles that were beginning to circle like seagulls around a dump.
Finally the slow moving *C* fleet arrived just outside the *T*'s 'pounce' range and sent the CA forward to flush them out with the spinal mount. The *T* fired a wide array of grapeshot in an attempt to deny the *C* CA the necessary firing arcs for its spinal mount but it was able to manuver around them so the *T* made their move swinging around the dust cloud and a single Death Spitter cannon shot destroyed the CA while the *C* battleship was unable to repeat its earlier display of accuracy and caused only minor damage to a single BC.
The *T* lost the initiative and were forced to tactical while the *C* escorts scattered so as to avoid presenting a single target for the splinter cannon. The *T* BC's advanced to within firing range of the *C* BB, if one of them survived its Death Spitter cannon could shut it down for their own BB to finish off the following turn.
Unfortunately the *C* BC had enough fire power to destroy one BC and score a critical against the spinal mount of the second. Neither the *T* BB nor the *C* escorts scored any significant damage as they exchanged fire but one of the missile boats launched its final two RFM's.
The final turns initiative roll was going to be critical, whichever battleship fired first could destroy its opponent. The *T* won the roll and chose aggressive but before they could move that last pair of RFM's ran in, the PD took down one but the other made it through the screen taken down by the CLS and penetrated the bridge shutting the ship down and leaving it a sitting duck.
A very close game with several times when the whole shape of the game hung on a single dice roll. Both fleets performed according to their background and I think we're getting close to balanced.
