Fighters are weak!...Maybe?

[bubbacleese]

Basic Fighter ideas:
1) Combat range for Fighters is one hex.
2) Each Strike Fighter will do 2points of damage to a shield (Interceptors 1point of damage.)
3) Only one Fighter Squadron can hit a specific shield facing of an enemy ship per game turn.
4) Thus a maximum of 12 points of damage per shield facing.

We played a game with ships straight out of the book. The UACS Jupiter class carrier with 5 squadrons of interceptors and 5 squadrons of strike fighters, along with 1 each of the BB's and some CL's fought against 3BBs, some CA's, and som CL's from one of the other factions, does not matter which one. But what does matter is there was no opposing carrier tossing out interceptors, also there were no ships with Flak Batteries.

So these 10 squadrons came swarming in on one of my BB's or CA's and we hit one or two of them with some Grape Shot. Did a normal amount of damage. The fighters were then able to come in and attack on the next turn or so. The fighters ranging from 2 to 6 strike fighters in each of the squadrons line up and did 4 to 12 points of sheild damage on various ships. My opponent did not always have escort and capital ships lined up on those reduced shields and did as much damage as he did.

The issue we had was wow, this fleet was not prepared to face fighters and the fighters did almost nothing toward the outcome of the fight. Mostly my ships took shield damage from the fighters and then healed this shield damage at the end of the turn. Having only one squadron be able to hit a single sheild facing seemed to us to prevent the fighters from being able to really damage the ship.

On the other hand the Jupiter class carrier itself was very much able to effect my ships with its 2x4 port or starboard turbo lasers. Rolling 8d10 attack dice with a Fire Control of 2 reached out and did very good damage to my ships. For example 6 of 8 hits causes 36 shield damage. Which is much better for example than a single squadron of strike fighters doing 12 points assuming they were not hit on the way in.

We are sure it is our rookie status (like in the missile ships always win thread) that is causing us to not understand how to use Fighters. So once again please help out us poor uneducated captains.

[TheDreadnought]

There was a huge fighter debate early on. . . let me summarize where we landed.

1. The reason fighter damage comes before ship shooting is so that the fighters can grind down the shields for the later ships. If you don't follow up the fighter strikes with ship-to-ship fire, then yes, you'll accomplish little. These are not WW2 fighters where battleships are rendered obsolete by the potency of the fighter. Fighters exists to support capital ships, not the other way around.

2. Strike fighters get bumped to 3 damage each at tech level 5.

3. Fighters are much more powerful in no-shields settings. The core rules are designed to handle all settings in a balanced way. If you made fighters a sledgehammer in shield-heavy settings, you would make them an unstoppable thermonuclear bomb in settings with no shields. So as more and more setting books are released, you'll see fighters in each tweaked the the power level appropriate for that setting.

Man vs. Machine for instance is a fighter heavy setting. You'll find the fighters play a much larger role in that setting than in the core rules.

*********************************************

Let me add that some people don't care about these reasons, and still want super-fighters in the core rules. There are any number of ways to address that. . . I'd encourage you to share some of your ideas in that regard in the house rules for the benefit of everyone.

[bubbacleese]

I understand and agree completely. Balance is a good but often times very difficult thing to have.