Turn: 6   Impulse: 20  SOP due:  GAME OVER

Current Ship: Sharkhunter BCH Calypso      Status: DEAD

 Bonus(es): None

I started the game with the Sharkhunter, which I thought was my good fortune.  Turns out between the arming cycle of the plasma and my rustiness at SFB, it was my BAD fortune.
 

This is my first time running a Sharkhunter.  What a learning experience! 

The first two turns I chased a couple of fast-moving destroyers and ended up herding them in front of someone else's guns.  I made several serious mistakes on turn 1 including plotting a sped of 10 and firing torps at the wrong target at the wrong time.  Eitzen says by rights I should be fish food on the speed-plot gaffe alone.  Brain has since been put in gear. 

Turns 1-3
There's been a lot of death and carnage on turn 2 and 3.  Come to think of it, there's been a lot of death and carnage on all three turns.  Especially 2 and 3.  Turn 1 was mostly destroyers getting aced by cruisers and dreadnoughts.  On Turn 2 a Freshly introduced Tholian D decided to introduce the resident bully-boy (an ISC DN) and his pal (an Andro Exploiter) to his disruptors while the ISC's PPD's (and the Andro's T-R's) were rearming.  He got the help of the only destroyer-hull to survive turns 1 and 2, a Chrolophon DD.  This set off a huge furball which saw everybody on the East side of the map get seriously damaged, but no deaths.  The mess got cleaned up on Turn 3 by a Fed GSX which ran around phasering, droning and torping the three half-destroyed hulks. (The Chloro DD, not unlike the Great Leslie, flew untouched through it all), enabling their players to get fresh ships for Turn 4.  In late Turn 3 action, the Chlorophon DD finally got aced by a Lyran BCH and the GSX looks like he may have a Hydran Ranger-X (with 9 St-X's and a couple of ship bonuses) breathing down his neck soon. 

In late Turn 3, we decided that the HRX was looking to be one SCARY ship.  It had effortlessly killed two SC 4 ships and racked up 2 ship bonuses as a result (hard shields and a Legendary Weapons Officer).  E-mails were flying about how it could vaporize a B-10 in one shot (range 0 of course) if it put everything into it.  Since we had a B-10 on the board, the captain was a little concerned.  We formed a Grand Alliance which eventually included about 7 of the 13 players where the allies agreed not to attack each other and instead deal with the mutual threat.  We tried to keep it secret, but eventually news leaked to the HRX player.  He (rightly) felt a bit picked on, but in the end was quite game about the whole thing, leading us on a merry chase littered with hulls he destroyed along the way. 

Turn 4
The new kids on the block include Fed and Kzin battle-tugs, a Hydran Warrior and a Hydran U-haul (actually "Uhlan"--18 fighters!).  Just when I thought I knew exactly what I was gonna do...  The Fed is chasing a Hydran Warrior, while the U-Haul is rapidly getting in my way and the Kzin stands alone on the western side of the map as the Ranger-X faces down the Fed GSX without benefit of fighters and the rest of the Alliance streams eastward at top speed. 

IMP 12: Well, so much for the U-haul.  I thought it and the HRX were getting chummy because the U-haul's fighters allowed the HRX fighters to get range 1.  Turns out the Uhlan's captain was simply afraid to mess with them.  I tried to talk some sense into the him via e-mail, telling him how easily he could dispatch those fighters, but to no avail (they were under EM, which gave them 10 ECM, but they were also using warp Booster Packs which cut the damage they can take in half).  Several HRX fighters unloaded and vaporized the U-haul on IMP 17.  The remaining 12 U-Haul fighters are rat-packing the Sharkhunter DN. I don't think they can kill it this turn because it's a DN (lots to kill) and because it popped its chaff packs to put a -3 ECM shift on the fighters, but its in none-too-good shape.  The U-haul was the last ship for Joey Martin, who had a hard-luck run through this game.  When his fighters buy it, he's done. 

IMP 20: The REALLY big news is the HRX and the GSX had it out.  Well, the HRX had it out with the GSX anyway.  The GSX is hanging on by a thread.  It remains to be seen whether the unfired HRX fighters can finish the job.  I hope not.  The GSX has a ship bonus which would go to the HRX.  A HRX with THREE ship bonuses is too scary a thing to contemplate.  Fortunately, I am in a position to do something about it. 

IMP 28: As the Hunt for the Red Hydran comes to the fore, the Hydran Warrior and Fed BT decided to steal the spotlight by going point-blank against each other.  It looks like they both took the same amount of internals (about 65) only the Fed is a CA-size battle tug and the Warrior is a destroyer.  Destroyers don't last long in this game... 
IMP 30: Doh!  To insure it didn't have to self-destruct, the FGX dropped ALL of it shields, even the one facing the HRX fighters!  The fighters scrapped the GSX in record time!  The HRX took a cloak.  I'd LOVE to see him use it.  :) 

IMP 32: Oh, the U-Haul's fighters?  The Lyran BCH decided to make some ESG-fried hour'd'ouvres.  I think there's one uncrippled fighter left on the board, it's pilot clutching a 4-leaf clover in one tentacle, a rabbit's foot in another while guiding the fighter with the third. 

Turn 5
NO CLOAK!  The HRX took the bonus (and started at speed 0) as a ruse (or intends to cloak later.  The HRX has the battery capacity). Then he kicked up to speed 15.  The B-10 should shoot a big hole in his shields that I can drop torps down. 

IMP 5-8: The B-10 shot a HUGE hole through the HRX.  So huge, there's no HRX left. The Lyran finished the HRX fighters.  Now what do I do with these S-torps?  Who will give them a good home?  The Federation has always been an accepting people, and look!  There's a nice Fed Battle Tug sitting right nearby.  He's even got a down shield to welcome them through. 

The HRX's dying shot did a number on the B-10 too.  About 50-60 internals after going through that big 68-box Shield 1. He narrow-salvoed the Fusions and all his Phasers and rolled a "2" for each.  (with the Legendary Weapons Officer, those rolls turned to "1"'s) Yeow... 

Well, that's two ship bonuses that go back into solution.  (The third went to the Klingon)  The B-10 took Hard Shields (big surprise). Boy when that B-10 repairs so much as one box on that front shield, he'll be tough to hurt.  I am SO glad he went nose-to-nose with that Hydran.  Unfortunatly, I am obligated by the terms of the Alliance not to cut loose on him this turn. 

IMP 9-12:  The Fed didn't fire on the torps (which were pseudoes).  How disappointing.  I need my real torps to hit through his down shield intact or I won't steal the kill from the HDD (87 internals, not 65!  That had to hurt...)  I'm gonna hit the wall in a sec too if I don't watch it... 

IMP 13-16: RATS! The Fed TACed at the wrong (for me) time and took my (real) torps on a fresh shield!.  He took 24 internals, but I can't kill him now.  <pout>  I guess that's for the Sharkhunter DN which is pulling up...  I am beginning to think Sharkhunter ships are ill-suited for a Free For All game.  (Don't look for me to fly one in F04) Now all I have to do is figure out a useful way of disposing this one... 

IMP24: They haven't the killed that Fed YET?  He's got a Sharkhunter DN in a tractor at range 3 and a Seltoran DN at 1 hex distance. What are they waiting for?!?  Wait, I'll ENGRAVE you an invitation.  Do I have to do this myself (not that I'd mind...)? 

IMP32:  They finally got their butts in gear.  heck, the Sharkhunter DN even chucked some plasma torps at ME.  Actually, I don't mind.  I dropped my shield, scorched the Seltoran for being slow and I'm drifting through Turn 6 with no power on emergency life support.  Which is itself OK because I'm on vacation through a fair bite of turn 6. 

Turn 6
More big boys on the board.  We have a Gorn DN or BB (it's called the Godzilla, so I think it's a BB...) and a Jindarian DNX.  A DNX?!?!  DN-size X-ships have been verboten since Day 1 of X-ships.  Where do the Jindos get off with getting an exception?  ESPECIALLY the Jindos.  I suggested the name Lucifer's Hammer for the monster... 

Note: Jindo DN's are cruiser-size.  I didn't realize that at the time.

OK, I'll admit it.  I've got an axe to grind.  I really *hate* the Warp Rail Gun as a weapon.  It's just not balanced.  Not even close.  It arms for the power of a disruptor, fires just as often, hits better and *lots* harder.  That's BEFORE we get into its defensive mode which deals damage to ALL drones and plasmas within a given area and range.  It's more obnoxiously effective than the Particle Cannon is lame.  I've heard of efforts to get a Jindo Tournament Cruiser approved.  Well, I'm 1000% percent opposed.  I don't think the Jindo can be built that with give all tournament players a run for their money without walking over some or caving in to others, or both. I wouldn't want one even if they COULD balance it.  (I'm prejudiced, remember?) 

IMP 4:  AT LAST!  I'm toast!!!  I can move on to a REAL killing machine!   ...with perhaps a stop along the way at a lightweight (SC 4) killing machine. 

IMP 12 Looks like it's turned into a feeding frenzy about the Sharkhunter DN.  The Seltoran DN is firing PC's at a Gorn Battleship one way while a Frax sub is putting Axion torps into the K9R.  (BTW, Mr. Frax, what's this "doobie-doobie-doo" stuff?  I can see it now:

"TOMORROW: Cloak or Coke?  You decide when we examine the mind-altering side-effects of the Cloaking Device they *DON'T* want you to know about! We'll interview a Frax submarine captain who now thinks he's Frank Sinatra...on the next Geraldo.") 

IMP 16 The feeding frenzy is getting worse as the Gorn BB fires plasmas at the Seltoran and the K9R phasers the Frax.  Meanwhile, the Lyran BC is making scrap metal out of the damaged SDN.  Times like this I really want my SC 2 ship--so many cripples to clean up! 

IMP 25 Richard the Moderator has been slow with the turns (NOT a complaint, mind you.  I've been working enough overtime the last 3 months that the lack of F03 and F04 turns has made life easier.  Certainly I can relate to losing your life to massive OT, which seems a likely reason for Mr. Eitzen's sudden lack of turnaround time) 

Looks like we're setting up for some late-turn carnage.  Four of the Gorn BB's 6 fighters have come out of EM and started popping off D-torps.  The GBB, in turn has popped off it rear-firing S-torp while the Romulan C9R has POPPED off it R-Torp.  meanwhile the burning hulk that was the Sharkhunter DN has been tractored (range 3!) by the Lyran BCH and the Kzinti BT just got its butt burned (no internals) by the Jindo DNX.  ParTEGH time! 

No Party.  Richard just cancelled the game, declaring Paul Stovall (currently in the Gorn BB) the winner. 

RATS! Me there without a point to my name, too!  I KNEW I had to ditch that Sharkhunter.  Just did it too late. Learned a lot tho...  I'll be prepared to kick butt the next time one of these starts up.

The biggest lessons I took away from this are

1) No mater how powerful, the SC 4 ship usually dies fast.  Invest as few points in it as possible.  Every SC4 ship from the Klingon FX to Hiver CA got toasted within 48 impulses of when it appeared on the map.  The Chorophon DD was the sole exception.

2) X-ships rock.  Make your SC 3 ship an X-ship.

3) Never be the first to attack an intact ship of your size class or larger.  Be the second. (There are occasional exceptions.  If you are facing a ship that is extremely weak for its size class, consider unloading on it)

4) Fire opportunities occur almost every turn.  Take ships which can capitalize on this.  The corollary to this lesson: Plasma torps (with the possible exception of X-plasma) suck.

My fleet for the abortive F04 game reflected these lessons