Greetings, all!
Has anyone actually *used* the wave gun effectively in MT or FB games? I'm
curious because the only reference I've seen to a design with the WG is in the
GZG/GenCon tournament, and it was never chosen when the MegaWeapon fleet
was taken (everyone chose the two AA Megabeam version instead).
I'm trying to come up with a consistant 'theme' for my K'rathri fleet using
the FB design rules, and an emphasis on Pulse Torps and Wave Guns seems like a
nice fit with the K'rathrian "scream & leap" psychology. However, I don't want
to get too far down the design process if the WG is either ineffective or
*too* effective (and therefore disallowed by most players <g>). Opinions?
> Mark Shurtleff wrote:
> Greetings, all!
Yes, in MT (with and without Vector movement). I haven't used it
effectively in FB yet - the one time I used it in an FB battle, the ship
took a treshold hit from long-range (Class-4) fire on its fully loaded
Wavegun before it could fire :-(
> I'm trying to come up with a consistant 'theme' for my K'rathri fleet
Hm. I miss an "il" somewhere in that name ;-)
> using
> However, I don't want to get too far down the design process if the WG
Well... WGs are pretty efficient missile- (MT-style) and
fighter-sweepers, especially if use en masse. Six ships line abreast,
each firing a wavegun (or, God forbid, a Nova Cannon) straight ahead, are
outright *nasty*, especially if the enemy has low-thrust ships. They're
even nastier if you use Vector movement, 'cause it is much easier to predict
where he's going to be. This applies to Nova Cannon as well.
So, well... if all of your ships have WGs, I wouldn't be surprised if your
opponents complain. If only a few of them do, I at least wouldn't mind... but
it might be worthwhile to try them out before you commit
entirely to this course :-/
Later,
> On Mon, 14 Dec 1998, Oerjan Ohlson wrote:
Yes, a significant flaw in the weapon system - one of the reasons I like
it.
:)
> > I'm trying to come up with a consistant 'theme' for my K'rathri
I wonder why <g>.....
[snip]
> Well... WGs are pretty efficient missile- (MT-style) and
They're
> even nastier if you use Vector movement, 'cause it is much easier to
I had planned to limit the WG to the SD, DN, and possibly a specialized CH
classes - everything else will be heavy on the Pulse Torps as their main
armament. The primary theme I want to use is fighters and PTs - the
assumption being that the K'rathri want to fight "up close & personal". I'm
going to have some fun with morale rules - K'rathri ships that fail
morale will be more likely to blindly attack the nearest target, at the
exclusion of any fleet orders received ('Clan Honor' and all that jazz:).
Thanks for the feedback!
> Has anyone actually *used* the wave gun effectively in MT or FB games?
I'm
> curious because the only reference I've seen to a design with the WG
Naval architects in the Alarishi Empire have designed a cruiser built
around the DesRoches-Djugashvili-Michaelson Antimatter Particle Cloud
Projector, commonly referred to as a Wave Gun. Simulation trials are expected
soon.
> Has anyone actually *used* the wave gun effectively in MT or FB games?
I'm
> curious because the only reference I've seen to a design with the WG is
I have used them effectively. Of course, I don't have a good history with
them. One note, don't put two in a ship. Murphy always finds a way to blow it
up (threshold blows up one with charge, which in turn blows up the other,
resulting in one dead ship). I haven't luck with Nova Cannons, I never can get
them facing the right way. The best use for waves is anti MT missiles or anti
massed fighters.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Once!
I used a wave gun blast to clear an area of fighters which saved one of my
ships from death by torp fighters.
Yes, I have used it to great effect. I have not used it in FB mode, but have
used it with vector movement.
As someone else stated, it is THE defense against MT missiles and fighters.
The one battle I remember was against someone who maxed out a force with 16
capital ships armed with AA Mega Batteries. I had a mixed force of Frigates,
Destroyers, and Cruisers. He entered the board 1" from the edge and stopped.
Using edge of the world tactics and superior range, I would not have had any
chance with a standard force. Fortunatly, I included 4 wave cruisers in my
force of smaller ships. He launched fighters and gathered them into one huge
furball. His plan was to attack a single ship at a time. Meanwhile, he waited
for me to come into range. As my ships come into range, he let loose with a
barrage from the AA guns. I did not return fire as his ships were out of
range. Next round, my force again closed as his moved 1". Again, I was hit by
many AA beams. Again, I was not in range of him. His fighters closed on my
cruisers. Next round, 2 of the wave cruisers let loose with their Wave Guns.
All of his fighters vaporized. 8 of his Capital ships were also caught in
theWave. All of them had to make threshold checks. Now he
decided to move. :-) But his ships could only move 2". My ships closed
and angled for attack. He won initive and opened up with AA guns against the a
Wave Cruiser that had fired. One of them took damage, but did not loose the
Wave gun. My other 2 Wave Cruisers opened fire. He lost 3 Capitals and the
rest of his fleet was damaged (some seriously). I rolled good for recharge,
recharging 3 of the 4 Wave cruisers. I was able to move one Wave cruiser to
face his entire line of ships. At this point, my opponet surrendered.
> -MWS- wrote:
> Greetings, all!
I'm
> curious because the only reference I've seen to a design with the WG
Opinions?
> ===================================================================
> > Yes, in MT (with and without Vector movement). I haven't used it
Not really. I didn't expect Class-4's and flew too slowly. Once I got in
close to him (which I did a turn later), my other ships - heavy with
Class-2 batteries - shredded the enemies :-)
[snip]
> I had planned to limit the WG to the SD, DN, and possibly a
> CH classes - everything else will be heavy on the Pulse Torps as their
> main armament.
Sounds OK.
> The primary theme I want to use is fighters and PTs -
Hm... I wouldn't exactly call the WG "close up & personal" - since you
lose the screens in your front arc when you fire it, you don't want to be
too close to massed beam batteries :-/ Besides, they're much better
against fighters and missiles from far away - even a 2-die template will
wipe out any fighter squadron it hits (each fighter takes 2D6 of damage,
and it dies after 1 point...), so the bigger the template the better :-)
Regards,