[GZG] Re: [FT] fleet size?

Hi Chris,

I suppose the answer is 'it depends' - it depends on the type of game
you want to play, or whether you have access to an opponent or group that
plays regularly.

A basic fleet pack (usually a Battleship, a couple of cruisers, and four

frigates) will give you a game from hunt the pirate/protect to convoy up
to a task force encounter. The basic fleet pack is usually around 1000 points.

To the basic fleet pack I would usually add a carrier and fighters
and/or an
SDN (because they're huge and cool!). This gives a nice, rounded task force.

Building fleets for wargames is different from building campaign fleets (in
my experience).  One-off wargames tend to encourgae min-maxing within a
fixed point limit. Campaigns, on the other hand, usually have some sort of
resource system that limits (at least initially) what, and how many, of a
particular ship class you can build. Also, as a campaign evolves, you will
probably find that while SDNs are really cool, the 9 or 10 destroyers you can
build for the same cost are actullay more useful!

Neither way of building up a fleet is 'correct', it just depends on the type
of games you might play.

I haven't seen details of any FT competitions posted for a long while (I

think the big US comps are mainly scenario driven, anyway) but I seem to

recall that comp fleets of 1500 - 3000 points used to be used in the
mid-90's.

The largest campaign game we've had to date had some 30 ships on the Japanese
side (some 3800 points), though the bulk of these were Paul's Naginata banzai
boats (10 mass ships with a class 1 HDC). 30 ships are manageable, if you've
got your paper work sorted out first:) Suffice to say, the ESU lost that
encounter (especially when the destroyer division got enfiladed by the banzai
boats)

Hop this helps.

David

PS Do you know Chris Harrod?

> From: Christopher Peachey <vladvondrak@yahoo.co.uk>