> In the circle i play in, if you are in a position where there is no=

> In the circle i play in, if you are in a position where there is no=

> Yeah... that's basically it. What wartime operation is a skirmisher

In _your_ game universe, possible very little. In other, some might
argue more practical systems, they (skirmishers in general) have multiple
roles, some already described by others on the list. Are other (tweaked)
dreadplanets going to escort the fighter replenishment convoy and the food
shipments to the outer colonies? Is a "Fast/Heavy/Needle BC fleet" going
to be defending each listening post and scout squadron?

I can think of another "skirmish" fleet that could conceivably give all your
BDN+ fleets bad dreams. Vs. a Fighter overload group, think of 38 or so
destroyers, each with a Needle beam, Cloak, Thrust 8, 5xPDS and ADFC. Vs. a
more "conventional" group, How about 56 Cloaked, Thrust 8 Needle Frigates,
with only 2 PDS/1ADFC per. Sure they die like flies, but 1) they waste
plasma shots, b) no two dreadplanets have enough firecons to prevent them
from taking out drives + FTL. They're produced as fast as any 5-7
fighter groups, they cripple ships an order of magnitude larger, and survivors
jump out, leaving the immobile behemoths for cleanup forces. Yes, this tactic
is gimmiked. Yes, yes, It has its own fatal flaws. But one could, if they
wanted to devote the energy to it, make the case that in a pseudo campaign
such as yours, such a civilization (perhaps a combination of Beam-6
heavies and these Little Pricks) would be a major contender.

> If you need to provide cover while you're conducting troop landings or
evacuations, skirmishers are useless.

Depends, I would think, on a number of things not enumerated in your example.

> If you need to defend a planet under concentrated attack, the only

As already stated, some game universes give you that kind of time. In FT, All
you need is a number of hours. A dreadplanet taking 10 points a turn can be
reduced to zero in half a day. Less time if it's got to devote mass to faster
drives or other systems. Reflex fields would be more of a challenge,
and I suppose I'd consider them more if they got re-added to FT3 (sure,
call that a hedge). I have some trouble with all the FT2 and MT weapons
combined with fleet book rules. Again, your universe, your rules.

Another note. You talk about defending hard targets here, but the descriptions
of your games so far all seem to be open space combats. Hard to
have a coherent/consistent line of discussion or debate when the rules
keep changing.

IMO, cloaking devices in this context (what I understand of your universe) are
wholely unbalancing, since there's nothing preventing a planetary
assault force from FTL-ing in, cloaking until within 12" of the target,
wasting it in one turn of fire, then cloaking out. Talk about boring.