Playtesting UN

> Laserlight wrote:

> While we're about it...has anyone used the playtest designs for the

I did some solo playtesting of UN Lake class escorts against NSL or NAC
escorts. Babylon 5 Shadows with UN style advanced hulls and all graser
armament were in the scenario I ran at Cancon in January, which was played
three times by different people.

Suggestion #1: the draft UN ships increase the number of grasers over time.
Given this trend, plus their modular designs, it would be natural for the Lake
Mk IV, Mountain Mk II, Bay Mk II, etc to have entirely graser armament.

Suggestion #2, which I previously posted to the list,
is that the graser-1 is slightly, repeat only slightly,
too effective. Either the weapon mass for the 1-arc,
3-arc, and 6-arc should be increased to 3,4,5; or each
extra arc should cost +1 mass.

Graser-2 costs/mass seem right on. The graser-3 is
over priced, but that may reflect that my games are
played on non-floating tables.

Tactical advice for UN/graser armed ships: you can do
OK without thinking at all, just get in range and let rip. If the dice are
good, your opponent will be toast. (Ask Alan Brain about flying a squadron of
White Stars in front of graser armed Shadow cruisers.)

Beyond that, you want to hold the range at 12-18 if
possible. The UN ships are generally zippy enough to do this in the more open
light vs light fights.

cheers,

> Hugh Fisher wrote:

> Tactical advice for UN/graser armed ships: you can do

> Hugh Fisher wrote:

We played ESU and UN with about 2 corvettes, 2 frigates, and 2 destroyers on
each side (first game, second game added a frigate and a light cruiser to the
ESU and a light cruiser to the UN).

While I don't particular like to be on the recieving end of the grazers (or
the anti matter missile for that matter) both games evened out pretty well.
The ESU won the first game, but had to fight for it. The second game had to be
stopped due to time restraints but both sides had taken heavy casualties
allthough I think we(ESU) might have had the upper hand had we continued.

The grazers are tough customers to play against, but when you get in to close
range and blast with class 2 beams the UN get it all back in their

faces.

Ignoring the fact that this was our first game(s) with only small units and
not much fancy stuff at all and the point that we in our newbee status might
have forgotten something they played pretty balanced. How the captial ships
will play remains to be seen but for now the UN feels ok to play against!