Aquarians strike back
The squadrons met up at the star sector assigned. A powerful squadron of the "Green Hell" armada was joined by a cruiser squadron of the "Screaming Yellow Zonkers." In all, seven cruisers, a destroyer leader and three star bombers were on an interception course with a strong Carnivore force.
Thus we started the third game we've played of the Galactic Knights space game. We really zipped through the four turns of the game, with only two look ups of rules required, both just to check details on missiles and fighters. The game ran about two and one half hours, a nice afternoon pace.
The Carnivores, freshly primed by Roger from the box in which they were mailed, consisted of a battle cruiser, three cruisers, a destroyer leader, three destroyers and three star bombers.
Both sides centered their heavy ships, the Carnivores deploying the destroyers and Destroyer leader to their left and the star bombers to the right. The Aquarians (we played these as Terrans as the Aquarian specific rules aren't published yet) deployed the star bombers on their left, opposite the Carnivores same class, and matched the Carnivore destroyer flotilla with three cruisers and a Destroyer leader of their own. The four remaining Aquarian cruisers faced off against the three Carnivore cruisers and the Battle Cruiser.
The side spent two turns slowly closing but still at long range, both trying to damage one or two enemy ships with just heavy particle beams. On turn three, all there goodies came out of the bags. The Aquarian launched missiles from all seven cruisers, targeting the destroyer leader and two Carnivore star bombers. The carnivores, out of range for their own missiles to work, launched all 15 avaialble Bobcat light fighters, with an antimissile program.
Thee result was that 70% of the missiles did not get through the fighter/point defenses of the Carnivores, but that the ones that did hit tore through a lot of armor, allowing the follow up gunnery to destroy a star bomber, cripple another, as well as make the Carnivore left flank squadron lose one destroyer's armor. the Aquarians took armor damage on three cruisers ad lost a star bomber.
On turn four, both sides led with their remaining star bombers and the Aquarians shot off their remaining missiles. No fighters available and the loss of a few ships meant the Carnivorean point defense had to go it alone, with fewer guns than turn three. The result was the loss of the remaining Carnivore star bomber, the destroyer leader and a second destroyer, a well as damage on two cruisers as some Aquarian gunnery shots actually got through the tough Carnivorean armor.
The Aquarians did not get away unscathed as two cruisers suffered significant damage and a third received small amounts of internal hits and all three of these cruisers were without armor on one side or the other. The Carnivores, now outnumbered and unwilling to continue with the odds against them, broke off the action.
The Aquarians at that turned back this Carnivorian effort to penetrate their systems, but were still down the carrier and escorts and had not destroyed a Carnivorian ship larger than a DDL.
My friend Roger mentioned we both played better, and the fleets were interestingly different but seemed more likely to be balanced as we learned the tactics both of the game mechanics and the weaponry of the fleets involved. There will definitely be more space action this summer!
Thus we started the third game we've played of the Galactic Knights space game. We really zipped through the four turns of the game, with only two look ups of rules required, both just to check details on missiles and fighters. The game ran about two and one half hours, a nice afternoon pace.
The Carnivores, freshly primed by Roger from the box in which they were mailed, consisted of a battle cruiser, three cruisers, a destroyer leader, three destroyers and three star bombers.
Both sides centered their heavy ships, the Carnivores deploying the destroyers and Destroyer leader to their left and the star bombers to the right. The Aquarians (we played these as Terrans as the Aquarian specific rules aren't published yet) deployed the star bombers on their left, opposite the Carnivores same class, and matched the Carnivore destroyer flotilla with three cruisers and a Destroyer leader of their own. The four remaining Aquarian cruisers faced off against the three Carnivore cruisers and the Battle Cruiser.
The side spent two turns slowly closing but still at long range, both trying to damage one or two enemy ships with just heavy particle beams. On turn three, all there goodies came out of the bags. The Aquarian launched missiles from all seven cruisers, targeting the destroyer leader and two Carnivore star bombers. The carnivores, out of range for their own missiles to work, launched all 15 avaialble Bobcat light fighters, with an antimissile program.
Thee result was that 70% of the missiles did not get through the fighter/point defenses of the Carnivores, but that the ones that did hit tore through a lot of armor, allowing the follow up gunnery to destroy a star bomber, cripple another, as well as make the Carnivore left flank squadron lose one destroyer's armor. the Aquarians took armor damage on three cruisers ad lost a star bomber.
On turn four, both sides led with their remaining star bombers and the Aquarians shot off their remaining missiles. No fighters available and the loss of a few ships meant the Carnivorean point defense had to go it alone, with fewer guns than turn three. The result was the loss of the remaining Carnivore star bomber, the destroyer leader and a second destroyer, a well as damage on two cruisers as some Aquarian gunnery shots actually got through the tough Carnivorean armor.
The Aquarians did not get away unscathed as two cruisers suffered significant damage and a third received small amounts of internal hits and all three of these cruisers were without armor on one side or the other. The Carnivores, now outnumbered and unwilling to continue with the odds against them, broke off the action.
The Aquarians at that turned back this Carnivorian effort to penetrate their systems, but were still down the carrier and escorts and had not destroyed a Carnivorian ship larger than a DDL.
My friend Roger mentioned we both played better, and the fleets were interestingly different but seemed more likely to be balanced as we learned the tactics both of the game mechanics and the weaponry of the fleets involved. There will definitely be more space action this summer!
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