Wednesday, September 15, 2021

VASSAL OP Q3 2021 Escalation tournament

Announcing the "Escalation tournament," a new VASSAL Organized Play event!

Format

4 rounds Swiss.

(most likely there will be only 1 common time grouping but if there are many players I might split the event)

Schedule

Key dates:

  • Signup/fleet submission deadline: Wednesday, 22nd September. 
  • Round 1 starts Friday, 24th September.
  • Round 4 ends in late October/early November.

Listbuilding restrictions/rules tweaks

Standard Armada rules, with the following exceptions:

  • Escalation games: 300/400/500/600 points
  • Custom commanders
  • The ability for ships and unique squadrons to become veterans.

Read the complete rules pdf here.

The most recent version is 1.01.

Changelog:

  • No fleet point cost for veterancy.
  • Command 4 ships banned from start.

Signup

Use this signup/fleet submission form: https://forms.gle/xc1Botq5tn8uNFES9

Fleet submission

Your round 1 fleet is submitted when signing up (see above).

For rounds 2-4, please reuse the form.

Battle reporting

Report battles using this form: https://forms.gle/VZhChNm9X1MBAwwF8

Only one player has to do the reporting.

Discord

Join the Armada Discord/Online OP channel here: https://discord.gg/6pRQJ88A7z

Tournament software

We're using TTT to track players, scores, and matchups. 

You can find the event here: https://tabletop.to/vassal-op-escalation-tournament

Vassal Grand Championship

The Standard series is part of the Grand Championship.

Read more here. Contribute to the prize pool here.

  • Points for this tournament:
    • Entry: 1
    • Minimum 4 games: 1
    • Top 4: 1 (since only 6 teams)
    • Runner-up: 1
    • Winner: 2
    • Special challenges: none

Current scores. 

Sunday, August 8, 2021

VASSAL OP Standard series

Announcing "2021 Standard series," a new VASSAL (and TTS*) Organized Play event!

*While primarily a VASSAL event we'd also like to foster greater interaction between the VASSAL and TTS communities. If 

Format

Play any number of standard 400-point games on Vassal (or TTS) between Monday, 9th August 9th and Sunday, 7th November.

Key features:

- standard rules

- sign up at any time

- play as many games as you want in 3 months

- play against any opponent, even the same opponents more than once

- play with the same list, again and again, change it every time, or a mix thereof

- submit your lists and points after the match

- whoever has the most points at the end wins!

Schedule

You play as many or as few games as you want to.

  • Start: Monday, 9th August.
  • End: Sunday, 7th November.

Listbuilding restrictions/rules tweaks

None.

The whole point of Standard is that it's... standard 😅

Signup

Signup deadline: You can sign up at any time, even mid-event.

Signup form: None. You sign up by submitting results!

Fleet submission

You submit fleets with the battle report.

Battle reporting

Use this form.

Either both players have to submit a report or one player has to submit for them both, including lists.

Discord

Join the Armada Discord/Online OP channel here.

Tournament software

We're using TTT to track players, scores, and matchups. You can find the event here.

Vassal Grand Championship

The Standard series is part of the Grand Championship.

Read more here. Contribute to the prize pool here.

  • Points for this tournament:
    • Entry: 1
    • Minimum 4 games: 1
    • Top 8: 1
    • Runner-up: 1
    • Winner: 2

Current score.

Thursday, July 29, 2021

VASSAL Armada module version 4.5.0 is available

 


Module version 4.5.0 "Taxation of trade routes" is available! 

Download (takes a day or so to update): http://www.vassalengine.org/wiki/Module:Star_Wars:_Armada

Direct download link: https://1drv.ms/u/s!AmLOw84tw_3YhoMvJwW0BUuMhkD-Yw?e=smGaaT

Checksum: 5aea1728

OVERVIEW

Bugfixes and graphical updates.

COMPATIBILITY

Armada 4.5.0 was built using Vassal 3.5.8. It should be compatible with module versions 4.0.0+ and Vassal 3.5.0+ but ALWAYS update to the most recent versions of both!

CRITICAL BUGFIXES

Republic Pelta now has LoS dots. Duh!

OTHER BUGFIXES

Fixed Shu Mai round token spawn.

Fixed Ketsu squad card spawning off-table.

Fixed Kraken/TF bug in quick spawn menu.

Ahsoka squad card now spawns Ahsoka squadron (instead of generic Delta).

Ahsoka's name is now Ahsoka on the squadron (instead of Ashoka).

Republic Pelta titles no longer appear in the Rebel Title dropdown (or vice versa).

MAJOR NEW FEATURES

Clone Wars micro-sized ship cards were replaced by old-style tarot cards by @petersaber.

OTHER NEW FEATURES

Vassal automatically makes you a better player and connects you with fun opponents.

TO-DO

Add alternate color schemes for Republic Pelta.

Tuesday, July 27, 2021

VASSAL OP Autumn League

 


Announcing "2021 Autumn League," a new VASSAL Organized Play event!

Format

6 rounds vs random opponents (NOT Swiss)

The default is a new list for every round but you're also free to play the same list if that's your thing.

Schedule

2 weeks per round

  • Round 1 starts Monday, 9th August.
  • Round 6 ends Sunday, 31st October.

Listbuilding restrictions/rules tweaks

Custom format docs:

Errata 

Ships (points & upgrade slots)

Squads (points)

Upgrades (points)

Some key changes you should be aware of:

- All 4 factions have access to non-flotilla Fleet Support slots (Arq for Imps, Neb for Rebs).

- All 4 factions have a large-base ship with a Fleet Command option.

- Rebel Pelta has no fleet command slot (but the PH title adds it). Rebels also have better access to FC from other cards (Phoenix Nest & Liberator).

- Expect to see players experiment with SSDs. They are cheaper and can bring a defensive retro.

- Expect to see SHs, maybe even non-Agate ones. The SH1 can run ET, the SH2 can have Def retro.

- The Onager has been points-nerfed. That hurts the Onager (duh) but also opens some possibilities for slower ships. I hope.

- Rebels can bring Quasars if they take the Phoenix Nest title.

The astute observer can't fail to notice CW factions haven't been touched much. That's deliberate. They have less stuff, it's not yet played to death, and overall what they do have is pretty decent. If you want to play with more nimble Clams, Asajj Ventress, or LAAT/i squadrons, head over to the Fantasy Series!

Builder support

You can use any builder you want as long as you comply with the custom format.

This Warlords clone has support for the format: https://vassalwarlords.twilightpeaks.net/

Signup

Signup deadline: Sunday, 8th August

Signup form: https://forms.gle/o4pA26CpzS1bsX1u7

Fleet submission

Fleets are to be submitted PRIOR TO EACH AND EVERY GAME using this form: https://forms.gle/dwe9BaPH85NVAakMA

If you do not submit your fleet BEFORE your opponent spawns his fleet you will have forfeited the match. So don't.

Battle reporting

Use this form: https://forms.gle/H7HwyDsBojUDMjrW8

Discord channel

There is a dedicated Discord channel for the event.

Use it to chat and ask questions, but keep it related to the event. 

Tournament software

We're using TTT to track players, scores, and matchups. You can find the event here.

Vassal module

Use this version of the Vassal module to ensure you see new/updated cards: https://1drv.ms/u/s!AmLOw84tw_3Yhox7LrxhWGdt9yI5bQ?e=V8S23G

Vassal Grand Championship

Read more here. Contribute to the prize pool here.

  • Points for this tournament:
    • Entry: 1
    • Completion: 1
    • Top 8: 1
    • Runner-up: 1
    • Winner: 2
    • Special challenges: 1 point each (2 max)
      • A New Hope (Rebel challenge): Only play with the Republic faction & use each commander only once (one must be Leia). Post-Endor cards banned, including the SH, E-wings, and Agate (ask if you're uncertain).
      • Going Commando (Unaligned challenge): Running only squadless fleets across all 6 games.
      • Heart of the Swarm (Separatist challenge): Only play with the Separatist faction & use each commander only once.
      • Objectively the Best (Unaligned challenge): Only use each objective card once across all 6 fleets.
      • Republic Reinforcements (Republic challenge): Only play with the Republic faction & use each commander only once.
      • There Can Be Only One (Unaligned challenge): Only use each unique card once across all 6 fleets.
      • The Empire Strikes Back (Empire challenge): Only play with the Empire faction & use each commander only once (one must be Vader). Post-Endor cards banned, including the Onager, Romodi, and Sloane (ask if you're uncertain).

Current score.

Rebellion in the Rim pt. 9 (Round 8/2nd and final pivotal)

 


We finally wrapped up our RitR campaign by making the 2nd pivotal the final battle. People were pretty much fed up playing the same lists over and over against the same lists over and over. 

Observation: if teams don't attack enemy bases, each act has too many rounds. And 3 pivotals are 2 too many. In this regard, the number of battles in CC is much, much better. I think we played 5 rounds and then had the final battle. With RitR we had 6 rounds and 2 pivotals and were still supposed to play 1 more act.

Anyway. Rebels managed to win the base assault (3rd battle of the last round) with a small margin. Something about an allied CR90 and some flotillas that just refused to die. This loss took away our ally source. I'm confident we could have gotten it back next round but since we went directly for the final assault that didn't happen. It brought our scores close, 11-10 Empire-Rebel. And with Rebels guaranteed to do a Demo of Force, we could at best get a small win. Kind of weird that only the assaulting team can score more than 1 point. Another little RitR quirk.

It also so happened that we hadn't really read the rules all that well, so we were a little surprised when the Rebel team triumphantly declared they now could use TWO ally tokens (as if ally tokens aren't OP, to begin with). One to upgrade a large ship. And one for the regular ally effect. That felt a little gamey - and very much like a clever trick to get an advantage.

But whatever. We grumbled a little but went ahead with the battle. We used our Shipyard token to upgrade to larges. Mostly for fun. The VSD turned into an ISD. That was a pretty good conversion. I dumped some squads and both flots to take a near-naked Onager. Without superweapons. The Testbed was the only large I could afford lol.

Rebels went with 2 small-hunting Liberties for their large upgrades. A very good tactic IMO. The battlecruiser in particular was loaded to pick our puny ships to pieces (in the actual battle it would contribute absolutely nothing at all).

EMPIRE R8 (2nd pivotal)

Fleet: Where Did All The Gozanti Go?
Commander: Commodore Drok Lodt (BJØRN)
Abilities (6): Master Navigator I (flagship), Master Coordinator I (flagship), Ion Techs (fleetwide), Ordnance Expert (fleetwide)
XP: 1
Conditions: None

Assault: Most Wanted
Defense: Abandoned Mining Facility
Navigation: Infested Fields

Gladiator I (56) [FLAGSHIP] [VET]
• Skilled First Officer (1)
• Ordnance Experts (4)
• External Racks (4)
• Demolisher (10)
= 75 Points

Onager Testbed (96)
• Ordnance Experts (4)
= 100 Points

Raider I (44) [VET]
• Instigator (4)
= 48 Points

Squadrons:
• Maarek Stele (21) [VET]
• Colonel Jendon (20) [VET]
• TIE Interceptor Squadron (22)
= 52 Points

Total Points: 275/275

Fleet: Dat New ISD
Commander: Fleet Captain Lex Ander (ALEXANDER)
Abilities (6): Master Gunner I (flagship), Master Navigator I (flagship), Ion Tech (fleetwide), Ordnance Expert (fleetwide)
XP: 1
Conditions: None

Assault: Most Wanted
Defense: Contested Outpost
Navigation: Infested Fields

Imperial II (120)
• Expert Shield Tech (5)
• Gunnery Team (7)
• Linked Turbolaser Towers (7)
= 139 Points

Arquitens Light Cruiser (54) [VET]
• Expert Shield Tech (5)
• Linked Turbolaser Towers (7)
= 66 Points

Gozanti Cruisers (23)
• Comms Net (2)
= 25 Points

Squadrons:
• Howlrunner (16) [VET]
• Soontir Fel (18) [VET]
• TIE Interceptor Squadron (22)
= 45 Points

Total Points: 275/275

Fleet: Never Got To Fully Pimp My Ships
Commander: Flotilla Commander So Tham (THOMAS F)
Abilities (6): Ambush Gunner II (fleetwide), Ion Tech (fleetwide), Master Engineer II (fleetwide)
XP: 5
Conditions: None

Assault: Opening Salvo
Defense: Contested Outpost
Navigation: Infested Fields

Arquitens Command Cruiser (59) [FLAGSHIP] [VET]
• Reinforced Blast Doors (5)
• Dual Turbolaser Turrets (5)
= 69 Points

Arquitens Command Cruiser (59) [VET]
• Expert Shield Tech (5)
• Dual Turbolaser Turrets (5)
= 69 Points

Raider II (48) [VET]
• Iden Versio (6)
• Disposable Capacitors (3)
• Heavy Ion Emplacements (9)
= 66 Points

Squadrons:
• Ciena Ree (17) [VET]
• Valen Rudor (13) [VET]
• Tempest Squadron (13)
• TIE Interceptor Squadron (11)
= 54 Points

Total Points: 258/275

REBELS

Eirik (261/261)
Commander
- Master Gunner III
- Ion Tech
- Master Navigator I
[flagship] MC80 Liberty Battle Cruiser (103)
- Intel Officer (7)
- Linked Turbolaser Towers (7)
- XI7 Turbolasers (6)
- Sensor Team (5)
= 128 total points
CR90 Corvette A (44) (V)
- Jaina's Light (2)
- Ezra Bridger (3)
- Turbolaser Reroute Circuits (7)
= 56 total points
GR-75 Medium Transports (18)
- Bright Hope (2)
- Comms Net (2)
- Ahsoka Tano (2)
= 24 total points
Squadrons (53/263):
1x Millennium Falcon - Lando Calrissian (23) (V)
1x Kanan Jarrus (19) (V)
1x A-Wing Squadron (11)

2nd Expeditinary Fleet (274/200)
Rebels - Author: CTS
- Squadron leader
- ion tech
- squadron group leader II
Assault Frigate Mark II B (72)(V)(Flagship)
- Reinforced Blast Doors (5)
- Adar Tallon (10)
= 87 total points
GR-75 Medium Transports (18)
- Wedge Antilles (4)
= 22 total points
GR-75 Medium Transports (18)
- Bomber Command Center (😎
- Ray Antilles (7)
= 33 total points
Squadrons (132/200):
1x Norra Wexley Y-wing Squadron (17)(V)
(S) 2x Y-Wing Squadron (20)
1x Y-Wing Squadron (10)
3x X-Wing Squadron (39)
1x Moldy Crow - Jan Ors (19)
1x Scurgg H-6 Bomber (16)
1x A-Wing Squadron (11)

Name: Roosh flying circus
Faction: Rebel
Commander:
- Master Engineer I
- Ion Tech
- Ambush Gunner II
- Infiltration I
CR90 Corvette A (44) (V)(Flagship)
• Hondo Ohnaka (2)
• Turbolaser Reroute Circuits (7)
= 53 Points
CR90 Corvette B (39)
• General Draven (3)
• Reactive Gunnery (4)
• SW-7 Ion Batteries (5)
= 51 Points
MC80 Star Cruiser (96)
• Expert Shield Tech (5)
• Auxiliary Shields Team (3)
• Spinal Armament (9)
= 113 Points
Squadrons:
• Corran Horn (22) (V)
• Hera Syndulla (28)
• A-wing Squadron (11)
• Rogue Squadron (14) (V)
• E-wing Squadron (15)
= 90 Points
Total Points: 307 (inkl Ally token for command ship upgrades)


NOTE: The MC80H1 model is a LIBERTY. The AF1 is an AF2.

I don't have a ton of pics for this one. But this image from the start of round 3, before ships start popping says it all. Rebels set up in two separate groups, thinking they could lure the ISD out of the fight and also take down our dual Arq/raider fleet quickly and then sweep into our flank.

We were very happy to see the rebel bomber ball in the corner! The ISD/ARQ/Goz combo, along with most of our squads should be able to deal with them decisively, if supported by my Instigator. It was also pretty obvious the rebels had (again) spread out too much and would be tail-chasing much of the game.

Overall we had the better deployment and the better plan. During the game, we did some things right and some things not right at all. 

Some key points:

1. Our 2 Arqs + Iden-Raider jumped from speed 1 to 3 first round, leaving a big portion of the Rebel fleet out of the fight for the entire game...

2. The Onager used a dust field and its speed to FLANK the Liberties 💪 and do quite a bit of damage before going down. Pleased with that one.

3. Insitgator jumped in at the right moment and did Instigator-things. Some spot-on squad play sealed the rebel bombers' fate. Also real pleased with that one.

4. Demolisher changed its mind. Instead of going right to make sure the potato died, it ended up boxed in by the Onager, forced to stay slow, and eventually getting killed by rogue squads, a TRC90, and the BC in turn 6. I think we need to go back to 2015 to find Demolisher play THAT bad 😅😅😅

5. Wedge officer + Demo being stupid let the AF circle around and live (with 2 hull, no shields, and no defense tokens). Should have put the ISD further to the right, but the obstacle you see in the pic kind of precluded that.

In the end, we lost a bunch of squads, Demo, and the Onager, plus the brave Arq in the right corner. Rebels lost 2 CR90s, the Star Cruiser, and a ton of squads. In all, we won by less than 20 points. But a win is a win. Got us 1 more CP, for a 12-10 total.

And that's it. RitR was fun some of the time, tedious at other times. The strategic rules have a lot of interesting ideas but the overall finish isn't polished. Overall, RitR left me with a bad taste in my mouth and I hope I'll never have to play an unmodified version EVER AGAIN. CC isn't nearly as deep but RitR is so deeply flawed I need a separate blog post to talk about it all...

Monday, July 26, 2021

Update VASSAL OP 21 Midsummer Madness round 3 results


 Round 3 (of 4) of the Midsummer Madness tournament is over. 

Don't know what MM is? Read all about it here.

The current score (player score + list score) is as follows:


Roald is in the lead, followed closely by Spike. Lots of EURO sector players in the top but this is MADNESS and scores change fast and change big. Anything is possible!

Casual 600-pointer: Obi-wan vs GA Thrawn



Another casual 600-pointer (we have a 150 pts squads/2 flotilla limit in place). This time I got to try the Republic. First time with real plastic for me. 

Played a few games with a Consular swarm on Vassal with Obi as my commander. He felt pretty Ok then so I wanted to give him a try in a bigger format. And yes, he's pretty solid. Like an advanced Motti that helps small ships as much as he helps the big guys. Evade + Obi is strong. Thermal + Obi equally powerful. Wish there was a evade/Thermal/Obi-capable ship 😅 I didn't count the damage he saved but it was a LOT. Both Consulars would likely be dead without his ability.

So basically the Clams are the heavy hitters, opening up with Swivels and APT at range, using IO to put pressure on braces/push damage and Thermals to stay alive. Implacable + Projection to heal the lead Clam. Consulars as flankers and a Ven-I to support with IF! (it had TEA! in an earlier version).

The idea was solid, I think, but the execution far from flawless. Clams bumped each other bc of my inexperience/their HORRIBLE nav chart. Implacable ended up leading. The flagship got separated (and blown up). But in the end, Obi pulled through, losing only the Pelta, the flag, and all squads but Ani. The Imps lost everything but the Arq and most of their squads.

I was 1st player and we played his Dangerous Territory. 4/2 to him in tokens. Btw that's where the bumping originating - Clams swung by the debris fields to pick tokens and became poorly placed for future maneuvering. Noob mistake!

Name: Obi 600 v6
Faction: Republic
Commander: Obi Wan Kenobi

Assault: Ion Storm
Defense: Fleet In Being
Navigation: Volatile Deposits

Venator I (90)
• Obi Wan Kenobi (28)
• Expert Shield Tech (5)
• Local Fire Control (4)
• Intensify Firepower! (6)
• Flak Guns (3)
• Ordnance Pods (3)
• DBY-827 Heavy Turbolasers (3)
• Tranquility (3)
= 145 Points

Acclamator II (71)
• Intel Officer (7)
• Ordnance Experts (4)
• Thermal Shields (5)
• Assault Proton Torpedoes (4)
• Swivel-Mount Batteries (8)
• Implacable (4)
= 103 Points

Acclamator II (71)
• Intel Officer (7)
• Ordnance Experts (4)
• Thermal Shields (5)
• Assault Proton Torpedoes (4)
• Swivel-Mount Batteries (8)
= 99 Points

Pelta Transport Frigate (45)
• Projection Experts (6)
• Munitions Resupply (3)
= 54 Points

Consular Charger C70 (45)
• Linked Turbolaser Towers (7)
= 52 Points

Consular Charger C70 (45)
• Linked Turbolaser Towers (7)
= 52 Points

Squadrons:
• Luminara Unduli (23)
• Anakin Skywalker (19)
• Axe (17)
• 3 x V-19 Torrent Squadron (36)
= 95 Points
Total Points: 600

THE OPPOSITION

Name: Untitled Fleet
Faction: Imperial
Commander: Grand Admiral Thrawn

Assault: Surprise Attack
Defense: Contested Outpost
Navigation: Dangerous Territory

Imperial II (120)
• Grand Admiral Thrawn (32)
• Emperor Palpatine (3)
• Gunnery Team (7)
• Reactive Gunnery (4)
• Leading Shots (6)
• XI7 Turbolasers (6)
• Chimaera (4)
• Entrapment Formation! (5)
= 187 Points

ISD Cymoon 1 Refit (112)
• Minister Tua (2)
• Gunnery Team (7)
• Linked Turbolaser Towers (7)
• XI7 Turbolasers (6)
• Reactive Gunnery (4)
= 138 Points

Gozanti Cruisers (23)
• Comms Net (2)
• Boosted Comms (4)
• Suppressor (4)
= 33 Points

Gladiator I (56)
• Ordnance Experts (4)
• Demolisher (10)
= 70 Points

Arquitens Command Cruiser (59)
• Expert Shield Tech (5)
• Linked Turbolaser Towers (7)
• Hand of Justice (4)
= 75 Points

Squadrons:
• Darth Vader (21)
• Dengar (20)
• Howlrunner (16)
• Soontir Fel (18)
• 2 x TIE Interceptor Squadron (22)
= 97 Points

Total Points: 600

Setup

That's a lot of miniatures and cards for a small table. The bigger upgrade cards aren't helping 😆 Anyway. This was the first time I got to use the awesome tarot ship cards from @petersaber.


Start r3

Only maneuvering before r3. I think maybe he spent his pass token to make a single shot vs a Consular which got evaded/Obiwaned to 0. Clams are working to get around on the flank. Not a bad plan. They do not, however, maneuver very well and will end up bumping. Twice. They are also repairing too much and not CFing but whatever. 

Implacable is the one taking fire so the title is pretty worthless. Implacable is also too far away from the flagship to help. Yelp.

Start r4

Shots have been fired, squadrons have engaged, I take down Vader. Then realize my list doesn't really have the squad-pushing potential I need...

No ship losses yet. That changes now in r4... Pelta goes boom after cumulative damage becomes too much. Damn you Thrawn CF dials! Ah well, it did the job before going down. GAR avenges the Pelta by taking down Demo right after. Another bad case of cumulative damage.  

Start r5

Venator is outside Cymoon's front. And double arcing its side. That's good. Unfortunately, it's nearly dead and if I don't kill Thrawn ASAP he'll repair and fly away. So Implace goes first, blows up Thrawn, then my flag goes down.

End of game

The last ISD, the Cymoon, goes down to the combined fire from Clams and Consulars. Speed 1 is not a good speed in rounds 5-6...



Monday, July 5, 2021

Update VASSAL OP 21 Midsummer Madness round 1 results

Round 1 (of 4) of the Midsummer Madness tournament is over. Don't know what MM is? Read all about it here.

The current score (player score + list score) is as follows:

Paul is in the lead with a 10 - 1 in his game and a list that bagged a 7-4. Followed by realveers and medalofairness whose lists have done really well but who haven't played that convincingly themselves 😅 Next followers three players who have gotten 9-10 points but whose lists haven't done THAT well.

I'm excited to see the results for round 2 (deadline 11th or 14th with extension). Remember that players are paired in 2 groups playing Swiss, but lists are in a common round-robin pool (no playing the same list twice or with or against your own list).


Friday, July 2, 2021

Rebellion in the Rim pt. 8 (Round 7/3rd battle Act 2)

 

I've finally caught up with our current status: we're in the middle of the 3rd battle of act 2. Two battles have been played. The third looks like it has big trouble actually scheduling AND playing. Incompatible schedules and whatnot have played a major part in dragging out this campaign for far too long. I had hoped the smaller battles would speed things but, but actually, RitR has had slower progress than CC.

The score for this act was 3-3 before this round, 9-7 total. We've won 2 1-point battles this round, so it's 5-3 and 11-7 total. But Rebels have an assault on Mandalore so could score 3 points if they win while we only get 1 if we win. Whatever the result is it'll lead to the 2nd pivotal.

After my last win, I upgraded with ExRacks on both combat ships. So now my fleet is pretty much where I want it to be. The combination of 4 activations, Demo, ExRacks, lots of rerolls and Maarek-Jendon is not a combo that the rebel small-mediums can reliably handle. With Instigator, Fighter Group Leader, 4 Ints, and RHBs I can win any squad fight. So if I want to just win (and there is not much incentive for doing much more in RitR) I pick off a CR90 or something and sweep squads.

In other news, Alexander finally got a win which we coupled to a squadron base reward, so now he has 3 Ints and 1 TIE to go with Howl and Fel.

Assault 1: AF/CR/GR fleet attacks Endor. VSD defends with Destiny. Empire win, helped by some hot-hot-hot AS dice on the Empire's part.

Assault 2: Demolisher attacks Nar Shadda. I guess we need a Repair Yard (that's not also an ally generator) for the final battle so Nar Shadda it is. Defended by rebel mixed fleet. Empire win.

Assault 3: Rebel squad-mania attacks Mandalore base with their ally token. Out dual Arqs 'n Raider defends with the ally token. Squadron defense objective. Not played yet.

We forgot to bing mats so we played on a white, slippery table 😅 Setup was different this time: Demo on the outside, Goz, and Raider on the inside. Keeping squads close until I'm ready bc of his rogues.

Early game

The CR90B in the top-right part of the image hasn't moved yet. I now suddenly realize that it will face a last-first of Demo + Maarek/Jendon. Last-first isn't needed. Thanks to Maarek stripping 4 shields and ExRacks it pops to the last.

After this, I could have been more aggressive, killed another CR, possibly the Neb even. But there was no point risking anything. The win was mine, and the rebel player would repair everything (or nearly anything) no matter how much I killed, so pointless. 


End

From the other side of the table. I've lost a few ints...and a Gozanti (top right) is headed for oblivion. I was tricked by the lack of a mat and it sailed off the table in round 5 or so. And I worked really hard to save that Goz by activating it first during a previous round. We laughed hard 😂😂😂


Thursday, July 1, 2021

Rebellion in the Rim pt. 7 (Round 6/2nd battle Act 2)

 

Bases and presences start r6

This round took place a while ago but I haven't posted about it bc reasons. Bases were built and presence stickers placed but tbh team Empire didn't put a lot of thought into the process.

I forgot to mention in my previous post that the fleet cap was to 275 points for Act 2 (and 300 for act 3). Obviously a house rule. Why? Bc RitR is an incredibly dull and unbalanced campaign system, where you immediately max out your fleet with squads (and if you don't, you'll lag behind) and have also maxed out commander abilities before the first pivotal. We already increased the abilities to 6 tiers but that was only a slight speed bump.

Anyone who tries to tell me that RitR is better balanced than CC will get hit by the nerf-bat. CC doesn't always make a whole lot of sense but RitR is just as bad or worse in its own way. Playtesting must have been minimal at best and whoever designed this must have little experience with strategy games, to begin with.

I got Demo before the pivotal and have enjoyed that title. Now I have 3x Reserve Hangar decks to give my 4 Ints a second lease on life. I've been forced to take Fighter Group Leader to compete with the Rebel MAXIMUM squads list. That wasn't the plan at all but I refuse to be steamrolled by squads. My 2 companions are lagging behind on squads bc they have both lost games and chosen non-squad rewards.

Assault 1: Rebel mixed fleet attacked Smugger's Run and was opposed by the VSD fleet (destiny tokens are great for VSDs btw). Empire managed a win.

Assault 2: Our duo-Arq attacked Atollon with an ally token, defended by the potato+trc90+gr75 fleet. The idea is to give my teammates the opportunity to both attack and defend and try out playing with allies. No hugging that stuff bc I'm the more experienced player. Minor win Rebels.

Assault 3: Rebel squad spam, with ally, vs me. Rebel played used token for CR90A. With Ion Techs that's not a bad choice as it gave him activation parity. This turned out to be super-valuable and I must say probably a lot smarter than just having even moah squads that he'd probably not be able to command well.

Setup

Setup was conventional. I intended to screen with my raider/goz/squads and pounce with Demo as the opportunity presented itself. With nav I it can jump from 1 to 3 speed with a token. And as a veteran it can conjure tokens at will.

We played Precision Strike. Location objective. Hard vs Rebel bomber heavy but Maarek-Jendon in PS can be mean too.

Round 2

But look, the rebel player has a plan. AF going all-in at speed 2. Where are my squads? They are on the right flank not appreciating the danger to the flagship. Demo gets a good attack run on the AF.

Round 3

Where did Demo go? Oops, it died 1st activation turn 3. Too many bombers, a lucky crit, but mostly overconfidence/lack of a plan on my part.

In the end I managed to claw my way back out of the hole. Instigator was in a good position and started popping squads. Even w/o the flagship my Ints added to the carnage. I got to use all 3 RHD and all 4 Ints eventually died. But by the end ALL rebel squads were dead save Norra, the AF2 was no more (Maarek/Jendon + the crit where you can't redirect if shields are down in that zone) and the BCC flotilla went down as well. 6-5 to me in tokens and a decent-sized win.

Tbh the rebel deserved to win this one. He had the ally token, I did not. he had a plan, I did not. But I'm a savvy squad player and refused to give up despite the loss of the flagship.

End of this round we're at 3-3 in points for this act. So 1 more round, then a pivotal.

Tuesday, June 29, 2021

Rebellion in the Rim pt. 6 (Round 5/1st battle Act 2)

 

It's been a while since last I updated our RitR campaign. Progress has been sooo slow I've lost a bit of interest. Here is a brief summary of Round 5 (1st battle Act 2). 

Monday, June 28, 2021

Tarot-sized ship cards for Clone Wars factions

 

I just had to share some photos of these AMAZING tarot-sized ship cards I got from @petersaber over at the Armada Discord (link in sidebar). He prints these periodically, so do reach out to him if you're interested. 

I absolutely HATE the smaller ship cards (and to a lesser degree, the bigger upgrades) so I was thrilled somebody was making 'em in the old size.

Here are a few closeups so you can appreciate the quality. Look how he managed to get the new ship keywords in there as well (right under the image). Very clever.

The paper used is VERy sturdy and has a "plastic" feeling to it. No chance of tearing or getting bent. I'm guessing it can even tackle a coffee spill (not going to test that).




Got a couple of these cute alt arts as a bonus. Now I want ALL the squads in this alternate format 😅😅😅


Saturday, June 26, 2021

Casual 600-pointer: Mar Tuuk vs Mr. Red Fish

 


Had a nice casual 600-pointer yesterday. Been too long since I played a battle of any size bigger than RitR 😅 

600-pointers* are my fav for casual games. It feels a lot like 400 (including how objectives affect the game) but with room for more of everything. You can have a good selection of ships of all sizes and still have a decent squad complement. You can also afford some suboptimal picks and not feel that too keenly. 400 points is a good choice for tourneys - a compromise between the feeling of a full fleet and time limitations.

* We have a 150 points in squads/2 flotilla limit in place.

I knew I wanted to run a CW faction because now I have the models but haven't played them before IRL only on Vassal. I tried making a Republic fleet but with only 1 squad pack I couldn't quite get the fleet I wanted so I gave up and ran with Seppies. Having only 4 Vultures meant I was going ship-heavy 😆

Simple fleet really: put as much plastic on the table as possible, keep it simple, roll a bunch of dice. IF! + Linked takes care of dice fixing, Mar Tuuk adds in dice (his drawback is really very small for ships with decent dice pools). 

BTs on the Recusants was a last-minute addition to give them some close-up punch. That worked REALLY well. The red flak/LTT also kept enemy squads hiding for most of the game so was decent. But Light Destroyer with Swivel would probably have been even better. 5 red + 2 black at long range. I'll try those next time.

TI-99 and RHD don't really mesh too well but I had to try something to keep the Vultures around long enough for flak to matter. Muni is there to keep the flag alive if it brawls. Same with BoB. In this game that didn't happen (you don't run your flag to brawl into the Ackbar death zone) but IMO it's a solid little trio.

Any hope of staying at range evaporated as my opponent turned out to be Ackbar with H1 (goodbye braces and useless Thermals) and 2 GT potatoes. We were both as 600. Rolled for initiative and my opponent picked 2nd. I went for Opening Salvo. No guts, no glory!

I wanted to kill Ackbar as quickly as possible. Failing that, get an activation advantage. Both of those didn't work. About the only thing that DID work was preventing a circling conga and having the rebel fleet spend its objective tokens piecemeal while I got more mileage out of my (red) bonus dice).

It was quite bloody, ending with the rebels being table 1st activation turn 5, for the loss of 1 Rec, 1 Muni, 1 Battle Refit, 3 Vultures, and a Rec at half points.

Mar Tuuk is a pretty solid commander. Call him simple or unimaginative but he gets his red dice more easily than Romodi. And once you're shooting into unshielded hull zones that's maybe better than extra dice. His drawback only comes into play once the enemy ship is nearly dead and if you've got more than 3 dice chances are that you can toss 1 die without trouble and still get the kill.

After the match, we discussed the fleets and the games: 

We agreed that taking out Intel Officer from the AFs to make room for X-wings was a mistake. Same with counting on H1 being safe the entire game and not needing def retros. HFZ/Draven on JL was a specific response to my consistent use of Counter squadrons and not some crazy stunt. It didn't do much here but against my usual fleets it melts my poor TIE Ints 😢

As for the game it was halfway lost at setup with rebels going in two directions and almost crashing and me blocking in an exposed Ackbar. Still, with all the dice being thrown - stuff was regularity doing 7-8 or more damage per shot with blocked braces - things could have gone differently.

Very fun game!

Monday, June 14, 2021

Update VASSAL OP 21 Midsummer Madness fleet submissions


Midsummer Madness is now accepting fleet submissions!

Midsummer Madness format: You submit a list, but you NEVER play it. Instead you're randomly assigned someone else's list each round. Scoring is the total of your own points and the points your fleet has scored. Can you make 80 TP!?

4 rounds Swiss. 1 week per round.

The deadline is Wednesday, 23rd June.

Start round 1 is Thursday, 24th June... aka MIDSUMMER.

Be there or you don't count as a mad 'mada player! 

https://forms.gle/hnJiEoqC2QusZwnh9

Thursday, May 6, 2021

VASSAL OP Midsummer Madness


Announcing "Midsummer Madness," a new VASSAL Organized Play event!

I got a new puppy...and covid is still a thing...so I don't think I'll be going anywhere this summer. So why not have a summer event on Vassal!?

Format

Here's the exciting bit: you get to decide the format. Take this survey to have a say. 

Schedule

Starting late June/Early July. Details TBA

Listbuilding restrictions/rules tweaks

Depends on the format. Details TBA

Signup

Signup/fleet submission deadline: TBA

Discord channel

There is a dedicated Discord channel for the event.

Use it to chat and ask questions, but keep it related to the event. 

Tournament software

We're using TTT to track players, scores, and matchups. You can find the event here.

Vassal Grand Championship

Read more here. Contribute to the prize pool here.

  • Points for this tournament:
    • Entry: 1
    • Completion: 1
    • Top 8: 1
    • Runner-up: 1
    • Winner: 2
    • Special: TBA
Current score.

Tuesday, April 27, 2021

Rebellion in the Rim pt. 5 (Round 4/1st Pivotal)

My name is Hermoine

Due to Covid restrictions (among other things) the was a huge delay between this pivotal and our previous game. Not ideal but we make do!

We met early on a Saturday a couple of weeks ago (that puppy and my new job is the reason I haven't been able to post this before) for our first pivotal: Demonstration of Force, Rebels assaulting. I think it took about 6 hours all told, with the squad game slowing things down by a lot from r3 and out.

The Fleets

Fleets haven't changed that much but Rebels now have Adar to make the squad madness even worse 😅 and both non-squad fleets have Ion Techs (ouch).

Our duo-Arq fleet has EST on both ships and Iden on the Raider. This is VERY useful. It still suffers from a lack of dice mods so Ion Techs (totally OP) is next on the list). The VSD fleet has dice mods but not yet any EST. And both those fleets REALLY need more squad protection. Even 1 more Int would make it better. Preferably some RHD too (that goes from me as well). My only fleet picked up Demo last turn. Demo + Maarekdon...that's a lot of ship-killing ability.

EMPIRE


STRATEGIC TOKENS
Ally: 2
Destiny: 1
Resources: 4
Skilled Spacers: 1

###

Fleet: Why So Many Gozanti?
Commander: Commodore Drok Lodt (BJØRN)
Abilities: Master Navigator I (flagship), Ordnance Expert (fleetwide)
XP: 2
Conditions: None

Assault: Most Wanted
Defense: Abandoned Mining Facility
Navigation: Infested Fields

Gladiator I (56) [FLAGSHIP] [VET]
• Ordnance Experts (4)
• Demolisher (10)
= 70 Points
Raider I (44)
• Ordnance Experts (4)
= 48 Points
Gozanti Cruisers (23)
= 23 Points
Gozanti Cruisers (23)
= 23 Points
Squadrons:
• Maarek Stele (21)
• Colonel Jendon (20) [VET]
• 4 x TIE Interceptor Squadron (44)
= 85 Points
Total Points: 249

###

Fleet: Dat Ole VSD
Commander: Fleet Captain Lex Ander (ALEXANDER)
Abilities: Master Navigator I (flagship), Ion Tech (fleetwide)
XP: 2
Conditions: Low Fuel

Assault: Most Wanted
Defense: Contested Outpost
Navigation: Infested Fields

Victory I (73) [FLAGSHIP] [VET]
• Veteran Captain (3)
• Linked Turbolaser Towers (7)
• Harrow (3)
= 86 Points
Arquitens Light Cruiser (54)
• Skilled First Officer (1)
• Linked Turbolaser Towers (7)
= 62 Points
Gozanti Cruisers (23)
• Comms Net (2)
• Suppressor (4)
= 29 Points
Squadrons:
• Soontir Fel (18) [VET]
• Howlrunner (16)
• TIE Interceptor Squadron (11)
= 45 Points
Total Points: 222

###

Fleet: Pimp My Ships
Commander: Flotilla Commander So Tham (THOMAS F)
Abilities: Master Engineer II (fleetwide)
XP: 2
Conditions: None

Assault: Opening Salvo
Defense: Contested Outpost
Navigation: Infested Fields

Arquitens Command Cruiser (59) [FLAGSHIP]
• Expert Shield Tech (5)
= 64 Points
Arquitens Command Cruiser (59)
• Expert Shield Tech (5)
= 64 Points
Raider II (48) [VET]
• Iden Versio (6)
• Disposable Capacitors (3)
= 57 Points
Squadrons:
• Ciena Ree (17) [VET]
• Valen Rudor (13) [VET]
• TIE Interceptor Squadron (11)
= 41 Points
Total Points: 226

REBELS

Tokens: 2x resource, spynet, ally, 2x skilled spacers, Repair yard.

Eirik (235)
Commander abilities
- Master Gunner I
- Ion Technician
XP: 2

Objectives: Asteroid Tactics, Surprise Attack, Minefields
.
(V) [flagship] Assault Frigate Mark II B (72)
- Skilled First Officer (1)
= 73 total points
(V) CR90 Corvette A (44)
- Jaina's Light (2)
- Intel Officer (7)
- Turbolaser Reroute Circuits (7)
= 60 total points
GR-75 Medium Transports (18)
- Bright Hope (2)
- Comms Net (2)
= 22 total points
Squadrons (80/200):
1x Millennium Falcon - Lando Calrissian (23)
1x Kanan Jarrus (19)
1x HWK-290 (12)
1x VCX-100 Freighter (15)
1x A-Wing Squadron (11)
.
.
Roosh flying circus. 214
Comnander master eng I, Ion technician, Infiltration I
Xp 1

Objectives: Surprise Attack, Abandoned Mining Facility, Solar Corona
.
(V) Nebulon-B Support Refit (51)
- General Draven (3)
- Auxiliary Shields Team (3)
- Spinal Armament (9)
= 66 total points
CR90 Corvette A (44)
- Turbolaser Reroute Circuits (7)
- Hondo Ohnaka (2)
= 53 total points
CR90 Corvette B (39)
- SW-7 Ion Batteries (5)
- Reactive Gunnery (4)
= 48 total points
Squadrons (47/200):
(V) Corran Horn E-wing Squadron (22)
1x Rogue Squadron X-wing Squadron (14)
1x A-Wing Squadron (11)
.
.
2nd Expeditinary Fleet (249/200)
Rebels - Author: CTS
Commander Tomakak
Master coordinator II
Xp: 3

Objectives: Capture the VIP, Precision Strike, Infested Fields
.
Assault Frigate Mark II B (72) (V)
- Adar Tallon (10)
= 82 total points
GR-75 Medium Transports (18)
- Bomber Command Center (😎
= 26 total points
GR-75 Medium Transports (18)
- Comms Net (2)
= 20 total points
Squadrons (121/200):
1x Norra Wexley Y-wing Squadron (17) (V)
1x Y-Wing Squadron (10)
2x Y-Wing Squadron (20) (scarred)
3x X-Wing Squadron (39)
1x Moldy Crow - Jan Ors (19)
1x Scurgg H-6 Bomber (16)

Demonstration of Force

Both sides spent 1 ally token. We took our staple 3xYV-666 and Rebels took 3xYT-1300. The 1300s were taken, I think, with Jan Ors in mind. Plus the 2400s die fast to YVs. But they never got anywhere near Jan so it didn't really help much.

We (Empire) didn't have much of a plan going into this pivotal. The only bit that we were going to focus on was not spreading out too much. 

I put my stuff down to one side, but not all the way to the edge. My squadrons, including 3xYV-666 went on the inside so they could move centrally if needed to support the rest of the Empire battle group. Both Gozanti at speed 2 aimed at squadron commands. Raider to support squads with flak. Demo (with Nav I) lurking at speed 1 ready to jump forward. And this time I'd keep Jendon-Maarek in reserve.

The VSD fleet was placed in the middle with the Arq on the left flank. Squads to the left with the Gozanti ready to command them. We still need more squads in that ball. Howl + Int + Soontir is just a minor speed bump - at best.

Our dual-Arq+Raider-II fleet on the far left. But by "far" left I mean just a little bit to the left not all the way left. Deployed to either go wide to the (far) left to lure away some rebel ship or to curl inwards and present a total of 3 Arq broadside to the approaching enemy.

Rebels put their main squad fleet in the middle facing the VSD. Their "mixed" fleet with Neb+2xCR90 facing our duo-Arq, but deployed much further out (even after using Infiltrator + Spynet token). Facing my Demo-group was 1 AF, 1 TRC90 (JL), and BH backed by a squad ball augmented by the 1300s.


Rebels moving their first ship of the day.

My battle group augmented by YVs.

Our center-left. Arqs are angled slightly to the left but being Arqs they can quickly curl right and present their combined broadsides.

Closeup of rebel left flank facing my Demo. For some reason, Bright Hope is heading away and both rebel combat ships are clumped together.

View of rebel center and right flank. They are spread out too much. The same thing happened in CC.

Closeup of rebel chief of staff's hands. A most cunning and sinister plot is afoot!

Early r1. Ships are edging forward.

Left flank perspective. Clearly shows how the rebels are way too spread out.

Forgot to take pics for a little while...Demo & Maarekdon murderer poor Jaina's Light. The tiny corvette should have taken cover behind the AF or gone wide. Instead it was an easy target that popped too soon.

The rebel right flank was doing fine and close to killing the Arq flagship. Then THIS WILD ROLL HAPPENED. 8 dmg on 4 reds...rerolling with Evade...another double. The chance of that happening is...very small. Dead CR90 --> Arq flagship that managed to limp into hyperspace.

This is after the TRC90 died. That potato is heading into red dice hell. Rebel squads waste time killing some Howl/Soontir/Int and make only a half-hearted bombing run on the VSD.

Overview. I think this is start r4. Rebels activate something...

...Maarek setting up Demo.

Poor Ints. We need RHD bad.

Die rebel scum!

Potato gone. Neb in trouble. If not for the 8-damage roll that flank would have developed very differently.

Demo pounces. The AF2 (AF1 model) is nearly dead at this stage. The VSD fleets Arq actually kills two potatoes in this game, both on 1 hull. Talk about being served by your allies 😅

End state. Rebels are hunted down to (almost) the last man. The CR90B makes it out alive. As do Rogue squad and Mr. Jarrus. Both achieve veteran status by running for the hills. Every other rebel squad is destroyed.

The Empire loses 2 flotillas and a handful of squads. Massive 410 MoV victory for us, earning us a ton of extra XP. Go Empire!

In many ways, the Rebels lost at setup. They did exactly the same things as when we played the final assault in CC: spread out too much. We delayed engagement in the center/our left while I used my striking power to hammer the rebel flank. Only after 1/3 of the rebel fleet was out of action did the main battle begin. Rebels squads were too slow to engage and not focused enough (hard when both potatoes die and no other combat ships nearby). The final flank was pretty much decided by a single dice roll. Instead of a tough fight, the rebels lost their TRC90 to bad luck and the Arq limped away into hyper on 1 hull and no shields. But even barring that dice roll Empire would have won by a good margin. But not 410 MoV good.

Next up is act 2!