VASSAL Armada module version 4.6.1 is available

 

Module version 4.6.1 "VWC2022 - The women and the children too" is available!

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

Checksum: dee4d371

OVERVIEW

VASSAL World Cup 2021 OFFICIAL VERSION.

CLICKABLE action buttons.

FULLY hotkeyed maneuver tool.

Assorted bugfixes.

VASSAL version update.

COMPATIBILITY

Armada 4.6.0 was built using Vassal 3.6.3. ALWAYS update to the most recent versions of both the module and VASSAL!

Do NOT use VASSAL 3.6.0-3.6.2 due to CRITICAL movement bug!!!

CRITICAL BUGFIXES

Fixed the mega-annoying bug that prevented auto-zoom on pices using mouse-over.

OTHER BUGFIXES

Fixed Shu Mai round 5 token spawn (for real this time). The problem wasn't Shu Mai, but the actual r4 token.

MAJOR NEW FEATURES

ACTION BUTTONS: New on-ship base buttons. Currently implemented: place/notch man tool, range/distance. More to come.

INTERACTIVE MAN TOOL: New left-click  functionality added to the maneuver tool (the old ways still work). Push the green/red fields to add yaw to that joint. Super simple!

FULLY HOTKEYED MAN TOOL: Click any segment on the man tool, and you can use CTRL+UP/DOWN ARROW to move from segment to segment. Combined with CTRL+LEFT/RIGHT ARROW it's possible to dramatically speed up man tool use. I recommend unchecking "Use arrow keys to scroll" under File --> Preferences --> General or you might run into trouble!

Updated the help section with new links, rules, and more.

OTHER NEW FEATURES

Munitions/Parts Resupply now spawn 5 tokens in one go.

CW officers can now spawn appropriate tokens from the card.

CW commanders can now spawn appropriate tokens & dials from the card.

Sabine Wren can now spawn prox mines.

Taskmaster Grint can now spawn command tokens.

Recusant can now hold 4 command tokens (Nova Defiant title).

Nova Defiant (title) can quick-spawn a Command 4 stack.

EWS and Swivels now spawn chaff and focus tokens respectively. Why would you not just use the ship-based menu for this? I don't know. But it was requested so there you are.

NEW VASSAL FEATURES

For God's sake uncheck "Center on opponent's move" under File --> Preferences --> General or you WILL GO MAD!

To load your fleet, use "Load continuation" under Tools and NOT "Load game or log" under File.

Adjust "Mouse drag threshold" under File --> Preferences --> General down to "2" or something to enable fine manipulation.

Mute in-game sounds by unchecking under File --> Preferences --> Sounds.

ALT+Click will "flash" red rings around that point. To draw your opponent's attention to something.

SHRIMPBOT SETUP SCRIPT

As of writing the bot is still at 4.4.0 so you'll have to manually replace the ship models (the other components are fine) with new copies from the pieces menu. Ard plans to update the bot soon (TM).

TO-DO (in order)

+/- buttons for shields, hull and speed.

Fix hull/speed box layout on some ships.

Buttons for squads.

Obstacle outlines.

Make shield dials toggleable (easier to resolve obstacle overlap corner cases).

Add CW victory tokens.

Add alternate color schemes for all remining Republic Pelta and Seppie ships.

Update some alt color schemes for GCW factions.

Add better quality card images as they become available.

NEW VASSAL FEATURES

For God's sake uncheck "Center on opponent's move" under File --> Preferences --> General or you WILL GO MAD!

To load your fleet, use "Load continuation" under Tools and NOT "Load game or log" under File.

Adjust "Mouse drag threshold" under File --> Preferences --> General down to "2" or something to enable fine manipulation.

Mute in-game sounds by unchecking under File --> Preferences --> Sounds.

ALT+Click will "flash" red rings around that point. To draw your opponent's attention to something.

SHRIMPBOT SETUP SCRIPT

As of writing the bot is still at 4.4.0 so you'll have to manually replace the ship models (the other components are fine) with new copies from the pieces menu. Ard plans to update the bot soon (TM).

TO-DO (in order)

+/- buttons for shields, hull and speed.

Fix hull/speed box layout on some ships.

Buttons for squads.

Obstacle outlines.

Make shield dials toggleable (easier to resolve obstacle overlap corner cases).

Add CW victory tokens.

Add alternate color schemes for all remining Republic Pelta and Seppie ships.

Update some alt color schemes for GCW factions.

Add better quality card images as they become available.

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. 

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.

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.

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...

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...

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).

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 😂😂😂