Genearal SFB
Tournament Tactics
Game 8 (1st
round of playoff tree) -Ameer Sulamain LDR
Ameer and I go way back. My 1st
tourney game I’ve ever played at a convention was against him back
in 1993. Since then, we have met at almost every tournament I had
every played in. All of those times he had been flying the
Romulan TFH, but this time around he was uncharacteristically
flying the LDR ship. I felt good about this match up because the
LDR cannot do much to keep the Fed from getting his range 4 shot.
Even if the LDR jumps to range 3 he’ll lose the 1st exchange if he
gets hit with 3 photons (the most likely result). If the LDR hold
fire in this situation, he’ll lose p1’s, a disruptor, and most
likely and ESG. If he fires a full alpha, that means he won’t
have much reinforcement an he’ll be taking close 35-40 internals.
If he had a large brick, then the Fed won’t be taking a lot of
internals in return. The key for the Fed here is to maintain a
high enough speed to not get overrun for the rest of the turn. If
you can stay away, then an LDR with that kind of damage will have
a difficult time evening the score. Note that this was my 5th
game of the day, so my details concerning Ameer’s late game
actions may be a bit off. I had stopped tracking his power after
the 1st turn.
Turn 1
I fully overloaded the photons,
held a suicide shuttle, put 18 into movement (16/24) and 1
reinforcement on the #6. Ameer did a 21/28 plot.
I came out slipping gradually
towards my left. Ameer slipped out wide and then turned into me
after his speed change kicked in. He then raised a radius 3 and a
radius 2 ESG. It worked out that we where going to go to range 4
off each other’s #6 shields on impulse 23 , so I launched a speed
6 shuttle to absorb some ESG damage if he HET’ed into me to get
range 3. On 23 he HETed into me killing my shuttle and doing 9 to
my # 6. He also fired his FA disruptors as standards and his 2 FA
p1’s. He whiffed with the disruptors and did a further 8 to my #
6. I let fly with all 4 overloads and 4 p1’s (saving the 360’s)
but only hit with 1 photon!!!! I downed his facing #1 and did 2
internals to him, both being aft hull. Next impulse I HETed into
him. What this did is force him to slip left if he didn’t want to
take the rest of my phasers down his throat, denying him the
centerline shot that would have allowed both his gats to toast
me. He slipped left and alpha me with his RS gat, 2 FX disruptors
(as standards) and 4 p1’s. All this was augmented by the other
ESG hitting the same shield. He did 24 internals took out a
photon, both p3’s and a FH p1. He also hit 7 warp engine boxes
(!?!?). His spectacular hit left me with 6 undestroyed F hull
boxes. As he passed me, I fired my RF/R and 360’s p1’s at his #3
shield doing 18 to it. By turn’s end I turned right while he
continued straight, heading directly away from me.
Turn 2
Well, the 1st turn had gone
horribly for me. I had whiffed big time and his unbelievable
internal roll had left me really hurting for power. I needed to
make sure that he did not overrun me again this turn so I would
have something to offer on our next battle pass. I refilled my
batts, started 1 photon, put 4 into phasers, dropped the SS, and
put 16 into movement (12/17). I repaired 1 p3 and started repairs
on a Left Warp as an AWR.
I wanted to drag him across the
board in directions E and F as much as possible, then turn loop
around to come at him the other way off my #6. Since his #1 was
down, Ameer played along and shadowed my about 10-12 hexes away at
speed 21. I blundered and turned to D 1 impulse too late and
allowed him a shot through my down shield with his 2 FX
disruptors. They both hit and took out 2 more warp and an impulse
(What can I say? When it rains it pours!!). I then completed my
loop and started heading towards the center of the map facing
direction B. Ameer was already way ahead in the game at this
point, so he was content to circle wide and look for more
disruptor-picking opportunities next turn. I used 4 of my batts
to start my other 2 photons. Ameer repaired a couple of shield
boxes on his #1.
Turn 3
My power issues where killing me.
I once again refilled my batts, put 2 more into my phaser caps
(bringing them up to 6), completed the photons as standards, and
put a measley 11 into movement (17/8/11). I allocated all 4 CDR
to finishing repair on my LW and awaited it’s arrival with baited
breath.
Nothing very remarkable occurred
this turn. Ameer whipped around the outside of the board as I
achieved the center. I was able to stay off his wounded # 3
shield, but never got to within range 8 and wanted to save my
phaser firepower. I had a feeling he had some reinforcement on
that shield anyways. Towards the end of the turn Ameer began
stringing out shuttles. He launched a total of 3. It was
relatively easy to maneuver around them, but they would become an
issue if I ever slowed down or if the fight went back towards the
center/top region of the board. Ameer took a range 9-15 potshot
at my #6 with his 2 FX disruptor but missed with both. Ameer
Repaired a couple of boxes on his #3.
Turn 4
This was the turn I had to even
the score. My weapons where as juiced as I could get them and
Ameer would need to show me his #3 to get in a decent attack run
baring a second HET attempt. If he attempted to loop around the
other way, I would be able to corner him sometime next turn. I
pumped up 2 of my photons to 12 points, held the 3rd as
a standard, put 4 reinforcement on my #1 shield, actually spend 2
to repair a box on my #6 (so I would have something next turn if
he knocked it down now. It was only at 12 boxes anyways), and
went speed 12 the entire turn. I started repairs on a second LW
as an AWR.
I was able to gradually close with
Ameer who was still having trouble looping around me. He turned
his #2 shield to me mid turn at about range 8ish. We both
declined to fire here. His problem now was that both shields on
either side of his #2 where really weak. I death dragged 1 of his
shuttles when it got to range 2 off one of my rear shields. By
Impulse 23 I had achieved range 4 off his 6 box #3 shield, so I
used 2 batteries to pump up the 3rd photon to 2 points
and let fly with the 3 photons and 3 p1’s. Remember my comment 2
turns ago about “when it rains it pours”? Well, that theme
continued as only 1 of my photons hit. I did mange to do 18
internals to him, taking out an ESG and his RS Gat, but it was not
the damage I needed to get back into the game. Next impulse he
turned into me and fired a couple more phasers and a standard
disruptor at my #1, which took it down to half. He then announced
the raising of his surviving ESG and launched his last shuttle. I
too launched a shuttle. We had a big laugh when his ESG came up
at range 3 and did 5 to me, 5 to my shuttle, and 5 to HIS shuttle
as he had miss timed the launching of his shuttle. He turned
right again and eventually got on my down #2 at the expense of
letting me fire a couple more p1’s through his down shield. He
nailed me with 2 OL FX disruptors and 2 p1’s. This shot took out
3 more phasers, another photon, and 5 more power hits. He then
looped away.
Turn 5
I was down to 24 total power now
while Ameer was still in decent shape. Only a major blunder on
his part would let me into the game. I played the turn out until
impulse 20 or so where he knocked down my #1 shield. I then
conceded when his internal roll left me with 1 photon and my 2 360
p1’s.
Ameer played his LDR well for
somebody that was relatively new to it, but I have to say that the
deciding factor in this game was hitting with only 2 out of 7
photons fired at range 4. Still, that’s the rish you take when
flying the Fed and I knew what I was getting into when I signed
on. It didn’t matter what I did after that second alpha as long
as Ameer didn’t make a major league mistake, which he didn’t.
Over all, I
had perhaps the best time at this convention than any other I had
attended. I was surprised that the Fed was as fun as it was to
play for an entire weekend. My games where all pleasant as well
and I got along well with just about everybody. Even though I was
disappointed to get bounced out in the 1st round by
Ameer, I was still satisfied with my overall record of 6-2 in a
ship I was not too sure I would succeed in.
Game 1 -
Peter Bakija, Kzinti
Game 2 - Ben Ossenfort, WYN AUX (Hellbore, Dis,
Gat, Drone)
Game 3 - David Cheng, Hydran
Game 4 - Aadil Sulamain - Tholian ATC
Game 5 - Wil Leiserson - Tholian ATC
Game 6 - Kevin Block-Shwenk, Rom TKE
Game 7 - John Malis, Klingon
Game 8 (Round 1 of single elimination) - Ameer
Sulamain
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