Athenost - jeux de figurines

FSA vs EOBS 800 points

This time, I was playing FSA and my friend was playing EOBS.

Other Dystopian Wars games here (in French).

FSA (from left to right on above picture):

• Augusta frigates x 4 - 120 points
• dive bomber SAW x 5
• Savannah sky fortress with target painter - 175 points
• fighter SAW x 4
• fighter SAW x 4
• Liberty heavy battleship with shield - 230 points - Commodore's flagship
• Princeton gunship x 3 - 270 points
• reconnaissance SAW x 1
• torpedo bomber SAW x 5

EOBS (from left to right on above picture):

• fighter SAW x 5
• torpedo bomber SAW x 5
• fighter SAW x 5
• Kiyohime assault carrier - 155 points
• Uwatsu frigate x 4 - 120 points
• reconnaissance SAW x 1
• Sokotsu battleship with shield - 190 points - Commodore's flagship
• Tanuki gunship x 3 with Arashi support cruiser - 335 points

Deployment

EOBS won the strategic advantage.
After rolling for random terrain, EOBS placed a big island. I placed reefs in the middle of the table, hoping it would somehow slow down the japanese fleet.
EOBS chose to deploy close to the big island.

Field orders

EOBS secretly drew the Go for their leader Field Order (destroy fifty percent of the fleet value including the commodore's ship). I drew Thin their ranks (destroy fifty percent of the fleet value including all small models).

Turn 1: japanese fleet moves cautiously forward / Princeton gunship sunk by japanese rockets

Summary: The japanese commodore decided not to give any easy victory points to the FSA and moved the Uwatsu frigates as far as possible from my fleet. The Tanuki gunship squadron moved forward and stopped exactly at RB4 from the Princeton gunships. The japanese rockets (20 AD at RB4) caused 24 hits (!) reduced to 18 thanks to good american AA – Those hits caused a double-crit on one American Princeton Gunship, which was sunk by the Sokotsu battleship a few minutes later. Meanwhile, the american fleet only managed to damage a Tanuki (3HP – shots from Savannah sky fortress and Liberty Heavy Battleship).

Activation order: EOBS SAS / FSA SAS / EOBS SAS / FSA SAS / Uwatsu / FSA SAS / EOBS SAS / FSA SAS / Tanuki caused Double-Crit on Princeton / FSA Augusta / Kiyohime failed to damage Princeton and Augusta / Savannah caused critical damage on Tanuki / Sokotsu sank damaged Princeton / Liberty damaged Kiyohime (1HP) / Princeton damaged Tanuki (1HP)

Score at the end of turn 1 : EOBS 90 – FSA 0

Turn 2: Japanese fleet stays far away from Liberty heavy battleship and builds on its advantage, pounding the weakest American ships / American fleet seems impotent

Summary: EOBS tried to play a Battlefield Repair TAC, which was cancelled by my Espionage TAC (+40 VP for EOBS). The Uwatsu frigates hid behind the big island and the Tanuki stayed at exactly RB4 in the wake of their American enemies. Another Princeton gunship was damaged by the Tanuki/Arashi gunship squadron and two Augusta frigates were sunk by the Kiyohime carrier. The American ships, too far away and unable to attack the weakest targets, failed to damage anything! My fighter SAW only destroyed two Japanese torpedo bombers, which was a stupid move: the Japanese torpedo bomber SAS was flying close to its carrier and was replenished the next turn.

Activation order: Savannah failed to damage anything / Tanuki and Arashi fired their rockets at Princeton and caused 3HP loss (two shots); turrets failed to damage Savannah / Princeton failed to damage anything / Sokotsu damaged Savannah (1HP) / Liberty failed to damage Sokotsu / Uwatsu / Augusta / Kiyohime sank two Augusta / all SAS

Score at the end of turn 2 : EOBS 190 – FSA 0

Turn 3: FSA pounds the Kiyohime carrier but fails once again to sink any Japanese ship / another Princeton gunship is destroyed / dreadful Tanuki squadron heavily damages both American large models

Summary: I played a Battlefield repair TAC on the damaged Princeton gunship. My opponent did not cancel the card and gladly took 60 VP. Another Princeton gunship was however sunk (shots from Kiyohime carrier, torpedo bombers and Sokotsu battleship) during this turn. After it was target-painted by the Savannah sky fortress, the Kiyohime carrier was heavily damaged by the American fleet and lost 5 HP. The Tanuki gunship squadron, still moving slowly and cautiously forward, caused one criticial hit on the Savannah sky fortress and another critical hit on the Liberty heavy battleship.

Activation order: EOBS SAS attacked FSA torpedo bombers / Savannah failed to damage Uwatsu and Tanuki; target painted Kiyohime / Kiyohime’s turrets caused critical hit on Princeton / Princeton caused critical hit on Kiyohime / Tanuki fired their rockets at Liberty and caused critical hit; fired their cannons at Savannah and caused a critical hit / Liberty damaged Kiyohime (3HP thanks to punishing gunnery) / EOBS torpedo bomber SAS caused critical hit on Princeton / Augusta fled / Sokotsu sank damaged Princeton / Uwatsu / Other SAS

Score at the end of turn 3 : EOBS 340 – FSA 0

Turn 4: at last, FSA sinks Japanese carrier and one Japanese gunship / FSA fleet so weakened that American commodore gives up

Summary: at last, FSA was able to sink one Tanuki gunship (shots from Princeton gunship and Liberty battleship) and finish off the Kiyohime carrier (shots and bombs from Savannah sky fortress). But the last Princeton gunship was sunk at the same time (shots from Sokotsu battleship and Uwatsu frigates), and both my heavy battleship and sky fortress were severely weakened by Japanese shots (from Tanuki gunships and fighter SAS, respectively). As it was late and the Savannah would surely be boarded by Tanukis on the next turn, I saw no hope of destroying the three last Uwatsu and gave up.

Activation order: Japanese fighter SAS destroyed American dive bombers before they could attack the Kiyohime carrier / Savannah’s bombs and broadsides destroyed Kiyohime and one Uwatsu / Tanuki’s rockets caused critical hit (Weapons Damage) on Liberty; Tanuki’s turrets damaged Savannah (1HP) / Princeton hit the damaged Tanuki (1HP) / Sokotsu’s broadside sank one Augusta, rockets failed to damage another Augusta and turrets caused critical hit on Princeton / Liberty, despite Weapons damage, sank the damaged Tanuki / EOBS fighter SAS caused critical hit on Savannah (Hard pounding) / last Augusta fled / Uwatsu sank last Princeton

Score at the end of turn 4 : EOBS 460 – FSA 320
EOBS won

Conclusions and comments

• My strategy was to remain close to my edge and pound the Japanese fleet as it came forward; but my Japanese opponent did not fall into the trap, stayed far away and, surprisingly, was more efficient than the FSA at RB3/4, as my ships proved to be more fragile than his.
• The first turn gave a decisive advantage to EOBS; I was not able to recover from the loss of the first Princeton gunship in turn 1
• The Savannah's target painter was not as useful as I hoped. Shields on my Princeton gunships would have probably been more useful
• I should have moved more cautiously my frigates and bomber SAS. None of them was able to attack before being damaged or destroyed.
• I hate this Tanuki+Arashi squadron. During this game, it destroyed 14 HP in 4 turns! I don't know how to deal with it. It is tough (Tanuki have CR 8, rockets AD are unaffected by damage), highly dangerous at RB4 (rockets - 20 AD!) and even more dangerous at close distance (boarding – 23 AP!). If you get close to it, it will board your best ship. If you stay away, its rockets will ravage your fleet. I was hoping to sink one of them early but was not able to because my opponent moved them much more cautiously than I expected, staying at RB4 in my wake so as to avoid any counter-attack.

Other Dystopian Wars games here (in French).