Corellian campaign Setup and First Blood

The imperial forces are on their way to assume control over the Corellian sector for the supreme chancellor. It is a normal day in space and within the heavy steel walls and the big guns, it is pretty much silent. Corellia, wishing to prevent war at all costs, had already capitulated upon communication that the empire was on its way. The fleets installed a base there and then Darth Vader himself, as well as admirals Sloane and Screed went on to ensure control of the repair yards in the outer rim. On their way to complete their missions, imperial spies were raking in information on rebel presence settling in and out of the Corellian system, but nothing the repair yards were still ripe for claims. This is the intel gathered thus far:

• Imperial bases on Corellia, Vagran, Xyquine II, and the Sabhering Asteroid Belt
• For a total of 4 repair yards
• Rebel Presence has been noted on Selonia, Talus, Aurea, Crash's Drift, Duro and Nubia
• For 2 repair yards, 3 skilled spacers and 1 diplomat

A transmission from imperial loyalists from planet Drall came warning of rebels trying to take over, Sloane was sent to intercept.

Hungry for power, Vader commissioned Screed to do a show of Force on Forvand for their prized SpyNets and other ressources.

Local rebel transmissions from intergalactic smugglers at Centerpoint were intercepted, a hyperlane raid was underway. Sensing the force to be strong there Vader thought to react himself, these were no ordinary smugglers and must have something to do with the explosion in local rebel uprisings.

 Sloane at Drall

Admiral Sloane and her team got to Drall before the rebels allowing her to setup a Salvage run ambush. 

This is going to be very tight

Rebels and Imperials step out of hyperspace

The strategy was set: Sloane on her ISD was going to fly straight at the "easy" target:
Ackbar on the MC 80 that was forced to go straight or land multiple times on neighbouring asteroids, then we pin him and force him to use only his weak front arc.

It's a trap!

This hurt, and its gonna hurt more next turn

The ISD is taking way more damage than expected! The sharp turned reinforcement by the Nebulon was unexpected. Also I couldn't pin him down as it would have forced me to fly off the table as soon as he was gone (Thats what I get for planning only squadron dials). Only one remaining hull point on the ISD after a MC80 double arc + Engine Tech double Ram as first activation of turn 3. Before dying from ramming itself into the Nebulon, Sloane manages to activate squadrons to spend all tokens on the MC80 and then Explode it with a brutal front arc. The rest of the game was spent by the squadrons trying to destroy the rebel flotilla (and successfully-ish, see what happenned here).

After Thoughts

The loss of the ISD was way faster than expected and more careful planning will be required as I was really close not to destroy the MC80. The 80 objective points were great for winning the campaign point, but the near-equal material losses don't grant me such a big advantage in future campaign rounds, again more caution will be required (especially losing a tie fighter and a phantom for staying too close to battle after the destruction of the MC80). 

That AckBar MC75 has lot of dice, I'm really happy a bunch of Asteroids were separating us. 

It was a really nice game against Peter Plan, and it was played honorably. I will be expecting better squadron defense next games.

Salvage Run

The rebel's Light Bringer meet the Imperial's Cerberus in the first battle at Drall. 

The summary 

Along with two wrecked A Wings, Admiral Akbar’s escape pod was recovered shortly after a salvage run from the Imperials. The great sorrow of losing a Mon Calamari Cruiser was matched by the immense joy of destroying an Imperial Star Destroyer. Admiral Sloane’s escape pod was certainly recovered by their peers, next to two worn-out tie fighters and a busted tie phantom.

That was, it seems, the closest battle I have ever fought: 178 Imperial credits worth of junk floating in space against 182 of rebel material wasted. Then, you add the easy imperial salvage run and the now known “GRemlin” incident (see below for details). The epic tale to be was transformed in a hard-fought battle in favour of the Siths, nearly as costly in terms of refitting on both sides. Final score for the rebels remain 178 while the Imperials gather 287 victory points, the equivalent of a 7-4 tournament win for the dark side. 

The GRemlin Incident 

A GR75 combat retrofit was destroyed by a twisted turn of faith … or was it? An already escaped Admiral Sloane (from the destroyed ISD) used her competencies after fleeing the battle. This should not have happened. A swarm of squadrons hit the remaining ships, spending their defence tokens one after the other. The “GRemlin” did not survive. How many times was it executed exactly? Uncertain.

Of course, cheating was not in case here. My adversary is too proud to use such filthy ways. No, it was only excitement. The improbable destruction of the ISD was too fresh. It was acknowledged on both sides that it was an honest mistake. Maybe the “GRemlin” would have been overwhelmed anyway by the remaining swarm of imperial squadrons, maybe it could have escaped them. No reparations were given. It was too late. 

Strategy Recap 

The rebel strategy was to concentrate fire on the giant of the other side. It worked very well. Only one more damage point and the exchange would have ended very differently. Instead, the shieldless ISD survived one more turn, giving a last blow on the MC80 before kicking the bucket. One more damage on the preceding attack and this would have been prevented. A winning recipe that just fell short by one point.

The imperial strategy was an old one, seen again and again. They activated squadron after squadron, using their Lamba ships to reach them almost anywhere in the skies. Every ship, at every activation called on their aid. It worked with moderation. Half of the ten squadron attacks were distracted by only two A Wings (scared) and Corran Horn (now veteran). The good side of it, for the rebels, they were too busy to repair anything and that cost them a big ship. 

Lessons Learned

Safe Passage: The rebels thought it might be a good idea to head directly in the debris cemetery with the MC80. It paid off because it managed to be a great help in destroying the ISD. The downside was that the path was so narrow, it was directed into a straight line with very limited turning options, giving away its next move, or taking damage by breaking the obvious route. In he future, such routes will mean more scrutiny over their worthiness.

Heroes of the day: Both antagonists forgot to update the veteran status of their heroes. They had to recall who killed who at the end of the battle. From now on, a kill is something to pause for. Think of what it means, other than one less evil being to think about.

Read more, read less: From the “GRemlin” incident, next time a ship or squadron goes down, flip its card. If you can’t read it, you can’t use it.

Peter Plan

First Contact

In response to my SOBH’s introduction (Son Of a Bueno Hombre), I feel I have to contribute this little piece of wisdom before we engage in a two kitchens wide Corellian conflict (we play at each other’s place depending on mood).

Here it is : Helmuth von Moltke the Elder is a German strategist that once said, “No plan survives contact with the enemy.” His thesis on the ground in the 1800s evolved into a fact checked experience over the course of many virtual 3’ X 6’ space battles.

Over many victories and defeats, I called meetings with all the serving commanders so they could build different armadas. No one fleet was launched a second time without modifications. Winning recipes they have found, but enemies tend to smell and recognize the food before it is served. Darth Vader has rarely given a second chance to his own crew, so imagine how my rebels felt about a second serving of flaming Imperial Star Destroyer with a hive of squadrons. They expressed need for change, just in case.

On just about every emergency scrums, meaning a few minutes before hell is unpacked on the table, my commanders managed to propose different ways to engage the enemies. All attempts to choose one over the others were met with skepticism and curiosity … even by themselves. “Not bad.” “Looks better but.” “Let’s try it.” If only they had a few more minutes to change it again!

At just about every encounter, there was one similar thought at the start of every round 2 : “What the … happened?” The enemy was supposed to move here, increase speed or stay grouped. He did not. Two of my ships even got to fire on an enemy in the first round, thanks to the ambush zone the Imperials got me into. Really!? None of my officers had predicted multiple hits on the first round before. Imagine the Imperials who thought they had surprised us!

So, why the quote? Well, my SOBH’s introduction speaks of strategy to come. In my opinion, the strategy happens way before you enthusiastically roll the dice, way before you over confidently place your ships in the setup area … and yet, way after you swallow a punitive humility lesson, because if you did not learn from that one, you’re in for another engine whoopin’.

Peter Plan

Introduction

Hi all,

Welcome to my Star Wars Armada blog. This blog is in no way trying to be as up to date, meta-relevant or as shiny as the blogs we love so much like Steel Strategy, Concentrate Fire!, or Cannot Get Your Ship Out and others.

I am building this blog in prospect of an upcoming Corellian Conflict campaign with my father Peter, my main and most worthy opponent up to now. This blog shall be the home to a thematic story-telling of this campaign as well as reflective pieces on the strategic choices made in the campaign. I will lead three imperial battalions to capture the unstable Corellian system as Peter organizes the rebel resistance.

The blog's name is inspired by Han Solo's thematic quote from The Empire Strike Back, that is really thematic of the rebel dodgy playstyle in Armada, let alone the rebellion as a whole in the Star Wars universe.

As time goes, I hope I will find time to publish more posts about strategies (more specifically on the empire side for me and Peter will likely post some useful tips for the rebels), but only time will tell if we manage to get time to do it.

A good opponent once gave me a tip when I was making a bad move,
my worthiest opponent made me suffer for it and I came back stronger.

All you amateurs out there, play nobly (well maybe throw in a scummy rebel surprise every now and then), but most of all, play the Armada game you want to play. The internet is full of people that will tell you how to enjoy a game, but ultimately you and your opponent are the only ones in that immersive space battle.

-Darth Max