Rindis.com

Crossposted from the SFU blog on BGG.

The Federation continues to burn through its stockpiled EPs. At the current rate, there won’t be enough left over next turn to ship 20 EPs to the Kzinti, before accounting for any economic damage from a Romulan invasion. The likely solution will be to slow down carrier production, and just produce a CVA next time.

But this turn the Federation did produce two CVSs and four DEs to escort them. The Kzinti have finally taken care of the cripple backlog and converted an F5 that was captured ages ago to Kzinti technology (there’s still a backlogged D5 to take care of).

While I knew that my main operational focus was going to be to do keep the Lyrans from extending their supply range into eastern Kzinti space, I had a hard time coming up with a real plan. In the end, I decided to take out all the infrastructure the Lyrans had built in Kzinti space, and sent out a line of FFs to block the remaining routes to the Lyran supply grid from 1202. The Federation pushed into the “neck” of Klingon space, taking out two planets there that had very little in range to defend them.

Bel had left a stack of crippled D5s in 2008, and I’m still not sure why. I think he had plans of using them to help pin some cripples in the neutral zone, but I just pinned them, and moved my cripples out.

Meanwhile the Hydrans tried to make an entry at the SW corner of the map that was immediately pinned. Their on-map fleet in 0117 did get a CU into 0116 to take (partial) control of that province again.

Kzinti theater. Lots of ships to coordinate.

Operation “Wedge”

Battles:
0119: Lyran: crip CVL, CWE, DWE; Hydran: dest RN
2008: Klingon: dest 3xcripD5; Federation: crip FF
1911: SSC: Klingon retreat
1808: Klingon: dest F5
1514: Klingon: 2xPDU, dest 2xE4, crip 2xE4; Federation: crip 2xNCL, capture planet
1714: Klingon: 4xPDU; Federation: crip 2xFF, capture planet
1813: Klingon: dest BATS; Federation: crip 2xFF
2215: SSC: Federation retreat
2214: Klingon: crip D6, D6M, D5; Federation: crip CC, FF
1107: Klingon: dest BATS; Kzinti: crip FF
1105: SSC: Klingon: crip D5, retreat; Kzinti capture planet
0703: SSC: Lyran: dest MB
0903: SSC: Lyran: dest FF
1203: SSC: Lyran: crip CW, retreat; Kzinti: crip BC, retreat
0902: Lyran: dest BATS; Kzinti: crip BC, MEC
1001: Lyran: 2xPDU, dest SB; Kzinti: capture planet
1201: SSC: Lyran: dest CC; Kzinti: crip CC, retreat
1202: Lyran: dest TGP(MB), 3xDW, crip CA, 3xCW, 3xDW, capture CL; Klingon: dest F5E; Kzinti: dest CL, DD, crip 2xCC, 2xBC, CM, 2xMEC, EFF
1806: SSC: Klingon: crip D5, retreat; Kzinti: retreat
1907: Klingon: crip 2xD6, D5; Federation: crip 2xDD, FF
1403: SSC: Klingon: crip E4, retreat

The Hydrans can’t afford to lose a cruiser every turn like this. I am starting work on the problem, however.

With the Reserve, the attack on the minor planet at 1514 was pretty even (I had a CVA and smaller ships, and the reserve was pretty small), and I figured I’d end up taking fighters and retreating. But two rounds of good rolls forced Bel to retreat and let me take the planet.

I had a decent superiority at 0902, but Bel had a full line, and I figured he would make me go a round or two before retreating behind the base. Instead, he blew it the first round and we both retreated out. That allowed me to send those forces onto the Lyran SB+RGT at 1001 which only had a few cripples at it (the reserve being pinned on 0902, the main fleet reacted to 1202).

I had originally figured to have a big pinning battle at 1001, but the big climax was six rounds at 1202, which I mishandled. We were about even going in, and I was hoping to take the planet, but the die rolls were even (and against me in the second round), and I ended up retreating out with most of the fighters gone (kept 12 on the CVA Titan in case of pursuit). I just dumped damage on him, which hurt a lot, but I should have just blown the two tugs in the hex (got one) and retreated out a round or two earlier.

Turn 11 scoring:
Coalition: 283 EP (x2) + 320 (bases) + 363 ships (/5) + 100 (Hydran Capital) = 1058.6
Alliance: 334.2 EP (x2) + 515 (bases) + 478 ships (/5) = 1279

Difference = 220.4 Major Alliance Victory

I seem to have missed a couple of Lyran bases last time …and something else went wrong. Probably didn’t multiply the Coalition EPs by 2. I’ve updated the totals on the Turn 10 post.