Fleet Action! Red Team HQ

[Nac Mac Feegle]

Aww, you guys love me, you really love me. I'd be happy to take the Supreme Commander role (don't worry, I have no particular intention of bossing you guys around), and I'll edit/post up a full background as soon as I get back from work (although I'm still not quite sure what skill I'll be using). Basically I think my fleet will consist of...whatever's left over after you guys grab your stuff. I'll want hopefully 2-3 (3 would be nicer) of the BBs to form the core of my wall, and at least one carrier (two if no one but Zurai wants 'em).

On the subject of team roles, is our fighter pilot going to work alongside our daring raider? It seems like Zurai's plan is fighter-heavy, so having a pairing there might be nice.

 

[Zurai]

Actually, the carrier isn't really integral to 'my' plans. Matter of fact, I suspect it'll slow me down. The carrier will be my base of operations, while the cruisers and destroyers are the actual attack force. Of course, that may all change once I see how things actually work in the game.

Ideally, my fleet will be haring off all over the Terrans' backfield while your wall of battle advances inexorably forward, cleaning up all the messes I make Of course, no plan survives first contact with the enemy, so in reality I'll probably come screaming back to Mommy with my tail between my legs.

Which brings up another point: We should probably keep some ships in reserve. Not the BBs or CVs, we'll need all of them up front, but the lighter ship classes may need replaced as we go along, and I'm not sure that we get replacements unless we spend Victory/Influence Points for them.

 

[Kaodi]

Vice Admiral Ysbeln is a strong believer in the old philosophy that a military force is only as strong as its fuel tanks and ammo magazines are full. This preoccupation with supply lines has made him a somewhat conservative and cautious commander who is wary of the dangers of overreaching without adequately protecting what you have left behind. Though he can sometimes be the cause of many headaches for the more aggresive commanders in the war room, his experience can be invaluable during extended wartime operations.

 

[Kaodi]

Though we do not really know how the mechanics of this are going to go yet, my preliminary thoughts on our strategy is that our main force move through E and F and position themselves for an attack on J, timed to coincide with a simultaneous attack on D from free space. This would nab us two star ports, and give us a fair foothold in the corridor. We mine the area around A and E to discourage direct attacks, and we cleanup any resistance in H while sending scouts to G, K and O. Or something like that.

 

[Zurai]

That seems a reasonable plan, although I don't think we need to mine A. The only approaches to A are through free space, so there's really nowhere to mine anyway. Akhollan, of course, would insist on being the one to take system D, and since we (presumably) have the advantage of surprise, he won't even complain too hard about how much the transports are slowing him down.

The timing seems to work out fairly well, too. First turn, the main fleet hits E while Akhollan moves SW of A with his fleet. Second turn, the minelayers start laying mines in E, the main fleet hits F, and Akhollan advances to the SW again. Third turn, both fleets hit their targets (J and D) simultaneously.

The most important thing, I think, will be to keep the unaligned planets from spreading word of our attack. I don't know if it'll be possible under the rules, but if we can take E and F un-noticed, we'll have a massive advantage in the early stages of the war. I just hope this doesn't turn out like Pearl Harbor and we end up waking a sleeping giant

 

[Bloodweaver1]

Do we want to send a small but capable force through the nearby outer world/pirate systems at the same time as we launch our major offensive? We can gobble up some extra systems with little contest and hopefully get some extra resources.


-Blood

 

[Zurai]

I personally like "Divide and Conquer". Slice off supply lines somewhere up the chain, then fill in the backfield at our leisure.

 

[Kaodi]

I was thinking that we should try diplomacy with the Pirates if possible. If we can get them to at least coordinate their raids with us, it might provide us an advantage.

 

[Zurai]

That's a good point. Anything to provide even more distractions meets with Akhollan's approval!

 

[Nac Mac Feegle]

I like the plan, the only think we'll have to worry about is quick action from G or H - if we leave a fleet presence at E we can use it to sweep up and reinforce D once it's taken. Zurai, don't forget that D has a battlestation in it, you might want to bring a carrier with you to add some punch.

Long term thoughts: The corridor is a an almost linear route from B to Z. Interrupting trade means closing that route by advancing either into O or G. We're setting up for a two-front war, which means we need to take and hold both ends of the line long enough for our forces to take the Ares Cluster (after which this becomes a more traditional war, with us holding the corridor as a chokepoint).

Character:

"The only true way to ensure victory is to accept the enemy's plan. If everything can go exactly as your opponent hopes and he will still lose, then the fight is over."
-Fleet Admiral Letoure, at his annual guest lecture to the Officer's Academy tactics class


Fleet Admiral Letoure's position in command of the main bulk of fleet operations in the Haskins Corridor represents a compromise between the more traditional majority of the admiralty and the newer avant garde movement beginning to gain credence with many of the up-and-coming officers of the fleet. Depending on who you ask, Letoure is either one of the more rebellious members of the old guard or a staid member of the newer tactical movement.

With almost all his experience in the line of battle, the Admiral has little use personally for clever tactics or cunning ploys - preferring to leave that to those who have made a lifetime study of the matters - but prefers a careful, implacable approach, stubbornly grinding down enemy numbers while avoiding exposing points of weakness to retaliation. One thing is certain, once Letoure decides to move on a target, he will do so, and not hell nor high water will turn him back.