Sunday, July 12, 2015

Rebel Fleets: Countering the Gladiator Star Destroyer

Today AFN is taking a look at fleet staragies to combat enemy commander's use of the Gladiator Star Destroyer.  As always, Yavin will be conducting this interview. 

Today we bring back Commander A and Commander B but since we are asking them for more interviews and to protect their idenity they will be known as Commander Hoth and Commander Endor.

Yavin: Good morning commanders. Todays topic is about a counter to the Gladiators deployment and actions in combat. Lets start off with Commander Hoth

Commander Hoth: Hmmm the Gladiator again. As a corvette commander I have heard of Admirals using smaller ships like the corvettes as bait. 

Commander Endor: [shudders] Talk about a think wall between you and space.

Yavin: What do you mean by that Commander Endor?

Commander Endor: A corvette relies on its speed to keep it from suffering an excessive amount of damage. When you use something as bait, it has to be something that will possibly be sacrificed. 

Commander Hoth: [nods sagely] Endor has a point there. I have done it before and limped away by the the grace of the Force. Any more damage and I would have called for the crew to abandon ship, what was left of them. . . 

Commander Endor: [pats Hoth on the back] It is war and there will always be losses.

Yavin: So using a smaller ship as bait could likely lead to the sacrifice of that ship?

Commander Endor: Against the Demolisher, almost always. With the sadistic gunners on the Demolisher and the vast array of missile launchers, she can swing in for the kill the same turn that you set the bait on the hook. 

Commander Hoth: She does not always get to enjoy her victory over the Corvette. Many commanders will use Nebulon-B's or Assault Frigates to punish the Demolisher.

Yavin: What about other Gladiators?

Commander Hoth: Well I usually see the Demolisher more ofthen than naught but there have been a few times when another Gladiator was used. The Corvette can fair better then. If your fleet commander is good, he will have you slow down as if you are trying to extend the combat and right before the Gladiator strikes he will have you jump to max speed to escape destruction. 

Commander Endor: It can be tricky to do properly, I have seen some commanders stick to middle or near max speeds and then jump the ship they think is the main target forward. This will usually lead to the Gladiator over shooting thir mark, just be careful it does it out you in their sights earlier than you want, or make sure you have the initiative and escape first. 

Yavin: Whew, that sounds dangerous, what about Nebulon-B Commander's. How can they counter the threat? 

Commander Hoth: This is a tricky one. . .  

Commander Endor: You bet your bonnet it is. The Nebulon-B has a few options. It can joust at long range but it has to be going slow for that. Just above a read stop. 

Yavin: Why would they want to do that? It sounds counter intuitive to our normal tactics. 

Commander Hoth: I see where Endor is going with this. While it sounds reversed, going slower allows you to react and you those long range Turbolasers a bit longer. 

Commander Endor: Yup, it will also let you jinx the engagement by letting you time a well done command to jump your speed up. You can save up some energy early on and then go from slow to fast in a single reaction. 

Yavin: OK, now we know that Space Whale. . .  [faces reddens], I mean the Assault Frigate can take some punishment from a Gladiator, but what improvements would you suggest. 

Commander Hoth:  Well, some Commander's like XI7 Turbolasers due to their power to limit redirected shots. 

Commander Endor: Yea, I love XI7's! Something else is enhancing the standard Armaments of good ole space whale. It will let her joust with higher levels of damage at long range. 

Yavin: Well before we end, do you have any last comments? 

Commander Hoth: Yes I do. This is a strategy to protect the Nebulon-B. You can use the Assault Frigate to guard the flank. This will protect the weaker sides of the Nebulon-B. 

Commander Endor: Well,  we covered squadron tactics pretty well last interview, but to recap them. Use them as a deterrent, if a few strong bomber squadrons can keep the Gladiator out of wanting to hit your flank all the better. You can also use slower squadrons like the B-Wing and leave them in the course of where a Gladiator will go.  

Yavin: Well that is all the time we have for today. Tune in next time.


Alliance Free News, the Voice of the Rebellion signing off. 

No comments:

Post a Comment