Fluff Friday: The Liberation Of Omicron Theta pt 1

SeerK here with another "Fluff Friday" We continue with the tale of Fleet Marshal Alexander Cross. In the wake of a hollow Victory Alex finds himself propelled into the spotlight, but not in the way he had anticipated.

“Sir I have multiple fold signatures with vessels inbound to our position”

“Are they Friend or Foe Mr. Carlson?”

“I.F.F. Signals verified sir....Its Task Fleet Corvus”

Alex slumped in his command chair. Task Fleet Corvus. That was Fleet Marshal Groniers' Task fleet. It was a bulk of the RSN ships in this sector of space. It was part of the 101^st Combined fleet. Judging by the signals lighting up his screens it was a big chunk of the combined fleet. A thought occurred to Alex. Why did she bring so many ships? Wasn't the 101^st currently engaged with the Liberation of Omicron Theta?

“Mr. Carlson are there any troop ships with the fleet?”

“Just a sec Sir.......negative no troop transports or bulk landers Sir.”

That didn't bode well. The 101^st was designated as a Planetfall Division as it contained Legions and ships from the Caros League of systems. Fleet Marshal Groniers' Task Fleet Corvus supplied the intelligence and major offensive punch to the already impressive fire power of the 75^th Caros Assault fleet.

“Sir incoming message from the Agamemnon”.

“Put it through Mr. Ross”

The Agamemnon was the Groniers flagship. It was one of the few Banshee class Dreadnoughts in the RSN fleet.

“Message is text only sir....it reads “briefing on your vessel in one hour”. Its gold level encoded”

A gold level encoded message just telling me to expect company? Something is not right. Alex pondered the information at hand. A feeling of dread suddenly filled him.

“Mr. Carlson do we have a visual of the Task Fleet vessels yet?” His voice was steady despite the fear that was very quickly overtaking him.

“Yes sir, leading vessels coming into visual range now”

“On my screens if you please Mr. Carlson....zoom in on the lead ship and enhance.”

The cruiser on Alexs' screen looked like it had been to hell and back. It looked like it was lucky to be still moving under its own power. How the hell did it make the fold jump to here? Why did they make the jump?

“Mr. Carlson signal the Agamemnon affirmative and tell sick bay to get ready to receive injured.”

“Aye sir!”

Alex sat in his command chair, silent, for a good two minutes. It was clear the Armada that had been sent to Omicron Theta had been hit hard and this was likely a retreating section of the fleet. Given Fleet Marshal Gronier was in over all command of the action, she would not be here to discipline a junior officer with a full scale planetary liberation in process. Alex chastised himself for thinking the Fleet Marshal was here just to dress him down. It was ego and pure vanity on his part.

“ I just have to get over myself.....” Alex trailed off in thought as he muttered out loud.

“What was that sir?”

Alex snapped out of his reverie, “ I will be in the briefing room awaiting our guests Mr. Carlson, you have the Bridge”

“Aye Sir.”

Alex stood and put on his uniform coat. He buttoned it up as he walked out of the bridge and down the hall. He arrived in the Briefing room a few minutes later. He sat down at the long table in the chair at the head of the table. He summoned the steward to bring refreshments to the room and added a bottle of 30 year old single malt scotch from his own private stock to the order.

The steward arrived a few minutes later as Alex was going over the com traffic from the new arrivals.

“Would you like a glass sir?”

Alex looked up and saw the steward had quickly set up the refreshments and was holding the bottle of scotch.

“Yes, make it a double if you would please.”

Alex nursed his drink while listening to the com traffic from the incoming fleet. He became lost in the damage reports, casualty reports and the off hand remarks of the comm officers relaying the traffic. It was very clear the battle to liberate Omicron Theta did not go as planned. In fact it sounded as if it had been a disaster. A coded message from an unknown source to the Agamemnon did catch Alex's attention though. The coding was utterly alien, but very familiar. It was from a Relthoza Barb Fleet. The message was simply a time. Two standard hours. The signature that followed the time brought a smile to Alex's face.

“Panzer you crafty old spider, looks like we will be hunting somebody together again” Alex muttered .

Shvar'ss'kovar'shen, or “Panzer” as Alex Nicknamed him. Relth names were very difficult for non-Relthoza to pronounce, so nicknames abounded. Panzers actually name meant “Implacable hunter with a will of Iron”, or something to that effect. Alex had nicknamed him “Panzer” after the Ancient Terran German legend of Der Panzer Mensch or “Tank Man”. It was a very apt comparison. In his powered exo Armor the Relthoza Warrior was almost literally a tank, both in size, firepower and resiliency.

Time passed quickly as Alex thought about his old hunting companion. A chime awoke him from his reverie. It was the bridge signaling the Fleet Marshals Shuttle was inbound. This was going to be interesting. The “Silver Fox” herself was going to be on board his ship. Honor and fear in equal measure gripped Alex's being. He stood and Straightened his uniform. Gave himself a re assuring smile and girded himself to meet a legend.

Event Info: Come One, Come All!

Hi all! SeerK here. I just wanted to touch base about all the events we have going on over the next few months. We have some local tournaments and convention events that I wanted to lay down some more information about.

First off on October 11^th we have The Battle At Cyrax Prime Firestorm Armada tournament on October 11^th at Evolution Games in Lansing. I have a facebook Event page set up for it but I will repeat some of the information here. Registration will start at 10 A.M. And dice will roll around 11:00. The entry fee will be $10.00. All the entry fees are going towards Prize Support. This is a 900 point tournament and you are allowed 2 lists. The same core fleet must be used for both lists. No battle stations are allowed. We will play 3 rounds. First place will receive a Battle Station as well as the normal prize support. I want to thank Spartan Games for donating a clutch of Battle stations for this tournament and for our next two events. Evolution games is located at 6323 Saginaw hwy in Lansing Michigan.  Here is a link to their Facebook Page.

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Marriott Ann Arbor Ypsilanti at Eagle Crest1275 South Huron Street, Ypsilanti Township, MI
(734) 487-0600

Our Next event is at Ucon gamesconvention which is November 14^th-16^th. Our Tournament will be on Saturday November 15^th with a start time tentatively of 10 A.M. The entry fee should be right around $16.00. This includes a day pass to the convention. Pre registration starts at the end of September. We have 20 spots available. First, second and third place will receive a battle station. We have other prizes as well courtesy of Spartan Games and Evolution Games of Lansing Michigan. These include Patrol fleets and Dreadnought groups. This tournament will be 4 rounds so it will go all day. You can still reserve a hotel room at the convention site, which is the gorgeous Marriott on Eaglecrest in Ann Arbor.   I will be running demos of Firestorm Armada for those not familiar with it and I will have Planetfall there as well to Demo and play. SO make it a weekend trip. There is lots of games to play and lots of pick up games of Firestorm and Planetfall to have before and after the tournament.

As I announced before we will also be running demos of Firestorm Armada and Planetfall at Adepticon 2015 as well and bringing you the first annual "Schaumberg Prime Offensive" Firestorm Armada Tournament. The details are still being developed, but the tournament format will be almost identical to the one we run at UCON. We will also have Battle Stations, Trophy Plaques, Patrol Fleets, Dreadnought Groups and More for prizes. Stay tuned to the Adepticon website for registration information. I would get your Hotel now. It is a new and bigger venue, but who knows how long they will have rooms available.

Well that is all for now. I just wanted to keep you all posted and make sure our first big events are good ones. Spread the word and sign up!

Until then crush the alliance and as always.......

REMEMBER DRAMOS!!!!

Fluff Friday: Corporate Recruiting

Fort Kinzer military installation - Dindrezi space

Operations-Director Vogin Winterborn sat at the head of a classic, wood oval-shaped boardroom table, looking at his subordinate officers as one of them completed his report.

"... and with the latest resupply convoy, we are topped off at 100% of our basic combat load of munitions and fuel.  Spares inventories are at 97%, and crew establishments are at 94% of authorized strength.  We should be ready to resume operations as soon as BATCRURON 102 finishes topping off their torpedo bays from the tender."

"Thank you for that report, George," Vogrin smiled in approval.  "Now, was there any final business before we get underway?"

"Just one minor report, Sir."  A junior officer about 2/3rds of the way down the table stood up.  "BioTech says they've finally got that interesting new gene cluster nailed down, the one adopted from the Soryllian warrior class lizards.  They send their thanks for the last batches of prisoners - the increased sample size let them engage in some destructive testing that sped things up considerably.  We've received several platoons of new cyborgs that incorporate the enhanced strength and reaction speed.  Higher headquarters wants it well tested by the disposables before we begin adding it in to our Alpha or Beta genetic lines."

"Excellent.  Have them assigned to CRURON 104 - Captain Marwin of the ZEUS has been complaining about the outdated troops assigned to them," Vogrin nodded to a highly-decorated officer close to the head of the table, "and the heavies are always in the thick of the fight - we'll get good testing results."  The lieutenant nodded, and sat down.  "Anything else?"

When there was no response, Vogrin stood up and looked over the room. "Very well, fellow officers.  We get underway at 1500 - ENCHANTER and DOMINION should be done at the tender by then.  Operation 'Majestic Diver' begins in 1 week."

As he sat down, the boardroom dissolved around him, leaving the reality of his stateroom aboard his flagship as the Virtual Reality construct shut down.  He gave a satisfied sigh as he leaned back on a high-backed leather chair, his neural lace showing green status reports from his various staff members aboard the battleship.  Taking a sip of a fluted glass of Terran brandy, he smiled as he thought of where he would be next week.  Time for a bit of personal business, mixed with professional pleasure.

Ships Of The Rense pt7: The Banshee Dreadnought

SeerK here again. Well we are finally down to the last ship in the “Ships Of The Rense” series. We are down to our main command ship. The ship that strikes fear into the hearts of the enemies of the federation and in the hearts of disloyal citizens of the Federation. I speak of course of the Banshee Dreadnought. The dreadnought is currently the biggest class of ship in Firestorm Armada. They are capable of devastating firepower and can take as much as they can dish out. They also are rather expensive points wise, justifiably so.

The Banshee is no exception. As Dreadnoughts go the Banshee in my opinion is a good ship, but a little under gunned as compared to other Dreadnoughts. It has the customary Dindrenzi style kinetic weapons in the fixed fore position, but it is not as strong as the kinetic weapons on the Dindrenzi Battleships. The secondary fore arc weapon is a powerful beam weapon, but its limited to 20 inches of range. This gives the Banshee, like the other tier one RSN vessels, the lack of a one two punch that they really need to deal with vessels of the same weight class. The starboard and port beam weapons are very nice though. They have good range and strength for dealing with smaller vessels.

Now despite my opinion the Banshee needs more in the way of weaponry, what it lacks in punch it make up for in secondary systems and tricks to help deal with the enemy fleet. The Ops Center and Dirty Secrets MAR's come standard. This gives you some nice tactical advantages. You can take 4 TAC cards and you can force your opponent to waste a TAC card when he plays it. Dirty Secrets, although you can only use it once a game, can be pretty clutch. This is especially true when facing the new TAC cards in the Marauders fleet manual. Being able to prevent your point defense from being shut off or a ship from shunting out can really give you an advantage to hang over your opponents head.

The Banshee, like all the RSN ships, also has the advantage that it is way more maneuverable than your average Dreadnought. With the ability to reduce your turn limit to one inch and being able to move up to eight inches you can bring your weapons to bear much more easily. I once got in a firefight with a Nausica Battleship and a Retribution Dreadnought with just my Banshee. Spellduckwrong had wiped out my entire fleet say for the Banshee. It was mostly untouched and with 2 shield dice it was proving hard to take out. I was able to out turn both ships in very close quarters and keep my main weapons on target. The game ended before the Battleship died completely sadly. If another turn or two had taken place the Nausica would have died and the Retribution would not have been far behind.

So yes I think its under gunned, but you can use the weapons more effectively. I almost always use the same load out for my Banshee. I add a shield, -1 on the turn limit and add 2 inches to movement. I run at least two Sirens as well. I also add Special forces as I like to run the Banshee in close quarters.

In my experience this is probably the best way to actually run your Banshee. Up close and personal. The fluff refers to Dindrenzi commanders charging headlong into combat. The Banshee cannot really slug it out with other Dreadnoughts or even squadrons of heavier craft at a distance. Basically your lethal operating range is 12 to 20 inches from the enemy vessels you are engaging. With Sirens as escorts this means more accurate fire at your ideal range and you have the ability to bring it to bear in such a way that more ponderous vessels cannot bring their most lethal weapons to bear. Out maneuvering your targets is one of the key to success in running the Banshee. Picking your targets is as well. Be mindful of your targets weapon arcs and ideal ranges. Obviously the rear arc is vulnerable on most vessels. Hitting the vessel in the aft can be difficult and its an obvious tactic. Mine fields and other vessels can easily cover the hind quarters of targets. Hitting the port and starboard arcs or even the Fore can be more desirable to attack as long as the weapons in that arc are weak.

For example, Sorylian vessels tend to have very weak Fore arc weapons. They are set up to broadside enemy vessels. Vessels with lots of turrets can be problematic, but this is when attacking from multiple arcs comes in. I have always said you have to play RSN fleets smart. They are a fleet based on synergy. Dreadnoughts are big targets and you can use this to your advantage. Drawing fire with the Banshee and hitting your target with another squadron helps give you the one two punch that destroys tier one vessels quickly.

Dreadnaughts are big and tough and generally not to be taken in low point lists. Battle fleets benefit from the presence of a Banshee, but a totally kitted out ship can take a big chunk of your points. So choose wisely and make sure the benefits outweigh the negatives.

Well thats all for the “Ships Of The Rense”. I am going to start delving into the Marauders next. They are new and change the game up quite a bit. I will also be covering Planetfall at the end of October. Its up for pre order as of the 9^th and is slated for an October 22^nd release. I have to say I am pretty excited for this game. Firestorm combined with Planetfall for joint games and campaign play is going to be awesome.

I also want to remind everybody I am hosting a Tournament on October 11^th at Evolution Games in Lansing Michigan. The Battle At Cyrax Alpha has an event page on Facebook. All the details are there.

Until next time crush the Alliance and as always.............

REMEMBER DRAMOS!!!!!!

The Battle At Cyrax Prime, UCON and Adepticon Oh MY!

Well the fall is upon us. The summer is drawing to a close. You know what that means? Its time for weekend tournaments and war game conventions! Summer is kind of a drag and outright killer of regular game nights. Yeah you still have people showing up and playing, but it seems like, at least in Michigan, once the fall hits more people end up showing up for regular nights and events.

With that in mind, and the Fact Spellduckwrong and I are now both Spartan Vanguards, we are kicking the season off with some events. In fact we have two big events that we are very excited about.

PG_Hick of our team will be running a Warmachine Weekend qualifier at the Michigan GT which is October 11^th and 12^th in Lansing’s south side at the best western. You can get information at the Michigan GT website. For those of you not into War Machine or 40k, I will be hosting a Firestorm Armada tournament on October 11^th.

The tournament will be at Evolution games on Saturday October 11^th. It is a 900 point 3 round tournament. You are allowed 2 lists. You must choose one base fleet and both lists must use that fleet as its base. For example, if you choose to run Dindrenzi both lists must use Dindrezi to satisfy the minimum tier requirements. Battle Stations will not be allowed. Registration will start at 10 A.M. and dice will roll a little after 11 A.M. The entry fee will be $10.00 and all entry will go towards prizes in the form of store credit. Evolution games is fully stocked with Firestorm products.

The big announcements are the two conventions we will be running tournaments and game demos at. Once again we will be returning to UCON at the Marriott on Eaglecrest in Ann Arbor. We will be bringing you the 2^nd annual Storm Zone Brawl: The Battle At Omicron Theta. Saturday November 15^th we will be throwing down with a 900 point 4 round tournament. I am encouraging all players to bring painted fleets as it will be a requirement for our other big convention event. You can pre register for the Storm Zone Brawl when registration for the convention goes live. You can get hotel and registration information at the Ucon Website. We will be posting more information as we get it and missions in the coming weeks. We have some cool prizes being cooked up for you and we once again Prize support will be provided by Spartan Games and Evolution Games of Lansing and The Waygate.

Finally we have a big surprise for you. We will be bringing you The “Schaumberg Prime Offensive” Firestorm Armada Tournament at Adpeticon! Thats right, we are at the big show in 2015. Game demos and the Tournament will be taking place at Adepticon this year in its new venue the Schaumberg Renaissance convention center. We are just in the beginning stages, but stay tuned for updates and posts about our road to Adepticon. The format will be finalized after UCON. I am very excited about this event. Dreadbeard, Spellduckwrong and myself are working hard to bring you the player the best experience we can. Hotel information and Registration information is at the Adepticon Website. I believe Registration opens in October. Stay tuned to the Adepticon site for the registration dates and times. We expect the Tournament to fill up quickly.

Well thats all for now. I wanted to start the fall off with some exciting news. As a note I am hoping the rumors of Planetfall being released in October are true. If that is the case Demonstrations will be run at both conventions at the minimum. Stay tuned.

Until next time crush the Alliance and as always....

REMEMBER DRAMOS!!!!!!!