Post by cowboy40 on Nov 6, 2018 11:16:23 GMT -7
Back in the days that the group, that I play with, were conducting combat missions like you would find during the "Four Years War", I leaned to appreciate both symmetric and asymmetric battle groups. Each type had its advantages.
A symmetric battle group would be one using the same classes of ships armed in a very similar manner. Four instance i learned that a group of three to six Loknar class frigates. This type of group offered a lot of fire power for patrol missions along the battle lines, and would become important, because once the cruiser types were sent out to figure away around the Klingons's flanks, the frigates would become probably the most valued warships in the fleet. These groups would be the main fighting force in fleet actions. Take these frigate groups, put two or three of the groups around a Heston class battle-cruiser, and through a destroyer force of 12 to 18 destroyers, you had a flotilla that could accomplish just about any mission. A battle group of three Loknar class frigates also formed a very good rapid response force.
An example of asymmetric group would be like what you would find in an escort group at the time. We played escort to convoys in much the same way that the allies did in World War II. Meaning the escort force would be one warship for every three merchant hulls. A convoy of 10 ships wold be escorted by three or four ships. Using this concept our escort groups would be made out of a Saladin or a Larson class heavy destroyer leading the convoy and three older destroyer (i.e. Siva, Marklin and so on) types acting as escort. If the convoy was larger it probably had an auxiliary cruiser hiding among the merchant ships: a wolf in a sheep's wool. As the war progressed and more of the escort destroyers of he Portsmith class entered service, these old destroyers would be supplemented and replaced in the escort role. But do to the nature and shortages of ships suitable for the missions, These escort groups would pretty much stay asymmetric by nature.
Now in the TMP era, i find myself using many asymmetric battle groups. Just a couple of examples would be forming a group of two Andor class missile cruisers teamed up with a light cruiser of the Ticonderoga type that used phasers as its main offensive weapon. Or accounting for the weakness of the Chandley class frigates working with a Northampton class frigate to cover rear firing arc.
The key is to find what works best in covering each other.
A symmetric battle group would be one using the same classes of ships armed in a very similar manner. Four instance i learned that a group of three to six Loknar class frigates. This type of group offered a lot of fire power for patrol missions along the battle lines, and would become important, because once the cruiser types were sent out to figure away around the Klingons's flanks, the frigates would become probably the most valued warships in the fleet. These groups would be the main fighting force in fleet actions. Take these frigate groups, put two or three of the groups around a Heston class battle-cruiser, and through a destroyer force of 12 to 18 destroyers, you had a flotilla that could accomplish just about any mission. A battle group of three Loknar class frigates also formed a very good rapid response force.
An example of asymmetric group would be like what you would find in an escort group at the time. We played escort to convoys in much the same way that the allies did in World War II. Meaning the escort force would be one warship for every three merchant hulls. A convoy of 10 ships wold be escorted by three or four ships. Using this concept our escort groups would be made out of a Saladin or a Larson class heavy destroyer leading the convoy and three older destroyer (i.e. Siva, Marklin and so on) types acting as escort. If the convoy was larger it probably had an auxiliary cruiser hiding among the merchant ships: a wolf in a sheep's wool. As the war progressed and more of the escort destroyers of he Portsmith class entered service, these old destroyers would be supplemented and replaced in the escort role. But do to the nature and shortages of ships suitable for the missions, These escort groups would pretty much stay asymmetric by nature.
Now in the TMP era, i find myself using many asymmetric battle groups. Just a couple of examples would be forming a group of two Andor class missile cruisers teamed up with a light cruiser of the Ticonderoga type that used phasers as its main offensive weapon. Or accounting for the weakness of the Chandley class frigates working with a Northampton class frigate to cover rear firing arc.
The key is to find what works best in covering each other.
