Game Design Flaw

By thefris, in Star Wars: Armada

ah yes ramming, it's like we're playing a 1600's or 1700's pirates vs the royal navy game. There was so much ramming in the movies, after all that is how the Death Star actually blew up. Porkins rammed the Death Star, Luke's torpedos did nothing.

don't you remember?

the deathstar rammed the executor and won :P

All we rebels do is dying to accomplish things!

Many Bothans died to bring us this information.

And once again the Rebellion proves to be a fanatical band of suicide bombers, sacrificing their own lives to destroy the lives of the Empire's finest.

Absolutely despicable.

I love swinging my Dodanna's pride around the back. Dropping one or two crits and then ramming my target. The little thing becomes a shield ignoring assassin and is exactly how I picture an outclassed Corvette taking on a Star Destroyer.

You also could theoretically one round a Gladiator this way...

Yes because ramming a military cruiser with something that has a hundred times less mass is generally a bright idea :lol:

And once again the Rebellion proves to be a fanatical band of suicide bombers, sacrificing their own lives to destroy the lives of the Empire's finest.

Absolutely despicable.

Sounds like a good topic for HNN.

We tried a house rule to make this more a tactic of desperation. You take damage based on the size of the ship you collide with. 1 black die for small, 2 for medium. In theory 3 for large. Makes it less of a "I know exactly what will happen when I slam into that ship" and more of a gamble. You wouldn't do it so lightly this way.

The Empire can have fun with this too. I and a friend took each of the rebel ships in a starter game. My friend drove the nebulon off the board, and my opponent fired into the Corvette then rammed it to kill it.

But there is something to keep in mind. If the cheeky rebel player is going to fly his hammerheads to repeatedly ram you, it means his dinky ships are taking taking chunks out of their 3 HP while you have 8. That means point blank range shots to waste his corvettes.

I suppose there's more of a danger with the Nebulons looking for a ram but again, you can survive longer than they can by virtue of hitting harder and having more hull points. In a proper 300 point game also, you'll have escorts to help the rebels destroy themselves against you.

Came across this in a game by accident. 2 VSDs facing bow on at speed 1. I'd shoot, dump his shield, hit for damage on each of us. He'd shot, dump my shield, then move for another damage.

I lost the exchange since I was flying a VSD2 and he a VSD1. Those black dice ya know. The insult to injury was my shooting him on the next round, hurting him, them bumping for my last damage point.

Lesson learned: turn early. You also get to setup a dual salvo from the front and side arcs.

And once again the Rebellion proves to be a fanatical band of suicide bombers, sacrificing their own lives to destroy the lives of the Empire's finest.

Absolutely despicable.

Sounds like a good topic for HNN.

And then also write about how some courageous Imperial captains sacrificed themselves and their ships for the noble cause of galactic stability when they desperately rammed their Gladiators into the Rebellion's Assault Frigates. This would be a testament to how the Empire and its military are the most righteous force the galaxy has ever seen.

Thank you all for your comments.

I still feel that this takes away from the game and thus should not be allowed in tourney play.

This to me needs to be addressed in an FAQ.

Maybe that is where Victory Class I comes in as the anti rammer with black dice to do serious short range damage.

Thank you all for your comments.

I still feel that this takes away from the game and thus should not be allowed in tourney play.

This to me needs to be addressed in an FAQ.

Ramming is a legitimate tactic and is why 5 ship Rebel builds in Wave 1 are strong. Piloted correctly, they can guarantee 5 hull damage every turn.

Ramming is a legitimate tactic. Piloted correctly, they can do 5 hull damage every turn once, the fall to bits as they are hit with handfulls of red and black dice.

Ramming is for the most part a situational event that you may be able to take advantage of now and again. But I would rather not rely on it as a game winning option.

ramming depends a lot on the facing

a corvette or neb going bump bump into a Victory's front arc is somewhere between dead and never-been-born

otherwise, it's a little more complicated and will require support from the other ships which I hope you have :P

honestly, though, seems ramming is just begging for a gladiator to absolutely mince some poor fools, or just having another victory chilling nearby wondering what he did to find such willing prey and where he can find more

"Situational" is definitely the word I'd use to describe the tactic

Edited by ficklegreendice

Yes because ramming a military cruiser with something that has a hundred times less mass is generally a bright idea :lol:

Worked for an Awing... ;)

Also, apparently before he found the exhaust port, Dodanna's plan was to ram every capital ship the Rebellion owned into the Death Star. That sure would have made for an interesting movie ending...

Edited by BonusJoe

Thank you all for your comments.

I still feel that this takes away from the game and thus should not be allowed in tourney play.

This to me needs to be addressed in an FAQ.

And thank you for giving us next to no real information on the subject.

Ramming is something that should be in every spaceship combat game.

Ramming is a legitimate tactic and is why 5 ship Rebel builds in Wave 1 are strong. Piloted correctly, they can guarantee 5 hull damage every turn.

Ramming is a legitimate tactic. Piloted correctly, they can do 5 hull damage every turn once, the fall to bits as they are hit with handfulls of red and black dice.

Ramming is for the most part a situational event that you may be able to take advantage of now and again. But I would rather not rely on it as a game winning option.

Can't shoot when your dead. It's a legitimate, game winning tactic. This is why multiple ship Rebel lists are so powerful; they just have to do 3 hull damage to your VSD and then full speed ahead. Most Balanced Imperial lists run two ships. With Dodonna's Pride and X17 Turbolasers this isn't hugely difficult...

Thank you all for your comments.

I still feel that this takes away from the game and thus should not be allowed in tourney play.

This to me needs to be addressed in an FAQ.

Rather than just deciding that the game is broken and demand a FAQ because you don't like a specific tactic, take on board the many suggestion in this thread in how to counter and deal with it. You'll enjoy the game way more that way.

why does everyone automatically think a Vic 1 WILL kill or cripple a neb in its front arc alone?

Usually they should do about 6 damage , with maybe one accuracy , not enough to stop the brace reducing it to 3 which just drops shields.

Now with some way of ensuring an extra accuracy like extra blue dice from dominator or h9 turbolasers , okay .

Yes , another vic can be near enough to reach out and touch them , however wouldnt this mostly be due to the vics flying in line abreast formation?

In Left or Right flank the rebel will try to pick on just one of the two and could afford to ram it with one ship ,

two if the second is in the sides and out of reach of both the vic I ram and the non-red dice of the other vic.

next turn the weakened ship can take off , hopefully repairing itself enough and not falling too far afoul of the side arcs.

why does everyone automatically think a Vic 1 WILL kill or cripple a neb in its front arc alone?

Experience? First, a fully shielded Neb-B is pretty unlikely to have ramming distance to a VSD I. Even if she has, the Vic probably is upgraded, say with ACM (as they are my standard upgrade). And lets assume the Neb survives the first salvo, the next turn she is gone for good. Shieldless, 3 Hull damage and a full volley of raw power, topped with a little extra ramming - bye bye. Yes, she inflicted 50% damage on a ship 50% pricier. No deal.

I never said the game was broken. I said there is a game flaw that I found to be an issue.

Ramming should not be allowed because I pay good money to play a game based on upgrades and movement and not cheap dirty tricks. If you like to use cheap dirty tricks that you and your opponent are in agreement to then go play Warmachine.

Maybe one day I can go to an event where everyone is not trying to find loopholes in the rules to win a game and plays it as it was intended to be played.

Thus by ramming your ships into mine takes away from my experience in the game and fun in playing it. This is only wave one and people are already pushing the limits of what can or should be done.

The circumstances of how I was rammed are of no concern to this thread. I was rammed and my ship died and took damage by an unintended rule was found. I have simply asked if others have had this issue and feel that it takes away from the game or their fun (like it did mine).

Sounds like he did exactly what I do sometimes. Not a glitch. Just playing bumper cars boy! Haha

In the end, ramming is a part of the game and something all players should be aware of when going to a tournament. If you don't want to face players who use every rule to their advantage, don't go to a tournament. Stick with casual playing.

Edited by Bayard91

I didn't feel cheated or exploited when that friend of mine shot up and rammed my CR-90 with his Victory. If anything my opinion was, "You cunning devil!"

Ramming an unintended rule? I don't think so. I think the game allows Imperial Star Destroyer drivers to run down the runty Rebel scum in their tin cans they have the audacity to call "warships". It isn't without it's risks though, but I think kill-by-ramming should be seen more as an accomplishment, rather than an exploit.

If a rebel ship manages to ram a Victory to death that's certainly an accomplishment worth telling stories about, because it's typically suicidal if it isn't the other way around.

I never said the game was broken. I said there is a game flaw that I found to be an issue.

Ramming should not be allowed because I pay good money to play a game based on upgrades and movement and not cheap dirty tricks. If you like to use cheap dirty tricks that you and your opponent are in agreement to then go play Warmachine.

Maybe one day I can go to an event where everyone is not trying to find loopholes in the rules to win a game and plays it as it was intended to be played.

Thus by ramming your ships into mine takes away from my experience in the game and fun in playing it. This is only wave one and people are already pushing the limits of what can or should be done.

The circumstances of how I was rammed are of no concern to this thread. I was rammed and my ship died and took damage by an unintended rule was found. I have simply asked if others have had this issue and feel that it takes away from the game or their fun (like it did mine).

The whole premise of this post is flawed. Tactics are only "cheap dirty tricks" to people who have naive notions about how battles are supposed to play out. Your opponent found a way to win, within the rules (and not through a loophole as you assert), and now you don't like it. No doubt there are many people who can't handle innovation in games, but calling for a rules change in a fit of pique doesn't make sense.

Ramming should not be allowed because I pay good money to play a game based on upgrades and movement and not cheap dirty tricks.

I'd consider ramming to be a part of movement, thus part of the game. Thus you are paying money for...ramming.

Maybe one day I can go to an event where everyone is not trying to find loopholes in the rules to win a game and plays it as it was intended to be played.

Who says ramming is not intended? If it were not, it would not exist in the rules (likely resulting in someone crying: Hey, I want to ram. I paid money...

Nevertheless, finding "loopholes" is a part of a) finding Erratas and b) careful planning and strategie. If a "loophole" is a cheap and easy way to win, it will get fixed. If it is hard to achieve and needs careful planning and implementation, it is a feature and a goodie for palmary strategists

Thus by ramming your ships into mine takes away from my experience in the game and fun in playing it. This is only wave one and people are already pushing the limits of what can or should be done.

Does shooting at your ships takes away from your experience in the game? I would not think so...I do concur, I'd rather see a little punishment for smaller ships ramming larger (like taking the damage card open), but outright forbidding it? No way, ramming is a strategy, even though a kind of last resort strategy.