I was wondering if any of you had any advice on the best way to counter an opposing high activation fleet with my fleet? My opponent threw me for a loop yesterday by having me be first player (typically I play second) and by having a 4 ship + Han + Rieeken fleet. I did manage to pull out a win but that was mostly due to poor deployment/flying on his part. This is the fleet I'm trying to get better flying with:

Tarkin Fleet 2
Author: Lord_Tesla

Faction: Galactic Empire
Points: 400/400

Commander: Grand Moff Tarkin

Assault Objective: Advanced Gunnery
Defense Objective: Hyperspace Assault
Navigation Objective: Minefields

Victory I-Class Star Destroyer (73 points)
- Defense Liaison ( 3 points)
- Slaved Turrets ( 6 points)

Imperial I-Class Star Destroyer (110 points)
- Defense Liaison ( 3 points)
- Heavy Turbolaser Turrets ( 6 points)

[ flagship ] Imperial II-Class Star Destroyer (120 points)
- Grand Moff Tarkin ( 38 points)
- Weapons Liaison ( 3 points)
- Gunnery Team ( 7 points)
- Electronic Countermeasures ( 7 points)

3 TIE Fighter Squadrons ( 24 points)

Fleet created with Armada Warlords

First go for an even number of ties ( four) as this adds to you deployments.

Playing the VSD in this list must be hard... What's it for ?, not as a carrier, it must be hell to manouver it with those two big base ships. Think about a decked out Demolisher for ship three ( with engine techs ) as this can move around your big base ships, or a couple of raiders for activation, hunting small ships, supporting to ties in looking down rymer balls etc....

Tarkin is not the leader you are looking for he's a lot of points for any list particularly a list with only three ships. Think about Motti he adds a lot to ISD lists.

First go for an even number of ties ( four) as this adds to you deployments.

Playing the VSD in this list must be hard... What's it for ?, not as a carrier, it must be hell to manouver it with those two big base ships. Think about a decked out Demolisher for ship three ( with engine techs ) as this can move around your big base ships, or a couple of raiders for activation, hunting small ships, supporting to ties in looking down rymer balls etc....

Tarkin is not the leader you are looking for he's a lot of points for any list particularly a list with only three ships. Think about Motti he adds a lot to ISD lists.

So far the VSD hasn't been too bad. I usually deploy the VSD right in the middle and at distance 2 of each ISD and by spamming navigate the first 2 turns and starting all ships at speed 2 I can turn the whole fleet pretty well and just have a long wall of firepower move towards the enemy fleet without stopping for anything. I've only flown this fleet a couple of times but so far it isn't too bad. But ya, I could defiantly benefit from another TIE.

In a more general sense fighting high activation fleets can be tough. Usually fleets with a lot of activations are also very maneuverable and can use that activation advantage to out flank you. Some basic tips:

• Use area denial - The front arc of ISDs or the side arcs on Ackbar booster ships can make for strong no-fly-zones that your opponent will try to avoid. Try to use those to herd your opponent where you want them to go. Or discourage them from flanking you in a specific way.
• Use the table edges to protect your flanks.
• Deploy in a way that gives your opponent some obvious choices about where they may want to head. It might not be ideal for you, but at least you'll know where they are going.
• The biggest thing is to maintain initiative tactically. With fewer activations you can't react as well to changes in the tabletop. Try to use your ships to force where the game will go and keep your opponent reacting to you.

I think low ship count/ low squad count and without a bid can be a recipe for disaster... your opponent should be easily out maneuvering you, feeding one ship into your flank at a time to shoot, then get away before you activate, or otherwise kiting you.

I would drop the Vic and either put in demo with a 20 point-ish bid or a massive ryhmer ball and stay at 400... With the demo list you should be able to take away first player from a lot of lists and demo can sometimes vaporize a crucial target before it activates should the opportunity come up... and with the ryhmer list ryhmer can be almost anywhere he needs to easily taking out a small based ship a turn... if you are able to plan ahead or if you include rogues you may even be able to leave the squadrons to activate in the squadron phase after your opponent has moved all his ships, forcing him to either avoid the ball or take damage

Corrupter is the best remaining reason to take a VSD, an I love VSDs used right. Personally, I would drop the ISD I, for a VSD I Corrupter, and give it a Rhymer/Fireball to fling. Fling squadrons, and creep menacingly forward, with overlapping fields of fire. Make them come to you. If you think you can pull it off, start in a corner, with the VSDs on the inside to draw them in. Use Tarkin tokens to wheel turn them as a unit on one turn. Inside VSD speed 1, middle VSD speed 2, outside ISD speed 3. Let Rhymer equalize the activations. GSDs do not have te same staying power of a VSD, but you need to fly within thier limitations.

In a more general sense fighting high activation fleets can be tough. Usually fleets with a lot of activations are also very maneuverable and can use that activation advantage to out flank you. Some basic tips:

• Use area denial - The front arc of ISDs or the side arcs on Ackbar booster ships can make for strong no-fly-zones that your opponent will try to avoid. Try to use those to herd your opponent where you want them to go. Or discourage them from flanking you in a specific way.
• Use the table edges to protect your flanks.
• Deploy in a way that gives your opponent some obvious choices about where they may want to head. It might not be ideal for you, but at least you'll know where they are going.
• The biggest thing is to maintain initiative tactically. With fewer activations you can't react as well to changes in the tabletop. Try to use your ships to force where the game will go and keep your opponent reacting to you.

One thousand times this. It's something that needs to be done vs. high activation fleets that I almost never see. You absolutely have to use the table edge as a blocker to force them into certain positions. It's often your ideal move to deploy far to one side, stall out, and know they can't come at you from the flank.

Your objectives need to work with this. The huge mistake I often see made is when there are objectives on the other side like Intel Sweep, Dangerous Terrain, Contested Outpost, etc. where I know I can break their turtle.

Wait what? You are an imperial player don't you guys just push the ships forward and blow stuff up, and not use tactics? Sorry couldn't resist!

Your problem is not that you don't have enough activations the problem is you don't have enough deployments. You see based off the list you provided you only have three tie fighters. That is a total of only 4 real deployments.

Now I am a rebel and like to build carrier squadron fleets. I typically have 3 ship activations and dealing with 5-6 ship activations is relatively easy because I have 4 squadron deployments (8 squadrons). What I do is put my first ship somewhere in the middle. then all my squadrons. At this point my opponent has to guess where I am going to deploy the rest of my ships so I force him to spread his forces out from one board edge to the other. Then I deploy my last two ships all on one side where he has deployed the most weakly if able. This allows me to concentrate all my fleet on just one half of his. If he decides to pull that half of the fleet away I have won, and then just go towards the other half of his fleet. The angle of his ships from his other half of the fleet coming from the other side of the board, usually means he has to send them at me one at a time. Which again means I can take him out piecemeal.

The problem is a high activation Demo list with first last is that they want to come at you one at a time, it makes their life real easy. Their ships will tend to be glass cannons that need to get in do the damage then run out of your primary arc/ bomber range before you activate. What they hate is significant pressure being applied to multiple ships, because they know you are going to loss them. If your motto gunnery team ISD and friends are in the face of Demo and a couple of Raiders it's a mare, as he knows Demo will not kill motti ( savage but not kill) which means two raiders are going up in smoke after Demo activates.

So I guess something like this you guys would think would be more competitive?

Tarkin + Demo
Author: Lord_Tesla

Faction: Galactic Empire
Points: 389/400

Commander: Grand Moff Tarkin

Assault Objective: Advanced Gunnery
Defense Objective: Hyperspace Assault
Navigation Objective: Minefields

[ flagship ] Imperial II-Class Star Destroyer (120 points)
- Grand Moff Tarkin ( 38 points)
- Weapons Liaison ( 3 points)
- Gunnery Team ( 7 points)
- Electronic Countermeasures ( 7 points)

Gladiator I-Class Star Destroyer (56 points)
- Demolisher ( 10 points)
- Weapons Liaison ( 3 points)

Imperial I-Class Star Destroyer (110 points)
- Defense Liaison ( 3 points)

4 TIE Fighter Squadrons ( 32 points)

Fleet created with Armada Warlords

So I guess something like this you guys would think would be more competitive?

Tarkin + Demo

Author: Lord_Tesla

Faction: Galactic Empire

Points: 389/400

Commander: Grand Moff Tarkin

Assault Objective: Advanced Gunnery

Defense Objective: Hyperspace Assault

Navigation Objective: Minefields

[ flagship ] Imperial II-Class Star Destroyer (120 points)

- Grand Moff Tarkin ( 38 points)

- Weapons Liaison ( 3 points)

- Gunnery Team ( 7 points)

- Electronic Countermeasures ( 7 points)

Gladiator I-Class Star Destroyer (56 points)

- Demolisher ( 10 points)

- Weapons Liaison ( 3 points)

Imperial I-Class Star Destroyer (110 points)

- Defense Liaison ( 3 points)

4 TIE Fighter Squadrons ( 32 points)

Fleet created with Armada Warlords

Yes except Motti is better than tarkin here because hee makes you ISD's nigh indestructible and makes your bid stronger and takes away first player from high activation lists which is what they really need in order to function optimally

Faction: Galactic Empire

Points: 381/400

Commander: Admiral Motti

Assault Objective: Advanced Gunnery

Defense Objective: Contested Outpost

Navigation Objective: Minefields

[ flagship ] Imperial I-Class Star Destroyer (110 points)

- Admiral Motti ( 24 points)

- Intel Officer ( 7 points)

- Ordnance Experts ( 4 points)

Imperial I-Class Star Destroyer (110 points)

- Intel Officer ( 7 points)

- Ordnance Experts ( 4 points)

Gladiator I-Class Star Destroyer (56 points)

- Demolisher ( 10 points)

- Ordnance Experts ( 4 points)

- Engine Techs ( 8 points)

- Assault Proton Torpedoes ( 5 points)

4 TIE Fighter Squadrons ( 32 points)

I would go with something like this, dropping Intel officers or TIE'S if you need bigger bids

These are actually easy to theoretically counter:

First. If you outbid for first and can viably go first, he's REALLY neutered.

Second, take more ships. hur.

6 Corvettes with Mothma, 6 Corvettes with Rieekan, 5 ships with Rieekan.

Hell, I'll give you a hint. I have a 5 ship list that goes ISD GSD R R R.

Take cheaper upgrades. That discourages Tarkin. Go with Ozzel or Motti or Screed.

Option 3: Take a crap load of squadrons and blow him up as he approaches.

Scruggs are better than Bs for this. Bigger area of attack.

However rogues are good for attacking in between turns.

One or two weak ship attacks (un-optimal range, low amounts of dice) + 2 turns of squadrons will kill a Gladiator.

Option 4: Prey on his filler ships. Blow up his Raiders from far range. This reduces his activation advantage into the midgame... meaning all of that set up becomes harder.

My idea here is to use Flotillas as cheap carriers. The idea is to take out one ship and replace it with two...and more squadrons...and more squadron commands.

Two assault frigates + 2 combat GR75's with boosted coms and about 11 A-wings...that's a party.

I've seen high activation fleets shut down by losing their bid, or getting slammed with squadrons. The idea here is to basically beat one target down and move forward...activating squadrons will gut his attacks. High activation's means small weak ships that can be beaten to death quickly...I like the one two punch..squadrons hit hard then the carrier finishes the job.