The gist of this topic hinges around very small destructions and Intel Sweep

So played a nice tournament yesterday, the final game was the most unusual game I have ever had since playing Armada (of which I have been since it's release)

My fleet: Liberty + Salvation + Neb-B + Tantive IV + Dodonna's Pride + Bright Hope (cards aren't really needed here)

Opponent's fleet: Independence + Yavaris + Bright Hope with 5 B-Wings, 2 X-Wings, 3 A-Wings, Jan Ors and YT-1300 (I think)

We played Intel Sweep

I got 3 tokens, my opponent ignored them. I was not going to plough into his fleet with no fighters vs that many bombers and rerolls with Bomber Command Centre and Toryn Farr. So I went slow and steady straight in with Liberty, flanking with the 2 Nebs and 2 Corvettes and flaked the other side with GR-75.

It got to about turn 4 when I got in range of using Slicer Tools on Independence. Changed his command from Squadron to Engineering (which he did not need). My Liberty got properly beat up by fighters, Independence and Yavaris but took out a mere 2 A-Wings. Then he cheesed it with Engine Techs (here Leia, Tantive IV and Projection Experts really helped keep the Liberty alive!) I tried to take out Yavaris as well but to no avail. I went in slow to try thin out his squadrons and pick them off (I was unlucky not to take out more with some poor shots from one of the Corvettes)

So only 2 A-Wings were destroyed plus the 75 points from Intel Sweep, a cool 97 points in total.

This got me wondering, is it ok or unsporting conduct to play Intel Sweep, get the 3 tokens and just stay away and not shoot at anything? It would automatically turn into a 7-4 victory. Admittedly I was about a turn behind where I wanted to be from a movement perspective which is why I did not destroy as many squadrons as I liked (the Liberty did well with 2 black anti-squadron dice).

Has anyone else played a game like this where very few (if anything) squadrons or ships are destroyed?

Look forward to your replies chaps

I played Intel sweep as first player 2 weeks ago with

Garm, AF2a, AF2b, MC30s (objective ship) Han, Nym, 2 A-Wing, 2 Y-Wing.

Oponent had

Motti, ISD-II (objective ship), 2xVSD-I, Rhymer, 3Tie-B, Tie-Adv, Tie-Int, Fel.

I tried to kill a ship really I did; but with Motti around I couldn't concentrate enough firepower. The ISD was battered and my AF2B was down to 1 hull but plodded off to a corner and repaired 6 shields eventually. The MC30 ran through the rhymer ball after Han died to it (not bad tying it up alone for 2 whole turns. It made it to the last objective and ran for safety after some poor bomber rolling.

In the end I lost Han, 1 Y-wing, 2 A-wings. I killed a Bomber, and Fel but got 3 objectives for a 75 point bonus.

Intel Sweep can be a risky mission for the second player. Second player gets to position 3 out of 5 tokens but the first player gets the first shot at grabbing the deciding third objective. You have to arrange an ambush around that token to ensure a kill after (or preferably before) he grabs it.

But is it ok, as second player, to get the 3 objective tokens for 75 points and just stay away and not kill anything?

That is the typical result of an Intel Sweep mission in my experience.

Take the money and run!

But is it ok, as second player, to get the 3 objective tokens for 75 points and just stay away and not kill anything?

It is fine. Contested outpost is similar, it encourages the enemy to come to you or loose. The perfect counter to those shoot & scoot Ackbar lists that like to run away and overload on red dice.

But is it ok, as second player, to get the 3 objective tokens for 75 points and just stay away and not kill anything?

Yes.

The first player has initiative and with it the responsibility to force the battle. They chose intel sweep. If they cannot force engagement then that is on them.

In bigger tournaments you would need to win by a bigger margin.

I do not believe it is unsporting to not deliberately lose to your opponent.

Intelligence crucial to the ongoing war effort had been detected in the debris of what was once Alderaan. Detected by long range scanners and probe droids repesctively, the information led to two opposing fleets converging in the sector, both of them leaving hyperspace to find that the intelligence might soon fall into the hands of the enemy.

The data was thought to reveal who had supplied their enemies with Mon Calamari cruisers and why; without this knowledge, and the ability to recognise friend from foe, how would the Rebel Alliance fare against the Empire in the escalating Galactic Civil War?

In the Grand Imperial Archives of Coruscant this incident is known as the Hesitant Hostilities of Alderaan in which only a couple of A-Wing squadrons were lost, though it is unknown whether it was due to the debris or from actual contact with this phantom menace enemy. Most loyal subjects to the Supreme Emperor, though, will never have heard of this event. As with everything else connected to the attempted pitiful coup against our beloved leader, during what some preposterous minds claim to have been a civil war, is long forgotten. What is known is that the fleet of the Rebel Alliance realised that they were not the only ones on the hunt for this information and the rebel admiral mysteriously decided to take up positions at a distance and watch the hostile forces collect the data unchallenged, covering up the origins of how Rebel supply lines had been infiltrated.

Less loyal subjects aware of the Hesitant Hostilities might murmur about this battle and how so little was owed by so many to so few for a battle that was never fought and thereby came to decide the outcome of a war and the destiny of an oppressed galaxy that would remain in the iron grip of the Empire.

In other words, I think it is absolutely fair to get your points and avoid unecessary confrontation. Yes, the onus is on your opponent to challenge you on any easy points, but there might also be other reasons for you not wanting to dodge the engagement entirely (in a tournament you might not be satisfied with a small point victory, in terms of making a cut or getting higher in the rankings).

The objectives are there to generate interesting choices and part of that is to create a counter-balance to the apparent advantage of being first player and any player - the second player especially - is smart to make the most of the specific objective. All that, and they also add wonderful flavour to the game by supplying a narrative backdrop for the battle.

But is it ok, as second player, to get the 3 objective tokens for 75 points and just stay away and not kill anything?

Yes.

The first player has initiative and with it the responsibility to force the battle. They chose intel sweep. If they cannot force engagement then that is on them.

In bigger tournaments you would need to win by a bigger margin.

This completely. If you're opponent picks a mission from your hand it's on them. If you beat them at the mission they picked then more fool them for giving up a key advantage.