When in doubt, don't take Fleet Ambush.

When not in doubt, still don't take Fleet Ambush.

Anon.

On a side note, does speed zero disable TRCs or does "cannot speed defense tokens" only apply to defending from an attack?

Answered previously - although it was in regard to Darth Vader, but still... Here's a section of the Quote rom the RRG:

• If the defender’s speed is “0,” it cannot spend defense tokens.

The restriction is for the defender.

The very process of using TRCs (or Vader) means you are an attacker... Not a defender.

ergo, the restriction does not apply to you.

Not quite. A dead center deployment at speed 3 can can cover most of the ambush zone, to the point that no two large-base ships could be deployed safely. But small and medium bases can squeak by in the far corners (one would be safe). And Interdictors hit a lot harder when you do not have defense tokens. That assumes only two first-player ships in the zone. As soon as there are three, the Gozanti can slice at least two.

An ideal situation for the second player would be something like:

*First player navs Ambush Ship A to speed 1, overlaps an asteroid that was moved in front of it.

*Second player moves a Gozanti up to slice away Ambush B's navigate command.

*First player moves another ship. If he does not nav any remaining Ambush Ships, second player slices it with the second Gozanti.

*Demolisher zooms forward to hit Ambush Ship B.

*G-8 moves up to cover everything in the ambush zone.

*Other ships activate.

Turn 2

*Ambush Ship B navs up to speed 1, overlapping an asteroid that was moved in front of it.

*Gozanti slices away another Ambush Ship B's second navigate command.

*Ambush Ship A navs up to speed 2.

*Demolisher double tap and/or ram.

*Other ships activate, Interdictors get into blue range of anything in the ambush zone.

Turn 3

*Ambush Ship B, if still alive, is stuck at speed 1; G-8 prevents it from moving, so it hits the asteroid again.

Assuming you are using Screed and Demolisher has APT, Ambush Ship B receives up to six unavoidable damage cards (APT, asteroid, APT, APT, ram, ram), half of them face up, by the end of turn 2. That alone is enough to kill anything short of a Victory/MC80. Add in the chance of a Structural Damage and whatever damage Demolisher pushes through normally, and the only thing that might survive to finish its turn 3 activation (another asteroid) is an ISD. Turn 2 the Interdictors will be plinking with a few reds, and the Gozantis will be adding their blues as well.

On a side note, does speed zero disable TRCs or does "cannot speed defense tokens" only apply to defending from an attack?

You are placing a lot of "I can win if X happens" in your fleet.

1. Landing on an asteroid.

2. Gozanti being able to Slicer Tool.

3. Demo surviving after ramming.

4. Killing off the ambush ships.

5. Your opponent play ball and running into your fleet.

6. Your opponent putting a high value ship in the ambush zone.

It's great in theory, but looks very hard to execute. Once you lose Demo, you lost most of your damage source. Have you tried this out yet? I'm interested to hear the results.

I never claimed "can win" or that the idea was remotely good. I only conducted the theorycraft as a thought exercise.

1. Grav Shift Reroute.

2. One Gozanti at speed 3 can get Range 3 on virtually the entire ambush zone. Two of them cover the whole thing.

3. Demo only rams if it is conducive to an advantageous trade.

4. Never claimed you could kill off the ambush ships. Ship, singular, namely the one you can slice to keep at speed 0 while bringing your whole fleet to bear against it.

5. The whole point of the setup is that the opponent gets no choice. They have to place ships in the deployment zone, they have to start them at speed 0, and you can slice at least one to keep them that way for at least one turn.

6. With at least half of the enemy fleet going into the ambush zone, chances are something relatively important will be there. Of course, it does not take many flotillas before you reduce the ambush zone to one important ship, which activates first to not be the trapped one.

It is very easy to execute, that is the whole point. Your opponent gets no choice in whether or not it happens. It effectiveness is entirely suspect given the amount of deployment/activation order control the opponent still gets. No, I have not tried it, because the theory is mediocre. I just played with the geometry of things in Vassal.

When in doubt, don't take Fleet Ambush.

When not in doubt, still don't take Fleet Ambush.

Anon.

On a more serious note: don't take Fleet Ambush.

Why?

Because it can backfire.

Because if it doesn't backfire, it will probably net you little to nothing (maybe a worthless ship, but no bonus points).

Because, even if none of the above, your opponent won't pick it (duo-Interdictor shenanigans, for example).

The only time the objective is good, is when your opponent doesn't know exactly how ti works, or your skill level is way higher.

oops, wrong thread..

The only time the objective is good, is when your opponent doesn't know exactly how ti works, or your skill level is way higher.

So... Fleet Ambush is the Arrogant SOB's Objective?

Awesome!

Fleet Ambush all the way!

It's a trap!

No really, it's a trap

It's a trap!

No really, it's a trap

... What am I going to do?

LOSE "MORE" Because of it?

That's a Challenge I can make to FATE........

I played this as first player over the weekend. I was playing a thrown-together mess of Dodana's Pride, Home One, and AFM2, with Quad Turbolasers.

I positioned Dodana's Pride in the Ambush zone, all the way to one side, positioned to run the length of the battlefield, my AFMK2 pretty much in the opposite position, and Home One near to the AFM2. I let the other guy move his ISD up to my Potato, and let fly at him with two guaranteed accuracies.

Between the accuracies from the Potato, and the crits from Dodanna's Pride (and I got an utterly cruel set of crits for him, too) I managed to tear him up pretty bad.

I still lost, though.

I will say to somewhat moderate my earlier comments:

With a fleet loaded up with enough flotillas and bombers, it can ensure you can pound at least one enemy ship on the first turn with your squadrons. Especially if you've got a Rhymer ball. It causes the squadron fight to be fought closer to your ships, which means your flak, which means it's more beneficial for you. The flotillas themselves can run interference to keep Demolisher from seriously troubling your meatier ships on the first turn (as the best Demo can really do is Intel Officer your Scatter, which still leaves the flotilla standing and blocking Demo).

It's still a very risky choice in my mind, though. The other player can counter-squadron ball from his ambushed ships. If he's running flotilla-popping ships, those can cause trouble from turn one for your flotillas too. Does anyone want to eat a Yavaris Flight Commander+FCT double-tap on the top of turn 1? I sure don't. But if the other guy picks Fleet Ambush, you just might!

The only time I've gotten the chance to play Fleet Ambush was when I had brought a 2x Glad, 2x Raider, Interdictor Screed fleet with ordnance for days. I had G8 and Scramblers on the Dickie, and was able to Force an ISD to hold at speed 1 alongside the double arcs of both Raiders, while the Glads did a number on the Demo and enemy Raider from another angle. Between Screed, speed control, and Scramblers, the Raiders had taken a grand total of 2 shields for the ISD's completely stripped shields and 6 hull damage after just two turns.

I'm not sure why it was in the choices for that game, but I was only too happy to oblige when I saw it. The Interdictor put in some serious twerk in that game, between speed control, tossing out free shields to the Glads, and scrambling particularly nasty attacks. It's only a single case result, but I can attest to it being monster value in that scenario.