Fleet Battle Tactics?

[Sgt. Phaserman 0]

Okay, some of you have probably simmed a fleet battle in a trek sim before. How do you sim it? Do you actually plan a strategy, or just throw your ships into the fire and hope your crews outfight the enemy? In the sim I am in, we have an overabundance of Military personnel, so tactics get thought out, and episodes from DS9 will even be reviewed if need be.

 

THE SARGE'S THOUGHTS...

 

My thought on Starfleet battle tactics is that you can do the "throw 'em to the dogs" idea, where you commit your forces en mass, essentially in a ship-wave kind of attack, and cause a general Melee, or you can actually plan your battle. While space battles do take place in 3 Dimensions, I've noticed alot of words more associated with ground combat in battles such as Operation Final Assault (DS9: What you leave behind), words such as outflank and breakthrough. Outflanking your enemy requires a bold commander and alot of tough crews. Outflanking means sending forces on a menuever similar to a sweep play in American Football. you're sending forces around the outside, to hit the weaker sides of the opponents forces. However, rather than keep going once your around the enemy as you would in football, you turn in and attempt to turn their flank, and catch them in a crossfire. If you are really successful, you can almost repeat what General Stonewall Jackson did at the battle of Chancellorsville in May, 1863, and get into the enemy's rear entirely. Here's how that would look, taken from the view of the Eros Sim (http://www.usseros.com) during the Federation Civil War.

 

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both fleets, similarly matched, close in on each other here. At this point, ships are preparing for the fight, and the Fleet Commanders are issueing orders, while ships go to Battle Stations.

 

 

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The flank move begins almost immediately. the task force in the rear of Starfleet's formation slows, and turns on a relative heading of 270. They will move behind the cover of the rest of the fleet to disguise their move.

 

 

 

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A quick warp jump puts the flanking force just outside of sensor range long enough to get into a good possition. by this time, the two main fleet elements are spreading out as the opening shots are fired. By now, the flanking force is forgotten about, since they aren't there.

 

 

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The battle heats up, and the flanking force makes another quick jump, this time to about 2 light years behind the enemy fleet, well to their rear. Now they'll line up to make their move.

 

 

 

 

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One final jump and you're in the Enemy's rear. Because the flank forces are equally matched on both sides, but your own center force is outmatched, jumping in dead center of the enemy fleet will put your flanking force where they are most needed....and least expected. At this point, your right and left flanks should try and push the enemy back. you can divide the attacking force into three seperate groups now, rather than being forced to attack one solid force, and now you have a nearly one to one match up.

 

 

In a situation like that, the enemy fleet has two choices: Stand and fight, and probably lose, considering that his main force now has to contend with ships attacking his front and rear, or he can turn about, plow through your ships to his rear, and run. If he chooses to run, you have strength enough to press him. Retreating in this manner means that he's turning his main force towards a very fresh set of guns. For the opposing commander, this is a lose-lose situation, unless he has overwhelming numerical superiority. In this draw-up, though, the forces are evenly matched. The appearence of your ships in his rear may also convince him that he's facing an enemy force far larger than it really is, especially if your main forces fight hard enough for the first part of the battle. 90% of the battle is mental, so if you can force the enemy to THINK he's been overmatched, then he IS overmatched.

 

Anyone else have any tactics that might work to one's advantage?

[Jim Phaserman 0]

the upcoming operation in the Eros Sim, Trident Thrust, actually has us attacking from three seperate directions, with probably three fleets in the center, and the other two going straight in for a flank meneuver at the outset. I'm hoping this sort of three-pronged attack will put enough pressure on the enemy to force them to just collapse, at which point we'll start a planetary landing in force, and hopefully capture the rebel capitol. I'm hoping to actually get the Rebs to spread their force out, so they can't concentrate their power in one perticular place, making a break-through more likely.