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Thread: Pick-up BSG Game: First of the New Year 2022

  1. #1

    Default Pick-up BSG Game: First of the New Year 2022

    I finally got some BSG ships on the table. It occurred to us that this might be the first game in two years? Really?

    Anyway, I threw a bunch of ships on the table and we had at it.

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    We rolled for sides, and my buddy ended up on the Colonial side. He had Starbuck and a nameless winger in Mk II vipers, and Racetrack in a Combat Raptor (guns only, as he didn't want the maneuvering loss). I had the Veteran Heavy Raider and two standard Raiders as escort. The scenario was an intercept of a transport (FTL inoperable) attempting to get across the map.

    Using the points system, this was approximately 354-ish (Colonials) to 325-ish (Cylons). I calculated this after the fact, and it isn't exact, as not all the features and Talents were well used. My buddy was having difficulty remembering the acceleration rules, let alone keep track of all the different Talents Starbuck could use. I noticed as I totalled all the points that Starbuck's Quick Reaction Talent was never used.

    Having six ships on the table, and a very robust Heavy Raider (24 Damage) ship, as well, we used the Damage Tracking Sheet system for this game. Every shot was drawn and resolved (doubles, Talents, etc...) and recorded, with the chits immediately returned to the chit bin. Then, the next shot was resolved. This way, all the chits and special damages remained in play on every shot. Damage taken in a single phase was not applied immediately, as all shots are assumed to occur simultaneously.

    Link: BSG Damage Tracking Sheet - Version 2.0

    First Turn:
    The Colonials attempt a preemptive strike, and the Raptor FTLs behind the Cylon group. The Raptor ended up overlapped with one of the Raiders, so no shooting.

    Second Turn:
    A kinetic energy weapon sandwich. All the Cylons maneuver agressively, with the Heavy Raider maintaining 3 acceleration and rotating, and the winger Raider also rotating. The Raptor ended up in the firing arcs of all three ships, and not able to fire at any of the Cylons.
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    Racetrack survived this.

    Third Turn:
    Lots of shooting in this turn.
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    The Heavy Raider was seriously damaged by Starbuck and Racetrack, with the two Vipers hit by the Raiders. The Colonial winger did tag the lead Raider.

    Fourth Turn:
    Lots of rotating and close in shots in this turn. The overlaps and blocked lines of sight helped? Not really.
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    The two Vipers were under the lead Raider, but Starbuck had rotated and drifted into a awesome close-in shot on the Heavy Raider that had rotated forward to continue running. Too late. Starbuck was shooting with a 5+ (Pilot skill, close range, speed bonus) and then rolled doubles. One double was 10 points, the second was zero! By this time, the Heavy Raider was down to 6 damage remaining, and was destroyed. Mission accomplished for the Colonials. We kept flying and shooting...

    Fifth Turn:
    Most ships were stationary or moving at 1 acceleration, and I FTL'd to shoot at the Raptor with my lead Raider. This destroyed Racetrack.
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    Sixth Turn:
    A few choice maneuvers and My injured lead Raider attempted to destroy Starbuck.
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    Even without Starbuck's Talents, I missed this shot.

    Seventh Turn:
    This was a close-in street brawl.
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    Starbuck was again in the pocket, and I was hitting. But, not doing massive damage.

    Same turn, return fire by Starbuck.
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    My Raider winger gets damaged. This kills the winger.

    Same turn, Raider winger fires on Starbuck.
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    Good thing there are no "Jam" rules in this game. Dying while returning fire threw off the Cylon's aim? Interesting to note: Starbuck would still have hit, and doubled, on this shot.

    Eight Turn:
    The lead Raider takes revenge!
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    This was my buddy digging around in the chit bin for all the big chits. This was the end of Starbuck, for this game.

    Ninth Turn:
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    The clutch shot fails to hit.

    Tenth Turn:
    Maneuvering for a shot, but no shooting on this turn.
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    Eleventh and Final Turn:
    I manage a final FTL blip to get out of the Colonial's arc, and fire. Mission was still lost, but none of the Colonials had ships left.
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    Butcher's Bill:
    Colonials lost all their ships, two Vipers and a Combat Raptor. The Cylons lost the Heavy Raider and the VIP passenger, and one Raider. The remaining Raider was a sieve.

    Good use of FTLs during the game, but perhaps the Colonials jumped a bit too early, leaving the Raptor over extended and allowing the Cylons to concentrate on it early. The "Roll Doubles" rule to inflict more damage did in the Heavy Raider, and the Raider Winger. I never got doubles for the Cylons, and missed a few shots.

    Oh! And besides not taking advantage of all the Talents on the Colonial side (the Cylons only had one Ace), we forgot to use the Aim bonus rules (+2 if you shot and missed at a target the previous turn, +3 if you shot and hit the previous turn).

    We need to get this game on the table more often. Lots of fun, and some serious twists and turns of fortune.

    PS: The last photos I can find of a BSG game is of the Cylon AI Solo testing in February of 2020. Wow!

    PPS: Having attempted to calculate points for this game, we need an App. The ships (two rules versions, different program versions {Mk VII}, different gear and weapons options, etc...) and the pilots (to hit bonuses & Talents/Flaws) makes tallying up points a real challenge. Note that some Gear and/or Talents are not applicable in some scenarios, so I don't think they should be counted as part of a specific scenario's points balance. Towing for instance.
    Last edited by OldGuy59; 01-09-2022 at 18:16.
    Mike
    "Flying is learning to throw yourself at the ground and miss" Douglas Adams
    "Wings of Glory won't skin your elbows and knees while practicing." OldGuy59

  2. #2

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    Nice report, Mike!

    Makes me want to get my BSG gear out again, but I can't find folks who want to play it when WGF is available as an alternative game.
    I laugh in the face of danger - then I hide until it goes away!

  3. #3

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    My Tripods are languishing in their boxes, completely neglected. COVID sucks!
    Mike
    "Flying is learning to throw yourself at the ground and miss" Douglas Adams
    "Wings of Glory won't skin your elbows and knees while practicing." OldGuy59

  4. #4

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    Wow, fun looking encounter. Sadly I didn't run any BSG in the fall at the two conventions I went to. Have to get this on the table soon.

  5. #5

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    Great report, Mike! Lots of carnage

  6. #6

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    When the BSG license was revoked, I snagged another starter set, and a handful of fighters. I can now put up to eight fighters a side (Raiders and Vipers {Mks II & VII}) on a table, or sub in some other ships: Raptors; Heavy Raiders; or other small ships (non-Ares models). I have 16 control panels, with my two starter sets and two boxes of additional control panels.

    I do plan on having a Blackbird and a shuttle or two printed up, eventually. I will be putting this game on a table at conventions, despite any lack of availability, as I still think this is the best tabletop 'space combat' game I've ever played.

    PS: I'm thinking of instituting 'shot taken' markers, after our latest game, to keep track of who has shot at whom. They will have to have ID letters to match the shooting ship (control panel letter?), and two sides, showing: 'shot/missed'; and 'shot/hit'. That way, we can tell what pilot can add the Aim Bonus to what targets in a big furball.
    Mike
    "Flying is learning to throw yourself at the ground and miss" Douglas Adams
    "Wings of Glory won't skin your elbows and knees while practicing." OldGuy59

  7. #7

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    What Aim Bonus or 'Shot Taken' Markers might look like?

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    Each ship would have to have a two-sided marker, with a letter identifier and a 'Miss' indicator on one side, and a 'Hit' indicator on the other. The markers and identifiers should co-inside with the Colonials and the Cylons, as well. The above image indicates two markers: a Cylon ship 'A' Shot/Missed on the top left; with a Colonial ship 'C' Shot/Hit on the bottom right.
    Mike
    "Flying is learning to throw yourself at the ground and miss" Douglas Adams
    "Wings of Glory won't skin your elbows and knees while practicing." OldGuy59

  8. #8

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    Those markers are cool Mike. They would be a great help to remember the previous turn's shooting.

  9. #9

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    Magnificent markers!

    Can't REP you just yet
    I laugh in the face of danger - then I hide until it goes away!

  10. #10

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    Nice to see BSG in action.
    Hope to get mine out of storage boxes sometime this year.

  11. #11

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    Sets of Shot Taken Markers:

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    [Edit: Changed markers to reflect Aim Bonus numbers.]

    I envision these used any time a player declares shots, before rolls.

    Which means that targets are marked by all pilots before they are shot at and destroyed. If a target gets overkilled, that's just unfortunate. Quick Reactions, or Sharp Reflexes would possibly allow for a quick change of targets mid-shooting, but not likely. Quick Shot or Itchy Trigger Finger Talents would allow some pilots to pick targets and resolve firing before any other pilots.

    Selected targets are indicated by placing a marker with the letter away from the base, toward the firing ship, red side up. Once the roll To Hit is made, the marker is rotated to have the letter nearest the base if the shot is a miss, or flipped and placed with the letter on the green side nearest the base if the To Hit roll is successful.

    This allows for everyone to know who has shot at which ship (especially useful for old players that can't remember from turn to turn, or if there are a lot of ships on the table, or both). The marker stays with the ship through the next turn. If the original shooting ship shoots at the same target in the next turn, the To Aim bonus will be indicated by the color of the marker (Red +2, Green +3). If the original shooting ship doesn't shoot at the same target in the next turn, the marker is removed, or is used for the new target.

    Thoughts?

    PS: The markers are not "Target Lock" markers. That isn't a thing in BSG. These are just to keep track of what ship shot at what target in the previous turn. You could come up with some equipment that could do target locks, but they aren't in the rules, IIRC. These don't change any rules. It can clean up the shooting phase, and make shooting much more deliberate, but that would have to be an agreement by players before the game.
    Last edited by OldGuy59; 01-16-2022 at 19:10.
    Mike
    "Flying is learning to throw yourself at the ground and miss" Douglas Adams
    "Wings of Glory won't skin your elbows and knees while practicing." OldGuy59

  12. #12

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    Sound like it will work smoothly. Great idea Mike. I'll definitely be making a set of these.

  13. #13

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    Quote Originally Posted by Teaticket View Post
    Sound like it will work smoothly. Great idea Mike. I'll definitely be making a set of these.
    Downloaded.


    Thanks, Mike.

  14. #14

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    Quote Originally Posted by Stumptonian View Post
    Downloaded.


    Thanks, Mike.
    +1
    I laugh in the face of danger - then I hide until it goes away!

  15. #15

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    Those look great, and useful, Mike!
    I wonder if it would work or be worthwhile to notch them across from the letter, then they could be slid onto the peg or tab of the base when the counter stays with the ship?

  16. #16

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    Nice! Looks fun. I must resist!

  17. #17

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    Sorry if anyone printed the first version, but I've amended the above images to include the actual bonus on each side. Just to make things really obvious.
    Mike
    "Flying is learning to throw yourself at the ground and miss" Douglas Adams
    "Wings of Glory won't skin your elbows and knees while practicing." OldGuy59

  18. #18

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    Quote Originally Posted by malachi View Post
    Those look great, and useful, Mike!
    I wonder if it would work or be worthwhile to notch them across from the letter, then they could be slid onto the peg or tab of the base when the counter stays with the ship?
    Could.

    I haven't used them, yet, so I don't know how crowded the game mat might get. During the above battle, using the Overlap Templates, the markers would stay on the stands, and might be missed? Really not sure how this would work out. I'll have to play with it a few times. I'd appreciate feedback, though. This is just a spit-ball idea that I came up with too late to help with the above game. I'm thinking it will work.

    What happens when we have a Shot Taken and a Difficult Maneuver marker on the same ship, or several ships? Usually, I put the Difficult Maneuver marker on the ship stat card on the side of the table. However, players might want the markers near the ships, to let everyone know who did what last turn? And, I'm thinking I need more Overlap Templates with IDs.
    Mike
    "Flying is learning to throw yourself at the ground and miss" Douglas Adams
    "Wings of Glory won't skin your elbows and knees while practicing." OldGuy59

  19. #19

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    More Rabbit-holing...

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    This would be a two-layer Overlap Template, with a Ship ID letter. It would have a rotating firing arc, possibly on a transparent layer. This would allow for the template to indicate the direction of movement, and the facing of the ship (where it is shooting!). The letter would help with the cognitively challenged among us.

    Hmmm... Anyone have a source for flat rivets to hold the transparent layer onto the card base?
    Last edited by OldGuy59; 01-17-2022 at 11:06.
    Mike
    "Flying is learning to throw yourself at the ground and miss" Douglas Adams
    "Wings of Glory won't skin your elbows and knees while practicing." OldGuy59

  20. #20

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    Nice.

    These leather rivets might work, Mike.

    Or these

    I'm not sure how small they make them but there may be other sizes that would be even better.

  21. #21

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    Game testing out the "Shot Taken" markers: Pick-up BSG Game: Follow-up 'Shot Taken' Marker Game
    Mike
    "Flying is learning to throw yourself at the ground and miss" Douglas Adams
    "Wings of Glory won't skin your elbows and knees while practicing." OldGuy59



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