DARKSTAR CAMPAIGN UPDATE: DUCHESS ANNABEL’S WAR IS OVER
Task Force Oriskany vs. Black Dragons (P1)
So with all the Darkstar wargaming that’s been going on lately in MS Excel / web conference, D20, and Tabletop Simulator, I thought I would actually *gasp* put some playing pieces on an actual game board and play a game of Darkstar old-school, with physical sheets and playing pieces.
Furthermore, I wanted to finally “put my own skin in the game” again, with none other than the Valcour class destroyer USS Oriskany (DSGN-797) and her task force (destroyers USS Princeton, USS Valley Forge, the Marine Corps aerospace carrier USS Tarawa, and Mako class torpedo corvette USS Daggerfish) in a full-consequence, live-opponent, “timeline canon” battle set back during the Xi Scorpio War last year.
I didn’t want to set it in the ongoing Duchess Annabel’s War between the British, Prussians, Russians, Panasians, New Romans, and other factions, as the Americans aren’t really a good fit for that conflict (it was honestly written for other factions)
Anyway, the opponent for the night would be the breakaway Sino-Russian rebels of the “Khitan-Tunguska” Free State (Black Dragons), one of the expansion factions.
The problem is, with the Oriskany and her task force so elite and so upgraded, their scenario point cost is very high, so in order to set up a balanced game, the enemy winds up with a lot of firepower.
Case in point: The Black Dragons will come on the table with the Slava class heavy cruiser KTS Tzarakin, the Xhia class light missile cruisers Zhang Jia (Oriskany’s hated rival), the Xin Tian, and the Gagarin-class light fleet carrier Zharanyeva.
Gladesrunner (Jennifer) has agreed to play the Black Dragons for the evening. In all, she outweighs me by at least 3-1, but both fleets are nearly perfectly balanced at 376-375. It’s gonna be a big game, with a powerful Black Dragon task force up against a small, experienced, elite, and fast American task force. Here’s hoping experience and technology and speed win out over weight, size, and firepower.
So here is our imminent battle space. The game mat is 44 hexes long, representing about 8,000 kilometers of space. For reference, Planet Earth would be about 70 hexes in diameter, about one third of the planet would fit on this map. 
We make out initial approaches. The Black Dragons will almost always lose initiative (American ships are smaller, faster, have upgraded thrust, and ALL of them have the "Starship Tactics" Battle Upgrade). So after Jennifer brings on her Black Dragons, I bring on Task Force Oriskany, carefully using that small moon's bulk to screen me from two of the enemy warships. Basically, the heavy cruiser and carrier will not be able to fire guns or launch torpedoes at tme this turn, but all my forward guns and torpedo tubes can engage the two Xhia-class light missile cruisers. We exchange opening volleys and wouldn't you know it, the Oriskany herself takes the first point of damage on her bow.
The Black Dragon fleet, having launched scouts, and a swarm of Russian-built fighters, bombers, and more scouts from the carrier Zharanyeva (CL3). CA1 = the heavy cruiser Tzarakin, CL1 = the Zhang Jia, CL2 = the Xin Tian. 
The American task force (much smaller ships), having launched torpedoes and Corsair fighters, Avenger torpedo bombers, and Hawkeye scouts. DD1 = Oriskany. DD2 = Princeton. DD3 = Valley Forge. DD4 = the USMC aerospace carrier Tarawa. CV1 = Daggerfish.
End of movement on Turn 2. The Oriskany Task Force has made a hard jack-knife turn to port, backing away from the oncoming Black Dragons. This is to outdistance the torpedoes fired from the Zhang Jia and Xin Tian, while my torpedoes hopefully hit the stern of their heaviest ship, the Tzarakin. Meanwhile, my Marine fighters and bombers are hugging the moon, set up just right to put their missiles and torpedoes into the Tzarain's tail as well. My scouts engage Black Dragon bombers, while Black Dragon fighters and bombers launch ordinance at the Princeton. I have two distinct advantages here. One, that jackknife turn means that Jenn will be unable to put her warship torpedoes and aerospace ordinance into the same strike, and again, two of the Black Dragon warships were unable to launch last turn anyway (I was hidden in the eclipse shadow of that moon). 
The results of my ordinance strike. Most of my warships torpedoes were shot down, either by Black Dragon scouts or mass driver defensive fire from those cruisers. Yes, USS Tarawa and specially Oriskany have Electronic Warfare battle upgrades that made this more difficult, but these are BIG enemy ships that just have walls of guns along their beams. However, this allowed by Marine aerospace ordinance to get through (hence, you always want to combine your ordinance strikes into single, massive waves). The damage on the Tzarakin was pretty severe, despite her heavy shielding and armor, and then I get pretty lucky on the hit locations. The damage chart shows were I hit no less than 15 critical structure boxes, meaning that not only is the Tzarakin crippled (no roll required), but there is a 20% chance she blows up right here, wiping out those scouts and burning off large slabs of armor off other Black Dragons ships. Jenn rolls a 36, however, indicating that the Tzarakin managed to eject her reactors before they went critical. The ship is just crippled, but didn't explode. One thing that really helped this ordinance strike is the fact that these Marine Pilots have been double-upgraded with "Elite Aerospace" - making them incredibly effective, and incredibly expensive. 
Twenty aerospace torpedoes and sixteen aerospace missiles are heading for the starboard bow of USS Princeton. But I have quite a bit of mas driver defensive fire myself, and while I don't have nearly as many guns, all my ships have at least a +1 CIC and some ships (Oriskany and Tarawa) also have electronic warfare battle upgrades. Then the surviving warheads have to hit the ECM and gravitic shielding of the Princeton, which has been battle-upgraded as well ... twice.
My scouts, meanwhile, engage Black Dragon bombers. Two of these scouts are double-elite Marines off USS Tarawa. The other six are standard skill level, two each off the Oriskany, Princeton, and Valley Forge. I take zero losses (these Black Dragon planes were all releasing ordinance at the Princeton), and four bombers are shot down.
In all honesty, perhaps a big part of the Americans' luck so far is due to my little mascot, Fillmore the Bald Eagle! 
End of movement on Turn 3. As the Black Dragons rushed me, I again sidestepped, back near my original position, then fishhook turned around to present bow-on toward the enemy. Yes, I am giving away broadsides by doing this, but this allows me to present more torpedoes toward the enemy. Also, I should note that these American ships have been upgraded with additional Thrust, most "out of the box" can't move with this much agility. I should also note that USS Princeton will only be launching half torpedoes, as that Black Dragon ordinance strike heavily damaged her starboard bow, enough to tear out her starboard torpedo array and knock out some of her sensors. Last note: Check out the savage little dogfight of fighters near that moon, where sixteen Black Dragon fighters have engaged ten USMC FS/A-81 "Corsair" fighters and six "Hawkeye" scouts (Navy and Marine Corps). Again, the Black Dragons have the edge in numbers, but I have the edge in double-elite experience.
As the Marine bombers land back board USS Tarawa to re-arm and re-launch, we see the full power of a Black Dragon torpedo strike finally about to hit the stern of either USS Princeton, Oriskany, or Daggerfish. I can backpedal from these torpedo spreads for so long, so far I was able to break the Black Dragon's "Sunday Punch" into two smaller strikes, and delay the really big one by one turn (during which we crippled the Tzarakin). I just hope I've built up enough of a lead to carry me through the rest of the battle. The Americans of Task Force Oriskany have done great so far, but this battle is far, far from over, and the Black Dragons have finally closed the range to where they can start doing some serious damage.
Damn that little eagle!!! 🙂
Awesome battle so far! I love seeing asymmetric engagements, because they show off such a wide variety of tactics.
I’m hoping that soon* I’ll have my own project blog out, detailing creating a Darkstar module for Vassal. A couple of technical challenges to work out, (trying to figure out if I can incorporate player made ships) but I think the platform should work.
*soon here being the same promise @oriskany made, by the end of the year! ?
Hey, @sigmundr , I made that deadline with ONE DAY to spare. 😀
Yeah, every time someone asks me to port one of my wargames to Vassal, I always take one look at it and sky away. Nothing wrong with Vassal, just not as much flexibility as I am used to.
Another great battle has begun!
Again enjoying the moment by moment breakdown and the inclusion of tactical advice in an instructional tone woven into the commentary.
@oriskany said, “However, this allowed by Marine aerospace ordinance to get through (hence, you always want to combine your ordinance strikes into single, massive waves).”
I’m on pins and needles to see if those torpedos strike with as much force as Jennifer (aka @Gladesrunner) was intending or if she sent those knowing that this is how you would react and now she’s about hit you with the second part of her planned attack.
Part 2 of the battle report (the rest of the battle) coming out as soon as I get some sleep, I promise!
A fascinating read. It sounds that the Americans might be in some serious trouble. Quantity is quality as well 🙂
Thanks @yavasa ! Indeed, the Americans started out with a huge success crippling the Tzarakin, but then things got sticky in a hurry with those faster, more agile, and torpedo-heavy Xhia class light missile cruisers.