Effective Oberon Use

[afterimagedan]

I was wondering if anyone has any insight on how to use and Oberon well. Part of me things it is too well rounded to be good at anything. Another part of me really likes the layout of the guns. How you would use it? What ships would this go well with? Is it worth taking an Emperor and dropping 4 launch capacity for 10 points and 2 lances on port and starboard?

[AndrewChristlieb]

Well the current stats on this are garbage so I don't use any, its also limited to Solar fleet lists which makes it even more unlikely to be used  . I'd plow forward, providing support and swing the broadsides to bear around mid range. Is the Emperor better? yup you don't have to close to mid range to provide gunnery and you get twice as much launch for 30 pts  . With the Emperor your purpose is better defined also, its a dedicated carrier with just enough weapons to be a threat at range your going to reload without question if you need to and if your already loaded you might lock on, the Oberon is a gunship that someone thought would look good with some launch added I would want to lock this on every turn.

BFG-R rules are even worse Id rather have the 30pts back because its still a gunship first I want those guns working so I'm going to be closing anyway.

[Sigoroth]

BFG-R rules are even worse Id rather have the 30pts back because its still a gunship first I want those guns working so I'm going to be closing anyway.

It's 20 pts, not 30 pts. And why would you close with this ship? It's a long range gun platform. The original Oberon had exactly the same profile as that in BFG:R and was 10 pts cheaper than an Emperor (which the BFG:R version is as well) at 335 pts. For some unknowable reason the HA dropped the range on its prow/dorsal weaponry. Inexplicable as it was, the BFG:R version is merely a restoration to its previous place.

No one actually rates the Oberon as being worth near on an Emperor. However it is a fun alternative for those that prefer gunnery. It could stand to lose 5-10 pts to be truly competitive as an alternative to the Emperor. As for its role, it is more suited to a fleet oriented towards defensive AC, rather than offensive. In this type of fleet the Oberon could merely be used to provide extra AC control for the fleet. For example, in turn one launch fighters with other carriers, reload them and launch some more from one of them in turn two. This frees up the Oberon to just LO throughout. By the time you actually need to launch from it you'll likely be out of position to LO anyway so reloading wouldn't be such a conflict of interests.

Either way, the Oberon should be placed abeam to the enemy and moved forward its minimum movement each turn.

[AndrewChristlieb]

Ok dont close with it then, good luck shooting something when your out of range . Seriously tho every game I have played the ships ended up closing and when your dealing with a ship with a focus on weapons batteries you should be even more likely to close in order to increase their effectiveness. Even dedicated carriers tend to close to a certain extent if only to provide better fighter cover and/or try to get a few bomber runs in.

[Sigoroth]

Ok dont close with it then, good luck shooting something when your out of range . Seriously tho every game I have played the ships ended up closing and when your dealing with a ship with a focus on weapons batteries you should be even more likely to close in order to increase their effectiveness. Even dedicated carriers tend to close to a certain extent if only to provide better fighter cover and/or try to get a few bomber runs in.

Er, it has 60cm range. If you can't shoot at them they can't shoot at you (obvious exceptions aside). There is no reason to close with this ship. It is a stand off fleet support vessel. 4 shields, 5 turrets, 12 hits, long range guns and lances, fighter support when necessary. It's a support ship. If you manage to get it into close range then it can contribute Lunar levels offside firepower. Not terribly impressive. Also, at close range the enemy will likely have enough firepower to get through your shields and they're a damn sight more manoeuvrable. Not where you want to be if you can help it.

[AndrewChristlieb]

Ok like I said pay your points bring your ship and keep it away from mine Im ok with that.