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Heya guys. Getting into DW and trying to pick a fleet. I've played a few games with my friend's Prussian's and EotBS Air/Sea. Lots of fun when the Brits, Prussians, or EotBS are invovled! But one thing I've noticed... So far all of us have been getting relentlessly hammered by our friends who have FSA fleets (ships mostly). I mean, it's not even close...

So that leads me to ask a few questions...
1) Is this common for new players (or moderatly skilled players); getting blown to pieces by FSA gun lines all the time?

2) I REALLY want to avoid the FSA (can't get behind the fluff) but would still like a chance against half my gaming group that owns big FSA fleets . Can you suggest a fleet that wouldn't get turned to flaming wreckage between RB 2-4? Russian Coalition? The French? CoA? Not alot of battle reports against FSA, I've noticed... I guess, because the FSA wins all the time.

3) Any tactics with Prussian and EotBS to defeat the FSA is straight-up combat? Prussians seem to have trouble getting close enough to board and the EotBS have trouble with FSA durability and surviving concentrated FSA fire.

Thanks guys!

I play EotBS and have no problems with the FSA (its the frogs that give me problems). The FSA may seem a bit one sided, but remember in exchange for their simple to playness they lose out on fancy toys like the other nations (incendiary rockets, specialist weapons and armours etc).

1) The FSA are just a "straight forward" nation to play, lacking much in the way of special rules and whatnot and relying on powerfull turrets. As far as new players go it seems bad when your against a far reaching guns from an all stopped gunline. Just remember that theres terrain around and they dont have many other weapons than the occasional rocket attack to rely on, and once they start taking hits those turrets get weak fast.

2) The FSA doesnt win all the time, the factions are ballanced fairly well and (generally) one thats good at A is weak in B. If anything my groups FSA player has only won maybe 3 or 4 games in the last year, and we play all factions between us except the prussians and penguins.

3) PA and EotBS are...well theyr generally regarded as the "learning cliff" forces. PA because of their boarding specialty needing them to be carefull on the approach and use the cover, and the EotBS because of their lack of specialties being a jackl of all trades. However this means that the PA are going to be laughing their socks off once in boarding range, and that the EotBS can pick and change tactics as and when they feel like it. Playing EotBS cant say iv noticed that problem against FSA. While the FSA have that +1 DR, EotBS get +1CR which i prefer tbh (I get to laugh when people say "that frigate has the CR of my cruiser D:" ).

Prussians in general id say go for frigates. Lots. Theyr fast and can board mediums and SOME larges VERY well. Getting the rhine is a good bet too, extra activations (if i recall FSA are fairly points pricey at times) and more TFs (FSA AA power isnt exactly rave worthy, same as their boarding with the exception of like 2 FSA air units). Though really that seems standard prussian fair anyway, just keep moving and hug the cover as best you can.

As for the EotBS, roughly the same. We have fast frigates and fast (and cheap) mediums so capitalize on that. The EotBS reinforced medium squadron is deadly (can shoot at all range bands, is 4 ships strong and is a total monster at boarding). As for larges, take your pick. I have terrible luck with all of them except my war-gyro. If you can stand the Battleship go for it, same as the carrier. If they dont work out for you go for the Ika and use the 80 points on more of something else. Japanese air is some of/ maybe the best in the game too. A fun tactic is a squad of inari all stopped and turned sideways. Surface Skimmer Mar means when obscured and stopped they can only get hit by AA and AP. Force him to come to them while theyr throwing rockets at his smalls, and once hes close turn the round and throw them into RB1 where theyr safe from everything anyway and can drop bombs and ordanance.

Hope this helped, anything else feel free to ask

Wow ya that helped a lot. Sure I have one more question.

So the new factions are the covenant of Antarctica, the French, and the Russians. Still not heard a lot about the them (especially the Russians). Know any places I can get a good review on those factions?

samas990 wrote:
Wow ya that helped a lot. Sure I have one more question.

So the new factions are the covenant of Antarctica, the French, and the Russians. Still not heard a lot about the them (especially the Russians). Know any places I can get a good review on those factions?

Wouldnt call them new, been out awhile. The "new" ones are the alliance nations. As for reviews, here is a good start (the last few DW threads on here are people asking similar questions)

Oh i may have forgot to mention the EotBS have maybe 4 vessels with generators in the whole faction. So dont expect too much from that, and their naval vessels can turn before moving.

The covenant are all about their shiny toys and special rules. They have a hard on for shields on everything, and the turrets on their larger vessels tend to have sturginum round MAR that means enemy shields only work on a 5+. They have the option of Energy turrets too (which are of...personal option), E-turrets only hit for 3 or 5AD depending on the ships size, but it hits that across ALL rangebands, and crits from them get an optional +1 on the critical table. They got "slightly" more usefull in the last release wave with energy amp ships. Basically on a 5+ the E-turret gets to combine instead of link (so the 4 E-turrets on a large get a 1/3 chance to hit at 20AD instead of 11AD all the way from RB4). Makes them an ok sniper fleet if your a gambler. Their frigates are horrible, but their destroyers are easily the meanest in the game. The faction as a whole is pants at boarding with the exception of their new robo-worm the Arronax. They have the "Time Dilation Orb" as a specialist faction Large ship. Basically lets you teleport a ship behind enemy lines in the second turn (dropping a dreadnought in the other guys face right away). Their TFTs work a bit different as well. Instead of getting MARs on the fighters and one of the other plane types like the other factions, they get unmanned drones. They dont have fuel and dont need to return after AD attacks, but on the flipside lack torpedo bombers and get destroyed on a 5+. However, any wings you get from taking a carrier, after that wing dies can be relaunched from the carrier (theirs are basically drone factories). Their Sky Fortress is a very mean customer too, a bloody nice unit on its own and has the Quick Launch Mar, meaning their TFs can activate the turn they leave the carrier. Oh one final note, the Partical Accelerators may seem nice, but its not exactly Stirling in use.

The French are the "air owning" faction. However as my friend jokes about them, they dont have much to use up there once they get it. Some of their ships have a special armour rule negating that first 6 rolled against them and turning it into a 5. Also, expect AA fire EVERYWHERE. They even have a medium cruiser dedicated to "moar AA" and at double the range. Their own air power is iffy though. Their Furiex scoutship is just themed around laying mines (which our french player has given up expecting my japs to sail into due to the EotBS Manueverable MAR). And instead of a heavy bomber like the other factions, they get a heavy interceptor for hunting air units and smalls rather than dropping bombs on capitol ships. However their large airs are just fine. They also have a choice of 2 dreadnought flavours, a naval and air one. Generator wise they have some nice choice. Cloud generators mean those battleships are only getting hit on a 5+, the fury generator is a nice late game toy that sets fire to anything near it, an the field gen can negate incoming generator effects. They also have the combat launch MAR on their carrier, so it can still fire after launching. Lastly is a faction specific weapon of theirs. The Heat Lance. Only works into RB2, but hits for x2 the targets DR in AD. Has a baby brother called the Heat Lancette, hits for the targets DR x1, but the 2 you get in the medium squad can combine. Its also Redoubtable so loses power every 2HP instead of 1. Also, they lack escorts in any form.

Last the ruskies, another straight forward faction like the FSA, but in more of the "soviet steamroll" way. Their vessels have 2 main characteristics. Ablative armour means they wont lose HP till they take the first critical, which even then only does 1HP instead of two (though after that they take hits like normal). The other is their turrets. Nothing notable that i can think of top of my head hitting beyond RB2, but all of its is MEAN, i mean seriously, theres only 1 turret in the game that hits harder than theirs, and theirs get multiple of them. If you see these guys over the table, DONT let them get close. Their ships are fairly slow though, and even though they get a lot of AP its all conscripts hitting on a 5+. Only has 1 carrier instead of 3 like the other factions, and again lacks torpedo bombers. Their Heavy bomber is laughable, but the skyships are pretty nice. Their naval force is good, lack a corvette though as expected. Has some nice generators too, the Mimic Gen lets it copy the effects of other generators in range (hilarious if it nabs a british Gaurdian Gen.) The rocket and torpedo gens are handy too, deflecting an amount of those shots onto other ships that are close (including enemy ones).Lastly is the iceberg gen, pretty much what it sounds like, lets you drop icebergs everywhere. Another fun one to mimic. Also like the EotBS their medium reinforced squad is another slightly scary 4 ship unit of death. Pricey though at 300 points.

Think/hope that covers it all. Any other questions just post them

Thanks, man. That's EXACTLY the kind of info I was looking for.

Sounds like the CoA is definitely a fun fleet full of tricks that I need to try and with the game being cheap as chips to start, might as well get the russians too and add some new forces to our gaming group.

Cheers & appreciate the help.

No problem, they come with their own mini booklet but if i remember its slightly out of date and some sections had been changed (drone rules for COA and squad sizes for RC being the main culprits i think). Their full rules/lists are in the expansion books (i forget which atm)

Brittania here.

Against FSA, I have never had a problem. In a straight slug match they have the advantage yes, but with my ships having torps and shield gens everywhere. Well they start losing that advantage. A big help is that our Gunships are still one of the most capable ships in the game.

Now, EotBS. They give me some issues.

I have not had a chance to play our Russian player yet. That should change soon.

I am new to DW. Got my CoA fleet but we haven't had a chance to play any games yet. I believe where I play we will have EotBS, FSA, Russians and Prussians. Seems like a fun game and I'm looking to trying it out.