BFG second round

After our introduction fought two weeks ago, we decided to play another game of BFG. This time we chose the scenario "Fleet Engagement" and played it at 2.000 points each, so I could add my Retribution class dreadnought and one more cruiser, a Dominator class, to the fleet I already used last time.

The battlefield after Chaos moved its first turn.

We started very close from each other and to put things worse, my opponent gained the initiative for the first turn and then moved all his Chaos fleet ahead, firing and launching everything he's got. I refused to Brace for Impact as I wanted to counter strike my opponent's attack. Thus, it started a fierce and very close range battle with many comes and goes for both fleets.

My very basic strategy was to move forward the Retribution to absorb most enemy fire and launch torpedoes at point blank, while I keep my three cruisers with Nova cannon safe and firing as much as possible. I also deployed two small carriers on each flank (a Dictator and a Mars) to stop as enemy bomber waves as possible.

The Nova cannons gave me a positive result overall as I got many "Hits" with the scatter dice, forcing my scared opponent to Brace for Impact more than once. Before the new rule, I rarely used Nova Cannon as I am terrible estimating distances.

Second turn. Chaos in Lock on and Empire Bracing for Impact

All the Chaos fleet Locked On when it was in position and close enough to fire all its batteries and lances, so I had to put all my fleet on Brace for Impact to avoid being wiped out. Actually, my Dictator carrier failed that order and received five hits from one only salva of a passing Chaos cruiser.

The Retribution surrounded by blast markers and many sharks Locking On

Because of so many blast markers and the continuous Brace for Impact orders I had to do, I could only reload torpedoes once in the whole game, and so I had to rely on my batteries. Nonetheless, my Cobra squadron on the right flank made some palpable hits, and my four Sword class frigate squadron on the left flank managed to cap and completely destroy a Chaos cruiser.

Last turn. More than half of all the ships crippled

Chaos cruisers proved to be devastating at point blank with their huge batteries, but the Empire did its part quite well and also had the luck of seeing how the Chaos heavy carrier exhausted its ordenance after the third wave.

In the end we quit the game with most of our ships crippled and we called it a draw with a slight advantage to the Chaos fleet.
Well, at least I did it bettter than in our first game, and I hope to win in our next encounter. I think I will mount and paint a heavy carrier I have somewhere, to give the Empire Ordenance superiority.

BFG ten years later.

After the exciting in its initial release and a dozen or so games played, I put BFG aside in favour of other games and forgot it until now. Today, me and a buddy decided to dust off our fleets and try a game. We played the scenario "Escalating Engagement" in deep space and with fleets of 1.500 points each, divided into five battlegroups that would enter the board randomly.

All the pics are clickable.

My first group to enter was a squadron of three cobra destructors. My opponent got two cruisers, one of them a carrier, so I moved my escorts behind a group of asteroids and wait for heavier reinforcements.

At the next turn the Chaos fleet received a battlefleet carrier which launched two waves of four bomber squadrons each, towards my incoming reinforcements.

My next group resulted to be the admiral's flagship, a Mars class heavy cruiser armed with launch bays and a Nova cannon, plus one Dauntless light cruiser with prow lances and one Lunar cruiser. They managed to destroy all the incoming bombers and then headed for the Chaos Battleship before more enemy ships would come, but they only managed to make it two hits. The Battleship in return launched eight more bomber squadrons and fired its seven lances, almost crippling both the Mars and the Lunar cruisers. Ouch!

At the third turn I received a squadron of Sword class frigates which make numbers with the destructors; and the Chaos forces received first one more cruiser and then another one, both surrounding my main forces.

In the next turn I got a squadron of Firestorm frigates armed with prow lances. He was receiving more and more cruisers and me only escorts, making it almost impossible for me to try something against those big fishes.

At the next turn his ships Lock on and concentrated their fire power, converting the flagship and the Dauntless into blazing hulks, and the Lunar barely escaping, crippled with only three hits remaining, and being chased very closely by a wave of vengeful Chaos bombers. I had them all Bracing for impact but regretfully it wasn't enough.

Finally the rest of my cruisers, a Dictator, a Lunar with Nova cannon and a Dauntless with torpedoes, appeared. They headed towards the Chaos fleet, helped by all the escorts, in an intent to save the surviving Lunar cruiser from the first group, firing and launching all their torpedoes and ordenance. But it was too late to win the day as the Chaos forces were still intact and too strong, so we decided to quit the game and stop the humiliating defeat that the Emperor's forces were suffering.

I didn't have luck with the deployment and reinforcements I received during all the game and besides, the scenario favoured a more manouvreable and fast fleet like the Chaos one, so I wasn't surprised by the outcome of the battle.

Next time we'll play a plain battle fleet and hopefully the Empire will do it better. Anyway, we had a great time putting all these ships into play once again after so much time, and we will shortly repeat for sure. BFG is a good game and with a lot of flavour.