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Author Topic: Alien Sourcebook P.B.A. Works  (Read 1386 times)

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Offline SgtHulka

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Alien Sourcebook P.B.A. Works
« on: April 24, 2011, 11:15:36 AM »
Does anyone know what the proper force compisition is supposed to be for this scenario? Using the UPVs from the same source (as opposed to the later Junction Point revisions) the Fantasians are calculated correctly but the UNE are way off.  Mis-calculated they have a slight advantage, but calculated correctly their advantage is huge. Specifically:

Unit 1 is calculated correctly.
Unit 2 should cost 253 UPV.
Unit 3 should cost 362 UPV.
Unit 4 should cost 1100 UPV.
Unit 5 is calculated correctly.
So the total cost of the U.N.E. units should be 2,353 UPV, as compared to the Fantasians 1,584 UPV. Are the U.N.E. forces correct, but their UPV's simply miscalculated, or are the UPV's correct, and the forces misprinted?

Offline Clark

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Re: Alien Sourcebook P.B.A. Works
« Reply #1 on: April 24, 2011, 12:58:56 PM »
Marco designed this scanario based on the Tractor Works from ASL.

At first blush I would say that the UPV for sections 2 and 3 were miscalculated because they are exactly 19 points off.

Unit 4 must be a typo because 12 figs won't fit into a 3x3 room. Given that 3 of the 4 other units are broken into 5 man squads, it was probably supposed to be an assault group and a heavy assault trooper (knowing Marco, he would want a Behemoth in the mix). If the same 19 point error was made for that assault group's UPV, then it's not a stretch that another 12 point error was made with the Behemoth. Recalculating it, that would still put the UNE another 69 UPV up  for a total advantage of 106 or about 7% which is starting to get significant.

I was posted on the west coast with the military during the summer that the Alien Soucebook was being put together. In my spare time I was writing and such and then modeming it back to Marco and Derrick in Toronto. So, I didn't do much of the scenaio design or playtesting for that publication.

But it seems from the deployment for a Selected UPV that it was intended as an even match. Note that after playtesting the Junction Point scenarios the UPV calculations were changed to make +1 armour cheaper and -1 more expensive due to larger rooms and corridors, as well as AOE weapons becoming more common.

PBA works would have to be playtested again with a variety of forces to test both the scenario and the UPV system yet again.

Offline SgtHulka

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Re: Alien Sourcebook P.B.A. Works
« Reply #2 on: April 25, 2011, 01:04:42 AM »
Thanks for the insight. Sounds like the units are correct (with the exception of the Behemoth mistake), and it seems pretty important to the scenario to keep the groups set up the way they are. So maybe I'll re-calculate the UPVs using Junction Point and then pad the Fantasian forces accordingly.

Offline Clark

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Re: Alien Sourcebook P.B.A. Works
« Reply #3 on: April 27, 2011, 05:44:16 PM »
Let us know how it flows.

What tactics do you think the UNE should use?  I'm thinking Unit 5 sets up an all-round defence.  Unit 2 and 3 converge on the north end of room 7 to take out the five pieces of equipment there.  Unit 1 RVs with Unit 5 and secures access point C.  And then Unit 4 has a few choices: secure access point B, intercept Unit 6 or aid Unit 3 in taking out the equipment. But it sort of depends on the Fantasian set up.