The Commander Series Forum

Am slightly confused by orbital strikes - As I understand it, and ready for correction, you can buy as many as available but only one can be used per command from the FAO's. Are these one shot wonders or do they refill at the end of each turn?

thanks

Paul

Paul,

Each list has a set limit of light and heavy that they can purchased. Once used it's gone. Each command order can can only call in one orbital but multiple command orders may be made as usual applying the cumulative command penalties etc... Heavies get an extra penalty of course.

Great fun to use but do recall the visibilty rules that we always forget, infantry at edge of terrain thta have done nothing can't be seen. We rush into using orbitals on infantry in cover and only after forget we couldn't until we'd seen them

Steve,
thanks for that but where does it say once used it's gone? Can't find that anywhere - knew that's what we played at bootcamp but colleagues here needed it in black and white.

I understood it was an asset like a battery of guns that could be used as/when required when you got the command off.

Each asset is a single strike. You require a battery of guns to fire an artillery asset, but each individual asset is still a one-use wonder.

Paul,

Beat them with a stick. It doesn't say I can't throw my opponents toys out the window either .

As biggoober says, assets are one shot.

Page 29, Orbital strikes, 1st paragraph, last line: "Requesting an orbital strike requires one orbital strike asset to be used for each successful request."

Accepting the lists have limited numbers then the implication is that once it is used it is...used up.

Of course if they insist then just play a 1500ap game vs them and take an Aryx, a pimped CO, minima infantry in reserve and all the Orbitals you can take and show them how broken that would be .

Hello chaps,

As it happens, 'twas I who was playing Paul when this query arose. Now don't get on my case about it as, at the time, it was Paul who was dropping small planetoids on my troops not 'tother way round.

I'm more than happy to go with the consensus that all Assets (capital A) are one use only. The down side of this is that you still have to buy an FAO in order to use them, so buying only one or two orbital strikes would be a waste of the points expended on the FAO. Once he has used his two orbitals, he has nothing to do for the rest of the game other than relaxing and reclining with his thumb in an uncomfortable place. So if you're going to take orbitals then ... take lots of them.

Looking at the numbers ... an orbital strike has the potential to do twice as much damage as an off-table artillery piece, at a little over half the price, so there is good sense in making them one-off items.

It's good to have this clear in my head now as one of my latest purchases happens to be a Plasmablast Games Orbital Combine army which does not have the option for the off-table artillery I'm so fond of, so ... well it's in the name "Orbital" Combine.


My prototype paint scheme for my OC if anyone's interested:
http://s120.photobucket.com/albums/o189/BigHobb...

Nice painting scheme.

Yes, the FAO can have an early shower after the orbitals but he does still act as AA albeit not a great one, but it all helps. Although sneaky Krayonians have dual purpose commanders so have their cake and can eat it.

Hitting armour on 5s+ rather than 6s is quite a usefull tool !!

Bren,

looking forward to seeing the OC on the table. Now Krays or Khazari?

Paul, have you beaten the guys in the Fort with a stick yet? I liked the sound of that rule ....

Line of sight? We don' need no stinkin' line of sight. The whole idea behind Ortillery is to glass as much of the planet as possible to reduce...and by "reduce" I mean massacre, any resistance to advancing troops.

Dave,

Only this that needed it & never Bren

I'm just hoping that "Beating with a stick" isn't an obscure Royal Marine euphemism for something ..... else.

... it's dressing up time my lovelies; dresses at the ready ...

off topic within 5 moves nice one Dave