Subset Games Forum

This is a suggestion for when you fight the rebel fleet because they have overrun your location.

Normally, you just jump away. (which make sense)

But you can stay and defeat them (for no reward, which also makes sense).

But if you are out of fuel, and wait you get an event that you spot a ship with fuel and if you defeat them you get a small amount of fuel. (I usually get 2-3 but I think I had seen more (and 4 would make more sense).

But my suggestion is to allow you to always get at least a small amount of fuel from defeating the rebel ship in the fleet. (the 2-3 amount is fine) Here is why.

Say you run out of fuel. You have to wait, if you get lucky you get an event that allows you to get fuel. If you get unlucky get get an event that gets you no fuel, and the rebel fleet draws in.
Eventually, your event is you spy a rebel ship with "extra fuel" you attack it and defeat it, and get a small amount of fuel. (This happened to me on the left side of one sector (bad planning, plus a forced back track)).

You jump, but the next sector is already overun by rebels, so if you stay and fight you get nothing. IF you jump you get nothing (but less damage). So I jump (that's my two jumps), this sector is now also overrun.

Here is where you get screwed. You have no fuel (AGAIN), you CAN'T jump. So you must stay and fight. But you defeat them. You get that "no time to get anything" message, the jump button is lit up, but only allows you to wait. Triggering the "fuel rich rebel". But now you spent three turns moving two spaces, so you can guess where that rebel fleet is going to be (way in front of you).

I am do not think that giving you 2-3 fuel every time you defeat a rebel inside the fleet would make the game significantly easier.

An alternate suggestion would be when you jump to a rebel controlled sector with 0 fuel it triggers the "fuel rich" event.. so you don't have to fight two rebel ships for 2-3 fuel.

I see your point, but personally... I really want to make the 'rebel fleet' ships considerably more difficult. I want the design to be that if you are out of fuel AND the rebel fleet caught up to you ... you're screwed. You messed up somewhere and it's basically game over. If you can defeat the rebel ship THEN... maybe I'll give you some fuel. lol.

We'll think about it regardless.

Justin wrote:I see your point, but personally... I really want to make the 'rebel fleet' ships considerably more difficult. I want the design to be that if you are out of fuel AND the rebel fleet caught up to you ... you're screwed. You messed up somewhere and it's basically game over. If you can defeat the rebel ship THEN... maybe I'll give you some fuel. lol.

We'll think about it regardless.

This happened to me, I ended up with a nightmare map, where my system was physically next to the exit system, but turns out not linked, I had to jump 5 sytems back through rebel infested space to route to the exit system.. and I only had 3 fuel.

On the third jump, ran out of fuel, killed the rebel ship, waited, killed the rebel ship, waited, killed the rebel ship, got two fuel and escaped.

Loved it just the way it is

I would like some incentive to attack the rebels that helps a workaround scenario - like maybe attacking the rebels slows down their pursuit speed for a couple of turns? I see that as a two prong mechanic - one it gives a player on the very edge of defeat a little room to breathe and it is incentive for someone who wants to grab a goal that requires hitting the enemy fleet to do so.

That reminds me. I'm not suggesting any change mind you. (I don't want it to change. rule of fun and all that) But why does the rebel fleet slow down when the player jumps through a nebula (and speed up when they get information about your location), but doesn't slow down at all as far as I can tell when the rebel fleet overwhelms your position. It just keeps going...