[FLEET] Solitude Trivial Talwars (2300 19 DEC)

[Crimson Herring]

In which I solve my problem of finding content by finding too much of the wrong type of content.

Roam members (8) - NOTE: This section is NOT usually included in AARs.
Comeonnnnnn Sparassid
Crimson Herring
Erwin Madelung
Prieblanda Anstianski
Thorne Ishirai
Tolerin Escipion
Tye Etch
Yrgrasil

After struggling to find a time that works for me, that also supports fun fleet content, I was feeling good this evening, as DOTLAN showed decent NPC killing activity in Syndicate. I figured that while 6 Talwars isn't really an optimal number we could probably try to jump a few ratters and try to dodge the response fleets that may form. I underestimated how quickly a response would come, we barely reached VV-VCR before 404, UFC, and Banderstadt formed a response. My scout in IIRH-G reported several ships leaving station and we soon saw a local spike in VV-VCR. We warped into IIRH-G, thinking to rush through to XS-XAY and catch some ratters, but were followed by a Hecate. From my attempt at visual identification, it seemed to be blaster fit, but I was mistaken, it started engaging us well beyond our engagement range. We retreated to M2-CF1 where we repaired damage, and took stock.

At this point, we knew we had content waiting in the IIRH-G pocket, and the rest of Syndicate looked pretty dead. I was hesitant to just run away considering my last two fleets were pretty uneventful. After making sure people were OK with a potentially unwinnable fight, I decided to head back in and try out luck at catching one of the ratters in 35-RK9 or XS-XAY. Again the Hecate followed us, and managed to snatch a Talwar on the IIRH-G gate in 35-RK9. Our primary scout also got caught trying to run the camp, as the Hecate was instalock fit. At this point they also brought out a Hyperion.

Kills and Losses
(00:06:25) 35-RK9
Talwar -7.22m
Capsule -0.01m
Crow -41.57m

At this point they had an interdictor between us and the only way home, and the ratters seemed to safing up or docking up. We could either dock up and wait for them to stand down, or end in a blaze of glory. I've always been more of the blaze of glory type, so when our secondary scout ran into trouble, I warped the fleet too near our engagement range and tried to pick the softest target. A Stabber came out to engage us, and we applied good DPS for a bit, but we lost our only remaining tackle so it warped off, and back up was too close. I called a scatter, but by this point there were only two Talwars remaining. One docked up not wanting to waste a ship, and I decided to call the fleet and picked a second fight with the Stabber a POCO so I could take the pod express back.

(00:16:31) IIRH-G, 35-RK9
Atron -4.8m
Capsule -0.01m
Talwar -7.21m
Kestrel -1.66m
Talwar -7.22m
Capsule -0.01m
Talwar -7.22m
Capsule -0.01m

What went well:
I found fights this time. We didn't kill anything, but I got a bit of practice trying to position a fleet to engage.
We had several people new to fleets, including a brave new scout who did pretty well. I was the only lemming on this fleet after fat fingering the jump hotkey.

What could have gone better:
I tried to pick a fight in/near a staging system, which was probably a bit foolish. I chalk it up to over-correction after last weeks very uneventful fleet. I also was looking for a fight in a dead-end pocket, which let to us getting trapped.
In terms of the actual fights, there were several targets we might have been able to isolate and engage individually if I was better at positioning, and more familiar with BLAP Talwars. I absolutely was not using the SeBos and MWDs to the best of their ability.


Stats
ISK Destroyed: 0
ISK Lost: 76,956,030.08
ISK Delta: -76,956,030.08
Efficiency: 0%

[Comeonnnnnn Sparassid]

Hey Crimson
Thank you very much for my first experience in real PvP and for trusting me to be a scout in my first time flying in a fleet
It was great fun overall and was happy to be blown up on my own terms!

And to be honest, that Hecate was a really good pilot who ran circles around us!

Thanks again for the fleet experience!

[Decklin Quark Reiger]

Hey Crimson,

Kudos for trying to take out a fleet and do your best with the numbers you've got.

In terms of learning from this experience, I can see that it highlights two key aspects of long-range alpha strike doctrines:

1. With high alpha strike comes lower sustained DPS, often paired with long reload times. This means that to be effective, you *need* a critical mass of mainline DPS ships. The critical mass the you need is enough to kill a target in one or two volleys. Without this, your targets will be able to sustain reps from their logi. In this fight, the autocannon Stabber had enough time to burn in range to kill one of your Talwars and warp off. If they opponents had logi this would be more than enough time for them to establish a lock and reps on him.

2. Long range skirmish doctrines are able to disengage if the fight isn't going well.. but so are their opponents. The mainline ships are designed to fight from outside tackle range, so the fleet is reliant on dedicated tackle ships. The opponents therefore can choose to disengage by killing your tackle and leaving.

Knowing this, most opponents will start an engagement by killing your tackle. This means that in a fleet fight, your scouts mostly need to focus on staying safe and screening away incoming fast tackle to you. Occasionally the may be an isolated target they can go grab tackle on, and then if you're winning the fight and the opponents are about to disengage, your fast tackle can burn in to grab the juiciest targets before they flee. Again, this means that in order to win the early stages of a fleet fight and turn it in your favour, you need to be able to kill targets before they have time to react and warp off, since you probably won't be able to hold them tackled, unlike in a short range doctrine.

Make sure your fast light tackle is aware of their role in a fleet fight: To stay safe at first; to burn pings for you to warp the fleet to them; and to screen off incoming fast tackle. When the fight is turning decisively in your favour, then they can burn in to tackle juicy targets. Similarly, Dictors will rely on their cloak or jumping a gate to survive, and are key to initiating a fight for you.

Ok the plus side, you can choose to disengage in order to reload, to reposition tactically, or simply to assess the field and decide what to do next.


TLDR:
When flying an alpha strike doctrine:
1. Bring enough mainline ships to volley a target in one or two shots. Pick another doctrine that works with lower numbers if you don't have this.
2. Both you and your opponents will be able to disengage. Be prepared for this.

Hope those thoughts are of value and can draw out some learning points from the fleet

Keep it up Crimson, way to go with providing fun PvP content for the Solitude campus

[Yrgrasil]

Was interesting to try again Scout, even if i died because my own stupidity as i underestimated the speed of this goddamn hecate -.-

[Budda Sereda]

Glad you guys found content and had an interesting fight.
I believe Crimson you are going to get more and more people joining you and have solid numbers. Yet, same as with Yuri fleet: you will keep suffering from the low content in Soli.
BlackRise, sov nul areas are not too far and I would recommend to go roam those places.
Once I pulled Yuri and Soli folks in BlackRise, Yuri wrote: in this one fleet we made more kills than during last months

Doctrine wise: same as Decklin, I believe you need at least 20, better 30 Talwars to make them work.
If you have 8... unless you find a lone small ship you won't kill anything.

Hope this help.

[Tolerin Escipion]

It's my second fleet down in Solitude, and even tho we didn't kill anything, I had fun a learned new things which is my objective. Thanks for the fleet.