I'm thinking I might try playing GSF solo. Suggestions on which opposition force and strikeforce ships to use?
Hi. My name's Andy. Feel free to call me Andy, since, ya know, that's my name. (he/him/his)
If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If not now, when? If I am for myself alone, what am I? -- Hillel
Yes!
For a first solo game, try staying away from Singularity. You'll think I'm crazy, but Nyotan is pretty fun for 2 player games because the Opp ships do not spawn additional ships (similar to the Scouts of the UFGD). This will keep bookkeeping for your first game lower. Nyotan is sure to deploy, so you'll get a nice feel for late game purchasing and deck managment. Syndicate or Technovores are fine as well.
The largest challenge facing 2 ship games is that its hard to strike a nice balance between just two ships. Holes in the strengths and weaknesses of your team are far easier to fill with 3+ obviously, but its really not a big deal. For the easiest time, try choosing one SF ship that is a strong Flagship engager and one SF ship that is brings scrapping power outside of engagments.
Prime examples of Flagship engagers are: Vigilance, Baselieos, and Wrath (Spire, Nyphon, and Tharendim could fill this role if built for it and needed. Marrot too if gambles pay off).
Ships with the best Scrapping power are: Claw and Hammer and Tharendim. Warbeast can but its a little more difficult to pull off with smaller numbers.
Any ship combo can win games. But this is a good way to choose your first solo game.
Sectors: Trade Outpost. Use it. Makes life a little easier. Galveruns End can also be a Boon if you can keep it contested and has few drawbacks when overrun. Wastes are a double edged sword in a lot of ways. I'v always been fond of the Forge. The expansion Sectors are all good choices as well.
If you want to try and win before any flagships show up, go with Hammer and Claw vs Syndicate or Technovores. Piece of cakes. If you want to kill a flagship, go Nyotan and swap one of those ships for Baselieos or Vigilance.
Thanks
Hi. My name's Andy. Feel free to call me Andy, since, ya know, that's my name. (he/him/his)
If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If not now, when? If I am for myself alone, what am I? -- Hillel
It's a little more taxing than solo sentinels. Be sure to report back
I played solo last night with Tharendim and Conclave vs the Syndicate (because Tharendim looke cool and Conclave said Phase Wraiths). I ended up with very powerful ships but since I didn't build to Tharendim's strengths I pretty much lost my non-engaged destruction capability. And two straight-up fighters cannot recover an overrun sector. So it was a stale-mate. My ships couldn't be destroyed but I also couldn't leave my sector to clear out other sectors.
"Deja-fu? You've heard of that?"
- Lu Tze, Sweeper, Thief of Time by Terry Pratchett
This is where "Station Manipulation" comes into play. You can totally recover an overrun sector this way. You have to buy cards in such a way that they wont flip additional ships in the aftermath. Maybe that means not buying a card you normally would have, or buying a few cards you normally wouldn't have to find one you would want fliping instead. Conclave has a ton of buying power and is very useful for this purpose. As you get more familiar with the different Opposition Boosts, you can start to manipulate sectors to greater advantage
You were probably at the Sector limit of 4, with no new ships coming into the Sector (otherwise you would have lost). If you arrange it that two ships got scrapped on the same round, then moved one away with Dimensional Sabatoge, you would only have one left. Even if that flips a ship, you would be able to engage both ships from then on not flipping anymore (assuming not more than one ship flips, and no new ships move into the Sector). Not to mention waiting for Strike Force Tactics to help things along.
You would keep buying stuff until your ship was bigger. Even if you bought everything, the other Sectors are flipping 6 cards a round, which puts more cards into the scrap for you to reshuffle when your Sector runs out.
Once your Sector was clear, you could go anywhere and do what needs to be done. You would only have to go back if another card puts a ship into that Sector.
I am not saying it wouldn't take awhile, or that a bad draw can kill you, but a stalemate can often be beneficial for SF ships.
Civilized men are more discourteous than savages because they know they can be impolite without having their skulls split, as a general thing.
-Robert E. Howard, "The Tower of the Elephant"
Maybe for a round or two. But Cross Sector deployment from the other 2 sectors is going to frustrate you as it falls into a 1 step forward 2 steps back senario. Sometimes it can take a lot of rounds for that kind of stalemate to break, and it wont break for long. Being painted into a corner is not a situation you want to find yourself in, for game lengths sake
Perhaps, but it also depends who you are playing against. I am not saying you should try for a stalemate, but that if there is one, you have a decent chance of making it out.
Civilized men are more discourteous than savages because they know they can be impolite without having their skulls split, as a general thing.
-Robert E. Howard, "The Tower of the Elephant"
In this case, every time I cleared out my sector the station cards or the mission would bring in anywhere between 1 and 5 ships to my sector again. I can see that it'll take me a few games to get the various manipulations required to win down. But that just helps make the game more awesome and succeeding that much sweeter.
"Deja-fu? You've heard of that?"
- Lu Tze, Sweeper, Thief of Time by Terry Pratchett