Odd little question - to trap a faster foe

[Smiling Bandit]

Alright: here is the question:

Say you have a large fleet (10 capships versus 1 opposing capship) and you need to clear out the enemy from a star system. Assume they can hear your transmission, bt you cannot (yet) understand theirs. This system has 4 asteroid belts. There are numerous small mining colonies.

To make matters worse, they can acclerate up to 8 gravities, while you are limited to 5. This means that most stellar travel times are measured in days, normally giving them ample warnings.

However, you control the system jump point.

Assume the 10 Capships are roughly equal to SD's in terms of firepower relative to other ships. The enemy has similar strengths in their heavy capships. However, we have an edge in firepower from advanced anti-matter torpedo designs.

[Mr Bean]

Hmm, Planet Hopping sounds like the best Choice here, Skip from Rock to Rock into the System and work your way's inward while mantaining your forces in a tight, mutaly supported Formation

[Smiling Bandit]

But you can't make this a tight, mutually supporting formation. Too much area to cover.

We know where they are (well, a good guess anyway). And we cotrol the planets and the jump point. However, we cannot match their speed. In sace, they can just move around. And they are quick enough that it would be difficult to encircle them.

(PS: This is an odd RPG we've set up. Those really are ISD's. No, I will not tell you how we got them, but the people of Earth are very glad to have them on their side.

[Mr Bean]

Well then am I trying to hold what I'm taking or not?
Otherwise can keep the tight formation as above excpet add BDZ to list of things to do before I leave a planet, area, place

[Smiling Bandit]

*Sigh*

The Planets are on our side. The aliens are invading. We beat up their main fleet and the planetary watchers. Now we can't get rid on the one ship they had that wasn't bloackading the jump point or menacing the planets.

[Raxmei]

You control the jump point, so the ship is cut off from resupply. Does it require fuel?

[Mr Bean]

Fine Keep Three Ships at the Jump point and the rest around the habitable planets, Sorry Bandit you did not make your senario very clear I though I was the invading force there

[Smiling Bandit]

You control the jump point, so the ship is cut off from resupply. Does it require fuel?

Sort of. We think they use hydrogen fusion. So even some water can keep them going a long, long time. It might work eventually, but we need to blockade the Jump point with all firepower is possible.

[Mr Bean]

Hmm do they require food and What-not?
Astroid Belts are rather lacking in water and its impractuclue to simply station a ship at every comet out there hmm
Divide the Ships between Habaitable planets and The Jump-Gate and starve them out.

[Darth Wong]

Just keep chasing him. You can't catch a faster foe in open terrain as a matter of principle, but you have the logistical advantage: you can refuel and resupply at will. So keep most of your ships guarding the planet and the jump point, and then send one ship to chase him around.

Make him use up his fuel rapidly by running his engines flat-out all the time. When your pursuer ship runs low on fuel, return to base and immediately send out another fresh ship to keep up the pressure. Never let him rest. Never give him time to stop and try to extract supplies or fuel. Keep sending out your ships in shifts to chase him until he is exhausted and either gives up or runs out of fuel and you can blast him to scrap at your leisure.

[David]

Thread moved.

[Sea Skimmer]

There is one other solution; you can simply let him leave. Assuming you don’t need to worry about more forces jumping in, you could just leave the jump point unguarded and allow him jump out. Then you can move all your forces back to it and prevent anyone else from entering. This would then free up ships for other operations.

I guess it really depends how valuable that one ship is to your enemies, how patient you are, and how much you need those ships. If you intend to leave all of them as a garrison anyway, then my idea has no point.

[Smiling Bandit]

[Mr Burns] Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeexcellent...

I shall order my minions to chase them down with four ships. Though I imagine it will take some time.

Due to some meta-physics we are in a dead-end jump point behind enemy lines.[/quote]

[omegaLancer]

The fact is that it alway been a problem for a slower/ less mobile force to bring a highily mobile force to battle..

Just look at the struggle of Roman vs the Parthians.

The Roman were heavy infantry, the Parthian horse Archers..

in several major encounters, the Parthian just fire arrows into the roman lines and harrased them until the Roman either left or where slay by volleys of arrows. This was the death of Crassus and later a Roman Emperor..

The only Genius of Alexander the Great seem only able to deal with such a problem..

Alexander found himself being harrased by mounted horse archers of several Scythian tribes. So he lure the The Scythian to attacking his troops and then used his light infantry and cavalry pin the Scythian . And smashed the Scythian with his heavy cavalry..

After bloody the nose of the Scythian tribes they sue for peace...But Then Alexander was a genius...

[Master of Ossus]

Incidentally, it would also depend on what the range of the weapons fire available to you is. That way, you MIGHT be able to make an envelope to catch the little prick, especially since the acceleration difference in this case is so small.