I have often considered using the optional rule of a sabotage run on a War Sun, but have always decided it would be a waste of fighters. I was wondering if there exists a situation when you might want to do a sabotage run?
Quoted from the rule book:
Game option: Sabotage Runs
Although the mighty War Sun unit is the undisputed king of space, history has shown that such hubris of creation often hides a fatal flaw that can be exploited by the smallest of spacecraft.
When using this game option, Fighter units have adesperate chance of a pre-Space Battle strike at an enemy War Sun in the contested system. This desperate attack is called the “sabotage run.”
Announce the Run
A sabotage run takes place before an actual Space Battle begins, immediately after any Destroyer Anti-Fighter Barrage.Both players (attacker first) may announce that they are making a Sabotage run against an enemy War Sun in the battle (if no War Sun is present among the enemy units, a player cannot undertake a sabotage run).
If both players have War Suns, the attacker should resolve his sabotage run first, followed by the defender.
After announcing a sabotage run, a player must commit a number of Fighter units to the dangerous task. After a number of Fighters have been committed, the sabotage run is executed over two rounds of die rolls.
1) The Outer Defenses
Roll a die for every Fighter committed to the sabotage run. On an unmodified result of 9 or 10, the Fighter makes it through the outer defenses of the War Sun. All other results destroy the Fighter unit, which receives no return fire.2) The Inner Defenses
For every Fighter unit that made it past the outer defenses of the War Sun, roll another die (one at a time). If the fighter rolls an unmodified result of 10, the sabotage run is successful and the War Sun is immediately destroyed. Such a destroyed War Sun receives no return fire. All other die results instantly destroy the Fighter unit, which receives no return fire.Surviving Fighter units are able to participate in the subsequent Space Battle. An unharmed War Sun is able to participate in the Space Battle with no ill effects.
Should an opponent have two War Sun units, a player is allowed to make a sabotage run against both units by dividing his committed Fighters into two separate pools. With each of these pools attacking one specific War Sun, simply resolve each separate sabotage run, one at a time