Talk:Cluster Mines/@comment-141.31.128.194-20160629092226/@comment-454133-20160819180025

It's more useful to compare cluster mines to proximity mines, fellow action-placed bombs which are 1 point cheaper to equip. Proximity mines roll 3 dice and count both hits and crits on the dice. Cluster mines roll 2 dice each (up to 6 with a really good hit of all 3 mines), but score only hits on the dice.

An attack die has a 50% chance of producing either a hit or crit. 1 of 4 hits will be crits (if you get past their shields), and some crits can really hurt. If you limit it to hits only, as cluster mines do, then each die has only a 37.5% chance. Someone could enumerate all the possibilities better than I, but the frequency of hitting with all 3 cluster mines and rolling all hits isn't great, so don't get too excited about the maximum possible damage. The average is more important, and I suspect the proximity mine comes out on top. Prox mines are also all-or-nothing -- any impact and the whole mine goes off. Though cluster mines can cover a wider flat surface at the front, which may occasionally be worth it.

Cluster Mines' bark is usually worse than its bite. Just drop them all over the field, particularly between asteroids, and your opponent will probably start avoiding them. This gives you more control and prediction on where he goes each turn.