Making The Point (Y72)

Vulcan ships rarely operated in groups, but occassionaly, when a major scientific find was discovered, it DID happen. On one such occassion, a Klingon squadron was sent to destroy a particular asteriod which contained a plethora of Old King artifacts. However, when the Klingons arrived, they discovered that a Vulcan survey group was investigating the asteroid. After a (brief) attempt at negotiations, the Vulcans made their point.

Setup: 4xVulcan YVC's within 5 hexes of 2215, facing any, WS-3, speed 4.

2xD3, 4xF3 enter 01xx map edge, speed any, facing any, WS-3.

Large asteroid in 2215.

Length of scenario: Until one force has surrendered, disengaged, or has been destroyed.

Victory Conditions: Special (see below)

Special Rules:
The map is fixed, any unit moving off map has disengaged.

No-one may use Commanders Option Points; each mission was considered routine by the the respective planners involved.

The Klingons may not use scatter-packs.

This is an EY scenario, all EY rules apply.

The asteroid is an Old King artifact. To win, the Vulcan must collect 200 points of information on the asteroid. The Klingons win by preventing the Vulcans from achieving victory, either by destroying the asteroid or forcing the Vulcans to leave.

Tactics:
Vulcan- Your shuttles and labs are going to be important, since your phaser-1's are going to be busy keeping the Klingons from blowing up your research object....

Klingon- Your drones will be useful (finally) for nuking the asteroid. So will your phasers and disruptors, but you'll be using those to keep those pointy-eared meddlers from learning about your former masters....

Historical Outcome:
The Vulcans' quickly crippled both Klingon cruisers with massed heavy phaser fire, while avoiding major damage thru selective use of their advanced jamming abilities. However, the sheer weight of Klingon fire was able to inflict tremdous damage on the asteroid, and it broke apart. Oddly enough, almost a century later, during the Klingon invasion of the Federation, a Klingon task force sent a detached squadron of E4's to vaporize the remaining asteroid fragments...

By Andy Palmer (Andypalmer) on Thursday, March 01, 2007 - 08:15 am: Edit

Interested scenario, but I have difficulty seeing FOUR Vulcan cruisers being together anywhere but Vulcan. Maybe two cruisers and two destroyers and reduce the Klingon force accordingly?

By Mike Strain (Evilmike) on Thursday, March 01, 2007 - 04:17 pm: Edit

Well, originally it was one YVC and 3 YVD's, but the YVD's only have p-3's. I understand there is talk of a 'combat' version of the YVD that removes the Special Sensors and upgrades the p-3's to p-1's, but its not official.

Maybe 3 YVC's....

And anyway, it IS a major archeological site, after all..;)

By Michael Lui (Michaellui) on Thursday, March 01, 2007 - 06:18 pm: Edit

It is illogical for more than 1 science ship to be sent to only one site. Extra transports to bring in more scientists and equipment would be more logical, extra science ships that could be exploring other sites would not be. Now I could see extra allied ships that would be interested in the site and that may just be in the general vicinity stopping by.

By James Cain (Jcain) on Thursday, March 01, 2007 - 11:03 pm: Edit

Uh, this may be a stupid question, but why would Klingons want to destroy Old King artifacts? Wouldn't it be better to have them be trying to recover them?

By Mike Strain (Evilmike) on Thursday, March 01, 2007 - 11:52 pm: Edit

Depends on the artifact in question.

Read Larry Niven's 'World of Ptavvs' for further info..;)

'It is illogical for more than 1 science ship to be sent to only one site. Extra transports to bring in more scientists and equipment would be more logical, extra science ships that could be exploring other sites would not be.'

Not when said transports are going to have to go into Klingon space. Vulcan ships go all over, usually with a fine disregard for borders, and given the nature of the Klingons, having several large survey ships for mutual protection isn't illogical at all.

It just doesn't happen very often, is all.

By Michael Lui (Michaellui) on Friday, March 02, 2007 - 05:55 am: Edit

No, Vulcan ships do not "go all over, usually with a fine disregard for borders". You're confusing them with HUMAN starships. Vulcans don't go out of their way to possibly start wars. If it was in unclaimed territory or within territory that had been claimed by them or Allies, then they wouldn't back down from defending the claim, but they would NOT violate someone else's clearly defined borders without cause.



James

Klingons would destroy Old Kings artifacts to prevent others from getting them, especially if said artifacts were in someone else's territory and they could not recover them. In this setup the Klingons have no chance (or very little chance) of recovering them for themselves. In this situation it's better to go for the destruction of the artifacts right off the bat instead of trying to recover them and finding out halfway through the battle that you can't and then not being able to destroy them.

By Jim Davies (Mudfoot) on Friday, March 02, 2007 - 06:09 pm: Edit

Vulcan ships do go all over, because that's what survey ships do. Whilst they won't deliberately violate borders, who says they did? Look at page 6 of Y1. There are several thousand parsecs between the Federation and the Klinks. It's not even a Neutral zone, because the Klinks and Federation don't even meet until Y85 (though the Klinks have met Vulcans before that).

So I don't see a problem from that POV. I do have doubts about having so many Vulcan ships in one pile; so this might work if done by reinforcements instead. So start with YVC vs D3+F3, reinforcements arriving randomly thereafter.

By Mike Strain (Evilmike) on Saturday, March 03, 2007 - 08:28 am: Edit

The reinforcement thing could work. I really wish that YVD combat variant was official; it would solve alot of problems.

By Michael Lui (Michaellui) on Sunday, March 04, 2007 - 03:24 pm: Edit

I could see reinforcements. Nothing says that science ships can't be concentrated in a region, especially if that region was found to be rich in objects of study.

By Mike Strain (Evilmike) on Monday, January 12, 2009 - 04:24 pm: Edit

With the advent of Y2, change the Vulcan force to 1 YVC, 1 WVL, and 2 WVF's.

Booyah!