T15-T17: The Romulan high water mark (combat and territory)

Hydran space, aka “the annoyance zone:” This area settled into what would become a ten-turn period of 1-2 battles per turn, each 1-2 rounds. The Coalition approach at this point seemed to be to hold onto the territory without significant investment in infrastructure, but lose a few ships to the meat grinder.

Kzinti space and border areas: Slow press toward 1401, with the Lyrans still holding the western Kzinti provinces and both sides fighting over the minor planets throughout Kzinti space. Fed 4th fleet helped keep the Coalition at bay; most of the Klingon border BATS were vaporized by this point, but the presence of the B10 and a virtually limitless supply of D5 and F5 hulls meant something was coming.

Fed-Klingon border: Feds managed to push back a little, but still the majority of the conflict was in the area just south and adjacent to the 2204 SB. The B10V and C8V were involved here, but most rounds the Feds were able to pick off escorts and hold off the Coalition. 2211 was not threatened; Klingons tended to hold 1910 but ownership of 2214 oscillated. More fighting in the 7th fleet area, where the Lyrans took the lead in compot with their BB and a line of DNs, while the Klingons provided the cannon fodder. A major battle here led to more than 30 Eps of salvage for Klingons and Feds on the next turn. End of the day no real movement, just lots of dead ships. Orion remained in the Federation as neither Klingons nor Romulans could maintain supply to Orion space.

Fed-Romulan-Gorn borders: Feds started to approach more methodically. They built up a force in the long frontal area to eventually isolate the Romulan western fleet, and established a path to Romulus by taking 3912 on T15 and both 4112 and 4313 on T16. This was possible because the Romulans committed a large force to attack the Gorn SB at 4906 on T16. The SB went down SIDS-fashion, but the Romulans lost *a ton* of ships. A large number of the losses were in frigate/destroyer classes, but the Romulan ship count advantage was gone at this point. The Gorns suffered many cripples but those were quickly repaired. From this point on the Romulans were forced to fight defensively. The Gorns took 4309 on T16 and, with both Feds and Gorns in striking distance of the Romulan capital, things looked much more pro-Alliance on this side of the map. The Romulans still had most of their starbases so it would be a long slog, but it definitely looked like the peak of Romulus had passed.

Our rules gaffes for this period included allowing Gorn and Lyran overstuffed carrier groups. We corrected when we learned, but they were in play a couple of turns. We also had been failing to wound/kill prime teams on failed capture chances, so we started tracking that. Amazing how many fewer PTs were used in capture attempts after we learned that one.

Obviously we’d been using the captured ships rule that seems widely avoided. We decided to use it for flavor, and its certainly provided that! By the end of this period the ‘captured ship highlights’ included a Kzinti CV captured by the Lyrans (converted for use, seems to show up in combat every freaking turn), a Lyran STT captured by the Hydrans (towed off-map and put in a museum), a D6V captured by the Feds (converted for use into a D6D) and a D6M captured by the Feds (converted for use).

As to the BBs and CVAs, at this point the Coalition appeared to be in final form: a B10 leading the garrison at Hydrax, one leading the fight over 1506, the B10V and C8V leading the push northeast into Fed space, and the Lyran BB basing out of the TBS area trying to own southern Fed territory. The Feds had four CVA on the Klingon side of the map and the Kzinti and Hydrans each had one. Two Fed CVAs face off against two CNVs and the VLV in Romulan space.

By Alan Trevor (Thyrm) on Thursday, July 14, 2022 - 02:01 pm: Edit

If you will pardon the intrusion from someone who plays SFB, but who also purchases most F&E products and follows the F&E discussions, SFGs seem to me to be another of those things that are much more effective in F&E than they are in SFB itself. They can certainly be scary under some circumstances. But they are also difficult to use effectively and the ship(s) generating the SFG(s) are usually quite vulverable while doing so.

By Peter Bakija (Bakija) on Thursday, July 14, 2022 - 02:54 pm: Edit

Alan wrote:
>>But they are also difficult to use effectively and the ship(s) generating the SFG(s) are usually quite vulverable while doing so.>>

Agreed. In SFB, they are a difficult to use, wacky fringe technology, and as such, generally are just used for special set up scenarios (i.e. the scenario starts with a bunch of ships frozen in an SFG, and goes from there)--in a game of SFB, if the D7A gets anywhere near you, it just gets vaporized before it stops to freeze something.

In F+E, while they are *way* more reasonable now than when first introduced (there was no chance of failure, and even the D5A could just instantly freeze 3 ships), they are still way more effective than reasonable, given how they work in SFB.

(apologies for the continued sideline).

By Ted Fay (Catwhoeatsphoto) on Thursday, July 14, 2022 - 02:58 pm: Edit

I've successfully used a D7A in regular fleet SFB combat. But it's not easy, that's for sure.

By Tom Lusco (Tlusco) on Friday, July 15, 2022 - 08:53 am: Edit

No apologies necessary, this is fun.

Using a D7A successfully in F&E is also not easy. The SFG rule section is longer than just about any other combat rule section. There's a complex web of interactions, randomness and assorted dependencies. As a player you have to sort through all that, arrange for a potentially viable scenario while accepting that the ship is gonna die.

By Peter Bakija (Bakija) on Friday, July 15, 2022 - 09:13 am: Edit

Heh, yeah, the SFG ship should, in theory, always die, but then you are generally trading the SFG ship for ~2 other ships, and the resulting loss of compot doing damage to your force. The rules are certainly complicated, but mostly to hammer out all the interactions with other rules (which, well, is what makes things complicated most of the time :-) ).

In SFB, like, it is certainly *possible* to use an SFG ship successfully, but under normal conditions, it will be super difficult to pull off, and require, generally speaking, an error on the part of your opponent. In a fleet action, you should be able to vaporize the SFG ship before it gets within 5 hexes of anything and stopped (heck, launch 30 drones at it and force it to weasel over yonder...). Much like with maulers, this is the divergence with F+E--if F+E, yeah, the SFG ship will die, but it will always take something with it, and it will almost certainly be a beneficial trade. In SFB, the SFG ship will die, and it will likely die before it gets anywhere near using the SFG. Which might be helpful in the grand scheme (i.e. "Send in the SFG ship, so that the DN can get to the target unscathed!"), but not by virtue of freezing three ships in a stasis field.

Like, if you are using Tactical Intelligence rules, and hidden weapon panels, or kooky terrain rules or something, the odds certainly increase.

By Tom Lusco (Tlusco) on Friday, July 15, 2022 - 10:22 am: Edit

I just looked at our cumulative kill counts. By the end of T24, we have had 8 D7A killed. I think the Coalition has managed what would be considered a worthwhile (winning) exchange only once, maybe twice when attempting stasis. The dice have been pretty bad there.

By Peter Bakija (Bakija) on Friday, July 15, 2022 - 10:52 am: Edit

Heh, well, sometimes you are unlucky. The SFG charts are such that, on average, you should come out ahead most of the time.

By Mike Erickson (Mike_Erickson) on Saturday, July 16, 2022 - 08:51 am: Edit

>> it is certainly *possible* to use an SFG ship successfully, but under normal conditions, it will be super difficult to pull off

I think the key to effective SFG usage in SFB is to wait for opportunities to emerge and not force it. Certainly, running right at the enemy with an SFG ship and trying for a immediate 3-freeze (as F&E suggests) is probably just going to get you a dead SFG ship.

Now if you include a B10A or C9A and play like a normal Klingon fleet (managing range carefully and looking to get multiple lower damage disruptor shots at your enemy) as the scenario progresses an opportunity to use the SFG may emerge.

Or one could go drone/EW heavy with something like 2xD5A (6x drone racks, no disruptors), 2xD6D, and 2xF5D, and use the SFGs as shuttle free WW. And perhaps an opportunity to close and freeze something will emerge.

But yes, that's quite different than how F&E portrays the SFG.

--Mike

By Mike Erickson (Mike_Erickson) on Saturday, July 16, 2022 - 09:09 am: Edit

>> The SFG rule section is longer than just about any other combat rule section

Yes, the SFG rules are a real beast, and are IMHO a good example of including too much SFB-style complexity in F&E.

By comparison, looking back at the original game, you have all these diverse weapon systems:

• Phaser-G
• Hellbore
• Fusion Beam
• ESG
• Disruptor
• Drone
• Photon Torpedo
• Plasma Torpedo

By Tom Lusco (Tlusco) on Tuesday, August 02, 2022 - 08:46 am: Edit

T17-21: Splintering of the Romulan Empire

This period saw western conflicts stagnate as offensives stalled (with one notable exception), while Romulan space saw a ton of action and progress in the Alliance favor.

At this point the Klingons had ~75 crippled ships. The Alliance seemed happy to cripple, as more cripples meant more ships not committed to the fight. Klingons spent 25-35 on base repairs every turn keeping the number of cripples a relative constant. The Klingon navy had well over 400 SEQ at this point, and just kept building more: pretty much full production schedules, skipping the E4 and C8, though once subbing a C7. Lyrans discovered a few new cool builds: CSV, DCS, PFP+ which would be used to good effect. More infrastructure on the Lyran side, including two more bases. Romulans switched up to fighting defensively; the last Condor was built in Fall 176 in the form of the second CNV. The last FHM was built in Spring 177. After that, it would be mostly SP and SK, with FAK, SUP or FHC tossed in.

The Alliance was also shifting construction priorities, but clearly with an eye toward Romulus. The Feds had started sending assistance to the Gorn back in Spring 174, and continued till midway through this period, when the Gorn economy was finally “over the hump” and the majority of CLs had been converted. The Gorn and Feds both converted auxiliaries into SAF; Gorn built LTT to handle their field repair needs, discovered the amazing MSC heavy scout and deployed the second of their special DNs, the glorious DNT. The Feds struggled to find good uses for their CAs/NCAs in this period, experimenting with the CFS, CVH and NAE. The advent of F-111 and A-20 heavy fighters was welcomed with the first NVH/NVA and associated DW-based FCRs. The last CVA was built in Spring 177, and the first LTF followed a year after.

Out west the Kzinti continued to struggle to build their full schedule, typically managed to do so with Fed assistance, though usually forgoing the DN. Lots of heavy fighter conversions here, the most notable being the last CVL->ACS upgrade in Spring 177. The Kzin had three ACS and one CVA to go along with a dozen or so CVS groups at this point. Most other construction was escorts, though the NCA slot typically went to a scout. The Hydrans managed a half-schedule at the new shipyard, including an MKE every turn. That’s a trend that would continue.

Strategically, the Klingons (with Lyran support) made another play for Kzintai. Not a serious attempt at capture, but they did manage to outmaneuver the outnumbered Kzinti fleet and devastate most of the planets of the homeworld again on T18. T20 they followed it up with a major assault on the Marquis starbase. It went down SIDS-style, with half-dozen D6G doing the dirty work. A bloody battle for both sides; the Kzin lost their best forward hard point, but the Klingons paid for it in ships.

Big moves in the east though. The Federation drove into the heart of Romulan territory, taking out the 4444 starbase on T18, while the Gorns attacked from the north and systematically destroyed both northern Romulan starbases and devasted the capital. The Federation strike severed the Romulan west fleet and SB from the rest of Romulan space, and over this period the noose was tightened over that group as it struggled to maintain supply. The west SB fell late in this period, and a dozen crippled Romulan ships limped roundabout toward the capital. In the northwest, the Feds planet-hopped to the doorstep of Remus, and a combined assault on T21 saw the Gorns plant the flag on the secondary capital at Remus. The Gorns rode heavy here, and leveraged their field repair prowess to great effect; very few Gorn ships were killed, only the occasional squadron of CCH when the Romulans targeted them specifically.

This was our big “ooooh, now we see the point of marines” time. The D6Gs *had* to be killed at the MQ starbase assault, and that distraction kept the Coalition from losing anything important while they whittled away at the SB. On the Romulan front, the DNG played a devastating role in one SB assault; it was nuked immediately after it proved itself. About the only thing that didn’t work for the Alliance in the east was the pair of SAF used against the Remus SB, which collectively scored -0- SIDS. Feds lost a pile of FF and some NCL, and the Gorns a few CCH and of course the DNT and DNG; otherwise just a lot of cripples, which the Feds and Gorn could repair in 1-2 turns (really, the Gorn Logistics thing is crazy). The Roms preserved the bulk of their fleet though, setting up a massive showdown for the shipyard.

We struggle to find uses for the battlecruisers. Mostly they just lead reserve fleets; in SFB they are glorious, but in F&E seem to be of limited use for the Feds/Klingons.

By Peter Bakija (Bakija) on Tuesday, August 02, 2022 - 10:57 am: Edit

>>We struggle to find uses for the battlecruisers. Mostly they just lead reserve fleets; in SFB they are glorious, but in F&E seem to be of limited use for the Feds/Klingons.>>

In F+E, the advantage of the BCHs (i.e. the CR10 cruisers) is that they are 10 point ships with a CR10 that you can build in a CC slot--like, you can build a BC/C7/BCH instead of a DN (getting a reasonable unit with CR10 for 10EP instead of 16) *or* instead of a CC (getting a reasonable unit with a CR10 for 10EP instead of a reasonable CR9 for 9EP.

Like, if you look at the BCHs as "a total no brainer to build for 10EP instead of a CC for 9EP", they make much more sense.

They can command reserve fleets. Or weird scratch forces that don't need to be maximized. Or just put them on the line to up your compot in any instance where you would put a CC on the line, especially if there is something else more likely to get directed (mauler/scout/marine ship/X-ship).

By Tom Lusco (Tlusco) on Tuesday, August 02, 2022 - 01:29 pm: Edit

Yea, we get all that. And we've had them for ten turns now (currently on T26) and they've almost never been in the battle force.

The Hydran, Kzinti, Gorn and Lyran BCH/BCHP will get more use I'm sure now that they are starting to appear, as they are a bit more unique, fill new roles or are plainly better than anything else.

By Peter Bakija (Bakija) on Tuesday, August 02, 2022 - 01:54 pm: Edit

There is no real good reason to *not* put them in the battle force if you are, like, the Feds or Klingons. If you are going to put anything that is a cruiser on the line, it might as well be a BCH. I mean, if you have nothing but carriers, sure, in which case, they just get built instead of a CC and command a reserve force to go somewhere.

Like, if they get directed, that's 20-30 damage that isn't going somewhere else (like a scout or a mauler). If they don't get directed, they are a 10 point ship, which is always helpful.

If you are building X-ships, the BCHs get replaced by those, but then, everything does.

By Mike Erickson (Mike_Erickson) on Tuesday, August 02, 2022 - 03:07 pm: Edit

This is one area where the modern F&E divergence from historical SFB is pretty visible.

Historically, the BCHs were supposed to be less expensive DN alternatives where the DN populations had been so thoroughly thinned out there was a real shortage of CR10 hulls.

In modern F&E that thinning of DN hulls doesn't really happen that much (with always cripple everything (ACE), admirals, command points, and the super strong carrier rules), so the BCHs end up being mostly just stronger CCs.

And it feels weird to put a CR10 on the line as a simple COMPOT booster. IMHO, the role BCHs were supposed to play is greatly diminished in modern F&E.

--Mike

By Mike Erickson (Mike_Erickson) on Tuesday, August 02, 2022 - 03:08 pm: Edit

>> T17-21: Splintering of the Romulan Empire

Great multi-turn summary!

--Mike

By Tom Lusco (Tlusco) on Wednesday, August 03, 2022 - 09:08 am: Edit

Thanks Mike. I kinda like the multi-turn summary format because I can talk long term strategy. Our fronts have tended to behave like the tides, which is cool to observe over a multi-turn period.

On the BCHs, I think some of the others will be more relevant. We are just at the point where the other empires get BCH; the Kz just built a BCV (no reason not to, no better combat than a CVS but the same cost and 10 CR), and the Hydrans may be about to build an OS. That one looks a bit nutty, especially with an MKE by its side. Of course the Lyrans have a BCP but that's pretty much guaranteed to live in the Formation Bonus slot due to its 23 compot, at least until the Lyrans build enough PFTs they think about escort groups.

The straight BCHs (no V, S or P) I still think are limited use. Even the Gorn...its a 12, but I can only build 1/year and I still want some CR10 ships because Gorn DNs *do* tend to go boom because they need to appear in the line to user their abilities.

By Paul Howard (Raven) on Wednesday, August 03, 2022 - 02:50 pm: Edit

As others have said - a BCH is the cheapest CR10 hull you can get - and a 6 Ep's saving late war is a big difference.

Alas, not everyone gets the BCH (or 10 compot/10CR BC) in the basic game (no Rom one) - so you may not see them in all the games!

So has Romulus fallen???

By Peter Bakija (Bakija) on Wednesday, August 03, 2022 - 03:17 pm: Edit

Yeah, another thing about the BCH ships is that most of them can be turned into CVs, and all are in the AO expansion:

-FED BCV (one of the best non CVA CVs the Feds have).

-KLI C7V (ditto).

-ZIN CVH (identical to CV, but with CR10).

-GRN BCV (spectacular, but conjectural).

-HYD OS (spectacular, but expensive).

So probably the best thing to do with them, really, is just produce them as the CV variants, and protect them in escort groups while being extra CR10 hulls.

(The Lyran is always just gonna be a BCP in formation).

By Tom Lusco (Tlusco) on Thursday, August 04, 2022 - 09:25 am: Edit

Romulus you say... .... you're just going to have to wait for a forthcoming writeup

PGF is CR10, which has been useful for the Hydrans.
HDWC is also cheaper, but we've yet to build one.

We see the value of the BCV and BCS variants. Problem is, they show up when X-ships show up and money (despite the X-boost) is tight. Definitely makes for hard choices. Fed has to give up a CX to build a BCV, which is a tough sell. I can see myself converting the BCs I have to BCV or BCS though.

By Craig lusco (Craiglusco) on Thursday, August 04, 2022 - 09:38 am: Edit

So I'm the other side of this battle- and thought I'd chime in here.
CR 10 ships at this point are a non issue for us as needing them- so that part of it is moot.
I think we have both found that unless it's a nice upgrade in compot (like 14 point DN's now) those top slots in the build schedule have been more useful as ships that add something secondary- for example- carriers with 2 points of EW. PF Tender ships. Heavy Fighter Carriers etc. And as mentioned before, the Klingons found the D6G so powerful, that I've actually been building them again (taking a slot) if nothing else- they force his hand with reactions. That's pretty powerful when you have 4-6 of them in a fleet.
Also- X ships now render the need for CR10 ships pretty moot. We were actually having a discussion the other day about how Battle Tugs were very important in the early game as CR10 ships but now those same Battle pods are useless.

By Tom Lusco (Tlusco) on Tuesday, September 06, 2022 - 02:32 pm: Edit

T22-26: Tholians, PFs, X-Ships and the Fall of Romulus

The war at this point settled into four operational areas: Hydran space, the Klingo-Lyran-Kzinti-northern Fed border area, the southern Klingon-Fed-Tholian area, and the Romulan front.

Production over this period saw the largest set of transitions of the whole game. Klingons and Feds started deploying X-ships, the Klingons beginning to concentrate them by T26, while the Feds distributed CX somewhat broadly throughout their fleets. Lyrans and Klingons deployed PFTs and the Lyrans started using them operationally, mostly thanks to their gigantic DNP/BCP formation bonus ships. The Feds and Gorn figured out the HDW; for the Feds this meant mostly HDWEs, a huge step up in the heavy escort department, while for the Gorn it was all about flexibility: HDWS, HDWG were the favorites. The Coalition built one HDW between them and gave up, finding nothing of true inspiration. Kzinti had to spend lots to maintain their drone forces, as the arrival of fast drones incentivized the Coalition to kill Kzinti drone ships.

Hydran Space:

Action in Hydran space was largely uninspired since the capital fell. The methane-breathers managed to retake both 0416 and 0519 around T20, but could not hold both and so settled for basing out of 0519. Even then, the presence of a sizeable Coalition force led by a B10 kept the Hydrans from doing much more than bleeding the Coalition of a few ships or EPs for repairs. T24 saw a hiccup in the Coalition defense however, as the B10 fleet reacted to a large Hydran movement to engage the Lyrans, and the remaining Hydrans proved sufficiently formidable to retake the homeworld. This prevented impending Klingon long-term capture. The Lyrans took the capital back on T25, but with more and more heavy Hydran ships coming online (MKEs!), this theater promised to be an irritating sore on the Coalition underbelly.

Klingon-Lyran-Kzinti border:

Four forces fought over three minor planets, with the general trend veering more toward the Alliance, though only slightly. About 100 Lyran, 200 Klingon, all Kzinti (about 200) and 50-100 Fed (increasing over the period) ships fought over this border area, with lines roughly stabilized at their pre-war limits. By the end of this period the Klingons had been pushed back a bit as they relocated a large force near the homeworld but within range of the Fed X-Base at 2211. Defending Klingon forces were outnumbered but led by a B10+B10V with lots of heavy Lyran support, always had compot advantage. Dual starbases at the northern reserve provided a formidable hardpoint that won’t easily be pushed past.

Complicating the Klingon position was the entry of the Tholians into limited engagements. Tholians distracted the Tholian Border Squadron during this period, tying them down and allowing the Feds a chance to breath around 2918. Tholians did take a few losses through gritted Coalition teeth, but little choice was given.

Romulan Space:

T23 saw the Gorn/Fed combined force attack Romulus, devastate all but the capital again, and then settle-in and flatten the PDUs at the capital. This was expensive, costing a DNT, the Fed-manned D6M and a host of kills and cripples, but the capital was emptied of its 11 PDUs in four turns. Alliance forces retreated and licked their wounds. Another DNT was built on T24, as it would surely be needed for the final assault. A smaller combined force led by a DNH regrouped at 4716 to reduce Romulan options.

T25 saw the final combined assault on Romulus. Three SAFs contributed 3 SIDS and the SB went down in 6 turns. Battle went on another 16 rounds and the butcher’s bill was appropriately legendary: Gorns lost yet another DNT, DNG, eleven cruisers and a few other small ships, plus a couple dozen cripples; Feds lost a couple CX and some cripples. Romulans suffered fifty ship kills, including one CON and fifteen cruisers; of course, the big loss was the shipyard. After the starbase went down the Alliance was at a substantial compot advantage. With the 13 ship fleets the Alliance was +15 or so, but the drone bombardment advantage of 18 points on top of that made things especially harsh for the Romulans. The Romulans did keep a dangerous fleet after retreat though, including more than 100 carrier fighters and sufficient heavy ships to provide a serious distraction and credible defense for the new capital at 5318.

The Alliance assault on Romulus was slow and calculated. Romulan space was partitioned and slowly overwhelmed by force of numbers. The Feds had been splitting construction between east and west most of the game, but by T21 or so the flow of ships to the east had slowed to a trickle, usually 5-10 ships/turn, with 20-25 going west. Still, the Gorns matched or exceeded the Romulan production so the Fed numbers were bonus, plus the Roms tended to lose more than the Gorn. Romulus may have fallen sooner, but there was no pressing need from the Alliance perspective so long as it occurred before Romulan PF deployment: the Romulan economy was in dire straits by T19, typically producing about 50EP or less by this point.

By Tom Lusco (Tlusco) on Thursday, January 05, 2023 - 09:26 am: Edit

Campaign has been on hiatus as I moved. Had to pack up to sell the house (house selling is no fun!) and then move. Unpacking *is* fun, and I'm taking the opportunity to upgrade the map and camera system. Hopefully, we get back up and running by the end of the month.

By Tom Lusco (Tlusco) on Tuesday, March 14, 2023 - 10:59 am: Edit

Well a little slower than expected, but we've returned to operations. New map set up, 1" fleet counters printed and mounted, zillions of 1/2" counters organized in fleet charts, we are off and rolling, albeit slowly. C27 in the midst of movement, so will be a little while before I can get another "here's what happened over a few turns" post.

Will the Alliance demolish the Romulans, or reject genocide in favor of something else?

Will the Coalition find a way to leverage their temporary advantage in X-tech to forestall the coming Federation wave?

What about the overcompensating methane-breathers? Will they be able to re-take their capital and hold it?

By Tom Lusco (Tlusco) on Tuesday, May 30, 2023 - 12:46 pm: Edit

T26 – T28 Repositioning and a Western Ratchet

The fall of Romulus prompted a re-positioning from all major powers. The Gorns deployed a network of mobile bases heading southwest through Fed territory, leveraging the flexibility of their newly designed, self-mobile base to rapidly extend supply lines and be able to defend the 7th fleet area by A27. They moved a predictably heavy force into the area. The Feds then piled into the region too, moving over 100 ships into a multi-turn recon-in-force in Klingon territory, stripping and devastating all the planets in the southern reserve area. Gorns set up shop on Bezwell Index, and a pile of newly minted Federation X-Ships took up station at the 3rd fleet starbase.

The big Federation push looked to be more northerly during T26, but by T28 with Gorn assistance appeared more southerly. Feds and Kzinti placed several fleets in and around the Klingon northwest and east, threatening the northern reserve starbase, the major planet with Lyran base at 1611, and alternatively captured and devastated several other planets in range of the 3rd fleet area. Still, the Klingons have 500 ships including a battle-line of X-ships, so nothing will happen easily.

In the north, Kzinti carrier forces fought against a combined Lyran-Klingon fleet over 1407; both sides took turns owning the valuable basing point, but the balance was in the Alliance favor who owned it at the end of this period. Kzintis also struck into western Klingon territory, but were rebuffed by Lyran reserves, though the Klingons did lose their remaining bases on the Lyran border.

In the east, the Romulans made a desperate effort to retake their capital before a Federation Starbase could be completed, but it went badly. The Alliance made them pay, striking back and destroying the battle station the attack came from, and establishing a forward position at the major planet at 4716.

Ship counts as of the end of A28, for reference:
Empire Ships Fighters Spare Fighters PF Flotillas X-Ships
Lyran 260 72 36 11 3
Klingon 526 227 18 4 23
Romulan 128 117 24 0 0

Kzinti 293 303 122 4 0
Hydran 109 259 6 4 0
Federation 536 410 260 0 29
Gorn 195 44 6 0 0