Federation Commander

[Nerroth]

One other historical note I failed to mention is related to the Omega playtest material, not least since it connects to the Andromedans' advantages in that environment.

During the Sixth Cycle of 2592-2604, the invaders used the Ryn Nebula (a hollow shell not unlike the WYN Cluster, which they occupied in 2588 after discovering it had been abandoned en masse by its former inhabitants) and used it as their primary staging base for attacks into the Omega Octant. The Maesron* Alliance tried to dislodge the Andros by themselves in 2595, and alongside the Probr in 2597; both attempts failed utterly. It was not until 2604, after the RTN link to the LMC was cut by Operation Unity, was a united Omega fleet able to clear out the Andromedans holding the Ryn Nebula in Operation Concerted Strike (albeit at the cost of over nine-tenths of the forces committed to the assault).

Of the five playtest empires, the FRA have the same limitations with their direct-fire weapons, such as phaser-1s and photons (of any calibre; light and heavy photons still have the same to-hit values as standards) as their Federation cousins. The armour on their larger ships does help defensively. Short-range cannons are as badly affected as anti-drones.

Maesron tachyon guns are as equally affected at range zero as they are all the way out to range 16, in terms of accuracy at least. While wide-angle phaser-1s will still only guarantee a hit out to range 2, they are slightly less likely to drop off entirely as ranges increase; while Phaser-W3s will at least guarantee a hit at range zero. Tachyon missiles will last longer than drones (due to their larger bulk) but will still have a relatively small window of opportunity (not least due to their myopic zone after launch).

Trobrin radiation phasers have a high degree of built-in accuracy; in a nebula, they will only drop 1.5 Damage Points per phaser-R (dropping any fractions left over after the full volley is calculated; a mechanism which rewards larger volleys over individual shots) and will do consistent damage at each range bracket, since they never roll to hit. Thus, a phaser-R1 will be effective all the way out to range 8, while a phaser-R3 will be useful out to range 2 (or range 4 if fired in larger volleys, where the fractions drop off less sharply). Implosion bolts will still be as accurate at range zero in a nebula as they are at range nine outside of it (i.e. 8 or less on 2D6). Implosion torpedoes will be affected the same way as Alpha Octant seeking plasma, but like tachyon missiles have their own myopic zone to consider; though the imposition of defensive fire at range 2 complicates an impacted ship's defensive options in this environment. The Trobrin affinity for fitting their ships with healthy amounts of armour comes to the fore here.

Probr quantum phasers benefit from their natural resistance to adjustments. Phaser-Q1s are only guaranteed hits out to range 1, but still have a 67% chance of landing a hit all the way out to range 15! Phaser-Q2s guarantee a hit out to range seven, while phaser-Q3s will guarantee a hit at range 1. However, quantum phasers of any stripe have relatively low damage outputs compared to other phaser types, even against opponents with weak shields (or sub-optimal PA panels). HEAT torpedoes will be affected as other seeking plasma types, but will benefit from their increased phaser resistance; however, the +3 to-hit modifier will seriously affect the ability of target accentuators to secure a lock-on, making the use of accentuated torpedoes far less practical inside a nebula.

The Iridani cannot use their target illuminators against a unit inside a nebula hex**, giving its wide-angle phasers no better odds in this environment than those on Maesron ships; this also means a focused energy beam cannot guarantee a hit even at range zero (since it would miss on a roll of 12 on 2D6).


All five playtest empires will have their hands full trying to tackle the Andromedans if caught in the midst of crossing the Nebular Wall; an issue which helps shed light on the sacrifices involved in pursuing Operation Concerted Strike to its bitter conclusion.


*The "ae" is supposed to be a dipthong, but this board doesn't find them overly agreeable...

**Once I clarify the SFB rule on the matter over on the BBS, I'll have to generate an errata item to that effect. Sigh.
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