Federation Commander

Yes the game is supposed to be fun. I agree. But with the current x-ship rules the game is not fun if one player has an x-ship and the other does not. This is do to rule 5Z3 maneuver. This allows an x-ship to dictate combat regardless of how much power they put into movement. Super weapons, super shields, super movement, cheap cost. I would delete rule 5Z3 to some what balance the game. Without some balance on x-ships the 95% of the game that is not x-ships has become obsolete and tedious.

Thank you
Nicole Rubins

Honestly, in X vs non-X, I'd be more worried about (5Z2)-General than (5Z3).

Also, why do you say they are cheap? Each X-ship costs what the next larger class does. So a DDX has the cost of a CW or low-end CA. A CAX has the cost of a DN. So, even in the X vs non-X situation, you still have to fight bigger ships (or more ships).

Besides, I would expect that unless someone is intentionally trying to do X vs non-X, it will usually be X vs X or mixed vs mixed. If someone always insists on bringing X to the game, there is no reason everyone else can't join them. When that gets boring, you can all go back to other ships again.

In Federation Commander, there is typically more of a "clean" break between Alpha Octant technology eras: from the Early Years previewed in Captain's Log #39 to the Middle Years seen in Briefing #2, and on to the Main Era covered by "standard" FC products. The era of first-generation X-ships is different in terms of how it more closely overlaps with the Main Era; but as noted above, one could approach it by treating it as its own de facto era, by either focusing on X-ship vs. X-ship scenarios, or by focusing on X-ships versus the Andromedan invaders.

That said, there are interesting opportunities in various eras for pitting one level of technology against another. A good example of this is in the Early Years, when the Klingons fought a full-scale war against the Tholians. The Klingons of that era had "Y-era" hulls such as the D4 and F4, whereas the Tholians had a pair of NDDs, four NFFs, a number of PCs, plus a range of command modules adapted into interim warships. In a sense, the Tholian ships were the X-ships of that era, but they were smaller and much fewer in number than what the Klingons were throwing at them.

Why are the x ships cheap:
This is klingon x frigate vs d5 and d6
Cost X -128 d5-118 d6- 130
X has best shields with reinforcement
X has best movement cost
X has best power after movement
X always has movement priority and can dictate combat

At range 9-15
Xship takes 3 points shield damage after exchange
Others take 13 shield damage plus bleed
So x ship can just whittle down other ship at range 9-15

At range 5 X ship does 37 points expected targeted weapons damage
Others do 27 and 29 points overload expected damage which does not drop X reinforced shields

X should strip off weapons at range 5 then move in for kill

X has FAST drones
X should launch 1 drone turn 1 and tractor it
Then launch drones turn 2 and release tractor and turn 3 and follow 5 drone swarm in to range 5 for combat. Other ship has to deal with 5 drone swarm that they cannot out maneuver using power and weapons.

The x ship should kill either ship and not be 10% damaged.

xship has enough power at speed 16 to fire all weapons reinforce shields and recharge batteries each turn. power 30+9, speed 16 cost 8 , fire weapons cost 8+4, reinforce shield 9, recharge batteries 9
so 8+12+9+9= 38 points of power.

This is why x ships are too cheap.

Nicole rubins

why I'm not worried about 5z2 weapons. There are tons of weapons in the game some better than the ones your ship is equipped with . 5Z2 is just another group of superior weapons. You often play a phaser 2 ship vs a phaser 1 ship. To me the game comes down to power allocation and conservation and being able to dictate combat thru use of superior movement. A turn mode E ship can dictate combat to a turn mode A ship by simply going faster.

Nicole Rubins