Hi all,
As you may know my gaming group has a Firestorm Armada campaign coming up at the end of next month and we’ve all been throwing ourselves back into the FSA universe in a big way. I’ve got a Terran Patrol Fleet coming to bolster the 293rd up to 1200 points for Battle Fleet games; the current list idea adding in the NTSC Acheron, an Apollo class battleship commanded by Captain Thomas Stephenson, and Dagger Squadron, a flotilla of 4 Armsmen class frigates. As we’ll be at a higher points value the Hauberk class heavy cruisers, Hammer Squadron (currently made up of the NTSC Herakles, Hermes and Hephaestus as the Horatio, Hannibal and Hardrada are in for considerable repair and refit following their ship deaths at the hands of Losier’s fleet), move down to a Tier 2 slot giving me 2 choices in each tier for a relatively balanced fleet. Also, the NTSC Agrippa moves up to take the place of the Alexander, currently undergoing repairs alongside the original Hammer Squadron.
So, the current fleet of the line as it stands is:
Tier 1:
NTSC Triumphant (Flagship): Tyrant Class Battleship commanded by Commodore Marcus Rickard. +3 Wing Command, -1 Turn Limit, Shield Projector (Self), 3x Interceptors
NTSC Acheron: Apollo Class Battleship commanded by Captain Thomas Stephenson. +1 Shield, +2 PD, Beam Primaries, Bigger Batteries, Decimator Warheads
Tier 2:
Hammer Squadron (NTSC Herakles, Hermes and Hephaestus): Hauberk Class Heavy Cruisers commanded by Captains Charles McGowan, John Arnold and William Hopper. +1 Shield, Beam Primaries.
Anvil Squadron (NTSC Africanus, Aruga and Agrippa): Teuton Class Cruisers commanded by Captains William Powell and Minoru Hirose and Commander Ben Lyster. +1 Hull, Beam Primaries, Nuclear Torpedoes, Weapons Shielding.
Tier 3:
Sword Squadron (NTSC Sword, Sabre, Scimitar and Strike): Armsmen Class Frigate Squadron commanded by Commanders Hannah Kennedy and Andre Scott, Lt. Commanders Patrick Barnes and Logan Skews.
Dagger Squadron (NTSC Dagger, Dirk, Dart and Dervish): Armsmen Class Frigate Squadron commanded by Commander Richard Firth, Lt. Commanders Alistair Howell and Lucas Rogers, and Lieutenant Megan Ashe.
And that’s where we currently are with the fleet! I’m really enjoying the whole naming ships and developing a backstory for the fleet. One of the things I’ve found with FSA is that ships tend to die. A lot. Even when you’re using fold space escape you lose ships and after a while you kind of become inured to the loss; by having named captains and ships you start to care a little bit more about what happens to your fleet, they develop personalities of their own. You start being a bit more protective of your ships than you might otherwise be; shunting out rather than trying for that last ditch shot on reduce AD or moving into a gas cloud or behind a planet or asteroid rather than into position for a shot. Or at least that’s the hope!
Join me next time for a bit of story telling about the 293rd and what Commodore Rickard has been doing in the time since his defeat at the hands of Losier and his Dindrenzi dogs!
Until next time!
Into The Storm Zone 