Age of Iridium Summary - Nipponese Mission Briefing - 3/6

This is the mission briefing given to the Nipponese players.

AGE OF IRIDIUM - Nipponese Shogunate Mission Briefing
copyright 1996 by Allan Goodall

Last Engagement

To the surprise of several Nipponese gunnery teams, a number of "hits" bounced
off the Tsarist capital ships during their last encounter. A raiding party
discovered the source of the problem after a Tsarist battleship blundered into
close range with the Nipponese fleet and was destroyed. A bulky screen device
(Level 1) was discovered that made long range gunnery against the Tsarists
more difficult. The size of the device seems to have prevented it from being
mounted on cruisers or destroyers.

Technological Advancements

Nipponese scientists have, as yet, been unable to reverse engineer the
captured portion of the screen device. However, enough was learned from it
that a new weapon was devised to counter the screens. All but half of the
destroyers have been equiped with pulse torpedoes, a weapon designed to ignore
the Tsarist screen devices.

A more recent development is the suite of enhanced sensors that became
available shortly before the attack on New Vladivostok. Only the Shikishima
class battleships have been fitted with these, but it is expected that the new
sensors will be retrofitted to all ships at a later date.

Intelligence Briefing

The Nipponese capital ships were faster than the Tsarist capital ships during
their first engagement. It is unknown whether or not the Tsarists have
improved the speed of their capital ships, though Shogunate Intelligence has
found evidence that the Tsarist ships have undergone some improvements over
the last 12 years. The Tsarists were at their most vulnerable at close range,
as the bulky screen device was somewhat negated by the greater firepower of
the Nipponese ships. Close range fire with the new pulse torpedoes should
favour the Nipponese. It is unknown whether or not the Tsarists have improved
their screen technology.

Tactical Briefing

The Tsarist ships, with their screen systems and slower capital ship speed,
usually prefer a "stand off" engagement where they hang back and pick off
advancing opponents. However, in this case the Tsarists are on the offensive.
If they hang back, they run the risk of being pinned down beside the star and
the jump point. The Nipponese mines are expected to give the Tsarists trouble
if they attempt to break through the Nipponese battle line. A close range
battle would probably favour the Nipponese. The battle is expected to be
viscious.

GAME INFORMATION

Set-Up

The Nipponese ships are allowed to set up as per the scenario rules. Nipponese
ships are allowed to have any heading. Any ships set up within the 140 damage
band (see the scenario rules) are allowed to have a speed up to twice their
thrust factor. Any ships set up within the 160 damage band are allowed to have
a speed less than or equap to its thrust factor. Any ships
set up in the safe zone beyond the 160 x co-ordinate line must have a
speed of 0 (they are at station keeping).

Mines have no speed or heading and can be set up anywhere on the board within
the constraints of the scenario rules.

Ship Designs and Assignments

The following is a list of the ships used in the scenario and the players that
control them.

Class Name:     Nippon - Fuji Class Battleship
Point Cost: 424 Ship Class: Capital (Military)
Mass:           48/24
Thrust: 4 FTL Drive Equipped

Weapons Beams: 2 A Beam batteries with 3 firing arcs (Forward, Port,
Starboard) 2 A Beam batteries with 3 firing arcs (Rear, Port, Starboard) 1 C
Beam battery with 1 firing arc (Port) 1 C Beam battery with 1 firing arc
(Starboard)

Other Weapons: 2 Pulse Torpedo Tubes

Fire Control: 3 Fire Control Systems

Defensive Systems 3 Damage Control Parties

Damage Points per Threshold Level
        6 / 6 / 6 / 6

Class Name:     Nippon - Shikishima Class Battleship
Point Cost: 449 Ship Class: Capital (Military)
Mass:           48/24
Thrust: 4 FTL Drive Equipped

Weapons Beams: 2 A Beam batteries with 3 firing arcs (Forward, Port,
Starboard) 2 A Beam batteries with 3 firing arcs (Rear, Port, Starboard) 1 C
Beam battery with 2 firing arcs (Forward, Port) 1 C Beam battery with 2 firing
arcs (Forward, Starboard) 1 C Beam battery with 2 firing arcs (Rear, Port) 1 C
Beam battery with 2 firing arcs (Rear, Starboard)

Other Weapons: 1 Pulse Torpedo Tube

Fire Control: 3 Fire Control Systems

Defensive Systems 3 Damage Control Parties

Other Systems 2 Enhanced Sensors

Damage Points per Threshold Level
        6 / 6 / 6 / 6

Class Name:     Nippon - Yoshino Class Cruiser
Point Cost: 219 Ship Class: Cruiser (Military)
Mass:           32/16
Thrust: 4 FTL Drive Equipped

Weapons Beams: 1 B Beam battery with 3 firing arcs (Forward, Port, Starboard)
1 B Beam battery with 3 firing arcs (Rear, Port, Starboard) 1 C Beam battery
with 2 firing arcs (Forward, Port) 1 C Beam battery with 2 firing arcs
(Forward, Starboard) 1 C Beam battery with 2 firing arcs (Rear, Port) 1 C Beam
battery with 2 firing arcs (Rear, Starboard)

Other Weapons: 1 Pulse Torpedo Tube

Fire Control: 2 Fire Control Systems

Defensive Systems 2 Damage Control Parties

Other Systems
        1 Minelayer
        3 Mines

Damage Points per Threshold Level
        5 / 5 / 6

Class Name:     Nippon - Idzumi Class Cruiser
Point Cost: 179 Ship Class: Cruiser (Military)
Mass:           26/13
Thrust: 4 FTL Drive Equipped

Weapons Beams: 1 B Beam battery with 3 firing arcs (Forward, Port, Starboard)
1 B Beam battery with 3 firing arcs (Rear, Port, Starboard) 1 C Beam battery
with 2 firing arcs (Forward, Port) 1 C Beam battery with 2 firing arcs
(Forward, Starboard) 1 C Beam battery with 2 firing arcs (Rear, Port) 1 C Beam
battery with 2 firing arcs (Rear, Starboard)

Other Weapons: 1 Pulse Torpedo Tube

Fire Control: 2 Fire Control Systems

Defensive Systems 2 Damage Control Parties

Damage Points per Threshold Level
        4 / 4 / 5

Class Name:     Nippon - Akashi Class Cruiser
Point Cost: 173 Ship Class: Cruiser (Military)
Mass:           22/11
Thrust: 5 FTL Drive Equipped

Weapons Beams: 1 B Beam battery with 3 firing arcs (Forward, Port, Starboard)
1 B Beam battery with 3 firing arcs (Rear, Port, Starboard) 1 C Beam battery
with 2 firing arcs (Rear, Port) 1 C Beam battery with 2 firing arcs (Rear,
Starboard)

Other Weapons: 1 Pulse Torpedo Tube

Fire Control: 2 Fire Control Systems

Defensive Systems 2 Damage Control Parties

Damage Points per Threshold Level
        3 / 4 / 4

Class Name:     Nippon - Murakumo Class Destroyer
Point Cost: 95 Ship Class: Escort (Military)
Mass:           14/7
Thrust: 6 FTL Drive Equipped

Weapons Beams: 1 C Beam battery with 3 firing arcs (Forward, Port, Starboard)
1 C Beam battery with 3 firing arcs (Rear, Port, Starboard)

Other Weapons: 1 Pulse Torpedo Tube

Fire Control: 1 Fire Control System

Defensive Systems 1 Damage Control Party

Damage Points per Threshold Level
        3 / 4

Class Name:     Nippon - Ikazuchi Class Destroyer
Point Cost: 101 Ship Class: Escort (Military)
Mass:           14/7
Thrust: 6 FTL Drive Equipped

Weapons Beams: 2 C Beam batteries with 3 firing arcs (Forward, Port,
Starboard) 1 C Beam battery with 2 firing arcs (Forward, Port) 1 C Beam
battery with 2 firing arcs (Forward, Starboard) 1 C Beam battery with 2 firing
arcs (Rear, Port) 1 C Beam battery with 2 firing arcs (Rear, Starboard) 1 C
Beam battery with 3 firing arcs (Rear, Port, Starboard)

Fire Control: 1 Fire Control System

Defensive Systems 1 Damage Control Party

Damage Points per Threshold Level
        3 / 4

Ship Assignments:

Mike Elliott: Fuji (Fuji Class Battleship) Mikasa (Fuji Class Battleship)
Asahi (Shikishima Class Battleship)

Rick Rutherford: Asama (Fuji Class Battleship) Shikishima (Shikishima Class
Battleship)

Steve Ansell: Yoshino (Yoshino Class Cruiser) Takachiho (Yoshino Class
Cruiser) Suma (Idzumi Class Cruiser) Akashi (Akashi Class Cruiser)

Tom Granvold: Naniwa (Yoshino Class Cruiser) Chiyoda (Yoshino Class Cruiser)
Idzumi (Idzumi Class Cruiser) Kasagi (Akashi Class Cruiser)

Jerry Han: Murakumo ("Gathering Clouds" or "Cluster of Clouds") Fubuki
("Snowstorm") Isonami ("Shore Wave") Shinonome ("Morning Twilight" or
"Daybreak Clouds") Usugumo ("Thin Misty Clouds") Shikinami ("Rolling Waves")
Sazanami ("Curling Waves (Ripples)", or "Pretty, Small Waves Raised by a
Zephyr") Shirakumo ("White Clouds") (all 8 are Murakumo Class Destroyers)

Chris Smith: Ikazuchi ("Thunder") Inazuma ("Lightning (Thunderbolt)") Akatsuki
("Dawn") Hibiki ("Echo") Sagiri ("Mist") Ushio ("Tide") Ariake ("Dawn, But
Still the Moon Remains in the Sky", "Dawn Twilight") Yugure ("Evening",
"Evening Dusk") (all 8 are Ikazuchi Class Destroyers)

100 mines (laid by the Fleet Admiral; see the PBEM rules)