Age of Iridium Summary - Tsarist Mission Briefing - 4/6

This is the briefing given to the Tsarist players.

AGE OF IRIDIUM - Tsarist Empire Mission Briefing
copyright 1996 by Allan Goodall

Last Engagement

The Imperial Tsarist Navy enjoyed a considerable technological advantage
during it's previous skirmish with the Nipponese Shogunate Navy, losing only a
single aging battleship. This was due mostly to the Tsarists' use of Level 1
deflector screens on board the capital ships. The Nipponese ships did not have
screen technology, although they did have a numerical superiority in secondary
weapons. This advantage in C batteries took its toll, destroying the old
Tsarist battleship after it blundered too close to the Nipponese fleet.

Technological Advancements

Between the engagements, the Tsarist navy has succeeded in developing Level 2
screens. These have been mounted in the capital ships, while the cruisers now
have Level 1 screens. The exception is the Volga Class minesweeping cruiser,
which has Level 2 screens.

Since the Tsarist ships are weakest at close range, they have been bolstered
by the addition of single-use submunition packs. They should give the
Nipponese a surprise if they drop into close range.

The Nipponese capital ships were faster than the Tsarist capital ships during
their first engagement. This situation is expected to be true in this
engagement.

Intelligence Briefing

The Nipponese may have captured part of the screen system from the destroyed
battleship. Some key components were missing after a Nipponese boarding party
raided the hulk. Imperial Intelligence believes it unlikely that the Nipponese
would be able to reverse engineer the parts into a working screen system.

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 jump
point. If they move forward, they run the risk of hitting mines. This is
partially alleviated by the inclusion of fleet minesweeping cruisers and an
expected superiority in numbers. The battle is expected to be viscious.

GAME INFORMATION

Ship Designs and Assignments

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

Class Name:     Tsarist - Borodino Class Battleship
Point Cost: 412 Ship Class: Capital (Military)
Mass:           48/24
Thrust: 3 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: 2 Submunition Packs

Fire Control: 3 Fire Control Systems

Defensive Systems 2 Screen Generator Levels 3 Damage Control Parties

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

Class Name:     Tsarist - Kursk Class Battleship
Point Cost: 412 Ship Class: Capital (Military)
Mass:           48/24
Thrust: 3 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) 1 C Beam battery with 3 firing arcs (Forward, Port, Starboard) 1 C
Beam battery with 3 firing arcs (Rear, Port, Starboard)

Other Weapons: 2 Submunition Packs

Fire Control: 3 Fire Control Systems

Defensive Systems 2 Screen Generator Levels 3 Damage Control Parties

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

Class Name:     Tsarist - Volga Class Minesweeper
Point Cost: 210 Ship Class: Cruiser (Military)
Mass:           26/13
Thrust: 4 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)

Fire Control: 2 Fire Control Systems

Defensive Systems 2 Screen Generator Levels 2 Damage Control Parties

Other Systems 1 Minesweeper

Damage Points per Threshold Level
        4 / 4 / 5

Class Name:     Tsarist - Novik Class Cruiser
Point Cost: 240 Ship Class: Cruiser (Military)
Mass:           32/16
Thrust: 4 FTL Drive Equipped

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

Other Weapons: 2 Submunition Packs

Fire Control: 2 Fire Control Systems

Defensive Systems 1 Screen Generator Level 2 Damage Control Parties

Damage Points per Threshold Level
        5 / 5 / 6

Class Name:     Tsarist - Pallada Class Cruiser
Point Cost: 195 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: 2 Submunition Packs

Fire Control: 2 Fire Control Systems

Defensive Systems 1 Screen Generator Level 2 Damage Control Parties

Damage Points per Threshold Level
        4 / 4 / 5

Class Name:     Tsarist - Aurora Class Cruiser
Point Cost: 169 Ship Class: Cruiser (Military)
Mass:           22/11
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 3 firing arcs (Rear, Port,
Starboard)

Other Weapons: 1 Submunition Pack

Fire Control: 2 Fire Control Systems

Defensive Systems 1 Screen Generator Level 2 Damage Control Parties

Damage Points per Threshold Level
        3 / 4 / 4

Class Name:     Tsarist - Boiki Class Destroyer
Point Cost: 97 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 1 firing arc (Port) 1 C Beam battery with 1
firing arc (Starboard) 1 C Beam battery with 3 firing arcs (Rear, Port,
Starboard)

Other Weapons: 2 Submunition Packs

Fire Control: 1 Fire Control System

Defensive Systems 1 Damage Control Party

Damage Points per Threshold Level
        3 / 4

Ship Assignments:

Ludo Toen: Borodino (Borodino Class Battleship) Osliabia (Borodino Class
Battleship) Khalkin Gol (Kursk Class Battleship)

Robin Paul: Sevastopol (Borodino Class Battleship) Kursk (Kursk Class
Battleship)

Robert Montgomery: Imperator Alexander VII (Borodino Class Battleship) Orel
(Kursk Class Battleship)

David Brewer: Volga (Volga Class Minesweeping Cruiser) Dneiper (Volga Class
Minesweeping Cruiser) Oleg (Novik Class Cruiser) Pallada (Pallada Class
Cruiser) Almaz (Aurora Class Cruiser) Donskoy (Aurora Class Cruiser)

Jon Davis: Don (Volga Class Minesweeping Cruiser) Lena (Volga Class
Minesweeping Cruiser) Novik (Novik Class Cruiser) Ushakov (Pallada Class
Cruiser) Aurora (Aurora Class Cruiser) Svetlana (Aurora Class Cruiser)

Scott Field: Boiki
                Boyevoy
                Burny
                Bespokoiny
                Bystry
                Gremyashchy
                Nastoychivy
                Okrylenny
(all 8 are Boiki Class Destroyers)

Tom McCarthy: Osmotritelny
                Otchayanny
                Otlichnny
                Sobrazitelny
                Rastoropny
                Sovremenny
                Stoyky
                Vazhny
(all 8 are Boiki Class Destroyers)