First Clash - a Power Projection:Escort/Fleet scenario

Hi all,

Neil McGurk sent me this scenario for your entertainment. He'd love to hear
comments on what you think of it. It can be played with either Power
Projection: Fleet or Power Projection: Escort. However, you will need the SSDs
from Escort for the ship data.

Cheers,

Dom

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First Clash - A scenario by Neil McGurk

Background
----------
General During the first weeks of the 5th Frontier War (FFW) large numbers of
paired Zhodani ships crossed the borders into the 3rd Imperium. Their main
primary mission was intelligence gathering but a close second was the
disruption of naval forces and their supplies. This is the encounter between
one pair of Zhodani ships endeavouring to fulfil both mission objectives prior
to returning too base.

Imperial You have command of a small newly formed Task Force on its initial
training mission. The aim of this mission is to bind the individual ships into
an independent commerce raider unit for when the next Frontier War starts. To
allow full independence to the task force you
have been allocated a Tender/Tanker. You are currently practising
formation manoeuvres in a quiet corner of the system.

Zhodani Having carried out your allotted 24 hours of intelligence gathering,
in this system, you were preparing to leave when an Imperial task force was
spotted. The task force looks to be on a training mission and
includes a Tender/Tanker. You have decided that as the War has started
you will take this opportunity to strike at the Imperial naval forces and
their supplies in the system.

Set-up
-------
Imperial Forces
The forces set-up within 12MU of the centre of the playing area. The
arrangement of the individual ships is at the discretion of the controlling
player(s). As the FFW has not officially started, all ships are not at
“fighting quarters.” To bring a ship up to “fighting quarters” roll a
D6 at the start of the turn. If the result is equal or under the turn number
the ship may fire as normal. If the roll is greater than the turn number, no
offensive weapon systems may be used but defensive systems may.
No ship may have an initial velocity greater than three MU/turn.

Zhodani Forces
Having seen the Imperial set-up the Zhodani forces can be placed at any
point around the Imperial forces but no closer than 30MU.
No Zhodani ship may have an initial velocity greater than six MU/turn.

Forces Imperial
--------
3 x Chrysanthemum Class Destroyer Escort (DE)
3 x Fer-De-Lance Class Destroyer Escort (DE)
1 x PF Sloan Class Fleet Escort (FE)
1 x Knight Class Tender/Tanker (TT) (use the Zhodani Chtierabl Class
Tender/Tanker TT)

Zhodani
-------
1 x Zhdiak Class Light Destroyer (DL) 1 x Midu Agashaam Class Destroyer (DD)
(*)

[(*) Dom's comments - This is an Imperial ship (26 points) being used
in place of a Zhodani one. You could try substituting a Vlezhdatl Class Pocket
Strike Cruiser (slightly weaker at 20 points) or 2 Plokl Escorts (slightly
stronger at 28 points and a nasty missile load out) if you don't want to use
an Impie ship for the Zhodani. If you do, let us know how it goes, because we
haven't. I think that the Plokl's will tip this toward the Zhodani quite
heavily.]

Victory Conditions
-------------------
Imperial Major Victory Both Zhodani ships destroyed with no Imperial ships
destroyed.

Minor Victory Both Zhodani ships destroyed with no more that two Imperial
ships
destroyed not including the Tender/Tanker.

Draw
Tender/Tanker badly damaged (over half hull boxes checked), at least
two other Imperial ship destroyed and one Zhodani ship destroyed.

Zhodani Major Victory
Imperial Tender/Tanker destroyed, one other Imperial ship destroyed and
both Zhodani ships escape.

Minor Victory
Imperial Tender/Tanker badly damaged (over half hull boxes checked) and
at least one Zhodani ship escapes.

Designers Notes