Re: Fleet Escorts

> I find there is a real crying need for escorts having a reason to
exist.
> I think the escort versus escort aspect of the game is virtually
ignored
> in play/discussions from my limited experience.  Escort versus escort
> should be a prime reason escorts exist...

I think there was a very good discussion about it in "tin Cans vs.
Dreadnoughts" though sadly that degenerated into a discussion of the
merits
of various modern weapons and their effects on the Kirov.....

However, I think that escorts have a very important role in the game,
though
admittedly, my gaming is limited right now to mostly Trek, since that's
all
anybody around here wants to play...go figure.

Anyways, I tend to see FT fighters, and Needle Beam armed escorts
filling
the same role that torpedo destroyers filled in WWI.  Both can do some
serious hurt to your ships of the line.  To protect those ships of the
line,
you need a bunch of fast little ships to deal with the fast little ships
threatening you.  Sure, you could put all kinds of PDS systems on your
battleships, but if you do that, then you have less room for your really
big
guns, and you want lots of those!

A swarm of needle beam armed corvettes can be death to a battleship that
has
only three firecons.  You can waste your BB's firepower on them, or you
can
use the BB against his big ship, and use your frigates to swat those
corvettes!  They same idea applies to fighters....

And of course, if all your opponent brings to battle is big ships, then
go
ahead and put in a swarm of those needle armed corvettes yourself.  They
may
die easily, but imagine the look on your opponents face when his big bad
battleship is out of the fight because his three firecons were
destroyed!

Next time he'll bring some little brothers to the fight as well!