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
-----------------
This scenario runs best with a referee and the victory conditions 
unknown to the Imperial player. If the Imperial player is aware of the 
victory conditions his force should be reduced by one Chrysanthemum 
Class Destroyer Escort and one Fer-De-Lance Class Destroyer Escort.
The “fighting quarters” aspect of the Imperial forces is to
encourage 
the Zhodani to attack sooner rather than latter and the Imperials to 
make difficult decisions about splitting forces, committing them 
piecemeal or running away.
	Defensive systems are meson screens, nuclear dampers and
sandcasters. 
Laser batteries used in an anti-missile role do not count.

---------cybergoths_at_dsl.pipex.com----------
      http://www.powerprojection.net/
Power Projection: "It's all about going to other people's
planets and making *them* do what *we* want."
CPO Vandenbroucke, IIN Dreadnought 'Cleon the First'.