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Facing 2:1 odds, but only about 4:3 by BPV, Star Fleet decides to try to put at least one Klingon ship out of action (possibly an E4, with proxes), and then leave, hopefully without taking more damage than can be easily repaired. The Klingons of course would love to get rid of a cruiser this early in the war.

Random terrain comes up sparse asteroid field. Which implies much shorter ranges, because while ‘sparse’ means less damage going through them (use the ring damage chart instead of asteroid), it’s still +1 ECM per hex. The Klingons had bad news when they started at WS-I, and the Feds at WS-II.

Getting into the scenario reminded me why I tend to shy away from soloing SFB shortly after starting. I get mentally busy with both sides, I start seeing opportunities after the fact, realize I didn’t do something I intended…. But I managed to ‘let go’ during turn 3 and just enjoy the ride. There was one error that I generally corrected later.

The big error I didn’t correct was messing up the E4s allocation. I knew it looked wrong, very wrong. But I also knew the power was correct, so I shrugged and went with it, until I finally realized that’d I’d gotten their move cost wrong when setting up the spreadsheet during turn 3. (What I get for reusing an old sheet partially done for a different project.) The immediate consequence of this was they allocated speed 14 while on low power draw. With the E4s unable to keep up with the speed 17 cruisers (I knew that couldn’t be right, but couldn’t figure out the trouble), the Klingons split into two groups.

IKV Devastator and Desecration headed for the center of the map, while Obdurate and Insolent turned to parallel them on the other side of an initial asteroid group. USS Kongo and Defiance had phasers charged already and went 19, as well as starting closer to the middle of the map, and were nearly to the center by the end of turn 1. On Impulse 32, there were only a couple of asteroid hexes in the way, and the Klingon cruisers fired a volley of disruptors at Kongo, hitting with two through a +2 shift at range 22, which bounced off batteries.

For turn 2, the Federation ships sped up to 21 while holding photons, and switching their fuses from proximity to standard. The Klingon cruisers sped up to 21 as well, with the E4s still lagging at 14. The E4s were off to the side, but closer to the mid-line, and the Federation ships turned to chase after them. With that much firepower headed their way, they turned off, skimming through a hex of asteroids to make their escape. The Federation moved through a small gap, and knowing that a closer-range confrontation was coming up, each launched a pair of shuttles, a regular one, followed by a suicide shuttle targeted on the D6. The hope was they were protected by asteroid ECM, but might emerge on the other side in time to take a pot-shot as the Klingons got close. The E4s moved around another asteroid group, and headed back in to contribute their two cents (disruptors).

The end of the turn was approaching fast, so the Klingons did a range 9 disruptor volley on Impulse 25 which did 16 damage to Kongo’s #6. They then slipped out and turned to face the oncoming cruisers for a turn 3 showdown.

End of turn 2.

With a range 3-4 faceoff, going slow and pounding each other was a given. However, the incoming E4s convinced the Federation ships to keep some maneuvering speed, which limited overloads while keeping speed 11. The two D-hulls went full overloads, but had fully-charged phasers for Desecration to also go speed 11, while Devastator‘s extra APR allowed speed 13. The E4’s EA was finally corrected, but overloading two disruptors and recharging phasers kept them to speed 7.

The alpha strikes went on the closer ships, with CC USS Kongo boosting ECM a point which countered a Klingon ECCM boost to keep a +1 shift, and took four disruptors (half the rolls were 5s and 6s), and two ph-2s to just knock down the #1 shield (wanted to try for closer shots; the D6 should have fired all three boom phasers). Most of the photons were 10-point overloads, and the one 14-point and one of two full overloads missed, combined with the left side phasers to do 47 internals through D6-21 IKV Desecration‘s #1 shield. This wrecked Desecration with 16 power hits, loss of the boom phasers, drone racks, and most of the disruptors (a preping scatterpack was also lost, causing a chain reaction that knocked out the third disruptor).

Devastator launched its scatterpack on impulse 2, and the Federation ships followed up with the forward phasers for another 18 internals to Desecration. Many other systems already being out, this almost entirely hit warp, leaving her with 6 power. Devastator boosted ECCM again and got 9 internals on Kongo with unshifted ph-2s, taking out two phasers and the once-only warp hits.

IKV Obdurate hit range 8 on impulse 5, and hit with both disruptors to do 12 damage to Defiance‘s #2. The Federation ships knocked down the two drones and the scatterpack over the next few impulses, and Devastator tractored Kongo to push it into asteroids on impulse 10. She also unleashed 6xph-2s at range 1 through the down shield for 24 internals, ending any Federation hopes for not needing a drydock run at the end of the fight. The next impulse, Kongo hit astroids with a roll of ‘6’ to do 5 damage to shield #6.

Devastator had used all available phasers to hurt Kongo, and the shuttles launched earlier got to her to knock down the #5 with help from Kongo, but couldn’t do internals. Defiance threatened to get the rear phasers onto the shield, so Devastator dropped the tractor on impulse 15. On impulse 21, Kongo entered arc of the right-side waist phasers, which did 7 damage to the #5 shield. Kongo headed down and then right, Devastator headed right, with Defiance settled into a centerline stern chase, while Obdurate and Insolent chased after Kongo. Desecration had turned left towards the E4s, preparing for a long trek off-map.

Kongo, needing to get away from the pursuing E4s, and down to 30 power, only started reloading one photon for turn 4 and went speed 13 with 4 ECM. (I have noted a definite tendency for spending four EW thanks to my time in the Early Years.) Defiance started loading three and went 15. Devastator went 17 with 6 ECM and charged two disruptors, while the E4s went 25 with standard disruptors and no EW. Desecration put up full shields and crawled for a map edge at speed 4.

With the range about to open, Defiance did a range 3 full-centerline salvo of phasers on impulse 1, getting 16 damage on bad rolls to knock down Devastator‘s #4 after batteries. Defiance turned off to assist Kongo, and Devastator turned for more range with two rear shields down. On impulse 8, Kongo dropped a T-bomb and transported another one two hexes away, right before turning to follow the edge of an asteroid group.

At this time, noticed my other big error: I had originally set the two suicide shuttles to target the D6, but I had later assumed they’d be on the D7, and had them following it instead. I estimated how far they’d gotten since turning to follow, and put them the same distance after the D6… which now had shuttles that would catch it in three turns to worry about. If I’d done it right from the start, the E4s would probably have shot them as they went by, but it was too late now.

The T-bombs were to slow the E4s down as they went around, but they decided it was worth taking one to get at Kongo, and went for the second one in case it was a dummy. It wasn’t, and Obdurate had her #1 dinged on impulse 15. Insolent fired disruptors on 22, hitting with one to do 4 damage to Kongo‘s #4. On 25 Obdurate fired a full oblique strike at Defiance for 3 damage on her #4. Insolent fired phasers at Defiance on 26 for 3 more damage, while she did 16 damage with a full between-the-engines shot to collapse Insolent‘s #6 and do three internals (2xhull, L warp).

After this, the E4s turned off, and started regrouping behind asteroids. Devastator had worked around and took an impulse 32 shot at one of the suicide shuttles, but only did three damage.

For turn 5, Kongo started loading a second photon and repairing shields, dropping to speed 12. Defiance started loading the fourth photon and maintained 15. Devastator dropped to 14 to start repairing the rear shields, and the E4s dropped to 16 to work on their shields. The Federation ships headed for Devastator, which used her turn mode to work around on her undamaged side, and Kongo turned off to avoid inviting shots through the #1. Defiance tried three prox torps at Devastator before she turned, but they all missed. After turning, she got an oblique shot to do 10 damage to Defiance‘s #1.

Unfortunately, I forgot to start a Vassal log for the rest of the battle, though I have other notes.

Shield boxes were repaired at the end of the turn, as well as the emergency impulse on Desecration, and Kongo repaired phaser #1. The extra power let Desecration go speed 5, Kongo stayed at speed 12 for turn 6, while Defiance leapt up to speed 22, planning to dash past Devastator (now at 15) and finish off Desecration. The E4s went 25 to give chase.

On impulse 22, Defiance had caught up, and took a range 2 shot at Desecration, doing a total of 39 damage, for 26 internals through the #4. A check of the rules showed the MD/CD count was 29, preventing a catastrophic damage declaration to eject the boom. And indeed, the internals spent themselves on various tracks and remaining weapons… but avoided any rows with transporter results. The final six internals were Ex Dam, Ex Dam, Ex Dam, Ex Dam, Bridge, Tran. Desecration just barely avoided blowing up from Defiance‘s best shot.

This complicated things. Defiance ended up closing to range 1, attaching a tractor, turning, firing a rear phaser as a ph-3 and finishing her off (taking two more damage on transporter first, showing the MD/CD count was correct…), with the explosion doing 18 damage to Defiance‘s #3.

This was only about 12 hexes from the edge of the map, and Kongo was still wallowing around on the other side of the board, so the plan was to duck through an asteroid cluster for ECM and disengage before the other Klingon ships converged on her position. Devastator got her shot on the next impulse, hitting with one overload and one standard disruptor, and good phaser rolls at range 6 for 16 damage on the #4, doing four internals. After that, the two E4s got range 6-7 shots, hitting with two disruptors (they only charged one each) for 12 damage (with phasers) on the #5.

Asteroid collision rolls were 6,6,3,6 for 22 damage to the #1 shield (…she should have slipped for the last one), collapsing it and doing 4 internals.

Down 2 power, Defiance went 18 for turn 7, with Devastator going 11 for overloaded disruptors, and the E4s went 6 to charge all disruptors and phasers. Defiance fired the forward phasers as ph-3s to clear a path through the final hex of asteroids, and was back in clear space again. Devastator fired when her weapons cycled on impulse 4, hitting with two disruptors and poor phaser rolls for 14 damage through the down #4.

After that was a race and maneuvers as the E4s tried for a good position, with Insolent firing on impulse 10 for 5 damage on the #5 (only 3 registered), and Obdurate on 16 for a range 4 oblique shot on the #5; poor rolls (and ECM) meant the only damage was from one disruptor, reducing the #5 to one box.

With the Klingons shot out, Defiance left the map, and Kongo left off the other end, leaving the Klingons with a victory.

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Post-battle, Insolent could easily make good the three internals she’d taken. After repairs, Kongo was still out all hull, one Aux Con, one Trac, one Tran, and two shuttles, while Defiance was out 8xF hull and 1xA hull.

Federation reviews of the action did not give either ship great marks. The captain of USS Defiance had fought his ship well, but gunnery and navigation had been lacking. The fleet captain on USS Kongo had been in charge, and his plan had been adequate—the main problem the pair was operating under was that despite their deficiencies, the Klingons did have four ships. Also, the asteroid field demanded closer ranges than originally envisioned. That said, while the one heavy pass lets the photon torpedo shine in comparison to the disruptor, both ships needing repairs is not what Star Fleet had been counting on. Despite the shield damage, Kongo should have trailed in after Endeavor to either draw the Klingons after her, or make mischief in the rear of the chase.

Klingon discussions were far more acrimonious. The captain of IKV Devastator blamed the E4s for not being able to keep up with the main group, they blamed him for mis-managing their allocation so badly. The captain of the Desecration was (posthumously) censured for not firing off the third boom phaser early, and not launching his scatter pack before the main exchange of fire (Devastator was told he should have too as a safety precaution). However, putting her in the line of fire was not seen as a fault, and Desecration was held as the best captained ship in the battle, especially since while she was lost anyway, there had been a plan to try to save the boom.