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After finishing up in Hatten, Patch and I swung around to Star Fleet Battles, moving to Y165. He looked over the scenarios, and picked the Klingons in “Surprise Package”. The original version of the scenario (back in Captain’s Log #1) was something of a mean trick. You propose a Fed DD vs D6 duel, and don’t tell your opponent that the DD actually has a pair of plasma torpedoes until you launch them. The current version forgoes literal surprise, and gives a light “idiot rule” to the Klingon (no wild weasels charged until after a seeking weapon launch), as well as options to secretly sub in other destroyer variants, regaining some sense of “surprise”.

Weapon status is 2 for both sides, so phasers are charged, but DDL Kublai is on the final turn of arming on all weapons, leading to maximum power draw. I also held a suicide shuttle in case D6 Devastation should try to overrun me, and only managed speed 9. Patch went speed 20 with EW up (all I could afford was one point of ECM, hopefully I could count on the plasma torpedo’s native ECCM) and started charging in. On impulse 13, we hit range 15, and Patch fired, hitting with all four disruptors to take out half of the #1 shield, and then turned off. I turned to intercept, and he launched a speed-12 drone, which I had to shoot down early in turn 2.

Patch stayed at the same speed, and I boosted to 19 for turn 2 (it would have been 23, but for acceleration limits). Midway through the turn, Patch turned right, and I paralleled him until he started turning in to intercept. On Impulse 29 I launched two plasmas (one real, one pseudo) at range 12, and turned in for a face-off on 32. Patch fired for another four disruptor hits, exactly knocking down the #1 shield.

I stayed at speed 20 for turn three, while Devastation went up to 26. Patch fired phasers on Impulse 1 of turn three to do two internals (both hull). And on Impulse 2, he HETed, keeping out of close range, and able to keep speed 32 plasmas off of him for most of a turn (and way too long for the tiny plasma-F).

That basically put me out of options, and I fired phasers on Impulse 3 at range 9 to do 6 damage to the #5 shield. I tried bolting the remaining plasma and firing one photon torpedo and missed (both 6s…).

Afterword

We continued maneuvering, but that was the end of any actual combat. The scenario stipulates that Patch needs to disengage “by turn 5”, which is a little unclear as to the beginning or end of turn 5. But either way, he was trying to avoid eating my close-range firepower, and I was trying to keep him off my #1, and possibly take crippling damage with no shield.

So, final score: D6 disengaged = 28.25, 8 × speed-12 drones (I assume; with 4-5 turns, paying for 4 might be better) = 4 vs DDL damaged = 9.4, 2 × T-bombs (I don’t know if Patch took any) = 8; not doing at least 10 damage with plasma torpedoes (a special rule to force me to be aggressive, and why letting Patch control the ranges was bad) = 30. 47.4 ÷ 32.25 = 147% or just at the very top end of a Marginal Victory for Patch.

Partly, my problem was that Patch got very lucky, hitting eight times out of eight in the 2/3rds bracket. Minor problems on my side included going too slow on turn 1 to receive a charge, which limited me on turn 2, when I really needed the speed, and forgetting that I had swivel mounts. I could have fired the seeking plasmas right at him, but was stuck thinking of fixed mount launchers, and launched 60º off.

But, he outplayed me. Notably, the HET caught me flatfooted, just when I thought I could pincer him between me and two sets of plasmas. Patch was surprised by the low endurance of the plasma-F, and thought he was in bigger trouble.