SeerK here once again with “The Ships
Of The Rense”. In this segment we talk about the stealthy killer
of
the Rense Navy. The Phoenix/Firebird is built around an
impressive Plasma weapon and built to order in directorate ship
yards. They make up the bulk of the system sentries in Federation
space. They are also the lethal assassins that deal with problem
vessels.
Being a Destroyer class vessel you are
severely limited in the number of squadrons you can take in any list
with the exception of Grand Fleet size lists. In the case of the
Phoenix this is good for your opponent as the ship is rather lethal.
Although it is not as robust as a Spook, it has a critical rating of
6 rather than 7, it does have a higher point defense and a much
longer range with all of its weapons. It has the Stealth Systems MAR
, Maneuverable MAR and the Ambush (2) MAR. You can add Torpedo
Spook to your torpedoes and Precision Strike to the Beam weapon.
Fully upgrading the squadron makes them rather expensive though.
They start out at 80 points and at 90 when fully upgraded.
This generally is not a problem as you
can deliver punishing fire from both weapon systems from 40 inches
and closer. With the Precision Strike MAR this lets you really do a
number on ships. You can attempt to disable point defense systems
with the beam weapons to deliver a torpedo salvo that is the same
size as one from a spook squadron. You can also hit 2 targets and
rely on the Torpedo Spook MAR to give you some decent hits when
targeting two different ships in a squadron. Hitting squadrons that
number 4 in this way really allows you to soften them up for your
Spook squadrons to finish them off.
The Phoenix is fast. With a movement
of 10 inches it can outpace even some frigates. Its real strength
lays in being completely still though. Having the Maneuverable MAR
lets it cut engines and not move, but still turn. The squadron
becomes a firebase in the rear of the fleet. The real key is placing
the squadron in your deployment zone with a largely unobstructed line
of sight to the rest of the board. This does two things. It gives
you fire support everywhere and it could force your opponent to place
essential squadrons in the areas that are obstructed. This means you
can plan your placement and set up your other squadrons to deal with
your opponents ships with overwhelming firepower. You can place
heavier ships to cover the Phoenix. Placement in the corners usually
gives you a good view of the battlefield and covers your port,
starboard and aft from shunting squadrons in reserve.
Although this is a bit predictable in
terms of set up tactics, there is not a lot your opponent can do to
deal with the ships unless he or she is really crafty or they Honey
Badger that stuff and just brave the fire and dive in.
I have not really used the Ambush
feature. Given the ship can out range most ships I have not felt the
need to use it. I honestly don't see where it would be useful,
unless you wanted to place the squadron, but wanted to make your
opponent guess as to where it actually is. This gains you some
advantage in set up and further forces your opponent to place his
squadrons in the places you want them. Using the false marker, the
second marker thats not the actual squadron, as an actual decoy lures
enemy ships into ideal fire positions if placed correctly. This
requires some good command checks and theatrics on your part.
The Phoenix is a sniper and although it
is still lethal in all its range bands, long range is its happy
place. The ships can defend themselves pretty well but can be
destroyed easier than your average Rense Medium Capital ship when
your enemy is within 20 inches. I am not a fan of the Stealth
Systems. I like the Cloaking Shields better. Making your Phoenixs
harder to hit gives you more mileage with the Stealth Systems.
Trying to set up the squadron within a gas cloud is ideal. Although
you have to make disorder checks, you are at an advantage because of
your Elite Crew MAR. If you manage to roll a gas cloud when setting
up terrain make sure you place it where you can set up your Phoenixs
in it or they can reach it in one turn. Hitting on 5's with active
Stealth Systems can really frustrate your opponent and keep your
ships alive.
Well there you have it. The
Phoenix/Firebird. Next time we bridge the gap between Tier 1 and
Tier 2 as our next ship can occupy both slots depending on the fleet
size. I am, of course, speaking about the deadly Cerberus Heavy
Cruiser.
Until next time.....Crush The Alliance
and
REMEMBER DRAMOS!!!!!!
