CADET SCENARIO #1: BATTLE DRILL
Vassal module note: You won't need to do an energy allocation for this scernario.
This scenario is a training exercise. You, as commander of the starship Constellation, are assigned to track down and destroy a series of five target drones. The exercise is intended to give you experience in controlling your ship and firing its weapons. A few minutes ago you moved your ship into the starting position. This scenario can be played several times with slight variations. You'll be told more about that later.
PLAYERS: This is a scenario for
one player only.
REQUIRED MATERIALS: You will need the Federation Cadet cruiser SSD, the 8-Impulse Movement Chart, the counter for the Federation cruiser (representing the Constellation), five of the Klingon drone counters.
NOTE: As the ship cannot be damaged, there will be no need to mark on the SSD. It is used only to remind you of the firing arcs of your phasers.
SCENARIO SET UP: This scenario takes place entirely within a small area 0101 to 1417. Any drone which leaves this area has escaped and cannot be fired at. If the ship leaves the area, the scenario is over.
Load scenario one playing as Federation or use a new game map and place counters as follows. Place the ship in hex 0111 facing in direction A (toward hex 0110). The ship will move at a speed of 8 hexes per turn during the entire scenario. The player can turn the ship as allowed by its turn mode (which is 2 at a speed of 8). You have already satisfied your turn mode and can turn on the first impulse if you desire. Place the counter for drone A in hex 0101 facing in direction C, drone B in hex 0207 facing in direction B, drone C in hex 0805 facing in direction D, drone D in hex 0909 facing in direction F, and drone E in hex 0801 facing in direction D. Each drone moves straight ahead at a speed of 8 hexes per turn. Each drone is destroyed (removed from play) by four damage points (total, scored as part of one or more volleys). Keep track of each drone (and the damage points scored on it) on your scratch paper. Drag a Federation SSD onto the map or into the Federation players "Players SSDs" area window.
OBJECTIVE: To successfully complete this training mission, you must destroy all five target drones (before they can leave the map) within two turns. Due to the mathematical percentages, even the most perfect maneuvers give you only an 83% chance of destroying all five targets and only 99% chance of destroying four of them. Do not worry too much about "winning" or "losing" this scenario; the object here is "learning." If you scored three or more points of damage on every target (whether you destroyed it or not), you did your job successfully.
HAVE YOU
PILOTED A SHIP OUT OF STARDOCK?
You could move directly to hex 0115 (direction F, through hexes 0416, 0316, and 0215), turning right (direction A) to enter hex 0114 (leaving the Point of Turn marker in 0115), then move forward three hexes to 0111. Alternatively, you could get a bit fancy and move 0416, 0316, turn right (A) to 0315 and 0314, turn left (F) to 0213 and 0113, the turn right (A) to 0112 and 0111. There are other possible ways to get there. It is important, however, to end in 0111 facing in direction A and with your turn mode satisfied (that is, having already moved two hexes in direction A) so that you can turn immediately upon beginning the scenario.
THE FIRST TURN: For purposes of example, we'll talk you through the first turn. Note that this is only one of several ways that the first turn could be played. You aren't required to move this way and may choose other courses when you play the scenario yourself. We will track the three closest drones, but you should move all of them so that you can see if you did it correctly. (We'll tell you where they should be at the end of this turn.)
First impulse: The Constellation turns right and moves to 0211. The drones move to 0306 (drone B), 0806 (drone C), and 0809 (drone D), from 0101 to 0202, from 0801 to 0802. The closest drones are four hexes away. At that range, you cannot be guaranteed a kill with a single phaser, so you decide to hold your fire. Place the Point Of Turn marker in hex 0111.
Second impulse: The ship moves to 0310. The drones move to 0406 (drone B), 0708 (drone C), and 0708 (drone D), 0803,0302. At this point, drone D in 0609 is at a range of 3. Even at that range, however, a die roll of 6 would score only 3 damage points, not enough to destroy it. Since it is getting closer, there is no hurry and you decide to wait.
Third impulse: The ship moves to 0410. The drones move to 0302, 0505, 0804, 0608, and 0808 . At this point, drone in 0608 is 3 hexes away. You fire the forward phaser-1. Roll the die and determine how many damage points you have scored. Only a roll of six will not kill the drone. The drone will likely be destroyed. You roll a 1 and it is destroyed and removed. Before you can start the fourth impulse, you have to make a decision about which way to move. Look at drone C in 0808. It is four hexes away. You also note that this drone will escape (by leaving Area A) in nine impulses, so it requires attention. Let's look at your options:
A - Move straight ahead. If you do this, you will be in 0509 and drone C will be in 0809. This will be a range-3 shot with the right phaser, with 3 chances out of 6 of scoring a kill (four or more damage points). This is a pretty good risk. However, if you miss, you will have to turn the ship to enter hex 0610 on the next impulse to use your left phaser to destroy the drone. Moving in this direction will take you farther away from other targets and require a more round-about maneuver to reach them.
B - Turn immediately to 0510. This isn't a very good idea. It puts the target out of the firing arc of your right side phaser and takes the Constellation out of range of other targets. More importantly, it doesn't improve the firing possibilities until another impulse, when the ship reaches 0611. Of these two options, A is obviously superior. There is another option, however, which is to go back to the third impulse and use the left side phaser to kill drone D. This leaves the forward phaser to be fired on the fourth impulse from 0509 toward drone C in 0809. If you don't score a kill, the right side phaser can destroy the drone on impulse #5. (Note that going back and doing it over is not allowed in the game. The point of this exercise is to make you think about why and where you will use your weapons, not just how.) Having resolved these alternatives, we proceed.
Fourth impulse: The Constellation moves to 0509. The drones move to 0503, 0605, 0805 and to 0809 . You fire the forward phaser at drone in 0809, with a 5/6 chance of scoring four or more damage points and destroying it. Roll the die now, and determine if you destroyed it or not. You roll a 5 and destroy it.
Fifth impulse: The Constellation moves to 0609. Drones move to 0806, 0604, 0704.
Sixth impulse: The Constellation moves to 0708.
Seventh impulse: The Constellation moves to 0807 as does one drone but the drone entered on the left and your armed phaser is on the right side.
Eighth and final impulse: The Constellation enter 0907. The surviving drones will be in 0809, 0905, and 1003. Use the right side phaser on drone in 0809. For your next phaser to fire which drone would be best to shoot? Well, as drone in 1003 is moving away from you, it can't wait to long. 1003 drone will be the most trouble (since you can't get closer to it and will possibly need two shots to destroy it). Drone in 0905 would probably be the best choice. Now play the second turn, and see if you can destroy all of the remaining target drones. Then go back and play the entire scenario, experimenting with your own ideas for the first turn.
INSTANT REPLAY: Without learning any further rules, you can play this scenario again several times. You can modify the scenario by moving some of the drones to different starting positions or use some of the other drone types i.e. C-4 ( see info tables weapons, drone sheet). An alternative starting arrangement is 0102-C (that is, in hex 0102 facing in direction C), 0104-C, 1101-D, 0717-A, and 0112-C. Another is ship in 0717-A, drones in 0117-A, 1317-A, 0701-D, 0105-C, 1402-E.
After playing this scenario at least twice with the Federation Cadet cruiser, play the scenario once or twice with the Klingon Cadet battlecruiser (which is named Destruction). Note that while the Klingon ship has four phasers (rather than three), they are less effective and cannot guarantee four damage points at any range beyond zero (i.e., in the same hex). The scenario can also be played with the other cadet ships, but the Romulan Cadet cruiser has only two phasers and you should only use three or four target drones.