Saturday, June 24, 2017

European Federation Fleet Statistics for Full Thrust

 
Brigade Models' has recently resculpted their EuroFed miniatures range, which replace their older models seen here:
 
 
Although they share the same names and much of the design style, the new models currently lack stats for Full Thrust.  Having done the originals years ago, I'm taking a shot at covering them under the Full Thrust/Fleet Book 1 & 2 rules from Ground Zero Games, which are available as free downloads here:

https://shop.groundzerogames.co.uk/rules.html  

The minis themselves are available (unpainted) through Brigade Models' webstore here:
 
 
EDIT 10/14/2018 I've done a newer version of this article with most of the more recent minis from the range covered in the same way, which can be found here:
 
 
I'm using one "house rule" with them, mostly to make them a little more unique and to match the Brigade fighter basing style better.
 

Fighter Triads:

 
EuroFed fighters operate in groups of 3 ("triads") rather than the more common squadrons of 6 used by most spacefaring powers.  This has some small advantages (PD fire and dogfights are more likely to waste hits on overkill, and they'll have more options about where to move their fighters) but it also has the drawback of less efficient use of hanger space.  Each triad requires 5 Mass for hanger space, which is priced as normal (3 points per Mass for NPV users, 1 point per Mass for CPV users).  When paying for the fighters themselves (as you do under the CPV system) each triad costs half what a six-fighter squadron does.
 

Design Philosophy

I'm sticking pretty close to the original concept I used with the old sculpts, which had them using lots of missile racks and their high thrust to avoid fights they can't win.  The new stats push this even further, with more missiles and more long-range beams to let them play sniper/keep-away more efficiently.  They have several quirky weapon layouts to fit the models better (love that aft turret on the Insidioso) and I've tweaked masses a bit, but in general they should play much like they used to - which is a lot like the FB1 FSE does.
 
 
Le Malin Escort Frigate
 
A very specialized design, the Le Malin escort frigate is built to provide maximum area defense coverage for minimum cost.  Their anti-shipping capability is minimal and hopelessly short ranged, but they let the more combat-capable ships in the fleet win missile duels and survive fighter strikes with ease.  EuroFed merchant convoys also benefit from Le Malin support, and they're commonly assigned to such roles alongside a Surcouf or Insidioso wingmate.
 
TMF 24
NPV 82 / CPV 64
Thrust 6
q 3 q
FTL
q
1 Fire Control
q
1 Area Defense Fire Control q
6 PDS
qqqqqq
Hull 7 (2/2/2/1) - 2 crew units, one every 4th box
qq
qp
qq
p

 
 
 
Insidioso Strike Destroyer

The Insidioso is fast, tough destroyer design with a respectable missile load and modest secondary beam mounts.  Envisioned as a fast attack ship, the class mounts an unusual rear-arc beam turret that's intended to provide extra firepower against pursuers as the ship attempts to withdraw after launching its ordnance.  While viable for strike missions, in extended fights this leads to some unusual maneuvering as Insidioso captains weave around trying to keep their aft chase guns in arc.

TMF 31
NPV 103 / CPV 82
Thrust 6
q 3 q
FTL
q

1 Fire Control q
1 PDS
q
1 Salvo Missile Rack (F/FS/FP)
q
1 Class 2 Beam Battery (A/AS/AP)
q

1 Class 1 Beam Battery (All Arcs) q

Hull 10 (3/3/2/2) - 2 crew units, one every 5th box

qqq

qpq
qq
qp
 

 


Surcouf Missile Destroyer

A very specialized destroyer, the Surcouf is almost a pure missile boat.  Her salvo racks can kill targets many times her mass but she has very little punch remaining after launch.  Their own missile defense are also quite light, and most Surcouf squadrons have at least one El Malin assigned as a dedicated escort. 

TMF 34
NPV 114 / CPV 92
Thrust 6
q 3 q
FTL
q
1 Fire Control q
1 PDS
q
2 Salvo Missile Rack (F/FS/FP)
qq
1 Class 1 Beam Battery (All Arcs)
q
Hull 10 (3/3/2/2) - 2 crew units, one every 5th box

qqq

qpq

qq

qp

 
 
Tigre Strike Cruiser

A potent medium-weight cruiser design, the Tigre class sports better beam weaponry than most EuroFed designs.  Her twin heavy beam mounts are quite powerful, and their novel fore-and-aft gun mounts save a great deal of mass and cost over conventional turret arrays.

TMF 74
NPV 247 / CPV 228
Thrust 6
q 3 q
FTL
q
2 Fire Control
qq
2 PDS
qq
1 Salvo Missile Rack (F/FS/FP)
q
2 Class 3 Beam Batteries (F/A) qq
2 Class 2 Beam Batteries (All Arc)
q (F/FS/FP) q
 Hull 22 (6/6/5/5) - 4 crew units, one every 6th box
qqqqqp
qqqqqp
qqqqq
pqqqp
 
 
 
Abruzzi Heavy Missile Cruiser

The Abruzzi is another specialist design, a "Big Brother" to the Surcouf class.  Her missile load is amazing for her size, by far the heaviest in the entire fleet.  This comes at a hefty cost as the ship's beam firepower is minimal and her defenses are lackluster as well. 

TMF 88
NPV 295 / CPV 284
Thrust 6
q 3 q
FTL
q
1 Fire Control
q
4 PDS
qqqq
5 Salvo Missile Racks (F/FS/FP)
qqq (F/FS/AS) q (F/FP/AP) q
2 Class 1 Beam Batteries (All Arcs)
qq
Hull 26 (7/7/6/6) - 5 crew units, one every 6th box
qqqqqpq
qqqqpqq
qqqpqq
qqqqpp
 
 
Milano Dreadnought

Big, fast, and powerfully armed, the Milano is the backbone of many EuroFed battlegroups.  Her missile launches are some of the most impressive in the fleet, and she also carries a heavy array of long-ranged beams.  The lack of close-in armament is not seen as a drawback and their captains generally excel at careful maneuver and standoff combat, keeping their distance until their foes are worn down too much to resist.

TMF 161
NPV 537 / CPV 635
Thrust 6
q 3 q
FTL
q
3 Fire Controls
qqq
4 PDS
qqqq
4 Salvo Missile Racks (F/FS/FP)
qqqq
4 Class 3 Beam Batteries (F/FS/FP/AS/AP)
qq (F/FP/AP) q  (F/FS/AS) q
Hull 46 (12/12/11/11) - 9 crew units, one every 6th box
qqqqqpqqqqqp
qqqqqpqqqqqp
qqqqqpqqqqq
pqqqqqpqqpp
 
 

Umberto Battlecarrier

Umberto-class battlecarriers are multirole combat ships designed to swamp enemy point defenses with combined fighter and missile strikes while providing beam fire from long range.  They are effective but rather expensive, and are consequently somewhat rare.  Battlecarriers are rarely if ever seen without at least one Le Malin in support.  

TMF 164
NPV 494 + fighters / CPV 510 + fighters
Thrust 6
q 3 q
FTL
q
2 Fire Controls
qq
4 PDS
qqq
6 Triad Hanger Bays
qqqqqq
3 Salvo Missile Racks (F/FS/FP)
qqq
2 Class 3 Beam Batteries (F/FP/AP)
q  (F/FS/AS) q
Hull 39 (10/10/10/9) - 9 crew, one every 5th box
qqqqpqqqqp
qqqqpqqqqp
qqqqpqqqqp
qqqqpqqpp

 
 



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