(50R.6.0) THE BLACK FLOCK
BLACK FLOCK SHIPS
(50R6.1) HEAVY CRUISER (CA):
The Black Flock Heavy Cruiser was a raiding vessel. Armed with Two Quantum Wave Torpedoes, Three Forward Offensive Phasers, and One Rear Defensive Phaser, the Black Flock Heavy Cruiser specialized in hit-and-run assaults. The starship possessed excellent maneuverability, but was not adept at high energy turns. Of great concern was the sheer amount of Power that the Black Flock Heavy Cruiser could generate, which was greater than the typical Sector 50 Heavy Cruiser. Finally, the Black Flock’s victims soon realized that the Heavy Cruiser was outfitted with multiple transporters for their numerous boarding parties and crew units.
DESIGNER NOTES:
The Black Flock Heavy Cruiser is roughly Half of the Paravian Heavy Cruiser. Some decisions had to made about the Shuttles, APR, Transporters, and PH-3’s.
The original Paravian Heavy Cruiser had the ability to land on a planet, so I retained this feature for the Black Flock.
I was surprised to find out that the Paravian Heavy Cruiser possessed so many Crew Units and Boarding Parties, along with numerous Transporters. I suppose this was due to their “raiding” aspect. I therefore included this feature into the Black Flock, reducing the quantities appropriately for Sector 50.
The Paravian Heavy Cruiser also had odd Shields. While it had a Strong Forward Shield (more than most Heavy Cruisers), the other Five Shields were Weak. Again, I made sure the Black Flock Heavy Cruiser kept this attribute.
But the heart of the matter is the Quantum Wave Torpedoes. Heavy Weapons define the starship and Quantum Wave Torpedoes are no different for the Black Flock. Can Quantum Wave Torpedoes stand on their own in a tactical sense when compared to other Heavy Weapons? With the amount of playtesting and feedback that has been completed since Module C6 was published, I believe the answer is Yes. Quantum Wave Torpedoes are quite different from Plasma Torpedoes in that they Arm More Frequently, have a Splash Damage Effect, use a Different Range Bracket, and are Damaged Differently than Plasma Torpedoes. The issue with Quantum Wave Torpedoes is that they lack crunch power, and this greatly affects their tactical use.
Curiously, the Paravians are missing a Secondary Heavy Weapon/Device, although I noticed that the Motherships had large Cargo Areas and the ability to carry Pods Without Penalty. This will not do for the Black Flock, as most other empires (in the future of Sector 50) will have a Heavy Weapon and a Device (ex. Photon/Drone) or Two Heavy Weapons (Disruptor/Drone). So I will probably have to come up with something for the Black Flock, a New Secondary Heavy Weapon/Device (or an Existing One), which compliments their tactics and play style.
It should be noted that the Black Flock is a Real, Historical Empire in Sector 50, not a Hypothetical, Non-Historical, Lost Empire.
QUANTUM WAVE TORPEDOES
These function as described in the Module C6
PHASER-1
These function as described in the Basic Set
PHASER-3
These function as described in the Basic Set
