SCENARIO ONE: Exercise SUPERIOR MARKSMAN

USS Republic

NCC-1371

Captain: M. Gaiser

USS Potemkin

NCC-1657

Captain: J. Walker

USS Excalibur

NCC-1664

Captain: B. Francis

USS Exeter

NCC-1672

Captain: D. Lundgren

USS Enterprise

NCC-1701

Captain: J. McCarthy

USS Valley Forge

NCC-1795

Captain: B. Howard

SET-UP

    Lay out one Star Trek Combat Simulator mapsheet.  This represents the area where combat occurs.  All vessels move at sub-light speed.  Place asteroids at random on the mapsheet.

 

Attackers:

    1 Enterprise Class Mk II Heavy Cruiser per player.

 

Attacker Deployment:

    Each player sets up along the outside edge of the mapsheet.  Each ship must be at least ten hexes apart.

 

Victory Conditions:

    One captain will win by amassing the greatest number of points (see Special Rules, below). 

 

Special Rules:

    Asteroids: Each asteroid moves in a random direction each Movement Phase (determined by a d6 roll at the beginning of the scenario), at speed three, before any vessels begin their movement.  If an asteroid leaves the playing field, it is immediately replaced at the opposite end of the playing field, and direction is determined at that time.  This continues until the end of the scenario.  Asteroids may be destroyed, but take (and dispense) 20 points of damage.  This damage occurs before any other damage is applied.  If an asteroid collides with a ship, that asteroid is destroyed.  If the asteroids collide with each other, they move in a new direction, determined randomly, at speed three.

    Scoring: Determine scoring by amount of damage dispensed, style of execution, grasp of rules, etc.  Scale from 10 to 50 points.  This being a Federation exercise, more points are awarded for leaving an enemy vessel intact and able to be boarded than outright destroying them.  Ships withdrawing from the combat are assessed a penalty of –25 points.

 
BATTLE COMMENTARY

"Captain's Log, stardate 8510.2.  My first command, the USS Valley Forge, has come under serious attack.  We were updating astrogation maps for this asteroid belt when I was attacked by three enemy ships of roughly my own size. Shields offline, weapons grid down and my helmsman dead - his maneuvering computer destroyed. I can hear them hailing me calling for my immediate surrender. No way to respond. I fear the worst. I am about to issue the order to abandon ship, may God have mercy on us all. If Starfleet command receives this last transmission..... brzzztttttt *crackle* ... How many torpedoes, Ensign?  Dear God!  Brace for impac..."

END TRANSMISSION, USS VALLEY FORGE, NCC-1795

 
Exercise Introduction:

    On stardate 8502.7, Starfleet Command initiated Exercise SUPERIOR MARKSMAN in Sector 177.  The purpose of this Command-Level Training Mission was to evaluate the abilities of cadet crews under fire.  By this date, Enterprise-Class Heavy Cruisers were already known to be the workhorses of the fleet, but there were some concerns that crews manning these vessels were relying on brute strength to accomplish mission parameters.  To this end, Exercise SUPERIOR MARKSMAN was designed to test crews abilities to find ways in combat to render an enemy vessel helpless with minimum loss of life.

    Each ship's captain was informed that they were taking their ship on a routine survey mission of an asteroid belt.  For the purpose of the simulation, sensors were reprogrammed to ignore transponder codes, and instead interpret said signals as weapons emissions.  Each captain was unaware that they were combating ships in their own class. Captains were to comport themselves according to the highest standards of Federation combat rules.

    Unfortunately, the overall impression formulated after viewing results of this exercise is that Starfleet Academy will have to fine-tune several training programs, as the final result of the simulation were four starships destroyed, one partially disabled, and over 1,700 lives lost.

 
Sequence of Events (general):

    Immediately as the scenario began, Valley Forge accelerated into the asteroid field, angling galactic southeast.  Potemkin and Exeter made much more cautious forays into the system, with Excalibur and Enterprise making moderate approaches.  Once within sensor range, Potemkin and Valley Forge began exchanging fire, with Potemkin as the aggressor.  After an initial flurry of torpedoes, Valley Forge lost her #5 shield generator, but this was quickly repaired.

    As the other ships continue moving cautiously (the only exception being Enterprise, which continued in an almost straight line galactic southeast from her starting position), Valley Forge comes under a concentrated attack from Potemkin and Republic, losing her shield and weaponry grids and receiving a bridge hit that kills her helmsman and damages navigational controls.  Before being afforded the opportunity to surrender, Valley Forge receives a phaser and torpedo barrage from Exeter, which destroys her.  Her destruction does no damage to the attacking vessels.

    With Excalibur maneuvering to a position just to galactic north of the rest of the combatants, and Enterprise continuing on her course through the heart of the conflict, Exeter and Republic exchange ranging shots, with little to no effect.

    With the approach of Enterprise to within firing range, Potemkin, Exeter and Republic all open fire.  Enterprise withstands the first wave of damage, but strangely continues on her course and does not attempt to evade the next series of attacks, which rupture her engines and destroys her.  However, because Republic and Exeter are too close to the exploding ship, they are caught up in the violent uncontrolled mixing of Enterprise’s matter/antimatter cores, and are destroyed as well.

    At this time, Academy personnel disengaged simulators and dismissed cadets to debriefing.