Star Trek Attack Wing Report: U.S.S. Enterprise-D Verses I.K.S. Maht-H'a

This game was played using the "Star Trek: Attack Wing” rules by “Wizkids”. The game was set up using the recommended Federation Faction (Ship Card: U.S.S. Enterprise-D, Manoeuvre Card: Galaxy Class, Captain Card: Jean-Luc Picard and the Upgrade Cards: Geordi La Forge & Miles O’Brien) and Klingon Faction (Ship Card: I.K.S. Maht-H’a, Manoeuvre Card: Vor-cha Class, Captain Card: Nu’Daq and Upgrade Cards: Konmel, Tractor Beam & Photon Torpedoes [Klingon Faction]). The ‘encounter’ was played on an empty 3’ x 3’ space mat, with each faction beginning “opposite from each other across the play area.”

NU'DAQ TAKES ON JEAN-LUC PICARD FOR HIS PERSONAL GLORY 

“The story so far… ashamed by his failure to ensure the Klingon Defence Force were the first to decipher a four billion-year-old genetic program, and his vessel’s defeat by a Galor-class Cardassian warship whilst orbiting Loren III (See “Star Trek: TNG” TV episode “The Chase”), Captain Nu’Daq has decided to regain his honour by improperly entering Federation space and destroying the first vessel his Vor’cha-class attack cruiser encounters. Unfortunately for the Klingon commander however, the I.K.S. Maht-H’a’s course takes the vessel directly into the path of Jean-Luc Picard’s U.S.S. Enterprise, and the Federation’s Galaxy-class flagship isn’t going to go down without a fight…”

THE U.S.S. ENTERPRISE ENCOUNTERS A KLINGON TRESPASSER

The inferior of the two captains, Nu’Daq immediately threw his Vor’cha-class attack cruiser hard to starboard and forced his vessel to execute a tight turn that left the I.K.S. Maht-H’a facing 90 degrees away from the oncoming Federation vessel. They’d be no glorious head-to-head confrontation yet the Klingon thought, even if his weaponry did outmatch the pitiful human starship. The (red) manoeuver did however cause the Klingon craft to gain 1 Auxiliary Power Token as a result. This stress immediately prevented Nu’Daq from using any actions (even free ones) during this turn and as a result the commander was left to simply sneer at his opponent.

Believing that the Klingon vessel's captain may already have been reconsidering his hasty incursion into Federation space, the U.S.S. Enterprise shot straight ahead at Warp Factor Two. Sensing that his Galaxy-class starship would soon engage his foe, Jean-Luc Picard utilised his free action special ability to go to Battle Stations and ordered for the flagship to scan ahead. Lieutenant Worf momentarily fired the craft’s phasers in order to try and find the Klingon’s range…

THE I.K.S. MAHT-H'A PUSHES ITSELF TO ITS LIMITS IN ORDER TO ATTACK

With his inferior prize foolishly approaching, Nu’Daq placed his vessel into a (green) starboard bank and instantly reduced the strain on the cruiser’s engines (thus removing the Auxiliary Power Token and allowing him to use any appropriate actions). As a result the Klingon commander ordered his helm to perform Evasive Manoeuvers.

Sensing that the Vor’cha-class attack cruiser was about to attack, Captain Picard ordered the U.S.S. Enterprise to carefully bank left and had his crew remain at Battle Stations. Worf once again directed the vessel’s ship-mounted phaser banks at the intruder. But once again the weapons were out of range.

THE KLINGONS CONTINUE TO KEEP OUT OF RANGE OF MISTER WORF'S PHASERS

Judging that the time was right to spring his trap, Nu’Daq had the I.K.S. Maht-H’a perform another turn, almost as if the Klingon attack cruiser was about to come about, and then activated its cloak! This action instantly disabled all of the ship’s shields. But mean that it could now roll four extra defence dice in battle as well as perform a Sensor Echo (which signifies that the cloaked ship is actually in a different place than the enemy ship’s sensors believe).

Frowning, Jean-Luc Picard allowed his Galaxy-class flagship to continue forward at Warp Factor Two, and instructed Worf to fire the vessel’s phasers towards the last known location of the Vor’cha-class attack cruiser. The U.S.S. Enterprise was still too far away from its target to hit it…

CAPTAIN NU'DAQ ACTIVATES HIS VESSEL'S CLOAK JUST IN TIME

With a gusty laugh, Nu’Daq kept his attack cruiser’s course straight and true, and then utilised his craft’s Sensor Echo action to move it some way starboard of its current position. By Kahless the Unforgettable, today was going to be a good day for the Klingon if he could just get his vessel could into the perfect killing position.

Captain Picard knew his vessel would soon be badly out-manoeuvred if he didn’t do something immediately. Gripping his chair firmly he ordered the U.S.S. Enterprise towards his target’s last location at Warp Factor Four. Encouraging his crew to remain at Battle Stations and continuing his vessel’s scan of the surrounding area, he turned to Lieutenant Worf and instructed him to fire at will.

THE U.S.S. ENTERPRISE FIRES ALL PHASERS AT THEIR KLINGON FOE

The Federation flagship rolled four attack dice and initially caused two critical hits. However, Jean-Luc Picard used his Battle Stations token to change another of the dice to a normal hit. Reeling from the potential damage and with no active shields Nu’Daq instead had to rely upon his attack cruiser’s cloak to stave off the attack. Fortunately because the vessel was cloaked it was allowed to add four dice to its basic agility of just a single die, and a sixth defensive die on account of the Federation flagship firing at maximum range.

The Klingon rolled three evasive manoeuvers which ordinarily would have negated the entirety of the Galaxy-class starship’s attack. But because Picard had ordered his vessel to scan beforehand, Geordi La Forge was able to use his special ability to force the I.K.S. Maht-H’a to re-roll one defence die of his choice. Amazingly, Nu’Daq simply re-rolled another evasive manoeuver and as a result the Vor’cha-class attack cruiser somehow survived the devastating Federation phaser barrage unscathed.

DESPITE SURVIVING THE ATTACK UNSCATHED, NU'DAQ DECIDES TO RETREAT...

Realising that the U.S.S. Enterprise might be a far more formidable foe than he first thought, and believing that today was perhaps not a good day to die, Captain Nu’Daq decided that he would seek an honourable victory within Federation space another time, and thus ordered his vessel to return to Klingon space with all best speed. Jean-Luc Picard has thwarted the commander of the I.K.S. Maht-H’a for now…