FSA Naval Battle Group

The Independence Class Battleship is mounted with two powerful main turrets, supported by two broadsides batteries and two pairs of guns facing fore and aft. It is quite effective at both close and long range, especially when fitted with a rocket battery, which is effective at medium to long range. The Lexington Class Cruiser is similarly armed, but without the broadsides, while the August Class Frigate simply has two turrets.

An FSA fleet could therefore flank around its enemies at a distance and generally outgun them, and slowly weaken enemy squadrons before moving closer to bring more weapon systems to bear. An FSA fleet also has the capability to push through enemy formations causing a lot of damage, and then move to long distance again. FSA ships are consistently more difficult to damage, so they are more durable and can survive enemy barrages at medium to long range where they have the advantage.

Almost all FSA ships have side mounted paddle wheels, which make them very manoeuvrable while they are stationary. If an FSA commander is willing to give up the initiative, it can be an effective strategy to halt FSA squadrons in a defensive perimeter and simply rotate as enemy ships move past. This works well in conjunction with terrain that blocks enemy movement, or near to fortifications that can provide additional firepower, but a defensive commander can be quickly outmanoeuvred.

The Springfield Class Escort is an effective platform for anti-rocket defences, while the Guilford Class Destroyer is armed with multiple rocket systems, making it very effective in a central position with combined fire. The FSA fleet makes great use of rocket weaponry, the Enterprise Class Dreadnought being an excellent example of such, as it has two rocket batteries.

The FSA also fit Shield Generators and Kinetic Generators to some of their vessels. Although this entails the loss of a rocket battery to make space for the generator, it also gives effective protection against enemy attacks in the case of Shield Generators, or boosts the speed of FSA squadrons that have fitted Kinetic Generators. The addition of Kinetic Generators across a Battle Group gives it strategic options to hold important positions on the battlefield, or carry out typical FSA tactics of flanking or penetrating enemy lines.

The Saratoga Class Fleet Carrier is a testimony to the high regard that FSA commanders have for the deployment of aeroplanes. They are able to field relatively large numbers of the Saratoga Class, which has the advantage of two decks, speeding up the launch and recovery of aeroplane squadrons. Their squadrons provide essential air cover and can prove very effective in the late stages of a battle.

Contents of FSA Naval Batlegroup:

• 1 x Independence Class Battleship
• 3 x Lexington Class Cruisers
• 9 x Augusta Class Frigates
• 2 x A-17 Class Bombers
• 2 x Acrylic Flight Stands
• 10 x FSA Fighter Tokens
• 4 x A5 Token Sheets
• Laminated Statistic Cards