With military-based strategies becoming more and more common, the Spacedock has decided to examine one of the most common warships in any fleet; the:
The I.K.C. K'Vort's uses:
Let's Fly! : The I.K.C. K'Vort has several benefits to offer any deck. Low staffing requirements make it perfect for a quick start to a mission-completion deck (try using the Spacedoor to *really* get things cooking). The cloaking device is handy for escaping other nasty decks. On top of all this, the I.K.C. K'Vort has Range equal to even the mighty (if generic) Galaxy-class vessels. In all, the I.K.C. K'Vort offers a remarkable range (no, not *that* kind of Range...) of abilities.
Let's Fight! : Of course, mission-completion is not where the I.K.C. K'Vort stands out in most decks. When it sees use, the I.K.C. K'Vort is brought in for use in battle decks as the heart and soul of an armada. The I.K.C. K'Vort has many advantages here:
It's quick: The I.K.C. K'Vort can be hauled out from the deck with a Spacedoor, and can be crewed quickly and easily.
It's nasty: The I.K.C. K'Vort offers truly astounding Weapons-to-crew ratio. For the price of one AMSed crewmember, you get 6 Weapons and enough Range to get into position to use it.
It's fun: Let's face it, the ST:CCG has long been in need of interaction between the players. Blasting the other guy's ships out of existence is about the most interaction you're going to get!
It works: A Klingon armada deck can be a real terror. With enough ships--and downloading means they can come out mighty fast--the Klingons can come knocking at the outpost early and often. A well-constructed Klingon armada can be knocking at your opponent's door before their deck has gotten moving--and that means plenty of leisure time in which to round out that whole 100-point-thing.
However, AMS exacts its toll:
My Name Is Batrell, And There's A Reason I Wasn't In Todd Soper's Deck: The Klingons have five MSes who can be used to lead a ship in battle: Batrell, B'ijik, Klag, Korris, and Konmel. Between them, they have Navigation x3 and Honor x2. The simple problem this presents is that you are going to have trouble completing missions. Honor is handy, sure, but how much of it can you put to use in any given place? Plus, such standbys as Diplomacy are conspicuous by their absence. In order to complete missions, you are going to need to either a) rely heavily on a Tent or b) hope for lucky draws. Both, though, have their problems. Tenting can be foiled with Wrong Door or a Revolving Door; drawing is subject to the whims of the Rakal Shuffle. You will be able to have 30 Weapons at your disposal by turn 3 with AMS and a Spacedoor. However, you might well be up a creek without a paddle once the battle ends...
Final Analysis: The I.K.C. K'Vort has a well-deserved repuation for allowing the construction of fearsome battle decks. AMS, RRD and the Spacedoor have only made the I.K.C. K'Vort deadlier. However, it exacts a vicious toll; having a quick-and-dirty fleet leaves you needing to put things back in order after the battle. Hence, the I.K.C. K'Vort, seemingly so simple, actually demands a great deal of thought to use properly. Any deck based around an armada of I.K.C. K'Vorts needs to answer the following question: What will you do when you're done? Adequate responses are difficult to come by...
Next Week: The Spacedock searches its archives for information on the U.S.S. Phoenix.
Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Feel free to e-mail Phalanx
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