"Favorite GZG Fleet? Other fleet?" Topic

I often buy minis based on how they look rather than "in-game capability". My sons even ridicule my choice of GW's Imperial Guard figures for our home grown sci-fi rules because they look so "mundane" compared to their Necrons and Tau!

For spaceship gaming I prefer actions of 8-12 ships per side. This usually lets us include a capital ship or two, a few cruisers, and some escorts. Thus my GZG fleets tend to be Jon's very cost effective "Intro Packs" augmented by some extra cruisers, a battleship, and a carrier. In fact I just placed another order for some BBs, CVs, and CAs to fill out a few fleets.

Which brings us to the topic. So far I have the following GZG fleets. Each is an Intro Pack + some extra ships:

- ESU
- FSE
- Japanese
- NSL
- NAC (mostly new + some old designs)
- Scandinavian
- UNSC

The question: what's you favorite GZG fleet and how do you imagine it operates within the context of your favorite rules?

One great strength of GZG ships is that they're not too "referential". Different bits of surface detail might be weapons or not. They're flexible enough to be used with any rule system and can be anything from human-crewed to alien.

My sons and I have decided the ESU ships remind us of Klingons and will have stats for our home grown rules that allow them to "Saber Dance" as in SFB. The FSE ships look sort of "old fashioned" to us. So we see them as slow but heavily defended with tough hulls and powerful shields but weaker offensive punch.

But my favorite fleet is my first one purchased a few years ago: the USNC. It just looks sleek and dangerous. I painted it a very dark, cold grey and see the ships as the most advanced and lethal in our universe.

In fact we see the NSL ships as "early versions" of the USNC ships which have been sold to third-rate interstellar powers while the Empire builds the newer USNC-style ships. That relationships has been portrayed in a number of our scenarios…client state using older imperial ships (NSL design) is supported by some current imperial ships (USNC design) against an invader.

What's you favorite GZG fleet? Other fleet? If you play a system that lets you design your own ships/universe how do you perceive your fleet's capabilities?

For Full Thrust NSL ( Neu Swabian League) Old and new .Loved the flying brick look . The New SSD's for them on Star rangers lack area defense and they get mauled by fighters . I have ESU ( old and new) like thier hitting power . Like you I get the ones that look cool, when I figure out a paint scheme I will get kra'vak or FSE .

Looks wise, I'm partial to the Scandanavian Federation, the Japanese, and the new Neu Swabian League ships.

I haven't played the game enough to have developed a feel for any one fleet.

My favorite is the Star Frontiers Sathar and Federation ships. A bit retro looking but I love em.

Al

KV, NSL. FSE

NAC ( New and Old school designs), Japanese and FSE (Old School, but like some of the new designs as well) are the fleets I like and have myself. Then again, I like *all* Jon's and the old CMD designs frankly.

The NAC are a traditional 'wet navy in space' for me; I have what I refer to as 7th Fleet ( Lancelot) based in the system containing the world Lancelot, an area of space that includes both FSE, Scan Fed and Indonesian forces, with occasioanl Kra'Vak forays and a growing threat from Phalon encroachment. It includes many retro-fitted older ships,, some local designs and a few interwar vessels. Being quite an industrial base, missiles are often fitted to 7th Fleet ships ( SMLs and Heavy both ) though torpedoes are common.

My IJN are a small colonial protection flotilla, cuirrently assigned to the world of Newport an dit's associated systems; They operate in a strictly defensive stance for the most part, though they have standing oredres to co-operte with the NAC and UNSC in anti-pirate and Xeno combat situations.

Primarily cruiser-based, the FSE Escadrille du Caledon is based in the system of Caledon, a water-world colonised very early in the piece by a variety of national groups who took various island chains with little intermixing. Despite being rather afflicted by elemnets of nationalism ( Extending to 'abcestral' flags on ships ), the Escadrille is a tight-knit operation that has been both defensive or offensive in operations depending on the FSE policy of the time. Recently bolstered by the arrival of three Foch class SDNS and some re-fitted Cicero class DNs and Hetairai Class CVEs ( My own designs, going up on SCN soon :) ) it might be a true rival in theis sector to the NAC and Scan Fed.

I want an excuse to buy a Scan Fed fleet but I'm still waiting for the stats.

Buff, I can send you some stats an opponent of mine is using – Be warned, with level-2 screens on everything above frigates, weak hulls, a lot of ships with ADFC and grasers as main armament, they might be considered min-maxed, but let me know privately and I'll see what I can do :)

I have an FSE old style Fleet. An ESU old style and some NAC old style. I like the ships. I'll probably sub my B5 FA scale fighters since I don't have many Gzg ones. I tend to like most cool spaceships.

Thanks,

John

NSL and Japanese (the latter temporarily unavailable from GZG)
Hope that there will be some new models when they are re-released.
A few older GZG-NSL models since I really liked the old style as well, and for some scenarios they are ideal. Brigade models has a few models that very much resemble the old NSL ones.

Also have a -new design- NAC fleet, Kravak and ScanFed.

Brigade Models supplied me with an non- GZG canon Indonesian Commonwealth, Afrikaner League and Confederate States fleet :-)

I quite like the ol ESU CA as a mini.. that said the new ESU are great as are the IJSN.. I love the UNSC designs.. and find the old and new NAC rather pedestrian. (and is anyone ele tired on the trek federation primary/nacelle combination too?)

I like the new NSL but the old NSL would be what id prefer to fly

the IF and NI designs leave me cold.
I'm wanting to love the Oceanic ships theyre nice and flat and ripe for having works of art put on them like belters vacc suits in his known space stories.. but im not that good a painter

we havent seen any PAC ships yet have we?
I know they are supposed to have leasedsed/bought forces from other poweers

I like the NSL.

Use 'em as Solomani in my PP:Fleet games.

I haven't used them for Full Thrust, but my favorite fleet is the Terran Transsolar Federation Navy from the Starfleet Wars/Galactic Knights line: picture

Love the FSE, French Space wedges ftw!

And, while I'll be first in line to say anything from Ravenstar Studios' Cold Navy is HawtonaStick…

Not GZG, but as of late, I've been rather taken by Spartan Games' Firestorm Armada Relthoza:
link
link
I like their unorthodox styling.

"I have an FSE old style Fleet. An ESU old style and some NAC old style."

Here's a place we are in agreement! I've more ESU, and the NAC could be a real, er, bite to assemble, but I thought the identity of the fleets were better served in the previous round.

I understand the need for new designs, and how many folk like 'em; I'm just glad I'm not alone in the wilderness.

I just wish I'd gotten more of Jon's original castings instead of the GeoHex ones.

As for fleet philosophy, I rather enjoyed the ESU as 'uninspired well balanced.'

Haven't tried my UNSC with the beta weapons, but hope to soon. My own vision is 'high tech in an uninspired well balanced sort of way.'

See a trend? ;->=

Have Cold Navy; VERY nice, indeed, but will be more likely to appear against Spartan or Holistic designs.

Doug

From GZG: NSL, both generations.
From Brigade: AmRep

Thebeast( May I call you Doug? :) ), all the old school NAC, FSE and ESU are still produced fairly cleanly molded I might add, from Eureka Miniatures in Australia; Not sure of your location, so can't say if the postage is economical, but its a thought.

Oh, and to others – I got all my IJN and some UNSC from Nic at Eureka, and he still has it all for sale. Much as it pains me as a "Kiwi" to promote an Australian . . . :)