You’re a PhoboLog pilot, trained in the Merope asteroid field, and graduated from the corporate academy. For 25 long years you have fought pirates and corporate foes, earning the position of Wing Commander. Your squadron is the pride of the fleet and you have a reputation of striking like lightning and being impossible to kill. There is only one thing stopping you from being the ultimate hero of PhoboLog: there is another PhoboLog ace, too!
Yes, PhoboLog now comes with 2 special escort ships, the Wing Commanders! Being small might fool the opponent, but with an attack strength of 2 and a health of 3, the Wing Commanders are not all that easy to take out, especially if you have a shield ship or two in your fleet. What makes the Wing Commanders special, though, is their ability to lower the initiative value of their own squadron by 1. They will often attack before the opponent can respond, taking out the greatest opposing threat. For a standard 4-space squadron, this would mean that 3 fighters can join the attack run, but there are fleets with even larger squadrons…
Last week, we showed you the special escort ships of Poseidon (the Hulk) and Teractor-Olympiac (Ambassador Shuttle). Now it is time to look at the last corporation; what does the ThorGate Alliance have up it’s sleeve? With a heritage of being energy specialists, it may come as no surprise that they would strive to keep that advantage – they now have an Ion Cruiser. Like other cruisers, it has attack 4 and health 4, but each time it attacks, it may lower an opposing fleet’s energy 3 steps with its ion cannons!
This can be really nasty for anyone getting in its way. Losing 3 energy is quite a blow, making the Ion Cruiser a prime target to either stay away from, or take out. Having only a health of 4 makes the cruisers vulnerable to enemy fire, and if you want to keep this ship in play, you’d better protect it with shield ships and interceptors. On the other hand, this will divert the attention from the flagship, increasing your chances of survival.
These special escort ships are not the only thing setting the corporations apart in Corporate Lords, the upcoming expansion for Fleets: the Pleiad Conflict…