Science Vessel- The Apnex

 

Not much to look at from the side is it?

Today I want to briefly go over the Apnex. To my readers expecting longer write-ups, it's difficult to discuss some of this stuff in a vacuum. I plan on getting to lists once I'm through with the individual reviews of stuff, so hold tight, as I review stuff it'll get opened up to further review later on and in context. For now I'm just working my way through stuff in a manner that will not lead to me burning out!

The Apnex is a very odd ship. It raises some serious questions about what kind of ship can be viable in Attack Wing. I got to play with the Apnex a few times the other day and can say that it performed better than I expected. If you play to its strengths, I think it can be a really good closer. 

 So here are the Apnex's stats:

R.I.S. Apnex (Romulan Science Vessel)/ Romulan Starship (Romulan Science Vessel) Front Firing Arc: 90° Rear Firing Arc: NA A: 1 E: 2 H: 2 S: 2(1) Action (once/game): Every ship at range 1 sustains 1 damage (including this ship). During the Planning Phase this ship must choose a '1' Manuver (forward, bank or turn) for the rest of the game. Actions: Evasive Maneuvers, Cloak, Sensor Echo Upgrades: Tech, Crew, Crew Points: 14 (12)

Okay, so it has only 1 attack. You can't put weapons on it, so you can't make it into a cheap Torpedo Boat. The 1 attack is going to get evaded or defence rolled away. I would personally cloak the ship, and then leave it cloaked all game. If you're in a situation where you have to decloak to fire, I think you've probably lost the game. 

Where this thing shines is in the Tech slot. I'll take a look at Muon Tokens tomorrow, but I think that's a very viable, but ultimately uninspired use of the Apnex. Most people by now have faced Muon Tokens, and will not move too far when an Apnex is nearby. Don't expect Muon Tokens to save you.

Projected Stasis Field requires you to decloak and drop your shields. I don't think it's a good fit for the Apnex, unless it's a suicide Apnex. Also, I'd rather that the tech upgrade stick around, since this is going to be a ship that needs to be very annoying. 

Tractor Beam is a very cost efficient Tech upgrade. I'm not sure if "your" has been Faq'd to mean the Apnex's next attack or my next attack with any ship. I can't check Faq's at work. My apologies. 

The upgrade I think is best is the Ferengi EM Pulse, and I've detailed that in a previous article on the Vo. The Apnex gets the added bonus of being able to blow its warp core and damage every surrounding ship. Save this- there's no reason to blow it at the beginning of the game. Every hit your opponent takes makes the Apnex's ability that much more threatening. Eventually, the Apnex could be a huge threat on its own. 

This is a ship that requires a lot of thought to use. The movement dial will save your butt in game, but you need to decide what its role will be, keep it cheap and save your actions for when they count. The whole shebang should come in well under 20 points. I wouldn't run it in multiples, unless you were using something like Donatra, but then I think 2-3 attacks on these kinds of platforms is nothing to sneeze at. You'll have to buy 5-6 of these things, which I think is a bit of a waste of your money, but HEY, it's not MY money that's being wasted, and you'll only be supporting the game!

Tomorrow I'll talk about Muon Tokens and some of the upgrades on this thing.