Editing Firestorm Armada (section)

==Some Background==
'''Firestorm Armada''', or more colloquially, simply "Firestorm", was a sci-fi naval battle game dreamed up by Spartan Games, now by Warcradle Studios.  It was released as their second game, after Uncharted Seas, a fantasy naval game.  Firestorm, much like other naval fleet games, eschews complex gameplay, such as systems management and 3d newtonian movement, in favour of a simple yet deep game mechanic.  Like all Spartan games, Firestorm has a nearly complete library of models for every unit in the game (and with 11+ factions, each with at least a DN, BB, CA, DD and FF, that's a lot of ships).  Made from resin, the models are fairly priced, and investment in a fleet doesn't burn up your funds like some other games. Its spin-off, Firestorm Planetfall, plays planetary conquest with highly detailed 1:182 scale ground combat models. 

With Spartan Games having declared bankruptcy in October 2017 after years of ADHD company management that Spartan is infamous for, the rights to the game went to Warcradle Studios.  After more than three years they are still working on overhauling the game rules, which are as of the end of 2020 in open beta and can be found [https://www.firestormarmada.com/ here].  They are very different and rather grimdark.

===Models===
The models, especially dreadnoughts, are quite large (10~15 cm is not uncommon), and this can lead to games feeling quite claustrophobic.  On the other hand, the detailing is nice and the large models allow for creative paint schemes.  Resin is a bitch to cut the flash and stuff, but generally they're durable and good looking.  You will have about 12-25 models in your fleet.  No one really cares if you proxy models, either, unless you're at major tournament. Some [[BattleTech|looks like]] [[/m/|Gundam ships]].

The older models (version 1.0) have a different name and are not as detailed, but still legal in-game.  Whether you have a 1.0 or 2.0 version of a cruiser, for instance, it's got the same stats just looks different.

===Ship Classes===

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'''Tier 3''' - The myriad of smaller vessels used in squadrons
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'''Corvettes''' - Corvettes generally perform the same tactical roles that frigates do. Most of have inferior DR/CR compared to frigates but are instead given often given Elusive Target and larger squadron sizes. The are also generally much faster than their racial frigate counterparts, though are individually less powerful. 

These changes even harder to kill for weapons that aren't anti tier 3, but in turn the lower DR/CR makes them more vulnerable to these weapons. (mines, assault, scatter, nukes) 

Corvettes are generally effective starting on the table on in reserves. When reserved they can arrive some distance away from their target (in case of mines for instance) and still end up in a annoying spot, and when starting on the table they can dart from cover to cover avoiding unfavorable engagements.


'''Light Frigates''' - A new class of ships introduced as reinforcements for all of the major races and a few of the smaller ones. They fit in between corvettes and proper frigates in terms of speed, armor and firepower. The only models in the game to have smaller than standard bases, which adjusts their lines of fire, but overall makes them very maneuverable as a ship class.

'''Frigates''' - Like corvettes, frigates tend to be lightly armored, but benefit by being harder to hit due to their smaller size compared to capital ships. Many have decent weaponry that can be linked together to allow them to fight above their weight class.

'''Escorts''' - Sort of like heavily specialized corvettes, escorts are exclusively found alongside tier 1 vessels, like battleships. Their main job is to prevent your big expensive centerpiece models from being raped by torpedoes.

'''Light Cruisers''' - An uncommon class of ships that sits somewhere between a cruiser and a frigate in speed, firepower and durability. Usually taken to get a bit of extra strength in a fleet without swelling up on tier 2 options.

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'''Tier 2''' - The main-line collection of cruisers etc
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'''Cruisers''' - Your workhorse ships. Each race and faction has cruisers specifically tailored to their own playstyle, varying wildly in speed, armor, firepower and squadron size between them.

'''Heavy Cruisers''' - More specialized variants of the standard cruiser, generally featuring heavier armor, bigger/different guns and slightly slower speed as a result. Tend to be much more expensive than your standard cruiser, with different abilities and special rules to help set them apart.

'''Assault Cruisers''' - Highly specialized cruisers that trade their long-range weaponry to make room for more space marines. As they are purpose-built for boarding assaults, most sport heavier armor or bigger engines in order to get to where they need to be.

'''Destroyers''' - Your snipers. Generally all focused on a single long-range weapon and sporting built-in stealth systems and better point defenses to protect them from retaliation. While most are content to sit in the backfield and plink away from afar, other destroyers specialize in setting up traps and ambushes. They all have a special rule that lets them turn up to 90 degrees if they remain stationary, giving them all excellent angles of fire.

'''Escort Cruisers''' - Halfway between a carrier and a cruiser and doing neither role quite properly, they are nonetheless useful for bringing additional SRS to the table.

'''Shield Cruisers''' - Terran only. Very tough bastards that make other ships around them even tougher and more bastardy.

'''Shunt Cruisers''' - Relthoza only. These ships have a special ability that lets them pop up where is least convenient for their enemy, allowing for the spider player to set up ideal ambushes or quick retreats with them.

'''Torpedo Cruisers''' - Cruisers that trade their main guns for more/better torpedoes. These are meant to be played safely from behind an asteroid screen, as their weapons won't be impeded or degraded due to damage. However, their attacks can be shut down squarely by a point-defense conscious opponent.

'''R&D Cruisers''' - Found most commonly amongst the Directorate, R&D cruisers carry unique and often powerful weaponry, but tend to have smaller squadron sizes due to being rare and uncommon.

'''Gunships''' - Sitting on the higher end of tier-2 in terms of power, with some even being able to fill in as tier 1s in smaller games. Gunships are a step below Battlecruisers in that they can be generally considered massively upgunned cruisers. 

'''Defense Platforms''' - Although pinned in tier 2, they tend to underperfom compared to other members of this class, as they are intended to supplement battle stations as defensive assets. As a result, they share the same weaknesses. They are highly specialized to their owning faction, each proving defense in their own thematic way.
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'''Tier 1''' - Hunks of resin large enough to kill a man
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'''Battlecruisers''' - A class of ship that tries to take the best aspects of a cruiser and a battleship and combine them into one. Much like the ships in real life, they make solid flagships in small games, but fall behind quickly once real tier-1 ships start showing up. Tend to come in pairs, but when taken single can take frigates as accompaniments.

'''Carriers''' - Generally not much tougher or better armed than your average heavy cruiser, carriers bring the fight in the form of their short-range spacecraft (SRS). True to their real-life counterparts, however, they can't fight well on their own and require support from other parts of the fleet to operate at their best.

'''Assault Carriers''' - Specialized carriers that focus less on attack craft and more on close-range boarding assaults.

'''Battle Carriers''' - A combination of a battelship and a carrier. Despite ultimately being a compromise between the two classes, most are quite good and strike a fine balance between brawling power and SRS flexibility.  Most commonly found in the smaller secondary factions.

'''Battleships''' - Your big beating sticks. Featuring heavy armor and impressive firepower, and generally some of the slowest ships on your fleet as a result. Battleships tend to exemplify the characteristics of the faction they represent, and have the widest variety of upgrades available to them.

'''Battle Stations''' - Huge constructs built to defend important areas. Essentially a battleship or carrier sans the engines. All quite powerful, save for the fact that they can't really move. While they can be taken in normal games, they are only useful as defensive assets, as the enemy will generally be aware and capable of staying outside their limited threat radius.

'''Dreadnoughts''' - To date the largest class of ship in play. All monsters exceeding battleships in durability and firepower, their high cost generally means that the rest of the fleet needs to be built around their presence, while their intimidating power means that the game can and often will revolve around how they are played.

'''Leviathans''' - Teased for years with their inclusion in the rulebook, there are at present no Leviathan models in the game. With Dreadnoughts already pushing the limit of durability and firepower without breaking the game, this might be a good thing. One Relthozan Leviathan was [http://www.manbattlestations.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/IMG_3009.jpg shown] at Adepticon 2017.
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