Information taken from the announcement post:
== Ships: Combat specializations (roles) ==
* Each ship will be focused on playing a special role on the battlefield.
* Interceptors: Recon. Search of enemy ships. Available to Empire and the Federation.
* Interceptors: ECM. Jamming. Available to Jericho and the Empire.
* Interceptors: Covert Ops. Sudden blows to individual ships. Available to Federation and Jericho.
* Fighter: Tackler. Destruction of recon ships. Available to Federation and Jericho.
* Fighter: Command. Leading offence ship. Available to Jericho and the Empire.
* Fighter: Gunship. Tremendous in a short time. Available to Empire and the Federation.
* Frigates: Engineering. Building various objects on the battlefield. Available to Federation and the Empire.
* Frigates: Guard. Protecting the team from weapons, missiles, electronic warfare. Available to Jericho and the Federation.
* Frigates: Long Range. Shooting through open spaces. Available to Empire and Jericho.
* The role of the ship is displayed in the mini-icon of its class.
Okay, so, here’s the breakdown. Keep in mind I’ve not really read up on the setting’s lore; I’m just going off what the mechanics tell us.
Empire: The thing that jumps out at me about the Empire is that they do not make use of Covert Ops, nor do they have the means to counter Recon. This actually tells us a great deal about the Empire, especially coupled with a lack of Guard ships. The Empire, clearly, is about displays of force. It is also likely the largest of the factions, at least in terms of manpower. Their lack of a Covert Ops ship implies disdain for asymmetrical warfare, and their lack of a Tackler suggests they do not see scouts or reconnaissance ships as a credible threat. Finally, their lack of Guard ships means they have no Frigate dedicated to group defense, meaning that either they feel every ship should be able to stand alone (unlikely given the Command and Engineering categories), or that ships and pilots are readily replaceable.
The Empire, then, is our Human Wave faction - a force that believes no problem cannot be resolved with sufficient application of warships. That is not to say they are tactically inept - their ships can fill every role from close-quarter brawling to long-range fire support - but their ship options show a mindset that focuses on direct conflict, which in turn suggests this is something they are good at to the point of not needing “indirect” conflict.
The Federation: The Federation strike me as an under-dog faction; the “Rebel Alliance” of the setting, if you will. The reason for this is born of a simple, singular fact - the Federation have no heavy hitters. Their Interceptors are recon and “ambush” ships; neither really suited to open war. Their Fighters are again either focused on shutting down enemy recon, or are lightning bruisers / glass cannons; potentially deadly, but not built for a prolonged conflict. Finally, their Frigates are dedicated entirely to support roles; in an open conflict, the Empire or Jericho could easily tear a Federation Frigate squadron to pieces from extreme range.
The only reason a faction would ever eschew direct conflict in this manner is if they knew they could never win. Since we have no evidence that the Federation is technologically backward, we must conclude that they are simply lacking in ships and/or pilots, and so if they were to engage in a war of attrition they would quickly destroy themselves.
Of the three, the Empire and the Federation seem the most naturally opposed to one another; given their two apparent niches, it is almost certain that the Federation adopted this asymmetric warfare style in direct opposition to the Empire’s strengths.
Jericho: The styling of Jericho is very hard to pin down based on its available options. They don’t make use of reconnaissance craft, which is odd in and of itself, yet they build fighters specifically to locate and destroy enemy recon. They also lack Engineering ships, which will almost certainly be the source of Warp Gates and the like; doubly strange, given they have no dedicated scouts.
It pains me to say it, but Jericho look like a third wheel - a faction that exists to ensure every niche has three users. I guess their ‘style’ might be supremacy through technology, which is implied through ECM and Covert Ops, yet if that is the case why don’t they have engineers and why do their fighters appear to be run of the mill Command craft rather than alpha-striker Gunships?
Jericho, sadly, has no clear theme in its design. This is a real shame, and I can only hope the theme becomes more readily apparent as we get to try out their ships and modules first hand.
