Homeworld Build 03 — Taiidan Frigates

Continuing the theme of last week, I now present the light ships of the opposing force. Again, because these are so simple, I bring forth the entire bunch I have planned for this faction. Some iconic units will be missing, I know, but I do have a lineup in mind for each side.

The Taiidan Empire took over the ruined realm of the ancient Hiigarans, expelling and pursuing the remnants known as the Exiles into the fringes of the galaxy. They were the ones enforcing the prohibition of using hyperdrives in that region of space, to guarantee that the scattered remnants of the Hiigaran civilization would never return to their Homeworld.

However, they failed to exterminate all the Kushan when they detected the activation of the Mothership. The survivors would take their war of discovery and vengeance to Hiigara itself, where the core of the Taiidan Empire would be shattered.

The workhorse of the Taiidani fleet was the Assault Frigate. Rugged and simple, it would directly inspire its Kushan counterpart, although boasting better technology and sensors. Like the Kushan, its weaponry is a mix of anti-ship plasma bombs and versatile railguns. This is also probably one of the most recognizable ships in the entire setting, and it took me a few attempts to get it right as much as possible within the scale I’m using.

Although most of its fleet was not too dissimilar from what its opposition would use, the Taiidani fleet also deployed some exotic technologies derived from the millennia it had to find and create new breakthroughs. One of the most unique, possibly, is the shield technology.

Essentially, this allowed a dedicated vessel to emit an energy shield that would block incoming fire, forcing the enemy to either flank and expose itself or withdraw entirely. The always versatile frigate hull would be chosen to equip this technology. Dedicated Shield Frigates would be found in the center of Taiidan formations, emanating defensive fields that caused no little annoyance to their opposition. The device responsible for this is protected by the large dome in the front of the vessel, giving it a rather unique shape.

Like other forces of the time period, the Taiidan found their strike craft to be rather limited in endurance because of their need to carry fuel. So, like other factions, they deployed dedicated strike craft support vessels. The role of these ships was to refuel the smaller ships in the middle of battles. To defend itself, the Taiidani Support Frigate even equipped railguns, so it wouldn’t be too specialized and defenseless.

Again, these are small builds that I am very proud of. They should be easy to make and require few uncommon parts if at all.

Again, I will present a system breakdown once I present the complete fleets. I will remind you that I’m building these using the One Page Rules’ FTL: Warfleets ruleset, as the fleet build mechanic it uses is genuinely amazing. However, these can be used for whatever wargame you fancy. I reckon that they will be very good in Mobile Frame Zero: Intercept Orbit, for example. Furthermore, you can use them for decoration, in which they will do quite well, I hope.

Next week I’ll do something else, but this series will continue until I complete these fleets. Then, on to other factions!