This was one of the shorter matches, lasting only three turns. It is also one of the fights that dragged on the longest, because I just didn't have the time to get in a turn for about a month. It's a fight where shuttles were used to better effect than usual, one where the Klingon maneuverability became evident, and one that still shows the superiority of the plasma torpedo.

Basic Klingon tactic was to close, take both plasma torpedoes on two different shields. Then chase the Gorn and pepper him with the disruptors while he tries to recharge the plasma torpedoes. Gorn settled on my standard tactic: drop the shuttles and use them as a mobile phaser barrier, chase the other ship, launch a plasma (or two) then run to reload.

Turn 1: Klingon at speed 15 and Gorn at speed 17 close. Klingon fires his disruptors at long range but misses with all four. The Gorn launches his shuttles early, the Klingon has one suicide shuttle readied and launches a drone at the end of the turn.

Turn 2: Speeds remain the same. Klingon launches another drone, and the two drones occupy two of the Gorn phasers. Gorn fires his right side plasma torp, then turns and fires his left side torp. The Klingon has reinforced the #2 shield with 11 points, so he can take one torpedo on each of the #1 and #2 shields, although the Gorn phasers will do quite a bit of damage. Both plasma torps are on different hexes.

At range two the Klingon fires all disruptors and four phaser-2s. 29 points of damage on the #6 shield is enough for one point to get through (after the Gorn uses batteries to reinforce the shield). The one hit is a torp, halving the Gorn's heavy weapons. Meanwhile the Klingon launches a ballistically aimed shuttle (not the suicide) which will hit the Gorn if he tries to line up for a centerline shot.

The Gorn laughs and sideslips for the centerline. This impulse one plasma torp hits the Klingon #2 shield, almost taking it down. The Gorn fires two phaser-1s to destroy the (possibly) suicide shuttle and another three phaser-1s at range 1 at the Klingon, doing 15 internal (1 disruptor, 2 phaser-2s, 4 power). Two impulses later the Klingon turns into the Gorn, entering the same hex. The second plasma torp hits the #1 shield, but it's down four points so it only does 26 damage. The Klingon can't launch his suicide because the Gorn will be moving out of the hex next impulse.

The two ships pass each other (firing rear phasers). Then they start circling, the Gorn trying to stay away while the Klingon tries to outturn the Gorn for the next turn.

Turn 3: Gorn still at speed 17, Klingon speeds up to speed 21 and doesn't arm the disruptors. Now the Klingon uses his superior turn mode to slowly outturn the Gorn, so that by the end of the turn he's lining up for another shot. But the Gorn turns and runs for his shuttles. At impulse 25 the Klingon is about four hexes away facing the Gorn's #5 shield. The Gorn fires 6 phaser-1s, scoring 19 internals through the #1 shield.

The Klingon ship is in bad shape by the end of the turn. #1 and #2 shields are gone, 30 power, 2 disruptors, and 4 phaser-2s left. No drones or shuttles. The Gorn is three hexes ahead, running away with the #5 shield facing (although only a hex to get the weakened #4 shield in arc). The Gorn shuttles are 2-4 hexes away from the Klingon, and the Gorn has only the one internal hit.

Even if the Klingon reinforces his one good shield (the #6) and maneuvers carefully, he'll still take some 40-50 damage from the shuttles and Gorn phasers, enough to do some internals. The Klingon will be able to do about 20 damage to the Gorn, which may get through the #4 or #5 shield and do about 10 damage, if the Gorn doesn't reinforce. So the Klingon gives up and warps out before he's crippled.

Lessons learned: looks like the Klingon ship can't afford to take both plasma torps at full strength and the Gorn phasers. He should have run more and tried to take them after they were weakened, then chase the Gorn. Trouble is that I've tried that before and the Gorn still wins, although in a longer game. With tractor beams the Klingon could close in and tractor the Gorn. Then the next turn can be spent shooting instead of chasing. This way the Klingon has two turns to exchange fire before the Gorn reloads the plasma torps, but the Klingon ship is ill suited for this tactic.