Encounter One - Fleet Design Factions and Races

The Empire are my faction of choice. Their approach to ship design is Peace through Superior Fire Power. Bigger ships and more of them. My Empire ships follow a traditional design approach harking back to wet navies when Battleships ruled the waves and Gunboat Diplomacy was standard policy. They have the resources and infrastructure that allows for assembly-line production of warships. Unfortunately, that also makes it more difficult for them to change production or produce new designs. 

The Empire's Arrow missile has good range and accuracy making it an effective match for their Beam arrays. Their Fighters are inexpensive, so I have tended to include fighter bays on my warships rather than build dedicated carriers. If you like Star Wars or Warhammer, then the Empire could be a good fit for you.

The Federation may have the best equipment in the human sphere. They are versatile with access to most systems. Where the Empire will build a bigger ship and then more ships, the Federation will design and build a better ship. And then work on improving it. I have tended to associate the Federation with the authoritarian military regime from Blakes Seven. This was distinctly unfair as Encounter One's Federation are much closer to the progressive good guys of Asimov's Federation in opposition to the stratified conservatism and centralised control of the Empire.

I have come to expect Federation ships to make use of the special equipment such as Mirage Projectors and mine fields to sow confusion amongst their enemies. The Federation Bolt is the best in the game with longer range and better accuracy. As the Feds don't get Arrow missiles, Bolt fills the missile gap. Scatterpack may not be the wonder weapon it appeared in the earlier editions, but may still have some use at close range. Kennedy Fields are great in defence and can negate some other systems e.g. Tractors and Photon Torpedoes. The downside is, they reduce the effectiveness of your own fire and when your Kennedy Fields fail, they are likely to take out your ship too.  

If you like Star Trek, then the Feds may be a good fit for you.

Novans are utterly hostile aliens. Their focussed aggression and xenophobia make them very dangerous. Expect hyper-aggression from the Novans. Most of their ships are in the 20-35 mass 'Cruiser' range, and they fly them like fighters. Then Inertialess Drive lets them reset the table for their next attack run.  They lack Escorts and larger ships due to the cost penalty. Zen auto repair and Clever Metal make them hard to kill, they can soak up missile attacks and shrug them off, but Novan ships are expensive for their size. Their best weapon system is their Photon Torpedoes, unless going against Kennedy Fields. Their Dart is the best long range missile in the game. Fighters are cheap, so send them out in swarms.

ATTACK, ATTACK, ATTACK! KILL ALL THE HUMANS! EXTERMINATE!

Rim Raiders are chaotic but they are largely underpowered with few special weapons or defences. They excel in boarding actions. Their Farradyne Field will make a mockery of your grand fleet manoeuvres and shut down your fighters. Their Bolt is a decent weapon. Expect swarms of small ships, close action and prepare to repel boarders. Rim Raiders are the Pirates, Reivers, Star Vikings and Barbarians. Rim Raider ships are captured, re-built and bodged together. You can use a real mix of different styles including repurposed ships from other factions in a Rim Raider fleet.

Auregans are strange. It is never entirely clear whose side the Auregans are on, or even if they know which humans they are dealing with. Their distinct Morale rules can make them behave oddly. You can hire them as mercenaries, but they might not stay bought or commit themselves to battle. Their ships start at Mass 20 and get bigger, so manoeuvrability can be an issue. They have one decisive Ship Killer weapon system, but at most table top ranges it is pretty ineffective. They get masses of cheap defences and their Drones are effective. Their large mass can make weaponised Tractor Beams horribly effective, especially if several Auregans get in a tug-o-war. But for all their size, they are vulnerable to critical hits and they don't like to take damage.  

DO NOT POKE THE AUREGAN. 

The Great Houses are autonomous space faring factions within the Empire and Federation. Their policy tends to align with the Federation as they pursue their own interests rather than be subsumed by the great Powers. They have access to most systems and decent equipment at reasonable cost. If don't want to get embroiled in the almost constant strife between Empire and Federation, then a Great House fleet could be a good choice. You could create several Great House fleets, each with a distinctive style or design philosophy.

The Guild are a commercial alliance of merchant houses operating within the Empire and Federation. They pretty much regulate most trade between star systems. Most Guild vessels are commercial Merchants, Transporters, Bulk Carriers, Hydrogen Tankers, Luxury Passenger Liners and Low Berth Coffin Ships, Couriers, Salvage Tugs, and Free Traders. The Guild with the assistance of Minor Houses also operates Pirate Hunters, Customs Cutters, and Q-Ships. They have access to technology from the Empire and Federation, but their main drive is making a profit and conflict is costly. Disputes within the Guild are usually resolved by arbitration, litigation, stock exchange, or in extreme cases hostile take-over. Guild Merchant Houses operate the Jump Point Space Stations, Traffic Control and Hyperspace beacons necessary for travel between the stars. Attacks on Guild ships may result in harsh commercial penalties, blockade, boycott and/or restrictions of trade against the offending planets and their ships.  In theory Guild ships may only carry defensive armament, but it is not unknown for Guild captains to take up Privateering as a profitable sideline. The Guild will hire out ships to the Minor Houses and these may be armed as warships.  

If you are building a merchant fleet then use the Guild list.

The Minor Houses represent the smaller semi-autonomous cultures within the Empire. They lack the capacity to build their own starships, so must hire them from the Guild. In return, the Guild will employ Minor Houses as mercenaries to defend their merchant ships or carry out limited offensive operations.