I don’t have notes for turn by turn but here’s how that battle settled out.
The Gorns came in at high speed under EM to close on the Kzinti. The Kiznti came in at medium speed, both forces were obliquely closing on the planet. The lead Kzin element launched drones and the second kizni followed suit. Deformations in space/time lead to an increased efficiency in warp drive for a brief moment. (everyone got some extra hexes of movement from my misreading of the sub-impulse chart.) The Kziniti turned to passed ‘north’ of the planet while the Gorn continued to pass south with plans to sweep around, deal with the drones, and pursue.
realizing that the drones wee going to reach their target (all drones were targeted on the following Gorn element) before the next firing window the Gorns panicked and used the Emergency Decel to stop the task force. (the Gorn had not yet fully internalized the concept of defensive fire stages. bad Gorns) From their now stopped condition the Gorns fired and destroyed most of the approaching drones.
The lead Gorn fired a plasma S as a bolt at the following Kziniti (who had turned much slower than the lead.) at a range of about 10 hexes and missed. The second Gorn fired and hit. The two forces closed and with plasma-F’s the shield of the second kzinti were dropped and some internals scored. The Second Gorn also fired a plasma-S as a torp at the lead Kzinti who upped to maxed speed and continued North.
Noe the battle is fairly tight and close to the planet. The lead Gorn fires his remaing S at the second, slower and closer, Kzinti, who responds with a brace of drones. (the lead also fired a brace of drone at the lead Gorn, but from much longer range.) Of the 4 drones two were destroyed one tractored and one hit.
The second kzinti failed to pay for his high-enegery turn at the start of the impulse and quickly found he could not use the planet as a shield. Another S was launched from the second Gorn and both caught the Kizin, but on separate shields. Shields were dropped and internals scored. Returned fire scored internal on the lead Gorn destroying the tractor beam.
Next round five drone hit the lead the Gorn, both down open shields. While the lead gon had some spaces not open to vacuum there weren’t very many and no weapons. The lead kzinit, having shed his plasma-S buddy, turned to re-enter the fight.
At this juncture the Gorn retired.
player impressions:
Very favorable. There were mistakes on both sides as our brains tried to load old SFB programs that did not match to FedCom, but we expected that sort of thing in a learning game. The game itself played fast and fun. Best of all even with frequent stops to read and understand the rules we were able to finished the game with enough time for a brace of board and card games w my wife afterwards.