This document is intended to give a rough estimate of the probably outcome of a conflict between two ships of different class or two fleets of ships. If the weight of fire (WOF) of one side is equal to the defensive value (DV) of the opposing side, then it is likely that there will be a definitive outcome to the combat. That is, the attacker has a good change of crippling of destroying the defender. The larger the ratio of WOF/DV, the less likely the attacker is to suffer significant damage in the course of the battle.

Of course, this ratio is not the only important one. The defending fource may also have a substantial WOF. If this is equal to or greater than the DV of the attacking force, then it is likely that they will drive off the attackers. Thus, one must consider *both* WOF/DV ratios in determining the likely outcome of the battle. These numbers are never absolute, though there are some general rules of thumb. If the ratio of attacking force WOF to defending force DV is greater than 2:1, then it is unlikely that the defending force will survive any engagement once weapon fire has been exchanges (ie if it cannot flee before entering weapons range). If the ration is less tha 1:2, then the battle is likely to be drawn out and to have an inconclusive resolution.

These numbers do not include exceptional tactical brilliance on the part of one of the commanding officers in the engagement. However, brilliance can only do so much. For instance, unless there is a horrible mistake on the part of a ship of the first rate, no single ship of less than first rate stands any chance of destroying or even significantly damaging one. It is even unlikely for two ships of the first rate to have a conclusive outcome without a protracted engagement. Of course, the longer the engagement, the more likely that one side or the other will make a mistake. (And it will certainly not always be the Federation that comes out on top in that eventuality.)

	Weight of Fire	Defensive Value			Ship Rate
		Immobile	Mobile
		(Either)	Federation	Dalriada
DN	150	150	300	300	1st
BB	100	100	200	200	1st
BC	75	40	120	160	2st
CA	50	20	80	100	3rd
CL	25	10	40	60	4th
DD	15	4	20	30	5th
FF	5	1	10	20	6th

Weight of fire is a term used to give a rough estimate of total damage that the ship can inflict with a single full weapons volley. In the case of Federation ships, this will be a full forward weapons volley. In the case of Dalriadan ships, this will be a full broadside. This is meant to indicate the amount of potential damage inflicted upon the shields by the firing unit. Weapons fire may miss of be deflected by the shields.

The weight of fire is influenced by a number of factors. These include allowances for weapon types, weapon numbers, targetting systems, weapon support systems on the ship (larger capacitor banks and better cooling equipment in larger units), etc.

The defensive value is a general collection of a variety of factors that account for a ship's ability to sustain and/or avoid damge. These include the handiness (maneuverability and acceleration) of the ship, shield strength, armor strength (if any), electronic countermeasure equipment, etc.

Immobile defensive values are meant for use when a ship is caught by ambush with a low velocity realative to the attacker. This means that it is less capable of evading incoming fire. In starship combat over vast distances with extremely destructive long range weapons, speed can often be life. If a target ship is moving slowly, then it is easier for long range weapons (missiles and torpedoes) to make terminal maneuvers which increase the likelyhood of inflicting damage on the target.

The immobile category gives a sense of relative toughness of hull and shields. The factor separating the immobile and proposed category give you an idea of how important maneuvering is to the ship. This also gives an idea of how truly magnificent a weapon a BB is and how monstrous a DN is. The Dalriadan numbers take into account how much more maneuverable most Dalridan warships are because of the lower tonnage.

The rate of the ship is determined by a combination of the weight of fire and defensive value of the ship. The above values are typical of both Federation and Dalriadan ships of a given class regardless of the displacement of those units. The classification of a unit into one of the various ship rates is meant as an evaluation of these two factors, not of its displacement. However, there is usually a clear corellation between the displacement of a unit of a given technological base and its rate as a warship.