Earliest period chronologically, but the second newest show (apart from the Kelvin Timeline movies), the Enterprise era tracks the voyages of the first Earth crewed ship reaching out to an unfathomable universe, which culminated in laying the groundwork for the Federation as it later became known. Technically calling it a Federation ship is a mistake until the end of the series.
Unlike the TOS offering, the Enterprise era is deeper and more varied by far. The ships are generally about the same power level as TOS (low when compared to the Next Gen era), but have more upgrades and greater variation overall.
This was not a well followed series apparently, but I liked it (it is the only DVD ST series I own). I was drawn to the rawer, more dangerous universe, with a real feeling of fragility. To help with my appreciation, the ships are some of the best WK have produced, almost X Wing standard and with the exception of the reduced from huge Xindi Aquatic ship are all acceptably scaled.
Xindi Orassin, probably my favourite foe of many.
The best fleet size for a single faction varies from 50 to 100 points, but mixed fleets are more common in this young universe so 200+ point battles are very possible. The Earth/Vulcan, or Earth/Andorian vs a mixed Xindi fleet are precedented.
Another possibility is a Delta Quadrant cross over, as the ships look and are scaled similarly. A lost NX-01 vs Hydrans or Kazon? Could be fun.
Earth (not yet The Federation).
The Enterprise NX-01 and a sister ship. Hardly a fleet, Earth made a solid little ship that got better through the series. Lacking Shields is a bit daunting, but in it’s own time line, the NX, with excellent Crew and other upgrades can actually hold it’s own against most.
Earth does not have the best ships, Weapons or Tech, but does have good Crew. The fully loaded Enterprise comes in at 38pts (including Admiral Forrest and a free Hull Plating upgrade), which does not seem much, but most of her upgrades, as good as they are are only 3 points and the ship itself is only 16. What does not fit on the Enterprise can be put on the other NX, effectively covering the whole faction’s options.
Apart from Crew, the NX is quite nimble, with 3 Agility and 2 K-Turns (1 white), but she is slow, which is only matched in these respects by the Romulan Drone. It is comparatively weak in primary armament, but with the Xindi threat looming and realities of the universe dawning on the fledgling fleet, it was quickly upgraded. The agility of the ship, with the option of either Torps or a rear firing cannon give it a unique feel, one that I feel is accurate to the series.
My only complaint is Hayes as a Captain. He was used in that role, but I would have preferred a Mako Crew card and another named Captain (there were at least two in the series) or maybe Tucker.
Andoria.
The Andorians are Earth’s most active allies. After a rocky start, Shram and Archer became tight, making them the natural option for an expanded fleet.
Boasting a stronger ship and some more advanced Tech, the warlike Andorians favour Weapons over Crew and most of their Tech is aggressive. The faction is not huge (I do not have the Motley Fleet expansion which may have bulked it up), but even so, 2 Captains and only 6 other Upgrades is a little thin compared to lesser factions in this universe. It is good then that they are strong at what they do.
Vulcan.
The Vulcans, Earth’s first contact, have an uneasy and sometimes combative relationship with the Enterprise and the Andorians. The fleet is very capable and potentially huge (I have three ships), with several strong Captains, 2 ship classes, a combat re-fit for one and 11 other upgrades.
Typical of the Vulcans, Tech and Crew feature highly, but they are no slouch in a fight.
Xindi.
Almost the undoing of Earth before the Federation was born, the Xindi are a people made up of several different species, being used by an outside force to attack Earth, who has tricked them into thinking they are fighting for their survival.
The two main combat sub-factions are the Reptilians, who are the main aggressors and the Insectoids, who tag along with them. The massive Aquatics actually helped Archer to save Earth, but are potentially a powerful addition to an aggressive Xindi navy.
Two of the Xindi ships pack 4d Primary weapons, which is strong at any level, and the Insectoids balance 3 Weapons with 2 Agility.
In other upgrades the Xindi have plenty to chose from, but they come with some restrictions, usually within their own races. When facing a Reptilian ship, you will not have to deal with a Hatchery card or an Insectoid Raiding Party, so each sub-race needs a different strategy.
My favourite scenario in this period is a combined Xindi fleet vs an evenly matched Earth/Andorian/Vulcan fleet. I missed out “Weapon Zero”, but maybe that is for the good as it was pretty powerful.
Klingons.
Making an early appearance in the Enterprise universe, the Klingons then very much take a back seat. There is enough for a decent faction though.
The Raptor class is closer to the later Bird of Prey, than a TOS cruiser. It boasts 10 white moves and decent fire power, but is pretty pedestrian otherwise. For a small faction with only a single ship on offer, WK produced a card pack, giving the Klingons 4 Captains, and 13 other upgrades, so variety is not an issue.
The flavour of what is to come from these warlike people is intact .
Romulans.
The enigmatic Romulans have representation probably a little excessive for their few appearances in the show.
With 5 ships, 6 Captains, and 16 upgrades, many of them Tech, this fleet is a deep and interesting build.
The Drone is a real piece of work, bringing a beautiful model (possibly the best in AW) and a compelling ship to the EU game. The Prototype has the same stats as an X Wing Tie Defender (3 3 3 3) and it is just as powerful in this game. A catch-me-if-you-can combatant, the Drone hits hard, fast and disappears as quickly. One wonders what a fleet could have done, so I have a second for a “what if” scenario.
The Bird of Prey is as powerful as the TOS one minus shields. Cloaking, limited to one ship is as mysterious now as ever and possibly more powerful due to it’s rarity. One thing that can also be tricky, the is picking the non-cloaking BoP, so facing two BoP may mean you need to use mixed tactics, not knowing which is the slippery one and which the tougher decoy.
Tholians.
A limited Tholian presence is allowed in the EnU, because they were there, but the full web thing is optionally avoided.
Suliban?
No Suliban. These would have been interesting.
Can this period stand as a rounded game in it’s own right?
Build Depth 3.5/5 Lots of factions, each with a solid, flavourful, but not exhaustive spread of upgrades.
Interest value 4.5/5 I really like the factions, especially as a change from the usual.
The ships manage to balance well, each faction offering it’s one unique thing. In the company of later period ships they can be overwhelmed, but stick to period and they work well.