Mrrshan Maniacs Challenge

[Psillycyber]

We're back with another challenge.  This one is similar to the Bulrathi Brawlers Challenge:

*The starting colony ship is OK to use, but:
*No building colony ships until after the Guardian is defeated.  
*All technology fields can be researched. 

The race is the Mrrshans this time.  

Settings:
*Small galaxy
*Impossible difficulty
*5 opponents

Here is the starting map and save:



Report to follow soon!

[Reformations]

How did this turn out? I'm looking for Mrrshan pointers.

[Psillycyber]

I've only played up until about 2375.  A very short report with spoilers below. 

This particular map is tough.  I feel like I played it as aggressively and optimally as I could so far, and yet things are still very much in doubt.  

One problem is that one of the two starting planets is poor.  You also start right next to the Meklar, so they become your only means of expanding.  I was able to take one planet from the Meklar with 108 factories intact, but was disappointed to only snag gatling lasers (when I know they have much better stuff available).  

The Meklar are a tough foe because of their ridiculous production and because they are fielding mainly large and huge ships with two-range weapons.  In my bulrathi brawlers challenge, I was able to fend off the Klackons while suffering little attrition on my part thanks to my heavy laser ships going against their 1-range weapons, whittling them down safely from a distance.  But not so here.  I have needed to divert some of my precious production to reinforcing my defensive ships, slowing down my progress immensely.  

I still have prospects for taking more Meklar planets, but first I have to finish researching neutron blaster for better weapons (heavy lasers aren't cutting it against class IV shields) and for miniaturizing my nuke bombers.  I just hope that the Meklar don't have better defenses by the time I'm ready to resume the offensive, for which I will need to finish neutron blasters, build neutron blaster defensive ships, and THEN build about 500 nukebombers.  If the Meklar get class V or class X planetary in the meantime, I'm screwed.