Namely, my race of nebula-dwellers (aka "The Nullan") just encountered the Star Swarm (and it's actually the first time I've fought them, too.)
Tactics are completely different in nebulas from what's been discussed above. No missiles at all. On the other hand, the Nullan have been focusing ship design on heavy armor to get through the dust. Though it's useless against mesons, it does mean the entirety of my battle fleet is faster than the swarm within the nebula.
Then there's my gunboats, which mount 6 twin meson turrets, each on independant fire control- perfect for engaging multiple targets. They're backed up by particle beam destroyers. The battle is a slug-fest. Unfortunately, I'm hindered by inexperienced crews, but once I was able to close and actually hit, I started doing significant damage. Not sure if I'll win this one yet, but I am learning a lot of valuable combat and ship design lessons. (Though micromanaging the fire control and targeting is a bit of a pain in the butt.)
