[Wardad]

Originally posted by Stone Mill:
Just a note on shields... your designs will be vulnerable to ship capture without them. (Especially an WP ambush). So even though they are bulky and inefficient, I include just one even on my early designs.

If I see that a player is not using shields... I try and take advantage of this... hello boarding parties!

Yeah, what he said and what Master Belisarius said
"I like to include at least a shield to avoid boarding and help to avoid the Ionic Disperser's effects."

Try warping in and taking on a pack of fighters with no shields and no armor. All direct fire fighter weapons are weak, even the fighter PPB.

So even non phased shields have a purpose. Even if they use PPB and skip the shields, the shields will still protect against Ionic dispersers, Fighters, and Boarding Parties.