by chrisib
I haven't had a chance to use Rho Indi in a game yet; I've seen/used Magellan, Exiles, and Enlightened in games, but not Rho Indi.That said, looking at their abilities the Conifold Field does seem like it could be a good fit. My only concern would be whether or not the 2 energy consumed by the field would hinder their ability to equip a good drive and a good computer. Given that Rho Indi cruisers have to be able to stand up to opposing Dreadnoughts it seems like they really need to be able to pack a punch at high initiative. Their ability to move 4 ships at a time means that if they can get a fast drive (Tachyon or Conformal and possibly wormhole generators for added mobility) they can overwhelm a lightly-defended sector and not have to worry as much about staying power.
A single conifold field will consume the same energy as a plasma cannon or a gluon computer, which can make it literally a choice between offense and defense. Or you could use the power for an extra fusion drive to bump up the mobility and initiative. Lots of choices, and since they don't need to worry about Dreadnought upgrades they have the actions to really kit out their cruisers.
I suppose it comes down to play style and what other technologies come up. If I were playing Rho Indi and I had a choice between the cloaking device and the conifold field I would take the cloaking device first. But that may just be me.