BattleTech - The Board Game of Armored Combat
Off Topic and Technical Support => Off Topic => Topic started by: Nerroth on 26 January 2011, 20:54:03
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Once again, I wanted to start a thread covering ADB's alternate take on trek (http://www.starfleetgames.com/), and the games which take place therein.
In the interlude between boards, I started to work on the base coats for these:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/Nerroth/Misc/2011wip01.jpg)
Time will tell if anything much comes of them, though...
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Planning some Fed-Lyran joint ops there? Or is the odd one out a capture?
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Not quite.
The CS and NCF I'll probably paint up as Star Fleet ships, but the OCA I intend to try and do up as an Armored Cruiser from the Federal Republic of Aurora.
The Lyran is meant to represent the CL which was transferred to Aurora in Y173; it's not been formally identified, but I like to think of it as a Fire Squadron ship (hence the colour scheme).
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The new ground combat game, Star Fleet Marines: Assault, is set for an April release; there have been new posts (http://www.starfleetgames.com/federation/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=3633) showing how the game is shaping up.
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GURPS Federation is now up on e23 (http://e23.sjgames.com/item.html?id=ADB8402)!
Now to wait for the print version this summer...
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GURPS Federation is now up on e23 (http://e23.sjgames.com/item.html?id=ADB8402)!
Now to wait for the print version this summer...
Unfortunately, I'm having trouble accessing this link from my present location.
Can you share any further details about it?
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Sure.
I posted this (http://www.trekbbs.com/showthread.php?t=139877) over on another forum, but no-one's replied to it over there yet...
Hi.
The United Federation of Planets, as represented in the Star Fleet Universe, is distinct from that seen in the Franchise. It draws from many elements in the on-screen source material covered under ADB's licence with Paramount, along with others derived from the Star Fleet Technical Manual; but over three decades' worth of new stories, empires, and technoligies have seen this version of the UFP go its own way.
Recently, ADB put together a Federation sourcebook for its RPG series, Prime Directive; the D20M version was released in print form last year, while the e23 (online PDF) version of the GURPS edition went up yesterday. The D20M version will presumably end up on DriveThruRPG sooner or later (ADB upload their D20M books there, but send their GURPS stuff to e23 instead) while the print edition of GURPS Federation should be released later this year.
I got the e23 version of GURPS Federation (I like collecting the GURPS material over the D20M stuff, personally) and if you have an interest in the SFU take on trek, I would definitely recommend it.
It's got a series of planetary surveys for various major and minor member worlds (Earth, Mars, Vulcan, Andor etc; some of which are different than they are in the Franchise, though some of them have a couple of interesting nods here and there). It also looks at some of the ship classes used by Star Fleet (i.e. in games like Star Fleet Battles and Federation Commander) and details other branches of the Federation government. One of the most useful sections (from an RP perspective) are the deck plans it includes for the Burke-class frigate; one of the many ship designs indigenous to the SFU.
What you won't find are any direct references to a cerain on-screen ship or crew; the terms of the licence require those events to be seen from a half-step away, at best. Still, there are plenty of other ships in the fleet to endeavour with, as well as no end of civilian hulls to take out for a spin.
Oh, and for gaming purposes, it's not a stand-alone book; it works with the GURPS Prime Directive 4th Edition Core Book. (The D20M Federation book requires PD20M, which itself needs the D20M core rules to play. For GURPS users, GPD4e comes with a version of the basic GURPS rules included, so you don't need a third book.)
It might be a little different than what many at home with the Franchise might be familiar with; but if you want to see how things go along that other fork on the road from TOS, it's as good a way in to the setting as any... from a Federation perspective, at least.
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I always wanted to try this game, but there is like 20 or 30 books and expansion packs to play the game, its a problem sometimes. I do want to read that GRUPS Federation Book. It looks like a good read, and info book.
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None of the tabletop games actually need you to dive in to get all of the books for them.
SFB itself can get up and running with Basic Set and Advanced Missions; from there you can take stock and decide where you'd like to go. (There are a lot of books for the various Alpha empires, but you can pick and choose which ones you want to try out. The other settings are more consolidated; the LMC only needs Module C5, while Omega has five modules, the first four of which are covered by the Omega Master Rulebook. Triangulum is still in playtest form right now, though.)
FC has a Reference Rulebook which has all the rules you need to fly any of the published Alpha ships, though if you want a boxed set instead (with counters, map sheets and laminated Ship Cards) either Klingon Border or Romulan Border work as ways to get started.
There's a Starmada conversion, too; there are only three books for it right now, and two of those (Klingon Armada and Romulan Armada) come with the basic Starmada mechanics in the books themselves (i.e. you only need one of them to start with).
And the upcoming Star Fleet Marines: Assault should have all you need to get up and running in the initial release.
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The D20M version of PD Federation is now online (http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=90429&filters=0_0_0_0&manufacturers_id=3528), too; with a different style of cover art to that on the GURPS version.
Also, the Omega Playtest Rulebook for Federation Commander has a version 2 file uploaded to e23 (http://e23.sjgames.com/item.html?id=ADB4809).
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Damn if I pick up yet another collectible wargame to spend my time and money... and time is the more restrictive resource. But just out of curiosity, what it takes to play Starfleet Battles? What do equivalents of Introductory Box Set have? How thick are the equivalents of BattleTech's Introductory Rulebook and Total Warfare?
Can we include Starfleet Command computer games to the discussion? I still have SFC2: Orion Pirates with lots of mods installed. Some might be in need of updates... and I might do the updates just to get to play some decent multiplayer again. Does anyone in here have any interest for such?
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Unfortunately, it looks like Star Fleet Marines: Assault may be delayed until later this year; still, if the finished product is that much better for it, well and good.
Damn if I pick up yet another collectible wargame to spend my time and money... and time is the more restrictive resource. But just out of curiosity, what it takes to play Starfleet Battles? What do equivalents of Introductory Box Set have? How thick are the equivalents of BattleTech's Introductory Rulebook and Total Warfare?
Before you decide which game (if any) to jump into, there are a couple of things I would suggest looking at first.
For SFB, there's the Cadet Training Manual; pdfs with rules, Cadet SSDs and a sample game are on this page (http://www.starfleetgames.com/starfleetbattles.shtml). Cadet ships are at a different scale to "full" SFB SSDs, but they are enough to help ease you into the basic game mechanics.
For FC, there's Federation Commander: First Missions (http://www.starfleetgames.com/federation/FCFirstMissions.pdf); which has the rules needed to dust off a couple of Fleet Scale intro ships.
(To clarify, Federation Commander Ship Cards present units in two separate scales. Squadron Scale is the same as that seen in an SFB SSD, while Fleet Scale is closer to that used in SFB for the Cadet ships.)
Plus, there are a number of free Ship Cards (in both scales) in the online Commander's Circle (http://www.starfleetgames.com/federation/Commanders%20Circle/).
The Starmada adaptation uses the standard rules for that system, albeit with a few setting-specific edits; you can see the basic rules (without the SFU-specifc details) here (http://www.mj12games.com/starmada/SAEdemo.pdf), while a few sample SFU-specific ship pages can be found on this page (http://www.starfleetgames.com/starmada.shtml).
Can we include Starfleet Command computer games to the discussion? I still have SFC2: Orion Pirates with lots of mods installed. Some might be in need of updates... and I might do the updates just to get to play some decent multiplayer again. Does anyone in here have any interest for such?
While I don't mind talking about the SFC computer games, it is worth bearing in mind that they are a half-step removed from the "true" Star Fleet Universe; some things that work a certain way in the games are, at times, liable to go in a different direction in the likes of SFB or FC.
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Check out the cover art (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/12031/27212.jpg) for the upcoming SFB Module C3A Andromedan Threat File!
Both it and the print version of GURPS Federation should be out later this month, fingers crossed.
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I want to someday pick up the RPG sourcebooks covering the Klingon and Romulan empires, if only for the fluff. Does it make any difference which system's books I get, or will the fluff be the same in each one?
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The fluff is pretty much the same for the Klingon and Romulan books; though I personally like the cover art from the GURPS version of the Romulan book a lot better (ditto for the Feds; not so much for the Klingons).
If you want to go with a D20 system, I'd recommend going for the D20M versions, as they are more up-to-date (and will be more heavily supported going forward) than the older D20-3.5 ones.
If you want GURPS, a couple of the older sourebooks were done for GURPS version 3; make sure the books you get are designed for v4. (It won't be an issue for the Romulans and Federation, or for any books they may produce later on.)
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I'm not interested in either system, though I do have lots of friends that play D20 games like Pathfinder, DnD 3.5, and M&M. It might be worth it to get the D20 versions in case I get them to play something in that universe.
Which system has the Klingon book with the giant gorilla in Imperial uniform on the cover?
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That would be the D20 (3.5 and D20M) version; again, of the two sub-types, I'd advise making sure you get the one for D20 Modern (http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=88996&filters=0_0_0_0&manufacturers_id=3528).
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Query for Nerroth...
I'm looking to get back into the various SF games after several years of absence. Are there any sites that offer updates on rules and source material? I'd like to catch-up on new rules developments and story-trends that I've missed in the time I've been away.
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This page (http://www.starfleetgames.com/prod_update.shtml) might help, at least in terms of detailing which printed materials have been updated (at least up to the date of last revision).
One thing not on that list is the current revision 6 of the Federation Commander Reference Rulebook; that went live earlier this year.
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This page (http://www.starfleetgames.com/prod_update.shtml) might help, at least in terms of detailing which printed materials have been updated (at least up to the date of last revision).
One thing not on that list is the current revision 6 of the Federation Commander Reference Rulebook; that went live earlier this year.
Interesting.
Anything story/setting-related, which details events in-game?
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Background-wise, not that jumps out to me.
I'm not sure there's a consolidated file which gives that kind of detail, beyond what you may find in the historical downloads (http://www.starfleetgames.com/historicaldownloads.shtml) section of their site.
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Background-wise, not that jumps out to me.
I'm not sure there's a consolidated file which gives that kind of detail, beyond what you may find in the historical downloads (http://www.starfleetgames.com/historicaldownloads.shtml) section of their site.
Much appreciated.
This does help to fill in some of the stuff I've missed. Looks like I'll need to pick up a few new books and minis to really catch-up, though.
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Speaking of books, the print editions of SFB Module C3A (http://store.starfleetstore.com/merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=S&Product_Code=5635&Category_Code=NP) and GURPS Federation (http://store.starfleetstore.com/merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=S&Product_Code=8402&Category_Code=NP) started shipping today!
There's some info on what to expect from C3A in a recent blog post (http://federationcommander.blogspot.com/2011/05/module-c3a.html), too.
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Speaking of books, the print editions of SFB Module C3A (http://store.starfleetstore.com/merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=S&Product_Code=5635&Category_Code=NP) and GURPS Federation (http://store.starfleetstore.com/merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=S&Product_Code=8402&Category_Code=NP) started shipping today!
There's some info on what to expect from C3A in a recent blog post (http://federationcommander.blogspot.com/2011/05/module-c3a.html), too.
Ah, more Andromedan-love! ;D
I was also thinking of picking up the PDF for GURPS Federation, but I may just wait until the printed version hits my shores.
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Nerroth, thanks for the Cadet Rules link. Going to have to check them out.
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For anyone here interested in Federation Commander, there is a file at e23 with playtest rules detailing five empires from the Omega Octant (http://www.starfleetgames.com/omegasector.shtml) (a region of the galaxy (http://www.starfleetgames.com/federation/galaxy_map.shtml) "east" of the ISC, on the other side of a Void which makes getting to the Alpha Octant and back rather difficult; five Omega modules, and an Omega master rulebook, have been published for SFB already) at this link (http://e23.sjgames.com/item.html?id=ADB4809).
I mention it here, since the file has just been updated today (to version 2a); but also since one of the people working on it happens to be yours truly... ahem.
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For anyone here interested in Federation Commander, there is a file at e23 with playtest rules detailing five empires from the Omega Octant (http://www.starfleetgames.com/omegasector.shtml) (a region of the galaxy (http://www.starfleetgames.com/federation/galaxy_map.shtml) "east" of the ISC, on the other side of a Void which makes getting to the Alpha Octant and back rather difficult; five Omega modules, and an Omega master rulebook, have been published for SFB already) at this link (http://e23.sjgames.com/item.html?id=ADB4809).
I mention it here, since the file has just been updated today (to version 2a); but also since one of the people working on it happens to be yours truly... ahem.
Awesome stuff!
I've been intrigued about the Omega Sector, and toyed with the idea of learning more. So it looks like I have some e23 products to purchase.
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Are there any free quick-start rules for the various Amarillo Design Bureau games?
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Awesome stuff!
I've been intrigued about the Omega Sector, and toyed with the idea of learning more. So it looks like I have some e23 products to purchase.
Bear in mind that the SFB Omega stuff is not on e23 just yet; the five modules and the OMRB (which came out before Module Omega 5, and has yet to be revised to incorporate the data from that module) are in print edition only.
Are there any free quick-start rules for the various Amarillo Design Bureau games?
There are a few links in one of my posts on the first page of this thread that should do the trick.
EDIT: Module C3A is now on e23 (http://e23.sjgames.com/item.html?id=ADB5735).
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Recently, the guys at ADB have been hinting now and then about progress on a "mysterious 'U' contract", taking care not to spoil the pot by discussing it publicly until the ink had been dried on it.
Well, now that it has, the other party to this contract has seen fit to post up this (http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/product_images/full_size/sfteaser.jpg)!
(There should be a formal press release posted on Wednesday about the new joint venture, and the three new product lines it will entail.)
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Recently, the guys at ADB have been hinting now and then about progress on a "mysterious 'U' contract", taking care not to spoil the pot by discussing it publicly until the ink had been dried on it.
Well, now that it has, the other party to this contract has seen fit to post up this (http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/product_images/full_size/sfteaser.jpg)!
(There should be a formal press release posted on Wednesday about the new joint venture, and the three new product lines it will entail.)
Very interesting. And I'm keen to see what Mongoose Publishing will bring to the table as part of this venture.
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As long as they keep the mini design and casting in ADB's hands. Mongoose can do some good stuff sometimes, but having seen what they tried to do with B5...we can only hope not.
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As long as they keep the mini design and casting in ADB's hands. Mongoose can do some good stuff sometimes, but having seen what they tried to do with B5...we can only hope not.
I can't even remember where I put most of my B5 minis.
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A few quotes from ADB's side of the equation:
What it Means for ADB, Inc. and the SFU
THE BIGGEST NEWS IN SFU HISTORY
Saturday we signed a new joint-venture deal with Mongoose, which is one of the largest companies in the Adventure Game industry. They're famous for numerous product lines, including miniatures and roleplaying games. This deal includes three immediate elements, but the future is as open as space and as exciting as a supernova.
Something we have mentioned many times is that retailers only stock the top five or 10 companies (with the proverbial "one shelf" reserved for the other 40 hard-copy publishers, most of which are in less than 10% of stores). Mongoose is in 90% of the retail game stores in the US, Canada, the UK, and many other countries. This contract means that there will now be several first-class products in every retailer with logos on them for the Star Fleet Universe and for ADB, Inc. Each joint venture book will include advertising for all of our Star Fleet Universe products, giving us more exposure to the mass gaming market than we have had since 1982.
A CALL TO ARMS
This is their well-known space combat game, designed for massive battles with dozens of miniature starships. The new joint-venture deal provides for the production of a series of beautiful hardback rulebooks that will bring together the ships of the Star Fleet Universe and the game system of A Call to Arms. This worked very well for the Starmada product line, and should work even better for the much more widely sold A Call to Arms series.
PRIME DIRECTIVE: TRAVELLER
One of the most popular RPG game engines in the industry is the Traveller series (produced, in various incarnations, by Game Designer’s Workshop and Steve Jackson Games), and the current “Mongoose Traveller†incarnation is the most successful ever. They have an “open license†and Jean Sexton’s team was already at work doing a Prime Directive Traveller version for that system. Our experiences with GURPS, however, showed that any RPG done by a publisher other than the original will have at most 10% of the sales of books by the original publisher. (Hence, our GURPS books are done to the design standard of SJG books, but sell only a fraction of the numbers.) Doing these books as a joint venture means every retailer will carry them.
STARLINE 2500
Our new joint venture deal with Mongoose includes a provision that they are going to replace (over a period of a couple of years) every existing Starline 2400 ship with a new computer-generated design. (We call this Starline 2500, but they plan to market it under another brand yet to be selected.) The first ships will appear in late 2011, and ships will then follow every month or two. This will include some entirely new ships. It may also, from time to time, including special limited-production (minor variant) ships available only for a short time, or as part of special offers.
This is truly exciting news. New production ships will be fancier, and those in the vocal and vociferous minority who constantly complained that our ships were “not good enough for the modern market†will get his wish. Everyone who has an extensive collection can keep it, or perhaps slowly replace it with new designs. (The existing 2400 line could be used for Early Years if you want, or the new 2500 designs could be used for X-ships.)
These ships will be done in resin using 1-3125 scale.
Also, there's a provisional look at one of the WIP 3D prints for Starline 2500 in this thread (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/27403.html?1308028770).
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Not bad...not a fan of them changing the scales, though. I've had a hard enough time finding ships that match my existing SFU stuff, they'll have to REALLY impress me for me to go into a third scale for ST ships.
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An early Q&A posted on the Mongoose blog (http://blog.mongoosepublishing.co.uk):
Q&A on A Call to Arms: Star Fleet
The forums have been alive with news of our recent agreement with Amarillo Design Bureau was made public earlier this week, and a lot of questions have been raised. We will be having a 'big reveal' in 3-4 weeks time, including a look at the first miniatures, but for now there are a few things we can put to rest.
When is A Call to Arms: Star Fleet due for release?
We are currently aiming for (and on schedule for, though it is early days!) being in stores the first week of December. December is a 'short' month for distribution though, and if this is missed, we may delay until the first week of January. But we want December.
Star Trek or Star Fleet?
Star Fleet, which concentrates on The Original Series ships. However, in practice for the miniatures game, there will be little difference. There will be no characters from the TV show or movies, and no Excelsior. However, in return, we get a Trek universe that is internally very consistent, that has lots of opportunites for conflict, a veritable ton of ship designs, and the ability to add new ships and fleets to our heart's content. It is a good trade off. You will still be able to face down Romulans and Klingons!
What fleets will be covered in the main rulebook?
Fairly extensively, Federation, Klingon, Romulan, Kzinti and Gorn. There will also be a range of civilian ships and a smattering of Orion pirates and Tholians.
How long have you been planning this?
Quite some time! The rulebook was written some time ago and is now undergoing playtesting, and we started work on the miniatures about a month ago. Actually, this was relatively easy for us to 'get in to,' as we had already drafted a set of Trek rules when we approached Paramount for a licence a couple of years ago. That did not work out, but this will!
Babylon 5 was good while it lasted, but the licence expired - will the same happen here?
There are no term limits or dates of expiration in our agreement with ADB. Both companies are looking forward to this lasting for a long, long time, and there are various nuts and bolts built into the agreement that make it beneficial for both companies to keep pushing ahead with it.
Star Fleet Battles is all about power allocation - will this appear in A Call to Arms?
Yes. Sort of. Kinda. Remember, we abstract out in A Call to Arms as it is a fleet level game but in short, yes, useage of power will at least be acknowledged.
Why change the scale of the ships?
Because doing them this way will make them ten times better, and we started this with the intention of creating the best Trek gaming experience possible. The differences between old and new models won't be excessive and the rules certainly won't be affected. Anyone who used Fleet Action scale models in ACTA: B5 will know this! In any case, ADB will keep the older models in production for anyone who wants them. But we hope you will like the new models!
What will be released first?
All going to plan, on the first week of December you will be able to pick up the main rulebook, three squadron box sets (five ships a piece) for Klingons, Romulans and the Federation, and three fleet box sets for the same. All ships released in these sets will be available as singles in blisters for specialist shops and mail order, and there will be monthly releases thereafter, at a rate of 2-4 boxes a month, depending on content.
There will be a supplement for the rest, right?
We are currently looking at Gen Con 2012 for the release of this, working title We Come in Peace (Shoot to Kill) - that _will_ change! It will bring in more fleets and new ships for the existing ones, a bit like Fleets of the Fading Suns but bigger.
Does this mean the end of Noble Armada?
Not as far as we are concerned. Noble Armada, while sharing a rules system, has a very different feel, with different technologies and boarding actions going on all over the place! Also, as we now do all our ship modelling in-house, it is exceedingly easy for us to add new ships and fleets to Noble Armada. The short of it is, you keep playing, we'll keep supporting!
EDIT: Press release (http://starfleetgames.com/Alert_110615_Mongoose.pdf).
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Yeah, still not happy with the scale change. I *might* give the rules a shot. *Might*.
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I do have a few Lyran and Klingon miniatures.
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One thing I'd love to see Mongoose do is a) really expand the hull design library of the setting (FREX the Feddies really only have the FF, DD, CL, NCL, CA, BC, CV and DN hull designs...how many different classes of ships were fielded in FREX WWII?), b) incorporate some of the "grey" area ship designs (like the Surya class, a prototype Reliant class, and not one I have ever seen in an official publication) and c) incorporate some of the better (really all) TOS era FASA ships. The latter two points might be going a little too far, but one can hope...
Damon.
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ISC War cover art (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/37/27435.jpg)!
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ISC War cover art (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/37/27435.jpg)!
Oooh! I see another image begging for desktop wallpaper treatment. ;D
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In case anyone's interested, the first podcast from one of ADB's seminars at Origins 2011 is up on Talkshoe (http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/talkCast.jsp?masterId=17702); more should emerge as the week progresses.
EDIT: It's hardly a major thing to celebrate, but I was glad to finally get a bound copy of the FC Omega Playtest Rulebook doen up at a local printer!
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/Nerroth/Misc/IMG_0649.jpg)
Had to cheap out on a full colour version, sadly.
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Tachyon Guns!?!
Neat. ;D
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I like to hope so...
The Talkshoe page (http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/talkCast.jsp?masterId=17702) has a second podcast from Origins 2011 uploaded; this time from the miniature seminar (where, unsurprisingly, Starline 2500 gets a mention or two...).
(By the way, that site also hosts a weekly discussion during most non-Origins weeks; it's usually on at 9:30pm EST for anyone interested in popping along.)
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It's truly a shame that I can't access those podcasts from my present location.
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The Starline 2500 (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/27403.html?1309378757) thread on ADB's Discus BBS has been updated to show a sample 3D print of the (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/27500.jpg) new (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/27501.jpg) D7 (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/27502.jpg)!
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Very pretty, and of one of my favorite Trek classes. I'd resolve to pick up a few and run them as K'tingas, but I've already got plenty of options there, including some already in my possession. Might grab some other Klink classes to fill out a TMP-era fleet, though. Depending on how the prices end up, I might also get some Mongoose Romulans instead of the ADB ones I want to pick up someday.
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I always loved the look of the D7.
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Agreed, Top. It's such an iconic design.
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I think I have two of them.
I'm looking forward to checking out Mongoose Publishing's SFB game with B5: ACtA rules which is supposed to come out this December.
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I always loved the look of the D7.
Especially the Romulan Stormbird version with the bird-of-prey painted on...actually found a figurine for it (not from the old FASA game though) a while back...
And I love watching the opening to ST:TMP simply as I can see K't'inga's (later model D7's) in action...
Ruger
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Especially the Romulan Stormbird version with the bird-of-prey painted on...actually found a figurine for it (not from the old FASA game though) a while back...
The Romulan R7 in Klingon Academy was simply gorgeous.
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The Romulan R7 in Klingon Academy was simply gorgeous.
I'm not immediately familiar with this design.
Details?
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I'm not immediately familiar with this design.
Details?
The D7 with the Romulan birdie painted across the bottom, armed with mediumish plasma torpedoes.
(http://www.klingonacademy.com/images/site/ships/rom022.jpg) (http://www.klingonacademy.com/images/site/ships/rom023.jpg)
(Tinypics were all I could find --it's an old game).
Actually, the link to the site where I found them (http://www.klingonacademy.com/view.php?pg=ShipInfoRomulan) is amusing, too. The article was written by one of my good friends and the repeated tactical advice towards ramming is just so VERY Don (and very Klingon Academy, too, as folks complained that ramming things was almost unavoidable in that game at times). :D
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The D7 with the Romulan birdie painted across the bottom, armed with mediumish plasma torpedoes.
(http://www.klingonacademy.com/images/site/ships/rom022.jpg) (http://www.klingonacademy.com/images/site/ships/rom023.jpg)
(Tinypics were all I could find --it's an old game).
Actually, the link to the site where I found them (http://www.klingonacademy.com/view.php?pg=ShipInfoRomulan) is amusing, too. The article was written by one of my good friends and the repeated tactical advice towards ramming is just so VERY Don (and very Klingon Academy, too, as folks complained that ramming things was almost unavoidable in that game at times). :D
It wasn't just the warbird painted on the bottom it was the entire paint scheme of that ship in Klingon Academy, it was so beautiful. I think they gave her 'Stormbird' designation.
Klingon Academy's Stormbird (http://img.neoseeker.com/screenshots/R2FtZXMvUEMvQWN0aW9uL1NwYWNl/klingacad_image19.jpg)
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As an old SFB Hydran player how much change would I expect in the Comnader games?
Used to play with the Doomsday book.
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The Hydrans in Federation Commander have a few differences; fusion beams don't have the suicide overload function, there is only one type of Stinger per era (General War-era Hydrans have the Stinger-2; Middle Years Hydrans the Stinger-1), some ships have a few less fighters than they do over in SFB, and there are no "true" carriers or PF tenders in the "vanilla" game.
(There may be a future "Borders of Madness" product, which might or might not add in things like carriers; but anything added to BoM will not be part of the standard "vanilla" FC game system.)
The Hydrans were added to Starmada in the new Distant Armada book released at this year's Origins; that book hasn't been shipped to stores (or uploaded to e23) yet, so I can't say how the Hydrans work in that system.
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The D7 with the Romulan birdie painted across the bottom, armed with mediumish plasma torpedoes.
(http://www.klingonacademy.com/images/site/ships/rom022.jpg) (http://www.klingonacademy.com/images/site/ships/rom023.jpg)
(Tinypics were all I could find --it's an old game).
Actually, the link to the site where I found them (http://www.klingonacademy.com/view.php?pg=ShipInfoRomulan) is amusing, too. The article was written by one of my good friends and the repeated tactical advice towards ramming is just so VERY Don (and very Klingon Academy, too, as folks complained that ramming things was almost unavoidable in that game at times). :D
Ah, yes. I remember now... I just wasn't too sure on the R7 designation [which, on reflection, should've been apparent to me #P].
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No massed Stinger waves?!? Where the fun in playing Hyrans if you can not force the Amen to chose between killing the fighters or facing overloaded fusion beams at range 1? Well still might be fun to break out the expeditionary fleet and see how the new rules treat them. Yes I have a full set including freighters for that fleet.
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How does the Star Fleet Universe handles Early Years Vulcan ships?
Quite logically (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150250739988280&set=a.297889983279.146185.231728653279&type=1&theater).
Also, there are revised 3D images of the WIP Klingon render (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/27625.html?1310997628); which is now being re-purposed.
Current plan: what you see is the D6 (after the two phasers in question are deleted). [This was a solution to the problem proposed by Steve Petrick.]
The D7 will have a different "belly", properly located wing phasers, and a bigger deckhouse.
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How does the Star Fleet Universe handles Early Years Vulcan ships?
Quite logically (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150250739988280&set=a.297889983279.146185.231728653279&type=1&theater).
I'm really liking the design of the Vulcan ships at the moment.
Also, there are revised 3D images of the WIP Klingon render (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/27625.html?1310997628); which is now being re-purposed.
Image #4 is what you're looking for when you think Klingon.
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The Peladine, one of the also-ran empires in the Alpha Octant, have a playtest pack for SFB up on e23 (http://e23.sjgames.com/item.html?id=ADB7104).
Plus, the latest SFU-themed Starmada file, Distant Armada, has rule (http://e23.sjgames.com/item.html?id=ADB6104-R) and ship (http://e23.sjgames.com/item.html?id=ADB6104-S) files up, too.
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Plus, the latest SFU-themed Starmada file, Distant Armada, has rule (http://e23.sjgames.com/item.html?id=ADB6104-R) and ship (http://e23.sjgames.com/item.html?id=ADB6104-S) files up, too.
Has the Hellbore cannon been presented before? It doesn't sound familiar.
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It's been a staple of the Hydran diet in SFB and FC; it's just new in the Starmada context.
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It's been a staple of the Hydran diet in SFB and FC; it's just new in the Starmada context.
Ah. That's probably why it struck me as initially odd.
Traditionally, I've paid more attention to Stararmada developments. Though, it's been your threads on the rest of the games making up the SFU, that prompted me into returning to SFB, FC, and PD.
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So, is that a good thing (for your gaming life) or a bad thing (for your discretionary expenditure), then?
Hopefully more A than B, I guess!
Also, some playtest updates for SFM:A, as posted by SVC over on the BBS:
THURSDAY 21 JULY: Steve Petrick and I test the Rickerbee scenario using the new bloodier combat table. Worked great, although it led us to a series of questions that the rulebook does not answer about how to handle civilians. We don't have answers for those yet. Things like: should civilians run away when you shoot at them? Should the Fed Marines really be able to force their own civilians to stand there and get killed to delay the Klingons winning the scenario (because the Klingons cannot enter a town hex with a "federation unit" in it)?
FRIDAY 22 JULY: Steve Petrick and I did a mock-up scenario (entire Klingon battalion against one company of Federation-Andorian national guard troops). The Feds were "dug in" on the hill mass south of the town, and the Klingons came in from the west in a massive double-envelopment. This was not a "real scenario" but an effort to test the infantry combat system to the maximum.
NORTH (FED RIGHT): I sent my 3rd platoon out to the north to occupy the town and keep him from getting around me, but only one of the three squads got there in time (and got run over), the other two retreating back to the hill to be reinforce by the reserve (10th) squad. This Klingon company took zero casualties during the whole battle, and this Fed platoon almost got out of the trap, but two squads were trapped trying to get over the hill (I should have stayed on the ridge) and the last squad was shot down (by a Klingon combat engineer unit) as it ran away.
CENTER: The Klingon company in this sector was reinforced with the extra artillery, the artillery borrowed from the fast-moving north company, the extra engineers, and the extra platoon. It fought the hardest battle (30% casualties), right up the main hill into the most heavily defended positions. It eventually destroyed the headquarters bunker, having overrun and destroyed the entire 2nd platoon including the weapons squad and company HQ.
SOUTH (FED LEFT): This sector was a patch of woods about 4x4 hexes. I had two squads dug in, with the third on a reserve position guarding the flank and the commando squad over there because it could move through the woods twice as fast. The Klingon company here took heavy casualties (40%) but eventually squeezed the platoon like a grape. The platoon was trapped trying to retreat through the woods as Klingons moved around the woods and along the ridge. The commando squad almost got out but was cut down on the escape route by an entire Klingon platoon firing a mass volley.
The result: Federation company (13 squads) totally destroyed.
Klingons started with 44 squads and lost 11.
Test was successful, infantry system works correctly, still have to fix the civilians, but now we get to try using vehicles.
I'm looking forward to seeing this one hit the shelves.
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So, is that a good thing (for your gaming life) or a bad thing (for your discretionary expenditure), then?
Hopefully more A than B, I guess!
Oh, definitely a good thing. It's such a joy to be reminded of why I used to love these games so much.
And the near-instant access to past books via e23 makes my attempts to catch up so much easier.
Also, some playtest updates for SFM:A, as posted by SVC over on the BBS:
I'm looking forward to seeing this one hit the shelves.
Will there be any new ships coming in this book?
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I don't think so; SFM:A is intended to focus on squad-level combat on a terrain hex map, though it can be used in tandem with one of the tactical ship combat games, I guess.
(It seems that, so far, the various unit types are common across different empires; a Klingon Marine squad has the same stats as a Federation Marine squad, or has been abstracted out to the same. The key difference is in the orders of battle for each force; how many of this or that unit type such-and-such a battalion uses as standard, and so forth.)
This (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/26987/25371.jpg) is what the countersheet should look like, by the way.
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Okay, so I've a query based on my likelihood of getting back into SFB and/or FC.
Assuming we're taking only the PDFs available for these games through e23 into account... which books would you recommend I purchase in order to "get back into the games" as such?
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Before I answer, someone on the Mongoose boards has posted pics of an early prototype mini (http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=48029). (The current version, which has been re-purposed into the D6, doesn't have that grille in front of the deckhouse.)
I wouldn't mind that material used to represent cloaked versions of the ships, actually...
Okay, now back to the question.
Right now, SFB's entry into the e23 scene is still in its relative infancy; unlike FC and Starmada, there's probably not enough available yet in pdf form in order to get up and running again. There is the Electronic Master Rulebook (http://e23.sjgames.com/item.html?id=ADB5412), yes; but arguably it's more useful alongside the ink-and-paper material out there than anything.
FC, on the other hand, has a more concrete presence online. The Reference Rulebook (http://e23.sjgames.com/item.html?id=ADB4020) incorporates the Main Era rules available at the moment; there are a fair few colour Ship Card packs on the site (though you can find black-and-white versions of many of the cards in the free-to-access Commander's Circle (http://www.starfleetgames.com/federation/Commanders%20Circle/index.shtml)); plus you can go into the Middle Years online, as the various rules (http://e23.sjgames.com/item.html?id=ADB4022G) and ships from Briefing #2 are also up. (The Middle Years ships come 12 to a pack, so cost twice as much as the six-ship-per-pack Main Era files.)
Also, if you feel like trying out something a little different, there is the Omega Playtest Rulebook (http://e23.sjgames.com/item.html?id=ADB4809)... written in part by yours truly (though owing far more to the outstanding graphical work put in by Richard Smith).
EDIT: Andorians (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150256597378280&set=a.297889983279.146185.231728653279&type=1&theater)!
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A third piece of ship art from Xander; this time of the YCA USS Warspite (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150262706953280&set=a.297889983279.146185.231728653279&type=1&theater).
Also, the supplemental file for CL43 (http://e23.sjgames.com/item.html?id=ADB5743-S) is now up on e23.
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I'm really loving the amount of intricate detail evidenced on these SFB product covers.
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I should note that Xander's three ships aren't product covers as such; they are representations of ships that were in that module.
Hopefully they will find a good home someday, though!
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Ten years ago, the ISC brought me in to the Star Fleet Universe; their presence in Starfleet Command 2: Empires at War inspired me to learn more, and my first copy of Captain's Log had a preview of the Concordium for Federation and Empire.
Today, things have come full circle.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/Nerroth/Misc/ISCWar.jpg)
The rulebook is only 54 pages' long; most of the thickness is due to the six countersheets included (five identical sheets with the actual ships, and a sixth with various support counters), with room spare for all sorts of play aids and so forth.
But it's what this product sets in stone for future modules that is perhaps the biggest change it makes. Now that the ISC are fully in, not only can they take their place as the casques bleues of the Alpha Octant; they can help lay the ground work for the civil wars of the post-General War era, and for the Andromedan War to follow. Still, it's kind of odd how such a long wait can be over, and yet one can still be so quick to look forward.
Hopefully, there will be plenty of players gearing up to make the most of what the Inter-Stellar Concordium's arrival on the strategic scene has to offer!
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Will the rules section be available as a PDF from e23?
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It hasn't been confirmed yet whether or not it will be made available on e23.
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Another 3D mini preview; this time of the new mould for the Federation Battlecruiser Kirov (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/27790.html?1313615305).
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I've always liked the 'Battlecruiser' design
Impressive stuff!
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And here's a 2-part video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLgEWIhTMD4&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL) preview (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hogFn_uLmT4&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL) of how Star Fleet Marines: Assault works!
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And here's a 2-part video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLgEWIhTMD4&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL) preview (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hogFn_uLmT4&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL) of how Star Fleet Marines: Assault works!
I'll have to look at these from home, as I can't access YouTube from my present location.
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In the meantime, you couldhave a look at the first pass 3D design for the Klingon F5 (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/27836.html?1314039455).
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are you guys ever going to re-introduce the federation tug ship, with the cannisters you can attach? i always meant to get some but never did, now they're gone and i'm sad :'(
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In the meantime, you couldhave a look at the first pass 3D design for the Klingon F5 (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/27836.html?1314039455).
Can't say I've ever been much of a fan of the F5, but these 3D renderings are starting to make me reconsider that earlier stance.
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are you guys ever going to re-introduce the federation tug ship, with the cannisters you can attach? i always meant to get some but never did, now they're gone and i'm sad :'(
I don't work for ADB, so I couldn't tell you, sorry. (You could ask over on one of their boards, maybe.)
Can't say I've ever been much of a fan of the F5, but these 3D renderings are starting to make me reconsider that earlier stance.
Apparently there will at least be one change (to the disruptors, and possibly to add in the anti-drone racks); it will be interestign to see how they actually look once they are put on the table.
Oh, by the way, the YouTube vids for Marines were slightly fixed (to put in "Star Fleet" instead of "Starfleet"; an important distinction they need to make). The new links are here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S80PiveeChs&feature=feedu) and here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SK-w9Y76ER0&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL).
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A coupel more WIP 3D mini threads; for the Fed Frigate (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/27857.html?1314395254) and Battle Frgate (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/27868.html?1314373589).
Also, the 2011 update to the SFB Omega Master Rulebook is now on e23. (http://e23.sjgames.com/item.html?id=ADB5670) (Something which pleases this Omega fan, naturally!)
Speaking of Omega, Ken Kazinski created a series of numbered hex maps for the Omega Octant, in order to help with the new Omega Gazetteer project (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/12032/27849.html?1314386286); these maps are based on the five maps published on the back covers of the five seperate Omega modules, which hadn't been numbered. You can see the wildly shifting borders of this turbulent corner of the galaxy here (http://www.starfleetgames.com/documents/Omega/OmegaMaps2.pdf).
EDIT: Fed old CL (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/27878.html?1314397056)! Or FRA CL (http://www.starfleetgames.com/documents/Omega/FRA_Light_Cruiser.pdf), in my mind.
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A coupel more WIP 3D mini threads; for the Fed Frigate (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/27857.html?1314395254) and Battle Frgate (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/27868.html?1314373589).
The Battle Frigate has always been an impressive design, and these rendering do it absolute justice.
Also, the 2011 update to the SFB Omega Master Rulebook is now on e23. (http://e23.sjgames.com/item.html?id=ADB5670) (Something which pleases this Omega fan, naturally!)
I've just started reading the "Omega Playtest" rulebook, so the "Master Rulebook" will likely figure into my e23 purchases at some point.
Speaking of Omega, Ken Kazinski created a series of numbered hex maps for the Omega Octant, in order to help with the new Omega Gazetteer project (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/12032/27849.html?1314386286); these maps are based on the five maps published on the back covers of the five seperate Omega modules, which hadn't been numbered. You can see the wildly shifting borders of this turbulent corner of the galaxy here (http://www.starfleetgames.com/documents/Omega/OmegaMaps2.pdf).
Very nice!
...
Not sure whether it's slipped my mind, but what's the "JF" hex marker for at the *south* end of the Vari Combine?
EDIT: Fed old CL (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/27878.html?1314397056)! Or FRA CL (http://www.starfleetgames.com/documents/Omega/FRA_Light_Cruiser.pdf), in my mind.
The Mongoose models are steadily improving.
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The D20M version of PD Federation is now online (http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=90429&filters=0_0_0_0&manufacturers_id=3528), too; with a different style of cover art to that on the GURPS version.
I forgot to ask this back in April, but...
In terms of the Federation RPG books -- and I mean the d20 and GURPS versions -- I've long assumed the source material in both books is essentially the same.
Is it just the rules-sets used in each book which are different?
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JF = Jindarian Freehold. (Usually, the Jindos are fully nomadic; for some reason, the Freehold is the only known permanent territory they play for keeps with. They're quite insistent in that regard, too.)
As far as I'm aware, the two versions of the Federation sourcebook should have the same background data. (The GURPS version might be a little tidier, since it would have a few bits of later errata fed into the file.)
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JF = Jindarian Freehold. (Usually, the Jindos are fully nomadic; for some reason, the Freehold is the only known permanent territory they play for keeps with. They're quite insistent in that regard, too.)
Ah, the Jindarians.
I appreciate the memory-refresh Nerroth.
As far as I'm aware, the two versions of the Federation sourcebook should have the same background data. (The GURPS version might be a little tidier, since it would have a few bits of later errata fed into the file.)
I thought as much.
I'm partial to the GURPS version, even though I like the d20 Modern rules-set.
Maybe I'll just get both. ;D
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A few more tidbits:
*There's another look at how SFM:A plays out in the development topic (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/26987/15918.html?1314736514),
*A look at how the Fed CL compares size-wise (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/27878.html?1314738088) to the new WIP CA model (and a couple of revisions further down the page),
*The first 3D take on the 2500 War Eagle (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/27906.html?1314737779),
*And a shot (http://forum.mongoosepublishing.com/viewtopic.php?f=103&t=48401) of how the WIP 2500 CA compares to its 2400 counterpart. (Not sure how close to the current draft that mini is, though; or if the final version will be metal or resin.)
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That's a nice Romulan...I might get those, if only because I don't have any Rommies yet to look weird next to the new scale, and because I don't want the Romulans to look THAT small compared to the Feddies.
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I love the Romulan design. It has such a sense of simplicity, and yet, there is still the subtle threat of violence that comes when you look at it head-on.
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I like the war eagle as well, and the pic of the prototype mold compared to the 2400 line looks good. I'm definitely ready to see the finished product.
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War Eagle version 2 (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/27933.html?1314977950), and the latest (and possibly close-to-final) versions of the Fed CA (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/27961.html?1315000019), FFG (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/27940.html?1314987878) and FFB (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/27947.html?1314996769).
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War Eagle version 2 (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/27933.html?1314977950), and the latest (and possibly close-to-final) versions of the Fed CA (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/27961.html?1315000019), FFG (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/27940.html?1314987878) and FFB (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/27947.html?1314996769).
Oh, this settles it. Even though I know some of the designs aren't completely finalised, I'm definitely going Romulan.
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A first look at the Fed NCL (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28028.html?1315593422); plus a few painted pics (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/27961.html?1315593591#POST625197) of the prototype CA. As noted in the post, the current version no longer has the etched panels on the secondary hull and nacelles; though the more I think of it, the more that version might make for a good variant mini, perhaps to represent the three old "R" ships (Republic, Reshadije and Ramilles) which were upgraded into CAs from an older design.
EDIT: A provisional look at the cover art for ACtA:SF (http://i934.photobucket.com/albums/ad189/jsexton/ctasfrulebook_1.jpg). (As one of the regulars on the FC forum already noted, the artist should have had the disruptors fire from the nacelle mounts; hopefully that can be fixed in time for publication.)
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Version 2 of the Fed DNG (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28095.html?1316027899) model; plus a whole new take on the Romulan SparrowHawk (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28094.html?1316028486).
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Version 2 of the Fed DNG (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28095.html?1316027899) model; plus a whole new take on the Romulan SparrowHawk (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28094.html?1316028486).
As someone who's new to SFU, I don't know what the old Sparrow Hawks looked like, but that bird's just sexy.
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The old one looked like this (http://www.starfleetgames.com/minis/ROM/Romulan%20SPA.gif).
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Then I have to say its an improvement, digging some model images up shows that the old one was a good starting place, but needed help.
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A first look at the Fed NCL (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28028.html?1315593422); plus a few painted pics (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/27961.html?1315593591#POST625197) of the prototype CA. As noted in the post, the current version no longer has the etched panels on the secondary hull and nacelles; though the more I think of it, the more that version might make for a good variant mini, perhaps to represent the three old "R" ships (Republic, Reshadije and Ramilles) which were upgraded into CAs from an older design.
The images appear to be missing.
EDIT: A provisional look at the cover art for ACtA:SF (http://i934.photobucket.com/albums/ad189/jsexton/ctasfrulebook_1.jpg). (As one of the regulars on the FC forum already noted, the artist should have had the disruptors fire from the nacelle mounts; hopefully that can be fixed in time for publication.)
Agreed on the portrayal of the disruptor firings.
But, still, a neat image regardless of the inconsistencies.
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Version 2 of the Fed DNG (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28095.html?1316027899) model; plus a whole new take on the Romulan SparrowHawk (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28094.html?1316028486).
I count myself among the few who liked the old SparrowHawk, but this new model looks cool as well.
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The images appear to be missing.
The threads seem to have been re-organised on the BBS; if you look on this page (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/27403.html?1316060491), you can find separate headers for the Feds, Klingons and Romulans. (Presumably, other empires' ships will have sub-headings added for them, too.)
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The threads seem to have been re-organised on the BBS; if you look on this page (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/27403.html?1316060491), you can find separate headers for the Feds, Klingons and Romulans. (Presumably, other empires' ships will have sub-headings added for them, too.)
Much appreciated.
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Version 2 of the proposed Fed CC (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28151.html?1316240259) (which may or not work better as the basis for a CB mini instead) along with version 1 of the Klingon C8 (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28140.html?1316239551) dreadnought.
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A few new updates; highlights include the revised Federation CF (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28271.html?1316809532) (version 1 was shown here (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28236.html?1316714598)) and the updated Klingon C8 (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28229.html?1316806392) (which now has the outer engines turned in (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28260.jpg)).
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The Fed Prometheus-class Strike Cruiser has a first look (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28313.html?1317161023); while the Gorns make their 3D entry to the 2500 fray with v1 of the Battlecruiser (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28305.html?1317160986).
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A few new updates; highlights include the revised Federation CF (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28271.html?1316809532) (version 1 was shown here (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28236.html?1316714598)) and the updated Klingon C8 (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28229.html?1316806392) (which now has the outer engines turned in (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28260.jpg)).
The C8 really is a thing of beauty.
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A look at the WIP Romulan FireHawk (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28329.html?1317237538)!
I like the added bulk to the secondary hull, but would personally prefer to see the "head" stretched out a bit more.
EDIT: V1 FastHawk (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28349.html?1317244267) is up, too. Damn, that ship looks good...
EDIT 2: Fed police cutter (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28340.html?1317247522)!
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There's no doubt for me any more. Romulans are the way to go in the new Mongoose game.
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They sure are hogging up a lot of the cool points in this line so far, it seems!
(Actually, one thing I find interesting about the FastHawk is that the etched bird on the ventral hull looks kind of like the outline of a Paravian (http://www.starfleetgames.com/federation/paravian.shtml) mothership. I could almost imagine a history-minded Romulan commander having his ship's "belly bird" painted in Paravian colours, just to taunt any Gorn captains he or she may run into while raiding into Confederation space...)
By the way, I might suggest keeping an eye out for the updates on this product page (http://www.starfleetgames.com/Starline%202500.shtml) for the 2500 series; they have been adding (and revising) the material on there fairly frequently, given the pace at which the images are being sent over to ADB from Mongoose's side of things.
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There's no doubt for me any more. Romulans are the way to go in the new Mongoose game.
Nnn...I prefer the old FASA Romulan ship designs myself...especially the Nova-class battleship...
Ruger
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Nnn...I prefer the old FASA Romulan ship designs myself...especially the Nova-class battleship...
Ruger
I'm not that familiar with the older Romulan designs, since I've been away from the game for some time.
Do you have any links handy that provide images of these older ships?
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Here you go http://home.comcast.net/~ststcsolda/index.html great site for the old game and some nice fan fic ships as well.
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Here you go http://home.comcast.net/~ststcsolda/index.html great site for the old game and some nice fan fic ships as well.
Neato site!
Much appreciated Arvanna.
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A few new Klingon WIP designs, the C7 (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28407.html?1317445277) and FD7 (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28416.html?1317446103); plus the humble shuttlecraft (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28424.html?1317445566) takes a bow.
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Now these images have got me thinking the Klingons might be the way to go.
I just can't decide. :D
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Here you go http://home.comcast.net/~ststcsolda/index.html great site for the old game and some nice fan fic ships as well.
Hogwash!
Imperial Klingon Defense Force??
Hardly a thing a Klingon would want to join! Its called the Imperial Navy! 8)
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Hogwash!
Imperial Klingon Defense Force??
Hardly a thing a Klingon would want to join! Its called the Imperial Navy! 8)
If I recall correctly that's what it was called as of the STNG era.
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If I recall correctly that's what it was called as of the STNG era.
Which is a perfectly good reason to discount it. ;)
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Now these images have got me thinking the Klingons might be the way to go.
I just can't decide. :D
I have to admit, those two ship classes were better than the ones I'd seen before...same with some of the latest Starfleet ships we've been shown...
Ruger
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The Klingon navy in the Star Fleet Universe is referred to as the Deep Space Fleet, or DSF for short. (As an aside, and at the risk of being picky, the difference between "Star Fleet" and "Starfleet" is quite deliberate; one being the term they have to use here, based on how the Technical Manual had it, the other being how the service exists in the Paramount/CBS Franchise.)
One handy thing about the Romulans is that they also use some (but not all) of the Klingon hulls as Kestrels in their own fleet. The Romulans have three generations of hulls; the Eagle-series ships inherited from the pre-tactical-warp days, the Kestrels purchased from the Klingons, and the Hawk-series built to optimise the Romulan use of modern warp technology. Apparently, Mongoose may eventually consider doing dedicated Kestrel versions of the relevant ships, with the weapon mounts and other details adjusted to match; but for now Romulan players would have to make do with the Klingon layouts instead.
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For Romulans, I'll probably stick to the Eagle series, supplemented by some Kestrels. (Will probably stick to 2400-series ships for the Kestrels, to match my existing Klinks.) The Hawks I just can't get into. The art has improved dramatically, but they still look like something designed by a kindergardner to me.
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A WIP look at the Kzinti CL (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28452.html?1317759848), the latest (and probably last) update to the Klingon D7 (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28460.html?1317761438), and the final tweaks to the Fed CF (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28468.html?1317762972).
Also:
SVC wrote: 2:30pm 4 Oct: With the greatest reluctance, the Board has delayed Marines to February because Mongoose is using all available SVC time.
Better late than never, I suppose...
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I've always thought that the D7 just looks really cool. 8)
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any idea if they're going to do Tholians in this new scale? i don't play SFB, but i have some starline 2400 tholian ships for Full thrust. i'd been planning to expand to a complete fleet. if new scuplt tholians are coming, i might wait for those (thankfully tholian ships are fairly scale-neutral).
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For Romulans, I'll probably stick to the Eagle series, supplemented by some Kestrels. (Will probably stick to 2400-series ships for the Kestrels, to match my existing Klinks.) The Hawks I just can't get into. The art has improved dramatically, but they still look like something designed by a kindergardner to me.
If you actually played Romulans, you'd sing a different tune. The Hawk series could look like enormous turds for all it matters for how much ridiculous ass they beat. The SparrowHawk makes a Federation Heavy Cruiser look like a busted junker. The FireHawk is a monsterous beast. There's a reason the patrol scenario rules limit Romulan command cruisers as if they were Battlecruisers.
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A WIP look at the Kzinti CL (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28452.html?1317759848), the latest (and probably last) update to the Klingon D7 (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28460.html?1317761438), and the final tweaks to the Fed CF (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28468.html?1317762972).
Oooo! I like the CL. And it's nice to see the Kzinti updates too.
Also:
SVC wrote: 2:30pm 4 Oct: With the greatest reluctance, the Board has delayed Marines to February because Mongoose is using all available SVC time.
Better late than never, I suppose...
Probably. Though I've been really set on playing Marines.
Still, the delay should provide for more focused development time. I hope.
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any idea if they're going to do Tholians in this new scale? i don't play SFB, but i have some starline 2400 tholian ships for Full thrust. i'd been planning to expand to a complete fleet. if new scuplt tholians are coming, i might wait for those (thankfully tholian ships are fairly scale-neutral).
The Starline 2500 series seems to be basing itself on the ships set for the first wave of A Call to Arms: Star Fleet; which itself is based on the modules (and associated Squadron Boxes from the older Starline 2400 miniature range) as released in Federation Commander.
The core book for ACtA:SF will have the same ships as the first four FC modules (Klingon Border, Klingon Attack, Romulan Border and Romulan Attack); which will basically mean good-to-go fleets for five empires (Feds, Klingons, Romulans, Kzintis, and Gorns) and a handful of sample ships for two more (Tholians and Orions).
Now, if Mongoose follow the same template for subsequent waves of miniature releases (big if right now; time will tell), they would have room for the rest of the Tholians (and Neo-Tholians and Seltorians) in whichever ACtA book would incorporate the ships from FC: Tholian Attack.
Although, once the series gets more established, the option is there for them to take things in other directions (i.e. to not stick so closely to the FC template); though they need to get the first batch out the door before they can get too far ahead of themselves...
If you actually played Romulans, you'd sing a different tune. The Hawk series could look like enormous turds for all it matters for how much ridiculous ass they beat. The SparrowHawk makes a Federation Heavy Cruiser look like a busted junker. The FireHawk is a monsterous beast. There's a reason the patrol scenario rules limit Romulan command cruisers as if they were Battlecruisers.
The issue here may be how well the differences between the Eagles, Kestrels and Hawks will come across in the new game engine.
I'm not familiar with how differently the three classes fly in Starmada, but Federation Commander for one has had a lot of problems with trying to get plasma right; which in turn has had a negative effect on Gorn and Romulan fleets (but not ISC ones; the PPD as re-constituted in FC more than helps).
I'm hoping that the adaptation to A Call to Arms will avoid this kind of issue, and give all three series the kind of room they each need to breathe.
By the way, MadCap, how are you liking the 2500 take on the Hawk-series ships so far?
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1 - Looking nice
2 - Did I just miss something, or is Star Fleet Games doing yet another edition of their rules? I like to play Star Fleet Battles using the Star Fleet Battles rules. I'm beginning to feel that's kind of strange.
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They signed a deal with Mongoose earlier this year, which will produce three product lines; a Star Fleet Universe adaptation of A Call to Arms (http://www.starfleetgames.com/Call%20To%20Arms.shtml), a Mongoose Traveller adaptation of the Prime Directive RPG system (http://www.starfleetgames.com/Traveller%20Prime%20Directive.shtml), and the Starline 2500 miniature line (http://www.starfleetgames.com/Starline%202500.shtml) (which Mongoose may or may not create their own working name for).
(It seems that rule-wise, the Mongoose guys are handling ActA:SF, while ADB have people working on T:PD on their end. With Starline 2500, Mongoose have the 3D designers and production setup, but ADB have the final say on each mini design; precisely because they want to make sure that players of games like SFB and FC will have minis compatible with their games of choice. If you look at the feedback on the ADB BBS (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/27403.html?1317798224), by far the most pressing comments are from SFB grognards.)
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(It seems that rule-wise, the Mongoose guys are handling ActA:SF, while ADB have people working on T:PD on their end. With Starline 2500, Mongoose have the 3D designers and production setup, but ADB have the final say on each mini design.)
Does that mean SFG will be discontinuing their in-house range of miniatures?
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I just edited in a few other details in the previous post; but they say that so long as people want to buy Starline 2400 minis, they will be made available to them. They don't seem to expect the demand for those to dry up any time soon, if ever.
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Looks like no plans at present for the Lyrans, then?
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Looks like no plans at present for the Lyrans, then?
As they were an expansion faction, I expect they'd be held for the second wave in this as well.
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In Federation Commander, the Lyrans (in both Star Empire and Democratic Republic flavours) were offered alongside the Hydrans and WYNs in the Distant Kingdoms and Hydran Attack modules. (In Starmada, the ships from both were combined for the Distant Armada module.)
Once the first book is out for A Call to Arms: Star Fleet, I imagine the question of which combination of modules get drawn from for book two's ship list will become a lot more active; though I would be surprised if at least one (if not both) FC modules' worth of Lyran/LDR ships weren't added to the mix. Not that I'm in any sort of position to say as much, mind you; that's just my own guess.
As an aside, the more I think of it, the more parallels I find between the Lyrans in that franchise to the ones in this. Both are roughly located in the same corner of known space in their respective segments of the galaxy (http://starfleetgames.com/ArtGallery/images/Xander%20Fulton%20Art/map_wallpaper.jpg), both have major long-term enemies to the "south (http://www.starfleetgames.com/federation/hydran.shtml)" and "north-east (http://www.federationcommander.com/kzinti.shtml)" flanks respectively, both had gobbled up territory belonging to a smaller rival (http://www.federationcommander.com/carnivon.shtml) who had hitherto been parked to the "north-west" back in the day, both have troubles with secessionist movements in their "south-east" corners, and both made the most progress against their fiercest rivals when forming a grand coalition with a more militarilly powerful ally...
Oh, and there is an edit to the FireHawk's RX phaser arc up (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28477.html?1317844710), plus v2 of the Fed NCF is also up (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28482.html?1317847943).
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Did you really just make an analogy that equates the Davions to the Klingons, and the Dracs to the United Federation of Planets?! That's......pretty cool! I guess that makes the Capellans the Tholians. I can dig that.
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Actually, I was associating the Dracs with the Kzintis...
EDIT: v2 2500 Fed POL (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28491.html?1317849727).
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Actually, I was associating the Dracs with the Kzintis...
Shhhh......don't ruin this for me. ;)
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As a peace offering, might I interest you in v2 of the FastHawk (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28499.html?1317851552)? (And a v2 Fed CS (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28501.html?1317851585) to chuck plasma at?) Or maybe the final fix to the SparrowHawk (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28503.html?1317853811).
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Did you really just make an analogy that equates the Davions to the Klingons, and the Dracs to the United Federation of Planets?! That's......pretty cool! I guess that makes the Capellans the Tholians. I can dig that.
I'd think the Klingons might feel pretty insulted over that. 8)
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I'd think the Klingons might feel pretty insulted over that. 8)
Why? The Duras family could easily be mistaken for the Haseks. ;D
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A running count of ships being worked on for the first wave of Starline 2500 minis is up here (http://www.starfleetgames.com/federation/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?p=51360#51360):
2500 PROJECT PHASE 1: 6 OCT 5PM
TOTAL SHIPS TO BE DONE: 66
STATUS OF PROJECT: 49%
DONE: 23
Fed CA, BCH(G, J, F), OLD CL, FF(FFG), FFB, CC, DNG(DNF), NCL, NCA(NCC), DW, CF, CS, NCF, POL
Klingon: C8, D6, D7(D7C),
Romulan: WE, SN, SPH, FH(NH), FFH,
General: Shuttlecraft.
STARTED: 19
Klingon: F5, E4, D5, D5W, C7, FD7$.
Romulan: SKH$, CON, BH, KE,
Gorn: BC(CC), DD, CL, HDD, CM(CS), DN, FAST BC, BDD,
Kzinti: CL,
$ = likely to be approved tomorrow.
NOT STARTED: 24
Romulan: RH.
Gorn: BCH.
Kzinti: BC(CC), FAST BC, FF, DN, BCH, CM, NCA(NCC), DW.
Tholian: PC, DD, CA.
Orion: CR, LR, SAL.
Civilian: Large freighter (FL), small freighter (FS), heavy freighter (ore carrier)(FH), free trader (FT), mobile base (MB), battle station (BATS), starbase (SB), armed priority transport (APT).
The ones in parentheses indicate the other ship classes for that empire the first-wave model can stand in as; in the case of the Kestrels (Klingon-built Romulan ships) there may or may not be dedicated KR minis in the future, but for now Romulan players would have to make do with the basic Klingon versions instead.
There are a few more ships being shown as previews, too; mainly for the Gorns (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28304.html?1317994003).
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WIP Klingon D5 (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28606.html?1318036439) and D5W (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28582.html?1318036876), plus v1 of the Romulan King Eagle (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28598.html?1318049985) and Condor (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28634.html?1318051452). (I hope they do something about that sphere-prow on the latter...)
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WIP Klingon D5 (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28606.html?1318036439) and D5W (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28582.html?1318036876), plus v1 of the Romulan King Eagle (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28598.html?1318049985) and Condor (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28634.html?1318051452). (I hope they do something about that sphere-prow on the latter...)
It does look rather odd, now that I've seen this latest rendering. Perhaps it's just the lack of specific detail on the sphere?
...
Of these latest images, though, I'm loving the King Eagle. While it is just such a simplistic design... it's enough to provide a hint of the secret deadliness of the Romulans.
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Pics are up for v2 of the WIP Klingon E4 (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28664.html?1318270817) and v2 of the Gorn HDD (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28672.html?1318284810l); plus Mongoose have a fresh blog entry about A Call to Arms: Star Fleet (http://blog.mongoosepublishing.co.uk/?p=63)!
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I'm not sure why, but I just can't find anything I like about the Gorn designs. ???
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Well, you do seem to be leaning towards the Romulans; in that case, a healthy dislike of all things Gorn-related would be par for the course...
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Well, you do seem to be leaning towards the Romulans; in that case, a healthy dislike of all things Gorn-related would be par for the course...
More than likely.
Looking over some of the additional Gorn-designs, though, maybe I misspoke earlier. I think my initial dislike may have been founded on the fact that I've never really bothered with the Gorn in the past, when I was playing SFB years ago.
Perhaps with additional new designs, I'll start to shift my perspective and grow used to them as a legitimate alternative to the Romulans.
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A few more updates; the Gorns have revised takes on the BC (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28713.html?1318363564) and DD (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28706.html?1318356454), while the Romulans get a re-done BattleHawk (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28728.html?1318363652) and a Condor with a not-so-Spheroid boom (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28721.html?1318364421). Plus there's the first takes on the Kzinti BC (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28731.html?1318364240) and BCH (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28740.html?1318367042).
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The revised Condor looks good, as does the battlehawk.
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Clan Cloaking Condor seems to benefit from eschewing its former Spheroid attributes, indeed...
(The King Eagle has a few final edits (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28747.jpg), too.)
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A few more updates; the Gorns have revised takes on the BC (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28713.html?1318363564) and DD (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28706.html?1318356454), while the Romulans get a re-done BattleHawk (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28728.html?1318363652) and a Condor with a not-so-Spheroid boom (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28721.html?1318364421). Plus there's the first takes on the Kzinti BC (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28731.html?1318364240) and BCH (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28740.html?1318367042).
Oh, the BattleHawk is definitely going to be a piece in my collection.
The Condor ain't bad either. ;D
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And nor is this (http://www.starfleetgames.com/ArtGallery/images/Xander%20Fulton%20Art/race_to_a_distant_world.jpg)!
DIT: v1 Kzinti FF (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28751.html?1318446666).
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The first Tholian design emerges from the auto-forges; v1 of the PC (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28770.html?1318452069). I agree with those on the BBS who say she's a bit big, though.
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The first Tholian design emerges from the auto-forges; v1 of the PC (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28770.html?1318452069). I agree with those on the BBS who say she's a bit big, though.
Now they're teasing me with the Tholians?
Seriously, I'm going to quickly run out of gold pieces with all the cool ships I will likely be picking up! :D
[I'm inclined to also agree on the size issue, as well. I don't think these Tholian designs really convey the deadliness of the species when they're this big.]
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A couple of the guys on the BBS were saying that bringing it down to 90% of its current size might work better, and I'd be inclined to agree with that. Whether or not ADB and Mongoose agree will be another matter.
Oh, did you have a look at the blog entry I linked to a few posts back, with the info about ACtA:SF?
EDIT: v1 Kzinti DN (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28786.html?1318531131)!
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A couple of the guys on the BBS were saying that bringing it down to 90% of its current size might work better, and I'd be inclined to agree with that. Whether or not ADB and Mongoose agree will be another matter.
I'd be inclined to say between 80-and-90%, really.
Oh, did you have a look at the blog entry I linked to a few posts back, with the info about ACtA:SF?
Not yet. It's quite thorough, judging from my earlier skimming-thru, and I really would like to read it properly.
EDIT: v1 Kzinti DN (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28786.html?1318531131)!
It really is "The Beast."
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Okay, THAT'S badass. Do I even want to know how many drones it can put out?
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The first Tholian design emerges from the auto-forges; v1 of the PC (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28770.html?1318452069). I agree with those on the BBS who say she's a bit big, though.
definately too big. looks wrong that big.
so 4 weapons on the bow? that based on the game stats? because i'd have guessed three in a triangle..
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There have been a fair few more Kzinti updates. Rather than link to them all, I might refer to the Kzinti sub-heading on the BBS (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28399.html?1318624092), and refer directly to the two new ships added today; the CM (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28825.html?1318620522) and NCA (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28833.html?1318624092).
And to v2 of the FF (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28817.html?1318621532).
Okay, THAT'S badass. Do I even want to know how many drones it can put out?
Only six a turn...
definately too big. looks wrong that big.
so 4 weapons on the bow? that based on the game stats? because i'd have guessed three in a triangle..
It is; the PC has 4 in the bow.
EDIT: A few pics of what should be the finalised D6 (http://www.starfleetgames.com/Starline%202500%20Klingon.shtml#D6) have been posted up!
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The Orion Pirates are inbound; v1s of the Raider Cruiser (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28858.html?1318706224), Light Raider (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28850.html?1318705047) and Salvage Cruiser (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28866.html?1318706067) to be pored over.
And a nice Small Freighter (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28874.html?1318706947) to act as bait.
As noted by SVC yesterday, things are entering the home stretch for the first wave of 2500s:
Sandrine's schedule/plan: She plans to work Saturday and Sunday and finish all of the ships by then. Next week, she won't have anything to do but fixes.
There are 15 ships not started (Gorn BCF, Rom NH, two Tholians, three Orions, eight civilians, one other I cannot remember. I don't see how she's going to do it, but she intends to try.
The faster she gets info, the better. Mongoose wants ALL ships FINISH and APPROVED by noon Texas Time Friday Oct 21. They need that long to cast them, overnight them to two guys painting them, and photograph them for the rulebook that must go to press the 31st.
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The Orion designs are consistently solid, with a lot of reliability built right into their frames.
I particularly like the Salvage Cruiser. Not sure about the Freighter, though. Something about the design of the forward section is just distracting me a little.
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Large Freighter (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28912.html?1318807940), Ore Carrier (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28920.html?1318808003), Mobile Base (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28904.html?1318810220), Tholian CA (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28896.html?1318806251), and an as-things-stand list:
2500 PROJECT PHASE 1: 16 OCT 5-PM
TOTAL SHIPS TO BE DONE: 66
STATUS OF PROJECT: 68.2%
DONE: 32
Fed (all): CA, BCH(G, J, F), OLD CL, FF(FFG), FFB,
CC, DNG(DNF), NCL, NCA(NCC), DW,
CF, CS, NCF, POL
Klingon (all): C8, D6, D7(D7C), FD7, F5, C7, D5, D5W, E4.
Romulan: WE, SN, SPH, FH(NH), FFH, SKH, KE, BH,
General: Shuttlecraft.
IN PROGRESS: 26
Romulan: CON,
Gorn: BC(CC), DD, CL, HDD, CM(CS), DN, BCF, BDD,
Kzinti: CL, BC(CC), BCH, FF, DN, DW, CM, NCA(NCC),
Tholian: PC, CA,
Orion: CR, LR, SAL.
General: small freighter (FS), Large freighter (FL), heavy freighter (ore carrier)(FH), mobile base (MB),
NOT STARTED: 8
Romulan: RH (just need an engine pack).
Gorn: BCH (see my drawing).
Kzinti: FAST BC (eliminate wings, save wingtips).
Tholian: DD (see drawings why this IS needed).
General (4): free trader (FT), battle station (BATS), starbase (SB), armed priority transport (APT).
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given the scale change between starline 2400 and 2500, how big is that mobile base compared to the old tugs? i avoided buying one because i didn't like the starline 2400 "half size' convention (i figured if i ever wanted to make one for full thrust i'd use some of the sparepods i had from the random parts bag). this one looks a lot nicer, but i wonder how the scale compares to the old tugs..
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I'm not sure; you could ask one of the regulars over on the BBS about it once the new releases start making their way into some of their mini collections...
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I'm really happy with the CA design.
Even if I don't go with the Tholians for my games, I'm picking up this ship as a collector piece.
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Tholian DD (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28940.html?1318882357), Civilian Free Trader (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28933.html?1318879754) and Armed Priority Transport (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28960.html?1318887535), and General Battlestation (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28951.html?1318882385).
And also, a couple of notes from SVC:
2500 PROJECT PHASE 1: 17 OCT 5-PM
TOTAL SHIPS TO BE DONE: 65
STATUS OF PROJECT: 78.0%
DONE: 39
Fed (all): CA, BCH(G, J, F), OLD CL, FF(FFG), FFB,
CC, DNG(DNF), NCL, NCA(NCC), DW,
CF, CS, NCF, POL
Klingon (all): C8, D6, D7(D7C), FD7, F5, C7, D5, D5W, E4.
Romulan: WE, SN, SPH, FH(NH), FFH, SKH, KE, BH,
Kzinti: CL,
Gorn: BC(CC), DD, CL, DN, BDD,
General: Shuttlecraft, Frtr-Sm,
IN PROGRESS: 25
Romulan: CON, RH.
Gorn: HDD, CM(CS), BCF,
Kzinti: BC(CC), BCH, FF, DN, DW, CM, NCA(NCC), BCF
Tholian: PC, CA, DD.
Orion: CR, LR, SAL.
General: freighter-L, freighter-H, mobile base, free trader,
BATS, APT.
NOT STARTED: 1
Gorn: BCH.
Starbase is in the second batch, not the first one. Sorry for confused record keeping.
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Just saying "Tholian Destroyer" sends uncomfortable nerve impulses down my spine.
These images only further serve to reinforce that.
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I rather like that Tholian DD... though I thought the old DD was two PC welded end to end... or was the the war destroyer? I know the CA was two welded sided to side and the DN was the three in a triangle...
Ooooh, I do so love the lego construction mindset of the Tholians.
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I thought this was the old 2400 DD (http://store.starfleetstore.com/merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=S&Product_Code=0704-1&Category_Code=TM)?
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I thought this was the old 2400 DD (http://store.starfleetstore.com/merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=S&Product_Code=0704-1&Category_Code=TM)?
yep. from what i understand, it's basically several PC's disected and bolted together to produce something with thicker vanes.
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The DD is really more of a "thicked-out" PC; the one-PC-welded-into-the-back-half-of-another is the war cruiser.
More Starline 2500 updates; V1 of the Romulan RoyalHawk (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/29000.html?1319001649), a fresh revision of the Gorn Fast Battlecruiser (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28988.html?1318997001), and... stuff.
2500 PROJECT PHASE 1: 18 OCT 7-PM
TOTAL SHIPS TO BE DONE: 65
STATUS OF PROJECT: 84.6%
DONE: 45
Fed (all): CA, BCH(G, J, F), OLD CL, FF(FFG), FFB,
CC, DNG(DNF), NCL, NCA(NCC), DW,
CF, CS, NCF, POL
Klingon (all): C8, D6, D7(D7C), FD7, F5, C7, D5, D5W, E4.
Romulan: WE, SN, SPH, FH(NH), FFH, SKH, KE, BH, CON,
Kzinti: CL, BC(CC), FF, BCH,
Gorn: BC(CC), DD, CL, DN, BDD, HDD,
General: Shuttlecraft, Frtr-Sm, Frtr-L,
PENDING APPROVAL: 2
Romulan: RH.
Gorn: BCF.
IN PROGRESS: 18
Gorn: CM(CS)[Prob], BCH[10MinFix].
Kzinti: DN[Prob], DW[5MinFix], CM[5MinFix], NCA(NCC)[5MinFix], BCF[Prob]
Tholian: PC[5MinFix], CA[Prob], DD[5MinFix].
Orion: CR[5MinFix], LR[5MinFix], SAL[5MinFix].
General: Frtr-H[5MinFix], MobBas[10MinFix], FrTrdr[10MinFix], BATS[10MinFix], APT[5MinFix].
NOT STARTED: 0
Plus, the second blog entry (http://blog.mongoosepublishing.co.uk/?p=73) with details for how A Call to Arms: Star Fleet works. (The first is here (http://blog.mongoosepublishing.co.uk/?p=63), if you missed it.)
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The last two ships on the list; the Kzinti Fast Battlecruiser (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/29065.html?1319057094) and the Gorn Heavy Battlecruiser (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/29039.html?1319054041).
2500 PROJECT PHASE 1: 19 OCT 4-PM
TOTAL SHIPS TO BE DONE: 65
STATUS OF PROJECT: 96.1%
DONE: 60
Fed (all 14): CA, BCH(G, J, F), OLD CL, FF(FFG), FFB,
CC, DNG(DNF), NCL, NCA(NCC), DW,
CF, CS, NCF, POL
Klingon (all 9): C8, D6, D7(D7C), FD7, F5, C7, D5, D5W, E4.
Romulan (all 10): WE, SN, SPH, FH(NH), FFH, SKH, KE, BH, CON, RH.
Kzinti (8): CL, BC(CC), DN, FF, BCH, DW, CM, NCA(NCC),
Gorn (7): BC(CC), DD, CL, DN, BDD, HDD, BCF,
General (all 8): Shuttlecraft, Frtr-Sm, Frtr-L, APT, Frtr-H, FrTrdr, MobBas, BATS.
Tholian (2): PC, DD.
Orion (2): CR, LR,
PENDING APPROVAL:
Gorn: CM(CS)[posted].
IN PROGRESS: 4
Gorn: BCH[posted].
Kzinti: BCF[posted].
Tholian: CA[posted].
Orion: SAL[5MinFix].
NOT STARTED: 0
The finish line beckons!
Alos, check these (http://www.starfleetgames.com/ArtGallery/images/Xander%20Fulton%20Art/fasthawk_resuppying_116BD7.jpg) pics (http://www.starfleetgames.com/ArtGallery/images/Xander%20Fulton%20Art/what_happened,_here.jpg) out.
EDIT: The first sample production minis (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/29073.jpg)!
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I'm gonna be running a D20 Modern game in Abilene this Saturday, and there will be the down-loadable SFB demo available for people who wanna try it. Abilene's MCM Elegante from 10am to 5pm.
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That's a shame. I can't access the images for the RoyalHawk.
...
I'll have to peruse those later production minis images you linked to later, because my current location won't load them up properly.
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Sorry if I missed it but did they preview the B-10? If so, will it be as massively gigantic as the original to the point where it won't be able to be in formation with any ship, especially in an end to end encounter.
I would greatly enjoy it if the boom of my B-10 would stop trying to fornicate with anything that comes near it.
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That's a shame. I can't access the images for the RoyalHawk.
Is this link (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/29012.html?1318979461) better?
Sorry if I missed it but did they preview the B-10?
No B10 so far.
The first several waves of Starline 2500 releases are/will be keyed to the pre-existing Squadron Boxes done in the current Starline 2400 metal range for Federation Commander; the order in which they get done depends on which four FC modules' worth of ships get put into which book for A Call to Arms: Star Fleet.
In the case of the B10, that ship was included along with a number of other BBs, plus the Starbase and Seltorian Battlewagon, in FC: Battleships Attack (http://www.starfleetgames.com/federation/battleships_attack.shtml); so whichever ACtA:SF book incorporates the various units from that module will see the B10 included as part of its corresponding wave of new miniatures.
(If, say, it ends up in book three, we'll see it as part of wave 3. Which wave it will end up being in has yet to be decided.)
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No B10 so far.
The first several waves of Starline 2500 releases are/will be keyed to the pre-existing Squadron Boxes done in the current Starline 2400 metal range for Federation Commander; the order in which they get done depends on which four FC modules' worth of ships get put into which book for A Call to Arms: Star Fleet.
In the case of the B10, that ship was included along with a number of other BBs, plus the Starbase and Seltorian Battlewagon, in FC: Battleships Attack (http://www.starfleetgames.com/federation/battleships_attack.shtml); so whichever ACtA:SF book incorporates the various units from that module will see the B10 included as part of its corresponding wave of new miniatures.
(If, say, it ends up in book three, we'll see it as part of wave 3. Which wave it will end up being in has yet to be decided.)
Well good, that at least lets me start praying ahead of time for a smaller miniature than the old series. Custom bases to try and get the Klingon Dreadnaughts and Battleships to fly in formation with other ships is always a pain.
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Given that the 2500 line is larger than the 2400s across the board, that might be a forlorn hope... (Although, since these ships are in resin instead of metal, they will be much lighter; plus they will likely have the adjustable small (http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/miniatures/noble-armada/flying-bases-small-x-6.html) and large (http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/miniatures/noble-armada/flying-bases-large-x-5.html) flying bases Mongoose currently use for their ACtA:NA minis.)
Also, as of earlier today, the last part of wave 1 is in the can (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/27403.html?1319148901#POST632441).
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ADB's posting pictures of the Federation Heavy Command Cruiser. Looks like a good start for wave 2.
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The CB (http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150351207818280.366697.231728653279&type=1) is actually a bonus ship; no word yet on how Mongoose want to make it available. (The stats for it won't be in the ACtA:SF book, but should be made available separately.)
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Burke vs Ramius (http://blog.mongoosepublishing.co.uk/?p=75), with pics of painted minis.
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Read that, and the pics looked really good. Kinda wish they were bigger (pics, not minis).
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Constitution vs Kirov (http://blog.mongoosepublishing.co.uk/?p=82).
I wish those pics had been taken with a darker background...
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Did he say free connie?
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Where did you see that?
Anyway, a couple more pics of the Fed CB (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/29133.html?1320434937); showing it with the same mini-warp engine under the saucer that the 2500 BC has! Hooray.
Also, on e23, the SFB Basic Set SSDs (http://e23.sjgames.com/item.html?id=ADB5501-3) have just been updated to the current standard, with Crawford Boxes, more refit details, etc. I think they will be doing the first print run for refgular shipments soon, too.
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That definitely is a beautiful CA and BC. Might be nice to be able to retire some of the older CAs and BCs in my collection now...
And did they really update all the SSDs? Does that mean my older SSDs are no longer good? What changed?
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The actual ships are still, more or less, the same; the main differences are in the details (http://federationcommander.blogspot.com/2011/11/basic-set-ssd-book-update.html).
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The actual ships are still, more or less, the same; the main differences are in the details (http://federationcommander.blogspot.com/2011/11/basic-set-ssd-book-update.html).
Oh boy... sounds nice. Forgive me for being a bit behind the times... this means I am going to have to get a new basic set now and replace the ancient, torn up, coffee stained books I have had since forever?
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If your older books are still from the Captain's Edition, you could probably look out for the errata files (http://www.starfleetgames.com/sfb/errata/erratoc.shtml) over on the ADB website; but anything from the Commander's Edition or older would be much more likely to be out of date.
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If your older books are still from the Captain's Edition, you could probably look out for the errata files (http://www.starfleetgames.com/sfb/errata/erratoc.shtml) over on the ADB website; but anything from the Commander's Edition or older would be much more likely to be out of date.
Thanks for the errata link, appreciate it.
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No problem.
ADB's blog has a new post (http://federationcommander.blogspot.com/2011/11/about-call-to-arms-star-fleet.html) from one of the senior playtesters for ACtA:SF about the game; Mongoose should hopefully be updating their own blog next week.
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ACtA:SF Klingon preview (http://blog.mongoosepublishing.co.uk/?p=88).
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OOooooooh! I have to say the D-7 looks fantastic!
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Were the old D6 and D7 miniatures as different as these two are? I don't seem to recall that being the case.
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Were the old D6 and D7 miniatures as different as these two are? I don't seem to recall that being the case.
not going by the images i've seen. from those, the difference seems to be fairly minor, slightly different curves mainly.
i suspect the company is taking advantage of 3D modelling and the slightly larger figures to add additional detail, making each model more distinct.
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There was no separate D6 mini in the 2400 line; this is the first time the two hulls are being separated out. (I wouldn't be surprised to see some players using the new D6 as a "tri-video" D7 anyway.)
There are a few more pics on the Starline 2500 (http://www.starfleetgames.com/Starline%202500.shtml) section of the ADB website, too; including a sub-page (http://www.starfleetgames.com/Starline%202500%20Models%20to%20Minis.shtml) showing the 3D models and the painted minis side-by-side.
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There was no separate D6 mini in the 2400 line; this is the first time the two hulls are being separated out. (I wouldn't be surprised to see some players using the new D6 as a "tri-video" D7 anyway.)%20to%20Minis.shtml]sub-page[/url]
OK I did remember right! I thought the miniature was often referredto as a " D6/7 ".
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Some Eagle-series Romulan minis (http://www.starfleetgames.com/Starline%202500%20Romulan%20Miniatures.shtml), plus a Mongoose blog entry (http://blog.mongoosepublishing.co.uk/?p=101) talking about (some of) them. As with the D6/D7, this is the first time there will be separate miniatures for the War Eagle and King Eagle.
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Some Eagle-series Romulan minis (http://www.starfleetgames.com/Starline%202500%20Romulan%20Miniatures.shtml), plus a Mongoose blog entry (http://blog.mongoosepublishing.co.uk/?p=101) talking about (some of) them. As with the D6/D7, this is the first time there will be separate miniatures for the War Eagle and King Eagle.
Pretty. Definitely liking the change for the King Eagle.
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The first Hawk-series pics (http://blog.mongoosepublishing.co.uk/?p=109)!
I'm sure opposing Gorn captains would feel a bit uncomfortable with the Paravian-like look of that FastHawk's belly bird...)
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Those are just fabulous.
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The first Hawk-series pics (http://blog.mongoosepublishing.co.uk/?p=109)!
I'm sure opposing Gorn captains would feel a bit uncomfortable with the Paravian-like look of that FastHawk's belly bird...)
I adore the look of the Condors.
Good stuff!
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A quote from over on the ADB BBS (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/27403.html?1321333609#POST634620) about the first wave of mini boxes:
Star Fleet Box Sets
Squadron Box #1, The Federation, $29.99 30002
Frigate
Light Cruiser
Dreadnought
Heavy Cruiser
Battlecruiser
++
Squadron Box #2, Klingons, $29.99 30003
C8 Dreadnought
D6 Heavy Cruiser
D7 Battlecruiser
C7 Heavy Cruiser
F5 Frigate
++
Squadron Box #9, Romulans, $29.99 30004
Condor
SkyHawk
BattleHawk
Kestral KR (Klingon D6 Heavy Cruiser)
War Eagle
++
Squadron Box #9A, Cloaked Romulans, $39.99 30005
Cloaked Condor
Cloaked SkyHawk
Cloaked Battle Hawk
Cloaked Kestral KR (Klingon D6 Heavy Cruiser)
Cloaked War Eagle
Federation Fleet Box Set, $99.99 30006
Mini Rulebook
Frigate x2
Light Cruiser x2
Battle Frigate
Strike Cruiser
Dreadnought
Heavy Cruiser x2
Battlecruiser
Fast Cruiser
New Fast Cruiser
New Heavy Cruiser
New Light Cruiser
War Destroyer
Police Cutter
Shuttles x6
++
Klingon Fleet Box Set, $99.99 30007
Mini Rulebook
C8 Dreadnought
D6 Heavy Cruiser x2
D7 Battlecruiser x2
C7 Heavy Cruiser x2
F5 Frigate x3
D5W Heavy Cruiser
FD7 Fast Cruiser
E4 Light Frigate x2
D5 War Cruiser x2
Shuttles x6
++
Romulan Fleet Box Set Mini Rulebook, $99.99 30008
Condor
SkyHawk
Battle Hawk x3
Kestral KR (Klingon D6 Heavy Cruiser)
War Eagle
FireHawk
SparrowHawk
King Eagle
FastHawk
RoyalHawk
KF5R (Klingon F5 Frigate)
KC9R (Klingon C8 Dreadnought)
Snipe x2
Shuttles x6
The SkyHawk and FireHawk are up on the Romulan mini page (http://www.starfleetgames.com/Starline%202500%20Romulan%20Miniatures.shtml) now, too.
And there's a sample page (http://www.starfleetgames.com/documents/Mongoose/ACtoA_SF_page_82.pdf) from the ACtA:SF rulebook, too.
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The first batch of pre-orders are up on the Mongoose site, with UK (http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/miniatures/ctastarfleet.html) and US (http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/us/miniatures/ctastarfleet.html) flavo(u)rs.
(A couple of the entries have new galleries, too; such as this one for the Fed DNG (http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/miniatures/ctastarfleet/federation-class-dreadnought.html) and CS (http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/miniatures/ctastarfleet/prometheus-class-strike-cruiser.html).)
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Forgive me for not seeing it if it is on the site or earlier in the thread. Wondering this... are they going to bring carriers into this? If drones are being changed into just another direct fire weapons platform (which makes the idea of the Kzinti SDF/DF frigate squadrons terrifying if there is remotely anywhere close to Type IV drones in this.), how are they going to handle the carrier fleets?
That would make the Federation fighters some of the most terrifying weapons ever since they carry incredible drone loads (as if I needed to cower in fear of the F-14 and 15 even more).
And any indication how long till Lyrans and Hydrans see the light of day?
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The answers to all of the above all have to do with one key point to remember; the main template for conversion which seems to be in play for A Call to Arms: Star Fleet is not SFB itself, but rather Federation Commander (http://www.starfleetgames.com/federation/).
The "vanilla" version of the FC ruleset pares things down from SFB somewhat. Ship Cards do not incorporate the kind of refit options you see on Star Fleet Battles SSDs; the Main Era (i.e. General War) ships are presented with certain refits already incorporated, while the unrefitted hulls are separated out into Middle Years Ship Cards presented elsewhere. It only has one standard type of drone (in terms of size and warhead; there are allowances for "slow" and "fast" drones in certain eras), and has no true carriers; the only fighters in the game thus far are Hydran Stingers (Stinger-1s in the Middle Years, Stinger-2s in the Main Era). Also, the various Alpha Octant empires are allocated to specific game modules in FC, and have various Squadron Boxes in the metal Starline 2400 range (which Mongoose are committed to re-producing in 2500) to match.
For example, the ships in the first ACtA:SF book are the same as those in the FC: Klingon Border, Klingon Attack, Romulan Border and Romulan Attack modules (and the associated booster packs); while the first twelve Squadron Boxes which Mongoose are doing have the very same ships as Squadron Boxes #1-12 in the 2400 series.
(Since the Starmada adaptation is also keyed to the Federation Commander Ship Card and Squadron Box allocations, the idea is that the same miniature boxes will be equally viable for all three game systems.)
So, I wouldn't hold my breath on seeing carriers (or gunboat tenders, for that matter) show up any time soon, though they are in reserve for if/when Mongoose decide to go for releases which are less formally tied to FC.
And since the Lyrans and Hydrans were published for FC in the Distant Kingdoms and Hydran Attack modules (and their associated Squadron Boxes), they would make it over to the new game (and mini line) depending on whichever follow-on book Mongoose decides to port the ships from one or both modules into.
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That is actually sad to hear. I never really got into FC (had a bad scenario where a federation player just stacked his entire fleet into one hex and became a flying turret) so only can draw experience from SFB proper.
Since I was a big fan of the fighters and PFs... this looks to be another sad run where I will be poking my ancient chits again... was finally hoping to get something to replace my ancient Hydra, Lyran, and Fed Carriers.
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The superstack isn't supposed to be that effective in FC; under (4A3a), no more than three allied ships stacked together can direct-fire out of the same hex side (or at any single target in a given hex) in any given impulse (unlike in SFB, where there is no such limit). And that rule counts fighters as "ships", too; so a Hydran can't get away with stacking all his Stingers together either.
Also, I should note that there are many FC players who don't want to see attrition units brought over to the system at all; the current planned compromise is for a "Borders of Madness" book (or few) which would include streamlined rules for various SFB systems, such as carriers, but which would be strictly optional (i.e. not a part of the "vanilla" FC noted above).
That said, if at some point down the line Mongoose decide they want to go for fighters and gunboats, that will be another story; though it remains to be seen what kind of interest there will be in having them in this new game... or rather, in not having them there.
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The superstack isn't supposed to be that effective in FC; under (4A3a), no more than three allied ships stacked together can direct-fire out of the same hex side (or at any single target in a given hex) in any given impulse (unlike in SFB, where there is no such limit). And that rule counts fighters as "ships", too; so a Hydran can't get away with stacking all his Stingers together either.
Really now? The old guy who was running it (wait, we are all old, he is just the senior old guy... we do have a hierarchy here... respect those with the age and experience with the great holy tomes) sure did not do that. That rule is now duly noted and recorded incase I bother to go back and give FC another spin.
Also, thanks for the knowledge that there were those who actually did not want to see the attrition units come back. I did not realize this due to only really playing in shops or private residences and not keeping up with the online community for SFB (which prior to here, I thought was near dead except for SSDs that made me cry to look at).
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Really now? The old guy who was running it (wait, we are all old, he is just the senior old guy... we do have a hierarchy here... respect those with the age and experience with the great holy tomes) sure did not do that. That rule is now duly noted and recorded incase I bother to go back and give FC another spin.
A tip for next time; e23 (http://e23.sjgames.com/credits.html?t=publisher&n=Amarillo%20Design%20Bureau) is your friend.
(There is a free introductory pdf for FC called First Missions (http://e23.sjgames.com/item.html?id=ADB4000), but what you'd really find useful is the Reference Rulebook (http://e23.sjgames.com/item.html?id=ADB4020); it's got all of the rules needed for the Alpha Octant empires currently in print for FC all in the one place.)
Also, thanks for the knowledge that there were those who actually did not want to see the attrition units come back. I did not realize this due to only really playing in shops or private residences and not keeping up with the online community for SFB (which prior to here, I thought was near dead except for SSDs that made me cry to look at).
It's not so much a case of "coming back" as "coming over".
SFB is still alive and well; and still packing plenty of fighters and gunboats (and not just in Alpha, either; the most recent Omega module includes many of that Octant's PFs, while the Baduvai in the Lesser Magellanic Cloud have their own gunboats in Module C5.)
It's more that the FC community (which includes FC-only players as well as SFB veterans) is divided on the issue. (Some on the pro side want to be able to use streamlined rules for attrition units to make use of carriers and tenders in the system; some of the antis would either be ill-disposed to attrition units on principle, while others would be wary of the kind of on-map clutter that even a simplified set of carrier rules might entail. How well the first BoM book does, if/when it arrives, should be quite telling.)
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Now you see it (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150409810848280&set=pu.231728653279&type=1&theater)... now you, um, still sort of see it, yeah (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150411470508280&set=a.10150373007298280.371548.231728653279&type=1&theater).
(Mongoose are supposed to be posting up a preview of the 2500-series Gorms on their blog (http://blog.mongoosepublishing.co.uk/) sometime soon, but when that will happen is another question.)
EDIT: Cloaked Condor (http://blog.mongoosepublishing.co.uk/?p=119)!
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Now you see it (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150409810848280&set=pu.231728653279&type=1&theater)... now you, um, still sort of see it, yeah (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150411470508280&set=a.10150373007298280.371548.231728653279&type=1&theater).
(Mongoose are supposed to be posting up a preview of the 2500-series Gorms on their blog (http://blog.mongoosepublishing.co.uk/) sometime soon, but when that will happen is another question.)
EDIT: Cloaked Condor (http://blog.mongoosepublishing.co.uk/?p=119)!
The Cloaked Condor looks awesome. I really can't wait for these minis to start featuring in my SF games.
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Does anybody have any sizes for the Romulans? Specifically, how does the 2.7-inch wingspan of the old Micro Machines BoP compare to their War Eagle or the older ADB mini?
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From what I gather, all of the preview minis shown so far are on Mongoose's large (50mm) flying bases (http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/miniatures/ctastarfleet/rulebooks/flying-bases-large-x-5.html); the small (30mm) bases are here (http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/miniatures/ctastarfleet/rulebooks/flying-bases-small-x-6.html), as a point of comparison. (The cloaked Condor definitely looks like it's on the larger base.)
EDIT: Module E2, the first playtest file for the Triangulum Galaxy in SFB, is now on e23 (http://e23.sjgames.com/item.html?id=ADB7102)! (Since it's not a full published module, this errata file (http://www.starfleetgames.com/documents/E2_Errata_9_Feb_2010.pdf) might be useful, as might a few of the M33-themed playtest (http://www.starfleetgames.com/documents/Mallarn_DN_and_FFS.pdf) items (http://www.starfleetgames.com/sfb/playtest/dn100_2.htm) on ADB's site.) And the ships (for the three playtest empires in E2, and for the Imperium previewed in Captain's Log #23 (http://store.starfleetstore.com/merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=S&Product_Code=5723&Category_Code=CLold)) have a preview countersheet here (http://store.starfleetstore.com/merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=S&Product_Code=7102-C&Category_Code=SFB_CS), too.
EDIT 2: The finalised list (http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10150413829063280&id=231728653279) of first-wave 2500 fleet boxes:
FEDERATION FLEET BOX SET
* Frigate x3
* Light Cruiser x2
* Battle Frigate x2
* Strike Cruiser
* Dreadnought
* Heavy Cruiser x2
* Battlecruiser x2
* Fast Cruiser
* Police Cutter x2
* Shuttles x6
* Pocket Rulebook
KLINGON FLEET BOX SET
* C8 Dreadnought
* D6 Heavy Cruiser x2
* D7 Battlecruiser x2
* C7 Heavy Cruiser x2
* F5 Frigate x3
* D5W Heavy Cruiser
* FD7 Fast Cruiser
* E4 Light Frigate x2
* D5 War Cruiser x2
* Shuttles x6
* Pocket Rulebook
ROMULAN FLEET BOX SET
* Condor
* SkyHawk
* BattleHawk x3
* Kestral KR (This is the same model as the Klingon D6 Heavy Cruiser)
* War Eagle x2
* FireHawk
* SparrowHawk
* King Eagle
* FastHawk
* KF5R (This is the same model as the Klingon F5 Frigate)
* Snipe x3
* Shuttles x6
* Pocket Rulebook
BLISTERS
All blisters contain one ship, except for the following;
Federation Battle Frigates x 2
Federation Frigates x 2
Federation Police Cutters x 2
Klingon E4 Light Frigates x 2
Klingon F5 Frigates x 2
Romulan KF5R Destroyers x 2
Romulan Snipe Battle Frigates x 2
Romulan SkyHawk Destroyers x 2
Romulan Battle Hawks x 2
Shuttles x 6
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I can't see the pictures from my phone. Do any of the Eagle types look like they might have a 70mm wingspan or so?
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How about the pics over here (http://www.starfleetgames.com/Starline%202500%20Romulan%20Miniatures.shtml)?
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Lemme clarify: I can't see any pictures, or follow any posted links on my phone.
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I see.
Well, it seems that the War Eagle and King Eagle are around as wide as the large base, give a take a few millimetres; but the camera angles aren't so great so I'm not too sure. (Hopefully there will be more images up soon.)
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The Romulans keep looking more and more attractive the more you post information about them.
Thank you.
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You don't have to rely on me to post stuff here, you know...
Anyway, some more ship minis: Fed DW (http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/us/miniatures/ctastarfleet/ortega-class-war-destroyer.html), Klingon D5 (http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/us/miniatures/ctastarfleet/d5-war-cruiser.html), D5W (http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/us/miniatures/ctastarfleet/d5w-new-heavy-cruiser.html) and C8 (http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/us/miniatures/ctastarfleet/c8-dreadnought.html), and the generic shuttle (http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/us/miniatures/ctastarfleet/shuttles.html).
Oh, and the first look at the Gorns and Kzintis (http://blog.mongoosepublishing.co.uk/?p=134).
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Ah, well, they do look great, but I'd better hold out for the Lyrans.
I know that is far in the future. :)
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Maybe not too far, according to SVC (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/27403.html?1322791957#POST636018):
By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Thursday, December 01, 2011 - 09:12 pm:
Lyrans are currently penciled in to be in book 2 and if that happens minis should be produced in fall 2012.
If not, 12 months after that.
EDIT: Mongoose have a few pics of the Squadron and Fleet boxes up on the pre-order page (http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/us/miniatures/ctastarfleet.html)!
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Sweet!
My Starline 2400 ships I have are as follows:
Klingon- B10, C9, 2x D7
Lyran- DN, BC, CA, CL, Tug & pods
Looking forward to the new rules.
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Pics are up for the Federation (http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/us/miniatures/ctastarfleet/federation-fleet-box-set.html) and Romulan (http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/us/miniatures/ctastarfleet/romulan-fleet-box-set.html) fleet boxes; and Mongoose have also uploaded a few salami slices from the ACtA:SF rulebook (http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/pdf/sfrulebookpreview.pdf).
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I like the Star Trekkin' reference in the rulebook preview.
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Oh, I'm sold on the Romulan Fleet Box Set. O0
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I'm going to have to buy them individually sadly, as I refuse to touch any Hawk-series ships. Shame, as it's probably drastically limiting my hull choices.
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Curious.
Why don't you like the Hawk-series?
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Personal taste. Absolutely cannot stand the way they look, and I'm a minis guy, so that's important. Might look at them again if I can find some decent proxies.
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I guess I'm partially of a similar mind. Or, at least, I was.
Once, I also found the Hawk-series somewhat difficult to justify as quality miniature designs on the tabletop. But, for whatever reason, I've grown accustomed to the odd design aesthetic... seeing then now, perhaps, as something inherently, Romulan.
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I just really like the classic Bird of Prey look of the Eagles, and have always loved the Klingons, which includes the Kestrels. The Hawks, though....blobs of silly putty with nacelles strapped on. :(
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How do you feel about the Condor design?
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You're not a fan of the new 2500-series Hawks, either? They are quite different to the ones from the old 2400 series. (Personally, I'm not too hot on the new SkyHawk, but the Condor, SparrowHawk and FireHawk look good; and the new FastHawk is the best of the bunch.)
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You're not a fan of the new 2500-series Hawks, either? They are quite different to the ones from the old 2400 series. (Personally, I'm not too hot on the new SkyHawk, but the Condor, SparrowHawk and FireHawk look good; and the new FastHawk is the best of the bunch.)
Will they make Shadowhawk and a Phoenixhawk? Now that might get me to play Roms!
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Will they make Shadowhawk and a Phoenixhawk? Now that might get me to play Roms!
Knowing the way Roms named ships, they might have eventually gotten to that set as they pushed the Hawk series further and further.
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How do you feel about the Condor design?
The Condor to me is like replacing the SLs on a Warhammer with (C)ERSLs, and asking a 3025 grognard to use it. It's 90% awesome, but for that big glob of ClanHawk hanging off the front. I'm going to stick to the Vulture or bigger Kestrels for my heavy ship needs. Maybe I'll just assume that in my own private subcanon(of a subcanon of a fiction. We're getting deep here...), the Romulans showed either little interest or little ability to build DN or larger vessels. The Vulture was sufficient to their needs until the growing violence of the years caused them to buy and/or build K9Rs. I'll just pretend they're FWLM mechs and use their weight classes accordingly. House Marik, but with pointier ears....Regulus? :D
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House Marik, but with pointier ears....Regulus? :D
I love this idea. Too bad Roms look so terrible in purple.
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I don't blame them. Not everyone is stunning in purple, though a change in official hairstyle might help. On a similar aesthetic note: Mirandas and Constellations to represent NCLs and NCAs respectively. Think they'll fit?
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Yep, should work pretty well.
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Cool. Now all I need is a handful of FFs and a BC and my Fed fleet is done! Then to build up my Klingons, then my Romulans, then my Kzinti, then my...
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Well, the nacelle difference might be jarring, but my exposure to SFB is actually through the first two games of the Star Fleet Command series.
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I don't blame them. Not everyone is stunning in purple, though a change in official hairstyle might help. On a similar aesthetic note: Mirandas and Constellations to represent NCLs and NCAs respectively. Think they'll fit?
The NCA might require a bit of modifications to get a Constellation to work, since she is a proper CA/CC... but taking a smaller frigate nacelle and putting on the NCL/Miranda would count there... I remember correctly.
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As well as the Mongoose-related stuff, ADB have Captain's Log #44 (http://store.starfleetstore.com/merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=S&Product_Code=5744&Category_Code=CLrecent) due out this month; here's (http://www.starfleetgames.com/documents/CL/CL44_Table_of_Contents.pdf) the table of contents.
A few of the items from CL44 have been uploaded as separate PDFs; including glimpses of the Borak (who will be in the playtest SFB Module E3) for Star Fleet Battle Force (http://www.starfleetgames.com/documents/SFBF/CL44-SFBF.pdf) and Prime Directive (http://www.starfleetgames.com/documents/Prime%20Directive/CL44-Borak.pdf), as well as an overview of A Call to Arms: Star Fleet (http://www.starfleetgames.com/documents/Mongoose/CL44-ACTASF.pdf) from an ADB perspective.
EDIT: Some details about the ADB-Mongoose joint venture in the 2011 State of the Mongoose address (http://forum.mongoosepublishing.com/viewtopic.php?f=116&t=49405); plus revised errata files for SFB Module C5 (http://www.starfleetgames.com/documents/Mod_C5_Errata_2011_Update.pdf) (Lesser Magellanic Cloud) and Module E2 (http://www.starfleetgames.com/documents/E2_Errata_6_Dec_2011.pdf) (Triangulum Galaxy).
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Cloaked Romulans (http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/miniatures/ctastarfleet/squadron-box-9a-cloaked-romulans.html), Klingons vs Orions (http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/miniatures/ctastarfleet/squadron-box-5-klingon-vs-orion.html), and the Gorn fleet box (http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/miniatures/ctastarfleet/gorn-fleet-box-set.html)!
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I must admit, that 'Gorn Fleet Box' looks interesting.
But I'm still set on my Romulans. And that 'Cloaked' squadron box seals the deal!
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And here's (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/27403.html?1323485824#POST637031) what some of the new minis look like before you paint 'em!
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And here's (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/27403.html?1323485824#POST637031) what some of the new minis look like before you paint 'em!
I'm intrigued by the level of detail on these 2500 series miniatures. They've really surprised me.
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More Romulans (http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/us/miniatures/ctastarfleet/squadron-box-12-romulan-reinforcements.html) (including, at last, a separate entry for the FireHawk (http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/us/miniatures/ctastarfleet/firehawk-novahawk-heavy-cruiser.html)); plus the Kzinti Hegemony Fleet Box (http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/us/miniatures/ctastarfleet/kzinti-fleet-box-set.html).
EDIT: A few 2400-2500 comparison (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/27403.html?1323553804#POST637129) pics (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/27403.html?1323553804#POST637130).
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Holy crap, that C8's a beast! :o
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And I can see the FireHawk certainly having pride of place in my Romulan Fleet.
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A few more comparison pics for the Feds (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/29388.html?1324060673), Klingons (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/29389.html?1324012015) and Romulans (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/29390.html?1324058221).
Also, some of the UK pre-order-ers are starting to get their ACtA:SF shipments already; hopefully it won't be too long before their counterparts in Canada and the US follow suit...
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I haven't been able to secure a release date for Australia, unfortunately.
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I haven't been able to secure a release date for Australia, unfortunately.
I've told them repeatedly. Australia will be released when they agree to export the bikini-drenchedness. And beer.
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Australia will be released when they agree to export the . And beer.
You can have the beer.
But I must insist we keep the bikini-drenchedness. No amount of "new" Star Fleet is worth giving up that. ;)
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These guys (http://www.littlesoldiers.com.au/home/a-call-to-arms-starfleet) seem to be the ones on point for ACtA:SF in Oz.
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Mongoose are fiddling with the 3D model for the Fed CB (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/29412.html?1324416791) again; plus the first set of pics for the Orion OK6 (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/29428.html?1324416442) (which will likely be a part of wave 2 late next year).
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Got these in the post yesterday!
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/Nerroth/Misc/gfedcl44lp2.jpg)
(That is the large-print edition of CL44; for an extra two bucks, they can send recent issues to you with 10-point text rather than 9-point. It doesn't sound like much, but it does make a difference.)
Also, a couple (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/29457.html?1324617571) more (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/29450.html?1324623779) wave 2 WIPs. (Seems like they are trying to lock in some of the "easy kill" models they can kitbash from wave 1 moulds, before moving on to brand new hulls.)
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I still need to pick up a print copy of GURPS Federation.
It's system I'm quickly coming to love, but haven't had the opportunity to play out as of yet.
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Yesterday evening's podcast (http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/talkCast.jsp?masterId=17702&cmd=tc) (hosted by the guy who runs SFB Online (http://www.sfbonline.com/index.jsp)) has a few guests from ADB on board; if you want to hear some insights from the home of the Star Fleet Universe, feel free to have a listen!
EDIT: ADB take stock of 2011 (http://federationcommander.blogspot.com/2011/12/year-2011-at-adb-inc.html), and cast a glance at what may come in 2012 (http://federationcommander.blogspot.com/2012/01/adb-looks-ahead-to-2012.html).
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The rulebook from last year's Federation and Empire: ISC War (http://e23.sjgames.com/item.html?id=ADB3210-2) went live on e23 recently; and it's now been joined by the rules (http://e23.sjgames.com/item.html?id=ADB7103-2) and SSDs (http://e23.sjgames.com/item.html?id=ADB7103-3) from SFB Module E3, a playtest file for the Borak Star League (who are, like the Peladine, an off-map empire that became an "also-ran" of Alpha Octant history).
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The first look at the Starline 2500 take on the Federation Mars-class battleship (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/29635.html?1326832904)!
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The first look at the Starline 2500 take on the Federation Mars-class battleship (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/29635.html?1326832904)!
I like the feeling of aesthetic-uncertainty I perceive when I look at this image.
It's not at all what I expected.
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The first batch of errata is in for A Call to Arms: Star Fleet; as is the first post-release FAQ document.
(The biggest changes are in the ship entries; labs, tractors, transporters, Command traits, etc.)
EDIT: The first pair of files were not quite fit for purpose; try these (http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/pdf/sferrata.pdf) ones (http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/pdf/sffaq.pdf) instead.
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Did anyone know if the minis that I bought for Federation Commander be used with ACTA: SFB?
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The first look at the 2500-series Romulan Vulture (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/29712.html?1327619955) model; plus the new "ears" (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/29711.html?1327617012) for the Kzinti fleet.
Did anyone know if the minis that I bought for Federation Commander be used with ACTA: SFB?
The pre-existing Starline 2400 minis should be just fine. (Similarly, the new 2500-series minis work just as well for SFB, FC and Starmada as they do for ACtA:SF; though the resin minis don't come with hex bases, so you'd have to add your own.)
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The first look at the 2500-series Romulan Vulture (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/29712.html?1327619955) model ...
I can't wait to paint one of these up for my Romulan fleet. [Which, consequently, I'll have soon now that I've just pre-ordered the "Romulan Fleet Box."]
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The cover art for Star Fleet Marines: Assault! (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/26987/26988.html?1327695911) is taking shape.
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I had been wondering what was happening with the development of Star Fleet Marines.
Nice to see things are finally moving forward.
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Though not without the odd mishap:
SVC: Sorry, I have become aware of an issue which makes the art I posted not usable.
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The Federation light dreadnoughts, otherwise known as the "Splendid Cats", as 3D-modelled for Starline 2500 (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/29756.html?1327959385).
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Has anyone looked at the new Trek Heroclix yet? I picked one up out of curiosity, and was lucky enough to get a D7. This is an excellent ship. Detail is TMP-style and very good, size is also good, just a hair shorter than the Micro Machine D7s, though the hull is noticeably leaner. There's little to no drooping, flash, or deformation. Also, this may be the best example or parallel warp engines I've seen outside of a model kit. As soon as a secondary market opens up, I'll be picking up several more of these, for use as D6s alongside my MM D7s, and as all my Romulan KRs. Now I just wish Mongoose would give us their ship lengths in mm, so I can decide to go for their stuff for more Klingons, or stick with the Starline 2400 stuff(which I often find greatly undersized compared to Fed ships of similar classes).
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Nerroth, this is indeed some beautiful cover art. Better than in the old Decipher RPG.
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More pics are starting to surface of painted 2500-series minis over on the FC (http://www.starfleetgames.com/federation/phpbb2/viewforum.php?f=50) and Mongoose fora (http://forum.mongoosepublishing.com/viewforum.php?f=103).
And speaking of 2500s, the ADB BBS has a thread up for the (in)famous Klingon B10 (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/29790.html?1328640980)!
Also, another playtest file for SFB went up on e23 recently; looking at the Nicozian Concordance (http://e23.sjgames.com/item.html?id=ADB7107). (The after-action report thread (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/12031/29794.html?1328641257) on the BBS has a proposed cover, showing what their ships actually look like.)
EDIT: The Captain's Log #44 Supplemental File just went up on e23 (http://e23.sjgames.com/item.html?id=ADB5744-S), too.
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The errata file for A Call to Arms: Star Fleet has been tidied up a little (http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/pdf/sferrata.pdf); plus there's a new (free) introductory guide to the SFU (http://e23.sjgames.com/item.html?id=ADB8000) over on e23, which may help explain the basics of this particular setting to those wondering what the fuss is all about...
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In case you missed any of the hubbub over the last few months, there have been a number of unfortunate issues with the first wave of the Starline 2500 releases; higher-than-expected demand coupled with unforeseen casting issues with the wholesale dive into resin have led to certain delays, defects, and dissatisfaction over how the extended teething process has gone.
So, Mongoose and ADB decided to switch to a different setup for (most) future production; to use the same "high-low" divide (of resin big ships and metal small ones) seen over in A Call to Arms: Noble Armada:
Production Change of Star Fleet Models
You will be aware that the new range of Star Fleet models has had some problems with both consistent quality and in getting enough models out of the door in order to satisfy the large number of orders we received. For both of these faults, you have our unreserved apologies. Despite our trial runs in resin casting going well last year, we ran into a number of problems when scaling up to wider production runs.
We have therefore made the decision to alter the way we produce these ships. Larger models, such as the C8 and Condor Dreadnoughts, as well as the various bases and stations, will remain in resin. However, all smaller ships will be switched to metal production using systems we know extremely well. In one stroke, this will relieve the pressure on the resin casting team, bring this range up to our usual quality of service, and allow us to produce as many models required to not only service all existing orders, but make a convincing world-wide launch with models people can be confident in.
The process for this change is already well under way, and while production and shipping of the Federation squadron and fleet sets will continue, we are temporarily offlining the other box sets for just a few days.
We expect to be up and running with the metal Romulan squadron set by this time next week, with the Klingon squadron and Romulan fleet set a few days after that. By the end of the week after next, we expect to be in full production of not only the Klingon fleet set but the two Federation sets as well, which will at that time also switch to metal.
To give an example of the change this will have, not only will our casters be working with a material they have been using for the best part of two decades (at least), they will be able to produce (for instance) as many Romulan squadron sets in three days as have been ordered in total since the line was announced. This is obviously much, much faster than our current
methods.
Any remaining mail orders will now be given absolute priority, and we are expecting to be able to make a world-wide launch through distribution channels towards the end of March - we will keep you all updated when firm dates have been set. You will also now find that fleets such as the Gorn and Kziniti will be turned around much quicker. If you have pre-ordered either, you will see them within a month or so of the world launch.
Once again, our deepest apologies for the delays and hiccups, but I believe we have the measure of this now, and Star Fleet goodness will be pouring out of our warehouse starting next week.
_________________
Matthew Sprange
Mongoose Publishing
http://www.mongoosepublishing.com
SVC added this note over on the ADB BBS:
Matthew advises that for those who absolfreakinglutly want resin and nothing else, proceedures will be announced allowing you to get resin ships. If you have pre-orders on file and want resin and only resin, contact Mongoose ASAP.
Also, the free introductory guide to the SFU is now also on DriveThruRPG (http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=99676); plus there will be what should (fingers crossed) be the last-update-for-a-while-yet-honest errata update for the ACtA:SF rulebook.
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Here's hoping the metal ships are of good quality. I've heard bad things about their B5 stuff, and have no desire to be burned, especially at their prices.
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I haven't seen too many concerns over their metal ships for ACtA:NA; but that might just be a case of me not looking hard enough, so.
(I imagine there won't be a lack of online feedback for the metal 2500s as and when they appear, at any rate.)
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A bit of wargaming history is now up on e23, with a pdf version of the original SFB Pocket Edition (http://e23.sjgames.com/item.html?id=ADB1004) available for download.
Also, Mongoose blog up a spot-the-difference challenge (http://blog.mongoosepublishing.co.uk/?p=241), though they aren't telling which 2500-series Fed BC was (or were) cast in resin, and which is (or are?) the more recent metal counterpart.
Plus the first "official" online viewing of the 2500-series Lyrans should go live next week, all things being equal.
Oh, and Star Fleet Marines: Assault (http://www.starfleetgames.com/Alert_120227_Marines.pdf) has a new launch window: April 2012.
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Awesome !! I hope we get 15mm and 28mm figs for the marines.
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SFM:A is scaled at the battalion level, with each unit being a squad of five (human-sized) Marines; so it might be more comfortable with minis scaled closer to those used in the likes of, say, Epic: Armageddon.
However, there has been talk about a future "one man, one counter" game called KRAG (http://www.starfleetgames.com/federation/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=3639), which might be more suitable for larger miniatures once it gets up and running.
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Thanks to Nerroth's cadet rules link earlier in the thread, this month my game group is going to use SFB
as our 5th Friday "Lets try this out!" game... those rules help alot with the learning curve then trying to
figure it all out from the Wall of Text Captains Box Rule Book.
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Good luck with the test run!
The first WIP 3D samples of the 2500-series Lyrans are up; with discussion threads for the CA (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/29922.html?1331130499), CL (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/29985.html?1331136880) and DN (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/29993.html?1331127871).
Also, if you want to throw your oar in over how the Neo-Tholians might end up looking in the 2500 series, feel free to pop in here (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/29978.html?1331138620).
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Daniel Kast of Majestic 12 (the Starmada guys) has posted (http://www.starfleetgames.com/federation/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=4454) the current plan to handle the switch from the Admiralty Edition to the upcoming Nova Edition; and specifically, how it will affect the SFU collaboration:
Okay -- so if you've been paying attention, you know the new edition of Starmada is about six weeks overdue. I apologize for that, and I hope the wait will have been worth it. Besides, it was unavoidable, what with the new job, new house, and new baby on the way (OMG).
In the next week or so, pre-orders will begin for the hardcopy of Starmada: Nova Rulebook. Pre-order customers will immediately receive a PDF copy as well. In April, hard copies will ship to pre-order customers and retail stores.
How does this impact the Star Fleet Armada books?
Starting in June, an updated version of Klingon Armada will be released, followed in short order by updated versions of Romulan, Alien, and Distant Armadas. Battleship Armada will be released in both Admiralty and Nova versions.
For those of you who own the existing SFU books, there are some options if you are reluctant to buy the updated versions:
First, a short and easy-to-use update document will be available for free, allowing you to convert the Admiralty designs to their Nova versions. It will also include the relevant SFU rules so that, when combined with the basic Nova rules (also available for free) you will have everything you need to be up-to-date.
Second, if you can wait until they've all been updated, a PDF will be made available with all the ships from the first four SFU books (Klingon, Romulan, Alien, Distant) for one very reasonable price.
_________________
Daniel Kast
Majestic Twelve Games
www.mj12games.com (http://www.mj12games.com/)
Also, in 2500-land, the first take on the Tholian DN (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/30023.html?1331358668) is up, as is that for the hybrid TK5 Exile (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/30025.html?1331360397).
Oh, and if you have a look at this month's FC Communiqué pdf (http://www.federationcommander.com/Newsletter/March-2012/images/Communique-75.pdf), you might see a special guest from another galaxy...
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Mongoose have their first decal sheet for the Feds over here (http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/us/miniatures/ctastarfleet/federation/federation-transfer-sheet-1.html); plus a look at painted minis for the Fed NCL (http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/us/miniatures/ctastarfleet/kearsage-class-new-light-cruiser.html), NCA (http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/us/miniatures/ctastarfleet/chicago-class-new-heavy-cruiser.html) and NCF (http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/us/miniatures/ctastarfleet/manta-ray-class-new-fast-cruiser.html), the civilian Heavy Freighter (http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/us/miniatures/ctastarfleet/heavy-freighter.html) and Armed Priority Transport (http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/us/miniatures/ctastarfleet/armed-priority-transport.html), and the Mobile Base (http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/us/miniatures/ctastarfleet/mobile-base.html).
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I probably should have mentioned this earlier, but there's been a lot of hubbub over the fate of the Gorn miniatures set for Starline 2500, as well as the way in which the Confederation's fleet plays in ACtA:SF.
In the one case, basically the entire first wave of Gorn ships is being re-designed as per Mongoose's request; you can see some of the newly-proposed designs (which still have to be approved by ADB, where input is being welcomed) here (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/29948.html?1333565558).
(For the time being, it seems that the pre-war hulls are being re-imagined as "scaled" hulls, while the wartime classes are getting a "wild" makeover.)
In the other, there's a discussion thread on the BBS (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/30175.html?1333563691) (and on the Mongoose forum (http://forum.mongoosepublishing.com/viewtopic.php?f=103&t=50814), but the BBS thread is where the main debate is happening) about what should be done to get the Gorn fleet up and running properly in A Call to Arms: Star Fleet.
(The big thing movement-wise is whether or not the Gorn heavy cruisers should lose the Lumbering trait, though the issue of trying to balance drones seems to be the most prominent bugbear for the game overall.)
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The latest errata file for A Call to Arms: Star Fleet is up (http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/pdf/sferrata190412.pdf); Lumbering is indeed gone, which Gorn players (and DN users) should be in a position to appreciate...
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Star Fleet Marines: Assault (http://store.starfleetstore.com/merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=S&Product_Code=2101&Category_Code=09) and PD20M Romulans (http://store.starfleetstore.com/merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=S&Product_Code=8724&Category_Code=P2) are now up for pre-order!
(According to ADB, individual orders should start shipping out next week or so.)
The core rulebook for Starmada: Nova Edition (http://store.starfleetstore.com/merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=S&Product_Code=6120&Category_Code=01) (which ADB print on Majestic 12's behalf, as part of the agreement covering the Starmada/SFU conversions) and the 2012 update to SFB Module T (http://store.starfleetstore.com/merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=S&Product_Code=5622&Category_Code=01) are also up on the storefront now.
EDIT: SVC has posted a blog entry (http://federationcommander.blogspot.ca/2012/05/road-to-star-fleet-marines.html) talking about how the concept behind Star Fleet Marines came to fruition.
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It's starting to get a little bit lonely in this thread...
Anyway, ADB have posted up the first details of what will soon be their first Kickstarter project; Tribbles vs. Klingons (http://www.starfleetgames.com/Tribbles.shtml).
(There are still a few things to get ironed out between now and the KS launch; the main place to see said ironing is over here. (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/12032/30442.html?1336539985))
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My FLGS got something in this week:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/Nerroth/Misc/ACtASF.jpg)
(The one on the right, that is; the errata file, updated as of the 16th of May (http://www.starfleetgames.com/documents/Mongoose/Errata_16512.pdf), I printed out myself.)
Errata aside, the actual content isn't bad. Along with the rules, there is a fairly detailed background section; including new information on the Gorns, Kzintis and Orion Pirates that had not been published before. (The Gorn background was also added to the last Captain's Log, while the Kzinti data seems set to be added to the next one.) The one thing I'm surprised wasn't included was a map of the Alpha Octant, but Mongoose do have one posted on their product page (http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/us/miniatures/ctastarfleet/rulebooks/a-call-to-arms-star-fleet.html).
My FLGS also got the Federation and Klingon fleet and squadron boxes; I'm fairly sure these are the metal ones, but there is no sticker sayng one way or another. Actually, given the ship selection in the Klingon squadron and fleet boxes, I would imagine a pair of players being well able to go in for one of each, then dividing up the units to create two reasonable-sized Klingon forces (or one Klingon and one Kestrel-series Romulan force, for that matter).
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Mongoose have uploaded the first edition of their new A Call to Arms Journal to DriveThruRPG (http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/103336/A-Call-to-Arms-Journal---Issue-1); while it would be of relevance to both current editions of the game, those into ACtA:SF might particularly note the inclusion of revised rules for scouts, as well as preview stats for several scout variants in order to make use of them.
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The Nova Editions of Klingon Armada (http://e23.sjgames.com/item.html?id=ADB6101N) and Romulan Armada (http://e23.sjgames.com/item.html?id=ADB6102N) are now up on e23. (I'm not too up on how differently they work relative to the older Starmada Admiralty Edition rules, though.)
Also, ADB have a new thread up over at the BBS (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/12031/30942.html?1345613196), asking for people to post their preferences regarding which new module for Star Fleet Battles they should select for publication.
If you have a BBS account, an interest in SFB, and a particular interest in one type of new module you'd like to see in print, now's as good a time as any to add your $.02; though it might be an idea to go over the thread memo (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/12031/30943.html?1345577282) to get a sense of where things currently stand.
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I got to sit down for a demo of CtA:SF at GenCon...it seemed more approachable for new people
then SFB. I am thinking I am going to try and get some stuff for it in the forseeable future.
That said: I *STILL* want to learn SFB....I was sad that there was noone playing it at GenCon
that I could find.
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Origins is (usually) better for finding SFB players; hopefully, ADB will be going back there next year. (Even if they won't be, the BBS has a sub-section (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/12032/12038.html?1345609634) covering various other conventions that might help.)
So far as A Call to Arms: Star Fleet goes, hopefully the pdf will finally make it onto DriveThruRPG in the not too distant future; though exactly when it gets the go-ahead has yet to be determined.
If you are having trouble rounding up would-be SFB players, have you considered taking a look at FC? It's not as in-depth as SFB rules-wise, but does offer more detail than ACtA:SF or Starmada for each ship; which might make it easier to get into.
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The problem is: there are no SFB players in my area. It is complex enough that you need vet players
to show you how to play....
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regarding the ACTA:Starfleet game.. has anyone heard anything about the Neo-tholian redesigns? one of my suggestions made the shortlist (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/30589.html?1339101786) of recommendations, and being a big fan of the SFB tholian aesthetic, i'm naturally curious as to whether any info has come out yet.
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No word on the new Neos as of yet; I imagine that the best place to look out for will be the Tholian sub-section (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/28768.html?1339170172) of the Starline 2500 development area; it's likely to be the first place where any provisional 3D images (ones which SVC deems fit for outside consideration) will be posted.
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I've been away from Battletech for several months, but came back to the forum to see what is up. Wanted to mention that I picked up SFB: ACTA as well as the Romulan fleet box, and a pair of CLs for Feddies. Of the minis I got, the metal ones were pretty good, requiring only a little clean up. The Klingon D-6 (Romulan KCR in this guise) has very little gluing area for the warp engines, so I added brass plates to reinforce the join.
Of the ships I received, 2 were in resin: the Romulan Condor dread, and one of the Texas-class CLs. The resin casts were pretty dire, with the Condor requiring extensive clean up not just of flash, but gobs and lumps where there was (probably) mold damage. THe CL suffered from mod shift and is pretty unusable IMHO. I picked up a metal version of the same, which was almost flawless (usual concerns when working in metal). So I was really turned off by the resin models. Not knocking resin in general (I'm a plastic modeler too, mainly tanks, and work with a lot of resin aftermarket, so very well aware of what it is capable of and how to use it). But I'm going to shy away from Mongoose resin for the time being...
Damon.
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Did you get your miniatures in-store, or via mail order from the Mongoose website?
(If you're in North America, it might be worth ordering the Starline 2500s from ADB, or asking your FLGS to do so; they generally double-check each mini they get in from Mongoose before listing it on their own storefront (http://store.starfleetstore.com/merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=SFNT&Store_Code=S), so have that much more of a chance of catching any potential issues before getting the mini to you.)
Good to hear that the metal ones worked out, though; at this point, the line is more or less entirely in metal for new orders. The only resin ships still in production are the really large ones, like the Klingon C8 or Romulan Condor; though it's not clear whether or not that whole clear resin "cloaked Romulans" (or potential for "cloaked Orions") thing will still happen or not.
Also, it might be worth emailing Mongoose (http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/contact.htm) about that DOA resin CL; they may be able to do something for you about it.
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Did you get your miniatures in-store, or via mail order from the Mongoose website?
The Romulan set was mail order via TheWarStore.com (one of my favorite on-line vendors!). THe CL was direct from ADB. THey ask that you specify what version you want, and I forgot to specify, so the sent me a resin one...
As for ordering through my FLGS, they never got the special orders I had made previously, so I don't try anymore... Mail order is the only way to get it for me...
Damon.
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In that case, I'd get on to ADB and let them know about how that resin CL turned out.
Also, ADB have shown what the cover art for Federation Commander: Reinforcements Attack (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151102772953280&set=a.324701708279.150256.231728653279&type=1&relevant_count=1) will look like.
For SFB, the choice this time around has been for Module C6; with new SSDs for (conjectural) General War-era Paravians and Carnivons, as well as counters for the Borak and Peladine from E3 and E4 (depending on how many counters there are to go around when all is said and done). If you have any ideas on how either fleet should look, the development threads for C6 are over on this corner of the BBS (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/12031/31030.html?1347141654).
(Personally, I'd be more excited to see the "real" Paravian exiles in the Omega Octant finally get some development time; but that might be quite a while yet, at this rate.)
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(Most of) this set arrived in the post today!
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/Nerroth/Misc/CL46haul.jpg)
Alongside the large-print (10-point, as opposed to the standard 9-point) edition of Captain's Log #45, there are Starline 2500 versions of the Fed New Fast Cruiser, Light Cruiser, and Police Cutters (which come 2 to a pack); the Orion Raider Cruiser; and the Romulan FastHawk.
The NCF and FFH are intended to stay in the Alpha Octant; the other four minis will (eventually) be set up to serve in the Federal Republic of Aurora over in the Omega Octant (http://www.starfleetgames.com/omegasector.shtml).
Also, in the envelope above the magazine, there are sets of decals from Tenneshington Decals (http://www.tenneshington.com/) for the Fed minis.
The NCF's decals are for Star Fleet; though the hull registry is actually for the NCC-1382 Simón Bolívar, a ship that had served as a (new) fast light cruiser instead. If Mongoose ever do a proper NLF mini, I can use the decals for that ship; otherwise, if I don't make an attempt to convert the NCF into an NLF myself, I may simply consider this ship to be what the Bolívar might have looked like had it been upgraded to an NCF during its service life.
For the others, I commissioned a set of custom FRA decals for the CL and POL; in order to allow them to serve as the CL (http://www.starfleetgames.com/documents/Omega/FRA_Light_Cruiser.pdf) Andoria, the FF (http://www.starfleetgames.com/documents/Omega/FRA_Frigate_(Revised)1.pdf) Bremen and the FFE Hessen. All three ships served in a key battle in Y149, that helped establish the Republic's independence from encroachment by the silicate Trobrin Empire. (To clarify, the FRA custom decals are considered to be "off the menu" items; if you want to order them, you have to ask for them specifically when making your order.)
I can't guarantee how long it might take to actually get some paint on these minis, though; let alone apply those decals. But, I'll try not to leave it too long before I do...
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ADB have posted sample pics (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/29946.html?1348072731) of (most of) Starline 2500's first wave of Gorn ships.
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Eventually they'll get around to the classy race (Lyrans) ;)
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The Lyrans should be in the second wave of the 2500-series releases; probably sometime next year, to match the ships in book 2 for A Call to Arms: Star Fleet.
(You can keep an eye out on the Lyran development corner of the ADB BBS (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/29921.html?1334457253) if you want to see what the Starline 2500 versions of them will look like; though it might be a while yet before things really start picking up in that regard.)
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Most of the "do-over" Gorn minis for Starline 2500 are now shown in painted form on Mongoose's Confederation of the Gorn faction page (http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/miniatures/ctastarfleet/confederation-of-the-gorn.html). (EDIT: the new Fast Battlecruiser and Medium Cruiser have just been added, too.)
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Mongoose have added a couple of new Federation pre-orders; this time, for the Starline 2500 takes on the Gettysburg-class heavy command cruiser (http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/us/miniatures/ctastarfleet/federation/gettysburg-class-heavy-command-cruiser.html) and Mars-class battleship (http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/us/miniatures/ctastarfleet/federation/mars-class-battleship.html).
(Looks like the 2500-series BBs are going to be a bit more expensive per blister, which should say something as to how large they will be relative to the DNs.)
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i have to say that the 2500's have really salvaged the gorn in my eyes. the old 2400's were just so dull and featureless i wasn't interested in them. but even with scale issues relative to the 2400 fed's and rom's i already have, the 2500 gorn looks cool enough to consider buying.
now if only full thrust 3.0 would be released..
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One thing I like about the new Gorns is how different the pre-war hulls are now relative to the "war" classes; you can see the difference in how the mass of the light cruiser (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/31097.jpg) is spread out, relative to the heavy destroyer (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/31091.jpg) (which itself may help explain how the Gorn admiralty was able to convince their legislature that it wasn't really a war cruiser, honest.)
EDIT: There's a higher-res version of that BB pic over here (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151152058453280&set=a.10150373007298280.371548.231728653279&type=1&relevant_count=1); plus another pic (http://www.starfleetgames.com/images/Mongoose/Starline%202500/Miniatures/Federation/Fed_CB_Bottom.JPG) showing an unpainted look at the the CB.
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Tomorrow at 2PM EST (two hours after the first of this round of BattleChats (http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php/topic,15283.msg528378.html#msg528378) start up), there will be a special edition of the Star Fleet Universe On Call (http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/talkCast.jsp?masterId=17702&cmd=tc) podcast; with Mongoose's Matthew Sprange calling in for the first time. (The podcast has had guests from ADB call in before; but the time differences make it easier for someone from the UK to pop in.)
So, if you have any questions about how the Mongoose side of the joint venture is going, or just want to listen in to the conversation, feel free to dial in. (There are additonal contact information details in the first few minutes of each podcast that's already listed, if the Talkshoe client isn't suitable for you.)
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Five more Starline 2500 minis are up in painted form; the Klingon F5W (http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/us/miniatures/ctastarfleet/f5w-war-destroyer.html) and E5 (http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/us/miniatures/ctastarfleet/e5-battle-corvette.html), the Orion OK6 (http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/us/miniatures/ctastarfleet/ok6-converted-cruiser.html), plus the large freighter (http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/us/miniatures/ctastarfleet/large-freighter.html) and battle station (http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/us/miniatures/ctastarfleet/battle-station.html).
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My favorite designs, esthetically, have always been Klingon and Lyran.
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I've long been a Romulan fan, but I must admit that the latest Lyran designs are impressive.
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100 gift card hit, spent it on 2 Connies, 2 D7s, 2 War Eagles, and the ACtA:StarFleet rulebook.
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Cool.
(Are all of those minis in the 2500 series?)
Also, for the ACtA:SF rulebook, this FAQ (http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/pdf/sffaq.pdf) and errata file (http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/pdf/sferrata16512.pdf) might be worth looking over. (Once the information exchange between Mongoose and ADB is wrapped up, the points of errata should be added to future print runs of the book, as well as to the PDF edition we're supposedly going to get at some future point.)
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So I picked up a couple of the ship modules recently.
the Seltorian Battlewagon really makes me feel sorry for the Tholians, and now I know exactly how far is too far for the Klingons to tolerate your genocidal tendencies.
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Cool.
(Are all of those minis in the 2500 series?)
Also, for the ACtA:SF rulebook, this FAQ (http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/pdf/sffaq.pdf) and errata file (http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/pdf/sferrata16512.pdf) might be worth looking over. (Once the information exchange between Mongoose and ADB is wrapped up, the points of errata should be added to future print runs of the book, as well as to the PDF edition we're supposedly going to get at some future point.)
Yes, they're 2500s, and thanks for the links.
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So I picked up a couple of the ship modules recently.
the Seltorian Battlewagon really makes me feel sorry for the Tholians, and now I know exactly how far is too far for the Klingons to tolerate your genocidal tendencies.
The Battlewagon is one of the few ships to have been published in Federation Commander before it was seen in Star Fleet Battles (though it was still "approved" for SFB beforehand); it was originally seen in FC's Battleships Attack module as a double-sized Ship Card before SFB Module R12 was committed to print.
Yes, they're 2500s, and thanks for the links.
Cool. (I still have to get a new set of modelling tools, so I can do something with the 2500s I still have lying around...)
Oh, if anyone wants to watch the latest issue of Captain's Log come together, SVC regularly posts PDF updates showing the work-in-progress chart for which sections are at which stages of development; the workbooks for CL46 are in this thread (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/12099/31347.html?1356130644).
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I will try to take more pics once I have some actual daylight to work with; but here's a look at my WIP 2500-series FastHawk, the RIS Æstus Estus.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/Nerroth/Misc/AestusEstus1.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/Nerroth/Misc/AestusEstus2.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/Nerroth/Misc/AestusEstus3.jpg)
I named the ship after the sword used by a character in an RPG on the PlayStation Portable; this pic shows the blade beside its new namesake:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/Nerroth/Misc/AestusEstus4.jpg)
The red looks a little different in person than in the pics; I'm not quite sure how to better capture the true colour of the hull. Oh well.
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Nerroth, those are beautiful pictures of a Target.
Thank you! :)
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And here I thought the (SFU) Lyrans and Romulans were meant to be on the same side!
(I'll see if I can get pics of my other works in progress up sometime this weekend.)
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It's not all that bright outside, but it technically counts as daylight, so...
(The below are all works in progress; I'm not comfirtable enough to decalre any of them to be done and dusted, and that's not counting the decals I'm somewhat nervous about putting onto some of them.)
Here are a few more pics of the Æstus Estus:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/Nerroth/Misc/AestusEstus5.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/Nerroth/Misc/AestusEstus6.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/Nerroth/Misc/AestusEstus7.jpg)
This one shows it alongside a Fed NCF. (The Fed ship is blurry, but I wanted to post it anyway since the Rom came out well in it.)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/Nerroth/Misc/FedNCFandRomulanFFH1.jpg)
The NCF has soem decals waiting to go onto it once (if) I get it into some sort of decent shape. The decals I got are for the NCC-1382 Simón Bolívar, which historically was a new (fast) light cruiser instead; I wanted to have a set in case Mongoose ever do a proper NLF mini, and I suppose I could consider this ship to be what the Bolívar might have looked like had it been upgraded to an NCF.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/Nerroth/Misc/FedNCF1.jpg)
Outside of the Alpha Octant, the four other ships I've been working on are ear-marked for service in the Federal Republic of Aurora:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/Nerroth/Misc/Auroran1.jpg)
The CL, which has decals waiting to turn it into the CL-05 RSS Andoria, seems to photograph a little better than the other white WIP ships. (Not that this is saying much, I suppose.)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/Nerroth/Misc/AuroranCL1.jpg)
Here it is alongside the CR Throne of Ozymondas.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/Nerroth/Misc/AuroranCRandCL1.jpg)
The Throne might need a do-over; I'm not sure I'm on the right track with the colour scheme, plus it doesn't take well to photographs as it stands.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/Nerroth/Misc/AuroranCR1.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/Nerroth/Misc/AuroranCR2.jpg)
And these ships are set to become the FF-08 RSS Bremen and the FFE-01 RSS Hessen.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/Nerroth/Misc/AuroranFFandFFE1.jpg)
Apologies if they aren't the cleanest of paint jobs so far; I've been away from my paintbrush for quite a while by the time I started work on these, not that I was much of an expert at my best in any case.
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Apologies for taking so many pictures of the same ship; but I've been experimenting as much with ways to take images of it as with the actual painting itself.
(These ones were with a plain white sheet of printer paper laid out on the top of my notebook as background.)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/Nerroth/Misc/AestusEstus8.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/Nerroth/Misc/AestusEstus9.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/Nerroth/Misc/AestusEstus10.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/Nerroth/Misc/AestusEstus11.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/Nerroth/Misc/AestusEstus12a.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/Nerroth/Misc/AestusEstus13.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/Nerroth/Misc/AestusEstus14.jpg)
Do these images come out any better than the others?
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Another new set of WIP 3D models for Starline 2500's second wave; the Orion Battle Raider (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/31461.html?1357677991) and Battlecruiser (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/31477.html?1357689050), along with a new edition of the Heavy Cruiser (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/31469.html?1357688787).
(A thread has been set up for the Orion Heavy Battlecruiser (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/31485.html?1357689136), but its pics will go up tomorrow.)
Also, ADB have posted up a look forward (http://federationcommander.blogspot.ca/2013/01/through-glass-glowingly-vision-of-2013.html) to what 2013 (hopefully) has to offer.
One thing of note on the Federation and Empire front; the material which had originally been ear-marked for a Civil Wars expansion has been divided up (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/37/6584.html?1357504918) for easier consumption:
The big bag of stuff that was civil wars was (last week) divided into three products:
Minor Empires, the next product: LDR, Vudar, Seltorian. This should be a fairly easy module to do. We'll do it when we next need to reprint some other F&E counters.
Civil Wars: Kzinti (first and second, which was the wyn war of return and we'd probably just move all of the wyn stuff here), Lyran (pick one, they had several), Romulan (the post-general war one). Might also put in a fanciful Fed and/or Klingon civil war.
Lost Empires: Carnivon, Paravian, maybe one other.
It's very likely that Andro War will come after Minor Empires and anybody's guess when CW or LE would be done.
Hopefully it won't take too long for Minor Empires to get done, so that the Fun With Extra-Galactics can finally begin in earnest!
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Mongoose have posted a free PDF file for A Call to Arms: Star Fleet, called Fleet Update #1 (http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/pdf/fleetupdate1.pdf). It includes a batch of escort ships (with a playtest take on what SFB and FC would refer to as the Aegis fire control system), introduces the concept of "shock effects" for ships like the Fed New Jersey-class battlecruiser, and adds in preview stats for some of the "wave 2" minis which have gone up on their website.
Also, Starline 2500's take on the Federation Star Tiger-class light dreadnought (http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/us/miniatures/ctastarfleet/star-tiger-class-light-raiding-dreadnought.html) has gone up on pre-order. Looks nice, doesn't it? (The DNL hasn't been previewed in ACtA:SF yet, but you can see the FC Ship Card for it over here (http://www.starfleetgames.com/federation/Commanders%20Circle/documents/ship%20cards/Federation_DNL_Both_Large.pdf).)
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ADB have a fresh batch of releases out this week (some of which would have been out before the New Year, but for various issues here and there); Captain's Log #46 (http://store.starfleetstore.com/merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=S&Product_Code=5746&Category_Code=01), Federation Commander: Reinforcements Attack (http://store.starfleetstore.com/merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=S&Product_Code=4110&Category_Code=01) (plus its (http://store.starfleetstore.com/merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=S&Product_Code=4234&Category_Code=01) three (http://store.starfleetstore.com/merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=S&Product_Code=4235&Category_Code=01) boosters (http://store.starfleetstore.com/merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=S&Product_Code=4236&Category_Code=01)), and Battleships Armada (for both the Admiralty (http://store.starfleetstore.com/merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=S&Product_Code=6105&Category_Code=01) and Nova (http://store.starfleetstore.com/merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=S&Product_Code=6105N&Category_Code=01) editions of Starmada).
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The more I read this thread the more interesting the game looks. I played the old computer game but that was about it.
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Cool. Is there any particular SFU game which you may be leaning towards?
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And here I thought the (SFU) Lyrans and Romulans were meant to be on the same side!
Heh. Flat-thinking Roms are always targets.
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Heh. Flat-thinking Roms are always targets.
Don't mind me. I'll just be over here behind my web.
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Cool. Is there any particular SFU game which you may be leaning towards?
A Call to Arms looks most interesting to me right now.
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If you aren't in a hurry, the long-awaited PDF release of ACtA:SF book 1 should be out in the not too distant future.
What's happening is that each empire's stats are being errata-ed for the reference card packs going up on the Wargame Vault; the Federation (http://www.wargamevault.com/product/110686/Star-Fleet%3A-Federation-Reference-Cards) and Gorn (http://www.wargamevault.com/product/110079/Star-Fleet%3A-Gorn-Reference-Cards) packs are up now. Once all of the packs are done, the "fixed" versions of the ships will go into an updated rulebook PDF, and used as and when future printings of the core rulebook need to be done.
In the meantime, there is a list of pre-existing errata for the current rulebook printing over on this page (http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/us/miniatures/ctastarfleet/rulebooks/a-call-to-arms-star-fleet.html).
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I just nabbed all the Starmada Nova pdfs. Might look at converting more ships once I understand the rules. ;)
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I haven't seen too much about the Nova edition of Starmada as of yet. Have you been able to compare it to the Admiralty edition?
(I'm not sure when the e23 release for Battleships Armada will be up, though I'm guessing it will be offered in both Admiralty and Nova editions, just as the print edition has been in this week's batch of new releases.)
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I haven't seen too much about the Nova edition of Starmada as of yet. Have you been able to compare it to the Admiralty edition?
(I'm not sure when the e23 release for Battleships Armada will be up, though I'm guessing it will be offered in both Admiralty and Nova editions, just as the print edition has been in this week's batch of new releases.)
don't have Admiralty, just Nova.
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Oh, okay.
Do you have any thoughts so far on how the Nova edition of Star Fleet Starmada handles, or will you be getting any games in to road-test it first?
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Oh, okay.
Do you have any thoughts so far on how the Nova edition of Star Fleet Starmada handles, or will you be getting any games in to road-test it first?
Hmm...first blush: No stacking allowed, Photons and Disruptors fire at the same rate, but Disruptors have a range edge...better turn modes equate to more movement points....
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The no stacking thing reminds me of ACtA:SF; since that game is primarily miniatures-based, you can't pile ships on top of one another.
I kind of like the idea of encouraging fleets to use proper formations, rather than simply flying two sets of superstacks against each other. (Particuarly when you have cases like the Pacification-era ISC, who are historically oriented towards the Echelon. Though the Concordium hasn't appeared in Starmada or A Call to Arms: Star Fleet as of yet, those game systems might be good places for the Echelon to function as it is supposed to in-universe.)
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While it's looking like SFB Module C6 may be pushed back to being an Origins release (or, at least, I thought I read something about Origins somewhere; apologies if I'm mistaken on that one), we now have a look at Adam Turner's work on the cover art (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/12031/31773.jpg)!
There are a couple of additional pictures of the Paravian ship model at these (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151440259208280&set=a.10150730344533280.422032.231728653279&type=1&relevant_count=1) links (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151445163293280&set=a.10150730344533280.422032.231728653279&type=1&relevant_count=1).
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ADB and Ad Astra Games (http://www.adastragames.com/) (founded by Ken Burnside, the creator of the Lesser Magellanic Cloud setting seen in SFB Module C5) have provisionally agreed to develop a Star Fleet Universe adaptation of Ad Astra's Squadron Strike 3D combat engine. There are threads discussing the deal over in this corner of the ADB BBS (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/12032/31784.html?1363708964).
News flash! SVC writes: Star Fleet Squadron Strike: Leanna has given a green light to an e23 project that would be a series of PDF modules. A paper product might follow if there is support for it.
Ken Burnside adds: FAQ:
Q1) Will this product require Squadron Strike or will the product include Squadron Strike baked in?
A1) The product will require that you own the Squadron Strike game. It will not have an "abbrevated" rule set as part of the product.
Q2) Is ADB going to PoD Squadron Strike now?
A2) No, Ad Astra has that covered.
Q3) Will this be a 3D fighter dogfight game?
A3) No. It will be SFU spaceships converted to Squadron Strike.
Q4) What's the version of the SFU you're working from?
A4) I'm basing the designs off of Federation Commander. There may be a few things from SFB that migrate back in, like suicide overloaded fusion beams.
Q5) How close will it be?
A5) Very. There will be overloadable weapons, and action point management (think Fed Commander power management). Plasma torpedoes chase ships across the map. Drones may be a fire-and-shoot-down, rather than chase ships. Box counts will (mostly) match the Fed Commander ships.
Q6) What will the differences be?
A6) Squadron Strike ships will move about 8-15 hexes per turn; weapon ranges will be based on Fed Commander. Overloads go to range 9, due to some decisions made about the base game.
Q7) How close is this to being done?
A7) As of 19 MAR 2013, I have designs for 45 ships. I have a rough conversion notes document that can be sliced into a set of race specific "this is why this was done this way" document.
I need art assets to finish off the SSDs. There are some things I'm playtesting yet. If you've got a group of SS players and know the SFU, and are NOT CURRENTLY WORKING on something for ADB already, contact me. I do have some fairly active playtesters in Toronto and Vancouver I can hook interested people up with.
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ADB and Ad Astra Games (http://www.adastragames.com/) (founded by Ken Burnside, the creator of the Lesser Magellanic Cloud setting seen in SFB Module C5) have provisionally agreed to develop a Star Fleet Universe adaptation of Ad Astra's Squadron Strike 3D combat engine. There are threads discussing the deal over in this corner of the ADB BBS (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/12032/31784.html?1363708964).
Interesting, AAG did Saganami Island... which I think is the same engine... this could be fun, or painful...
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If I'm not mistaken, Ad Astra started off using the Attack Vector: Tactical game engine (which was used to run the original version of SITS) and more recently moved on to Squadron Strike. So far as I'm aware, AV:T is to SFB what SS is to FC; so the game engine being used for this conversion shouldn't be too difficult to get the hang of.
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Another new WIP 3D model for the second wave of Starline 2500s; this time, for the Klingon C5 Light Raiding Dreadnought (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/31820.html?1364338081).
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Mongoose have recently uploaded Fleet Update #2 (http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/pdf/fleetupdate2.pdf), an update for A Call to Arms: Star Fleet that adds in more units and variants from FC, along with some options from SFB.
EDIT: There are a few bugs in the file, so a revised edition should be uploaded sometime next week.
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I'm working on a blank expanded ship card. So far the expansions are a entry for your ship name, fleet, the damage entry has a blank for current damage, and there's a crew quality entry. The bottom of the card also has a condensed critical hit chart. Does anyone want to give it a whirl?
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ADB have put the second module for the ground combat Star Fleet Marines system, Last Stand (http://store.starfleetstore.com/merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=S&Product_Code=2102&Category_Code=01), on their online storefront. (You can see samples taken from the new module's map in this thread (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/26987/31805.html?1365794170).)
Also, a few of the 2500-series Orions have new (or revised) 3D models to look over; the Battle Raider (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/31960.html?1366303671), War Destroyer (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/31982.html?1366314977), Heavy Battlecruiser (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/31485.html?1366290045), and Dreadnought (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/27411/31952.html?1366312192).
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Ah, who better to understand the Klingons than Clan Blood Spirit?
And I don't mean those mamby-pamby batlev obsessed ST:TNG weenie Klingons; I mean Kor, Koloth and Kang!
So, after a very interesting encounter.....
(http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j76/TopSergeant/Miniatures/Battletech/Clan%20Blood%20Spirit/CBS1.jpg) (http://s77.photobucket.com/user/TopSergeant/media/Miniatures/Battletech/Clan%20Blood%20Spirit/CBS1.jpg.html)
Its The Final Reflection meets Tears of Blood. I'm sure Thought Admiral Krenn would see the advantages. 8)
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Your place in the Black Fleet is assured with that!
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Those look awesome Top.
Also, I just got back from ReaperCon. It was great, but I was a little surprised by the lack of an ADB/Mongoose showing so close to Amarillo. I got some painting tips, and gaming in. I'll be going next year and entering some ACTA and BT minis in ordinance I think.
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ADB usually only go to one event each year, at Origins. (I recall there being a visit to meet up with the SFU contingent at Council of Five Nations, but that isn't a regular thing the way the Origins trips tend to be.)
Mongoose I'm not so sure about. I want to say they have people at GenCon and/or Origins, but you might want to ask them about that one. (Their HQ staff are more likely to appear at conventions in the UK and Ireland.)
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Mongoose I'm not so sure about. I want to say they have people at GenCon and/or Origins, but you might want to ask them about that one. (Their HQ staff are more likely to appear at conventions in the UK and Ireland.)
Mongoose did have people selling SF:ACtA at GenCon last year. I, unfortuantely, was broke by the time I got to sit at a demo.
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O0
Interesting, AAG did Saganami Island... which I think is the same engine... this could be fun, or painful...
Depends. If you enjoyed advanced calculus homework, it'll probably be fun. Otherwise.....
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Does the Mongoose Version still feature drones, shuttlecraft, and non-trek races? I wouldn't mind playing a good miniatures based starship combat game, but I just never liked SFB, and the use of drones, shuttles, and non-canon races just spoiled my desire to try the Federation Commander game.
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Mongoose did have people selling SF:ACtA at GenCon last year. I, unfortuantely, was broke by the time I got to sit at a demo.
I see, thanks.
If they are at this year's GenCon, I would expect them to have the games and minis covered under the joint venture, but not any of ADB's non-Mongoose-related works.
O0
Depends. If you enjoyed advanced calculus homework, it'll probably be fun. Otherwise.....
From what I gather, Squadron Strike is less headache-inducing than Attack Vector: Tactical, which should bode reasonably well for the Star Fleet adaptation.
EDIT: Over on the ADB BBS, someone involved with the pllytesting of SFSS just posted up a battle report (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/12032/31782.html?1366606721#POST685738)* which helps to give an idea of how the game plays out at this stage of development. Looks interesting so far.
Does the Mongoose Version still feature drones, shuttlecraft, and non-trek races? I wouldn't mind playing a good miniatures based starship combat game, but I just never liked SFB, and the use of drones, shuttles, and non-canon races just spoiled my desire to try the Federation Commander game.
I should note that, given the kind of issues which the Unseen have caused the BattleTech franchise, and how purists loyal to the intellectual properties which those units originally appeared in might question their (former) presence in a game system that they were not originally created for, the concept of the "legacy" ships and empires derived from ADB's licences with the Franz Joseph and Niven estates and with Paramount/CBS sharing the stage with a large number of "home-grown" units and factions might not be an entirely novel one.
Well, I say that, but of course the SFU first emerged at a time when the Franchise was "fallow", and when the Star Fleet Technical Manual was as valid a source of data for what was presented on-screen in TOS and TAS as any other, one could argue that the SFU's derivation of how a Constitution-class CA is no less valid than what later screen works decided would be the case for their own purposes (which lie beyond the scope of ADB's licence in any event).
The fact of the matter is that there are certain background concepts in the SFU that either work for you, or they do not. The use of Kzinti/Kzintis instead of Kzin/Kzinti (a distinction which is required of ADB, to keep their take on the species a half-step removed from the version shown in The Slaver Weapon), the Klingons being a smooth-brow species only, the use of Gorns in plural, the Tholians being a series of no-legged floating pillars from the M81 Galaxy, the idea of a "big-fed" Milky Way (again, originally based on material printed in the Star Fleet Technical Manual; now at odds with the "small-fed" galaxy which was used as a working premise in later Franchise series and in the Star Trek Star Charts), and the presence of dozens of "SFU-native" species and empires in the Alpha Octant and far beyond it...
...all of it is part and parcel of what makes the SFU its own thing, and not just a cheap imitation of someone else's take on Trek.
I won't pretend that what the SFU does offer is for everyone, or that I myself would be a hundred percept bought in to all of the game and setting choices made therein. But I do feel that trying to go into the setting without being open to what it can do, as opposed getting caught up over what it can't, isn't necessarily the best way to enjoy the universe to its fullest.
Now, with all of that in mind, there are a few things.
One, there are various ways to thin out the drone herd even in Federation Commander. If you want to stick with the Alpha Octant, the Briefing #2 module (coupled with Booster #91, which includes the "Franz Joseph" ships from the Technical Manual) allows for play in the Middle Years, the time period that most closely overlaps the events of the on-screen five-year mission. In the Middle Years, the Feds have no drones, the Klingons have much fewer drones than in the General War, and both they and the Kzintis have to make do with slower drones (that only go 16 hexes a turn rather than 24). Plus, the ships themselves still have a number of flaws (such as weaker aft shields or fewer weapons) which had yet to be addressed by later wartime refits, so are a bit more of a challenge to try and master effectively.
If by shuttlecraft, you mean arming them as suicide shuttles, you can still do this in the Middle Years, but your ships have less power to spare in order to do so. Making the choice to arm suicide shuttles on a Middle Years vessel means you have more limits on what else you can spend your precious Energy Points on in a given turn. But if you are referring to fighters, only the Hydrans (in the Alpha Octant) use them as a matter of course, and even their Middle Years fighters are less of a threat than the ones they can operate in the General War.
For the time being, it's still early days in A Call to Arms: Star Fleet; we only have one published book in print, and the second one will take a while to get up and running. (There have been a few pdf preview rules, but what shape they may take when the time comes remains to be seen.)
The current crop of fleets are all based on "TV empires", but only five (the Federation, Klingons, Romulans, Gorns, and Kzintis) are fully fleshed out so far. The Tholian and Orion ships in book one are samplers, with their full fleets most likely due for book 2 (provisionally speaking, at least). The default setting is still the General War; the Middle Years have yet to be gone back to at this point, if they will be dealt with at all.
Drones are present in a notable way for the Feds and Klingons, and most especially for the Kzintis, though various rounds of errata have attempted to rein in the risk of seeking weapon overload. Suicide shuttles can still be armed, but they don't seem to be all that popular an option in ACtA:SF (so far as I've seen, though others may disagree). And, yes, at least some of the "SFU-native" empires will make an appearance as time goes on, but the first of those to be previewed in 3D model form (the Lyrans) are still in the development stage at this point.
But, ultimately, even if you prefer to only use a "TV empire" for your own fleet (which is fair enough), you may have to get used to the idea that the person on the other side of the gaming table may want to put down an "SFU-native" fleet to oppose it; and that the presence of that fleet is no less valid a part of the SFU for that.
If that is going to be a problem, there's only so much that any of the SFU games can do to help you, I'm afraid.
*Please note that the above link is to a developmental portion of the BBS, and is not a link to a store front page. (The module being referred to has yet to be published in any event.)
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If that is going to be a problem, there's only so much that any of the SFU games can do to help you, I'm afraid.
Thanks. Guess it wont do it for me. I could probably work around the the presence of the non canon races, but the whole drone and shuttle use thing is sort of a deal breaker for me in making it a 'Trek' based game. I might just check into Firestorm or something. I have the base Starmada rules, but can't get anyone locally to play a generic system.
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If drones and suicide shuttles are the issue... just remove them from play in your games... this'll make it odd to go to tournaments or conventions, but home games should be fine this way...
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I will be running some A Call to Arms Star Fleet events at Origins 2013:
Event #1008 Weds June 12 2pm-6pm, A Fight to the Death (6 players/3 per side, each with 2 ships on a fixed map in a fight to the death). Feds vs Klingons.
Event #1142 Thursday June 13 12noon - 4pm, A Fight to the Death (6 players/3 per side, each with 2 ships on a fixed map in a fight to the death). Feds vs Klingons.
Event #1355 Friday June 14 12noon - 5pm, Assault on the Alliance Base Complex, 6 players/3 per side, 8 Alliance ships + 2 bases vs 10 Klingon attacking ships.
Event #1421 Friday June 14 6pm - 10pm, A Fight to the Death (6 players/3 per side, each with 2 ships on a fixed map in a fight to the death). Feds vs Klingons.
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i have to say that the 2500's have really salvaged the gorn in my eyes. the old 2400's were just so dull and featureless i wasn't interested in them. but even with scale issues relative to the 2400 fed's and rom's i already have, the 2500 gorn looks cool enough to consider buying.
now if only full thrust 3.0 would be released..
Here are some of my ships:
Some unorthodox Gorns:
(http://i389.photobucket.com/albums/oo339/billclodude/DSCN2611_zps6d3f8763.jpg)
(http://i389.photobucket.com/albums/oo339/billclodude/DSCN26411280x960_zps568403c6.jpg)
And some Kzinti: (paintjob borrowed from the Centauri in Babylon 5):
(http://i389.photobucket.com/albums/oo339/billclodude/DSCN2768_zps6d16b8b0.jpg)
(http://i389.photobucket.com/albums/oo339/billclodude/DSCN27451280x960_zps89687ae2.jpg)
Klingons:
(http://i389.photobucket.com/albums/oo339/billclodude/DSCN2828_zps647faf8e.jpg)
(http://i389.photobucket.com/albums/oo339/billclodude/DSCN2830_zps6ca37a68.jpg)
F5W wolfpack (before decals)
(http://i389.photobucket.com/albums/oo339/billclodude/DSCN2779_zpsb07585a7.jpg)
Roms:
(http://i389.photobucket.com/albums/oo339/billclodude/DSCN2432.jpg)
I could probably work around the the presence of the non canon races, but the whole drone and shuttle use thing is sort of a deal breaker for me in making it a 'Trek' based game.
I frequently delete the drones, ADDs, Combined Drone Racks, and shuttles for convention games and teaching games, and the game plays well without them. Of course you can't use the Kzinti or ships that use drones as their primary weapons (Fed DWD, etc) this way.
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Those look pretty good.
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Not bad! I love how sharp you got all the details. O0 My only advice for them would be some very faint washes and/or drybrushing, just enough to make the details 'pop', and make the minis look like half-mile-long starships instead of 2-inch-long models of metal and plastic.
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Not bad! I love how sharp you got all the details. O0 My only advice for them would be some very faint washes and/or drybrushing, just enough to make the details 'pop', and make the minis look like half-mile-long starships instead of 2-inch-long models of metal and plastic.
Some of them do have drybrushing, like the purple Kzintis, the raised details on the D5/F5W. I have had little luck with washes.
I do use some Nuln Oil to darken up the spaces between the wing panels on the D5/D5W hulls, with some Necron Compound to lighten the top of the panels up, along with some on various parts of the those ships. The ships painted blue-grey, I haven't done any drybrushing/washes.
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What the hell ADB? (http://forum.mongoosepublishing.com/viewtopic.php?f=103&t=56036)
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What the hell ADB? (http://forum.mongoosepublishing.com/viewtopic.php?f=103&t=56036)
That reads like a really bad late April Fool's joke. Well....so much for my thinking about getting into ACTA:SFU,
since, apaprently, it is a dead project according the ADB.
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Matt at mongoose just posted a "don't give up yet!" Post in the same thread. We'll see in a few days I guess.
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Personally, I don't really understand why ADB seems to think they need to have this many rulesets for their universe, anyway. They've already got the highly detailed Star Fleet Battles and the relatively fast play Federation Commander in-house. Additional rule-sets just dilute the fan base, as there's little to no incentive to follow and buy product for them all. If ADB wanted to maintain such tight control of product development, they should have never licensed the property out in the first place.
I really love Star Fleet Battles, but the fandom is already highly compartmentalized.
Do you play Star Fleet Battles or Federation Commander?
Basic or Advanced Rules?
(alternatively, Fleet scale or Squadron scale?)
Do you allow fighters or do you hate them?
Do you play Omega or will you not touch it?
Do you allow Federation PFs?
Generally speaking, each of these questions isn't just a simple preference, but defines how and with whom each player plays the game. Adding an additional rules set into the mix is just a further schism to have. When you compartmentalize your fan base to the point that only a fraction of your players are purchasing each new product, its a recipe for disaster.
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Personally, I don't really understand why ADB seems to think they need to have this many rulesets for their universe, anyway. They've already got the highly detailed Star Fleet Battles and the relatively fast play Federation Commander in-house. Additional rule-sets just dilute the fan base, as there's little to no incentive to follow and buy product for them all. If ADB wanted to maintain such tight control of product development, they should have never licensed the property out in the first place.
I really love Star Fleet Battles, but the fandom is already highly compartmentalized.
Do you play Star Fleet Battles or Federation Commander?
Basic or Advanced Rules?
(alternatively, Fleet scale or Squadron scale?)
Do you allow fighters or do you hate them?
Do you play Omega or will you not touch it?
Do you allow Federation PFs?
Generally speaking, each of these questions isn't just a simple preference, but defines how and with whom each player plays the game. Adding an additional rules set into the mix is just a further schism to have. When you compartmentalize your fan base to the point that only a fraction of your players are purchasing each new product, its a recipe for disaster.
The only sane thing I've seen ADB do is offer their print books loose and 3-hole punched. I was hoping ACTA:SF would be a good thing, and in a lot of ways I like it still (and while I enjoyed all my attempts at SFB, none of my co-players did so ACTA was my hope for having players in my area with mutual interest. I'd also just talked the local brick and mortar into carrying a few books & minis next quarter. Now what?
So I totally agree. If they're going to start another line of games, they really should look to creating something original. SFU is all they do... perhaps they should look at doing something fresh instead of rehashing materiel in sillier and sillier ways. If they want to do a simple board game that's fine. Grab a few fresh minds and take the board games in a new direction. Don't start ANOTHER set of SFU projects.
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From what I've seen so far (and note that I have no degree of authority on this, I'm just stating my own observation here), if one were to draw a Venn diagram of the broader SFU fandom with circles representing the respective player bases of each game system, the amount of overlap wouldn't be all that high.
While there are those who buy the books (and miniatures) from this or that joint venture, the point seems to be more to try and offer the SFU as a setting to player groups who are already into their chosen game engine. Those who, otherwise, wouldn't bother with anything ADB directly.
In the case of A Call to Arms: Star Fleet, there was a pre-existing fanbase for that game engine; some of those who had been around for the days when Mongoose still held the Babylon 5 licence, and others who may have gotten involved with ACtA:Noble Armada (which itself exists due to an outside licence agreement; this one with Holistic Designs, the creators of Fading Suns and the original Noble Armada game system). Many of those players will not touch SFB, and would consider FC as not being fleet-level-ey enough for their tastes. Or perhaps they prefer to play in a hexless environment (which both SFB and FC can support, but which rarely end up being used in practice).
Despite the hiccups which have dogged the relationship between Mongoose and ADB to this point, neither side is ready to throw in the towel as of yet; and now that Jean Sexton is now safely settled in Amarillo (after a move which saw SVC and SPP drive from Texas to North Carolina and back (https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10151521782838280&id=231728653279)), things should get moving more quickly once the Origins rush is done and dusted. (In particular, one hopes that Traveller Pime Directive will get through the home stretch in the not too distant future.)
But it should be moted that some of these side-moves have offered benefits for more than just the new game systems or groups. Starline 2500, despite the glitches, has been a game-changer in terms of the quality and quantity of minis available for any of the SFU tactical combat games; though you may need to put them on hex based instead of Mongoose's flight stands in order to make best use of them. Also, the key element holding up PD: Traveller, the deck plan requirement (from Mongoose, not from ADB; none of the other editions of PD have anything like this issue) has the side bonus of compelling the creation of what, in many cases, are the first deck plans ever created for several Star Fleet Universe starships.
And when it comes to moving into something "new", I agree; I want to see more modules digging deeper into the Omega Octant and the Lesser Magellanic Cloud. I want the Triangulum Galaxy to finally get formally published. I even want to see what kind of info there will be for the M81 Galaxy, once the Tholian sourcebook for Prime Directive (which will chart the rise and fall of the Tholian Will back in the home galaxy, as well as the Holdfast's struggle for survival in the Milky Way). And, yes, I would like to see the X2 era post-Y205 to be fleshed out, and for the big bad Xorkaelian threat to be made "real" in a proper set of modules.
But all of this will take time.
What I am hoping, however, is that the joint venture with Mongoose (once it truly "beds down" and proves it'll be on for the long haul) will make these kind of ideas that much more effective. Imagine an X2 era in which the ship designs can be done in Starline 2500, where one could push the envelope in terms of what can be done for the "TV empires" without risking the Wrath of Paramount/CBS. Or, for that matter, what the Early Years ships might look at some point, if ACtA:SF ever went back in time to the W- and Y-eras. Or how settings which may never be done for Starline 2400, like Omega or the LMC, might finally get a chance at being reprroduced in miniature form should Mongoose decide to expand beyond the Alpha Octant (once they have caught up with the likes of FC, that is).
But in the meantime, if Module X2 finally gets up and running, or if another Omega or LMC module is done, or if I finally manage to get some of my own outside efforts* to work on non-Alpha conversion projects into FC to the point where they can become a proper thing, that would show how, despite the side-stepping into new game systems, the SFU hasn't run out of new tricks just yet.
*I wrote the rules aspect of the FC Omega Playtest Rulebook, though I have to thank Rick Smith for the graphical aspects of that file. I also have rules on file attempting to convert the Magellanic empires into the same game system, but those aren't public just yet. I have my fingers crossed that there will be some sort of way forward for both settings, but it's up to ADB to see what, if anything, may happen next.
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I think you've hit the nail on the head, though, Nerroth: ACTASF targets a market outside of the established Star Fleet Battles fanbase, but it and projects of its ilk suffer from diminishing returns because most folks interested un the Star Fleet Universe play the classic game or Federation Commander, and only a small number of people out there liked the universe but hated the rules so much that they wouldn't buy it and adapt it into what they wanted. Each time you split the fan base, you lower the number of customers buying each respective product. Small companies in niche markets need to focus on a "big tent" approach whenever possible.
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Well, when FC first came out, ADB were concerned that it might have cannibalized some of SFB's sales. It turned out that FC helped increase sales of SFB, leaving both games with enough of a player base to sustain themselves, while allowign for cross-pollination rather than cannibalism.
Whether or not the same sort of thing is happening with ACtA:SF is another matter, but I'd be very surprised if it wasn't something being watched carefully by ADB themselves.
But I think there's a line between expanding a franchise in new ways and thinning it out too much. Even Catalyst will be running a grand experiment with the "Year of Shadowrun", with things like Crossfire, Hostile Takeover, and Sprawl Gangers looking to offer non-RPG points of entry into the Sixth World. Of course CGL are hoping each will be a success, but do they not constitute a risk?
And more importantly, does it being a risk therefore mean that it's not worth taking?
ADB's joint ventures will stand or fall depending on how well they do in their own right, and how they affect each company involved. And while you may be proven right in the long run, I would sooner choose to believe that there's hope for the enterprise (without an Enterprise) yet.
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I have never played SFB, despite having the core box. Why? Because, frankly, in my group we have
no-one who knows the rules, and SFB is....intimidatingly complex rules wise. I have tried to go through
the Cadet Rules, but, somewhere along the way, I always end up getting lost.
I got a chance to watch a demo ACtA:SF at GenCon last year, and it seemed a much easier game to learn.
I just have not been able to get a starter set for it...
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Ironically, the base rules for Star Fleet Battles aren't all that complex. The complexity of Star Fleet Battles is the depth of the strategy and the number of available options one can take each impulse, and the interactions of all said options.
If you do nothing but fly around and fire off your phasers and heavy weapons, the game is actually pretty darn simple.
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Ironically, the base rules for Star Fleet Battles aren't all that complex. The complexity of Star Fleet Battles is the depth of the strategy and the number of available options one can take each impulse, and the interactions of all said options.
If you do nothing but fly around and fire off your phasers and heavy weapons, the game is actually pretty darn simple.
Yes, but that is where the issue in learning it comes from: learning how to do everything, because, frankly, you are
not going to have fun if you are just moving around and shooting. (Also..the impulse system is something that I,
personally, find working it from how it is written confusing...)
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Things have been a bit quiet release-wise for ADB so far this year; the only nee product they were able to bring to Origins was Captain's Log #47. But, things should pick up again for this half of the year, not least since it looks like SFB Module C6 may be out in another month or two.
(There's a free supplemental file for CL47 on e23, which explains some of the reasons why things have gone this way, and how ADB's time at Origins went.)
There was one thing I wanted to ask those of you already into the SFU, or perhaps those who have thought of trying it someday.
One of the defining aspects of the universe has been the heritage of the "TV empires"; those which stem directly from the on-screen source material, or whose roles in this universe were initially shaped by data published in Franz Joseph's Star Fleet Technical Manual. And even now, the Federation and Klingons are the two most popular empires, matching their status as regional superpowers in their corner of the galaxy.
But, for my part, the real interest in the SFU is with the "native" empires and species; those which were created for this universe, some of whom kept at varying degrees of distance from the "TV empires" than others.
I suppose you could count three of those powers, the Lyrans, Hydrans, and ISC, as being more "famous" due to their inclusion in the first two-and-a-half Starfleet Command PC games. But there are others, like the Paravians and Carnivons who were around back in the SFB Y-modules (and who will re-surface in "what-if" form in Module C6), or the various non-Alpha settings in the broader SFU (such as the Omega Octant, the Lesser Magellanic Cloud, and the Triangulum Galaxy) which represent the farthest shores which the setting has branched out towards over the past decade and more.
For my part, it's in settings like Omega, the LMC and M33 where my personal interest shines through the most. Not just in tems of technology (though there are various weapons and other systems that are distinct for each region), but mostly in how each allows for a different set of narratives to what you see in the Alpha Octant. But not everyone who is into the SFU shares my enthusiasm for these areas of space, for various reasons. Which is fair enough, of course.
So, I wanted to ask: Of those of you who like the SFU already, do any of the non-Alpha settings interest you; or, perhaps, could they be something you might like to look into? And for those of you who aren't into the setting who have considered trying it out, would you be open to seeing what some of these alternate regions of space have to offer; or would your main focus be on the local neighbourhood instead?
(As a point of disclosure, I have been trying to get some of these non-Alpha settings into games other than SFB. But I don't work for ADB, and I was asking this out of personal interest, not as part of some nefarious scheme or anything.)
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Right now, on a scale of 1-10, my interest in the other areas would be a 1. :-\ That is, if I got a hold of a copy of the material, I would skim through it and see what is there. Maybe that would build up some interest, but I don't expect that to happen. Once you move away from the core empires, it just starts this repetitive course of making up new empires. Each new empire (A, B, C...) needs new tech (T, U, V...) to distinguish it from every other empire. Piles of SSDs for each new empire so they have all of the ship types. (For the record, I am not complaining about too many SSDs. I have at least 2 copies printed of every SSD through R10.) New firing charts for every new weapon. How many ways of converting ship energy to weapon damage do we need? And let's not forget the new rules. NM1.2.13 The effects of a marklar interacting with a marklar. Multiply that rule for every new marklar they make, and...sigh. I simply don't have an interest in this form of development. But this course keeps the company alive, so I hope they do well.
Lately, I have been working on plans for a merchant/privateer campaign set during the general war era. I used macromedia fireworks to draw all of the different freighter sections available (bridges, pods, ducktails, engines). It seems I need to get R11 for new stuff. Once the players design their ships, I can put together the custom SSDs. I might use some 4-pocket sheet protectors with 3x5 cards so they can easily shift pods between scenarios. The galactic map will be closer to ST:RPG's map with the Tholians moved north of the Gorn. That way I can have the Triangle area, and we don't have to deal with Tholians.
Meow Liao
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I own most of the stuff for Omega, does that count?
I think I need more background to be attached to any particular factions. Since the grand-sum of fluff most of the non-Alpha Sector factions have recieved was less than a full page, it's hard to get particularly excited about them.
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Right now, on a scale of 1-10, my interest in the other areas would be a 1. :-\ That is, if I got a hold of a copy of the material, I would skim through it and see what is there. Maybe that would build up some interest, but I don't expect that to happen. Once you move away from the core empires, it just starts this repetitive course of making up new empires. Each new empire (A, B, C...) needs new tech (T, U, V...) to distinguish it from every other empire. Piles of SSDs for each new empire so they have all of the ship types. (For the record, I am not complaining about too many SSDs. I have at least 2 copies printed of every SSD through R10.) New firing charts for every new weapon. How many ways of converting ship energy to weapon damage do we need? And let's not forget the new rules. NM1.2.13 The effects of a marklar interacting with a marklar. Multiply that rule for every new marklar they make, and...sigh. I simply don't have an interest in this form of development. But this course keeps the company alive, so I hope they do well.
I can understand the issue of rules creep, but in some cases the empires in non-Alpha parts of the universe are intended to either offer less clutter (in terms of atttrition units or seeking weapons) or to allow for tactical options (and restrictions) which are not available in the Alpha Octant proper.
For example, SFB Module C5 introduces five factions from the Lesser Magellanic Cloud, the island galaxy which the Andromedans conquered as part of their grand campaign against the Milky Way (and which served as the target destination for Operation Unity). There's a setting page for the LMC on ADB's website, but I'm not sure if it would be okay for me to post a link to it. (After certain events, I'm somewhat reluctant to risk getting in more trouble, even though that page is not a "storefront" page.)
Of the five fleets in that module, two of them (the Uthiki and Jumokians) are minor powers with only a few ship types each. (The squid-like Uthiki get singled out for extermination for the Andromedans, though no-one is quite sure why. The reptilian Jumokians use miniature pod mounts on their pirate warships, which helps them get around their limited hull numbers to a certain degree.) Only the three "Magellanic Powers" (the Baduvai, Eneen, and Maghadim) have more fleshed-out fleets (with line and support ships, bases, etc), but even they share a certain set of common technologies that make them distinctly "LMC" powers rather than galactic ones.
All five fleets use a common set of shielding (which is multi-layered, with 60-degree outer shields over a pair of less useful inner shields) and primary weapons (warp-tuned lasers, which cannot be down-fired and are less effective against plasma than standard phasers). But on the other hand, all but one of the known LMC heavy weapons are direct-fire, so there's no need to worry about stacks of drones or whatnot; the closest thing to a drone is a mass driver missile, which is fired like a direct-fire weapon you get to try and shoot down before it impacts. (The Eneen have a weak plasma type they use as a "keep away" weapon.) And attrition units only appear very late in the timeline (during the Andromedan occupation), and are few in number. The lemur-like Eneen have one or two "casual fighters" they sometimes took, but didn't bother with a "true" carrier; the insectoid Maghadim were able to field carriers, but with certain limitations; while the giant quadruped Baduvai were physically incapable of operating a fighter, so went instead with a weak (from an Alpha perspective) PF.
And then there's the map on which these empires are set up on (until the Andros ruin the party). The LMC map is smaller than those of the Alpha or Omega Octants, so the economies for each power are more limited. This obliges the local fleets to use destroyers and frigates as their line ships in place of cruisers. (The multi-layer shield rules help counteract this to a certain extent.) Geographically, it has a central core region with higher-than-average stellar densities per hex, walled off from the rest of the Cloud by a WYN-like radiation shell. Around the Core is a ring of provinces with "normal" stellar densities, that also includes the three-hex Yrol Nebula (whose locals are fairly isolationist and have yet to be published for SFB). Around those is a set of "Fringe" hexes, where the stellar densities are much lower, and resources much harder to come by. (Beyond the Fringe is the Chomak cluster, whose inhabitants haven't been published for SFB either.)
The politics and conflicts of the Cloud were shaped by these divisions. The Maghadim, feeling trapped behind the Core radiation walls, were desperate to break out into the "open" space beyond it (when their rival Hives are trying to kill each other). Most of the ring of "normal" hexes was held by the Baduvai and Eneen, with a pair of "neutral" provinces acting as a buffer to the "north-west". The Baduvai and Eneen alternated between tussling with each other for dominance over the "outside" ring of space, and co-operating in order to keep the Maghadim from securing a limb-ing in the Neutral Worlds (which were the primary beach-head the Maghadim used to try and escape the confines of the Core region). And the Jumokians, forced into exile by the Eneen conquest of their home world, use the Fringe region as their primary staging area to launch pirate raids and suchlike against the Eneen (and later the Baduvai). The Uthiki had their own province on the Baduvai side of the Cloud, but were mostly an LDR-esque minor power until hit by the Andromedans.
And there are even a handful of Jindarian caravans (from Module F1) out in the LMC, mostly keeping to themselves, but who ended up offering the key to the Magellanics' survival. When the Jumokians were driven into exile, the Jindarians showed them how to build asteroid shipyards, a capability the Jumokians themselves would offer to the Magellanic Powers once they in turn were forced into exile by the Andromedan conquest. These asteroid yards helped keep the exiles alive long enough to try and start re-claiming their occupied planets after the Andromedans were defeated in Operation Unity.
I guess the above ended up being a tad longer than I was hoping for, but I guess the point I was trying to get at is that the non-Alpha settings are not there just to be "more of the same" (in terms of being an excuse to add this weapon or that support system). They are meant to allow for a new set of options on the tabletop, but also a different kind of arena to to campaigning or role-playing in.
(I could go into similar introductions to Omega and Triangulum, in case anyone was interested.)
Lately, I have been working on plans for a merchant/privateer campaign set during the general war era. I used macromedia fireworks to draw all of the different freighter sections available (bridges, pods, ducktails, engines). It seems I need to get R11 for new stuff. Once the players design their ships, I can put together the custom SSDs. I might use some 4-pocket sheet protectors with 3x5 cards so they can easily shift pods between scenarios. The galactic map will be closer to ST:RPG's map with the Tholians moved north of the Gorn. That way I can have the Triangle area, and we don't have to deal with Tholians.
R11 and R12 have their uses. Of the two, R11 is more useful in terms of helping to organise campaigns, since it has a lot of support units included there.
I own most of the stuff for Omega, does that count?
Which Omega modules do you have so far?
I think I need more background to be attached to any particular factions. Since the grand-sum of fluff most of the non-Alpha Sector factions have recieved was less than a full page, it's hard to get particularly excited about them.
I guess part of the problem is one of visibility, both in terms of background and in presentation.
People may have a general sense of what to expect with the "TV empires", or perhaps with the likes of the Lyrans and Hydrans (courtesy of SFC). But without an introduction as to what exactly it is that these other settings actually do, it might be harder to be aware of it (or want to consider it).
When I was working on the ruleset for the FC Omega Playtest Rulebook, I tried to be careful in terms of how much information to present to the reader. Since a number of people reading that file would be looking at Omega for the first time, I tried to focus on a smaller sub-set of factions, and ones which are on the more "normal" scale in terms of how they build and operate their ships.
For Omega in particular, I tried to make a point of using the Federal Republic of Aurora as a "bridge" faction. The Republic got its start when a Federation colony was transplanted to the Omega Octant in Y130. Once there, they found themselves able to build ships based on the "Terran" hulls (CL and POL) they had on hand. (Later arrivals from Klingon, Lyran, and ISC space helped add to the mix.) So you have what starts as a Fed-like faction (where the Terran hulls became the norm rather than the "saucer-and-nacelle" ships in Star Fleet) and which gradually evolves into its own thing as it matures in its new and often-hostile environment.
In time, I'm hoping that more new developments for the non-Alpha settings (such as more Omega modules for SFB, or a new phase of advancement for the Omega project in FC) might help make these settings more readily accessible to newcomers, and perhaps show off some of the reasons why I find them so appealing.
Of course, some new fiction set in those regions might help, too.
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Which Omega modules do you have so far?
O1-3 & 5
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O1-3 & 5
Noted. (Module Omega 4 might or might not be worth getting at some point, depending on whether any of the four empires in there are of interest to you.)
Have you thought of taking a look at the Omega Master Rulebook? There was an update to the OMRB in 2011, so it now has the rules and R-sections from all five modules included; plus a bunch of scenarios and tactical primers culled from issues of Captain's Log. I had a print copy of the original 2007 edition, but got the 2011 update on e23, and I find it a very useful resource.
Plus, since it has the rules and ships from Module Omega 4, you would only need to order the countersheet and SSD book as spare parts, were you so inclined. (Or you'd at least get a sense of whether or not you wanted to bother with those empires in particular.)
EDIT: Unfortunately, it seems that Star Fleet Squadron Strike isn't going to happen. Ad Astra posted this on their Google+ blog:
The Star Fleet Squadron Strike project has been canceled by Steve Cole. He has made a counter proposal, for which we thank him.
It does not meet our needs at this time.
It is not our company policy to discuss the reasons for dismissed proposals in public forums.
The counter-proposal was a hybrid game which would have incorporated elements from both Federation Commander and Squadron Strike.
ADB's own statement:
Joint Venture with ADB, Inc. and Ad Astra Will Not Move Forward
Due to design differences between Squadron Strike and Star Fleet Battles, as well as differing company goals and needs, the proposed joint venture between ADB and Ad Astra will not move forward. ADB wishes Ken the best as he continues his labor of love with Squadron Strike. Our company goal is to expand our game lines to include a wider audience who want to play games with fewer rules and more "toys" and to enhance our financial status. We believe our design time is best spent elsewhere.
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Okay, so I've been out of this thread for a while.
I picked up A Call To Arms: Star Fleet earlier in the year, and I'm only now coming to read up on the rules and prepare for a gaming session to schedule at some point in the future.
I'm curious about new products that might have been released by the publisher since ACTA:SF -- aside from the miniature ranges for the various fleets. What other rule books [if any] should I purchase?
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I guess my attempt at introducing the LMC empires above has been less than successful...
Okay, so I've been out of this thread for a while.
I picked up A Call To Arms: Star Fleet earlier in the year, and I'm only now coming to read up on the rules and prepare for a gaming session to schedule at some point in the future.
I'm curious about new products that might have been released by the publisher since ACTA:SF -- aside from the miniature ranges for the various fleets. What other rule books [if any] should I purchase?
There are two ways I can answer that question.
The first is to refer to the various playtest materials and errata updates which have surfaced since the first book was printed. There is an errata file on Mongoose's product page for ACtA:SF dated to the 16th of May 2012, which might be worth getting a hold of. Also, there is a single issue of the A Call to Arms Journal on DriveThruRPG, as well as two Fleet Update files on Mongoose's own site, which include a series of playtest rules which may or may not be included in future published modules. (One of the playtest rules, for alternate drone options, has been declared dead on arrival by ADB.)
The second is to note that, at this point, the timetable for future expansions (or for the long-awaited PDF release, and second printing, of the first book) is less than clear. ADB have expresssed a number of misgivings as to how the game system works at present, even taking the various errata updates into consideration. There may be a need to revisit some of the concepts of the game (not least how to handle seeking weapons, which has been an awkward question from the outset) before ADB gives the go-ahead for things to move forward again.
One could argue that the teething troubles with ACtA:SF has shaped how ADB approaches such joint ventures going forward. When the Starmada deal was done, Majestic 12 had a bit more leeway in terms of how it "re-imagined" tactical starship combat in the SFu for both the Admiralty and Nova editions of their game system. But after the problems which surfaced with trying to make the A Call to Arms engine to properly represent the way the universe works (an effort with a much higher profile than the Starmada adaptations), other attempts at establishing joint ventures (such as the recently-collapsed Squadron Strike efforts) have had a far more hands-on approach in terms of ensuring such compliance.
So, long story short, I don't know when things are going to get settled for ACtA:SF, but it seems that both companies are still committed to doing so and getting the show back on the road, rather than allow what happened with ADB and AD Astra to happen here.
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A fellow poster on another forum managed to find this piece of info buried in the latest Judge Dredd Kickstarter update:
Our other ranges are moving elsewhere too (Victory at Sea is already being produced in the UK - and actually has some new releases coming out today - and we are making final arrangements for Star Fleet & Noble Armada to go to another facility). Given the low production rate of our US facility and (especially) the poor service that has been conducted this year for our US and Canadian backers, we have made the decision to close the place down. This means we will have no permanent presence in the US any more, but that everything can now be directly controlled by us here in the UK.
It will be interesting to see how much of a change this re-location will mean for the Starline 2500 product range going forward. (Or for its stablemaate in ACtA:NA, for that matter.)
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Much appreciative of your insight on ACtA:SF, Nerroth. Thank you.
So, given what you've said in reply to my query, would you recommend that I, perhaps, temporarily reinvest my interest and financial means into re-familiarising myself with the other SFB game systems that are still currently available? At least for the time being... until the problems with Mongoose's SF initiative are resolved.
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Before making a decision, I'd give it a couple of days. I imagine the announcement about the re-location of the Starline 2500's production site will go live soon, and ADB seem to be quite confident about the move (though they are keeping what they know of the details firmly under wraps until the Big RevealTM).
Hopefully, by that time, at least one of the three big holdups will have been sorted out. The second (regarding the rules for ACtA:SF itself) will hopefully not drag on for too much longer, while the third (getting Traveller: Prime Directive up and running) is now getting back on track courtesy of one of its chief developers now being settled in Amarillo from her former home in North Carolina.
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I have never played SFB, despite having the core box. Why? Because, frankly, in my group we have
no-one who knows the rules, and SFB is....intimidatingly complex rules wise. I have tried to go through
the Cadet Rules, but, somewhere along the way, I always end up getting lost.
SFB is actually a pretty simple game. Many times over the years I've taught new players the core 95% of the rules they'll ever use in under 15 minutes, and this was in a group where we used every rule in every book on a weekly basis.
The daunting size of the rulebook comes not from complexity, but from exactness. It spends a page explaining a simple one sentence concept because it covers every possible interaction in order to remove any ambiguity. I'm an old time grognard and while I've had rules arguments in many older games, I've never had one in SFB that wasn't solved in seconds by someone pointing out the subsection which covered it. The few that arose weren't caused by a dispute over the rule's intent, but by someone having forgotten a specific case which was explicitly explained by the book.
I'd recommend starting out with just the Basic Rulebook, and playing a classic Federation vs Klingon using tournament ships. You can get those from the downloads section of the SFB site.
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Over on the ADB BBS, there is a discussion thread for an upcoming volume called Away Team Log, which will act as a once-off compilation of various fiction works and historical background pieces from the last dozen or more issues of Captain's Log. The goal is to make this collection of articles easier to access for Prime Directive roleplayers, or for those who haven't been collecting those CL issues quite so thoroughly.
The final list is still being hammered out, but it looks set to be a fairly solid collection of SFU fiction works at this point.
(ATL's main focus will be on the "TV empires", so some stories and background articles for more SFU-native groups may have to wait for the time being, if only due to there not being enough room for them all to fit in a single compilation volume. There is talk of there one day being a PD-oriented print magazine to be called Final Frontier, but whether any of the CL articles which miss the cut for ATL would be candidates for that publication remains to be seen.)
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Star Fleet Battles: Module C6 is (finally) going on sale later this month, and a new preview of the cover art (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151783199668280&set=pb.231728653279.-2207520000.1379192933.&type=3&src=https%3A%2F%2Fscontent-b-atl.xx.fbcdn.net%2Fhphotos-ash4%2F1185883_10151783199668280_1834158334_n.jpg&size=960%2C613) now shows a glimpse of the writeup on the back cover.
Interesting how in this universe, the "wolves" have green counters, while the "birds" have red ones.
In the longer term, this may not be the only time when the Paravians are paired with a wolf-like species in a future product. One of the proposed "new empire" mpdules for the Omega Octant in SFB would offer the Paravians of Omega alongside the lupine Vulpa and Nucians (who are ethnically the same species as the Vulpa).
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Who the heck are those races anyway?
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Both the Paravians (http://www.starfleetgames.com/federation/paravian.shtml) and Carnivons (http://www.starfleetgames.com/federation/carnivon.shtml) were first introduced to the setting in SFB Module Y1. In both cases, they were factions that existed in the Early Years (http://www.starfleetgames.com/earlyyears.shtml), but for one reason or another became extinct in the Alpha Octant prior to the "modern" era. (The Paravians later became a power over in the Omega Octant (http://www.starfleetgames.com/omegasector.shtml), while it has been suggested - but not confirmed - that a set of Carnivon exiles may have found a new home over in the Sargasso Storm octant of the Milky Way (http://www.starfleetgames.com/federation/galaxy_map.shtml).)
Module C6 is supposed to show a set of "what-ifs", in which either or both species would have gone on to have maintained a place for themselves in Alpha into the General War era. In the case of the Carnivons, they will either be shown to have an "on-map" empire between the Lyrans and Kzintis, or have an option in which they would have been the ones to set up shop in the WYN Cluster. For the Paravians, they will have two options: one where they are driven "off-map" and continue to act as raiders, or another where they would stay and establish thesmelves as a regular empire, as previewed in Mapsheet P (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/12031/31065.jpg). (There'll be a similar mapsheet showing where the Carnivons might have secured their own "modern" empire in C6, but that map - which is said to add new hexes that will extend into the "top-left" edge of the Federation and Empire map - has not been previewed online.)
The Paravians have agile ships which use the quantum wave torpedo, a plasma-like weapon that fires every turn. However, their ships usually have a problem where their turn mode suffers in either direction if one or both of their side warp engines are destroyed. The Carnivons have disruptor cannons, which are like bigger disruptors that arm over two turns, as well as heel nippers (used to disrupt an enemy ship's warp movement) and death bolts (which are sort of like double-sized drones).
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Thanks Nerroth!
I played SFB back in the '80's but I didn't remember these two races.
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Still no ACTA news... :(
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It has been quiet on the A Call to Arms front (for both Star Fleet and Noble Armada), but there is word that things are moving behind the scenes for the latter.
Plus, there are more positive signs that Traveller: Prime Directive is moving forward.
Oh, and I wasn't able to post about it when it came out, but the Away Team Log fiction compilation mentioned earleir in this thread is now up on e23 and DriveThruRPG. The print edition should hit the shelves in November. (The e-versions are 20 dollars US, while the print volume will be US$25.)
There's a list of the stories included in this preview PDF (http://starfleetgames.com/documents/ATL_Product_Info.pdf). (You'll have to find the links for the product pages yourself, lest I incur another rule 10 violation.)
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Module C6 has just hit the presses!
It should be shipping to distributors tomorrow, and go out for mail orders next week.
In addition to the Paravian map preview (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/12031/31065.jpg) shown last year, a new file (http://www.starfleetgames.com/discus/messages/12031/carnivon_website_map.pdf) shows what the two alternate histories done up for the Carnivons turn out like. (The top map shows a Carnivon realm which had managed to unite and survive long enough to last into the modern era, and includes planets which were depopulated by the Lyrans and Kzintis in the "standard" timeline. The bottom map shows a quantum reality in which two Carnivon Hordes fled into the WYN Cluster, and went on to use it as a launchpad for a fresh round of conquest in Y178, taking advantage of their neighbours' mutual exhaustion in the General War.)
Also, there are sketches done by Adam Turner which show his visions of what a Carnivon (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151189876363280&set=a.10151603642338280.1073741841.231728653279&type=1&relevant_count=1) and a Paravian (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151211768268280&set=a.10151603642338280.1073741841.231728653279&type=1&relevant_count=1) would look like. (Adam also sketched his take on a Gorn (https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10151804678913280&id=231728653279), and made a welcome point to include traces of the genetic link between that species and their Paravian cousins/nemeses.)
Of course, for my part, I'm just hoping that the many and varied headaches this file has caused for ADB to get them to this point won't have burned up all of the time and patience one might spare the Paravian species going forward. There is still that group of them in Omega I'm hoping to see fleshed out someday, after all...
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Still no ACTA news... :(
Still no ACTA Neo-tholian miniatures news >:(
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At this point, the goal mini-wise seems to be more aimed at getting the last of the wave 1 models out, before moving on to any more of the new batch intended for wave 2. Now that the Starline 2500s have completed the move to their new production setup, hopefully that first part won't take too long to happen.
Also, if anyone is interested in hearing more about the development process for Module C6, Steve Petrick (the SFB line developer at ADB, and the lead author of C6 itself) should be calling in to tomorrow evening's Star Fleet Universe On Call talkcast.
If you are around at 9:30 PM EST tomorrow, have a look for the TalkShoe website and search for call ID 17702. The page hosts podcasts of the previous shows, in case you wanted to hear those. (The host usually starts each podcast with a list of other ways to call in, in case the setup at the TalkShoe site isn't working for you.)
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just have a vested interest in the Neo-Tholian mini's.. one of my suggestions for ways to make them more interesting made the short list for the designer to look at. :)
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I know this is a couple of days old, but Traveller Prime Directive sounds great!
A classic system and a classic setting sound like they'd be worth spending my money on.
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I know this is a couple of days old, but Traveller Prime Directive sounds great!
A classic system and a classic setting sound like they'd be worth spending my money on.
Ah the Sword Worlds, based on old H. Beam Piper books. O0 8)
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So, it turned out that both Steve Cole and Jean Sexton joined Steve Petrick in the podcast conversation; where much was discussed regarding Module C6, what else may or may not be in the works for ADB, and how much pranking seems to be going on down in Amarillo.
If you want to hear it, it's episode 264 (26 September 2013) at the Talkshoe website (call ID 17702) I mentioned in an earlier post.
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A preview file for SFB Module C6 has gone up on e23 and DriveThruRPG, including sample SSDs (a war cruiser apiece) for both the Paravians and Carnivons.
For those who may have seen the earlier "raiding" Paravians done for Captain's Log #28, these Paravians have been altered significantly, as these ships are intended for line combat rather than work as raiding ships. In the case of the Carnivons, these are the first "modern" SSDs published for that empire by ADB.
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As of today, the terms of the ADB-Mongoose joint venture have changed (http://federationcommander.blogspot.ca/2013/11/press-release-13-november-2013.html) - hopefully, for the better:
PRESS RELEASE -- 13 November 2013
ADB, Inc. and Mongoose Publishing have signed a contract modification which ensures that the three joint-venture product lines (A Call to Arms Star Fleet, Starline 2500, and Traveller Prime Directive) will continue and grow. This does not end the joint venture; it simply realigns the responsibilities to better match each company's core competencies to the best advantage. The two companies remain great friends.
We will ask you to be patient a little longer regarding elements of the new production plan. We could not begin to work out the details on some items until the contract modification was signed. (You're welcome to send your questions which will be answered in future press releases as we resolve each of them.)
ADB will assume primary design responsibility for A Call to Arms Star Fleet including the revisions to Book One and the entirely new future Books Two and Three. (Tony L. Thomas will manage the designs as developer; Matthew Sprange remains the designer of record.) ADB plans to sell these as both PDFs and print-on-demand books. The revisions to Book One will include adjusting the relative power of some weapons at various ranges, revising damage scores for some ships, creating a new way to handle seeking weapons, extending the range for transporters, changing compulsory movement, altering some special actions so they no longer preclude some other special actions, removing most of the crew quality checks, clarifying any confusing rules, and adding unobtrusive cross-indexes without resorting to formal rule numbers. ADB is committed to maintaining the existing ACTASF game system and improving it. ADB will be the only source for the purchase of new ACTASF books and PDFs. Mongoose will retain ownership and control of non-SFU versions of ACTA.
The Starline 2500 range will continue and expand. Mongoose will remain the primary designer of new ship models, but ADB will be responsible for production, marketing, sales, and quality control. ADB is committed to keeping the 2500s in production as long as someone buys them, and to adding new 2500s as long as enough players buy new ships. The stands will be changed and most resin ships will be replaced by metal ships. ADB has (with the signing of this deal) become the only source for 2500s. Mongoose will fulfill or cancel any back orders on file and any obligations to the Mongoose Infantry. The contract modification happened when Mongoose had just shifted production to a new facility, and until that facility is fully on line, ADB will be selling 2500s by mail order only (not through stores). We expect to do a major relaunch of the line in the first half of next year. This will include the missing Book One ships, several new ships, as well as changing the packaging and price structure.
Work will accelerate on the four Traveller Prime Directive books, which will be written, produced, and marketed by ADB in both print-on-demand and PDF formats. ADB will be the only source for the purchase of new books and PDFs. We expect to see the first book released in the spring of 2014 and one or two of the other books later during 2014.
So, how does that sound?
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*reads that* So..does that mean that when I go to GenCon next year, I won't be able to
pick up ACTA:SF and minis like I couldn't afford to in 2012?
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Hi! I'm Jean and I do some of the marketing and PR for ADB.
Regarding GenCon -- As far as ADB knows at this time, Mongoose will not be carrying ACTASF or the minis. We don't know if we will be attending that con. If we aren't, then we should be at Origins.
However, the products should be easily available from ADB's storefront.
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Welcome to the forum Jean!
I played ACTA:SF at Origins last year. Even the fire alarm going off could not detract fun my enjoyment of the game! Well done on the rules. O0
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Thanks for the welcome. :)
It's always interesting stepping onto a new (to you) forum. There seem to be unwritten rules that one can step on (thinking of the STTNG episode "Justice") without knowing it.
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It's always interesting stepping onto a new (to you) forum. There seem to be unwritten rules that one can step on (thinking of the STTNG episode "Justice") without knowing it.
No worries, our unwritten rules(and even some of the written ones) don't have consequences near that bad. Though the moderator dress code is almost identical.
Winters are hard on our turnover rates.
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"Winters are hard on our turnover rates."
Winter is coming!
:)
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"Apologies for the shrinkage."
-Paul
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Hey Jean, quick question. Any word on future Gurps books for Prime Directive? Or I suppose Traveller books for PD? I've been looking forwards to books for the felines and the tholians for a while.
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Hi Alexander,
For our sourcebooks, so much depends upon outside writers. Tholians is waiting on our author. Feline Empires doesn't have a writer yet.
Traveller PD is definitely on the radar. Things got a bit slow while the announcement (above) was worked out, but I'm catching that horse and getting back on it. :) It might have a couple more slow spots as I work on Captain's Log and our future Kickstarter project.
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A new shipment arrvied today!
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/Nerroth/Misc/CL46-47-48ModuleC62500SPA_zps6346e73b.jpg)
That's large print editions of Captain's Log #46, #47, and #48, SFB Module C6, and a Starline 2500-series Romulan SparrowHawk.
Turns out I need to go out and get more superglue to put that mini together, though...
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Looks like a nice haul, Nerroth! I still need to get some things ordered from ADB before the new ACTASF stuff starts up again <fingers crossed>.
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I gotta be honest. That has got to be the ugliest vulcan I have ever seen.
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As it happens, all four books have the same cover artist.
Also, I started chipping away at the SparrowHawk mini. Here is how it looks so far, alongside a FastHawk mini I did earlier:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/Nerroth/Misc/WIPSPA2FFHa_zpsaf6c6016.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/Nerroth/Misc/WIPSPA2FFH_zpsc0ee0415.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/Nerroth/Misc/WIPSPA2FFHb_zpsaa1b39db.jpg)
It's at a very rough stage for now, plus I totally messed up the bird etching. So I'm tempted to paint the white parts red and see how the ship turns out that way.
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So, are there any thoughts so far on how the Paravians and Carnivons from Module C6 for SFB (or in CL48 for FC) are shaping up?
For my part, I find the Paravians more interesting as a species, not least given their later history in the Omega Octant. But it seems that the Carnivons are the ones to have a broader range of toys to play with, at least compared to the "what-if" Paravian ships shown here. (The Paravians of Omega are said to adopt certain locally-sourced technologies, but that process hasn't been formally laid out as of yet.)
Also, some of the talk in the DS9 thread got me to thinking: for those of you with an interest on both the Paramount/CBS Franchise and the SFU, what are your thoughts on the different ways which the "TV species" common to both (such as the Klingons, Romulans, and others) are handled?
For example, I saw the debate over how the Gorn appearance in TOS varies from that in ENT. Of course, the latter type of "Gorn" does not exist in the SFU, but there are other species, like the Paravians, who are themselves descended from Gorn genetic stock. (In the SFU, the "modern" Gorns were seeded in the distant past onto several planets, including what would become the three home worlds of the Confederation. While the bird-like Paravians evolved from the survivors of a population of Gorns that had been wiped out by an asteroid strike.)
Actually, there is a piece of art done not long ago by Adam Turner for both a Gorn and a Paravian, and I like how he made the latter look more like it had evolved from the former (not least with its "Gorn-esque" eyes).
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I honestly like the way the Romulans were portrayed in the SFU over the later TV series. They were a vibrant empire that had a good deal of character to them and their ships. More than most other races in the show, you had generations of designs and mindsets that went into all of them and the way that the D7 hulls were explained lead to a good number of ways of playing them. While the Romulans of the TV series did give us the Tal'Shiar, a notably incredible KGB-esque organization, they were very much rarely allowed to really get detailed and due to show budgets, were often constrained to the common TV problem of 'Every bad guy of a species flies the same thing' curse. I just enjoyed how they were portrayed by ADB more... especially after the abomination of Nemesis and the Abrams' reboot of the franchise and what it did to the Romulans in universe.
The Klingons of SFU also fell into this boat. Sure, TNG and Worf did a bunch to flesh out the Klingon Empire but there was this bit of interesting nature to the SFU Klingons that was just... fun. The idea that they were a proper empire with subject races just made them more interesting. They were poor, they were tyrannical, they were operating on a shoe string budget that was fraying at the edges. I did love how TNG and DS9 fluffed out the honor but it also really hit the Klingons in making them from a mighty threat to the Federation, able to stand up against the whims of the Federation, and turned them into a bickering drunken horde of chest bumping hooligans who were looking for a reason to smash someone over the head with a chair.
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I honestly like the way the Romulans were portrayed in the SFU over the later TV series. They were a vibrant empire that had a good deal of character to them and their ships. More than most other races in the show, you had generations of designs and mindsets that went into all of them and the way that the D7 hulls were explained lead to a good number of ways of playing them. While the Romulans of the TV series did give us the Tal'Shiar, a notably incredible KGB-esque organization, they were very much rarely allowed to really get detailed and due to show budgets, were often constrained to the common TV problem of 'Every bad guy of a species flies the same thing' curse. I just enjoyed how they were portrayed by ADB more... especially after the abomination of Nemesis and the Abrams' reboot of the franchise and what it did to the Romulans in universe.
Ironically, the SFU was the first place where the Romulans were shown to suffer a major calamity, with the MacArthur's crash-landing on Remus in Y181.
I do think that the 2500 series has really brought out the best in the Hawk-series ships. The new SparrowHawk design, in my view, is far more evocative of a design philosophy that shows the Klingon influence post-Smarba but does so in a manner that is recognizably Romulan.
The Klingons of SFU also fell into this boat. Sure, TNG and Worf did a bunch to flesh out the Klingon Empire but there was this bit of interesting nature to the SFU Klingons that was just... fun. The idea that they were a proper empire with subject races just made them more interesting. They were poor, they were tyrannical, they were operating on a shoe string budget that was fraying at the edges. I did love how TNG and DS9 fluffed out the honor but it also really hit the Klingons in making them from a mighty threat to the Federation, able to stand up against the whims of the Federation, and turned them into a bickering drunken horde of chest bumping hooligans who were looking for a reason to smash someone over the head with a chair.
One thing that helps is that the Empire is shown to have its own concerns to deal with, away from the Federation. Both the Kzintis and Lyrans offer up a feudal warrior template for the SFU Klingons to deal with, while the Hydrans (who aren't shy of the odd civil war themselves) provided an external motivation behind certain Klingon technology upgrades which did not depend on what Star Fleet was doing.
Indeed, I appreciate how much detail there is on the SFU Federation itself. There is a clear template showing how the various organs of government work, where the line is (supposed to be) drawn between Star Fleet, the Police, and the National Guards, and what steps a world has to go through in order to earn each rank of membership within the union. (And that there is still plenty of room for politicking and debate all along the way.)
Actually, I suppose you could say that each of the "TV species" is portrayed as having at least an important a relationship with one or more "SFU-native" peoples as they do with each other. The Gorns are defined in no small part by their history with the Paravians; both they and the Romulans have to account for later encounters with the Inter-Stellar Concordium; the Klingons and Kzintis are intrinsically linked to the Hydrans, Lyrans, Carnivons, and WYNs; most of the "Orion Pirate" Cartels have little to no direct connection with the Orion Enclave in the "modern" era; the Tholians have the Seltorians as a part of their legacy from the home galaxy; and the Federation has many member species which are native to this setting. And that's before you get to the Andromedans, the first contacts in the LMC that are made possible through Operation Unity, the voyage of the Sakharov to Omega and back again, or what lies in store from the Xorkaelian side of the galaxy in the X2 era...
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OK..so..this is interesting. Is this in someway related?
http://www.tabletopgamingnews.com/2014/07/30/92180/
(Also..I am sad that there is no presence of ANY kind for SFB at GenCon..)
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I've pretty much given up on ACTA and SFB at this point.
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Hey guys. I used to have the Basic set and Advanced set of SFB way back in the day. But they haven't survived the years well. I enjoyed the game when I was a teen and I'd like to play again. But I'm wondering which is better: Federation Commander or StarFleet Battles? Which has more support? I've asked around at my local FGS and while the owner said FC was better, both are pretty much dead or dying. (Though granted, up until the last couple of years or so, he always said the same thing about BattleTech.)
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Star Fleet Battles and Federation Commander dead or dying? I must report that they are both alive and well. Federation Commander Tactics Manual was just released and the Federation Master Starship Book should be out this year. (That is in addition to a new edition of A Call to Arms Star Fleet.)
Our Ranger demo teams are growing in numbers as are our newly revitalized battle groups. Battlegroup Indianapolis is running Federation Commander games and a session of GURPS Prime Directive at Gencon. One of our Rangers held demos of Star Fleet Battles at Comic-Con in Seattle just this past weekend.
We are finishing up our 49th issue of Captain's Log and are preparing to start on our 50th one. Our page on Facebook is very active and the fan pages for Federation Commander and Star Fleet Battles (as well as fan pages for our other games) continue to grow. That isn't even counting our free newsletters (Communique which focuses on Federation Commander and Hailing Frequencies which covers all our games) that come out monthly.
I remain excited about the future of ADB's games. I invite you to check out the resources mentioned before making plans to attend a funeral (unless you plan on traveling to a distant future). :)
Jean
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Thank you for beaming over with an update. I certainly look forward to the Master Starship Book. And I need to pay more attention to your message board. I just found the TalkShoes, and one is just over an hour away.
Meow Liao
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Star Fleet Battles and Federation Commander dead or dying? I must report that they are both alive and well. Federation Commander Tactics Manual was just released and the Federation Master Starship Book should be out this year. (That is in addition to a new edition of A Call to Arms Star Fleet.)
Our Ranger demo teams are growing in numbers as are our newly revitalized battle groups. Battlegroup Indianapolis is running Federation Commander games and a session of GURPS Prime Directive at Gencon. One of our Rangers held demos of Star Fleet Battles at Comic-Con in Seattle just this past weekend.
We are finishing up our 49th issue of Captain's Log and are preparing to start on our 50th one. Our page on Facebook is very active and the fan pages for Federation Commander and Star Fleet Battles (as well as fan pages for our other games) continue to grow. That isn't even counting our free newsletters (Communique which focuses on Federation Commander and Hailing Frequencies which covers all our games) that come out monthly.
I remain excited about the future of ADB's games. I invite you to check out the resources mentioned before making plans to attend a funeral (unless you plan on traveling to a distant future). :)
Jean
Hahaha, glad to hear it. I've learned to take anything the store owner says about the status of games with a grain of salt.
But as to my original question...which would you suggest more: FC or SFB?
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But as to my original question...which would you suggest more: FC or SFB?
I like Star Fleet Battles better, but I'm the type who can't get enough optional rules and details. That's not to say there aren't good aspects of Federation Commander - I've stolen it's Damage Allocation Chart and modified it for use in my Star Fleet Battles games, because hitting someone with 100 POINTS OF PLASMA requires waaaay too many dice rolls if you do it the "official" way, and Fed Commander's DAC is just close enough that with a few minor tweaks I can knock out ten points a roll.....
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It really depends on what you want-- FC is fast. SFB is detailed.
I'd say that if you want fast games or play with people who are casual players, FC is the route to go.
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Both are getting equal support then? From my understanding ADB dropped d SFB in favor of FC. Is that incorrect?
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Both are getting equal support then? From my understanding ADB dropped d SFB in favor of FC. Is that incorrect?
Absolutely incorrect. The latest SFB product was only a few months ago.
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Part of the differences between Star Fleet Battles and Federation Commander are not just down to the varying degrees of granularity in and of themselves, but in which changes are made from the running of one game system over another.
On the one hand, a key distinction is in terms of power. A Federation Constitution-class CA in SFB has the same number of power (warp, impulse, reactor, battery) boxes as its equivalent Squadron Scale Ship Card in FC. But what that power can do for you is quite different.
In SFB, there are distinctions between warp (antimatter) and impulse (fusion) power, as well as between power generated by warp or impulse engines relative to that from on-board power reactors (which can itself be a kind of warp or impulse power depending on the reactor involved). If you want to move your ship at tactical warp speeds, you have to use power generated by your warp nacelles. If you want to arm weapons that have an antimatter component (such as photon torpedoes), you need to use either warp engine or auxiliary warp reactor power to arm them. With the exception of energy you store in your batteries, you have to allocate your ship's power output in the Energy Allocation Phase at the start of each turn. (The only "reserve" you can draw upon is whatever you have in your batteries.) And before you start deciding how fast you want to go or which weapons to arm, your total amount of available power is reduced by the need to pay "housekeeping" costs (things like life support, for example).
In FC, power is power. Movement, weapons, and other options can be armed from any source. And while you do have to set a Baseline Speed at the start of each turn (and pay to maintain the arming of weapons which take more than one turn to arm, such as photons or plasma torpedoes) you generally have a lot more reserve power to spend at any particular moment. Plus, FC dispenses completely with the need to pay for "housekeeping". These changes mean that the power curves of most ships are a little higher in FC than they are in SFB.
But on the other hand, how you spend that power varies significantly, not least in terms of movement.
In SFB, you have 32 firing opportunities per turn to pick and choose from. You can pay for both general and specific shield reinforcement, in order to try and bulk up your defences. You can arm wild weasels, which allow you to distract incoming seeking weapons (so long as you go slowly enough for the WW to work). And you have no real penalty to go in reverse, so you can choose to fly backwards if you so wish in order to try and draw the opponent to you.
Things are quite different in FC, however. There are only eight firing opportunities per turn in FC (but still 32 sub-pulses of movement), making it harder to micromanage your preferred volleys. Shields in FC can only be reinforced against incoming volleys, and you can only spend as many Energy Points to reinforce a given volley as you have active battery boxes to funnel them through. Wild weasels do not exist in FC, making it much harder to avoid seeking weapon hits at slower speeds. And in FC, most ships have to pay double to fly backwards, making retrogrades much less practical.
Essentially, FC rewards maneuver to a greater extent than SFB, to the point that using certain tactics honed in one game will get you killed in the other (and vice versa). If you go into one expecting it to simply be a more (or less) complex version of the other, you run the risk of being caught out by such distinctions. But these changes show that FC is more than just "SFB-lite", or that SFB is simply FC with a bunch of added bells and whistles. Each functions as a fully-fledged tactical starship combat game in its own right.
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Thanks for the replies. O0
And thanks Nerroth for explaining the differences between the two. I had thought FC was simply a streamlined version of SFB, I didn't know that the differences were so big.
Still not sure which I'd like better, guess I'll just have to try the Quick-Start rules for both.
I remember loving the amount of options that SFB had when I tried to play before. Always had a soft spot for fighters. That said the shear amount of detail afforded both delighted and terrified me. :D (I still remember reading the rules for when a fighter/shuttle box got hit and the rules for ammo explosions. That seemed very cinematic...but at the same time realizing just how far down the rabbit hole I was about to fall made my blood run cold. :D)
One last question. Back when I was toying with it, there used to be a website where you could play SFB online. Does that still exist and work?
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There is a client that supports both SFB and FC online, yes.
In terms of empires and unit types, SFB has more of both than FC, for the time being at least. (Although to be fair, SFB has had quite a head-start over its younger sibling in that regard.)
In FC, only the Hydrans currently have fighters, but there have been "Borders of Madness" previews of what certain "true" carriers might one day look like if such unit types were to make the transition.
(BoM is a concept aimed at providing optional support for certain rules or unit types that may not end up as a part of the "vanilla" FC ruleset. Certain SFB-isms may never appear in FC; others may become BoM-only; and still others may find themselves a part of the "vanilla" game at some point.)
Similarly, gunboats (PFs) and first-generation X-ships are not yet in FC, and it remains to be seen how either type of unit may be implemented in this game system.
And there are a number of factions which have been published in SFB that FC currently has in playtest, or has yet to get around to. (For example, the "what-if" Carnivons and Alpha-Paravians recently covered in SFB Module C6 were given an FC preview in Captain's Log #48.)
That said, the process of transition can be a pretty interesting one. A good example of this is seen with the Andromedans; the Andro rules in FC implement that empire quite differently than over in SFB, but still offer a good sense of how... alien their methods of war are compared to those of their many adversaries.
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We just got word that one of our Rangers will be able to run Star Fleet Battles at Gencon. (And I am doing the happy dance!)
Federation Commander is, in my opinion, on the surface deceptively easy. The rules are fairly easy to learn, the basic concepts are easy to grasp, and the rulebook is thin. However, the tactics are subtle and complex as you grow with the game.
The basic rules of Star Fleet Battles are not that hard. As you add in rules to make the game more realistic, the rulebook gets thicker. There are more decision points and that makes the game take a bit longer.
Both are perfectly enjoyable games. It depends on the type of game YOU want which one is right for you.
Jean
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We just got word that one of our Rangers will be able to run Star Fleet Battles at Gencon. (And I am doing the happy dance!)
Federation Commander is, in my opinion, on the surface deceptively easy. The rules are fairly easy to learn, the basic concepts are easy to grasp, and the rulebook is thin. However, the tactics are subtle and complex as you grow with the game.
The basic rules of Star Fleet Battles are not that hard. As you add in rules to make the game more realistic, the rulebook gets thicker. There are more decision points and that makes the game take a bit longer.
Both are perfectly enjoyable games. It depends on the type of game YOU want which one is right for you.
Jean
Wow! Cool! Great to hear! *goes looking for it in the Event Catalog!* Yay! Hopefully the people there
won't mind dealing with someone who has never played and is wanting to learn to play but has no vet
players to teach in their area(I see that it listed as requiring some experience playing)
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But as to my original question...which would you suggest more: FC or SFB?
SFB is very detailed and you need to micromanage your ship, much like you manage your mech in BattleTech. You even use a page with diagram of the ship filled with check boxes for various systems, just like you do for your mech in BT. You track shields, power, individual weapons, allocate power, etc. Most SFB players keep the rules in a BIG three ring binder to contain all the rules, supplements, ship discriptions and scenarios. SFB excells at ship on ship duels. Handling more than one or two ships per player tends to bog the game down.
FC is a somewhat simplified version of the original rules. You use a simiare sheet, but its only half the size and has a much simplified ship system diagram. It allows the game to be resolved quicker, and allows one player to more easily handle multiple ships. Its still not a real "fleet scale" system, though.
If you really want to play fleet size games in the SFU, you should look at Klingon/Romulan Armada (a port of the Starmada rules) or A Call To Arms: Star Fleet (a port of the old Bablyon 5 rules) both rule sets also distributed by the company that publishes SFB and FC. These systems handle larger fleets better than either SFB or FC, but with much less detail per ship.
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If you really want to play fleet size games in the SFU, you should look at Klingon/Romulan Armada (a port of the Starmada rules) or A Call To Arms: Star Fleet (a port of the old Bablyon 5 rules) both rule sets also distributed by the company that publishes SFB and FC. These systems handle larger fleets better than either SFB or FC, but with much less detail per ship.
To expand on this a little, the SFU adaptation of Starmada comes in two flavours: Admiralty and Nova editions. (Nova is the newer of the two, but both are being supported in Star Fleet Universe terms for the time being.)
And "version 1.2" of ACtA:SF is pending, which should offer a tidier and more universe-compliant set of game rules than the original version did. So it may be worth keeping an eye out for that edition once it arrives.
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To expand on this a little, the SFU adaptation of Starmada comes in two flavours: Admiralty and Nova editions. (Nova is the newer of the two, but both are being supported in Star Fleet Universe terms for the time being.)
Still trying to reverse-engineer fighters, PFs, and other units into Nova Edition, myself. :)
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Okay so ordered a new copy of the SFB Basic Set. (Looks like it even has a newer rulebook than the copy I used to have.) I think I just the like the product progression of SFB better. I don't know, it just seemed like I would be paying more for less with FC. (Admit, could be completely wrong on that.)
So now I'm just wondering, does ADB offer the SSDs in PDF format? Because I'd much rather print them myself than have to run to the nearest print store to print them off.
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My dad had a number of files in Claris Works draw of SSDs he made himself.
Mind you, that was 20 years ago, and I don't think there are many computers that could understand that file format.
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My dad had a number of files in Claris Works draw of SSDs he made himself.
Mind you, that was 20 years ago, and I don't think there are many computers that could understand that file format.
I was thinking more along the lines of the Unabridged Record Sheet PDFs Catalyst puts out. I guess it's to much to hope ADB does something similar for SFB?
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Cool!! Just found out you can buy the SSD books in PDF format. Just not from ADB, Inc. You have to go Warehouse 23 (the Steve Jackson Games online store).
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Cool!! Just found out you can buy the SSD books in PDF format. Just not from ADB, Inc. You have to go Warehouse 23 (the Steve Jackson Games online store).
Sadly, not all of them. Only Basic, Advanced, and R2-R4.
I'd *really* like the rest of them, and more up to date CLs, since I don't have a game store in town.
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By and large, they only upload the SSD books from formally published SFB modules as and when each file has been updated to current-day (2014) standards.
It's less of an issue for playtest packs, but those are "pre-final" by default.
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And "version 1.2" of ACtA:SF is pending, which should offer a tidier and more universe-compliant set of game rules than the original version did. So it may be worth keeping an eye out for that edition once it arrives.
Just to update this, the revised ACTASF rules are done and in the hands of ADB for editing/production (I know the guy who spearheaded did the updating and playtesting of the revison). Hopefully it will be released in the next couple of months. There are already plans for another book to follow, which will introduce at least one more empire (the Lyrans) and more ships and rules.
The 2500 line of miniatures originally introduced by Mongoose to go with ACTASF is also alive and well (the 2500 line is somewhat larger and more detailed than ADBs own 2400 line of ships). ADB just recently released some new Tholian and Orion ships, and have more in the pipeline.
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Having picked up the Federation Master Starship book, I really like it, and would love to see others in the series.
...and Prime Directive Tholians, but that's a side point.
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Having picked up the Federation Master Starship book, I really like it, and would love to see others in the series.
As I understand it, that is supposed to be the first book of a series covering all the empires, but I would expect it will take years to release all or even most of them. 8)
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This is strange. TheMaster1955 and I were just talking about playing SFB again. Glad I found this thread. Hey Master, get in here! :D
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Well, finally have Basic Set, Advanced Missions and the expanded Captain's Yeoman (I'm really digging the Impulse Cards, much easier than using the Impulse Chart). So on to relearn the game! ;D
I decided to go with the unbound/unpunched rules/SSDs and use binders with page protectors. And ran into a snag, the rules in the BS and AM are too much for one binder! Have the biggest 3" binder I could find and still not quite big enough. I got another one to use with the SSDs, but I'm thinking I may have to use that one for the rules as well...
I'm on SFB Online now too (YingJanshi there as well), so if anyone wants a game...though, as I've completely forgotten how to play, my skill level is rather low. I wouldn't even say "Green", more like "Newborn Pink".
(Decided to go with SFB over FC as it seems to be a more complete system, they still have a lot of things to add to FC.)
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Just found this and thought I'd share it. Not sure what product it's from though...
(http://img4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20070301034043/memoryalpha/en/images/0/02/SFU_Galaxy_Map.jpg)
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Well, finally have Basic Set, Advanced Missions and the expanded Captain's Yeoman (I'm really digging the Impulse Cards, much easier than using the Impulse Chart). So on to relearn the game! ;D
Two questions: what are the Impulse Cards? And where would I look to get them?
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The SFU Milky Way Galaxy map was published in Captain's Log #27, and is now added to the various Prime Directive core books (and to the FC portion of the ADB website). It is somewhat similar to the galaxy map from the Star Fleet Technical Manual, though it is somewhat different in scale.
The coloured-in portion of the Alpha Octant shows the area covered by the Federation and Empire hex map, while the "blank" territories surrounding it account for the various "off-map" regions (such as the Lyran Far Stars and the Hydran Old Colonies) which are also provided for on the F&E map.
The other inhabited regions of the galaxy each have their own stories to tell, though only one of them has so far been explored in any real detail.
The Sargasso Storm Octant is reported to include a number of "safe areas", which are routinely cut off from their fellows by a series of powerful ion storms. The local factions apparently use the "calm" periods to try and grab resources from outside their respective pockets of normal space before each new wave of storms cuts them off from one another again.
The Sigma Octant has had little noted about it, though the Echarri Dynasty (a powerful and mysterious late arrival to the Omega Octant) claimed to have fled to Omega from an Andromedan invasion of their home region (which is generally assumed to have been Sigma).
Over on the far side of the galaxy, the Xorkaelian Empire is lined up to be the "big bad" of the X2 era, when they launch a large-scale assault upon the Alpha Octant in Y210.
While the Omega Octant has had almost two dozen of its own factions featured in print already, with at least half a dozen more "lost futures" empires (such as the Echarri) which have still to be gotten around to. The Omega hex map is larger than the Federation and Empire map, so I might personally argue that it should cover a larger portion of the Omega Octant than is shown on the galaxy map right now. But anyway...
The various Voids are in place to prevent most forms of travel from one region of the galaxy to another. (Only the more "exotic" factions in the SFU, such as Omega's Loriyill and Souldra, can send ships into and out of a Void region safely.) Most "normal" factions have more difficult options. One is to try and skim around the coreward edge of each Void (and along the rimward edge of the Strom Zone). Another is to attempt an "up-and-under": by flying "up" (or "down") through the galactic energy barrier, going "over" (or "under") a given Void, and then diving back through the barrier once you find yourself "above" (or "below") normal space once again. A third option is to use a convenient satellite galaxy as a waypoint, such as the Lesser Magellanic Cloud or the extra-galactic Iridani Cluster.
While a number of one-way displacements and migrations take place during the various timelines, true "first contact" does not happen between the Alpha and Omega Octants until the Y210s. The Federation advanced galactic survey cruiser NCC-1821 USS Sakharov sets out from the LMC in Y212, following an old Andromedan invasion route leading across to Omega. Once it arrives in Y214, it spends the next five years gathering a host of information before returning to the Federation in Y219. It's not reported yet what Star Fleet (or others in the Alpha Octant) might do to follow up on these new discoveries.
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@Nerroth
Cool! I didn't know that. Haven't actually read any of the Captain's Logs. It's awesome that they are fleshing out the rest of the galaxy. Quick question about the X-Ships, I've heard they correspond to the movie ships (I-VI). Is that correct?
Oh, one more: does that Klingon Empire ever get Photon Torpedoes (I'm thinking of the D7s from the Motion Picture) or cloaking devices?
Two questions: what are the Impulse Cards? And where would I look to get them?
They are a set of cards. One card for each of the 32 impulses. They have a small chart that shows all of the speeds that move on that impulse. Also any special actions or events that must occur during that impulse.
Can find it in the Captain's Yeoman (Module A+) (http://store.starfleetstore.com/merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=S&Product_Code=5625&Category_Code=SGH). (I'd strongly suggest getting the Expanded Edition (http://store.starfleetstore.com/merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=S&Product_Code=5625-X&Category_Code=SGH). It's only $7 more and you get more counters.) It's a very handy play aid module.
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@Nerroth
Cool! I didn't know that. Haven't actually read any of the Captain's Logs. It's awesome that they are fleshing out the rest of the galaxy.
In SFB, there have been five Omega Octant modules published so far. The non-SSD material from those volumes (plus other assorted items) are combined in the 2011 update to the Omega Master Rulebook. Module C5 looks at the Lesser Magellanic Cloud, while the playtest Module E2 previews the Triangulum Galaxy, a setting I hope to see formally published at some point.
We won't see much on the Xorkaelians until Module X2 is gotten around to, though it's not clear yet how they might be dealt with once we get there.
Quick question about the X-Ships, I've heard they correspond to the movie ships (I-VI). Is that correct?
Given the nature of ADB's licence, a better way to put it is that first- and second-generation X-ships present an alternate branch of technology advancement to what is shown on-acreen for the post-1979 Franchise.
To use the Early Years as an example, the three Y-modules for SFB include a series of Terran, Vulcan, Andorian, and other "National Guard" ships, as well as the first generation of "saucer-and-nacelle" hulls built to succeed them as the core of a united Star Fleet. But these ships, and the manner of their historical development, are not based on what has been shown in Star Trek: Enterprise (which is not part of ADB's licence); there are no NX-class ships in the SFU.
Similarly, the Vincennes-class CX (as drawn up by Adam Turner for the front cover of Module X1R) is the ultimate expression of the Constitution-class base hull in SFU terms, but by necessity goes in a different direction than the TMP-era refit. The era of second-generation X-ships will see the first hulls designed from the keel up to incorporate advanced technology, and I'm hoping that it'll be a golden opportunity to really show something new and distinct when the time comes for Module X2 to be worked on.
Oh, one more: does that Klingon Empire ever get Photon Torpedoes (I'm thinking of the D7s from the Motion Picture) or cloaking devices?
The SFU Klingons don't bother with either. Cloaks work best tactically with multi-turn arming weapons (like plasma torpedoes), while the Deep Space Fleet is built around a disruptor/drone dynamic.
That said, a squadron of Klingon ships was in the Kraknora system when it was displaced to the Omega Octant in Y171. Once Kraknora joined the Federal Republic of Aurora (itself founded by a Federation "lost colony" in Y130), a new hybrid destroyer design (with a Terran central hull mated to the boom and wings of a Klingon F5) was worked up with a mixture of disruptor and light photon armament. (While the Federation stuck with a single type of photon, the FRA added light and heavy photons to the mix for their own purposes.)
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@Nerroth
Wow, cool. I guess I'll have to get to the Omega Octant eventually...
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Klingons never get Photons or Cloak.
K-hulls with cloaking devices exist, but they're all Romulan vessels. (The Romulans have a version of almost every Klingon class, many of which are design studies, but I do have to wonder if their KR-hulls ever managed to spend time out of the conversion docks).
I prefer Disruptors over Photons anyway.
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in TV/film trek klingons got cloaks because of ST:III's bird of prey.. the original script had actually opened up with kruge stealing a romulan bird of prey, but that aspect got dropped as the script evolved. but they kept the cloaked ship stuff, so the klingons wound up with cloak. certainly it makes sense that the klingons got something from the romulans in exchange for all those D-7's they sold them in TOS times.
my personal head-canon for that is during the TOS movies, the klingons only had a small portion of their fleet converted over.. pretty much just the Birds of Prey, and a handful of important other ships (like "kronos-1"), with BoP filling a scouting/special ops role. but they found the cloak gave those ships a huge advantage and the crews of them got lots of honors as a result, so the rest of the warriors pressed for the whole fleet to be upgraded, leading to what we see in TNG/DS9.
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in TV/film trek klingons got cloaks because of ST:III's bird of prey.. the original script had actually opened up with kruge stealing a romulan bird of prey, but that aspect got dropped as the script evolved. but they kept the cloaked ship stuff, so the klingons wound up with cloak. certainly it makes sense that the klingons got something from the romulans in exchange for all those D-7's they sold them in TOS times.
my personal head-canon for that is during the TOS movies, the klingons only had a small portion of their fleet converted over.. pretty much just the Birds of Prey, and a handful of important other ships (like "kronos-1"), with BoP filling a scouting/special ops role. but they found the cloak gave those ships a huge advantage and the crews of them got lots of honors as a result, so the rest of the warriors pressed for the whole fleet to be upgraded, leading to what we see in TNG/DS9.
Yeah I knew that. I'd like to see a cloaked D7 though...
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One aspect of how cleaks are treated in the SFU which I find interesting is how both SFB and FC incorporate the difference of using the device on a tactical level with one type of base hull over another into the actual rules.
The older Eagle-series hulls have the cheapest cloak operating costs, since the device (and its Early Years forerunners, the mask and veil) was originally designed to be used on those hulls. But the Eagles need the cheaper cloak costs, since they are typically small and power-starved for their respective size classes.
The Kestrels are much more agile than the Eagles, though they have the most expensive cloak costs due to them not having been designed to use them. (They tend to have the lowest plasma throw-weights in their class, too.)
While the Hawk series, designed from the keel up to incorporate the demands of tactical warp in a cloak-and-plasma environment, sit somewhere in the middle in terms of their cloak efficiency and plasma options - though they themselves are both enhanced and in some ways constrained by their planned modularity.
(Speaking of the Hawks, my favourite change made for the Starline 2500 miniature range so far relative to the 2400s is the fresh look given to ships like the SparrowHawk and FireHawk. I was not all that big a fan of the Hawk-series cruisers as they had been in the 2400s, but I really like their 2500-series makeovers.)
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My Captain's Log #49 delivery arrived today:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/Nerroth/Misc/CL49loot2_zps03e17f85.jpg)
That's two copies of CL49 (one in LPE for day-to-day use, and another in regular size for safe keeping), the CL49 supplemental file, the SFB Federation Master Starship Book, the print editions of the FC Omega and LMC playtest packs, and a trio of indvidual FC Ship Cards (Fast Naval Transport, ISC Fast Cruiser, and Andromedan Recon Cobra).
As noted on the front cover, CL49 includes a history article looking at the Andromedan War, which was inspired by an older article covering the General War written quite a ways back. It also includes a new article exploring the Intergalactic Trunk Line, which (we think) the Andros may have used in order to get to the Milky Way (and possiby to other galaxies).
I should note that the Andro history article (but not the shorter ITL piece) was written by myself, as were the rule portions of the playtest Omega and LMC files for Federation Commander. So my apologies to anyone who may find those documents wanting... (To clarify, I don't work for ADB, though I have been fortunate enough to have had a few submitted articles published by them.)
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Version 1.2 of A Call to Arms: Star Fleet* and the SFB Hydran Master Starship Book landed this week!
The new take on ACtA:SF looks quite different to the original. The ship stats have been re-worked, the weapon and movement rules (especially for drones) have been re-written, and the way that Special Actions are handled has been modified.
Hopefully the new edition will settle in better this time around.
*Well, to be clear, the "basic" PDF-only Revision A file went up today. It'll be given a few revisions over the next few weeks as errata reports crop up "in the wild". A "deluxe" version of the file, to include a print edition, will be published in the New Year.
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Well, that didn't take long: Revision B of the "basic" ACtA:SF file went up today, incorporating the first wave of errata line items generated in public so far.
For anyone who may have tried the original version of the rulebook, one of the big changes this time around is how drones have been handled. The range has been cut down from 36" to 24", with drones launched more than 12" from their target now carrying over into the subsequent turn. (Plasmas have also been tweaked, but are still resolved in a single turn.)
Also, the bases of conversion used for the shield, damage, and movement scores have been revised and consistently applied across each empire - so no more Agile Trait, no more Klingon front shield rule, and a series of Damage values more in line with how tough a ship would be in SFB or FC.
In all, the new version of the game should hopefully work better from an SFU perspective, and iron out some of the idiosyncrasies from the original edition.
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Well, that didn't take long: Revision B of the "basic" ACtA:SF file went up today, incorporating the first wave of errata line items generated in public so far.
Great to hear. That means they are just that much closer to releaseing the finalized hard copy. ;)
For anyone who may have tried the original version of the rulebook, one of the big changes this time around is how drones have been handled. The range has been cut down from 36" to 24", with drones launched more than 12" from their target now carrying over into the subsequent turn. (Plasmas have also been tweaked, but are still resolved in a single turn.)
The way Drones and Plasma Torpedoes were treated like direct fire weapons in the original rules was probably my own biggest complaint. It gave a totally different tactical feel to the empires that used them and as an old-school SFB player I never really could get into them.
no more Agile Trait, no more Klingon front shield rule,
And thank goodness for that. Those two traits combined made for overpowered Klingons IMO. So far, I think the new rules are much more balanced between empires.
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Have a couple questions for you guys:
1) Have any of you ever come up with some sort of Quick-Star rules for SFB? I'm teaching someone to play (and relearning the rules myself), and using the Cadet Training Handbook. Its really good about teaching the mechanics without being too overwhelming. But, the number of scenarios and and the fact that it takes so long to get up to standard play...I fear I'm losing his interest.
So how do any of you teach new players?
And 2) Can someone please explain how phaser capacitors work? Am I correct in thinking that you need to put the energy to recharge then after every time they've been fired? So the energy to charge the capacitors + the energy to fire the phasers each turn I want to do so?
Thanks.
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Regarding #2, think of the phaser capacitor as a big battery that feeds every phaser on the ship. So you don't arm Phaser #1. You put a point of power into the capacitor that can be used to fire Phaser #1, or Phaser #4, or Phaser #leventyhojillion.
Phasers can *only* use power from the capacitor to fire.
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Ying, I do not believe they have quickstart rules.
I would love something like an App or electronic means to keep track of Impulses, and power allocation.
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In case anyone is interested in hearing more about the development process for version 1.2 of ACtA:SF, this week's Star Fleet Universe On Call podcast on Talkshoe will have Steve Cole (the founder and head of ADB) and Tony Thomas (the current line developer for this game system) calling in to talk about the game and to field questions asked by callers-in.
It should kick off tomorrow (20 November 2014) at around 21:30 EST.
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Oh I know there aren't any official quick-start rules...just wondering if any of you have run across any player-created or made your own quick-start rules.
How do you usually teach someone to play?
And another question, does any body know if there are any plans to reprint the maps from Module B (aside from the two asteroid maps in the Scenario books)? Or should I just buy Modules H & W?
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There actually is a "sort of" quick start introduction to Star Fleet Battles. That would be the Cadet Game. It is a free download from the Amarillo Design Bureau site. (Just use the Master Index button on the front page and go to the Cadet Game. :) )
There currently aren't any plans to reprint the maps from Module B.
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Revision C of the ACtA:SF-1.2 PDF has just gone up, which hopefully edges the project that much closer to the version that gets committed to print in the New Year.
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Captain's Log #50 went on sale recently, though it might be a while before I can sort my own copy out. Oh well...
Has anyone here had a chance to play any SFU games so far in 2015?
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No sadly, and probably won't. :(
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Not yet, but I finally picked up Klingon Armada recently, and am looking forward to incorporating it into my group's occasional Starmada games.
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so i recently picked up their "pound of ships" deal to expand my full thrust fleet options, and there was one that at first i didn't recognize.. i'd thought it was a D7 because it looked like the D7's i have, but it was too big.. when i went to their online catalog, i figured out it was a "C7"..
what exactly is a C7, and how is it different from a D7, aside from size?
(and seriously.. would it kill them to make the differences between hulls more major for the non-federation races?)
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The C7 is a heavy battlecruiser, basically a tougher and nastier big brother to the D7. Just about every fleet has a bigger brother to their most common cruiser like this. The Federation has their New Jersey battlecruisers to go along with the Constitution CAs, for example.
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The C7 is the Nightstar to the D7's Marauder.
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so it's literally a just "more of the same"?
just bigger, with more phasers, more disruptors, etc?
i assume there are variants though?
i'm trying to figure out how i want to stat this up relative to the D7 stats i have from SCN (http://www.star-ranger.com/Stuff/Trek.htm)
(i used his stuff as a base for the feds.. i've mainly just made up my own stats for SFB's fed ships)
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Dunno about the C7, but there are a whole lot of D7 variants. 8)
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SFB has stasis, carrier, and battle control ship variants of the C7 in Klingon service, as well as an SSD for a (conjectural) Kestrel conversion for the Romulans. (The Klingons never got around to building a "spare" C7 they were willing to sell to the Romulans, and would have had trouble delivering one by then in any event.)
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Quick question: Would anyone happen to know the length of the Federation Mars-class BB, in either the Starline 2400 or 2500 sizes?
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so it's literally a just "more of the same"?
just bigger, with more phasers, more disruptors, etc?
Well, more phasers, more drones, more shields. Same disruptors though.
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sounds like it will be easy to stat up.. just take a D-7, make it bigger and add more beams..
i think the Gorn will be trickier (i wound up with a Dreadnaught, Battlecruiser, and 3 destroyers.. a good start to a fleet)
i understand they use plasma weapons like the romulans, but full thrust's plasma bolt launchers are more like the "energy mines" in babylon 5.. you place a counter on the map then at the end of the turn it blows up with a big area of effect. so i'll probably have to start from scratch.
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Quick question: Would anyone happen to know the length of the Federation Mars-class BB, in either the Starline 2400 or 2500 sizes?
Same question as above, but for the Klingon C5 DNL?
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Anyone play in the KCMO area?
Or anyone here up for an online game? (I'd have to get a new subscription to that though...)
Really wanting to relearn and play again. :(
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My FLGS finally got in a copy of R11 Support Ships for me. I went straight to the SSD book, and the first page had me doing the happy dance. A page full of freighter skids. Seems an odd thing, but I have been working on a merchant campaign concept. Now the players will have lots more options for customizing ships. 11 pods, 23 skids (2 not available due to timeline), 4 ducktails and the different bridge and engine sections from the civilain and aux ships. I have Macromedia Fireworks so I can put together a custom freighter SSD in about 5 minutes.
I will be borrowing heavily from Star Trek RPG. The trading rules from Trader Captains and Merchant Princes since SFB has no trading rules. Timeline will be set a bit before the 4 Years War so the campaign can build up to the war. The players may even get to encounter Fleet Captain (LORD!!)...sorry, Lord Garth. And I will use the ST:RPG map with the Triangle region instead of Tholians between the three main powers.
Now we just need to get game night running again.
Meow Liao
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So here's a question people with access to older SFU material might bee able to answer: I know of the attack on the USS Hood in the first days of the Klingon invasion, and when shopping for decals, I see markings for the IKS Hood in Klingon colors. Was the Hood captured in SFU canon, and where can I find this ship's story?
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So here's a question people with access to older SFU material might bee able to answer: I know of the attack on the USS Hood in the first days of the Klingon invasion, and when shopping for decals, I see markings for the IKS Hood in Klingon colors. Was the Hood captured in SFU canon, and where can I find this ship's story?
Hood was not, in fact, ever captured. She was ambushed by three D-hulls and conducted an emergency saucer separation. Her return to a Federation-controlled base is partially told in Captain's Log #25 (available in pdf format).
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That was a great story; even to the Klingon taunt about the mighty Hood went down.
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since the decal makers are all fan enterprises, you'll probably find a lot of 'what if' decals if you look around. perhaps that decal maker had a bunch of requests for decals to game out campaigns where the ship was captured
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Have a question and an announcement.
First the question: does anyone know if ADB will ever release the different SSD books as stand alone PDFs? I know they have for the Basic Set and for Advanced Missions, but does anyone know if they plan to do it will all of the subsequent modules? I only ask because some of the recent modules I've bought are pretty old stock, and they don't look too great when I copy them. :/ (That's the one thing thats killing me buying into SFB: never know how old the copy of whatever you ordered will be.)
And then the announcement:
Starfleet Command Gold Edition is now available over at Gog.com. Beware though, it seems to have issues with Win 8/8.1 (it crashes when it tries to load the game), hopefully they can get a fix for that.
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R2, R3, R4, R11, and R12 are all available as pdfs. At least the SSDs are, no copies of the rules portions.
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There are two main categories of SSD books currently in print: those which have been done up to "current" SFB standards (to include details like the infamous Crawford Boxes), and those older ones which were done prior to then. While it's a relatively straightforward process to prep a "current" SSD book for upload (as seen with R11 and R12), a lot more design time needs to be put in to bring the older files up to modern standards (as was done for the BS, AM, and R2-R4 SSD books).
This is why the SSD books for Module X1R and Module Y2 are already up (since both had been done to the contemporary standards), while those for Module X1 and Module Y1 might have to wait a while (since each would need to be updated first).
For the Alpha Octant empires, the various R-section entries are in the process of being collected into empire-specific Master Starship Books, while the game rules required to fly them are already separated out into the SFB Master Rulebook. (Not sure what the plan for the various scenarios from each module is, though.) That said, the print versions of the various rule books from each module can be ordered from ADB as spare parts.
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Hey, back with a couple of questions...
First, does anyone have the Star Fleet Marines game? If you do can you tell me how big the hexes on the maps are?
And second....is Star Fleet Battles finished? I'm not asking if it's dead or dying or anything like that. I mean, what more can they add to it besides new ships and new minor races? Since X3 is supposed to be The Next Generation era (which they aren't going to do anything with). What more can they do to expand the game? Or are they going to concentrate on the Omega Octant for the foreseeable future? (I'm leaving FC out as I believe it has some catching up to do with SFB.)
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I don't have a copy of either Star Fleet Marines volume; but from what I gather, the SFM maps use the same 5/8" hex sizes as seen in Star Fleet Battles, Federation and Empire, and other ADB games (not counting the larger hexes used on the "back" side of FC map panels, or the hex size from the F&E large sale map).
I'm generally reluctant to try and compare SFU technology eras to those in Franchise Trek, since the various warp technologies involved work very differently. But if X1 marks advanced technology refits to TOS-era starship hulls, X2 would be the first generation of ships built from the keel up to incorporate X-tech.
But even in the Franchise, if one considers the "final" version of the Constitution-class to be "-A", and the first new ship class built to replace it as "-B", that still leaves a couple of steps before you get as far as "-D". (Similarly, if one goes back to the Early Years, the SFU has no NX-01 - and its own series of evolutionary steps taken in order to get as far as the "modern" space-faring era and beyond.)
Module X2 will be the next big project for SFB. We'll have to wait and see exactly what X2-tech is going to look like, what it meas for each empire involved, and what doors are newly opened by the contents of this pending great leap forward.
Plus there's the matter of what to do about the new "big bad" of the X2 era - the Xorkaelian Tyranny, a galactic superpower which holds the far side of the Milky Way with a neutronium fist. Reportedly, they have been sending long-range raiders as far as Alpha over the course of several decades, and are set to launch a wider assault on Alpha on Y210.
Aside from X2 (and/or the Xorks), I would of course love to see plenty more done for Omega (and for the LMC, Triangulum, and elsewhere). At the very least, there is still a fair bit of road left to run design-wise in those areas.
But in fairness to Alpha, it has had some new options explored as of late, not least in Module C6; which offers an Empires Aflame-esque set of alternate timelines for those who would have been affected by the "Lost Empires" - not least in terms of how a lasting Paravian empire in Alpha would have impacted upon the early Inter-Stellar Concordium.
And when it comes to FC, the next module is said to cover fighters and carriers, perhaps as a part of the "Borders of Madness" concept (which would present a set of optional rules that would cover concepts from SFB that may not fit comfortably in "vanilla" FC). But yes, that still leaves a lot of options on the table, in terms of where FC (and the other "sibling" games, like Starmada) can go in order to catch up with SFB.
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I don't have a copy of either Star Fleet Marines volume; but from what I gather, the SFM maps use the same 5/8" hex sizes as seen in Star Fleet Battles, Federation and Empire, and other ADB games (not counting the larger hexes used on the "back" side of FC map panels, or the hex size from the F&E large sale map).
Oh, never mind then...
I'm generally reluctant to try and compare SFU technology eras to those in Franchise Trek, since the various warp technologies involved work very differently. But if X1 marks advanced technology refits to TOS-era starship hulls, X2 would be the first generation of ships built from the keel up to incorporate X-tech.
But even in the Franchise, if one considers the "final" version of the Constitution-class to be "-A", and the first new ship class built to replace it as "-B", that still leaves a couple of steps before you get as far as "-D". (Similarly, if one goes back to the Early Years, the SFU has no NX-01 - and its own series of evolutionary steps taken in order to get as far as the "modern" space-faring era and beyond.)
Module X2 will be the next big project for SFB. We'll have to wait and see exactly what X2-tech is going to look like, what it meas for each empire involved, and what doors are newly opened by the contents of this pending great leap forward.
Plus there's the matter of what to do about the new "big bad" of the X2 era - the Xorkaelian Tyranny, a galactic superpower which holds the far side of the Milky Way with a neutronium fist. Reportedly, they have been sending long-range raiders as far as Alpha over the course of several decades, and are set to launch a wider assault on Alpha on Y210.
Aside from X2 (and/or the Xorks), I would of course love to see plenty more done for Omega (and for the LMC, Triangulum, and elsewhere). At the very least, there is still a fair bit of road left to run design-wise in those areas.
But in fairness to Alpha, it has had some new options explored as of late, not least in Module C6; which offers an Empires Aflame-esque set of alternate timelines for those who would have been affected by the "Lost Empires" - not least in terms of how a lasting Paravian empire in Alpha would have impacted upon the early Inter-Stellar Concordium.
And when it comes to FC, the next module is said to cover fighters and carriers, perhaps as a part of the "Borders of Madness" concept (which would present a set of optional rules that would cover concepts from SFB that may not fit comfortably in "vanilla" FC). But yes, that still leaves a lot of options on the table, in terms of where FC (and the other "sibling" games, like Starmada) can go in order to catch up with SFB.
Okay, It's good to know that they will add more to the Alpha Octant. ;D
Just played my first game on SFB Online....and I have to be honest, that is the most clunky, unintuitive interface I've ever used on any piece of software. I swear, it's like they were trying really hard to make it difficult. Plus what's the point of a computer implementation of a game if you still have to do all the paperwork?
Gives me a whole new appreciation for the MegaMek crew. O0
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Actually, couldn't the Old CL be a good equivalent to the NX cruisers from ST:Ent?
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Not exactly.
In the Paramount/CBS Franchise, the NX-01 was the first "warp 5" ship built by Earth, but was still less advanced than its Vulcan or Andorian counterparts. However, the use of the "saucer-and-nacelle" hull type by the Earth Starfleet would be carried over into the later Federation Starfleet.
(One of the "hero" ships in the post-ENT novel series Rise of the Federation is an upgraded NX-class, with a new secondary hull installed beneath the aft nacelle supports.)
In the SFU (which uses a different set of warp factors relative to the Franchise), the old "sublight" (non-tactical warp) Terran light cruiser was but one of several distinct hull types built and operated by Earth. While the Vulcans already had ship-mounted phaser-1s and special sensors at that time - systems which would not appear on Star Fleet ships until the onset of "modern" warp technology in the Y120s - Earth was the first member planet to develop tactical warp drive, and to use it to upgrade a testbed ship into the WCL from SFB Module Y1. This led to a series of "warp-refitted" hulls entering service across Federation space, as well as the adoption of "warp-class" weapons like phaser-2s and (non-overloadable) photon torpedoes.
The first "saucer-and-nacelle" ships did not appear until the onset of Y-era, or "early warp" hulls, built from the keel up to incorporate tactical warp technologies. The advent of the Republic-class YCA represented the consolidation of the disparate planetary navies into a unified Star Fleet. However, each major planet retained "training squadrons" of their older ships, which would eventually be formally recognised as the National Guards.
Indeed, the upgrading of the WCL into the YCL (and later into the Texas-class CL) was partly due to the unexpected ruggedness of the sublight hull design (which was capable of adopting each successive generation of tactical warp drive, unlike most other W-era hulls in Federation service) and partly due to the Federation Council balking at the cost of designing and building an entirely new light cruiser class to replace it - which wouldn't happen until the Kearsarge-class NCL appeared in the run-up to the General War.
Or to put a long story short, the Franchise has the "saucer-and-nacelle" pattern as an Earth innovation which was later adopted by the Federation at large; while the SFU has it as something which explicitly marked the onset of a united Star Fleet.
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It's been a busy time for Federation and Empire.
The latest batch of double-sided counters are in, allowing for a set of older modules to be re-published (one of which, Fighter Operations, with a revised rulebook featuring an updated version of the Four Powers War scenario), and paving the way for a brand new module (Minor Empires, introducing the LDR, Seltorians, and Vudar to the game system).
The Four Powers War is a prelude of sorts to the General War, and is "cleaner" in a sense (since fighters are mainly limited to the Hydrans, with no "true" carrier groups available). If the Genera War is analogous to World War II, the 4PW would be the Alpha Octant's broad answer to WWI.
As for Minor Empires, the Seltorians will be presented as they appeared in this galaxy. Whether there might ever be a venue for waging wars back in the home galaxy (not least the Revolt itself) in F&E terms remains to be seen.
FO2015 and ME should show up in the near-to-mid future.
Also, a new PDF has been posted offering an introduction to the F&E game system, which may help give a better sense of what the SFU's grand strategic game system has to offer.
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The SFB Klingon Master Starship Book is out, compiling the R-section entries for every Klingon warship, fighter, PF, and support unit currently in print.
Next up in the MSSB series should be the Romulans, who will have a lot to cover courtesy of all those Eagles, Kestrels, and Hawks out there.
A few other files appeared recently as PDFs, such as the rulebook and SSD book for Module C6, and an open beta of sorts for the revised 2015 F&E Fighter Operations rulebook.
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Has Starfleet Battles: A Call to Arms been published?
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A Call to Arms: Star Fleet is available as a PDF. This version is designed for those people who had the original hardback with the empire backgrounds and the painting guides. Those needed no updates. So this version has rules and ship stats, but not the backgrounds or guides. It is available on DTRPG or Wargame Vault and is getting good reviews.
ADB will be working on the Deluxe version which will be available in print as well as PDF as soon as a couple of other projects for other product lines are done.
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And in a game of Federation Commander last night, Whistler, my roommate's fiance, and I learned that the enemy of my enemy isn't always my friend, but is definitely an opportunity waiting to happen. Or at least Whistler did, which is why the Klingon and Kzinti battlecruisers were moments away from abandoning ship, yet his Constitution had only minor shield damage.
Also, don't get too cocky when you knock down a Klingon's shields. Their transporter techs have itchy trigger fingers, and are already cranky. #P
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Also, don't get too cocky when you knock down a Klingon's shields. Their transporter techs have itchy trigger fingers, and are already cranky. #P
:))
Wise words, wise words.
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Captain's Log #51 is bring printed this week (along with its "behind the scenes" Supplemental File), as part of the latest batch of print releases from ADB.
On a personal note, I was able to contribute a number of items to CL51, so apologies in advance if any of those fail to pass muster...
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Congrats on getting stuff published!
What Starmada stuff is in there, if any?
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Congrats on getting stuff published!
Thank you kindly.
What Starmada stuff is in there, if any?
Going by what is noted in the CL51 Supplemental File PDF, there are four new ships (which typically get offered in both Admiralty and Nova incarnations), plus a set of playtest drone and shield rules for Nova Edition.
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Can you say what ships they are?
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I don't think the list has been posted as of yet, but I'll keep an eye out.
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and Minor Empires for Federation and Empire is out. LDR and Seltorians, plus those sneaky Vudar.
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So my Fed and Klink minis fleets are pretty close to balanced against each other, but they're not quite there yet, with the Klingons lagging behind. What would you suggest I pick up in order to even them out?
Federation: DN, BC, CA*3, NCA, CL, NCL*2, DD*5, FF*2, Tug.
Klingon: C7, C5, D7/6*3, D5*2, F5*3, E...uh...the junior F5, Tug.
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Well, if you want the fewest new minis....a B10 Battleship would be rather fitting.
Other than that, I'd say more D5s and F5s. The DSF pumped those out like popcorn.
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A C8 might fit more neatly as a Klingon fleet flagship, as the C5 is intended as more of a light raiding unit. (On the other hand, one of Star Fleet's "splendid cats" might make for an interesting counterpart to the C5.)
The Klingons have a number of other options to choose from, such as the D5W (their closest answer to the Fed NCA) and F5W (their equivalent to the Fed DW) - or some of the more unorthodox ship classes out there, like the F6 or E7.
But of course, if you were looking at "balancing" things in another direction, a couple of Dominators packed with satellite ships might help thin the herd out nicely...
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I think I got the numbers wrong, serves me right for trying to do it from memory. My Klingon dreadnought is their standard model, not the light one.
My thoughts were indeed to get a D5W to meet the NCA, as well as another D5/F5 pack. My thought was to then even the remaining numbers with F5Ws, but figured I'd seek other opinions, first.
But of course, if you were looking at "balancing" things in another direction, a couple of Dominators packed with satellite ships might help thin the herd out nicely...
Meet saucer for saucer, eh? >:D
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Don't worry - Andromedans are equal-opportunity invaders...
I suppose the question might come down to how many "standard" ships you want, or if you want to have a few "unusual" designs added to the mix. The SFU Klingons never throw away a weapon, yet even they might struggle to make use of some of the less orthodox choices (such as the "incomplete" E5). But then, squadron commodores and fleet admirals often fight with the ships they have to hand, not the ones they wished they had.
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not a player, but depending on when in the setting you play (and what you think of the rules involved) you could maybe upgrade that C7 to be the PF carrier? a flotilla of gunboats/patrolships might add some flavor to a force.
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I don't mind odd ships, though my options are limited to what's been published for Klingon Armada, since that's my chosen system for SFU gaming.
As for variants, I've got nothing against them at all. We're just talking about my minis collection here, not the specific configurations I'll be taking into battle. Definitely intrigued by what form gunboats will take in Armada, whether they'll be tougher than usual fighters that still need a carrier, or if they'll be flotillas of tiny starships, where the tender requirement will effectively be a fluff thing.
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My latest batch arrived today!
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/Nerroth/Misc/CL51%20batch_zpsgjaumj93.jpg)
That's a large print edition each of Captain's Log #50 and Captain's Log #51; the CL50 and CL51 Supplemental Files; A Call to Arms: Star Fleet Version 1.2 Deluxe Edition; and the Star Fleet Battles Klingon Master Starship Book.
On another note, ADB recently got in a batch of "Starline 2450" Klingon D7Ks - which are based on the Starline 2500 D7, but scaled own to match the Starline 2400 miniature scale.
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what is the difference between a D7 and a D7K?
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In SFB, the D7K is a D7 with the "K" refit, which upgraded its prow phaser-2s to phaser-1s.
In the Starline 2500 line, there are separate D6 and D7 minis; one has the "smooth" hull surface of the original ship, while the other has a series of raised hull panels and so forth. (One can still use the D6 as a D7, if one prefers the "classic" look.)
The 2450 D7K is marked as such since it is based on the 2500-series D7. But it can be used for any D7 variant in Klingon or Romulan service... or, indeed, for the Hydran D7H Anarchist.
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Captain's Log #48 included playtest rules and a set of four Ship Cards (two per empire) for the "lost empires" (the Carnivons and Paravians) in Federation Commander, based on the rules and SSDs published for them in Star Fleet Battles Module C6.
Those ships and rules from CL48, along with a third Ship Card for each empire, have been uploaded as a preview pack, in case anyone was curious to road-test how well (or otherwise) these ships handle in the FC game system.
I should note that the ships in C6 represent "what-if" scenarios, in which the Carnivons and/or Paravians somehow managed to survive into the "modern" SFU era in the Alpha Octant. Historically, the surviving Paravians fled to the Omega Octant; while there are hints that a set of Carnivon exiles may have made it as far as the Sargasso Storm Zone.
The SFU Milky Way map divides the habitable portion of the galaxy into five regions, with impassible Void sectors separating one from another. The Omega Octant is to the "right" of the Alpha Octant; the Sargasso Storm Zone is to the "left"; the Sigma Octant is on the far side of Omega from Alpha; while the area controlled by the Xorkaelian Tyranny is over on the opposite side of the galaxy from Alpha (beyond both Sigma and Sargasso).
The Paravians of Omega are known to acquire certain local technologies over time, though no formal write-up for them has been done as of yet. Nor is there any solid data on who (or what) any would-be Carnivon exiles in Sargasso might run into over in that neck of the galactic woods.
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It turns out that the distributors for my gaming stores don't have SFB stuff. Do you have to order it from ADB? Maybe someone will have stuff at Dragoncon, but I don't remember seeing any of it there recently. I am really wanting the Federation and Klingon ship books.
Meow Liao
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It turns out that the distributors for my gaming stores don't have SFB stuff. Do you have to order it from ADB? Maybe someone will have stuff at Dragoncon, but I don't remember seeing any of it there recently. I am really wanting the Federation and Klingon ship books.
Meow Liao
I always just order from ADB. They're fast and let have the option of how you want the rules packaged (I always get unpunched/unbound).
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A surprisingly useful amount of material is also available for sale as pdf.
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In any event, I gather that the Master Starship Books are not shipped to distributors; so it may be as well to order them from ADB, or to get them as PDFs (as noted in the previous post).
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For all of you SFB Romulan players out there, here's a little something for ya...
http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/shadowdepository/rpg/starfleet_battles.jpg
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I am a happy little camper today. Got home to find that my order had arrived. Federation and Klingon master starship books and 6 sheets (basic, advanced, R1, R2, R8, R9) of counters. Now to just find some time so I can read the books. I guess they get moved to the top of the bathroom reading stack.
Meow Liao
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Hey guys wondering if any of you might know if there are any colors for the Klingon fleets? And if so, where I might find them?
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You can find a paint guide here (http://www.starfleetgames.com/miniatures.shtml). :)
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You can find a paint guide here (http://www.starfleetgames.com/miniatures.shtml). :)
Thanks. O0
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I saw that the Romulan master starship book is out now. I really like the inclusion of the fighters and ships from the Captain's Logs. Quite a bit of that stuff should be available if I ever get a campaign going. However, I find the lack of a master ship list or fighter list to be a gross omission. >:( The latter especially given that both books mention the fighter info is in the master fighter chart/annex 4, and there is no master fighter chart in either book. So does anyone know if G3 includes all of the ships/fighters/bomber conversions that are included in the master starship books? Or do you have to get all of the Cap Logs for the info?
Meow Liao
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I have a question for you all: what hull would you consider the equivalent of the Klingon Bird of Prey? (In so far as size/role goes.)
Wanting to get a mini to paint up as the IKS Rotarran (General Martok/Worf's ship during the Dominion War).
(Just looking through the minis I'd say it looks like either the E4, E5, F5 or F6. But still not sure.)
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Rotarran was one of the 110 meter versions, not a 230 meter cruiser type. so I'd say your in the right ballpark. The rotarran had a larger crew (30 plus) than the scout type with its dozen people, so I'd say one that is more combat capable.
http://www.ex-astris-scientia.org/articles/bop-size.htm
I'm not familiar with the different frigate options for the Klingons in SFB.
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ADB have posted their first batch of ship models to Shapeways. Some of these ships are in "3788" (Starline 2400) scale; others are in "3125" (Starline 2500) scale; while others are in "Onmi" (works with both) scale.
The first batch includes stalwarts like the Federation CA and Klingon D7, a number of units which had not been done in "3125" scale before now (such as the Romulan Vulture and the Seltorian CA), plus a handful of designs which had not been done in any scale before (to include the Romulan DemonHawk and the Frax CA).
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Sweet, what account/store name are they under?
Also, for those who've actively played, for kicks I picked up Module D3 - Booms & Saucers, and saw that two Federation cruiser saucers, the command heavy cruiser and battlecruiser, both have center warp engines that seem to allow them to maneuver at warp, but still have shields equivalent to the impulse-only saucers. Contrast that with, say, a dreadnought saucer that has its own warp nacelle, stronger shields, etc.
How does that work exactly? Is that a warp engine internal to the saucer running off the impulse engines to allow low warp? I don't recall either ship having an external warp nacelle (I actually have a Fed BC, in addition to the old Fed CA, and plastic DN and tug).
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It's an itty-bitty "emergency warp engine", not big enough to need a nacelle. Like with the Klingon Emergency Impulse (and Boom Warp Engines on the penal ships)
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It's listed under Amarillo Design Bureau, Inc. on the Shapeways Marketplace (https://www.shapeways.com/shops/amarillo-design-bureau-inc); the "designer" is listed as adbinc (https://www.shapeways.com/designer/adbinc).
Actually, one detail I like from the Starline 2500 CB miniature is that it has a distinct piece underneath the saucer impulse engine which represents that two-box "warp pack".
In the SFU, impulse engines can produce "non-tactical warp", which allows a ship to travel at a cruising speed of approximately nine parsecs per day, yet obliges it to slow to "sub-light" speeds in order to fight. The two-box warp pack is a self-contained item (set apart from the saucer impulse engines) allowing for a limited degree of "tactical warp" movement, or at least to help off-set a Fed ship's photon arming costs.
In addition to the CB and BC, a handful of other Star Fleet ship classes have these warp packs also: the CM from SFB Module R12 and the CX (which is technically an X-upgrade to the CB design) from Module X1. Actually, the warp pack on the CM is not an emergency warp engine; it can be used to generate warp movement, yet must be jettisoned along with the port and starboard engines if this is called for.
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It's listed under Amarillo Design Bureau, Inc. on the Shapeways Marketplace; the "designer" is listed as adbinc.
Actually, one detail I like from the Starline 2500 CB miniature is that it has a distinct piece underneath the saucer impulse engine which represents that two-box "warp pack".
In the SFU, impulse engines can produce "non-tactical warp", which allows a ship to travel at a cruising speed of approximately nine parsecs per day, yet obliges it to slow to "sub-light" speeds in order to fight. The two-box warp pack is a self-contained item (set apart from the saucer impulse engines) allowing for a limited degree of "tactical warp" movement, or at least to help off-set a Fed ship's photon arming costs.
In addition to the CB and BC, a handful of other Star Fleet ship classes have these warp packs also: the CM from SFB Module R12 and the CX (which is technically an X-upgrade to the CB design) from Module X1. Actually, the warp pack on the CM is not an emergency warp engine; it can be used to generate warp movement, yet must be jettisoned along with the port and starboard engines if this is called for.
Holy crap, 9 parsecs/day? That works out to around 10714c, or equivalent to Warp 22 on the old Trek OCU warp scale. Dude, just how fast are Star Fleet Battles ships?!
(One of the reasons I ask has bearing on the Trek fanfic I've been writing (http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=47909.0), where I've been considering having the M5ized Hermes class jettison her warp nacelle and run on a warp pack in the saucer section, either by kludging the subspace coils in her impulse engine to let her travel at low warp off her fusion reactors and impulse engine's power, or with a new Kerbal-supplied warp drive to do the same).
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i think they use a different scale. though the one document they provide with details on how to translate the F&E distances to in universe values is a hard read for those of us that aren't familiar with that game: http://www.starfleetgames.com/documents/Warp_Speed_in_SFU.pdf
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i think they use a different scale. though the one document they provide with details on how to translate the F&E distances to in universe values is a hard read for those of us that aren't familiar with that game: http://www.starfleetgames.com/documents/Warp_Speed_in_SFU.pdf
Yeah, that example puts Orion at 2500 parsecs from Earth, which is over 8000 light years. I think in Trek canon it's nowhere that far.
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To be fair, the origins and astrographic location of the Orion's wasn't established in trek canon until season 4 of st:enterprise. So divergence is pretty much a given.
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True, but as I recall the entire Federation isn't that far across in Trek canon. Not saying it's a bad thing, just interesting the differences between SFB and Trek Prime.
That said, that may be closer to speeds we see in JJverse. ;)
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It's worth bearing in mind that one of the primary source documents for the SFU is the Star Fleet Technical Manual, though the scale of the galaxy itself is somewhat different in the SFU than it is in the SFTM.
The Federation and Empire hex (http://www.starfleetgames.com/federation/west_map.shtml) map (http://www.starfleetgames.com/federation/east_map.shtml) is 61 hexes across and 19 hexes down; each F&E hex is 500 parsecs across. (Thus, the galactic disc is only one hex thick along the z-axis.) The Federation is at the centre of the F&E map; ever since the Border Declaration of Y102, it has claimed a disc 9500 parsecs (or 19 hexes) in diameter. The founding member planets (such as Earth, Vulcan, and Andor) are located in F&E hex 2908 (the UFP's "capital" hex); the Orion home world is in F&E hex 2812.
Rather than having four quadrants, the SFU Milky Way is divided into 24 sectors (http://www.starfleetgames.com/federation/galaxy_map.shtml), grouped into five regions capable of hosting life as we know it. The Alpha Octant extends across the Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta sectors; the F&E hex map covers the outermost two-thirds of the habitable zone of Alpha, Beta, and Gamma. Immense Voids in the Epsilon and Omega sectors divide the Alpha Octant from the Sargasso Storm Zone and the Omega Octant respectively, while the "off-map" area coreward of the F&E map eventually runs into the Storm Zone (not to be confused with the Sargasso Storm Zone), a region surrounding the galactic core which cannot sustain long-term occupation.
Of the five habitable regions of the Milky Way, only the Alpha and Omega octants have thus far been explored in print. Neither Sargasso nor the distant Sigma Octant (the next octant over past Omega from Alpha) have been written about much as of yet, though the Xorkaelian Tyranny - which holds the largest habitable region, over on the opposite side of the galaxy from the Alpha Octant - is set to become the "big bad" of the Module X2 era.
That said, there is material in the SFU looking at a number of places outside of the Milky Way, or at least for certain extra-galactic factions. The Tholians and Seltorians are from the M81 Galaxy; an enclave of Tholians would later appear in the Draco Dwarf galaxy, while some info has been printed regarding the main "pirate" faction back in M81. The Bolosco and Zosmans (a pair of rival Omega factions) are each from beyond the Milky Way, while the Iridani (also encountered in Omega) are based in a nearby extra-galactic cluster. There is a published module looking at the Lesser Magellanic Cloud and a playtest file exploring the Triangulum Galaxy. As the name suggests, the Andromedan Invaders hail originally from the M31 Galaxy. While the Juggernauts are also from some other galaxy, though no-one is quite sure which one...
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Have you seen the minis on Shapeways, they look pretty good.
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The next wave of Shapeways minis was posted recently, including the first official* miniatures to be done for the Omega Octant: a heavy cruiser and a destroyer for the Mæsron Alliance (https://www.shapeways.com/shops/amarillo-design-bureau-inc?section=Maesron+Alliance+%28Omega%29&s=0), and a heavy cruiser and a frigate for the Trobrin Empire (https://www.shapeways.com/shops/amarillo-design-bureau-inc?section=Trobrin+Empire+%28Omega%29&s=0). All four are available in 3788 scale.
*Technically speaking, there are a number of Alpha Octant minis which can be used to represent certain ships in the Federal Republic of Aurora; while Andromedan minis are good for use in a number of settings, as they invaded both the Alpha and Omega Octants from their foothold in the Lesser Magellanic Cloud.
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The latest batch of miniatures is now on the Shapeways storefront, including a third Omega Octant empire, the Koligahr Solidarity (https://www.shapeways.com/shops/amarillo-design-bureau-inc?section=Koligahr+Solidarity+%28Omega%29&s=0).
This wave also includes a sprue of Federation Thunderbolt gunboats (or fast patrol ships) (https://www.shapeways.com/product/AWQJ4CE42/omni-scale-federation-thunderbolt-gunboats-wem?optionId=63240680). While the Feds never deployed PFs in the "historical" timeline, they did field them in the "dark future" timeline encountered/created by the wayward survey ship Darwin. (The "dark future" was first featured in a scenario from SFB Module X1, and expanded upon somewhat in SFB Module C3A.)
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A few days ago, Episode 440 of the Star Fleet Universe On Call (http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/talkCast.jsp?masterId=17702&cmd=tc) podcast included guests from ADB, as well as a number of the sculptors involved in the ongoing Shapeways project.
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ADB have posted their first batch of ship models to Shapeways. Some of these ships are in "3788" (Starline 2400) scale; others are in "3125" (Starline 2500) scale; while others are in "Onmi" (works with both) scale.
The first batch includes stalwarts like the Federation CA and Klingon D7, a number of units which had not been done in "3125" scale before now (such as the Romulan Vulture and the Seltorian CA), plus a handful of designs which had not been done in any scale before (to include the Romulan DemonHawk and the Frax CA).
I got a batch of these ships a couple weeks ago. In FUD they turned out really nice. One of the more expensive options, but worth it IMO. I've seen pics of some of them in the cheapest WSF material, and I would not recommend it. Very coarse surface and poor fine detail. I've got them primed but they are still waiting to be painted (was busy getting ready for simultaneous Team Yankee and Flames of War campaigns with my local gaming group). Hope to get some done this week.
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Did they ever come out with Lyrans for Star Fleet: A Call to Arms? I know they put out the Kzinti.
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The Lyrans have not been published for ACtA:SF just yet, though they seem set to go alongside the Hydrans into book 3.
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Wave 4 of the ongoing Shapeways project was posted recently, with units such as Star Fleet's Byrd-class galactic survey cruiser, a heavy cruiser for Omega's Probr Revolution, the Space Manta (a "deep space life form" first introduced in the cover story for Captain's Log #40), and the (in)famous Klingon B10 battleship making the cut this time around.
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Did they ever come out with Lyrans for Star Fleet: A Call to Arms? I know they put out the Kzinti.
Lyrans and Hydrans are indeed scheduled for the next ACATSF book (#3) which is currently being playtested. I know the guy that is in charge of writing the books (now that Mongoose isn't) and I can confirm that much.
Wave 4 of the ongoing Shapeways project was posted recently, with units such as Star Fleet's Byrd-class galactic survey cruiser, a heavy cruiser for Omega's Probr Revolution, the Space Manta (a "deep space life form" first introduced in the cover story for Captain's Log #40), and the (in)famous Klingon B10 battleship making the cut this time around.
I think it was actually Wave 3 (July = Wave 1, August = Wave 2 and September = Wave 3). I've ordered another large batch of ships, even though I still haven't finished painting the Wave 1 ships I ordered! :-[
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Very glad to hear there will be a Book 3!
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The October batch is now up, which includes the Saladin-class destroyer (the first "Franz Joseph" design to be added to the Shapeways storefront), as well as the infamous Planet Killer.
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Can anyone point me to a good form to discuss SFB? I can't stand the official one (too archaic and I gave up after constantly getting posts deleted because they were "off topic", though I think that was more mods wanting to keep conversation between them in their buddies, granted that was years ago and hopefully the mods have gotten better).
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Can anyone point me to a good form to discuss SFB?
I never cared for the old "BBS" forum, it is rather clunky.
They have a more modern web forum dedicated to the Federation Commander game (http://www.starfleetgames.com/federation/phpbb2/) although they do have subsections of the forums for SFB, ACTASF and the miniatures lines. Not super active, but you can usually get questions answered in a day or less.
ADB also has a number of Facebook pages, for ADB, for SFB, for F&E, for FC, and one for miniatures and painting. The face book pages are relatively active, particularly the miniatures page with the recent releases of all the new miniatures on Shapeways.
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Kinda on topic; does anyone know of good mods for Starfleet COmmand? The other day I learned of it being offered on Steam so I nabbed it. The only problem is the ships are stuck with TMP era look.
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I never cared for the old "BBS" forum, it is rather clunky.
They have a more modern web forum dedicated to the Federation Commander game (http://www.starfleetgames.com/federation/phpbb2/) although they do have subsections of the forums for SFB, ACTASF and the miniatures lines. Not super active, but you can usually get questions answered in a day or less.
ADB also has a number of Facebook pages, for ADB, for SFB, for F&E, for FC, and one for miniatures and painting. The face book pages are relatively active, particularly the miniatures page with the recent releases of all the new miniatures on Shapeways.
I'll give that one a shot I guess then. Didn't really have any questions, just looking for a community of players. Can't get anyone in my BT group interested in giving it a go (either they find it looks to complicated, or can't stand Star Trek :/).
And I walked off FB last year. Can't say I miss it at all.
Kinda on topic; does anyone know of good mods for Starfleet COmmand? The other day I learned of it being offered on Steam so I nabbed it. The only problem is the ships are stuck with TMP era look.
Man, I wish that game would work on Win10. Got it at GoG as soon as it became available, but it CtD as soon as the first couple of logos play. Oh well, was only $5. Can still play 25th Anniversary and Judgement Rites (JR is one of the best Star Trek games I've ever played).
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Man, I wish that game would work on Win10. Got it at GoG as soon as it became available, but it CtD as soon as the first couple of logos play. Oh well, was only $5. Can still play 25th Anniversary and Judgement Rites (JR is one of the best Star Trek games I've ever played).
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=837445398
Do this. For me (this is under Additional Fixes in that link), the game could get to the faction selection window but crash when I select one faction and tried to launch. The fix for that was LegacyComponents' DirectPlay. I also changed the config settings for the window compatibility as suggested by the guide.
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My first batch of Shapeways minis arrived yesterday!
I got a Federation Byrd-class Galactic Survey Cruiser, a Mæsron Heavy Cruiser, and a Mæsron Light Cruiser, all in 3125 scale.
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http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=837445398
Do this. For me (this is under Additional Fixes in that link), the game could get to the faction selection window but crash when I select one faction and tried to launch. The fix for that was LegacyComponents' DirectPlay. I also changed the config settings for the window compatibility as suggested by the guide.
Thanks. Finally works. Except only in 800x600 resolution. On my 1360x760 monitor. XD
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Yet another batch of Shapeways releases are up, including more Federation fighters (the F-14, F-15, A-10 and A-20), the Hermes-class scout (in both ADB and "Franz Joseph" incarnations), and the first pair of warships for the Omega Octant's robotic Drex Unity.
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A lot of SFB scouts look just fine to me, but Federation ones just look too damned goofy with those dishes pointed every which way. I'm gonna stick to the FJ look, where the only difference between a Saladin and a Hermes is wether or not you can see the dorsal phasers.
(It helps that picking up a plastic bits bag a long time back gave me the parts to build a LOT of Saladin/Hermes.)
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I picked up my first Shapeways SFB ship, a Saladin-class DD. I got it in FUD, & it was a little more rough than I expected. Keep in mind this is only my SECOND Shapeways product (first was the engine deck for a 1/35 T-55 model kit), which was pretty smooth, so not sure what to expect. What materials are people getting theirs in? I though FUD was the best in regards to detail & cost (IIRC it was only $14 printed, about what you would spend on a metal one)...
Damon.
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For me it's FUD or nothing. Until printing resolutions get smaller than our senses of touch or sight can detect, any surface that isn't flat horizontal is going to have some roughness and stepping, the tactile equivalent of images pixelating when you zoom in close enough. FUD have may some issues, but trust me, just about anything else(ESPECIALLY White Strong Flexible) is going to be noticeably worse.
FUD is also easier to paint. It's more or less a solid plastic, while WSF is still kinda granular deep down. As a result, that stuff will soak up paint like a sponge, requiring more than you're used to in order to coat the surface.
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Last weekend, I got ahold of a Gorn BDX mini. I need to clean it up, but it can be hard to tell flash nubbins and phaser blisters apart sometimes. Can anyone tell me the weapons locations, to avoid cleaning that which should not be cleaned?
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Last weekend, I got ahold of a Gorn BDX mini. I need to clean it up, but it can be hard to tell flash nubbins and phaser blisters apart sometimes. Can anyone tell me the weapons locations, to avoid cleaning that which should not be cleaned?
Two phasers in each of the following locations:
Forward bubble, Aft bubble, Port wing, Starboard wing.
Type-L (small) plasma torpedo launchers: One each, Port and Starboard wing
Type-S (large) plasma torpedo launcher: Main hull, behind the forward bubble.
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Cool, thanks!
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As a follow-up to the pic attached to my second-to-last post, this is a size comparison showing the Shapeways Mæsron CA and CL (3125 scale) alongside an Auroran CL, two Auroran FFs, and the Auroran CR Throne of Ozymondas (all from the Starline 2500 range).
Of the current crop of Mæsron minis on Shapeways (https://www.shapeways.com/shops/amarillo-design-bureau-inc?section=Maesron+Alliance+%28Omega%29&s=0), the frigate, destroyer, light cruiser, and heavy cruiser can be used both as Auroran allies and as adversaries; the Aurorans allied with the Tazol-Wallimi "New Alliance" faction against the Vulpa faction in the final years of the Mæsron Civil War. The Mæsron dreadnought was built by the "New Alliance" after the Civil War was already over. Also, the "post-Mæsron" Vulpa insurgents have their blockade runner, a threat to both the FRA and Mæsrons, listed on Shapeways; it's not yet clear whether or not the Insurgency (or the later Vulpa Confederacy) used any "legacy" Mæsron ships, or stuck exclusively to their own (re-)designs.
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Odd that they're releasing so much for everyone else, but nothing so far for the Gorn...vagaries of production schedules, I guess.
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Bear in mind that Shapeways was originally intended to act only as an adjunct to the various metal miniature lines, as a means of producing certain minis which, for various reasons, proved non-viable to work up for either Starline 2500 or 2450 (i.e. 2400-scale metal to 2500 design standards). Only later did it develop the momentum towards becoming a full-fledged product line for ADB in its own right.
At least the Gorns do have a decent range of ships for both 2400 and 2500 to make use of for the time being. In the long term, I'm hoping to see more "2400-only" fleets (such as the ISC) make the jump to 3125 scale, as well as more "never-done-before" empires (in Omega and elsewhere) making the cut as things move forward.
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Odd that they're releasing so much for everyone else, but nothing so far for the Gorn...vagaries of production schedules, I guess.
I think its also due to the fact that their "sculptors" are independent contractors and to an extent are allowed to work on what they want to work on first. The Gorn are definitely coming, though.
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I think its also due to the fact that their "sculptors" are independent contractors and to an extent are allowed to work on what they want to work on first. The Gorn are definitely coming, though.
At least the Gorns do have a decent range of ships for both 2400 and 2500 to make use of for the time being. In the long term, I'm hoping to see more "2400-only" fleets (such as the ISC) make the jump to 3125 scale, as well as more "never-done-before" empires (in Omega and elsewhere) making the cut as things move forward.
This. I've got a pretty complete Gorn fleet in the metal 2500 line, so I'm not sure I'll be buying a lot of new Shapeways Gorn ships, anyway. Unless they release some variant designs (like the Romulan Skyhawk Destroyer Leader, or the Klingon D6S Scout). They did post some concept art for a Gorn Tug on one of the FB pages which I would buy, just because it was so odd looking (Gorn cargo pods are the same shape of their disk shaped main hull).
On the other hand, I've been buying never before done in 2500 ships like the Lyrans, Hydrans and Seltorians hand over fist. Its put a gigantic dent in my hobby budget the last few months! ;)
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Many of the ships originally due for release on the 1st of December went up early this morning, in time for Shapeways' Cyber Monday promotion. This includes both the Federation Kearsarge-class new light cruiser and Prometheus-class strike cruiser, "classic" (no saucer lines) versions of the other Fed ships on Shapeways, a set of new hulls and mission variants for the Omega Octant, plus a pair of "monster" warships from the extra-galactic Juggernaut Empire.
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Many of the ships originally due for release on the 1st of December went up early this morning, in time for Shapeways' Cyber Monday promotion.
They still had some left over for a December release on the 5th. These included the Federation and Lyran Tugs, Romulan, WYN, Tholian and Kzini scouts, and new fighters for the Feds and Romulans.
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My second trio of Shapeways minis arrived recently: a Romulan DemonHawk dreadnought, a Mæsron dreadnought, and a Vulpa blockade runner - all in 3125 Frosted Ultra Detail:
(https://i.imgur.com/BYsR4G5.png)
There are two versions of the DMH on the Shapeways storefront; this one is designed to match the "Mongoose" style in the metal Starline 2500s, while a more "classic" DMH is currently available in 3788 scale.
As for the others, the Mæsron DN has the same "floating" firing platform as the Mæsron heavy cruiser and light cruiser; whereas the Vulpa VBR is derived from the Mæsron destroyer, but with some heavy modifications (to incude the removal of said platform).
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It's over 30 years since I last played SFB, but ... merry Christmas!
(https://scontent-ams3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/25551936_10214485712993928_2201697981922164934_n.jpg?oh=7858feb7bf096387d8f7b9debcb73b1d&oe=5AC6AFD8)
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Kinda surprised they didn't make Rudolph a Sensor box...or a Phaser-4. :)
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I was thinking sensor... lol.
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The card has a copyright of 2006...had they released sensor rules for FedCom by then?
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As noted earlier, I have six minis from Shapeways' ADB storefront I've been working on, all in 3125 scale Frosted Ultra Detail; a Federation galactic survey cruiser; a Romulan DemonHawk dreadnought; a Mæsron dreadnought, heavy cruiser, and light cruiser; and a Vulpa blockade runner.
This my current work-in-progress attempt at each:
(https://i.imgur.com/jb8AtG3.png)
Of the lot, I'd say that, thus far at least, I'm feeling relatively comfortable trying to work on the Mæsron and Vulpa ships.
In the case of the Mæsrons, I've been trying to follow the colour scheme shown in the cover art (http://www.starfleetgames.com/images/E23%20adobe%20thumbnails/Omega1.jpg) for SFB Module Omega 1, and particularly Adam Turner's cover art (http://www.starfleetgames.com/wallpaper/Omega1280x1024.jpg) for Module Omega 5. I've painted the "city" sections of these hulls grey, with silver "buildings" and (on the CA and DN) black for the "recessed" sections. The "outer" hulls are painted red, with a clear red coating added – though it may not show all that clearly in my less-than-stellar picturing attempts.
For the Vulpa, I wanted to do something different, yet still reflecting their "post-Mæsron" status. So, I used the same colour pattern for the "city" portion of the blockade runner, as well as common weapon and engine colours. However, it took a while to figure out a half-decent alternate colour for the "outer" hull; by accident, I found that a coat of clear red over a layer of yellow produced a nice orange-ey look, which I feel helps distinguish the ship from its former Mæsron comrades. (As it happens, the relevant Omega hex maps show Vulpa territory in orange, as opposed to Mæsron red…)
In contrast, I'm much less happy with how the GSC and DMH are turning out thus far.
If I'm being honest, I've never been overly comfortable trying to paint the white (or very light grey) hulls on Star Fleet or Auroran Navy starships. In the case of the GSC, I made a mistake trying to figure out how to colour in the panel lines, and "doubled down" by trying to give the ship an overall "weathered" look, as if it has been away from a major fleet installation for a significant stretch of time – which, I suppose, would be an appropriate thing to say about the long-range survey missions your average GSC is liable to be sent out on.
In the case of the DMH, I wanted to go with a green colour, yet one which avoided looking too "Franchise-ey". One of my problems has been how to distinguish the SparrowHawk and SkyHawk modules, and other details such as the warp engines, without looking too garish relative to the main hull.
In all, I have much to do to try and tidy up even those minis I feel more comfortable with, let alone trying to salvage something out of the others. Oh well…
Has anyone else here tried painting any of ADB's Shapeways minis for themselves - and if so, in which material and scale did you work with?
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The January 2018 Shapeways batch is up, which includes the "Franz Joseph" Federation starbase, the "Mongoose-style" Romulan SparrowHawk light cruiser, and the first (bio)ship for the Omega Octant's Alunda Host.
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every time i see images of Mæsron ships, i think of this:
(http://www.isnnews.net/hyperspace/narn/narnstcr_lg3.jpg)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzBYJVa0qLw
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For what it's worth, I have posted a few "before" and "during" pics of each individual ship to this thread (http://www.starfleetgames.com/federation/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=5981&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=) over on ADB's FC forum; I didn't want to clog the thread here with those pics.
I'd certainly be keen to see more ships of the Mæsron fleet make it over to Shapeways. For one, I'd be curious as to how the Wallimi-hull survey cruiser might turn out; as with the old Terran CL in UFP and FRA service, the SRs were built by the bat-like Wallimi prior to the formal integration of the Mæsron armed forces, and was "inherited" by the unified Mæsron fleets. (There is a survey variant of the heavy cruiser in a recent issue of Captain's Log.)
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The February and March uploads to Shapeways have gone live, with the likes of the "Franz Joseph" Federation dreadnought, the Klingon T7 tug (in both "-B" and "-K" varieties), and the first "volatile warp" gunboats for the Omega Octant.
Omega PFs work somewhat differently than their Alpha Octant counterparts. Their "volatile warp" engines are larger, allow for a broader variety of gunboat size (and corresponding flotilla size), and even have an Orion-esque "afterburner" function that provides 50% extra warp power on a given turn (with a subsequent "cool-off" turn before it can be used again). However, these engines are more vulnerable to damage, particularly when running the afterburners, and cannot make use of warp booster packs.
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My latest Shapeways batch has arrived:
(https://i.imgur.com/LQWDTuH.png)
That is a Bolosco Merchant Cruiser and an Iridani Galleon, both in 3125 scale, plus an Omni scale set of Mæsron fast patrol ships - all in Frosted Ultra DetailSmooth Fine Detail Plastic*.
Note that the Mæsron PFs deploy in flotillas of four; the sprue has one PF leader, four standard PFs, a PF scout, and two missile PFs.
*Shapeways have re-named various materials one can make use of, so FUD is now SFDP, it would seem.
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gorgeous looking unpainted miniature material.
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A new trio of ships arrived recently: a Federation Heavy War Destroyer, a Neo-Tholian Survey Cruiser, and a Zosman Heavy Cruiser; all in 3125 Smooth Fine Detail Plastic:
(https://i.imgur.com/P8ka51Q.png)
The Fed HDW is a modular design, which has a series of reactor, non-weapon option, and weapon mounts, all on the secondary hull, which can be configured to serve a variety of roles: combat, survey, carrier, repair, and so on.
The Neo-Tholian NSR is a "mission variant" of the Neo-Tholian heavy cruiser, which was a "naval" ship used by the Tholians back in the home galaxy. While the NSR itself is listed in SFB as a conjectural design, I consider this mini to act as a stand-in for the Sojourner - a one-of-a-kind survey vessel which helped lead an exile group of Tholians to the Draco Dwarf galaxy.
The Zosman CA is also modular in design; it has two weapon modules and two system modules on the prow, which allows it to be configured in a variety of roles. The ship can land on planets, so the mini has a set of docking clamps on the ventral hull. Ships of this class can appear in the "on-map" Omega Octant (http://www.starfleetgames.com/omegasector.shtml) as pirates or mercenaries (belonging to one of numerous Zosman Marauder cells), or in the "off-map" Phi Sector of the galaxy (http://www.starfleetgames.com/federation/galaxy_map.shtml) in the navies of the five independent Marauder worlds (which sponsor the various Marauder cells) or the Zosman Collective (the "main" Zosman star-nation, which officially condemns the pirates yet benefits indirectly from increased trade with the Marauder worlds nonetheless.)
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But of a bump.
So, I've not played SFB before, and I've been looking at the Sub-light Battles rules posted here:
http://www.starfleetgames.com/sublight.shtml
After reading through them, I have a few questions:
1. Are any of those rules versions a complete rules set?
2. If not, for just getting a feel for the game, would those rules plus the Cadet Rules be enough to go by?
3. I get that the Federation sub-light CL is basically the Texas class "old CL" prior to later upgrades, but the sub-light CA leaves me confuzzled: I get that it's an early Republic/Constitution saucer with no secondary hull, but the SSD has APRs that almost look like nacelles. If I wanted to run minis of it, what would be the best way to represent them?
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Honestly, I would just suggest the Cadet Rules to get a feel for things, and then the Y-modules (Y1-Y3) if you want to fool around with 1st Romulan War era stuff.
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Honestly, I would just suggest the Cadet Rules to get a feel for things, and then the Y-modules (Y1-Y3) if you want to fool around with 1st Romulan War era stuff.
I've thought about it, and if we get into it enough I might, but that's a bit more investment to start than I was looking to do. I was more looking at additional play options before investing much into it, and Sub-Light Battles actually seemed easier in some ways to learn than even the Cadet Edition.
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<--- Returns from the Abyss
Saw the shapeways stuff on ADBs site during random browsing. Which materials are people getting? The options I see are Natural Versatile Plastic, Processed Versatile Plastic, PA12, and Smooth detail plastic.
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All of my Shapeways minis thus far have been in Smooth Fine Detail Plastic.
There are no formally published rules for the sub-light/Non-Tactical Warp era thus far, either in Star Fleet Battles or in some other game system.
That said, many of the W-era ships in the three Early Years modules for SFB are warp-refitted versions of sub-light hulls, to include "National Guard" ships for a number of Federation planets (such as Earth, Vulcan, and Andor). Notably, none of the planetary fleets used "saucer-and-nacelle" designs; in the SFU, those are the hallmark of the unified Star Fleet of the Y-era and beyond.
The "warp-driven" ships used by the five founding species of the Inter-Stellar Concordium are in a similar category to other empires' warp-refitted hulls technology-wise, though it took a while for those navies to work up the "warp-class" weapons (such as phasers) needed to take full advantage of tactical warp technology. Also notably, the "unified" ISC ships of the Y-era had two prongs, rather than the three prongs on "modern" ISC starships.
Technically, most separated Federation saucers (and most separated Klingon booms) are able to use their impulse drives to travel at non-tactical warp speeds in case of emergencies. The cover story in Captain's Log #25 shows just such an occasion, as the separated saucer of the USS Hood tried to make it back to friendly space after the rest of the ship was destroyed during the Klingon invasion of the Federation.
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For Shapeways, I cannot emphasize strongly enough: Smooth Fine Detail or nothing. Anything more is incredibly expensive, and anything less is so grainy and loses so much detail that they might as well just stamp 'Buyer's Remorse' on every box shipped.
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A playtest file has been posted on Warehouse 23 for a new game system called Merchants of the Federation, a "trading game" set along the Federation-Klingon border. The playtest file allows for certain paper elements intended for playtesting; these would be replaced with "proper" items should this project evolve into a physical boxed game.
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A major revision to the core rulebook for GURPS Prime Directive, 4th Edition was recently posted to Warehouse 23 and DriveThruRPG; the new incarnation is available either as a single (365-page!) document, or split into two separate volumes. Among other things, it's got more info on the five founding species of the Inter-Stellar Concordium, as well as adding links to the likes of Federation Commander, which had yet to be pubished when GPD4e was first printed.
Also, an "early bird" version of the second book for A Call to Arms: Star Fleet has itself been recently uploaded to W23 and DTRPG. It adds more ships and mission variants for the various empires in book 1.2; fleshes out the Orion and Tholian fleets (to include adding the various Neo-Tholian hulls); and introduces the Seltorians to the game system.
Both books should be committed to print in the near-to-mid future.
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This month's batch of Shapeways uploads features, among other things, the initial wave of first-generation X-ships to be offered on the Shapeways storefront - not least of which being the Federation Vincennes-class advanced technology command cruiser.
The nacelles on the Shapeways CX model are similar to those shown on the cover art for Star Fleet Battles Module X1R, representing the next technology level from those to be found on the Constitution-class heavy cruiser. (in GURPS Prime Directive terms, the Federation CA is Tech Level 12, while the CX is TL 13.)
For anyone so interested, there is an excellent background article in Captain's Log #52 which explains the evolutionary history of Star Fleet's "saucer and nacelle" heavy cruisers, from the Republic-class ships of the Early Years (GPD TL 11) through to the Vincennes and her X-technology stablemates.
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A trio of first-generation X-ships warped in earlier this week: a Vincennes-class Federation CX, a Klingon DX, and an Andromedan Conquistador-X. All three are in Smooth Fine Detail Plastic, and in 3125 scale.
(https://i.imgur.com/HszpIT6.png)
The CX I consider to be NCC-1776 USS Bunker Hill, and the DX to be the Kumerian: the flagships for their respective empires' Operation Unity task forces. Not sure what name to assign to the Conquistador-X, though.
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The only way "Bob" isn't a good choice is if you've already used it for that fleet. :)
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Another new batch has warped in this week:
(https://i.imgur.com/2c9SQ9f.png)
That's Captain's Log #54; the Captain's Log #54 Supplemental File; Star Fleet Battles Module R6; plus the Assault and Last Stand modules for the Star Fleet Marines ground combat game system.
The cover story for CL54 is based on the scenario of that same name in SFB Module X1, and was written by... myself! (The story, I mean. The original SFB scenario was written by Christopher J. Cafiero.) This is the second "cover story" of mine in an issue of Captain's Log: the first was an historical file on the Andromedan War, which was published in Captain's Log #49.
Of course, I owe much to the folks at Amarillo for tidying things up and bringing this story up to ADB standards.
CL54 also includes a preview for Federation Commander: Gunboats Attack, plus a batch of preview material in Star Fleet Battles for one of the "Omega's lost futures" empires: the Paravians of the Omega Octant.
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what are the "Master Starship Book" products they seem to be adding to their drivethru page? the description sound like they are lore only stuff?
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They include all of the R-section data for a given empire (including first-generation X-ships, Early Years units, and ships from various issues of Captain's Log which have yet to be formally published in a Star Fleet Battles module) by the time of a given Master Starship Book's publication. There are no SSDs or (non-R-section) game rules in the MSSBs, though.
For example, the recently-uploaded Tholian Master Starship Book includes "Main Era" Tholian material from various SFB modules, as well as from the upcoming Module R4T. It also includes a number of Tholian-related background articles, an expanded look at the early Holdfast era, as well as a more in-depth look at the ships and support units used by the Tholians and their various subjugated species back in the M81 galaxy prior to the Seltorian Revolt.
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so lore and TRO basically? as someone who doesn't play but is interested in their setting, would they be worth getting?
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The latest trio of new arrivals:
(https://i.imgur.com/vjj5wNm.png)
That's an Inter-Stellar Concordium Heavy War Cruiser, a Paravian Heavy Cruiser, and an Old Galaxy (M81) Pirate Raider.
In the standard SFU timeline, the ISC did not build any "wartime construction" hulls during the General War. They did build a prototype war cruiser during the Pacification Campaign, yet losses were deemed acceptable enough to avoid going any further. However, once the Andromedan invasion kicked off across the Alpha Octant, the embattled ISC set about fielding as many "war" hulls as they could in order to defend their home territory. The HCW is itself derived from the ISC CW design, with two frigate engines and two destroyer engines (as opposed to the three destroyer engines on the CW).
The Paravians are a bird-like species descended from a population of Gorns which had been driven to extinction by an asteroid impact. Of course, the Paravians had no memory of ever being Gorns; so far as they were concerned, the Gorn fossils on their home world were "demons" and "devils". (One can imagine how badly things went when a Gorn exploration ship showed up in Paravian territory...) In the standard timeline, the Paravians are considered to be extinct in the Alpha Octant, but later emerge as a major threat in the Omega Octant. Thus, the CA counts both as a "lost empire" ship from Star Fleet Battles Module C6, as well as a playtest antiproton variant for the Omega-Paravians in Captain's Log #54.
The story behind the M81 OGR is more convoluted. Back when the Tholians were busy conquering the home galaxy, one of the major enemies they fought in the Great Martial War were the Nebuline, who (as the name suggests) establish their home colonies inside various nebulae. While the Nebuline were defeated, the Tholians were not able to flush out all of their surviving colonies; some of these were still in existence by the onset of the Seltorian Revolt. The Nebuline converted "wingless" naval hulls into "winged" raiders; that massive port wing is designed to dock to a freighter, allowing it to be carried off in its entirety. The Nebuline later developed "export models", stripped of key Nebuline technology, for sale to bands of various outcasts and exiles from the Tholians' various subjugated species; thus, the OGR SSD and Ship Card in Captain's Log #40 is of the "export" model, as used by various M81 High Pirate Bands.
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This is my current in-progress paint work for the most recent miniature arrivals:
(https://i.imgur.com/LLF4uza.png)
Things seem to be going fairly well for the Paravian thus far, though perhaps less so for the ISC and the M81 pirate. But then, those "feathers" on the Paravian ship help matters somewhat.
EDIT: It didn't seem like something worth a new post, but here is how they look after a second effort:
(https://i.imgur.com/OwsJdL4.png)
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With the "hour of the Wolf" about to descend in BT sourcebook form - to include Clan Jade Falcon reportedly having Designs on a Bureau in Amarillo, according to the recently-posted table of contents (https://bg.battletech.com/news/preview-the-ilclan-table-of-contents-plus-new-fiction-now-available/) - I thought it might be a good moment to take a look at the "wolf" and "bird of prey" factions in the Star Fleet Universe.
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In the Alpha Octant, there are (or were) the Carnivons: a wolf-like species sharing a common genetic ancestry to the Kzintis and Lyrans. As shown in the three Early Years (or Y-) modules for Star Fleet Battles, they were historically located at the "north-west" corner of the Gamma Sector, though their numerous hordes never succeeded in coalescing into a single star-nation. As a result, they were eventually driven to extinction by their Kzinti and Lyran foes, though rumours persist of a "lost command" which might have succeeded in reaching the distant Sargasso Storm Zone. SFB Module C6 offers two Empires Aflame-esque alternate timelines in which they managed to survive into the "modern" era of the Alpha Octant.
Over in the Omega Octant, the wolf-like Vulpa - who evolved independently from the Carnivons - were one of the three mammalian species to found the Mæsron Alliance, alongside the humanoid Tazol and the bat-like Wallimi. Thus, for more than a century, the Vulpa for the most part use Mæsron ship designs. (A dissident group of ethnic Vulpa fled into the Nucian Cluster to form their own distinct society, but those have yet to be portrayed in SFB terms.) However, a few decades after the Vulpa launched a "palace coup" which placed them above the other Mæsron member species, a devastating Civil War and Collapse set them in opposition to the Tazol/Wallimi "New Alliance". From that point, the Vulpa rejected their "Mæsron" identity: after two failed waves of Vulpa insurgency, they took advantage of the chaos of the Andromedan and Souldra invasions to establish an independent Vulpa Confederacy. There is an insurgent blockade runner in Module Omega #2 and on Shapeways, though the broader "post-Mæsron" Vulpa fleet has itself yet to be portrayed in SFB terms.
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Of course, the Romulans are no strangers to "birds of prey": indeed, the "Mongoose-style" Hawk-series cruisers in the Starline 2500 series and in the "plus" versions uploaded to Shapeways reflect this design mindset. Also, Prime Directive Romulans includes writeups on a series of avian life forms found on Romulus and on Remus, which served as in-universe inspirations for the Eagle, Kestrel, and Hawk series designations.
And then, there are the Paravians. As noted in my Shapeways-related posts above, they are a bird-like species descended from a population of Gorns who conveniently build a series of bird-like warships. As with the Carnivons, they were a factor during the Early Years; although they are considered to be extinct in the "modern" era of the Alpha Octant, there is a trio of alternate timelines in Module C6 (and a fourth "what-if" timeline in Module R4J) in which they survive to be a presence in the region. However, a faction of Paravians would historically emerge as a major power over in the Omega Octant.
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While I'm sure there are plenty of Romulan players out there, has anyone here tried out any of the other "wolf" or "bird of prey" factions in the SFU? And if so, what are your thoughts on them?
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SFB Module C6 offers two Empires Aflame-esque alternate timelines in which they managed to survive into the "modern" era of the Alpha Octant.
Considering the main basis for Empires Aflame was Star Trek's Mirror Universe, it seems somehow odd to me to see my work used to describe alternate ST timelines...
- Herb
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The latest trio of Shapeways arrivals:
(https://i.imgur.com/x7etip9.png)
That is a Baduvai Strike Cruiser (on the right) and an Eneen Heavy Cruiser (on the left) - both of which are from the Lesser Magellanic Cloud - plus a Trobrin Diamond Heavy Cruiser (in the middle) from the Omega Octant. All three are in 3125 scale, in Smooth Fine Detail Plastic.
The Baduvai are a species of quadrupeds native to the LMC, who stood as one of the three Magellanic Powers there prior to the Andromedan conquest. The CS is the largest ship they were able to build historically; in Alpha Octant terms, it's more or less equivalent to a Federation Gettysburg-class heavy command cruiser.
The lemur-like Eneen are also indigenous to the Cloud; and were another of the three Magellanic Powers which stood prior to the arrival of the Andromedans. The CA was their largest ship historically, though it was not quite on a par with the Baduvai CS as a command platform.
The Trobrin are a silicate life form to be found over in the Omega Octant of the Milky Way Galaxy. Through the turbulent ebbs and flows of Omega history, the Trobrin Empire remained among the leading powers in the region for most of it, though this falls short of their self-declared "Silicate Plan" to conquer all "carbonite" life forms. The Diamond is a powerful heavy cruiser class, with a strong mix of direct-fire and seeking weapon armament, backed up with a rugged hull further protected by rows of ablative (and, to the Trobrin, edible!) armour.
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Federation Commander: Gunboats Attack was recently released in PDF form.
It includes gunboat Ship Cards for 14 Alpha Octant empires (the Romulans get both the Centurion and the StarHawk), plus a "monster" Ship Card for a swarm of Banshees.
The Federation get their Thunderbolt PF, which over in Star Fleet Battles is conjectural in the "standard" timeline - but which was turned to in desperation over in the Darwin's "dark future" timeline from SFB Module C3A.
Speaking of Module C3A, that volume introduced SSDs for the conjectural Andromedan Adder PF. This unit has been brought over to FC in Gunboats Attack also.
One thing which has been removed from Alpha Octant gunboats in the process of conversion is their warp booster packs. On the other hand, since an SFB PF's Move Cost of 1/5 does not quite fit the FC ruleset, the WBP-less gunboats here have a Move Cost of 1/8 instead.
Each Ship Card has a lone gunboat presented in "portrait" form on the front of the Ship Card, and two gunboats presented in "landscape" mode on the back.
Also, most of the gunboats offered here have flotilla sprues available over on ADB's Shapeways storefront.