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April 2019
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Star Fleet Universe News THE BIG NEWS:
SHAPEWAYS
Our store on Shapeways continues to expand with fifty new items released on 1 April.
Ships released for both 3788 and 3125 scales include:
Federation (Fralli) Cruiser Powerista, Klingon B10T, Romulan K10R and SparrowHawk-J, Kzinti Heavy Medium Cruiser, Gorn Neo-Command Cruiser, Neo-Tholian medium cruiser, Orion battlecruiser, Hydran Overseer Battle Carrier and Overmind Battle Control Ship, and the Lyran Lion-Mauler. The Andromedans continue to arrive with their Conquistador, Python, and Mamba.
Two "lost" Aztek 3788s were released: Lyran Lion dreadnought and Yaguarundi carrier.
New for Omega: the Iridani get their barque while the Ymatrians get their frigate leader. The Sigvirions get their scout.
New for Omni Scale are the ISC gunboats and the WYN Battle Control Ship.
You can check out the store here:
WEBSITE:
Our website, www.StarFleetGames.com, continues to grow and improve. You are welcome to send us your requests, comments, and suggestions. Samantha Todd, our graphics director, continues to update the website, do covers for the new products, shut down pirate websites, help out around the company, and learn more about the game business.
TWITTER: VIDEOS: Star Fleet Marines Part 1 DOING VIDEOS OF THE SFU
A customer asked about posting "tutorial videos" for our games. We like it when people do that (and even give commendation medals) but you need to have us check the videos to make sure you aren't violating something somehow (or that you didn't make a rules error). Doing such videos to make money is not cool. Please drop us an email before you post the videos.
STARBLOG: STAR FLEET'S LEGIONS EXPAND: This month we feature Battle Group Columbus, headquartered in The Soldiery, 4256 N. High St., Columbus, Ohio. CO Lee Hanna reports that this group is active, playing Star Fleet Battles and Federation Commander. Read more here: http://www.starfleetgames.com/battlegroup/battlegroup_Columbus.shtml
Do you have a battle group? Be sure to report your activities here: http://www.starfleetgames.com/battlegroup/report.shtml
Do you want to see if there's a battle group near you? Check out the map here: http://www.starfleetgames.com/battlegroup/gather.shtml#US
Facebook Fan Pages
So join us on Facebook and get a fix of your favorite game there, too! JAGDPANTHER
Custom Decals for Starline ships Tenneshington Decals continues to provide custom decals for all currently produced Federation Starline 2500 miniatures. For more information or to download the order sheet, check them out at www.tenneshington.com. Or if you prefer, email Will McCammon at: will@tenneshington.com or Tony L. Thomas at: scoutdad@tenneshington.com.
Jupiter IV Decals is a source of decals for the 2400 line and will do custom decals as well as all official SFB names. In the near future Jupiter IV will move into the 2500 line and will work to get every listed name on the Starfleet registry completed in both scales.
Their website is: JupiterIvdecals.com
ONLINE TOURNAMENTS Masters 2018 has all of the 16 Round 1 games played; five of the Round 2 games are completed. Andy Koch is the judge in this "just for fun" tournament.
Rated Ace Tournament 48 is being played with only the final game left to play. Ron Brimeyer has withdrawn as the judge and Steven Petrick has stepped in to usher the tournament to its conclusion.
DEMOS AND CONS WITH SFU GAMES Star Fleet Battles games are held weekly in Tempe Arizona each Friday at Game Depot from 2:00 -7:00 pm. Eric Phillips is the person to contact.
Star Fleet Battles games are held regularly in Indianapolis, Indiana at Family Time Games. Anthony Harding is the contact person. For more information see: http://www.meetup.com/Star-Fleet-Battles-Indy/. Star Fleet Battles games are played regularly in Columbus, Ohio, on Sunday afternoons at the Soldiery. Lee Hanna is the contact person. Games are held in Spokane, Washington on an irregular basis. Contact them to see if there's a game scheduled. They meet at The Gamer's Haven, 2114 N. Pines St., Suites 1 & 2, Spokane Valley, WA 99206, (509) 443-5992 http://www.thegamershaven.net/ Download Transmissions HAILING FREQUENCIES: This is our newsletter and will let you know all the news for all our games. You can subscribe here. Have you missed an earlier newsletter? Click here to get caught up! COMMUNIQUE: The latest Communique brings you more Ship Cards, scenarios, and more news from the Star Fleet Universe! It can be downloaded from the Commander's Circle. FC Forum Recent Posts
F&E Strategy of the Month In many cases Coalition players will send their diplomats to each other and to the LDR in order to gain extra economic points. Some players reason that the guaranteed money is better than the more chancy risk of attempting to turn neutral planets to their side. However, there are some hidden benefits to sending your diplomats to minor planets in the neutral zones, even to Zursk (hex 1506) on Turn #1. In fact, consider purchasing an extra diplomat for the Klingons on Turn #1 so that they can send diplomats to all three of the neutral planets on their borders with the Kzintis and the Federation. The Romulans should send their three diplomats to the neutral planets on their borders. The Lyrans should send one diplomat to the LDR and the other two to the Klingons and Romulans to generate extra income, as the Lyrans have no neutral planets on their borders.
The Alliance now faces a choice: oppose the Coalition diplomats with their own diplomats, or use their diplomats to generate extra income by sending them to each other. [The Hydrans will still be sending their diplomats to the Lyran Democratic Republic (to keep it neutral) and (before Turn #4 anyway) to the Gorns or Federation as they have no adjacent neutral planets.]
If the Alliance opposes the Coalition diplomats, then they still have equal chances of converting the planets to their side. In addition, the Alliance is not generating extra income by sending diplomats to each other. On the whole, in the early stages of the war, if both the Coalition and the Alliance are not receiving economic points, then the Coalition wins in the early critical stages of the war when economic points are harder to come by for the Alliance. In other words, if each loses the economic points, then the Coalition benefits more in the early stages of the war. On the other hand, if the Alliance does not oppose the Coalition's efforts, then they have a 1/3 chance per turn of converting each neutral planet to their side. However, they still run the 1/6 risk that the neutral planet will turn to the Alliance. Nevertheless, over the course of five turns (Turns #2-#6) they will have a very good chance of converting the neutral planets and their defenses to their side. Do not forget that the Klingons need to send a diplomat to the Romulans on Turn #6 in order to ensure Romulan entry into the war on Turn #10. Note also that there is no requirement to attack a neutral planet once war commences; thus, if they have good strategic reasons, they could potentially continue diplomacy over a neutral planet rather than conquer it. If the Coalition is successful, they gain many more economic points over the course of the game, as the planet becomes theirs upon war commencing. In addition they gain the two planetary defense units instantly and for free. Thus, the formerly neutral planet becomes a strong supply point for prosecuting the war. The Coalition could even build up the defenses and put a starbase over the former neutral planet and have a hardpoint that extends supply deeper into enemy territory. Once war begins in earnest, or the Coalition has conquered or converted the formerly neutral planets, the Coalition can move the diplomats back to earning economic points the usual way by sending them to each other. In the later stages of the war, this strategy will be more useful as economic points earned by diplomats are not subject to exhaustion. In the end, by sending diplomats to the neutral planets early in the war, the Coalition will win either way. The Coalition will either deny the Alliance early economic points when they need them the most, at little cost to themselves, or it will have a very good chance of turning neutral planets and gaining many more economic points over the course of the war, as well as gaining the neutral planet's planetary defense units for free.
A Call To Arms: Star Fleet Tactic of the Month You could use the "line up" ability (part of a final maneuver at the end of the Movement Phase) to threaten a given ship, even one that has yet to move. Suppose the enemy really wants to keep a cruiser in a particular spot (not moving) for some game reason (within transporter range of a planet, or in a place he can fire between two terrain features at a particular target). If you make a show of moving a ship or two and "lining up" your firing arcs on the enemy ship that doesn't want to move, you are in effect announcing your intention to fire at that ship during the Attack Phase. You might convince your enemy that staying put is a bad career move. (You aren't actually required to fire at this target and could be trying to distract him from noticing what else your ship is in position to shoot at.)
(End of A Call to Arms: Star Fleet Tactic of the Month)
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New Releases Communique #160 has been posted to the Commander's Circle Click here to see our previous issues of Hailing Frequencies. Recently Released To be released in 2019
A new Starmada book for both editions.
Federation Commander Reference Starship Book
Traveller Prime Directive Core Rulebook
New starships for the 2500 (1/3125) range including Klingon B10
New starships for the 2400 (1/3788) range including heavy war destroyers and the jumbo freighter.
SHAPEWAYS:
We’re now offering some of our miniatures and some new designs on Shapeways. You can check out the store here: https://www.shapeways.com/shops/amarillo-design-bureau-inc?sort=newest
PDF and EBOOK SALES: RECENTLY RELEASED ON Warehouse 23 Today's second case was a pro forma investigation. Colonel Khost of the Galactic Research Unit, Klingon military intelligence, had been killed six tendays ago in a bar fight at a tavern near his work, less than five kams from her desk. She paused for a moment, trying to remember if she had ever been there. Maybe once, she decided, a few years ago. Or it might have been a tavern with a similar name in the same general area.
(Continue reading here)
Ask Admiral Vanaxilth MRS Shuttle
Koen van der Pasch asks: Can I take a multi-role shuttle with slow drones and pay only eight BPV, even though the year is 180?
ANSWER: Steven Ehrbar replies: Yes. See (FD2.454). Ships are not required to pay for the drone speed that is general availability; they can use slow drones, at the lower BPV, if they like, even in Y180. It would not be normal to have fast drones in the racks and slow drones for the multi-role shuttle, but after a speed enters general availability (FD10.651), it never leaves it. Emilia Stark asks: Is there some reason that all MRS shuttles are (more or less) alike in capability? Could not an empire develop an advanced MRS, or a local design, with special abilities? After all, their weapons vary empire by empire, so why not their special abilities? Admiral Kumerian replies: The unit is simply too small for much variation, and as a minor unit, it's not worth a lot of extra rules. A Klingon or Gorn MRS might have an extra ground attack point, but it would have to give up something (perhaps a drone or two) to gain it, and it's just not worth the extra bother. F&E Q&A
PRODUCTION: BUILDING THE BEST Q: Rules in the production section indicate that the costs to build the OOB items are indicated on the OOB, but I'm not finding that. Where are they?
A: The cost data was moved to the SITs long ago, but there were a couple of leftover references from earlier editions that did not get changed until F&E-2010. Q: What is the maximum production for a given turn? A: See the production schedule in each Order of Battle. There are things like Overbuilds (431.30) and accelerated production (431.37) that expand this to a limited extent. Q: I seem to recall a rule, question, or ruling that mothballed ships get a discount when being converted (similar to conversion during repair), but I cannot find the rule. Does it exist? A: There is no such rule. You can convert mothballed ships before they are activated, but you have to pay the full cost. Q: On the SIT, some items have a cost of "Schedule: 5" while others have "For ABC: 5" and others have "(431.6): 5". What does this all mean? A: The simplest, "Schedule: 5", means that the ship is in the production schedule and when produced costs 5 EPs. An entry in the form "For ABC: 5" refers to an allowable substitution. In some cases (e.g., scouts, carriers, drone ships, maulers) the number of such substitutions is limited by special rules for that kind of ship. The entry "(431.6): 5" means to check the stated rule number, in this case (431.6), for the conditions under which you are allowed to build that unit, and if those conditions are met, you pay 5 EPs. Q: How long does it take to build a ship?
A: New construction is done in Step 2B3 of the SOP. There is no lead time for the construction as this is a simplification of the construction of new ships. Yes, it takes longer than the instant that you pay for a ship and it appears on the map, but there are certain aspects of a large game such as this that need simplification. Otherwise, you'd have to keep track of what you ordered and the game doesn't need more record keeping. Q: Is there any limit (539.7) on the substitution or conversion of theater transports such as FFTs or DWTs? A: The rule has no limits, but of course, you would be limited by available funds, ships, and conversion facilities. Q: Can one empire build a PRD (425.1) at an ally's planet? A: Yes, you can, assuming no other rules get in the way and you have the money. The only restriction is that there can only be one PRD at that planet. It should be noted that any repairs done by this PRD has no connection to the allied Strategic Movement Grid and would not be eligible for free Strategic Movement. Q: Can free fighter factors (431.74) be used in Secondary Supply Grids? (The off-map grid specifically. The empire does still hold its shipyard.) A: No, the free fighters are available only in the capital shipyard supply grid (the Main Supply Grid). (End of F&E Q&A)
ASK AUNT JEAN
Dear Aunt Jean, we've heard the GURPS Prime Directive revision is going to be longer than the old one. How much longer? A: The old book was 200 pages. Right now we are estimating this one will come in somewhere between 350-360 pages. We've added a lot of information!
Send questions to Jean at marketing@StarFleetGames.com and she will answer as soon as she can. Cool Stuff on the Website In this section we will provide links to various web pages and items that we think you will find "cool". We have also uploaded new Xander wallpapers to our Wallpapers section on the website: Wallpapers STAR FLEET ALERTS These are the press releases we send to the wholesalers, retailers, and media. You can get on the mailing list for them by asking Marketing@StarFleetGames.com to add you to the list. (Obviously, they are free.) They are uploaded to the Star Fleet Alert page FC Tactic of the MonthSHIELD CRACKER'S OTHER HALF Any examination of the efficacy of shield crackers without considering Marines is only looking at half of the story. Seltorian ships are built with significant numbers of transporters and entire colonies of Marines.
Use them. The whole "historical point" of the shield crackers was to be able to board and capture ships intact. (The Tholians were businessmen and wanted to get back stolen resources, not destroy them.) Seltorians have more Marines than anyone-else and plenty of transporters. Either perform hit-and-run raids (if you can't capture the ship), or perform boarding actions (if you think you can capture the ship). To capture an enemy ship during a duel, remember that you only need to have some of your Marines survive the first turn. The idea is to build up enough numbers so that by the third turn you outnumber the enemy ship's Marines and you will eventually capture the ship. Shield crackers help you do this. In a squadron scenario, you should be able to just flat-out capture enemy ships in one shot. A Seltorian task force of a light cruiser and a pair of destroyers (or frigates) will have 14 transporters (seven in Fleet Scale, against smaller targets), which will allow you to send over enough Marines to overwhelm most opposing cruisers, and at least challenge the Klingons and Gorns. Do it a second time and the ship is yours.
Your ultimate purpose in Star Fleet Battles is to gain honor and glory, both through winning battles and tournaments and through adding medals and ribbons and badges to your plaque on the Wall of Honor. Term Papers (and other tactical papers for other game systems) are an excellent way to do this.
Due to the current shortage of Term Papers, virtually any paper that isn't illegal and isn't a repeat is all but certain to add to your plaque. (End of SFB Tactic of the Month)
Mini of the Month Kent Ing painted this Klingon D7K Battlecruiser (3125 Scale, Smooth Fine Detail Plastic).
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show our games and to teach potential players some basics. 
