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February 2016
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Star Fleet Universe News THE BIG NEWS:
OUR FIRST KINDLE BOOK: FOR THE GLORY OF THE EMPIRE
We have just uploaded our first book to Kindle, that being the Klingon short story anthology For the Glory of the Empire. You can find this ebook on Amazon:
This book has also been loaded as a PDF to all of the usual download websites at a new lower price of $3.95:
Warehouse 23 (PDF):
DriveThru RPG (PDF):
Wargame Vault (PDF):
DriveThru Fiction (PDF):
You can buy this book in paper from ADB:
It also includes scenarios for Federation Commander and one for Star Fleet Battles. However, you do not need to own or play the games to enjoy the fiction in this book.
The anthology includes the stories "For the Good of the Empire," "The Threads of War," "Flotilla Commander," "A Plague on Their Houses," and "Fight Fire with Fire."
Yes, this is the same book we have sold for years as a PDF and trade paperback, but distribution was low as it was a labor of love and priced for wargame market production, not for paperback book stores. (The new edition is priced for the book trade, which is why it is at a much lower price reflecting a broader market.)
To go into Kindle meant turning Jean loose on the book with the Purple Pen of Proofreading and locking Steve Cole in the closet while she fixed everything that today's readers expect to see done properly, for example, a consistent spelling for the word "killikam."
WEBSITE:
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: 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 The 2015 Platinum Hat Tournament is well underway. The first round is completely through and the second round has six of the eight games played. Our thanks to Fleet Captain Peter Bakija for keeping this tournament moving along.
Rated Ace Tournament 45 is complete. Congratulations to Bill Schoeller who won a Klingon civil war. Gregg Dieckhaus was the judge.
DEMOS AND CONS WITH SFU GAMES On February 14, 2016, Star Fleet Battles will be played at RADCON7 in Pasco, Washington at the Pasco Red Lion. Ranger Harlan Haskell will provide everything needed.
On February 26-28, 2016, at CondorCon in San Diego, California, Star Fleet Battles will be running throughout the convention. Jayme Webster is running the gameroom. CondorCon's website is here: http://www.condorcon.org/
On March 5, 2016, Star Fleet Battles will be played at Gnomecon at Coastal Georgia Center in Savannah, Georgia. Refiner's Fire is the scenario and the Ranger in charge will be Michael Baker.
On April 1-3, 2016, Star Fleet Battle Force will be played multiple times at WhosYerCon 2016 at the Wyndham Indianapolis West Hotel in Indianapolis, Indiana. Anthony Harding is in charge. WhosYerCon has a website here: http://www.whosyergamers.org/
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 Game Paradise. 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. This month's game will be on the 12th of March.
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/gamers_haven.php
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
The Kzinti FKE is a significantly better ship than the EFF, as it has two more Combat Potential (ComPot) and absorbs two more damage. However, before Turn #14, the Kzinti production of FFKs and FKEs is limited. FKEs immediately become a very tempting target for Coalition directed damage, especially when the Kzintis present an entire carrier line. To mitigate this, the Kzintis should arrange their battle forces to place two or more carrier groups with FKEs together. For example, if they have three CVS groups with FKEs, they should all deploy to the same battle hex, while CVS groups with EFF escorts should go to other battles. In this way, the Coalition can use directed damage on fewer FKEs per turn, and this valuable resource is preserved.
A Call To Arms: Star Fleet Tactic of the Month PLANNING YOUR BATTLE FORCE FORMATION Due to the movement and fire nature of A Call to Arms: Star Fleet some thought should be given to fleet formation and set up positions. [Unlike SFB or FC, there is only one firing opportunity per turn. You can fly right through the spot where the best enemy weapons are pointed and end your movement on the other side of the kill box without him being able to fire. This very different game system requires some very different tactics.]
One important thing to remember is whenever possible maintain a four-inch gap between ships because exploding ships in A Call to Arms: Star Fleet have a blast radius that will damage surrounding ships any nearer than 4". Command ships are usually the biggest and baddest ships in your battle force. Your first instinct might be to protect them by setting them up in the rear, but if you have multiple ships with the Command trait there is really no reason to hold them back. You should seriously consider allowing them to lead from the front. This holds especially true of dreadnoughts and battleships which tend to be able to use the Boost Energy to Shields! special action raising their shields score by at least three dice a turn. Typical screen ships, like frigates, destroyers, and light cruisers, will serve you better by setting up on flanks or slightly behind your big hitters. This enables them to use their weaponry in defense of the larger (or more valuable) target without the small ships become a more tempting target themselves. Developer's Note: This note was edited to reflect revised rules. |
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New Releases Communique #122 has been posted to the Commander's Circle Click here to see our previous issues of Hailing Frequencies. Recently Released To be released in 2016
F&E Minor Empires, SKU 3214, price $TBA
A new Starmada book for both editions. F&E Fighter Operations update 2015, SKU 3203
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.
Tribbles vs. Klingons (assuming Kickstarter works!) PDF and EBOOK SALES: RECENTLY RELEASED ON Warehouse 23 Federation Tramp Steamer Satchel Paige, Y159
"Thank you for saving us," the freighter captain said. "Those Orions would have murdered us all." "The Klingon Empire is no haven for pirates," Ensign Ketrick said. "They are lawless criminals, and have no place in our society, which is based on order and justice." The Orion raider did not have permission from us to raid Federation territory. We received orders to help your ship and return it to the Federation in good order because the Empire wants to reduce tensions on this border while we're at war with the Kzintis. At least my tour with the Marines was more exciting than usual, and the boarding party medal will be worth a few drinks at the next port call. "The passengers have elected a representative to personally thank you," the freighter captain said, gesturing to a teenage girl standing nearby. "Thank you for saving us," she smiled. "We wanted you to have this cat as a reward," she said, handing Ketrick a carrier. "His owner was killed in the original attack." "Thank you," Ketrick said. Now, what do I do with it? Chris Proper asks: If I am moving Speed 4 under a wild weasel and announce acceleration to Speed 14, when in Sequence of Play does the wild weasel become voided?
ANSWER: Kommodore Ketrick replies: Under rule (C12.386), "For purposes of wild weasels (J3.0), a ship's Maneuver rate (C2.42) is adjusted at the point where the speed change takes effect in the Sequence of Play, i.e., the Voluntary Movement Stage (6A2)." Matthew Potter asks: What happens when a ship loses lock-on to an unvoided wild weasel, but does not lose lock-on to the ship protected by the weasel? Rule (P2.3224) says that if the aggressor has lost lock-on to the protected ship, then the protected ship cannot void the weasel. What if the roles are reversed and the weasel is the one behind the planet and the protected ship is standing out in the open? Is the wild weasel considered voided for the duration that the aggressor-ship has no lock-on to it? Is the protected ship still protected by the wild weasel with regards to the aggressor-ship? ANSWER: While it is hard to see how a wild weasel behind a planet could protect the launching ship, I have to rule that it somehow does. There is no requirement that a given unit have a lock-on to a wild weasel for its effects to apply to that unit. If there were such a rule, it would introduce many complications. So, if you were to launch seeking units at a unit under wild weasel protection, but there was a planet between you and the wild weasel, the seeking weapons would either lose tracking or acquire the planet (if self-guiding). David Zimdars asks: Suppose a scatter-pack is distracted by an active wild weasel at some point after launch. The wild weasel is destroyed and the explosion period ends prior to the scatter-pack release point nine impulses after launch. The unit that launched the wild weasel did not void the wild weasel (no active fire control or similar actions). When the scatter-pack blossoms in this post-explosion period do the drones track their original target or the wild weasel post-explosion hex? ANSWER: The drones would track the original designated target. You launched the scatter-pack, targeted at the enemy ship, with submunitions set to track the primary target. Then the enemy ship launches a wild weasel. The scatter-pack begins tracking the wild weasel, thinking it is the enemy ship, but its targeting instructions have not actually changed. At the point the scatter-pack releases, the enemy ship has no wild weasel protection for newly launched seeking weapons. The submunitions seek their target per the original targeting instructions. They are treated under (J3.2122), the same as any other seeking weapons that were launched after the explosion period ends. The fact that the scatter-pack is nominally still tracking the wild weasel does not change their target. Follow-up question: If the scatter-pack had been set to track random targets such that the drones would ordinarily track the unit that launched the wild weasel, do they track the intended target or the post-explosion hex?
ANSWER: Any seeking weapons launched after the explosion period ends are not affected by the wild weasel in any way.
F&E Q&A
WEB OF LIES Q: Rule (439.15) states that ships destroyed when trapped in a web only give Tholians salvage if the Tholians keep the hex. However, if they destroy a ship in the web, losing the hex or not, should the attacker get any salvage at all? After all, these hulks surely wouldn't be left intact after any combat round or a retreat.
A: Yes, the salvage from any ships destroyed while trapped in the web is calculated at the end of the combat phase for that particular hex. It is recommended that a space on the gaming table be designated for the storage of ships destroyed in the web for a particular hex and then, at the end of the combat phase, when ownership of the hex has been determined, the salvage can be calculated and awarded to the owner of the hex. Q: Can a tug perform Mission W Rescue from the support echelon on a self-killed unit that was stuck in a Tholian web? A: No, see rule (537.223). Q: While Tholians cannot send ships to another empire to build webs (512.4), what if they take over a planet outside of Tholian space? Would a planet and/or any base there then gain the web as well? A: If the base has a supply path to Tholian territory, yes. Q: Do ships that die while trapped in a Tholian web Generate Salvage (439.0) for the attacker? A: Enemy units that are destroyed while conducting combat trapped (512.32) inside of a Tholian web do not yield salvage for the attacking player unless the attacker fails to meet the requirement of (439.15). Q: Do ships that die while trapped in a Tholian web get a depot (424.0) roll? A: No (512.32); the specialists cannot reach the ship. (End of F&E Q&A)
ASK AUNT JEAN
Dear Aunt Jean, How is Traveller Prime Directive coming?
A: Right now the author and I have been able to download the new Traveller book. We keep getting notices that things have changed, so it may be April when Matthew says a print edition will come out (and we expect the book to stabilize) before we can get a good grip on things and start modifying our existing PD20M books to use the Mongoose-Traveller game system.
Send questions to Jean at design@StarFleetGames.com and SVC will decide which one Jean will answer next.
(End of Ask Aunt Jean ) 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. We have new images of our game Star Fleet Marines posted on our BBS topic page. 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 MonthHIGH SPEED LAUNCH Andromedan satellite ships must fly at a baseline speed no higher than eight on the turn they are launched or recovered. Speed is life! Launch your satellite ships on Impulse #8 so they will be able to change their Baseline Speed during Energy Allocation of the subsequent turn, before any seeking weapons can impact. Recovery is a little trickier, but plan to recover your satellite ships on Impulse #1 after changing speed down to eight during Energy Allocation.
When attacking planetary ground bases, Gorns can use their unique combination of plasma torpedoes and balcony-and-track shuttle systems to overwhelm the defender's phasers. To do this, while approaching the planet, load all plasma torpedoes. (Plasma shotguns are useful here.) Reach your desired launching range near the end of the turn and launch plasma torpedoes at the ground bases. While approaching, move shuttles from the bay out onto the balcony. This will take two impulses per balcony position. When ready, launch the shuttles simultaneously (one per balcony position and one straight from the bay), filled with boarding parties. Immediately declare that the shuttles are in convoy (D15.52). (Administrative shuttles can be declared as escorts for the ground assault shuttles, helping to make sure the more valuable ground assault shuttles get to the ground.) The defender will be confronted by a very large number of targets for his weapons, virtually guaranteeing that something will get through. The defender can respond to the ground invasion by moving troops around himself, but it is another thing complicating the defender's situation and this will create opportunities.
(End of SFB Tactic of the Month) Demotivationals Throughout the month our graphics director places on the website various cards called Demotivationals. These are like postcards with an image and a phrase that is often used for humor. Here are the newest demotivationals since our last newsletter: To see our previous Demotivationals click here.
Facebook Highlight of the Month Michael K. Jones writes: Starfleet Battles with Eamon Wentzel, Dominic Wentzel & Michael Strom At Madness Games & Comics in Plano, Texas. Playing first game using my first painted SFB minis! Klingon D7 Battlecruisers
Mini of the Month Starline 2500 ships. Hugh captioned this "Godzilla Attacks Tokyo." Painting and photo by Hugh Paton.
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show our games and to teach potential players some basics. 
