January 2007

Download Transmissions

The latest Communique brings you more ship cards, scenerios, fiction and more news from the Star Fleet Universe! It can be downloaded from the Legacy Site . Don’t forget, you have to register before being able to download the latest full color Communique!

FC Forum Hot Topics

The Federation Commander Site and Forum are becoming a great tool for ADB, Inc. to reach new gamers. In the Forum we continue to see new users being added daily. Some of the Hot Topics this month are:

FC Tactic of the month
A Brief look at Suicide Shuttles
By Patrick J Doyle, Federation Commander National Champion 2006

Suicide shuttles represent an interesting tactic. Time and experience will determine the best uses for them, but here are some initial thoughts. To be useful, the suicide shuttle must pose a credible threat...more

Café Press

Café Press is an online market place that allows the Star Fleet Universe to produce unique products such as coffee mugs, t-shirts, tote bags, and more with the Star Fleet logos, cover art, and other artwork used for our products. The newest items added are bumper stickers. Want something you don’t see? Please contact Matt Cooper (Graphics Director) with your request. Visit our Star Fleet Café Press Store for a complete listing to the products available.

SFB Tactic of the Month

SHUTTLE BLOCKED DROGUES

Lieutenant Cdr Leslie J. P. LeBlanc, HMCS New Brunswick

Deployment of a drogue counts as a shuttle launch. As a Gorn you have an advantage with your balcony and track system. While at long range, move any admin shuttles you have out onto the balcony before you close to a range where you want to deploy your drogues.

This way the shuttle bays are free to take any chain reaction hits, the shuttles would count as hull hits if on the balcony when you take internals and if you need to launch a shuttle you can do it from the balcony without locking out a drogue deployment.

SFB Strategy of the month

The Best bang for the buck
Junior Lieutenant Chris Fant, USS Texas

Many people do not see a need to buy "baby" maulers or have a use for the plethora of F5Ss the Klingons start with. However, using an MD5 and prime team, along with an F5S and an F5, can result in a very, very good province-raider killing force. Using single ship combat, an MD5 with Prime Team, an F5S and an F5 will get a +3 to the die roll before other considerations (plus one for mauler, plus one for scout, and plus one for Prime Team). Using this combination against any defending total of nine or lower will result in a plus five to the die roll, and an automatic kill. Also, should a reserve arrive to save the day, the F5 can be given up for losses while the MD5 and F5S are safe as rejected flagships. So, build those little maulers, and good hunting.

Federation & Empire Q&A
By Nick Blank

STAR FLEET UNIVERSE A MISSION OF VITAL IMPORTANCE

QUESTION: The Hydran OOB in AO details a scout pod for the expeditionary fleet, and a scout pod under the General section. However, in the following production notes, it says that the Hydrans only have one scout pod at start. What gives?

ANSWER: They only have one scout pod. It should be listed in the general section of their Order of Battle since pods are not normally assigned to specific fleets. When the list was edited to move the pods to a general pod line, we just forgot to delete the pod from its original location.

QUESTION: Can a race not at war convert ships to variants and other types?

ANSWER: The way rule (600.32) is written would seem to require a wartime status, which isn't necessarily "at war". However, this rule is limited to inactive fleets. Presumably, if you have an active fleet but are not at war, the ships of the active fleet could be converted (assuming you somehow find the money, which might require cancelling scheduled production).

QUESTION: Rule (520.42) prohibits a simultaneous marine and SAF attack. Can you do that if the two have separate targets?

ANSWER: One might argue that, but the rule doesn't define a target so the rule must be interpreted as per battle round.

December Releases

December is always fun even if we don’t have much being released, but the holiday hussle and bussle makes it fun. While the only product that was released for December was the monthly Communique #12 , Star Fleet Gamers will be happy to know that we were working on future to products. Products that we have been working on include Tholian Attack, Seltorian Ships, Captain’s Log #35, and January’s issue of Communique.

Time on target

While Amarillo Design Bureau, Inc. tries to keep everyone up to speed as to what is about to be released, there will always be some products that are released without any prior notification unless you receive Star Fleet Alerts due to products that are not in our sole control. Star Fleet Alerts is our form of press releases that goes out to our wholesalers, retailers and customers that ask to be put on the SF Alert mailing list. If you would like to be on this mailing list, please contact Vanessa Clark (Marketing Director) with “SF Alert Mailing List” in the Subject line.

The following is what is currently on the product release schedule for the next 3 months:

2007 January: Nothing Scheduled although we always have our monthly issue of Communique which will be ready for download on the 10th and can be found at the Legacy Site.

2007 February:
Federation Commander: Tholian Attack, SKU 4103, $29.95
Federation Commander: Squadron Box 13, SKU 4313, $34.95
Federation Commander: Squadron Box 14, SKU 4314, $34.95
Federation Commander: Squadron Box 15, SKU 4315, $34.95
Starline 2400, Orion War Destroyer + Double Raider, SKU 0818, $14.95
Starline 2400, Seltorian Fleet Box, SKU 1500, $39.95

2007 March:
Federation Commander: Booster Pack #13, SKU 4213, $9.95
Federation Commander: Booster Pack #14, SKU 4214, $9.95
Federation Commander: Booster Pack #15, SKU 4215, $9.95

Make sure to make plans for the ORIGINS CONVENTION in July! Here’s some of what you can look forward to if you plan on attending:

Wednesday night Sing-along: 4 July, in the food court, 7pm
Tournament opens 9am on 5 July.
Finalist list closed 11pm on 6 July
Tournament playoff rounds Saturday 7 July
Final battles, 8 July

 

Star Fleet Fiction

A Mission of Vital Importance
by Randy O. Green
Chapter 2

Warp Lab, Research Facility, Coration-III-Moon

Fale Vilenus stared at his computer screen, rubbing his tired eyes as he did so. He had been working seventeen straight hours now and should have gone to his quarters hours ago. But he was so close to a successful end to all the years of hard work he and his team had put in for House Antreidies...more

Ask admiral Growler

by Mike Filsinger
Legendary officers

Robert Eddy asks: When breaking lock-on for a drone from a scout ship, can rules (G22.23) and (G22.722) combine the bonuses if both are on a scout ship?

ANSWER: Under (G22.123), die roll modifiers of Legendary Officers are not cumulative.

Follow-up Question: Just to check, there is no way that an opponent's Legendary Captain can prevent another Legendary Captain's bluff attempt. Is this correct? The rule covers when two Legendary Captains try to bluff each other, but not when one "calls the bluff".

ANSWER: There is no provision for one Legendary Captain calling another's bluff, rule (G22.21) states simply that if a Legendary Captain successfully bluffs, the scenario is ended at that point. Perhaps this should be addressed in a future ruling, in that two captains who are legends in their own minds should be able to interact, even if this causes their crews to be overcome by ennui and just wander off somewhere.

All right, to take this question seriously, if one Legendary Captain successfully bluffs another, the second captain can roll to "call the bluff" with a 20% lower chance of success...more