|
||||||||
July 2016
|
||||||||
Star Fleet Universe News THE BIG NEWS: POUND O'SHIPS
Every year, we take the Starline 2400 ships that didn't quite make it past quality control and sort them into random one-pound bags. Each has a full 16 ounces of pewter comprising at least 20 starships from several empires. Every bag is different, but we did spot Federation NCLs and DWs, Klingon D7s and C7s, Gorn DDs, Hydrans, Andros, Romulans, Kzinti CMs and DWs, Lyrans, freighters, and one or two each of two dozen more ships. These are on the shopping cart as Stock #0040 at a bargain price of $49.95.
Remember that these are factory seconds. All of the parts will be there (except maybe a sensor dish on the bottom of a few ships). There will be missing phaser bumps, missing or faint details, cracks, pinholes, and other minor defects that you can correct with a little effort and some paint, putty, or glue.
When we finished making the 16 one-pound bags, we looked at what was left and created a few "half-pound bags of parts." These are not complete ships, but random saucers, hulls, engines, and other bits. These are on sale as stock #0045 for $24.95 per bag. No two bags are the same, but you will find more than enough parts to build your very own Fralli Franken-Frigate!
SIXTH ANNUAL STAR FLEET BATTLES Our sixth Internet SFB International Championship Tournament will be open for registration as of July 8, 2016. Registration will close midnight (Pacific Daylight Time) on August 12, 2016. This is a single-elimination tournament using a standard tree. This tournament will be conducted through SFBOL and you will need to be a member of that service to participate. We will have at least 32 seats, and up to 64 if there is demand. There will be no entry fee; ADB will provide the prizes. The winner will receive $100 and a plaque (once the "Victory at" article is completed and the winner is paid for this article). The second place winner will receive $50. Third and fourth place winners will get $25 in credit; fifth through eighth place will get $5 credit. After we know the number of entries, we will lock in the format (i.e., decide if there are 32 or 64 seats, decide how many seats will be reserved for re-entries, seed the aces, and assign byes). Aces will be "seeded" according to the total number of ace pins and SFB Gold/Platinum hats (total) each player has in his lifetime record. Other players (and perhaps lower-rated aces) will be distributed randomly in a way to avoid same-ship duels as much as possible. Depending on the size of the tree and the number of active players, we may give some first-round byes to the highest rated players, and we may reserve some seats for re-entries. Re-entry seats will go to eliminated players in the order they ask for them. Fleet Captain Paul Scott (winner of the 2015 tournament) is the judge for this tournament. As we did in Platinum Hat 2015, Tournament Marshal Steven P. Petrick will also "ride herd" on the tournament to ensure that games are played on schedule and the event does not drag. There will, inevitably, be some delays near the end when re-entries have to "catch up" to the initial entries. A firm hand on the helm will ensure that these are as minor as possible. People who do not get their next game completed in a set number of days will be disqualified and the player they beat (or a wildcard selected by the judges) replaces them. Deadlines may be adjusted by the Judge or Marshal to allow for a player's serious real life unexpected problem or issue. The winner must send in his Platinum Victory article (which must meet the standards of previous articles) within 90 days of the end of the event or be disqualified (in which case he will get no prize and there will be no winner named). Assistance will be available if the winner would like help writing his article.
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: Each month we shine a spotlight on one of our battle groups. This month it is Battle Group Indianapolis. This group, homeported in Indianapolis, is forming according to its CO, Ranger Cody Jones. Their group has only two members and wants to grow. Doe you live in the area? Find out how to contact them here: http://www.starfleetgames.com/battlegroup/battlegroup_Indianapolis.shtml
Do you have a battle group? Be sure to report your activities here: http://www.starfleetgames.com/battlegroup/report.shtml
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 Rated Ace Tournament 46 is moving along. Round three is getting ready to start. Andy Vancil is the judge for this tournament.
The 2016 Star Fleet Battles World League is starting up with eight teams in the running. World League is a team tournament, where 3 player teams compete against each other. The first round is a round robin style event where teams score points for each game played (4 points for a win, 2 point for a loss, 1 point for a mutually agreed tie/unfinished game, 0 points for a no show). After the first round, the top 4 teams will advance to a single elimination ladder, by team, so there will be 2 rounds of finals (4 teams then 2 teams). Peter Bakija is coordinating this tournament.
The Sixth Annual Platinum Hat Tournament is taking signups (see story above). Paul Scott is the judge; Steven Petrick is the Tournament Marshal.
DEMOS AND CONS WITH SFU GAMES
Amarillo Design Bureau will be attending AMA-Con in Amarillo, Texas during July 23-24, 2016. Not only will we have a booth, but we will be running demos of Star Fleet Battle Force and Federation Commander. We are actively seeking people who want to help demo games there. Steve Cole will also be there and hosting "Meet with a Game Publisher" where you and he can discuss games, including those you might have in mind to produce yourself. ADB will also be giving away a challenged starship to anyone cosplaying in the Star Trek/Star Fleet Universe who stops by our booth and gets a photo taken with us. We are very excited about this! Help us spread the word! For more information on AMA-Con see: https://www.facebook.com/AmaCon2012/ or http://ama-con.amarillolibrary.org/
GenCon will be held August 4-7, 2016, in Indianapolis, Indiana. Ranger Randy Blair has four games on the schedule. Signups for these start May 15.
Battle in the 'Boro 5 is now scheduled for Saturday August 6th, 2016 at Roll the Dice in Murfreesboro, TN. They have 15 confirmed attendees at this point. Star Fleet Battles is the name of the game and Ranger Tony L. Thomas is in charge.
StratCon 2016 finished up and was a great deal of fun. Plans are already being made for StratCon 2017!
Eastern Plight - Thu @ 1:00 PM - 5 hrs
During the Andromedan War, while your neighbors endure a shaky peace accord, an Orion pirate Cartel threatens to expose embarrassing war crimes committed by your Empire during the General War. As your cruiser roars to the Orion base to "persuade" him to keep quiet, you discover cruisers from your neighbors arriving as well. Western Plight - Fri @ 1:00 PM - 5 hrs During the Andromedan War, while your neighbors endure a shaky peace accord, an Orion pirate Cartel threatens to expose embarrassing war crimes committed by your Empire during the General War. As your cruiser roars to the Orion base to "persuade" him to keep quiet, you discover cruisers from your neighbors arriving as well. Survivor! - Sat @ 10:00 AM - 4 hrs A hostile entity made of pure dilithium has ravaged a caravan & your starship has been sent to intercept. Trouble is, other enemy starships are in pursuit of the monster's riches! Ally or attack? Survivor! - Sat @ 3:00 PM - 4 hrs A hostile entity made of pure dilithium has ravaged a caravan & your starship has been sent to intercept. Trouble is, other enemy starships are in pursuit of the monster's riches! Ally or attack? 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.
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
When late war combat formations (318.4) arrive, combine "Commando Groups" (318.44) inside "Battle Groups" (315.0) to form "Commando Battle Groups" of six commando ships that take up five command slots in your battle line.
Rules (315.21) and (315.22) define a battle group as a maximum of six ships of which no more than three can be size class 3, but all six could be size-class-4 ships.
Rule (318.44) allows two-size-class 4 commando ships to serve as either escorts or consorts to a size-class-3 or larger commando ship. None of the commando ships in the battle group [see (315.5)] may be carrier escorts per (515.0) or commando escorts per (521.372). However, commando ships in the (315.0) battle group may still be escorted. Escort candidates outside the battle group can be any ship or non-ship units. This allows two combinations of commando battle groups. 1. Two size-class-3 commando ships each with two size-class-4 commando ships playing consorts. These size-class-4 consorts can use both their "G" factors and full combat potential. 2. Three size-class-3 commando ships with one escort/consort outside the battle group and one size-class-4 commando ship consort inside the battle group. The former role of the size-class-3 escort can be played by fighter squadrons or PF flotillas. The price of using this tactical formation is two-fold: 1. It reduces the Combat Potential of an attack because commando ships are much lower in attack factors than normal ships, with the notable exceptions of the Romulans and Gorns. 2. It is much less effective against Klingon fortifications protected by penal ships and SFGs. The former will honor duel the commando ships (to cripple or kill them) before they can land Marines - particularly the smaller commando frigates - and the latter will simply freeze the commando ships that lack escorts. A Call To Arms: Star Fleet Tactic of the Month HE WHO RUNS AWAY . . . Veteran players of other Star Fleet Universe games should take a moment to read the Maximum Warp Now! special action. What this does is allow a unit to escape by going to high warp right in the middle of a battle. The downside is your opponent gets one round to shoot at you when you can only move six inches in a straight line but, if you are playing in a campaign this is a small price to pay for the chance to save a key unit.
Do not forget while that key unit is making its run some of your other units can still use their weaponry to help with the defense of the target. Just be sure that you are aware of any notes or rules in the scenario that control what side of the map you can disengage from, otherwise your ship can still be considered lost.
|
||||||||
|
New Releases Communique #127 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
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.
PDF and EBOOK SALES: RECENTLY RELEASED ON Warehouse 23 Flotilla Commander's Office, Battlestation Z6, January Y184
"Good news, Lieutenant Killik," the Flotilla Commander said as the junior man entered the room. "I am promoting you to Senior Lieutenant. You'll get your own boat." "Which boat?" Killik asked. "There are no vacancies, unless you are sending someone back to the training school." And why didn't I get a boat before my promotion, since three of your six boats are commanded by K2s? "That's what I wanted to discuss with you," the Flotilla Commander said. "I want to send you back to the school, with your promotion in hand. You'll get a chance to pick your own crew and train them to your own standards, and to take the Boat Commander Course." "If I may speak openly, Sir?" Killik asked. "Permission granted," the Flotilla Commander said. "We are discussing how best to shape your career."
"All things being equal," Killik said, "I'd rather stay here. I don't need to take the Boat Commander Course; most boat commanders don't take it. In fact, only you and one other commander in this flotilla have taken it. You could send one of the boat commanders back to train as a flotilla leader. For that matter, Senior Lieutenant Konnach has been wanting to transfer to a cruiser." "There are reasons that it needs to be you," the Flotilla Commander explained. "First, you've done a fine job for me, qualifying in every skill area in record time. A man of your capabilities needs to command a boat, and if I don't give you one, the Fleet Personnel office is going to ask why you're not on the way to the training school to get one. "You have to go to the school because I don't have a boat to give you. Konnach is the only one who qualifies for the Flotilla Commander's Course, he doesn't need it, and he needs to stay here and train for my job. If I let him go to the training base, he'll be sent somewhere else, not back to me. "The others are a finely tuned machine, and breaking up the team would be in no one's interest. "I could send you to the replacement depot, but it's hard to get a boat command from there, as most flotilla leaders select their boat commanders from men they know. You would end up as the junior weapons officer on a cruiser, and I know you want to stay in gunboats. "The training school is the best thing for you. It gets you a boat and the course in three months, a boat without the course in three weeks. I have certified you for command, so you don't have to take the course at all if you don't want to. You could be back in combat with a new boat in a month, two at the outside, although the Boat Commander Course would give you career advantages, and make you a better leader. I won't have an opening here until I move on, and that's six months away. Really, this is the best thing for you." "Request permission to stay here until an opening is available," Killik asked. "There are always casualties. As the senior qualified officer without a boat, I could take one in the support flotilla and then transfer back to the combat flotilla." "No, that won't do," the Flotilla Commander said. "You're ready now, and I either have to give you a boat, send you to the training school, send you to the replacement depot, or explain why I didn't do any of those, and that would blacken your record. Besides, we already agreed that the training school is to your best advantage." When did I agree to that? Killik thought to himself. "Very well," Killik said, resigned to his fate, "school it is." Mike Kenyon asks: There is a planet with six Vudar ion storm stations on it, one per side. On Turn #1, the ion storm station on hexside C starts up a storm with its "A" ion storm generator. On Turn #2, the Vudar want to maintain the storm. Does it need to be:
1. The "A" ion storm generator, 2. Either the "A" or "B" ion storm generator, 3. Any ion storm generator from any hexside. ANSWER: William Wilson replies: Rule (G37.31) states that the effect of ion storm generators is not blocked by terrain. So there is no difference in effect among multiple ion storm generators on a planet, even on different hexsides (assuming the planet occupies only a single hex). If the planet was large enough to encompass more than one hex, then the boundary of the ion storm would move slightly depending on precisely which hex contained the ion storm generator that was used to create the storm. Ion storm generators are activated or voluntarily deactivated, and the activation or deactivation takes effect during energy allocation (G37.311). As a result, there is no "gap" between voluntarily deactivating one ion storm generator and activating another one, if done during the same Energy Allocation Phase. Therefore, the answer to your question is "3." What (G37.315) means is that you only need one ion storm generator to create an ion storm, and that if you have more than one, you can use any or all of them, including the one used to generate the storm, to create directional waves (G37.32). Mike Kenyon asks: Rule (E18.62) for light rail guns does not expressly indicate warp power while warp augmented rail guns and medium rail guns do. Can light rail guns use energy from any power source? ANSWER: William Wilson replies: I can see how you could construe the rule that way, but light rail guns still require warp power. Rule (E18.61) says "Light rail guns operate in the same manner as warp augmented rail guns except as noted" and while (E18.62) changes the cost of arming, it does not change the type of power required. William Wilson asks: I have always assumed that transporters use "true" range. However, a strict reading of (D1.4): "All range rules use 'effective range' unless specified otherwise" and (G8.14): "The maximum range of transporters is five hexes" (with no further qualifications) would imply that effective range is used. Because (D19.33) (passive fire control bonus) specifies that it is used only "when firing," the main two cases where this would matter are if the ship with the transporter is trying to beam something onto a cloaked or fading ship to which it has a lock-on but not a tractor beam, or if the ship with the transporter has scanner damage. ANSWER: By (D6.23), scanners do not apply to transporters. As for cloaking devices, (G13.302) says the range penalty is applied to effective range when weapons are fired, but transporters are not weapons (per Annex #7D). So, in these two cases, at least, the range of transporters is not affected. I cannot think of a case where the effective range, for purposes of transporters, would be different than the true range. (End of Admiral Vanaxilth) F&E Q&A
WHAT GOES WITH WHAT, AND WHERE DOES IT GO? Q: Regarding a carrier that conducts a (319.00) offensive fighter strike or whose fighters conduct a (205.7) reaction, is the carrier part of the (302.563) support echelon? A: If the fighters are in an adjacent hex, then no, it can't be. Q: Does the last phrase of (601.12) "The ships left behind cannot count non-ship units, slow units, or auxiliaries," mean that the ships left behind MUST contain the slow/non ships or that these do not count as part of the six ships? A: The six ships have to be red-blooded ships, not some other kind of trash units. It means that such listed units do not satisfy the requirement of six ships. Leave them or move them, whatever you want to do or tactically need to do, but they don't count for the requirement of six ships. Q: Rule (322.43) says that Carrier Groups (515.0) can only enter pinwheels as individual ships losing all group benefits. Does the carrier have to be escorted? Can you make any escorts part of the pinwheel to fulfill the requirement? A: If the carrier is in the pinwheel for the combat round, it does not have to be escorted as the specific rule (322.43) takes precedence over the general rule (515.0). This includes the requirement for escorts and the number of command slots taken up. Also, per (322.43) the Tholian player can break up carrier groups between combat rounds if they want to use those ships in pinwheel(s). You can include any escorts, but they are considered stand-alone ships and not part of a group, fall under rule (515.543), and are limited in their offensive ability. (End of F&E Q&A)
ASK AUNT JEAN
Dear Aunt Jean, I was reading GURPS PD and my GM wants to run an ISC-based campaign for us to bring peace to the galaxy. He wants someone to play a Rovillian, but no one wants to because they don't talk and they don't seem to be able to walk around on dry land (for some reason the other four players don't want to play in a water-based campaign). How can we include the Rovillians? A: The GURPS book was based on early data from Federation scientists. All the viewscreen images were either from the early Rovillian ships or from the ISC ships. The speculation turned out to not be complete. Rovillians actually do have legs, but they are stumpy turtle-like legs. Walking is a careful balance between the legs and keeping the tail up and out of the way. Rovillians are not fast on the land. They do talk, but it is high-pitched so they tend to use telepathy in addition to make sure what they want to communicate is understood. Rovillians hold their breath much as dolphins do. Just as we have moisturizers for dry skin, the Rovillians can add an ointment to their morning ablutions to protect their skin. This and much more will appear in Captain's Log #52. For now, change Doesn't Beathe and Pressure Support to Breath-Holding 3, add Speak Underwater (Interface crossing +50%), delete Mute, and change No Legs (Aquatic) to (Semi-aquatic).
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 MonthCHANGE FACING AT ZERO SPEED A ship moving at Baseline Speed Zero can change facing and stay in the same hex without needing to use a High Energy Turn. (This could be done with a Tactical Maneuver, but you can only do that if you're "Stopped", which is not the same as "baseline zero" speed.)
Accelerate, and then use Deceleration on the fourth sub-pulse. A ship at Baseline Speed Zero is always Turn Mode 1; and if you cancel a move but your Turn Mode is fulfilled, you can still change facing. Note that this costs two points' worth of movement; more than a Tactical Maneuver, but less than a High Energy Turn. And you can only change facing by one hexside; but if you're just trying to track a moving target, then one hexside might be all you need. You don't want to put yourself at speed zero just so you can do this trick, but if you're there anyway this may be the only way to turn a new shield or track a target with weapons. Of course, anyone moving faster will move after you do, and can take advantage of knowing your move. Even so, if this is all you have, you do have this much.
The charged particle accelerator-3 which the Baduvai Imperium mounted on its first wave of modern-era warships provided the heavy cruiser, destroyer, and battle frigate with a very powerful direct-fire punch, coupled with a useful degree of flexibility. Given the rolling delay charged particle accelerators operate under, these ships have effectively the same arming level when starting at Weapon Status II or Weapon Status III, allowing them to inflict a solid first punch on their opponents.
However, once that blow is landed, planning for the follow-up strikes becomes a more pressing issue. While in principle one could spend three turns worth of warp power building up each ship's charged particle accelerator-3s for the next exchange of heavy weapons fire, it may be counter-productive to wait such a length of time before wading in once more. (This is less of an issue against a slower opponent, such as some of the Middle Years Eneen ships. However, it can be a dangerous gamble against a Maghadim captain willing to close and take advantage of the fire/fire/cool arming cycles of his tachyon beams over an inconvenient turn break.) Rather, it may work out more evenly to essentially ignore the third arming level in ship-to-ship encounters (after the first strike has been made) and plan on treating the charged particle accelerator-3 as a de facto charged particle accelerator-2 instead. While this would be of no relief to the Baduvai ships' power budgets, since the same three points of warp power are required per accelerator per turn either way, it can allow the Baduvai player to retain more of the initiative in terms of scoring consistent damage on his opponent. Plus, this allows the Baduvai player to essentially use each charged particle accelerator-3's third chamber as padding for the others. For the battle frigate, it also has the advantage of not running the risk of shock effects which the overgunned battle frigate suffers when attempting to fire its own charged particle accelerator-3 at the highest arming level. While a Baduvai player could attempt to go even further and press the attack every turn using the lowest arming level, he should only consider doing so if he is confident about his ability to line up favorable firing opportunities each turn. This is more important if he is not fighting an opponent protected by the volley reduction factor of Lesser Magellanic Cloud outer shielding. The volley reduction factor's benefits against weaker volleys makes two shots by charged particle accelerator-1s overall less effective than one charged particle accelerator-2 shot. While three charged particle accelerator-2 shots over six turns may seem less resistant to the volley reduction factor than two charged particle accelerator-3 shots over the same period of time, the amount of damage the second arming level inflicts is still high enough to give opposing Lesser Magellanic Cloud captains cause for concern. The third arming level should be used consistently only when lining up attacks against slow-moving or immobile targets, and in situations where the Baduvai player can take his time to conduct a more protracted siege. This may explain why the next wave of Baduvai starships made such prominent use of the more streamlined charged particle accelerator-2 for open-space combat. Rather than a heavy cruiser hitting once with two charged particle accelerator-3s, then reducing its firepower to two charged particle accelerator-2s every second turn, a war cruiser can plan for three charged particle accelerator-2 shots for each of its own direct-fire exchanges. This only works if the war cruiser has the warp reactor refit needed to keep its battle speed consistent with the bulk of the Baduvai fleet. Yet, the widespread adoption of the charged particle accelerator-2s still left room in the Baduvai Navy for the retention of the charged particle accelerator-3-equipped warships, particularly for dealing with enemy fixed installations. It may have a strong first punch; but in many cases, once first blood has been drawn, two is the new three for the charged particle accelerator-3.
(End of SFB Tactic of the Month)
Facebook Highlight of the Month
Mini of the Month The "War Witch." Flagship for my slowly growing Klingon fleet. Painted by David Pauwels.
|
||||||||
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
show our games and to teach potential players some basics. 
