|
||||||||
May 2021
|
||||||||
Star Fleet Universe News THE BIG NEWS APRIL ADB Releases Ships for May 2021
On May 3, 2021, ADB released 46 new items to its shop on Shapeways, which has over 2,600 items available in total. This month, we released new ships for the Federation, Klingons, Hydrans, Kzintis, and Tholians. We also introduce ships from the Eneen Protectorate located in the Lesser Magellanic Cloud. Please note that all miniatures are available in both 3788 and 3125 scales, except when noted. The Federation starts with the New Heavy Scout that is available in both the Federation (gridded saucer) and Fed Classic (smooth saucer) styles. The Klingons have an enormous splash with the WB10V Super Heavy Carrier and its six engines. They also get their C8S Space Control Ship. The ISC gains its Heavy Scout and Gunboat/PF Tender. The Hydrans get a boost to their police fleets with their Police Carrier and Inspector Police Flagship. They also get three different sprues of ships that are combined as a price-saving option: two Gendarme Police Frigates, an Inspector Police Flagship and a Police Carrier, or a Heavy Gendarme Police Destroyer and a Police Carrier. The Kzintis get their War Destroyer Leader and Medium Drone Cruiser, both found in the new A Call to Arms: Star Fleet -- Reinforcements One. One of the earliest ships built by the Kzintis is the Early Years Frigate, which is now available. The Tholians gain many ships, all from Star Fleet Battles: Module R4T -- The Tholian Will. They have their Heavy Carrier, X-Ship Heavy Frigate, X-Ship Heavy Destroyer, X-Ship Medium Cruiser, and X-Ship Large Heavy Cruiser. Described in Star Fleet Battles Module C5, the Lesser (or Small) Magellanic Cloud (LMC) is the second-nearest galactic neighbor to the Milky Way Galaxy. The lemur-like Eneen formed the Eneen Protectorate. Their navy gains its Heavy Cruiser, Light Cruiser, Upgraded Destroyer, Destroyer, and Corvette. The Corvette is also available on a sprue of two. Check all these out here: https://www.shapeways.com/shops/amarillo-design-bureau-inc -------------------------
WEBSITE:
Our website, www.StarFleetGames.com, continues to grow and improve. You are welcome to send us your requests, comments, and suggestions. Simone Dale, 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 Hampton Roads, headquartered in Hampton, Virginia. CO William Phillips reports they play Star Fleet Battles and Federation & Empire. They also enjoy attending gaming conventions. Read more here: http://www.starfleetgames.com/battlegroup/battlegroup_HamptonRoads.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 Sapphire Star VIII commenced on 7 May 21 and so far two round 1 games have completed with a Gorn defeating a Kzinti and a Hydran defeating a Gorn. There are six round 1 games outstanding. All games for round 1 are expected to finish on time for round 2 to begin on 21 May 21.
DEMOS AND CONS WITH SFU GAMES Due to the COVID-19 virus, many conventions have been cancelled. We encourage you to check out Star Fleet Battles Online where there is a free demo version. It is a good way to hang out with others who play Star Fleet Battles and Federation Commander. Check it out here: https://www.sfbonline.com/index.jsp
Star Fleet Battles games are played regularly in Columbus, Ohio, on Sunday afternoons at the Soldiery. Lee Hanna is the contact person.
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: This monthly magazine repeated much of the same information that Hailing Frequencies does. December 2019 was the last month it was published. Old issues can be downloaded from the Commander's Circle.
|
||||||||
|
New Releases EXTRAS FOR THE MONTH: You can look at Hailing Frequencies Extras here.
Click here to see our previous issues of Hailing Frequencies.
Recently Released GURPS Romulan 2021 SKU 8404, $24.95 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 Ask Admiral Vanaxilth SCOUTS
Francois Lemay asks: A heavy cruiser is trying to tractor a friendly (and badly beaten up) dreadnought. An enemy scout lends the heavy cruiser six points of offensive electronic warfare and lends the dread-nought six points of ECM before the tractor attempt. Does this force a die roll with a plus three shift (6+6 =12 ECM, a +3 shift)? I know when a friendly ship uses applied ECM, it does not force a roll for any friendly ship but what about when an enemy scout lends a ship on the other side ECM?
ANSWER: You cannot lend ECM or ECCM to enemy units; see (G24.21). Only offensive electronic warfare can be leant to enemy ships. Thomas Mathews asks: Can a scout lend ECM to a captured unit? Rule (G24.16) does not restrict this. Kommodore Ketrick replies: There is no specific statement in the rules about being able to lend friendly electronic warfare to a captured ship, but looking at the rules, I am forced to conclude that the answer is "no" during the scenario in which the capture takes place simply because there are limits on other activities. In a subsequent scenario, yes, but not in the scenario where the capture takes place. Alex Lyons asks: If I remember a specific rule correctly, I believe I can have a sensor channel paid for (one point activation cost) but do not have to reveal the sensor channel until it performs an action of some sort. Am I correct in remembering this, and where can I find it? ANSWER: I see no requirement that a powered (but not yet used) special sensor must be announced. Under (D17.4), it appears that information is not known until tactical intelligence level L, i.e., it would not be known unless you are using the (D17.0) Tactical Intelligence rules and have attained that level.
Once the special sensor is used for anything, it would be detected. Francois Lemay asks: A scout has one channel powered, four points of power in its electronic warfare pool, and two batteries reserved. It needs to lend a total of six points of ECCM to a heavy cruiser. It lends the heavy cruiser two points from batteries, which I believe are announced during the Lock-on Stage (6B3), in the step "Scouts and carriers use reserve power to increase electronic warfare available for lending (H7.2). A legendary weapons officer uses his reserve electronic warfare point (G22.71). The scout now lends the heavy cruiser the four points from the electronic warfare pool, which I believe is announced in the next step of Scouts begin or voluntarily end lending (G24.212). Scouts deploy reserve EW (G24.2114)." Am I correct on the procedure for lending using battery power? If so, the scout cannot hide the fact that it used battery power for lending. ANSWER: During the first step you mention, the scout applies reserve power to the electronic warfare pool. This does not have to be announced, as the enemy does not know the size of your electronic warfare pool, only the points you are actually using. During the next step, you would announce the lending of six ECCM to the heavy cruiser. Your opponent would not know which points were allocated, and which came from reserve power. (End of Admiral Vanaxilth) F&E Q&A
PRODUCTION AND CONVERSION Q: I know the LDR cannot produce DNs by construction or conversion. Can they convert a captured DN to their technology using the normal rules? This rule lists a 3 EP cost to convert between Lyran and LDR size-class-two units. Obviously the Lyrans can handle DNs. Can the LDR do these conversions on a Lyran DN?
A: Yes, the LDR can convert a captured Lyran DN to their technology using (548.23) and (548.14). They could further convert the DN to a DNP if desired. Q: Where can minor empires (such as the LDR, Vudar, and Seltorians) build minor shipyards and conversion facilities? Rule (450.13) requires a major planet or starbase to be in the hex of a new minor shipyard or conversion facility, but these empires do not have those things. Can an engineer unit be used to construct them in minor empire capitals? A: See Rules & Rulings where I define this precisely for each of the three minor empires. Q: What tracks would X-ships use if they make a depot roll under (424.33)? For that matter, there are some other newly introduced ships which don't have a specific track. Federation CX: Use the BC track. Federation DDX: Use the NCL track. Federation VT: Use the FF track. Klingon B9/DX: Use the BB track. Klingon E3: Use the E4 track. Romulan QE: Use the KE track. Kzinti CCX/BCX: Use the BCH track. Gorn CCX/BCX: Use the BCH track. Hydran X-Cruisers: use the OV track. Lyran CAX: Use the CA track. Q: The LDR are permitted (714.22) to convert one POL to MP each Spring turn starting Y169 for five turns total, and according to the rule "there is no cost to this." Clearly, there is no cost in economic points. Normally the POL-MP conversion is a 2 EP conversion. My question is this: Even if the conversion is "free," does the conversion still use up two points of conversion capacity at the LDR special conversion facility (548.14), or does "there is no cost to this" mean that the LDR may ignore the conversion capacity limits for this one special conversion? A: Per (548.14) the no-cost conversions must still use the available conversion capacity to perform these POL-MP conversions. Q: Would rule (714.22) prevent the conversion of a captured size-class-2 ship to LDR technology, as it says the LDR conversion facility cannot produce a ship of greater than size-class-3? A: A conversion that produces a size-class-2 unit from a smaller unit is different than a conversion that changes an existing size-class-2 unit, so yes, you can convert a captured DN or CVA. Q: When a capital shipyard is replaced and finishes construction on a Spring Turn, does the empire receive half of their yearly Free Fighter Factors in that next Fall turn? Rule (511.32) just says that the new shipyard can begin production on the turn after it is paid for. Rule (431.741) says that free fighters are received by a replacement capital only after the shipyard is fully functioning again, which in this case would be the Fall turn. Rule (442.6) is silent on the issue. A: When a capital shipyard is replaced and finishes construction on a Spring turn, the controlling empire receives half of their yearly Free Fighter Factors in that year's Fall turn. In addition, based upon the precedent as set in (442.63), if a replacement shipyard becomes available for production on a Fall turn, then "it receives 50% of the annual free fighter allocation (round fractions up, so the 15 Federation annual fighters produce eight free fighters on Turn #7)." Q: When building a fighter depot (445.31) does the six EP cost include the fighters or just the warehouse? A: It includes the fighters. Q: Are there rules in F&E on changing out modules on the Romulan Hawk modular ships? A: Yes. See (433.43) for the modules on SparrowHawk cruisers and SkyHawk destroyers. See (525.6) for the various Romulan dreadnoughts that can use modules. 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 MonthDOWNGRADE THOSE PHASER-2s Many Klingon ships come with vast arrays of phaser-2s, and with a little clever maneuvering you can get many or most of them in arc during one turn. Unfortunately, this uses up a lot of energy points. If you can get to Range 1 or Range 2, then the solution is to fire them as phaser-3s under rule (4B2e).
At Range 1 the phaser-2 does on average half a point of damage better than the phaser-3, and 5/6ths of a point better at Range 2. The phaser-3, however, uses up half as many energy points, allowing another phaser-3 to be fired, or get you halfway towards arranging a Marine raid on the enemy ship. At Range 0 or above Range 2 the phaser-2 is much better.
Suppose during a battle, you are approaching a ship with a facing shield that is down, with the ship within transporter range and having no facing weapons charged. Normally you could drop your own facing shield and perform a full set of hit-and-run raids to take out some key systems. Consider this possibility: assign one transporter so you can perform a hit-and-run raid on the enemy's shuttlebay.
When a hit-and-run raid occurs in his shuttlebay, the defending player is required to record all relevant information as to what is in each shuttle box and must reveal it at the end of the turn (J1.413), so as to help confirm which box the hit-and-run raid actually landed on. Even though the hit-and-run raid may or may not have succeeded, you have just been given some very good intelligence as to what the opposing player has prepared in advance, should you decide to close to point-blank range by next turn. For example: A Klingon D7 is fighting a Federation heavy cruiser. It is Impulse #12 of Turn #4, with the Federation heavy cruiser having launched a shuttle near the beginning of the turn. Each ship loses a facing shield from an alpha strike and is within transporter range of the other, when the Klingon sends a hit-and-run raid to attack the shuttlebay. At the end of the turn, the Federation player reveals what was available in his shuttlebay on that impulse. Shuttle box #1: Empty (two deck crews assigned to box) Shuttle box #2: Ground assault shuttle Shuttle box #3: Administrative shuttle Shuttle box #4: Multi-role shuttle (no drones loaded) Using the above, the Klingon player can assume no special mission shuttles were started at the time of the hit-and-run raid (none of the remaining shuttles were listed as special mission shuttles). Even if a special mission shuttle were to be started later on that same turn using reserve power, it would still take at least another turn (scatter-pack) or more (suicide shuttle) for one to be ready. It also tells the Klingon player that the missing shuttle that just launched earlier could very likely have been loaded with drones as a scatter-pack because that would be a main reason to assign deck crews to shuttles. (On a carrier, just knowing where a player assigned his deck crews on that turn can be a great benefit.) Note: a wild weasel or a scatter-pack carrying one drone could still be prepared and be able to launch by next turn. Knowing this allows you to choose whether or not to close in on the target on the following turn, to execute an alpha strike, maybe to perform an anchoring maneuver, right away before he has time to prepare some suicide shuttles. (End of SFB Tactic of the Month)
A convoy can be used in an aggressive way to reshape tactical supply instead of relying upon existing fixed infrastructure. This would allow ships to be more effective during a turn by accomplishing more than attacking one target. This makes use of the interaction between supply points and retreat priorities.
An example: The Klingons purchase and place a convoy at 1202, which they hold, and move it from 1202 to 1201 to 1301. The real target is 1401, but the attack starts with a force attacking 1502. Once the Kzintis stop reacting to 1301 and 1502, a second Coalition force then moves to 1401. The critical element is that the Alliance is outnumbered at 1401. The battle at 1502 is fought first, with the Coalition accomplishing as much as it can there, and then retreating - to 1401! This is because the convoy at 1301 is the closest supply point. After the battle at 1401 is fought and the combined force has accomplished what it could there, the Coalition retreats - to 1301! As the goal is a raid on the Kzinti capital, any Kzinti ships that react out of the capital are a bonus. Any Kzinti ships that are fought at 1502 with lesser defenses are a bonus. Any Kzinti ships that reacted to 1301 will face the combined Coalition fleet and are a bonus. Coalition ships that get to fight multiple battles with advantage on the same turn have their value increased. Both Klingon and Lyran ships can participate in the raid. Just make certain a Klingon ship commanded the battle before each retreat, as its priority is the one followed. After any Kzinti ships at 1301 are dealt with, the Coalition force then retreats - to 1302, which is better for retrograde movement. Ships can be fed into 1301 and 1502 as the Alliance will tolerate, as the goal is to have as few Alliance ships at 1401 as possible. The key is to outnumber the Alliance at 1401, so that any ship that reacts out cannot return.
This technique can be adapted to any area that has multiple adjacent enemy targets along a hexrow. (End of F&E Strategy of the Month)
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)
Mini of the Month Kent Ing painted these 7000 Scale Klingon Fleet Core Collection ships (Smooth Fine Detail Plastic).
|
||||||||
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
show our games and to teach potential players some basics. 
