October 2008
Download Transmissions

The latest Communique brings you more Ship Cards, scenarios, fiction, and more news from the Star Fleet Universe! It can be downloaded from the Commander's Circle. Don’t forget, you have to register before being able to download the latest full color Communique!

Star Fleet Universe News

Prime Directive d20 Modern, our first new RPG book in two years, was released on 8 October, along with Squadron Boxes #19, #20, and #21. We are all very proud of RPG Line Editor Jean Sexton, d20 writer Jonathan Thompson, and layout man Michael Sparks. They did an incredible job, supported by the volunteer Prime Directive staff including Tony Thompson, Andy Palmer, Loren Knight, Gary Plana, and John Sickels.

Federation Commander: Orion Attack, and four Booster Packs (#21, #22, #23, and #24) were released on 24 September.

Colonel Charles Strong has taken over for the retiring Jeff Laikind as head of the F&E Department and is pushing SVC to finish work on the Ship Information Table Update, Base Cost Update, and ISC War.

Mike Curtis, the FEAR (F&E Answer Rapporteur) has done an outstanding job of answering player questions on rules in something close to real time.

Our combined and reorganized website, www.StarFleetGames.com, continues to grow and improve. You are welcome to send us your requests, comments, and suggestions.

We are looking for a few good Star Fleet Ambassadors! Our marketing director can't be everywhere and that's where you come in! Do you go to gaming forums like Board Game Geek, RPG Net, or The Miniatures Page? Then WE NEED YOU! To get complete details of the Ambassador program, please see the Federation Commander Ambassadors category on the Federation Commander forum.

Latest news from Conquest Vegas, biggest gaming event in the western US can be viewed here.

Have you missed an earlier Newsletter? Click here to get caught up!

FC Forum Hot Topics

The Federation Commander Site and Forum continue to grow as more gamers find it. We have added a new section to the Forum called Web Requests. If you have any comments, questions, or requests for our Graphics Director, this is the place to let him know. This month’s Hot Topic is "Orion Attack - Final Contents ? " which can be found in the General Discussion category.

We have added a new Star Fleet Battles section to the forum to discus everything SFB. For new players, the Federation Commander Forum is a little easier to manage whereas the Legacy Discus BBS can be a bit overwhelming.  Come see what the commotion is about and join the Federation Commander Forum now!

Don't forget our original (discus-based) BBS where most product development takes place. The most active topics of late include: Farthest Stars campaign, F&E General Discussions, and FC: General Discussions. If you really want to know what's going on, don't miss Steve Cole's daily weblog.

FC Tactic of the Month
Lucky 13
  - Lieutenant Commander Warren Taylor, USS Georgia
When selecting weapons to fire, the most effective "packets of destruction" involve 13 points of internal damage. While there is no real "Mizia Effect" in Federation Commander, the first three columns of the DAC are usually the good stuff, particularly on Row #6 (the row selected if you order "target weapons array!"). By applying internal damage in groups of "ten plus a few" you can concentrate (to some extent) on this more interesting column. (Continue reading here)

Café Press
Cafe Press

Café Press is an online marketplace 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. We have added tons of new shirts, mugs, and other products. Want something you don’t see? Please contact Eric Olivarez (Graphics Director) with your request. Visit our Star Fleet Café Press Store for a complete listing of the products available.

SFB Tactic of the Month
HERE, THERE, GORN BOMBER BASES EVERYWHERE!
- Commander Scott Tenhoff, USS California


Looking through Module J2, it is stated that Heavy Bomber Bases are available once Heavy Bombers are available. Now consider that both the Federation and Gorn Confederation have the B-52/G-52 available very early (compared to other empires' Heavy Bombers).
(Continue reading here)

F&E Strategy of the Month
ANNEX THIS
- Lieutenant Commander Dale Fields, USS California


With the release of Planetary Operations, the Hydrans and the Kzintis now have to face the possibility of not just having their space occupied, but eventually absorbed into the Klingon and Lyran empires. The traditional solution is of course simply to sally forth and kill the province garrisons. Of course, if the Coalition reacts into that province and pins you, you will not have accomplished anything.
This can be especially trying for the Hydrans who, if they have been kicked to the Off Map, can be pinned out of everything but those two southwest provinces.
(Continue reading here)

Mini of the Month

Every month we will feature one of our miniatures that has been painted by a fan. If you paint miniatures, submit your pictures and you may be our next Mini of the Month!

New Releases

Communique #34 has been posted to the Commander's Circle.

JUST RELEASED
Squadron Box #19 (Hydrans), SKU 4319, $34.95
Squadron Box #20 (Lyrans), SKU 4320, $34.95
Squadron Box #21 (WYNs), SKU 4321, $34.95
Prime Directive d20M (Modern), SKU8721, $24.95

TO BE RELEASED ON 20 OCTOBER 2008
SFB Module Y2: Early Years II, SKU #5632, $35.95
Federation Commander: Border Box #7, SKU 4407, $99.95

TO BE RELEASED ON 17 NOVEMBER 2008
Captain's Log #38, Doomward and the Vortex, SKU 5738, $19.95
Prime Directive: Federation (d20), SKU 8702, $24.95
GURPS Federation, SKU 8402, $24.95
Squadron Box #22, SKU 4322, $39.95
Squadron Box #23, SKU 4323, $39.95
Squadron Box #24, SKU 4324, $39.95
Federation Commander: Border Box #8, SKU 4408, $99.95

TO BE RELEASED ON JANUARY 2009
SFB Module G3: Master Annexes, SKU 5423, Price $29.95

Star Fleet Fiction
SNAP COUNT Part 2 of 10

Bridge, USS Eagle, 0430 hrs, 17 Jan Y169
"I'm telling you," the young ensign said, "wake up the captain. Do it now. Do it before you leave enough minutes on the duty log that she questions your ability to make a decision."

"I have made a decision," the young lieutenant said. "I have the con, and it's up to me. The message from Starbase Eight isn't marked urgent, it just says to go check something out. We're headed that way, and won't make it for at least 12 hours. The captain will get up for breakfast in just over two hours. She can read the mail with her orange juice. What's she going to do if I wake her up now? Tell me to point the ship at the destination and go to high cruising speed? I just did that. There's no reason to wake her up, none at all."

"This is a mistake," the communications ensign said. "You don't know what the captain would do! That's her decision, not yours! You're taking a key decision about the ship out of her hands. It's just not right. She gets paid to get woken up and make these kinds of calls." (Continue reading here)

Ask Admiral Growler

TRACTORS

Francois Lemay asks: On the same impulse, Ship A tractors ship B, ship B tractors ship C, ship C tractors ship D. All are friendly to each other. Is it legal to have four ships tractored to each other? Do the restrictions of (G7.91) apply?

ANSWER: It does, and you cannot form a chain in this way. Ship A tractors ship B, and ship B's and C's tractors fail, but the power for the attempted tractor links has still been used and the tractors are not available for use later in the turn. The only way to have multiple friendly ships in the same tractor chain is if a single-ship tractors all of the others.

Dale McKee asks: On a fixed map, a ship tractors an opposing ship. The opposing ship then moves in such a way as to force the tractoring ship off the fixed map. The scenario rules specify that any ship that leaves the map is considered disengaged. Yet reading the rules, it seems that shoving the tractoring ship off the map does not break the tractor. How is this resolved?

ANSWER: While the wording of (G7.273) assumes that the tractoring ship is attempting to shove the tractored ship off the map, it is equally impossible for the tractored ship to force the tractoring ship off the map. This action would also break the tractor, since a tractor cannot be used to force a ship off of the map. (Continue reading here)

Federation & Empire Q&A



QUESTION: Can a single starbase convert a B10 to a B10VAA or does it take three, one for each conversion?
ANSWER: The stasis conversion is a separate conversion from the carrier. You can do two stasis kits as one minor six-point conversion under the rule (312.32), and the carrier as a second conversion, before or after the stasis conversion. You cannot do the stasis and carrier conversions together as a single conversion, and two starbases in the same hex cannot both do a conversion on one ship in a single turn.

QUESTION: When can the B10S be built? SFB says Y189, but F&E says Y179.
ANSWER: SFB lists the year it was built, or, if not built, the year it could have been built. F&E lists the year it is available to be built. Both are correct as they use the dates differently.

QUESTION: Is the B11 a legal unit?
ANSWER: It is, but it is conjectural and the use of conjectural units is up to each playing group. The counter is in Reinforcements and the data for the ship is in the on-line Ship Information Tables. (Continue reading here)

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.

Alert 81006 New Releases (Adobe Acrobat Required)
Alert 80929 New Releases (Adobe Acrobat Required)

NEW MINIATURES!

The Orion Slaver will be available in time to deliver Christmas presents to good little pirates everywhere!