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September 2017
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Star Fleet Universe News BIG NEWS: It has been a busy month! We've released things for lots of our players. Our store on Shapeways saw the release of new ships, stands, and stand toppers. Federation Commander players got Scenario Log #2. Star Fleet Battles players got the release of an updated rulebook for Module R3 (and don't forget that the Platinum Hat tournament is open for registration -- see under Tournaments below). And Starmada players got Romulan Armada Unity.
Scenario Log #2
This project is finished and ready for download from Warehouse 23, Drive-Thru RPG, or Wargame Vault.
This book includes 57 scenarios for Federation Commander. These are from the earlier issues of Communique, but have been updated, reformatted, and expanded to include new special rules, new player options, and more access to ships.
SFB Module R3 Rulebook
The Star Fleet Battles Module R3 Rulebook is newly updated in 2017 and includes rules for Klingon penal ships. It also has the descriptions for the ships included in the R3 SSD books. These include ships for the Klingons (including D7, D6 and D5 variants; the SparrowHawk light cruiser from the Romulans; F6; and E5), Hydrans (including the Lord Bishop, Outrider and variants, war cruiser variants, and Iron Duke), Lyrans (including the Yaguarundi light carrier, Siberian Lion space control ship, and Prairie Cat survey ship), and WYN (including the Orion-built Double Raider and the captured Klingon KE4).Then there are the scenarios: Quarantine (Federation and Klingon), Justice Denied (WYN and Kzinti), Sacred (Kzinti and Lyran), Moment of Glory (Lyran and Hydran), Dictator's Diplomat (Federation, Klingon, and Romulan), and Radey to the Rescue (Federation and Klingon). Of course, it also has the section of the Master Ship Chart that pertains to the ships included.
This product is available for download from Warehouse 23, Drive-Thru RPG, or Wargame Vault.
Romulan Armada Unity
Romulan Armada Unity is the second book in the new edition. This edition unifies the previous Nova and Admiralty editions, so there will no longer be Starmada fans who cannot game together. The new rules preserve the best of both previous systems, and add dynamic seeking weapons rules that do what seeking weapons are supposed to do: force the enemy to move out of key areas or shoot his way through a swam of drones. Next year, the sixth book in the series, RUMORS OF WARS, as well as the seventh and eighth books, will appear in the Unity format only.
Because we want to bring all Starmada players together, we're making Unity a free PDF upgrade for anyone who bought the Nova or Admiralty editions of this book. Nothing was wrong with either edition, other than the fact that it was harder to find opponents who played by the same rulebook. That problem is now solved.
If you bought a PDF of either the Admiralty edition or Nova edition through Warehouse 23, DriveThru RPG, or Wargame Vault, then your PDF library now contains the original older Nova or Admiralty edition you bought AND the new Unity edition we're giving you. As each book is replaced (Romulan Armada now, the others -- Distant Armada, Alien Armada, and Battleships Armada -- over the next few months) we will take the old editions off sale (but leave them in your library) and upload the new edition for sale to new players. (If you want the Starmada Logs, then you need to purchase them promptly as they will not be updated nor will they remain on sale after the last of the old books is taken down.)
Anyone who bought a hardcopy of Romulan Armada Nova or Romulan Armada Admiralty can get a free PDF copy by contacting us at marketing@starfleetgames.com. If you want to replace your hardcopy Nova/Admiralty book with a hardcopy Unity book, we'll sell you one for our cost ($8, less than half price) plus shipping. Hardcopies of Nova/Admiralty books will no longer be available but you will be able to buy hard copies of the new Unity books from ADB, Inc.
This product is available for download from Warehouse 23, Drive-Thru RPG, or Wargame Vault.
SHAPEWAYS:
150+ ships SO FAR
Our store on Shapeways continued to expand with over 50 new ships by five sculptors on September 1st.
Ships released for both 3788 and 3125 include: Federation Galactic Survey Cruiser, Klingon B10B battleship, Klingon B10B boom, Seltorian NCA, Maesron CL, Probr CA, Romulan Falcon Mauler, four Tholian carriers (CVA, CWV, DDV, PV), WYN Auxiliary dreadnought Nancy, Hydran frigates (Crusader, Cuirassier) and Paladin dreadnought, Lyran Lion dreadnought.
Omni scale ships included in this release are: Harbor tug and salvage tug without pods. Also included are gunboats in sprues of eight: Romulan Centurion, Orion, Hydran Harrier, Lyran/LDR, and WYN.
Ships released for 3788 include: Trobin and Koligahr patrol boats (frigates), Frax War Cruiser scout.
Ships released for 3125 include: All Maesron ships that were previously released in 3788.
We also released a series of stands to keep your ships flying and stand toppers to keep your fighters and gunboats in formation.
The Space Manta is availble in three sizes.
Ships expected next month include the Federation destroyers, fighters for several empires, more ships for the Omega Sector, more WYNs, more Tholians, more Seltorians, and just more.
You can check out the store here:
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 Battlegroup South Netherlands located in The Netherlands. CO Koen van der Pasch reports that this group is active, running several campaigns. Check them out here: http://www.starfleetgames.com/battlegroup/battlegroup_SouthNetherlands.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 PLATINUM HAT
Our seventh Internet SFB International Championship Tournament is open now for registration which will close midnight (Pacific Daylight Time) on October 12, 2017. 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 Bill Schoeller (winner of the 2016 tournament) is the judge for this tournament. As we did in Platinum Hat 2016, 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. Rated Ace Tournament 47 is up and going with all but one third-round game played! One fourth round game is waiting on that game before the final game can be scheduled. Bill Schoeller is the judge.
SFBOL World League 2017 is a Go! Peter Bakija is running this team tournament, where three-player teams play tournament games against other teams (the games are standard, one on one tournament duels, but your team gets points for advancing based on how the whole team does). Each player will play at least 3 games, more if your team advances. People are now blowing ships up!
DEMOS AND CONS WITH SFU GAMES The demos at GenCon were a success! Randy Blair reports he had plenty of players to show Star Fleet Battles.
Council of Five Nations is hosting their convention on Friday, September 29 - Sunday, October 1, 2017 at the Proctor's Theatre and Conference Center, in the heart of downtown Schenectady, New York. Star Fleet Battles is always a major part of that convention. Pre-registration ends September 25. For more information: http://www.swa-gaming.org/Star-Trek-Star-Fleet-Games-at-Council
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 Family Time Games. 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 - The website is currently under construction. 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
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New Releases Communique #141 has been posted to the Commander's Circle Click here to see our previous issues of Hailing Frequencies. Recently Released To be released in 2017
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.
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
Admiral's Bridge, Starbase 15
"As you can see," Captain Laura Hummel, Third Fleet's intelligence officer began, "Star Fleet Intelligence calculates that the Klingons will launch only raids into our border provinces, designed to disrupt traffic and scare our colonists into demanding that the Federation settle any dispute quickly. They just want to show us what a war would cost. They won't attack any bases, or if they do, will only attack one or two for specific local reasons." "What's the sense of that kind of attack?" Chief of Staff Rear Admiral Michael Mulkowski asked. "A border war is just going to piss us off and get us to bring a lot of ships to the border." "They don't want a real war with the Federation," Captain Hummel insisted. "They just want to convince us not to support the Kzintis, to not intervene in their war." "This is insane," Mulkowski sneered. "If they attack at all, they'll come at us with everything, over a hundred ships at least." "They don't have a hundred ships in the theater," Captain Hummel insisted. "We're confident they can have only 60." "Star Fleet Command knows more than we do," Admiral Connell said. "We have to trust their judgment." "I hope they're right," Mulkowski said. "We are confident in our analysis," the Third Fleet's Intelligence officer said, "We estimate that the Klingon Eastern Fleet has been reinforced with ships from the Imperial War Reserve and new construction. Their standing organization is 33 ships, but they currently have about 60. Third Fleet has 36, plus all of the bases and fighters, which is going to make any kind of invasion unworkable. Those are raw numbers, but the distribution of ship types is equivalent. We can count on immediate reinforcements of a dozen more ships from Fourth Fleet, plus at least 35 from Home Fleet, 20 or more from the Reserve, even some ships from Fifth Fleet. Our best estimate is that they cannot take down Starbase 15, and we'll probably stop them before they can reach either K1 or K2. Stopping an invasion wouldn't be easy, but the overall threat is manageable. They just don't have enough ships to invade, so all we're going to get out of this war is raids and border skirmishes." (Continue reading here) Ask Admiral Vanaxilth Michael Kenyon asks: Does a type-IIIXX drone take four or six damage points to kill, since it is effectively a two-space drone?
Kommodore Ketrick replies: A type-III drone frame takes four damage points to destroy (FD2.1), whether it is a type-IIIS (apocryphal), type-III, type-IIIM, or type-IIIF. Extending the range [while it doubles the size of the drone, making it a two-space drone (FD2.222)] does not increase the damage points, so any type-III drone is still destroyed by four damage points. Andrew Harding asks: Is it permissible to purchase extended range for X-drones? Kommodore Ketrick replies: Yes. (X0.0) says: "The rules in this section reflect the advanced capabilities of the first-generation X-ships. Anything not specifically changed here works exactly as it would on a normal non-X ship." Josh Driscol asks: In a same-hex launch situation my opponent launches four drones at Speed 20 that do not move on the next impulse. I am moving Speed 17 and do move the next impulse. Do some, all, or none of the drones hit? ANSWER: None will hit right away. They will not hit the impulse they were launched, per the Sequence of play. If you move out of the launch hex (F2.322), they will follow you under the normal rules. They will not hit the impulse after launch because you are not in the same hex at that point. Dennis Surdu asks: Drones must move straight forward from their facing immediately after launch (or perform a high energy turn) right? ANSWER: Yes, see (F2.123), unless, of course, the target is already in their hex, in which case they impact. Eric Phillips asks: If I replace two type-IM drones with one type-IVF with 1/2 space external armor (cost 0.75 points), do I end up with a Speed-20 drone, warhead 24, damage eight? ANSWER: No, a type-IVF with 1/2 space external armor would cost 3.25 BPV (two for the base drone, plus one for speed, +0.25 for the external armor). So, the trade would cost 0.25. It would be Speed 26 from the chart in (FD12.132). Brendan Lally asks: On Impulse #32, a Speed-32 drone reaches Range 1. The target ship launches a suicide shuttle, targeted at the drone. Does the drone hit the ship on Impulse #1 (and then the suicide shuttle hits the ship) or does the suicide shuttle intercept the drone prior to hitting the ship? Kommodore Ketrick replies: No matter the speed of the intercepting missile, it is by definition between the target of the arriving missile and the arriving missile (F2.53) so the intercept occurs regardless of their speeds. When the drone entered the hex of the target, the intercepting shuttle was already there. Michael Grafton asks: Would a seeking shuttle without a suicide warhead aboard also destroy the drone? For example, a scatter-pack shuttle without any drones aboard, or a suicide shuttle prepared with no warhead? ANSWER: No, it would simply go inert and stop. See (FD1.561). (End of Admiral Vanaxilth) F&E Q&A
TROOP SHIPS Q: Where in the SoP are escorts for troop ships assigned? By the wording of (521.372) it appears they can be assigned "on the fly" well after battle lines are revealed but before any dice rolls are conducted.
A: Escorts for troop ships under (521.372) are assigned each round in SoP Phase 5-4A5. There is no requirement that these troop ship escorts must remain assigned round-to-round since the troop ship escorts are "different from carrier escorts" as per (521.372) above. This is further supported by (521.374) below where these escorts cannot escort a troop ship if crippled. Q: The escorts assigned to a troop ship only need to be crippled to allow directed damage on the troop ship itself, but how exactly would a squadron of fighters (assigned to escort the troop ship) be crippled? Would it be half of the fighter strength? Just killing one fighter factor since at that point it is no longer a whole ship equivalent, or something else? A: There is no provision for "crippling" a fighter or PF unit, so you would have to completely destroy it before using directed damage on the troop ship. As with a warship escort, the directed damage attack on the fighters and the subsequent directed-damage attack on the troop ship all count as one directed-damage attack for purposes of the limits on how many directed-damage attacks can be made. Q: Is it correct that carriers can be escorted in the support echelon, but troop ships cannot? Rule (521.381) says that if troop ships are placed in the battle force, then they may be escorted. I don't see anything that says whether troop ships in the support echelon may or may not be escorted.
A: At the time (521) was written the concept of the support echelon did not exist, so the rule doesn't define this either way, but given everything else said about the support echelon, it seems clear that the troop ships there can be escorted. (End of F&E Q&A)
ASK AUNT JEAN
Dear Aunt Jean, how goes the GURPS Prime Directive revision? A: It went a bit more slowly this month because I had a lot of ships to deal with for our store on Shapeways and I had some proofreading to do. However, I am now laying out Chapter 5, "How to Play the Game." Originally it was about 24 pages long. Now it looks to be double that size, so you are going to have a lot more information at your fingertips.
Send questions to Jean at marketing@StarFleetGames.com and she will answer as soon as she can.
(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: 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 MonthPLASMA-F TORPEDO FIRST PLASMA FOR GORNS This is a reverse of the standard Star Fleet Battles mantra of holding the plasma-F torpedoes, as they cost no energy to hold, and cycling through your heavy plasma torpedoes as quickly as possible. In Federation Commander launching the plasma-F torpedoes first makes a lot of sense. They are ready Turn #1, while the larger plasma torpedoes aren't. Mostly the Gorns should launch them because a plasma-F torpedo launcher, which launches its plasma-F torpedo on Turn #1, can fire it as a carronade on Turn #2, and if power is available it can be fired at full strength, too. The only time for a Gorn to hold plasma-F torpedoes is if the target ends the turn too far away, as anything inside Range 15 is likely worth launching at.
When fighting a plasma-armed ship, one of life's inevitable misfortunes is weaseling pseudo-torpedoes. Under some circumstances it is possible to reduce the cost of recovering a shuttle used to weasel pseudo-torpedoes by use of a 0.2 cost transporter, instead of a tractor and a full point of power.
It is often the case that a wild weasel must be launched such that the plasma torpedoes will impact before the launching ship or wild weasel will have time to leave the hex. In this case, launch the wild weasel moving at the same speed as your ship (even Speed Zero; in fact, this works best at Speed Zero). When the pseudo-torpedoes are revealed, instead of recovering the shuttle using a tractor, beam a pilot aboard the shuttle and land it immediately using (J1.61), saving a tractor beam and 0.8 points of power. Because the shuttle is moving the same speed as the ship, and landing of shuttles is after transporters in the Sequence of Play, this can all be done in a single impulse. In a multi-ship battle, an allied ship can beam the pilot to the shuttle allowing it to be landed aboard its home ship even before its home ship has raised its fire control. By matching the shuttle's speed to the speed of the ship, you maximize the amount of time it remains in the ship's hex, giving you more time to recover it. At Speed Zero, you have both unlimited time and the flexibility to launch the shuttle in any direction ‹ at faster speeds, you have to either perform the recovery operation before you move, or move the same direction you launched the wild weasel. While this requires a shield to be dropped, it is typical to launch a wild weasel in a direction that is not facing the enemy ship (so any collateral damage is on a non-facing shield), so the impact of the dropped shield will be minimal. (End of SFB Tactic of the Month)
F&E Strategy of the Month If you are using diplomatic team, you can arrange for the Romulans to receive five Economic Points per turn between Turns #2 through #7, for a total of 30 Economic Points. What to do with these pre-war Economic Points?
Consider converting three WEs to PEs on Turns #2, #4, and #6 (five Economic Points each). On Turns #3, #5, and #7 spend three Economic Points to build the three extra survey slots. Then, when the Romulans enter the war, you are already at the maximum of six survey ships and slots, so you can begin surveying as fast as possible. Why WEs? Because they are of limited use in combat, FALs are expensive to repair when crippled, and you have many other uses for the SparrowHawks (your other main early survey ship). You will have six Economic Points left over when you are done. Save them for the inevitable expenses or use them to help build that fancy FAB carrier you've always dreamed about. A Call To Arms: Star Fleet Tactic of the Month YOU REALLY DON'T WANT TO GO THERE Do you hate it when the Klingons flank your clumsy Federation cruisers, only to hit you from the side where your photons cannot bear? Then it might be time to play games with the Klingon player's head. Keep some small ships, preferably three battle frigates or war destroyers, to the rear and one side of your cruiser line. Normally you would move your small ships first, saving your cruisers until they can line up a photon target. Instead try moving a cruiser or two into an exposed position for the Klingon to flank them. Make sure the ships you sent use the Boost Energy to Shields! special action. It is possible the Klingons will sense a trap, and move more small ships first to force you to commit your small ships before moving his cruisers. In this case you have a choice. You can have your small ships stay together, use the Overload! special action, and move them closer to the cruiser line but stagger their fore arcs (say 12 o'clock, 10 o'clock, and 9 o'clock). If the Klingon tries to flank anyway, he takes some overloaded photons or he stays out of the small ships' forward arcs. This is called "area denial." Or you might send your small ships off to the side in a J-turn hoping to get behind some unsuspecting Klingon, but this is somewhat risky, as he may just turn and beat up your small ships instead of the cruisers. If the Klingon is unwary, he may take the bait and try to flank your cruisers at close range. If he is within 12" of your small ships, use the Overload! special action, move up on his flank, and let him have it. Three battle frigates/war destroyers with overloads can kill a typical Klingon cruiser or can easily cripple a heavy battlecruiser. Sometimes the threat of overloaded photons can encourage the Klingon to change his movement plans to avoid an obvious trap. Or you can set up a trap and plan to take advantage of him seeing it and reacting to it. At the least it has him reacting to your moves, which is never a bad thing.
Facebook Highlight of the Month Randy Blair reports: This happens when you drop a shield in front of a monster with Ph-4s AND provoke a Gorn in your port flank
Mini of the Month And a 3788 Scale Hydran Mongol (White Acrylic material) painted by Barton Pyle just showed up!
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show our games and to teach potential players some basics. 
